This week on Inside Pour: After Hours, we're having some fun with a handful of questions that turn into much bigger conversations than we anticipated. We're talking about the unexpected perks of getting older, the things we'd happily bring back, and what we value now that we probably wouldn't have given a second thought to in our 20's. Plus, a few ridiculous scenarios that require surprisingly serious consideration.

It's part nostalgia, part wishful thinking, and a chance to find out where you stand on some very important, completely hypothetical matters. Play along as you listen, because half the fun is figuring out what your own answers would be!

This week, we're getting into gratitude, perspective, and the idea that the energy you put out into the world has a funny way of finding its way back to you. We're talking about the people who lift you up, the ones who drain the room, and why celebrating someone else's success should never feel like a threat to your own.

And of course, we're bringing it back to wine. There's no shortage of headlines about the industry's struggles, but is all the negativity helping anyone? We're sharing our own experiences as independent business owners, what keeps us excited, and why we think there's still so much opportunity worth talking about.

A little philosophy, a few unpopular opinions, some self-reflection, and probably a few things we should have kept to ourselves. Business, friendship, wine, and everything in between.

Featured Wines: Domaine des Aubuisières Bernard Fouquet Vouvray Brut and 2023 Domaine Chatelain Les Chailloux Silex Pouilly Fume, both are distributed by AHD Vintners and sold at Lake District Wine Co.

But the real question this week is: who the hell is handling the PR around here? Some things have been unfairly judged for years and we’re ready to defend them. Others have convinced everyone they’re incredible and we have questions.

We get into wine, food, travel, getting older, things we’ve changed our minds about and a few opinions we’re prepared to stand behind. Consider this our completely unsolicited attempt to fix some reputations.

Featured Wine: VP004 Gober & Freinbichler Blaufränkisch, Imported by VomBoden, Distributed by AHD Vintners, Sold at Lake District Wine Co

This week we’re talking about what it takes to keep an independent wine shop going right now. The events, classes, Wine Club, collaborations, travel, podcast, Substack, making approximately one million different pieces of content, social media, endless ideas and all the other things that definitely weren’t in the original business plan.

The way people shop for wine has changed, and small shops have had to change with it. We talk about why putting great bottles on the shelf simply isn’t enough anymore, why creating experiences and community matters so much, and what independent shops can offer that you’re never going to get walking down a grocery store wine aisle.

It’s a lot of work. It’s also insanely fun.

And if tomorrow we come up with another slightly unhinged idea that creates more work for ourselves, there’s an excellent chance we’re going to do that too.

Applying to the Master of Wine program isn’t exactly like filling out a form, sending in your qualifications and hoping the people on the other end see your value for the industry; I mean, it is all of that, but it’s also a whole ass exam. A two-part, three-hour exam covering both practical tasting and theory, plus a 1500-word essay (on a topic they pick, eek). But I did it, felt pretty terrible about it the second I hit send, spent the next 4-5 business days thinking about all the things I should have written or different ways to explain why certain regions, grapes, soil types, and climates are more prime for sparkling wine, and what the tasting differences were between Barolo and Barbaresco; and then I slowly forgot about it. Then, as results day approached (about four months later), I started thinking and dreaming about the program again. The emotional rollercoaster and talking myself in and out of it was really something, and I hadn’t even gotten the results back yet. Then it was the morning of September 9th, and I woke up to an email that started, “Congratulations, it gives us great pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted to join the Master of Wine (MW) study programme.” I read it, reread it, and my immediate thought was, “Oh, fuck.”

I got into the Master of Wine Program.

Even typing that feels insane.

Master of Wine is one of the most rigorous wine qualifications in the world, alongside Master Sommelier, and the process is notoriously difficult. People always ask me what the difference is between the Master of Wine program and the Court of Master Sommeliers program, and the difference is really what you want to do with your career. A Master of Wine (MW) and a Master Sommelier (MS) are two different paths in the same industry. The MW dives deep into wine from every angle: viticulture, winemaking, the global wine business, theory, and the ever-impossible blind-tasting practicals. The MS is rooted more in the hospitality world, focusing on communicating serious wine knowledge and tasting skills through beverage service (all types), experience, and the art of taking care of guests. Basically, the Master of Wine is more about understanding the world of wine on a global scale, the sum of all its parts, and the Master Sommelier program is more focused on hospitality in a restaurant setting.

Neither is considered above the other. They’re both the highest achievements in wine, but they test different skill sets and serve different areas of the industry. Both qualifications require years(sss) of theory, blind tasting, research, writing, travel, studying, and an enormous amount of discipline. The Master of Wine is a self-study program with years of travel across the country or to another country for course days, seminars, and testing. Only 427 Masters of Wine (158 women) exist worldwide, and I’ve admired all of them for most of my career; I also know enough about the program to understand exactly how much I don’t know. So getting accepted feels like a giant honor mixed with a giant sense of WHAT AM I THINKING? Both feelings are currently taking up the same amount of space in my brain.

I completed my WSET diploma in 2024 and very distinctly remember thinking, “yesss, I am done.” Not done learning about wine, because that would take most of the fun out of it, but done with formal wine education. Done with daily blind tasting, theory question practice, flashcards, listening to lectures on every walk and every drive, exams, and waking up two hours earlier than everyone else to study. The Diploma took years, and I was pregnant for most of that time! I traveled while pregnant. I took exams while pregnant. I spent a significant amount of time growing two humans during my wine education, meaning I couldn’t actually drink the wine, which felt like a particularly cruel joke. I was also working full time while studying. When I finally received the PASS result on my last exam (of a six-part course), Wines of the World, I was very proud of myself, but I was also more than ready to be done.

