Well, WSET Level 4 kicked my ass.
And I’m a great student. I’m talking a private school-educated, flashcard-making wizard. I study soil types before breakfast, learn about selection massale for lunch, and digest synonyms for Zinfandel at bedtime (Tribidrag, bitch). Levi Dalton’s voice practically narrates my next move.
This level wasn’t without failure. In fact, that’s partly why I’ve decided to create this blog: to irreverently inform you of almost-Shakespearean epicness of my fuck-ups and invite you to laugh with me. For fewer things are more humorous than deciding to devote your life to this luxury alcoholic beverage and then clandestinely weeping when you blindly call Pinot Noir instead of Beaujolais.
"Wait, it has a purple hue. Shit."
The other reason this site exists is to share my education with you. Maybe you have a particular way of studying, but maybe you also want access to free, Diploma and Master-level study materials. As I prepare for my next chapter, I will be updating/adding to the documents, so they will be even more in-depth and precise.
Yeah, I could hoard everything and pretend that I effortlessly know the exact composition of Portlandian marl, but I could also choose to be more philanthropic than the d-bags that reach a certain level and then vanish behind a cloud of their own pretentiousness.
And, if you like what you see, you can express a little love in the form of a donation. For who has two thumbs and has decided to embark on an 8-year, $80,000 wine journey without current access to wholesale wines or daddy’s money? THIS girl.
And the last reason? I’d love for you to accompany me on this crazy journey to Master of Wine. I’d to remind you that the stupid moments, the bad calls, and the setbacks are just as valuable as the successes. And I want you to feel free to reach out when you need someone to listen, especially if you’re lost on this unbelievably strange road called life. I feel you, dudes. I just spent two hours researching grape clones and didn’t kill myself, so that’s a win.
So come with me. Let’s do this, world. I am Daniela. I am a crier. I am a drinker. I will fuck up. And that is okay.