While attending the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the great figures in the world of wine: Andrea Robinson MS.
Andrea is one of 26 women that have passed the Master Sommelier examination in the whole world. She also has a strong culinary pedigree as a graduate and former Dean of the French Culinary Institute, and she’s the winner of three James Beard Awards.
Kindly finding a small gap in her extremely busy schedule, she accepted to answer a few questions:
Q: Can you tell us briefly who you are, where you come from and your current occupation in the world of wine?
Andrea Robinson, Master Sommelier: I currently consult to Delta Air Lines, and my husband John and I produce extensive wine, food and travel lifestyle and educational content through our production company.
Q: How do you define your purpose in wine?
Andrea Robinson MS: Easy! I work to simplify a complicated topic and to give people confidence that wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be good, it makes food taste better, and it’s fun!
Q: Why did you choose to talk at the conference and help wine bloggers at the 2016 WBC?
Andrea Robinson MS: Because I think that the social and digital world really enables broader discussions and more voices in the wine space, and that’s a good thing for both producers and consumers.
Q: Your approach to wine seems to be in line with many wine bloggers: share simple experiences and educating wine lovers in an approachable way. Is this correct and is it your angle for your own blog on Andreawine.com ?
Andrea Robinson MS: That is certainly an element of my approach. Because I live in the Napa Valley and am in the industry, I take the added steps of giving people a backstage pass to parts of the wine world that are interesting and full of interesting people, that bring the experience more to life in a myriad of relate-able ways.
Q: Finally, at Social Vignerons we love to talk about social media: how do you see it changing the world of wine today and in the future?
Andrea Robinson MS: Social media lets us have lots of direct conversations with like-minded and interested consumers who might not be inclined to pick up a wine magazine but nevertheless are excited to incorporate wine and wine and food pairing into their lives.
Andrea Robinson gave an interesting introductory talk at #WBC16, find out more with our #WBC16 Keynote report: How to Become a Successful Wine Blogger by Andrea Robinson MS (click on image below):
Andrea Robinson was the second American Master Sommelier I met this year (soo lucky me!), as I had the honor of sharing great moments with Michael Jordan MS earlier in 2016 while Judging the Los Angeles International Wine Competition:
Please let me know your thoughts