And now, I’m considering doing it all over again, only way, way bigger.

The part I’m struggling with isn’t whether I want to pursue becoming an MW. I know I do, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have applied…twice. Also, if I didn’t want to do it, then there wouldn’t be much to wrestle with. The hard part is that I really like the life I have right now. Saying yes to something this big means figuring out where it fits into a life that already feels pretty full, and pretty great.

I have three little kids who are little today; tomorrow they will be older, and the day after that even older (you get what I’m saying, right?). I have a husband I care about and love spending time with. I have a wine shop I love owning with my best friend. I teach classes for Traverse Wine Institute. Kristy and I have a podcast because we apparently needed to see each other and drink wine together more. I have friends I want to see. Trips I want to take and ski hills I want to be on. I want to be at the bus stop, at all games and recitals. I want to open a bottle of wine and think, “ damn, this is delicious,” without feeling compelled to identify the acid level, tannin structure, alcohol, winemaking techniques, soil type, and probable vineyard exposure.

There isn’t some giant hole in my life I’m trying to fill, and that is what makes this decision so complicated. Ambition is easier to understand when you want something to change. But I really don’t want anything to change. What happens when the opportunity in front of you feels insane to turn down, but accepting it feels more insane? It’s a lot to ask of everyone around me; it’s a lot to ask of myself. But then there is the other side of me. The one that applied in the first place (and the second place).

That woman is apparently a problem.

I just really like learning about wine. The more I know, the more I want to know, and I love that there is essentially no end point. I learn about one region and then want to understand the vineyards, the producers, the history, the generations behind why they do what they do, the new ways to do it, and why the wine tastes the way it does (the best part, of course!). Every answer leads to more questions; I’ve spent years studying wine and still feel like I’m just scratching the surface. And that is precisely why I’m still so into it. And if I’m being completely honest, the idea of finding out how far I could go really brings out my naturally competitive self. I see it as a form of personal drive, but it also may be a bit of an unnecessary journey at this point. See, it’s me; I’m the problem.

I’m also thinking about the other side of this, because it’s easy for me to make a list of everything the MW would require of me and forget what it could bring into my life. The students and mentors in the MW program come from all around the world. They are a mix of winemakers, buyers, importers, writers, educators, retailers, distributors, winery owners, and I’m sure tons of other people working in parts of the wine industry I don’t even know exist yet. The thought of working next to these people is incredible! Some of the people could become friends or people I work with someday.

Then there are the places it could take me. Vineyards and wineries I’ve read about or follow on Instagram, conversations with growers and winemakers on their own land, and tasting wine with the actual producers instead of studying them in my basement in Traverse City. Because I live in Michigan wine country, I feel I have an advantage in tapping resources in my backyard. I know regenerative, biodynamic, and organic farmers, winemakers, and winery owners here that I can learn from throughout this process. I also own a wine shop, so I have access to all the wines I would need to practice tasting. I think that being super vulnerable during this process, open and honest, and taking people along with me, will be key to my accountability and hopefully to my success. I love teaching and learning, so maybe this could be a way to further connect with my colleagues and customers at the shop. There are student trips I can join with MW, seminars and tastings, and, if I make it through this thing, an international community that comes with it. I will likely meet producers whose wines end up on our shelves. I could meet people and bring them back to the shop to experience what we have going on there and potentially introduce them to the incredible Michigan wine scene. The podcast and Substack could lead to conversations with people I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

There could be opportunities to write, speak, judge, travel, consult, teach, and probably dozens of other things. I think about all the people I could meet, the places I could go, and how much more I could learn. That’s a pretty exciting thought and a big part of what keeps pulling me toward yes. I don’t necessarily want the MW because I need a bigger career or because I’m unhappy with what I’m doing now—quite the opposite. I love what I’m doing! But I can imagine the MW adding to all of that in ways I probably can’t even truly comprehend. And who knows where it could lead? Regardless of what happens afterward, the whole thing would be an experience in itself, and I sure do love experiences.

I wish I had some great conclusion about ambition, motherhood, marriage, friendship, work, and knowing when enough is enough. It would certainly make finishing this article a lot easier. But I don’t.

What I do know is that I have a terrible habit of immediately moving on to the next thing without taking much time to appreciate what just happened. In true Alaina fashion, I got the acceptance email, and then my brain went straight to schedules, costs, childcare, how many hours a day I would spend studying, etc. I mentally rearranged the next several years of my life before I even processed the fact that I got in. So I’m taking a step back and going to enjoy that part for just a bit.

Last year I applied to the Master of Wine program, and they said no. This year, I decided to try again.

They said yes.

Holy shit.

We also get into what all those letters after wine people’s names actually mean, the difference between Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, and the fairly major news that Alaina got into the Master of Wine program. Very exciting. Very terrifying. And now she has to decide if she’s actually crazy enough to do it.

Then, because the wine world clearly needs another credential, we introduce the WDE: Wine Drinking Expert. We created our own entrance exam and, for once, feel extremely confident in our academic preparation. Turns out we’ve been studying for this one for years.

