A Jancis reject
In hopes others will follow and post their entries somewhere in the online world
What is a Jancis reject you ask
Well, it simply is me self publishing an entry for a wine writing competition so that others can still read it. I hope the 75 other rejected writers will self publish their articles as well. This needs to be a trend in the writing world, maybe it is, but as this is a new career path for me, I may just not be in the know.
In my quilting career, there was always a hashtag on instagram of the quilt show rejects. Let me tell you, they were always my favorite quilts. While judging art and writing is based on the judges opinions, which are totally subjective, there is a lot of wiggle room for the quality chosen. Please do not read into that as I think I deserved a finalist spot. I did not, my writing was not the best as you will read, admittedly I spent more time on the visual entry. My point is, just because someone doesn’t get chosen to exhibit in the next round, does not mean the world should not see or read their entries. So writer friends, if you already are not publishing those rejected pieces, please do so. I want to read them and I know many others do as well. I want to learn about who inspires you.
The competition
This years wine writing prompt for the Jancis Robinson competition was to write about our favorite wine person. Like I said, my writing is not great, the reason I entered was to push myself out of my comfort zone of writing only what I want to write about. Writing about a favorite person in your industry is hard, mine just sounds like a gush piece. I knew I stood no change, but I do stand by what I wrote about Hannah. She truly inspires me and others, so if you do not know her, I am just glad you can read about her below.
There was a side competition for best portrait, any medium. Mine also was a reject, I think the photographer judge could not handle how amazing and different my entry was, deadly serious. Not sure anyone else dyes fabric with wine then thread paints, or quilts a portrait. I do, that is my level of dedication to my art and wine. Okay, okay, I will go back to being serious.
My favorite wine person
Wine dyed stitched wallhanging by Kate
The moment I saw this prompt I immediately knew I needed to write about Hannah Lunn, owner of Wine with Hannah. Hannah is a wine educator like no other with a no gimmick approach to wine. There is no snobbery, just straight forward easily understood education in a digestible way. She is able to make wine enjoyable for a group of people from the novice wine drinker to the professional educator. Everyone takes away something from her style of education. With an overwhelming amount of online wine educators out there, Hannah has a way of standing out from the crowd and in fact she stands high above them. She oozes enthusiasm and spreads it to everyone she teaches. Her passion is so apparent and memorable that once you have entered her wine (and food pairing) world you never need to look elsewhere. She constantly excites and pushes the boundaries. Her online and in person classes bring people together, they are full of laughter and always a memorable experience.
Hannah is able to connect her passion for wine with audiences from around the world and of all (legal) drinking ages. She has an infectious, curious nature and imparts it in her teaching style. I have an incredible respect for her as an educator and as a female small business owner in the wine industry. Her audience is diverse and she thrives at tailoring her teaching style to fit their needs. She makes some pretty dry wine topics relatable and interesting.
When she discusses a region or sub-region, you can almost feel your feet about to slip on the warm stony soil in Champagne, or having to lean back as you walk down the hillside between the vines in the Mosel. She describes smells so vividly, you find yourself smelling floral aromas and observing the bees drinking the nectar of the roses at the ends of the vines in Vinho Verde. All from your house or the classroom. You are not only transported to regions, you learn in a way that you remember long past that exam date. This is her intention. She may seem like she goes with the flow and is a laid back educator, but every single thing she does is with intention; every topic, every piece of history and even the food history that pairs with the regions’ wines. You go along a full sensory journey with her. Everything is done with the intention to set the scene for you to remember, so that when you are taking an exam (if you are a wine student) and have a question about the best aspect for vineyards in the Mosel, you can visualize being back on that steep hillside, facing south and are able to discuss it in detail. If you are a lover of wine and not a student, you can share everything you learn with your friends the next time you open that bottle she discussed with you.
Hannah melds food, wine, history and science. She describes the terrain and region like I mentioned before, but then she does a deep dive explaining the reason why certain grapes grow in this region and not others. Her vast knowledge of wine and her dedication to education meld together to make her a food and wine pairing genius. She evokes all of your senses as you embark on a wine journey with her. Just when you think a pairing cannot get more delectable, she brings on the next layer of flavors to wow you. During one of Hannah’s monthly wine club events, she paired a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon with beef salami. After taking a bite of the fatty salami, as soon as the wine touches your tongue, the tannins instantly become smooth and silky instead of brash and drying, while notes of dark berries burst in your mouth. This alone was a perfect bite, but she went on, encouraging us to try it again, this time with a garnish of fresh mint leaves on top of the salami, so when the wine hit your palate again, you get a burst of mint and berries. The mint brought all the subtle herbaceous qualities of the wine to the forefront. It lifted the already great pairing making it extra memorable. I could go on and on about her pairing skills, but what would that accomplish other than to make you hungry. Take a class with her, book a happy hour with her and I can promise you pure enjoyment of all your senses.
This is starting to sound like a total gush piece and maybe it is. She deserves it. Hannah speaks three languages, is a certified WSET educator, does private classes, trains yacht crews, has a monthly wine and food pairing club and so much more. On top of all of her work she still manages to make a social media presence that dominates when it comes to quality content. Some may think from the outside she is just another wine influencer, but they are so very wrong. That is the best part about Hannah. She appeals to the masses. She satisfies the online crowd with fun and beautiful content, but it is packed to the gills with information. So the seasoned wine student or professional can always take away something new from her.
Wherever you are in the world, or whatever your actual interest in wine is, she is the best wine educator. Even for someone who just wants to drink, eat and listen, those people walk away with even more desire to learn more. Hannah brings a level of passion and dedication to her role in the wine industry that I have yet to see paralleled. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Regardless if you want to work in wine or not, there is always a place for you at the table. She sparks curiosity and the desire to learn more. I strive to be half as good of a wine educator as she is.
A total gush piece
Okay, I get it, the writing is not my best at all. I definitely deserve to be a reject. But, I did put hours upon hours into the portrait entry. I truly love the piece of art and now that I have shown people, I can finally ship it to Hannah.
I had just entered the wine world as a student when I met Hannah in the online sphere. She helped me realize wine was my next career. Her passion helped spark mine. I do credit her, and a few others, for getting me through my slump days and into my wine career.
My career is still being forged and I am continuing my studies now at Purdue University in their online winemaking certification program. I cannot wait to see what path I continue to go down, but I know Hannah will be my biggest cheerleader (besides my partner).
