DEAR FELLOW BON VIVANT,
It is with deepest pride and sincerest gratitude that I say welcome and thank you so much for stopping by. My name is Amanda, and I am a sommelier who is deeply obsessed with all that encompasses being a “Bon Vivant.”
My journey began years ago as a young girl hungry for life, thirsty for experience, and desperate to be like Katharine Hepburn. Truthfully I didn’t actually know who she was at the time, but I always associated her with class, elegance, wit, academia, and a knowledge of the world. To this day, I’ve never researched whether or not she was all of those things for fear that I might be dead wrong.
In any case, my first real door to all of that was opened by way of wine about a decade ago in New York City. I found my way down the path to becoming a sommelier, and with that came a whole new world filled with the possibilities and curiosities I’d always dreamed of. The often grueling job and my paycheck-to-paycheck life was punched up with a seemingly endless cycle of 3-Michelin starred dinners, trips to Bordeaux, wines most collectors only dream of, and hotels that cost more than my rent.
When I moved out to Napa Valley to work at a restaurant with the greatest Napa Valley wine list in the world - PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena - things only intensified. I was living in a place many could only dream of traveling to — and I worked in the proverbial epicenter.
I say all of this to stress that I did not - and still don’t - take these experiences for granted. I’m by no means rich. And while I live more comfortably than I did 10 years ago, I still very much know the value of a dollar. Being a sommelier and getting a backstage pass to some pretty crazy experiences has taught me a lot over the years. Sure, I know my way around a wine list and I can tell you what the best eats in almost every major city are. But more than that — and what I’m most proud of — is that I’ve learned how to enjoy the world, look for beauty in unusual places, stay open minded, and relish the notion of being endlessly curious.
Over the years I have amassed a good bit of insight on how to properly experience Napa Valley — a place I still call home. My days were spent visiting the wineries, talking to the winemakers, serving their bottles at Press, and eating at our local restaurants - if I'm being perfectly honest, few people know this valley better than a sommelier like me who lives and works here.
When I left Press in February of 2020 just before the start of COVID-19, I did so with the intention of traveling and experiencing more. Over a year later and at the tail-end of a pandemic, the next chapter of my journey finally begins.
Bon Voyage,