Featured Wine: 2024 L’Ami des Crustacés Pinot Blanc Classique Gustave Lorentz, Distributed by Imperial Beverage, Sold at Lake District Wine Co

I woke up before the crack of dawn because school has started this week; the kids have nervous excitement going on and are waking up EVEN EARLIER than usual. All good though, more time for Simon Says waiting for the bus. I got two kids onto the bus, which has been a whole shit show in and of itself, but that’s a story for another day, and another off to daycare and then zipped across town to pick up the Wine Club Tasting Sheets. Nothing remarkable, just the usual scramble to get everyone where they need to be with everything they need for the day, while simultaneously trying to hold my head above water.

​And then, as I’m running errands, I spot my mom out for her daily walk. She appears as I’m cruising down Rose Street listening to The Toast with the windows down. We chat through the window, and she asks if I want some fresh salsa she just made. Umm, there is only one answer to that question. So she hops into my car, we drive to her house, and I scoop some salsa into my mouth before it gets put into the tupperware. We chat about life for a while before Kristy texts me about a baller Priorat wine that she just tasted. “Are you in town? If so, get here now.” You don’t have to tell me twice. I finish my salsa, check out my mom’s dahlias, hug her, and then, approximately 5 minutes later, peel into the wine shop parking lot on two wheels in sweatpants, looking nothing like a person about to “seriously” taste Spanish wine (head to the end of the article for my review), and settle in. This is my life: 3 hours of making breakfasts, lunches, collecting acorns and swinging, Cocomelon and Peppa Pig before the school bus, daycare, tasting sheets, mom, walking, salsa, Priorat plus some delicious Pale Cortado and PX Sherry, all before lunch.

It’s actually pretty wild how much actually happens inside this tiny town. The best part? I can knock out a whole day’s worth of errands in about an hour. For someone who absolutely hates running errands, this is a minor miracle. It gives me back so much more time for the good stuff.

Of course, sometimes it’s a lot. There are days I wish I could go to the grocery store in full gremlin mode and not see a single familiar face (don’t get me wrong, I only go to the grocery store looking like a Gremlin). But, I’m starting to think that the more blur, the better. Hands up for the blur! Work turns into friendship, friendship rolls into family, and family is woven into every corner of the community. Lucky for me, there’s always someone uncorking a bottle.

​Back in the day, I thought living big meant going far; I was always planning my next escape. I was constantly chasing adventure, new trips, including food and wine, and wanting to travel to exotic places. But lately, I’m realizing you can have a life that feels huge, even if you barely leave your zip code.

​Sometimes that looks like hustling through the rest of the afternoon, tackling wine orders, special order research, and QuickBooks just so I can meet the kids at the bus stop, then riding bikes around the neighborhood and “grocery shopping” from neighbors’ gardens, with permission, of course. Yesterday, we ended up with snacking cucumbers, yellow tomatoes, a handful of red heirlooms, and about seven pears stuffed in a backpack. Nothing fancy, just a patchwork adventure stitched into an ordinary afternoon. Everyday magic.​

And if that isn’t small-town luxury, I don’t know what is.

Insert Baller Priorat:

Ferrer Bobet | Vinyes Velles 2018 Priorat | Seleccio Especial Distributed by Imperial Beverage, Sold at Lake District Wine Co.

This is where it gets really fun. The fruit is from steep Llicorella slate hillsides in Porrera, one of the cooler, higher-elevation parts of Priorat. It’s hand-harvested and gravity-fed into small wooden fermenters. After fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic conversion and spends 18 months in French Oak (fine-grained, lightly toasted). It’s bottled unfined and unfiltered and held onto in the winery for two years before release.

And 100% Carignan is part of what makes this bottle so badass. This grape has historically done a lot of work as a blending partner, but old-vine Carignan on Priorat slate at higher elevation is an entirely different animal. It’s 14.5% alcohol, but it doesn’t drink like a big bruiser of a wine. There’s dark fruit, graphite, and spice, but the more interesting part, to me, is the energy. I love it, and though pricey, this bottle is worth every single penny (do we change that saying now that we are getting rid of pennies?). $149/bottle

Stay tuned for the next Fancy Friday at Lake District Wine Shop, and you can taste it and see for yourself the magic of Priorat.

Then we're debuting a brand-new segment: Wine Court. The wine crimes are petty, the opinions are strong and the verdicts are final.

Court is officially in session.

Featured Wine: Pazo Cilleiro Albariño 2024, Distributed by Imperial Beverage, Sold at Lake District Wine Co

Additional mentions: Traverse City Tourism, Traverse City Food & Wine Festival

At Lake District Wine Co, I hear these definitive statements all the time. I don’t like Chardonnay, I don’t like Riesling, I don’t like Cabernet Sauvignon, I don’t like Pinot Noir. I always follow up with some version of “why,” not because I’m trying to change their mind, but to see where their head is at. Maybe they tried an overly oaked Chardonnay years ago at a restaurant, were so underwhelmed, and vowed never to drink one again. Maybe they had a Riesling once that had the love/hate Petrol note that made them say, “sick, who likes drinking gas?” Maybe they think Pinot Noir is “too thin”, or that Cabernet Sauvignon gives them a headache. All very valid points! All also teaching moments. Now, I know, I know, most people don’t want to be taught in that moment, like, find me a bottle that I ask for in a price point that I want, and I’ll be happy. BUT, I do take these notes into my head, and I use them during my education talks and any chance I get. I can read the room; I know who’s interested in learning more and who isn’t, and nobody wants to feel stupid or womansplained (is that a thing? Actually, no, that’s not a thing). And I genuinely want to help people pick out exactly what they are looking for and, of course, what they want. But I also genuinely love education, and I believe that is what makes wine so unbelievably fun; you can never learn enough.

