Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf, a French native grew up in Auvergne; the land of Volcanoes and fabulous cheeses. Inspired by the power of a Mouton Rothschild, she earned a wine degree in Chile and then embarked for France to work harvest in St Emilion and the Cte du Rhne. While working in South America, she met Paul Hobbs and got a job first at Via Cobos in Mendoza then in California. After numerous opportunities to taste amazing wines and meet wine industry leaders, Claire started a consulting company in 2010. Claire de Lune Consulting focuses on helping fantastic producers including Matthiasson Wines, Anomaly Vineyards, Morlet Family Estate, Cowhorn Winery and more to grow their businesses. Claire lives in Calistoga with husband Aron Weinkauf-Winemaker at Spottswoode Winery and their two children.

ABOUT PICAYUNE CELLARS & MERCANTILE

Made in the ngociant style by French Native Claire Weinkauf, each Picayune wine embraces the purity and intensity of California fruit, yet keeps its drinkability with balance and finesse on the palette.

Picayune (pronounced pee-ka-'yn) means a little bit in regional French. Our tasting room and mercantile store is located in downtown Calistoga, and welcomes wine lovers seven days a week to enjoy one of our fantastic wines. Picayune also serves as a curated shopping experience with an eclectic selection of amazing artisans including French Master Knife makers, Native American ledger artists, a local silk scarf maker and more. As Napa Valleys most enchanting winery, tasting room and mercantile store, you can expect to unlock treasures and create memories when you choose Picayune.

https://picayunecellars.com/
https://www.instagram.com/picayunecellars/

The Wine Concierge Club
https://www.instagram.com/thewineconciergeclub/?hl=en

VineMeUp Newsletter
https://www.vinemeupdc.com/newsletter

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This week on the Swirl Suite, we talk about the evolution of our wine and food palates.

The Wine Concierge Club
https://www.instagram.com/thewineconciergeclub/?hl=en

VineMeUp Newsletter
https://www.vinemeupdc.com/newsletter

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Born and raised in Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Nadine is a twenty year veteran of the Washington Area restaurant industry. She spent over 14 years at Charlie Palmer Steak as their Wine Director and Sommelier. Nadine holds certifications from both the Court of Master Sommelier, WSET, is a wine judge and writer. Her company At Your Service, offers a range of services from wine events, cellar management and wine promotions. Nadine is a mentor to many young professionals in the business where she strives to encourage more women to join and stay in the industry. She hopes to educate operators of the benefits of having more women on their team and how to be creative about work life balance for moms and dads.https://www.instagram.com/nadinewinebrown/?hl=en

The Wine Concierge Club
https://www.instagram.com/thewineconciergeclub/?hl=en

VineMeUp Newsletter
https://www.vinemeupdc.com/newsletter

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Kevin Atticks has been Maryland Wineries Associations executive director since 2003. Kevin began writing press articles for the wine industry, but soon grew the organization with new events, promotional programs, government affairs initiatives and more. He founded Grow & Fortify in 2015 to support all Maryland value-added agricultural businesses, including distilleries, breweries, hemp growers, agritourism and more. He serves on the University of Maryland College of Agriculture's Global Leadership Council and on the board of Future Harvest, is past chair of the Maryland Tourism Coalition, past president of the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council, and past chair of the WineAmerica State & Regional Associations Advisory Council. Kevin holds a masters in environmental journalism from CU-Boulder, a doctorate in communications design from University of Baltimore, and a bachelors in journalism and music composition from Loyola University, where he teaches book publishing.

https://growandfortify.com/
https://marylandwine.com/

VineMeUp Newsletter
https://www.vinemeupdc.com/newsletter

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It was Christmas morning when Chrishon got the call. A freak flood in the building of Chrishons thriving Chicago art and wine bar that she had co-founded several years prior had destroyed everything. When an insurance loophole didnt cover the damages, Chrishon was forced to shutter the business. Finding herself back at ground zero, Chrishons instinct to pick herself up and figure out what was next kicked into high gear. She had been running a lifestyle blog and radio show for fun called, Love Cork Screw, where she frequently shared advice and tips on wine, entertaining, and relationships. In the aftermath of the flood, it dawned on Chrishon that Love Cork Screw was more than just a blog, it was a brand; her brand.

