About

2019-Two women meet as newly hired employees for a brand new wine bar in Schenectady, NY. I (Rachel) painted the restaurant and scored myself a job as a server. Heather, became the wine buyer and manager for the “Wine Side”. Within the first 15 minutes of chatting and getting to know each other, I’ll never forget asking her this question. “So, what kind of wine do you like?” I thought it was a good question to ask since we are now working at a wine bar. She said she liked a Montepulciano, and she lost me after that. She asked me the same question and I mumbled something like, “Well, I like white in the summer and red in the winter”, and while I thought that was a decent, acceptable response at the time, I became increasingly aware while on my wine discovery, it was….not. Since then, Heather and I have gone on countless wine tasting expos in NYC and our biggest trip-SommCom in San Diego this past October, 2025. Why SommCom? Because that is what we have become through this discovery of wine, certified Sommeliers. I only work at the wine bar when I’m needed now; I’m in my 50s and newly married. My priorities have shifted. However, our desire to continue to educate ourselves and others drives our passion to keep learning, keep tasting, and keep the goal of making wine tasting fun, accessible, unpretentious, and less scary. I want you to be able to say you like a Montepulciano and not, “red in the winter white in the summer”, or whatever version is yours. Let us help you elevate your knowledge in something you enjoy…and…let us bring you and your friends a few bottles of wine to try and talk about, laugh about life, and maybe learn something in the meantime.

Cheers!

Rachel and Heather