Long story short, I surprised my family with a whole bunch of dry rosé, because there are very few sweet rosés, and the one my cousin, who hates rosé, tried once was a White Zinfandel from California, which she promptly hated, so she thought she didn’t like rosé. It turns out she LOVES Provence rosé and German rosé. My aunt has always said she loves “the butteriest Chardonnay you have.” So instead of pouring her Chardonnay, I poured her an oaked Chenin Blanc from South Africa. She took a sip and immediately said, “Now this is Chardonnay.” I let her have another glass before I told her it was actually a Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Now she has a whole new grape and a whole new country to explore. I gave my cousin who hates Chardonnay a crisp Chablis; she loved it. I told her later it was also a Chardonnay, just made in a cool climate and unoaked. New style unlocked! I hooked my uncle on a cooler-climate, neutral-oaked Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia; I’ve never seen him drink anything except Pinot Noir. My dad was crushing on some Riesling that he thought was Sauvignon Blanc. My cousin drank Blaufränkisch from Michigan all night, and he said he hates Michigan wines. HA! If you can’t trick your family, who can you? Needless to say, I really enjoyed myself. Not bad for one weekend.

It got me thinking, though…isn’t this what we do in life, too? It made me realize how quickly we let one experience represent an entire category. We are all guilty of it. We let one relationship, one trip, one food, etc etc etc, become how we view those things. Every experience, in some way, shape, or form, does show up in other areas of our lives, as it should, right? We experience, and we learn, and we hopefully grow. We gain perspective; we trust ourselves more. All good things! Wine usually doesn’t get that luxury, though. We don’t go to one bad Italian restaurant and decide we hate Italy, but somehow we drink one Riesling and decide we hate the entire category. But this is where I come in; this is where a knowledgeable wine shop comes in. We can show you the magic of wine. I’ve realized over the years that most people don’t dislike grapes; they dislike certain memories and associate them with those grapes (aka the wine they were drinking that night) or the wine’s style. Before I really started studying wine, I thought learning more would make me more certain. Now I know it certainly doesn’t make me more certain. Instead, it’s opened my whole world up. Who knew I loved history? Or geology? Or geography? Turns out I love all three. I love experiencing history and culture, traveling, and learning about rocks and soil types. I’m obsessed with maps; my mom will definitely laugh when she reads this. She’s said our generation has been failed because we’ve never had to look at a map to get anywhere; she’s not wrong. In college, if you’d told me I’d be sitting at my kitchen table 20 years from then studying maps for fun, I’d have laughed. Now I spend hours teaching people why one side of the river in Bordeaux grows Cabernet Sauvignon, and the other side grows Merlot. Wine did that to me.

But now I’m studying maps of wine regions because they help me understand the moderating factors that affect them: are they near big bodies of water or rivers, and are the vineyards on flatland or steep slopes?? What do the fogs and breezes do for the vineyards? Why do some grapes grow better in gravel soil and others in clay? See, those are things that fascinate me. I’m now an official nerd. And I love it.

As the years pass, I’m less interested in having all the answers. I want to stay curious. It stresses me out when people are so certain about something that they don’t leave room to be surprised. I don’t want to be like that. Metaphorically speaking, and also in real life, wine has taught me that some of the best moments of life are discoveries, and most of the time they happen when you stop thinking you know everything, or when you already know everything you like. Life works in funny ways; we grow, we travel, we meet new people who change us, in both good and bad ways. We read books that change our perspective; we become parents, partners, friends, business owners. Why would we expect our tastes, opinions, and dreams to stay the same?

Now and then I think we owe it to ourselves to revisit something that we decided wasn’t for us. Maybe we will confirm what we already knew, but maybe, just maybe, we will wonder how we missed it in the first place.

Putting it out there, putting it here, I hope I keep changing my mind. I want to keep discovering new favorite wines, new places, new books, new ideas, new people. I hope I never become so attached to who I was yesterday that I miss who I could become tomorrow. We have lots more life to live. Hallelujah!

Last famous words (of the day): There’s no perfect bottle waiting at the finish line. There’s always another bottle to discover, always another surprise.

Lately, mine have looked like this:

The 2025 Anna Rosé from Slovenia keeps disappearing from my fridge, bright, vibrant, and proof that Eastern European wines are full of surprises.

The 2025 Outward Valdiguié Carbonic is lively, juicy, happiest when chilled, and a delightful rule-breaker. Wine doesn’t have to be serious to be fun.

And then there’s the 2023 Château Partarrieu Sauternes.

We poured it at our last Cork Dork event with Roquefort from The Cheese Lady- sweet Sauternes and salty blue cheese, a classic pairing that never gets old and, again, always surprises people. Instead of baking a dessert for your next dinner party, serve a wedge of blue cheese with some Sauternes. I double dog dare ya.

Here’s to changing your mind. Cheers!

But this isn't manifestation in the woo-woo sense. It's about getting clear on what you want and asking yourself, What do I need to do today to make that future possible? What habits do I need to build? What risks do I need to take? What kind of person do I need to become?

