Born and raised in Kentucky, Vanessa first caught the wine bug working in a small winery down south. She followed her passion for wine and moved to New York City in 2007, starting as a sommelier on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. From there she moved on to wine education, PR and events for wine-focused client services, consulting for private wine collectors and wine lists in NYC restaurants, and as a distributor and importer, working with some of the most renowned restaurants and wineries in the world today. Through this years-long diverse education of the wine world, Vanessa decided to dedicate herself to being both a student and teacher of wine.
Today she is the Creative Director and Founder of The Vinum Collective, creating visual content for winery and hospitality entities. She is a wine writer for New York magazine, a certified Level 4 Diploma of Wine and Spirits carrier and an instructor for The Wine&Spirit Education Trust®. Her book Big Macs & Burgundy, a spin-off of her column, was released with Abrams and Penguin Random House October 2020. Vanessa is currently the managing partner in developing a high end restaurant concept set to open in Montauk (The Hamptons) Spring 2022. Her mission is to help translate the complexities of wine to wine lovers the world over. She also teaches a (very popular) wine class at Columbia University. Most of all she has a passion for grape juice and all the people who make it, sell it, and live it.