My passion & love for the wine industry is inextricably linked to the lens in which the world views who I am.

I am tethered to wine with a tension that cycles between dispassionate grace & unmerited bias. From systems. From opportunities. From my work. From my presence.

In life, we grow and take risks based on the hope that, we too, can leap into our wildest dreams. Seeing ourselves in others bolsters the confidence that our chasms of doubt will not swallow us whole.

Representation matters.

I belong here, in this seemingly pretentious but utterly ethereal space of wine. My belief of belonging is so profoundly powerful that it is forever entangled with the swell of those saying - “you do not belong” thru action, words, omittance (and especially, the whitewashing) of my work. And has been told time & time again, I am far from the only one to be glossed over + dismissed based on the box society wants me to fit in.

As a wine community - from producer to consumer - we can do so much better in educating ourselves + holding each other accountable on what it means to actually be a community rooted in grace, love, belief, and acceptance.

It has to start today. It has to start with you.

Quarks point to the belief that we are all comprised of (mostly) empty space(1). Wine points to the belief that quality starts in what has been sown. The entire point of community, is the unmitigated acceptance of uniqueness without judgement from others who love + appreciate your authentic self.

To that end I submit that it is not only the quality of how we fill those blank spaces within ourselves, but as importantly who we charge to take the reins in leading our wine community into the future. Diversity is not merely a buzz word sprung from 2020, it is the foundation of what the wine world is whether one wants to admit it or not. We need to look no further that the vines themselves to see the myriad of energies working together to create an ecosystem teeming with life + harmony.

Words ring hollow without action. Equality means little without equity + opportunity. Wine is nothing without diverse thought, people, + action leading the way. It will be these people, and these actions that will radiate from one another - past Proxima Centauri, and into the ether of tomorrow’s yet unknown that will be forever entangled in the wine world we should all want to see.

It is the legacy we will leave.

Quarks are the infinitesimal, yet fundamental blocks of life that are never found in isolation. Wine is so much more than fermented juice, it is the expression of a soul. Community encompasses more than the physical space one inhabits. Commonality yearns for connection deeper than the lens of homogeneous acceptance & understanding.

We are all connected. All entangled. We are all composed of empty space and Quarks across this timeline & the next.

My hope is that conversations had over, with, and because of the complex mixture of chemical compounds in your glass that we have nurtured, will do the same for you. Your people. Your community. Your entire being of Quarkiness that make you, you.

Cheers.

power + love.

LB

(1) https://www.businessinsider.com/physics-atoms-empty-space-2016-9