At the same time, we're talking about striking the right balance between dreaming big and living the life happening right now. It's easy to get so focused on the next goal, the next promotion, the next chapter, that you miss the ordinary days that make up your life. We believe your future is built by today's actions, but today's moments deserve to be enjoyed, too.

Pop the cork on a bottle you've been saving and join us as we dream about the next five years, celebrate where we are today, and talk about the small decisions that turn big dreams into reality. Cheers!

Featured Wine: La Spinetta Timorasso Colli Tortonesi Derthona 2024, Imported by Skurnik Wines, distributed by Imperial Beverage and sold by Lake District Wine Co

Additional mentions: Mackinac Island

I’m not talking about indulgences, although I firmly agree with treating yourself whenever and however you can. I am talking about permission. Permission to enjoy what you already have instead of constantly saving it for later. Use grandma’s china for Friday pizza night, actually burn that $72 candle that you bought (while tipsy shopping and instantly regretted) for no reason except that it smells fantastic. Invite your friends over for burgers on the grill, and for the LOVE of all things holy, pour them a good bottle of wine you’ve been saving for a special occasion. Burgers with your friends are the occasion.

We spend a lot of time preparing our lives so that sometimes we forget that we are actually in the middle of living our lives. We wait until the lawn is mowed, or work slows down (because does it ever really slow down?), the kids get older, or the timing feels right. But life continues to move while we’re waiting for the “right time.” Maybe the life we’ve worked so hard to build isn’t something that we should be postponing; I think it’s something that we’re allowed to enjoy today. Here’s permission to enjoy the life you’ve already built.

I’ve been noticing this about my kids too, especially my oldest. He’s always asking, “What are we doing next?” Talking about our next Canada trip while we are still in the middle of the last one. Talking about his birthday party in 8 months, etc. But then, I caught myself saying, “I can’t wait until this weekend.” Adults aren’t much different, and I am totally guilty of this. Now, I’m trying to catch myself before saying things like, “I can’t wait for Winter” (yes, I am one of the ones who actually says that!) Or “I can’t wait for the next trip,” as if life is always waiting on the next milestone. I know, really, really know, that life is already happening, right now. It’s up to me to show my kids how to appreciate the everyday.

Owning a wine shop gives me a POV on tons of celebrations. I feel so grateful to be even a tiny part of these incredible moments in people’s lives. In this case, it feels less like selling wine and more like collecting polaroids of people’s lives, and I’m so grateful to do this every day. Even still, though, those milestone bottles aren’t the ones I think about the most. The bottles that I think about the most are the ones that pair with “We’re just having some friends over tonight,” or “The weather is supposed to be beautiful, so we’re grilling,” or, my personal favorite, “we just want something delicious.” Or even, “I had a shit day; what can you give me that pairs with a teenage attitude?” Never fear, we have JUST the bottle for all of those scenarios. No occasion, no reason. Just Wednesday.

We say this all the time at the shop: wine isn’t meant to be saved for the finish line. It’s supposed to be along for the ride.

The best bottles I’ve ever had weren’t the fanciest or most expensive, or even the ones tasted at a luxury tasting event. They were the ones I shared with my best friends or my husband, when we danced all night, when I was traveling to a new country and shared a bottle with the winemaker, when we told old stories, met new people, or when a dinner party happened just because everyone was free.

Maybe the best vintages of our life are the ones that aren’t announced with a toast. They arrive without fanfare, disguised as a normal Wednesday. Can you tell that my favorite day of the week is Wednesday? Cheers to you—and cheers because, hey, it’s Wednesday!

We're talking about the balance between short-term revenue and long-term growth, why every season has a different purpose, how we plan inventory months in advance, and why saying "yes" to one opportunity often means saying "no" to another. We also get into the things that don't always show up on a profit and loss statement but are essential to building a successful business, education, customer relationships, community, and creating an experience people want to come back to.

Whether you're a business owner, thinking about starting something of your own, or just curious about what goes into stocking the shelves at your favorite local wine shop, this episode is an honest conversation about the decisions, tradeoffs, and long game of building a business. Pour yourself something good and come hang out with us.

Featured Wine: 2025 Quinta do Ermízio, Vinho Verde, Imported by Jose Pastor Selections and distributed by AHD Vintners and sold at Lake District Wine Co.

Additional Mentions:

BOS Wines

Raduno

Golden Hour Outdoors

Shady Lane Cellars

Mari Vineyards

Maria's Hot Sauce

EB2 Vintage

Cherryland Humane Society

Crooked Tree Arts Center

Vom Boden

The word optimize seems to be on everyone’s tongue these days; it’s become impossible to escape. Everywhere you look, someone is trying to optimize something. Sleep, workouts, recovery, productivity, stress, nutrition, yeah yeah yeah. I am guilty of tracking this stuff; I have owned half of the trackers, I’ve had 20 different FitBits, a few Garmin watches, and now wear an Oura ring, and I actually think it’s fascinating. I love seeing how travel affects me or when I’ve pushed myself too hard. I think it’s incredible how technology can tell us things about our bodies we never would’ve known 10 years ago. But I still look down at that little ring when it tells me something I don’t want to see and think, “You don’t own me.”

