Uliana Rudzevich 🍷 Wine Educator

10 months agoHOW TO SURVIVE LIKE A PRO? Let’s get straight to the point – one of the biggest motivators for learning and self-improvement is the desire to stand out (trust me, I’ve been at this for ages – boom, and here I am, still at it – double trouble!) Back in the day, I dived deep into the wine world to highlight my uniqueness. Picture this – everyone’s drinking cocktails, rum with juice, or beer, and there I am, sipping wine (DRY wine, mind you!!! 😂), and always talking about it. Today, wine culture is evolving so fast that just saying, “I drink dry red,” won’t make you unique – it might just suggest you haven’t tried anything sweeter than a carrot and think all wines taste the same. Now, flaunting exclusivity means being associated with the unattainable, the elite, something beyond the reach of the average person. Most importantly – it’s something money alone can’t buy. Take the Hermes Birkin, for example – an iconic bag that’s chased worldwide. You can’t just walk into a boutique and buy it. Years-long waitlists, strict quotas, and all that jazz. The resale prices in the photo? 2.5-5 million for a second-hand bag! But does owning a Birkin make you unique? Just step into any upscale restaurant on a Saturday night to see it doesn’t. The same goes for wine – walking into a restaurant and asking for “the best, my favorite, luxurious champagne – Moët” won’t set you apart. But starting a conversation with the sommelier about how you avoid mainstream champagne and prefer Récoltant houses – now that’s a different level. Champagne enthusiasts are intellectuals; it’s a classy hobby that speaks volumes about you! What could be cooler? Personally visiting those little-known or completely inaccessible wineries, often closed to tourists. That’s why we occasionally gather groups and head to these hidden gems. Follow me, hit the notifications, and join the adventure ❤️

10 months agoINHALE, EXHALE… AND HERE WE GO AGAIN, PLAYING THE GAME CALLED “WINE SMELLS LIKE WINE.” Sound familiar? Oh yeah, it does! I started exactly from this point once upon a time. If you think sommeliers and other wine experts were born with a perfect understanding of wine, analyzing acidity and residual sugar from day one, you’re imagining things 😏. All those scents of wet asphalt after rain, mushroomy pine forest, barnyards, and other whimsical notes – it’s just a SKILL that both I and all my colleagues learned. I won’t lie, about 30% of our students, when they start learning, feel something like this: smells like wine, okay, maybe grape juice from a box too 😂. But after a couple of months, it turns into sniffing rose petals in granny’s garden, the pillow in a fancy hotel, oyster shells, and other hedonistic delights! 🔥 Want to do the same? Here are a few life hacks to develop the ability to sense something beyond just the scent of wine: 🥦🍒🥩 Aromas in wine aren’t just wine aromas. They’re polyphenolic compounds, and our brain recognizes these as familiar scents. We don’t think “oh, the aroma of terpenes” – we think it smells like roses, lilies, and honeysuckle. 🤯 Ask yourself: “smells LIKE WHAT?” If you keep answering “like wine,” eventually an association will pop up. 🥸 Smell everything! Creating associations is crucial. Practice shows that to identify specific aromas like “quince” in Burgundy, you need to know how quince smells. Sniff all available fruits and vegetables – you’ll be genuinely surprised! 🍷🍷 Compare! We always sense sharper in contrast! That’s why tastings work so well – with at least two wines, one will always stand out more. Follow me, hit the notifications, and start your journey of discovering the intricate world of wine aromas with me! ❤️