Wine Behind The Scenes

Judith Lewis is about as passionate as you can get about wine and food. Doesn't smell right? Don't eat it or drink it (thanks, Mom). Digitize the world of wine? Judith's passionate about it. Helping wineries handle climate change? – Judith's working on it. Looking to taste wines in Majorca, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Greece, and other European countries? – you might bump into her in those wineries. Going to conferences on communication, SEO, wine, and travel? – Judith's there. Plus… she's an international judge for wine AND chocolate. Get your taste buds ready, pop open your sense of humour, and let's listen to Part 1 of my interview with Judith Lewis. Get in touch with Judith Lewis: Website: https://www.decabbit.com/ Website: http://mostlyaboutchocolate.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/judithlewis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyaboutchoc/ Email add: [email protected] What you'll learn from this episode: Discover one secret to earning a fortune in winemaking. Find out the one thing that gets you fulfilled and keeps you going in life and with what you do. Learn how to genuinely connect and build lasting relationships with people you share the same passion for. Hear about the challenges in producing wine -- from farming to growing the grapes and making it available to people, and managing expectations. Learn how to have a really good sense and memory of taste and smell Judith Lewis is a renowned international speaker, writer, trainer, blogger, and digital media consultant specialising in applying strategic understanding of digital technologies to help businesses innovate and optimise their effectiveness within the new, networked communications environment. She has over 25 years of experience, predating Google in her entry into the market, and now runs her own consultancy. Judith also blogs about chocolate, has contributed to a book on web development and writes about best practices for Search Engine Optimization.. Deploying her skills across a number of sectors, Judith learned about winemaking quite late and how now joined an organization to assist in the digitisation of the wine sector. Furthering the use of various emerging and established technologies within vineyards, Judith is also working with everything from blockchain to Raspberry Pi to digitise the wine sector, including utilising big data and algorithms. Judith works with companies large and small and is passionate about enabling businesses to take control of their digital elements by understanding them better. And best of all, Judith continues to grow her knowledge and experience in wine by following her nose (thanks, Mom!) and by tasting wine around the world. Topics covered: 01:31 - Which exciting part of the world she's in right now 01:54 - A passion-filled life that led her to many places, the love of her life, and the interesting world of wine and chocolates 06:48 - Integrating her tech expertise into her passion for taste, smell, and senses 08:56 - Talking about the challenges involving wine -- farming grapes that produce wine 10:12 - Growing your network and building connections over a shared passion for wine 12:21 - Where genuine connections happen 15:15 - Making a huge difference in people's lives by sharing something you're passionate about 16:39 - What stood out for her in all the fantastic stories that brought out a different kind of experience 21:50 - The connection between passion and wine Quotes from Judith Lewis: "Our mission is to digitize the world of wine." "I'm passionate about taste and smell and sense." "Share your passion with people and then stay in touch about your shared passion." "Ask smart questions that show a desire to understand and know more about what you're drinking or eating. "

Do you love wine, food, travel and fascinating stories? Then you're in the right place. Welcome to the Wine Behind The Scenes Podcast where you can escape into stories about wine, and the passion and people behind it. Join me Laurel Simmons! Do you love wine? Are you curious about what's behind a particular wine, or the people involved in getting that wine to you? I have been passionate about wine all my adult life. I love wine. And I love the life I'm creating for myself. That's why I'm launching this podcast called Wine Behind The Scenes. This is a place where we can escape into stories about wine, passionate people - a place where we'll have fun, where we'll learn, and where we can share our joy about wine and the journeys attached to it. I'll be talking with people who are fascinated by wine, and who have made a conscious decision to focus their lives around the world of wine. I'll be weaving in stories about the magnificent places where wine is made. The business of wine, the history of wine, the art and science of wine, the grapes, the vineyards, the people who make the wine, and of course, the people who drink the wine. Then there's everything else that can go with wine, especially the food. You can spend hours figuring out what food goes with what wine, or you can cross your fingers and hope that what you've thrown together works. And either way, it can be wonderful. You could end up with a classic pairing, or an OMG moment that takes you by surprise, and that you want to repeat over and over. There are great stories everywhere when it comes to food and wine. And people can be absolutely obsessed with strange and wonderful pairings. Food and Wine don't just exist by themselves. If you're like me and so many other people, wine is part of the celebrations of our lives. We eat and drink during special times and during ordinary times. We have fun, we laugh, and we enjoy life with friends and family. As we do that, we create memories and stories that we love to share and be remembered for many, many years. This podcast will uncover many of those stories. The people in this podcast are people who build their lives with intent. They don't sit on the sidelines and watch life go by. These people are passionate about what they're doing and why they're doing it. Just like I am. Because after many years of working in high tech, I decided that enough was enough. And I was going to explore my own passion with enthusiasm and with intention. So what did I do? I applied and was accepted to a full time college program where I studied all the intricacies of winemaking. I spent countless hours in the winery, making wine, studying soil, pruning vines and working at tasting bars. It was a life- changing experience and above all immense fun that I topped it off by spending time in Florence, Italy, where I learned how to really taste and evaluate wine at a professional level. Adding to the fun is all the travel I do to places far away and near where wine is made and wineries can be explored. Listen in as I get to talk to wonderful winemakers and drink fabulous wines. Join us in our fun conversations with chefs and sommeliers as we dive into what you can do with food and wine. Come with us as we hold those conversations in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Chile, and many other countries where I have spent countless hours gazing at vineyards, chateaus, oceans, mountains, and farms. Sometimes, we will be in my own backyard here in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. So these are some of the conversations you'll be listening to. And all of them will be filled with passion and joy, stories from people who are directly in the wine industry, such as winemakers, farmers, and sommeliers. There will be other stories from people who interact with one in their business lives all the time. From those who make corks, to those who create the labels for wine bottles, stories from professional chefs, and those not-so-professional chefs who absolutely love to pair dishes with wine. There will be stories that will make you laugh, stories that will do nothing but entertain you, and stories that will make you think. And perhaps even stories that will inspire you and help you make decisions about something you could do in your life. After all, who wouldn't love to wake up every day, knowing that they're doing what they absolutely love to do and knowing that they would do nothing else. That's what many of my guests are about the passion, the pride, and the continuing joy of being in the world that they choose to be in. Through this podcast, I hope you'll hear and feel that passion and joy, too. So, please join me as we escape into and explore stories about wine, the world around it, and the people who enjoy it. Learn with me, laugh with me, taste with me and travel with me as we explore Wine Behind The Scenes. Connect with Laurel Simmons: Website: winebehindthescenes.com