The other day it informed me that I’m apparently 6.5 hours behind on sleep this week. 6.5 hours. It seemed very concerned about it too. Meanwhile, I felt fantastic. I had just had a weekend off, spent lots of quality time with my kids, caught up on work without being interrupted every 5 minutes, picked a bunch of flower bouquets from my backyard with my daughter, and watched her smell each one and ask if her nose was yellow with pollen each time (it was). I finally snuck away for a date night with my husband, went for an hour-long hike BY MYSELF, and met up with friends at Farm Club. I laughed a lot, I was outside, I slowed down enough to actually notice my life. My ring also told me my stress level was the lowest it had been in weeks. Funny how that works.

It made me wonder when “measurable” became synonymous with “meaningful”. Just because something can be tracked doesn’t make it the most important thing. I can’t tell you how many miles I ran last year; well, actually, I could probably count them on two hands… so that’s not a good example. Okay, I can’t tell you how many miles I biked last year, but I can tell you how good I felt this morning. My husband and I sat on the patio last night and shared a bottle of wine after the kids went to bed, and it gave me the warm and fuzzies. I can tell you about how funny it was watching my kid try to water the flowers with a watering can that weighed more than him, or about the conversation I had with my bestie in Colorado, who called just to say hi. None of those moments improved my cardio capacity, or showed up on any graph. But they are the moments I hope I remember when I’m eighty.

Maybe that’s why that podcast host struck such a nerve. The wine industry is already on an uphill battle, man; don’t use your platform to slander a whole industry just because you don’t know your limits…But truly, and I mean this, it’s not really about the wine. When did we decide that if something doesn’t improve tomorrow, that it isn’t worth doing today? I don’t know about you, but some of the best days and nights of my life looked terrible on a fitness tracker. Ski trips with my closest friends where we danced for hours in our ski clothes until dark when we were supposed to go home after Apres. Biking through New Zealand, stopping at a winery, and bringing as many bottles back to the Airbnb as we could hold with one hand while steering the bikes with the other. Sitting around a table drinking old Burgundy while someone told stories that were worth far more than whatever was in the glass. I couldn’t tell you the producer of every bottle we opened that night. I remember exactly how much the energy of that night propelled me through the next few weeks.

That’s what I wish we optimized more. Not just our bodies, but our actual LIVES. Optimize being the friend who says yes to a catch up dinner, the one who invites people over even though the house isn’t perfect. Optimize calling your parents because you miss them. Optimize taking your kids fishing instead of worrying about your missed workout. Opt to sit outside after dinner rather than rushing to clean the dishes. Optimize your hobbies. Solve the world's problems over a couple of bottles of wine with people you love. The problems will still be there tomorrow, but they'll feel a little less heavy.

Now don’t get me wrong, of course it’s important to stay healthy. I want to be strong enough to ski for as long as I can. I want to chase my grandkids one day. I want to travel, hike, swim, garden, and do all the things I love for a long time. I eat well most of the time. I actually love exercising. I drink water. I go to bed at a reasonable hour far more often than I stay out until midnight. Those things matter. They really do. But so does friendship. So does laughter. So does community. So does curiosity. So does gathering around a table with people you love and remembering, even if it’s only for a few hours, that there is so much goodness in this world if you’ll stop long enough to notice it. If these things aren’t optimizing life, then I don’t know what is. Cheers, I’m signing off to go enjoy three glasses of wine.

Is it worth spending your Saturday cleaning your house if hiring someone means you spend the day making memories with your kids? Is the cheaper option really cheaper if it costs you hours of your life? There was a time when we optimized for productivity. Now, we're trying to optimize for living.

The older we get, the more we realize the best investments are the ones that get us out into the world, around a table with friends, on the ski hill, on a plane, or simply more present with the people we love. The laundry will always be there. The dishes will always be there. Your kids won't always be little, and your friends won't always be free on a random Tuesday. Life has a funny way of happening while we're busy trying to catch up.

Pour yourself something good and come hang out with us as we talk about what was worth every penny, what absolutely wasn't, and why we're spending less time chasing stuff and more time investing in experiences, connection, and buying back time. Because the best things we've ever bought weren't really things at all. They were the moments that made our lives richer.

Featured Wine: Wolf & Woman Grenache Blanc 2024, Distributed by Eagle Eye Brands, sold at Lake District Wine Co

Additional Mentions: Anavery Farm, Local's Yokels Farm

Kristy and I recently discussed personality types on our podcast. It started as one of those conversations that were meant to go one way and then went completely the other way. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since we stopped recording. Am I Type A? Type B? Surely I am parts of both, but mostly I am not. My desk is always revolting and piled with to-do lists and tasting notes; I never pack for trips until I have to leave for the airport in 30 minutes. I always leave something important behind (yes, this annoys my husband as much as it annoys me), then stop at the grocery store for a few quick snacks and end up chatting with someone for a play-by-play of their recent trip to Portugal and almost miss my flight. But I’m also not entirely B; I love goals, I love building things, I love dreams and working towards something. I thrive on projects and ideas, and I genuinely enjoy working hard. Well then, I must be C.

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When I look around at all of the women in my life, I am always amazed; every single one of them is remarkable. They’re raising children while building careers; they’re great wives and incredible friends. They run businesses, their households, the schedules of the entire family; they volunteer their time, remember everyone’s birthdays, work out before the kids get up, hell, some even read the book for their monthly book club on time! Not one of these things is bad; in fact, they’re all wonderful. But stacked together, they become incredibly heavy.

Is doing everything the goal?

Who decided that? Society? Did social media quietly (or loudly) convince us that everyone else was doing it all and smiling while they did it? Or is the pressure coming from our own heads?

