About Me

Hi there!

I’m the Armchair Sommelier.  I assigned myself that moniker eight years ago, when I first started writing this blog.  Back then, I wanted to be a sommelier, but I lacked any kind of formal wine credential.  So I started studying.  I earned both the DipWSET (Diploma, Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) credentials.  But along the way, I had a wine epiphany:

I don’t want to be a sommelier.

As I dove into my wine studies, I quickly figured out the somm route wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to work in a fancy 5-star Michelin restaurant.

So I chose a more education-focused route in WSET and CSW.  In addition to writing this blog, I’m currently working part-time in the Wegmans Wine & Beer Shop, gaining some valuable retail experience.

I fell in love with wine over 20 years ago, and I have never fallen out of love.  Every bottle of wine  is an opportunity to learn something.  But wine is only part of the learning.  Along the way, wine gets tangled up with history, geography, culture, literature, language, art, biology, chemistry (I don’t tangle with chemistry very often – chemistry scares me), geology, photography.  The tangle and the learning are endless.

Just for Fun:

• I’m a wife, and a mom to two grown, and in various stages of flown, kids.
• I’ve lived in Virginia most of my life, but I’m originally from Nebraska. Go Big Red!!
• In a previous life, I was a high school history teacher.
• I’m a photography dabbler:  kirstengeorgiphotography.com
• I have a crush on Ernest Hemingway.
• Birds are swell, too.
• I think Tuesday is a good reason to open a bottle of Champagne.
• I’m the one who eats chocolate Necco wafers.

Thanks for stopping by, and please don’t be a stranger.  You can also contact me directly at: oenophile27@gmail.com.

Salud!