A Big Welcome to Our New In-House Sommelier!

We're not even a full month into the new year, and so many exciting things are already happening at Vegan Wines! One thing we’re especially thrilled to announce is that we’ve added Sunny Gandara, DWS, CWE, a fellow vegan and long-time wine professional, to our team as our in-house sommelier. Sunny will be on hand to help club members with any questions they have about our curated wines, provide practical information and write-ups, and give useful tips on how to pair selected wines with a variety of plant-based dishes. She'll also be leading a series of online and offline educational seminars and events. By hiring Sunny, we feel we'll be able to provide unique services to our members that no other wine clubs offer at the moment. By joining our vegan wine movement, not only will you receive some incredibly special wines every month, but you'll get an education about wine, along with tips that will enhance your gustatory experience. Everything will be delivered with a highly personal touch. The goal is to make you feel like you have your very own sommelier at your service any time!

 A little more on Sunny: Sunny has over 13 years of experience in the food and wine industry. She has worked across all facets of the wine and spirits business as a wine buyer, sales consultant for importers and distributors, business owner, wine educator, and brand ambassador. Sunny holds her WSET Diploma and she's a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators. She is also a certified Burgundy Wine Educator through the BIV and holds additional certifications through the Wines of Spain, Napa Valley Vintners, and Center of Wine Origins, among others. Needless to say, Sunny is a perpetual student who is obsessed with wine, and she hopes to impart some of her passion for the world of vines to our club members! Sunny is a professionally trained chef as well. She ran her own catering company, Fork and Glass, for several years before founding her own vegan food and wine consulting business. She now works with clients, both virtually and in person, to help them transition to a vegan diet, and in particular, create flavorful meals that please both meat-eaters and vegans alike. Sunny is the author of the popular Norwegian food blog, Arctic Grub, where she writes about the history and culture of food from Norway and Scandinavia. We’re planning several exciting collaborations between Arctic Grub and Vegan Wines, showcasing creative pairings, how to veganize the most unlikely dishes (smoked salmon, anyone?), and organizing contests and giveaways for our members.

We did mention that 2018 is off to a rocking start, and we've got one more piece of news to share with you! Sunny will also be the leading partner, along with Vegan Wines founder Frances Gonzales, in a brand new consulting company, Menufacturers LLC. Launching this coming month, the company will conceptualize and create vegan food and wine menus for restaurants, bars, and other food and beverage establishments across the country and beyond. They'll also offer services like staff training, kitchen set-up, customer service, and education on food and wine pairing. How often have you arrived at a great-looking restaurant and mentioned you were a vegan, only to be offered boring salads or bland, overcooked pasta dishes with a flavorless tomato sauce? Don’t lie. It happens all the time. The truth of the matter is, not many restaurants have the education, experience, manpower, or time that it takes to dedicate to coming up with creative and flavorful recipes that are suitable for vegans. This is where Menufacturers comes in. We want to change all of that! We're truly excited that this is an all female-owned company and venture, and we hope to promote and include as many female winemakers as possible in both Vegan Wines and Menufacturers. We are proud to represent the growing number of powerful women in food and wine. We hope to inspire our members through fabulous food, wine, travel, education, and community here at Vegan Wines. Here’s to a fantastic first year together!