I honestly don’t know the answer. It’s probably both. No one has ever told me I have to own a business, teach wine classes, record a podcast, volunteer, travel with my family, and answer emails late at night. Most of those expectations came from me. What was I trying to prove? The older I get, the less interested I am in proving anything.

Instead, I’ve started paying attention to the women I admire most. Not one of them is doing everything. Most are in a completely different season than the next one, most completely different season than I’m in. One friend is pouring her whole heart and soul into raising her little kids. Another has recently chosen to pursue a completely different career path in her 40s. I have one friend who is wrangling teenagers on the daily while simultaneously caring for her aging parents. One who is traveling the world because her child is grown, and one who is still figuring out what her life looks like, taking it one day at a time. None of them are doing something better than the other; they are just living in different chapters. Priorities shift and change, and that is a beautiful part of life.

That might be why Type C resonates with me. It’s not about being more organized or more relaxed. It isn’t about being driven or carefree. It’s about accepting that priorities change and that we change right along with them. What a GIFT. The things that mattered to me at 25 are certainly not the same things that matter now at 45, and I hope that the things that matter at 65 will be different again.

Women are capable of extraordinary things. I don’t think anyone with a brain questions that anymore. The question I’m more interested in is whether we’re allowing ourselves to decide which extraordinary things actually matter to us. And whether we are giving ourselves not only the permission, but the grace, to know what is best for us and to do just that.

Independent wine retail businesses are hard; running a small business is hard. Every day we are deep in the details: ordering wine, planning ahead for events, clubs and subscriptions, running payroll, paying bills, keeping the lights on. It’s a constant balancing act, and every week offers new challenges.

All that is to say, it’s not really a business that just runs itself. It takes owners who are deeply involved and well-versed in every aspect of the business, from behind the scenes to working in the shop, to keep a pulse on what we are selling every day. All of this work is what allows us to offer an experience that is unique to anywhere else.

And look, I know that big box retailers do a lot of the above and then some and have additional strategies that we don’t employ. But here’s why independent wine shops matter: we bring a level of connection and community that big box stores simply can’t. They don’t have the nuance, nor the need, to be extremely hands-on as we do. They have corporate offices that are buying based on a completely different strategy than we do. They are buying for consistency, for which wines give them the biggest margin. Walk into a Costco, and you’ll see hundreds of different wine labels and brands. Those wines are made in such massive quantities that they are made to taste exactly the same year after year. Big box stores fill their shelves with what sells in bulk. We do things differently; we look for wines with character and embrace the unique qualities each vintage brings. At a chain grocery store, you might find a bargain, and often this is priced up to then reflect a sale, another marketing “trick”, but you probably won’t hear the story behind the bottle or get a recommendation tailored just for you. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; it’s just a completely different business model than we have. Oh, and we also sell small-production wines at similar price points as the massive-production ones. I think that is a misconception; independent wine shop wine is more expensive. In reality, we have better quality wine in every single price point.

Our goal when buying is to buy wines that have something to say, wines that are made from grapes grown with thoughtful and quality farming. Ones that tell the story of generations of families making wine and passing down traditions to their children and grandchildren. It’s those same children and grandchildren continuing to evolve the brands to stay pertinent in an industry that is constantly changing. It’s sometimes wine that comes from a producer making only 900 cases a year in Spain, or one in California changing what California farming and wine are. It’s from a young grower from South Africa or made by a woman who’s the first female in her family to be involved in the generations-long family wine business. It’s from a neighbor here in Michigan quietly making world-class wine. Quality wine, no matter where it is made, has a story and one of the best parts of what we do, is getting to share those stories with you, whether that is in person at the shop or online.

We also know you; we know your name, we know your palate. We care about hunting down wines from quality, intentional farmers and winemakers and wineries so that you don’t have to. You can trust us, and we take that very seriously. We don’t sell you wines that we aren’t drinking ourselves.

Wines in chain grocery stores, and I’m speaking in broad terms here, are made to fit a specific price point, often with many corners cut in the vineyard and in the winery (or wine “factory”). They are loaded with additives, sugar, and chemicals like Mega Purple for color and branded as low sugar or sulfite-free, which really, if a wine is truly a dry wine, then the sugar is fermented out, which means that all dry wine, if the winery is being honest on their sugar levels, is low sugar wine. Sulfites are naturally occurring; you’ll find them in every single bottle of wine - yes, even the ones that say “no sulfites added”, as well as in foods like eggs, dried fruit, French fries, and seafood. They aren’t harmful, and they aren’t the culprit for headaches; that’s more often due to histamines or simply dehydration.

Unfortunately, many wines are produced using conventional farming methods that pay little attention to the environment and can do more harm than good. That’s not what you’ll find here. Each bottle on our shelves has earned its spot because we’ve tasted it, fallen in love with it, and can’t wait to share it with you. This year alone, we’ve tasted over 1200 wines. I know it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

Independent wine shops like ours matter because we’re rooted in the community. Shopping local keeps more money in our neighborhood, supports local jobs and nonprofits, and helps preserve the character that makes our town unique.

When we are curating our collection for the shop, our goal isn’t necessarily convenience; we don’t also sell paper towels, but rather about creating an experience. Our hope is that you leave with a new discovery, not just another item checked off your to-do list.

