About Me

New World adventurer, boutique wineries advocate and personal wine shopper. May 'talk wine' at length with others.

I have a rather grand passion for wine, travel and writing. I am good at writing, better at travelling and best at wine tasting! For me, the wine industry is about people, places and stories. Drinking wine should be fun. It brings people together and is a key ingredient for laughter.

I do not wish to ever be a wine critic however I do like to find out the reasons why I like some wines more than others. I love Champagne. I believe every wine has a time and place. My biggest wish is to be able to share the world of wine with others in a fun and enjoyable way.

To fund my passions I act as a Private Wine Buyer, or Wine Valet, buying interesting wines in smallish quantities for a select few. Occasionally I am requested to put together wine lists or act a wine region tour guide. To keep my finger on the pulse of the Australian wine industry, I also moonlight as a Sales Agent for Australian Wine Selectors.

Feel free to join me on my adventures, comment on my ramblings or just drop an email to say G’Day.

Catherine A, aka Lady Oenotria

Oenotria

LadyOenotria

Happy New Year

Here in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday was January 1st. Just like last year, I was house- and dog-sitting merely blocks from the beach. I like to greet the new year with a 5 day break from work, household duties and all other commitments. This way, I find that I can clear my mind fully and consider all that was good from the closing year. Then I start to contemplate how much better the coming year will be.

The stuff of dreams :-)

Successful people are quite often prepared, organised, diarists and great thinkers. They set goals, manage the processes required to achieve them and then evaluate reaching or completing them. 2012 was the first year that I had a genuine, grown-up attempt of goal-setting, monitoring and achievement. My natural tendencies of NOT keeping a diary, calendar or journal, coupled with my displeasure of anything that resembles paper work were challenged and overcome.

For a first 'real' attempt~ I achieved a lot in 2012. Almost all that I set out to. I lost 15kg of the 20kg I wanted to. I had no plan in the beginning, just liked the sound of 'twenty'. I started off well, then plateaued during Winter. As Spring came around I learned that the only way I was really going to reach my goal was with a very specific plan. The old me thought that specific plans were boring and tiresome. The new me realises that they are a foundation which fosters greatness.

My current BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) will require more than one year to achieve. A component of that BHAG is to communicate more with like-minded others. So even though it is the 2nd of Jan here today, I plan to post 365 times this year. I hope that you enjoy the read!

Melbourne Food and Wine Blogging Event : @ProBlogger

So what does a Wine Valet blog about?

As you can see from my recent posts (i.e. none) I have had 'bloggers block' for quite some time now. (& you all thought that I was just too busy boozin'). So last night I attended the Melbourne Food and Wine Blogging Event presented by ProBlogger to see if I could find some divine-wine inspiration. Held at Maha Restaurant Melbourne, I didn't really need any more reasons to attend but the lure of Wine Talk Guru: Dan Sims plus real life The Age Epicure contributor, Hilary McNevin had me RSVP- cork, line & sinker.

I met some very awesome ladies and a few top gents over an amazing array of flavours cooked up by Shane Delia and the Maha team. Best of all, I decided that this blog should be about my job as a wine valet, my life in the wine world and the random ramblings that my friends and colleagues know and love me for. (Ramblings are generally romantic and wistful in nature, based on my inner conflicts of an inclination toward practising great etiquette of times gone by and the modern realities of behaviour and place.)

I shall consider this day one of my blogging life, so expect an evolution and a journey. I do not promise to be perfect, however I will endeavour to always improve. I plan to continue studying as a blogger and a writer, as well as an oenophile, just as I plan to always keep at least one foot on the ground as Pretentious is an awfully dirty word to me.

Welcome to my blog. Feel free to share your own thoughts with abandon. Drink Champagne as often as you can and always remember that the best wine is the wine you like.

Catherine A

with Leanne DeBortoli, photo courtesy of the extremely lovely @GastronoMel, cheers Melissa!