- When you think of Rosé what colours come to mind?

rose petals in all the colors, raspberry juice, sunsets, flirting, blushed cheeks 

 - Can you remember the first time you drank Rosé? 

I can't remember the first time, to be honest but I'm sure it seemed delightful. 

- How does Rosé make you feel?

Rosé is pure joy and the promise of good times and long days. Most of us associate it distinctly with summer. I have also grown to associate it with the holidays, and always have a couple interesting bottles around for dinner gatherings. Sparkling rosé is one of the most festive wines there is. 

 - Do you have a favourite Rosé?

Latitude by Clos Lentiscus. It's an incredible sparkling rosé made from heritage Catalan variety Sumoll. Manel Aviño is known for revealing the deep elegance of cava. The farming is impeccable, the vines are old, and he uses rosemary honey from his own bees for his dosage. The vineyard is surrounded by national forest with views of the Mediterranean. He is also a deeply spiritual individual who I've never seen without a smile and a word of wisdom to offer. 

- Do you have an interesting story you can tell us about Rosé?

My favorite rosé memory is cliché and quintessentially French ha. When I first moved to France after college, my Burgundian boyfriend would take us to Monoprix to buy cheap rosé, a baguette, and a grapefruit. We'd take it to Post Neuf, squeeze as much of the grapefruit juice as we cold in the cold bottle and take swigs of it all night long as the sky transformed and music filled the air. Really good young love memories. 

- What do you think the future holds for Rosé

Rosé, particularly darker rosé, is one of my go-to pairings. Darker rosé has more fruit, more texture, and other interesting flavors going on that complement my favorite cuisines - anything with spice, herbaceousness, fish, veg, etc. I'm often going for rosé at home and for hosting. 

- Rosé is a ritual, for many cultures a way of life, do you have a wine ritual?

These days I try to take three deep breathes before I taste a wine for the first time. I like to get as present as I can and use the opportunity to connect more deeply to my senses. This is what I'm all about in Thirsty Thirsty and for teaching going forward. We are so equipped we just need to create the space and presence to honor the technology of our bodies. I guess I'd also say I like to take a moment to really taste it, even if it's quick. See, Smell, Taste, Savor before I get too chatty. I want to check in what I actually feel first. 

- What pairs well with Rosé? Food, company, weather-wise. 

It pairs well with everything which is why it's so fantastic and is distinctly festive. Still rosé feels more warm weather and sparkling feels more cool weather to me. 

- How did you get involved in the natural wine world?

I came from being very interested in sustainable farming in high school and equitable labor. I was also always food obsessed. I love flavors and getting lost in my mind's eye with them. After being a part of a restaurant opening and having my first wine epiphany during the wine list building process, I decided I wanted to really learn wine. I had my first wine stage at RN74 in San Francisco in 2011, which had a very acclaimed Burgundy focused list. Many famous winemakers would come to the restaurant and it was speaking with them that I realized I needed to be closer to the land. I just started looking for folks who really put farming first and guardianship fo the land and the well-being of their community/labor. This led me towards natural wine organically. 

- Your wine events look so good. Why do you host them?

Thank you. They are so heartwarming. I host them because wine is about sharing and community. It is also a very tactile offering and experiencing it in real life with people is how it can activate important conversations and joy in the most effective way. Wine is about energy. This energy transmits and amplifies best when we gather. 

- How would you describe Rosé to someone who'd been living under a rock for the past 5 years? 

Rosé is made when we press red grapes quickly and minimize the amount of time the skins are in contact with the juice. The skins are home to the pigment and much of the flavors (or phenolics) of the grape. By minimizing skin contact, we reduce the amount of extraction in the final wine. Rosé can also become quite complex when we are dealing with grape varieties that have higher pigment and intensity. It can become a fun method to reveal a lighter character of certain grapes. But rosé can also be quite complex based on the concentration in the actual berries from great farming, age of vines, and/or aging the final wine. 

This interview was done over email during covid*