I often get comments about how lucky I am to be able to work as a wine writer, take continuing education courses centered on wine and spirits (Join me for NASA’s upcoming American Wine Specialist Certification course: Eve@EveWine101.com) and most recently, serving as a wine judge. One reader proclaimed that she would like to be a Mini Me, others want to “stand in” when I can’t make an event while I bet more still have dolls that look like me that they stick pins into…
So these thoughts prompted me to want to write about the dark side of my career. What few people in the wine industry talk about – except to other industry insiders. So here goes.
I can’t bleach my teeth. Because I taste and/or drink red wine several times a week I don’t have a clear window of enough time to bleach my teeth effectively. I can make an appointment and have it done for me, but it seems kind of defeatist. So your teeth will always be whiter than mine.
I can’t wear perfume. Perfume would alter the perception of aroma (bouquet is the term if an older wine) in wine. When I am sitting at home tasting and writing, no other aromas can invade my space. If I’m at an event I resent both perfume and after shave. When judging if anyone is wearing perfume, scented body lotions, hair spray, etc. – they would be disgraced. Problem is I have some nice perfumes, purchased by my husband, but I rarely can find a time to wear any of them.
Wearing white is problematic. When I judge wine, whether in a competition, for a review or at an event, I will breath air in over my tongue – filled with less than an ounce of wine – in an effort to open the wine and get more from a taste. As you can imagine, spills can happen when I do this. It’s a treat to wear white but I have to think about where I’m going and what I’ll be doing first.
I eat more red meat than I should. I have a preference for red wine when I dine out, and will often select my wine from the list before my food. So though I may enjoy a white or sparkling with a salad, or other light appetizer, I usually go for a Bordeaux or Rhone blend with dinner.
I have to spit. I would much prefer to taste and then swallow wine, and I do that plenty, but I actually have to spit out wine more than I get to drink it. A few weeks ago I judged the Long Beach Grand Cru for two days and I really looked forward to attending the public event to get to have the pleasurable end, the drinking part.
There are a lot of wine events to cover. I try and attend every local non-profit wine event so that I can advertise it with a column. There are a lot of events, near and far, that I get invited to. It’s very hard to get to them all, and visit so many worthy winemakers, but I do as much as I can. I usually enjoy them but ask any wine writer, it can get physically tiring to cover so much ground.
Some of the I’m-new-to-wine questions can be solved by a Google search. I’m not Google. I love questions from beginners that lead to a discussion, and teach them a little about the big world of wine. But don’t ask me for a dining review (see my Yelp), a hotel in wine country (see my Trip Advisor reviews) or which wineries I like (I have to Google myself and the region you want to give you an answer).
Writing 8 columns a month minimum. I write a weekly Friday column for both Eve’s Wine 101 and the Beacon. I write a bi-monthly column for Elite Magazine. I’ve written for other publications as well, like Wine Dogs, Wine Cats and other websites. So, for the last 7 years I have churned out hundreds of articles. If this still sounds glamorous to you, and you don’t mind getting paid with event tickets in exchange for your articles, email me: Eve@EveWine101.com
Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com