The wines we carry here are from all around the world; diversity is our “thing”. We categorize by region rather than grape varietal because we think it helps customers experience a place and its distinctions rather than pigeonholing one grape variety. A pinot noir from California and a pinot noir from Burgundy and a pinot noir from Germany taste completely different. We know about those differences and can talk you through them. We also categorize by featured importer to further encourage exploration and have a special shelf for our past club wines, which contain some of the very favorite wines that have been in the shop. We highlight our incredible local wines, and we feel strongly about them being on a level playing field as the best wines from every region around the globe.

We’ve pruned the vineyards with Dave Bos of BOS Wines, spent many hours harvesting the grapes and countless hours tasting through new vintages with Bryan Ulbrich of Left Foot Charley, and participated in much of the behind-the-scenes work that takes place well before the wine hits the retail shelf. These experiences give us such appreciation for what we are drinking. We recently spent some time with Bertus van Zyl from Belong Wine Co. It started as a tasting event, continued with a BBQ with friends at Sierra Motel, and ended with us all sailing West Bay on the Nauticat in the pouring rain, laughing while we were sipping wine through our ponchos. That’s the wine industry we know. The relationships go far beyond sales calls and order forms. They become friendships.

We consider learning directly from the people who dedicate their lives to growing grapes and making wine one of the greatest privileges of the job. A couple of months ago, we had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Raj Parr when he visited Traverse City with Importer LeMieux Wine Co. Listening to him talk about farming on California’s SLO Coast, hearing why every decision in the vineyard matters, and then tasting those wines alongside his stories further reiterates the way we think about what’s in the glass.

We curate extra programs for our customers to enjoy, including a robust wine club, a monthly wine and cheese pairing subscription, tons of food and wine pairing events and happy hours, and honestly take every opportunity to pour you a great wine. Because we think you deserve to taste before you buy.

We’re passionate about what we do and grateful every day to serve this incredible community. Being part of Traverse City, the local wine region, and the world of wine has given us confidence, lifelong friendships, and unforgettable experiences. Every time you walk through our door, you help preserve the unique character that makes our town special, and you remind us why independent shops matter.

To learn more about how we feel on this topic, listen to our Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or iHeart.

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Welcome to my little corner of the world, where you’ll get inside access to my brain and all the ping-ponging it does. Sometimes I want to write about wine; sometimes motherhood, business ownership, podcast follow-ups, and life in general. I love writing; I think AI is making it more and more of a lost art, and I do not want to lose it. I love reading other people’s thoughts; I love this platform, and I love documenting mine. So, again, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.

The world travels at such a fast pace nowadays, and actually that’s pretty much how every single one of my days is. But I don’t think that’s how it should be. We spend so much time communicating in fifteen-second attention spans. Wine doesn’t work that way; neither do relationships, nor does building a business, raising a family, or traveling. Some things need a little more space. That’s what I’m hoping to create here.

The podcast has reminded me of that too; it’s honestly one of my favorite things that Kristy and I have done together, and one of my favorite parts of the week. It’s a chance to digest something that’s been on our mind, to talk about and drink more wine together, because we can’t get enough. But it always morphs into talking about business ownership, all the fun we’ve been having, motherhood, travel, friendships, and, spoiler alert, we never run out of things to say. Sometimes I feel like we gloss over a really important topic that I want to talk about more, or we talk about it, but it didn’t come out exactly like I wanted it to, and it deserves more attention. This is a place where I can continue the conversation and complete my thoughts with more clarity.

Wine will likely always be at the center of what I write here, because I love the storytelling. I love sharing whatever I’m drinking. I love introducing people to bottles and producers, grapes and regions they may never have discovered otherwise.

I want to write about people that inspire me, hosting friends and community events. I have so many interests and things that excite me, and this is also a space where I can explore my curiosity. I don’t have a content strategy; some weeks I’ll have a lot to say, and some I’ll be too busy to write them down. I don’t want this to be overly curated or polished. I want it to be an extension of my brain, which is neither of those things.

I would love for these posts to be conversations, so please comment if you find something interesting, or if you agree or disagree with what I’m saying. I’d love to hear it. If there are things you’d like me to write about, I’m all ears. Let me know, and I’ll get to work. Cheers to you and whatever great bottle you’re about to open.

Then we tackle two topics that have been on our minds: the hard seltzer craze and whether ingredient labels belong on wine bottles. As usual, we don't solve the world's problems, but we definitely have opinions.

Travel stories, hot takes, a few laughs, and a conversation we'd be having whether the microphones were on or not. Grab a glass and come hang out.

Featured Wine: Thirsty Birds English Rosé, female-owned!

Additional Mentions: The Burrow, Rove Winery

We also have a little fun decoding whether we're Type A, B, or C... and come to the conclusion that millennial women probably invented their own personality type because we're trying to live up to the expectations of three generations at once.

We dive into work, motherhood, ambition, staying home, raising kids, caring for aging parents, and the invisible pressure we put on ourselves simply because we know we're capable. Is it society expecting too much from us, or have we forgotten that just because we can do it all doesn't mean we have to?

One thing we know for sure: society needs women. It needs stay-at-home moms, entrepreneurs, teachers, nurses, artists, caregivers, leaders, and every woman in between. There isn't one right path, because it takes all of us.

So here's your reminder to take a deep breath, stop keeping score, and remember that today is a gift. Build a life that feels like yours, celebrate women whose choices look different than your own, and don't wait for "someday" to start living.

Featured Wine: Marimar Estate Tempranillo 2021, Distributed by Vintage Wine Company, sold at Lake District Wine Co