Happy Friday,

This Sunday will be the 5 year anniversary from when I launched the Road to Wine Expert Virtual Summit.

This online series of wine interviews would completely change my life for the better.

I learned so much about wine and even more about myself and the world around me.

Here are my favorite lessons from the wine heroes I interviewed.

Cal Fussman

“When you make a connection with someone who loves wine your life is going to get better.”

Cal’s article in Esquire “Cocktails Before The Collapse” and his Tim Ferris interview were the catalyst for my wine journey.

He proved that anyone can become a wine expert with the right resources. Furthermore, he’s a master storyteller.

My goal is to do for one person what Cal did for me.

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Bianca Bosker

“One of the things I found really remarkable about this process was having to learn how to trust my own experience of the world.”

Bianca wrote Cork Dork. It came out early in my wine journey, and we charted a parallel paths.

Her book should be required reading for anyone thinking of jumping head first into the wine industry.

Richard Hemming

“The thing that stops most people from writing a book is that they never sit down and write a book.”

I reached out to Richard Hemming because I enjoyed so much of his writing online — and his music (see this week’s Free Run Juice).

It turns out he’s a great writer because he’s a fantastic and a fearless human with a great take on the world.

This is one of those quotes that has stuck with me and continues to force me to write my wine book.

Elliott Clark

“It doesn’t matter if you make a good drink, if people don’t enjoy sitting at your bar.”

Elliott Clark was in the first wave of wine and spirit influencers. What I admire about him is that his home cocktail creations took him on adventures around the world.

When we connected, I found an amazing soul whose favorite bar in Chicago happened to be a few blocks from my house.

Yannick Benjamin

“Multiple passions work hand in hand.”

Yannick Benjamin continues to inspire. I talked to him briefly at the end of 2019 as he was getting ready to open his restaurant, Contento.

I think about that conversation often because I can remember his passion and optimism. He never lost sight of that despite what the following years had in store.

His success is deserved, and I can’t wait to dine there soon.
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This Week’s Free-Run Juice

*free-run juice is a wine term for the grape juice that comes from their own weight prior to pressing. These are weekly tidbits that came out from my own wine reading.

Wine Grape Variety Fun

As mentioned above, here is the Richard Hemming delivering you a convenient way to remember wine grapes.

Wine Consumption Tips From Rowan Atkinson

Please remember to drink responsibly.