Happy Spring ya’ll! This month we are highlighting Abria Green, a Black wine educator, and founder of Rosé & Soirees . Abria discusses her love of wines and starting her own wine-tasting business. Check out her interview !

When did you first become interested in wine?

I would say I started getting interested in wine in college. Of course, like everyone else, I was on my ‘nothing-but-moscato’ kick, but as times went on my best friend and I started getting into learning about new wines. We started shopping around, buying wines we thought were interesting and even bought fun snacks to pair with them. We used to have our own little wine parties with our charcuterie boards and everything, thinking we were cute! It wasn’t until 5 years later that I discovered I could actually make a career out of it.

How long have you been a sommelier?

I have been in the wine industry for a little over 2 years. I started out doing in home wine tastings through a third party company where I would promote their wines. Those were a lot of fun, and it brought back the memories I had with my best friend. I started transitioning out of that company recently, and started working on my own certifications and hosting my own events.

What motivates you?

What motivates me most is my customers. Every time I find a wine that a customer falls in love with, it pumps me up. Wine for a long time has been seen as this intimidating thing. Something that if you don’t know about it, you just write it off altogether. I love changing the perspective people have for wine that gives them an experience where they can enjoy it.

What inspired you to pursue this interest?

I decided to pursue this interest after attending a wine tasting that a friend hosted. It was a wine and ice cream pairing tasting. I sat there and listened to the wine educator (one of my business partners today) tell me so much stuff that I didn’t even know about wine and to top it off, she was pairing wine with ICE CREAM. Something I never knew could exist! Seeing that possibility opened up my mind. I told myself then I could do this. This sounds fun! I reached out to her shortly after, and she mentored me along the way.

What’s does it mean for you to be Black in the wine business?

As we know, the wine industry is dominated by white males, but it is changing. Slowly. I am grateful to be surrounded by strong black females making a difference in the industry. I work at a Black-owned wine shop run by women here in Atlanta, and that has empowered me more than ever. Seeing people who look like me in the industry, killing the game, motivates me to push myself to do my very best for the people who come behind me.

What are your future career goals?

It’s hard to say my future career goals; I have so many! That is what makes this industry fun, there are endless opportunities. 

What is the best thing about being a wine educator?

The best thing about being a wine educator is the wine of course! Wine is an experience. It takes you places you may have never been before, it uncovers memories, and it brings people together. Being a wine educator, it is my job to give people the experience wine brings and that is the best part of it all.

What is your favorite wine?

My favorite wine honestly depends on the mood I am in. As a wine educator, I don’t write off any wine. If we are talking about what I am most interested in drinking right now, it would be all things sparkling. The weather is getting warmer here and all I could think about is popping bubbles on a daily. 

Let’s support our good sis Abria and her growing business !

IG: @rosensoirees

Facebook: Rosé  N Soirées