About Me
My wine career started in March of 2000, where I took a part-time position at Arrowine in Arlington, Virginia while working at The Washington Post. Arrowine is a fine wine and cheese neighborhood shop with a national reputation.
There I built my foundation of wine knowledge by marketing, selling and tasting 200 to 300 wines every month with Arrowine’s owner Doug Rosen, who I am forever indebted to for teaching me so much about wine. Additionally, I traveled to wineries learning about viticulture and winemaking; eventually taking my first major wine trip to the Loire Valley, France in February of 2002.
I moved back to my hometown of Missoula in October of 2005 and took a position with the Missoulian as the Art Director and Marketing Manager and soon thereafter began writing a weekly wine column. I also passed the introductory course for my Sommelier Certification in September 2008 and continue to study for the rigorous Master Sommelier Certificaion, which I hope to accomplish in the next five years.
Since writing the column here in Missoula, I discovered the wine world’s interest in Montana oenophiles, visiting with many prominent wine makers and importers from around the world who come here with great interest in our palates.
While my love of wine began while working at Arrowine, my first experience and wine interest dates back to a glass of Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante given to me at the young age of eleven on Christmas Day by an uncle who was a distributor of wine and beer in Montana for over 35 years. This first taste of the “twinkling stars” and exposure to his trade left a lasting impression.
“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” – Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon
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