I am a CSW, Level 2 Sommelier (Masters of Sommelier Program), and am now studying for my Champagne Master Certificate from the Wine Scholar Guild. Wine started in my life as a bargain scavenger hunt trying to find those 90+ point wines for under $20 listed in Wine Spectator and my mission was to find those wines each weekend! I was infatuated with wanting to know everything about wine, spirits, and beer. To this day, I still work all day with wine and beverages and I go home to read more about wine in magazines, online webinars, and writing wine reviews for my blog at www.WineSplashing.com. I enjoy writing and have also written for Wine Connoisseur Magazine, Snooth, Wine Country, Red White and Cru, and more. I love being educated about wine so I can spread the excitement to my employees, customers, and clients. I started out in 2004 as a Wine Consultant at a local gourmet market in Michigan called Busch’s Marketplace which had 12 Detroit area locations. I moved up to Beverage Buyer to Regional Director of Wine and Beverages in 2013 with 2 other grocery chains, World Market and Westborn Market. I hired the best team possible who were as excited about wine as I was! My responsibilities included eye catching merchandising, finding great wines at the best price, building the wine and beer categories, category management, events, and marketing. I used Nielsen data to keep the scope of the wine world and staying on top of the competition and pricing. I called my buying strategies the “Trifecta”. A combination of an attractive wine label, a fair price, and an enticing flavor that best promotes the grape variety. I became a Sommelier in 2013 and moved to Virginia in 2016 where I started working in the tasting room at Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurants in Richmond as their Sommelier. Responsible for finding the best wine pairing for my guests meals, inventory, training employees, and providing the best impression of Cooper’s Hawk. When I am not at the restaurant, I enjoy doing wine consulting at local stores in Charlottesville part-time to help them find the best wines that will sell with the best margin. My forte is brand management, retail buying, merchandising, hosting food and wine tasting events and educational seminars. But I am a master of writing wine reviews, evaluating wine flavor profiles, restaurant menu development, and enticing folks to buy and taste some great wines!