Love Cork Screw encompassed all the things that Chrishon was passionate about bringing together and sharing with others. And just like that, Chrishons mission to reinvent how we think about and experience wine was set in motion.

Full Interview on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/6nqfP_EQrOg
https://www.instagram.com/lovecorkscrew/
https://www.lovecorkscrew.com/

VineMeUp Newsletter
https://www.vinemeupdc.com/newsletter

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This week on the Swirl Suite, Tanisha recaps the Global Wine Conference in Alba, Italy. We discuss the differences in wine tourism in Europe vs the US and the changes she made to her tours post pandemic.

Watch Tanisha's Panel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZgzXRP_x3M Oysters and Wine in Cancale
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmj9Kky/

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The Swirl Suite cast catches up on wine events, travels and discuss wine tourism during the pandemic decline. Glynis gushes over her first wine club shipment from Leslie. Sarita recaps her trip to LA and all of the black businesses she visits. Lastly, wine tour season is among us. They all describe what type of wine tourist they are.

The Wine Concierge Wine Club
https://thewineconcierge.co/collections/wines

NV Quinta do Ferro Bruto Tinto Red Sparkling
https://thewineconcierge.co/products/copy-of-2013-quinta-do-ferro-bruto-tinto-red-sparkling

1010 Wine Bar & Events
https://1010wineandevents.com/

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In April 2017, Dana Spaulding, certified level II sommelier, founded Wander + Ivy. Prior to creating W+I, Dana spent 7 years with J.P. Morgans Private Bank, managing assets for ultra-high net worth families. Most recently, Dana was a Vice President in the J.P. Morgan Rockies Market, covering the food and beverage industries, among others.
Dana studied Economics and Business Administration at Fordham University in New York City and graduated Summa Cum Laude. While at Fordham, Dana also danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Dana currently lives in the Denver Highlands with her husband, Gus, children, Maelyn and JB, and boxer, Tedy. She is on the ACE Scholarships Associate Board and in her spare time enjoys yoga, running, skiing, cooking and traveling with her family.

https://www.instagram.com/wanderandivy/
https://wanderandivy.com/collections/all-wines

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Allison Slute's love of wine and food blossomed after an immersive 3-month trip to France at the age of 15, which inevitably convinced her to pursue a career in wine. Her career in wine spans 15 years in both Canada and the US in a variety of roles in sales and marketing, including export sales, public relations, social media marketing, and sales distribution and management. Her love of a single grape inspired her project Cab Franc Chronicles, where she explores and analyzes the terroirs and expressions of Cabernet Franc from all over the world. Allison completed her WSET Diploma in May 2022, and she holds her Certified Sommelier accreditation through the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

https://www.instagram.com/cabfrancchronicles/

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Erica Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of The Sip
As an Oakland native, Erica made it her mission through The Sip to give back to the city that gave her so much. When she founded The Sip, she also created the Take a Sip, Give a Sip give-back initiative. Every purchase from The Sip funds access to clean water for women and children in need through the East Oakland Community Project (EOCP), a multi-service, multi-facility organization providing emergency and transitional housing in Alameda County. The Sip has provided more than 5,500 gallons of water - and counting! Erica is passionate about changing the way alcohol is marketed to women, and advancing visibility and opportunity for Black founders in the wine industry (where less than 1% of winemakers and owners are Black). She puts this passion to practice with The Sip, which allows women to explore their palate in a judgment free zone without breaking the bank. Prior to founding The Sip, Erica served as the Director of Content and Director of Merchandising at Darby Smart, up until the brands acquisition. She also completed Gap Inc.s intensive cross divisional Retail Management Program, equipping her with the deep knowledge of brand management, consumer insights, product development, supply chain management, revenue/cost forecasting, trend analysis, commodities negotiation, quality control - skills she put to valuable use when founding The Sip. Erica is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and alum of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, product development and her family, and enjoys a great glass of Laurent Perrier while watching the Real Housewives of Potomac (guilty, but not so guilty pleasure).

https://thesip.com/pages/choose-membership
https://www.instagram.com/theofficialsipsociety/

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