And master sommelier?

QTell me about your background as a sommelier. How did that begin?

AIt wasn't on my radar. When I was in college, working at Alexander's Steakhouse, I fell in love with wine. We got a Michelin star, and that was the start. At the time, there were no Chinese-speaking advanced or master sommeliers. It became a passion of mine; I wanted to be one of the first. For the longest time, my parents would be like, “When are you going to stop being a bartender and get a real job?” They didn't quite understand the whole concept — until I passed my advanced-level sommelier exam in 2010.

As glamorous, fun and exciting as the restaurant industry is, it does take a toll on you the older you get to have to work nights, weekends and holidays. I transitioned into working with a California distributor, Regal, owned by Jackson Family Wines (and) later with K&L Wine Merchant. In 2015, the idea of angiesomm.com was born. Collecting wine for the Asian and especially the Chinese community is a very up-and-coming thing. I realized there's a huge underserved market. I provide hopefully a little bit of comfort, because I'm bilingual.

QCan you walk me through the process of becoming an advanced sommelier? I know there are introductory classes …

AWhy did you leave the restaurant industry?

The intro is a fun and welcoming program. The certified portion is when it becomes more geared toward serious professional people. The advanced level gets a little tougher. It used to be five days with a theory exam, a service portion and a tasting portion. I was very fortunate to pass it on my first try. You have to pass all three parts in one go, and the passing rate was around 10 percent at the time.

Q A

I was working on becoming a master sommelier, but there are a couple of personal reasons I decided not to pursue it. The somm community has been under a lot of scrutiny in the last few years. The culture of the master sommeliers for the longest time was a very heavily male-dominated area, and it was a bit exclusive. In the last few years, there were a lot of allegations that came out related to sexual harassment. Even though I was lucky to have never been harassed — my mentors have been extremely respectful — I wasn't surprised that happened. I was warned as I was going through the process that I might not want to be alone with certain people.

At the end of the day, wine is my passion, but you have to have a work-life balance. I've seen so many sommeliers, so many close friends, try for years to pass the exam. It's not like the bar exam or the MCAT — just because you pass, it doesn't magically propel your career or your pay to a certain level.

Q

How has that level of knowledge and expertise changed your experiences with wine?

ASometimes it's harder to enjoy wine — or any beverage. For a while, especially right after the test, you find yourself swirling everything, even when you're drinking water. Every wine you drink, you're trying to analyze it.

Q

You've done some social media posts about wine from an educational perspective and offered wine suggestions at pretty reasonable price points. How does that fit with your work in the luxury wine world?

A

When I first started, I experienced a bit of the snobbiness and exclusiveness of the wine world. I told myself that that's never someone I wanted to be. Nowadays, I almost exclusively sell very high-end Burgundy, Bordeaux and imported wines, but I don't want to be someone who is like, “Oh, if you can't afford the $300 to $600 bottle of wine, then your opinion or your palate is not valid.” I want to make sure it is very approachable.

My way to stand out is to let people know who I am and share what I've learned, hopefully in a way that is somewhat entertaining and not intimidating. Even if you don't buy wines from me, I hope you learn something that makes you excited to try wine.

QWhat trends have you noticed in the wine world lately?

AThe biggest challenge now for us in the wine industry is that among millennials, there's a drop in not just wine consumption but alcohol consumption as a whole.

I am very torn on that issue. At the end of 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I started to read into the effects of alcohol and how it actually increases the chance of breast cancer. So I get what the younger millennials and Gen Z are talking about, when they say they want to lower their (alcohol) consumption.

In Europe, the culture is not about getting wasted, it's about the art of wine pairings, slow living and everything in moderation. I'm watching and thinking about how I can participate in and advocate for a good lifestyle that includes wine as part of sitting down with family, avoiding devices for three or four hour and eating slowly.

What do you think about the Bay Area's wine scene?

The Bay Area is one of the best places for wine culture. You have some of the brightest, most passionate wine people here. Our proximity to Napa and Sonoma alone is amazing. The wines coming out of the Santa Cruz Mountains are absolutely amazing. You can't talk about wine without talking about food, and the food scene in the Bay Area cultivates a lot of specialized food and wine places. If you love wine, there's no better place to be in the country. There's no other place like it.

EARTH MONTH AT 1 HOTEL >> Various events throughout April, 1 Hotel, 8 Mission St., San Francisco. 1 Hotel is celebrating Earth Day with a month-long series of eco-friendly activities and events including an Earth Month Cocktail Tasting, a Mindful Mixology Masterclass, an Earth Day Farmer's Market and Happy Hour, a Full Moon Sound Bath and a Kintsugi Pottery Workshop. Prices vary. 1hotels.com/san-francisco/do/events

CBCA CLAYTON ART & WINE FESTIVAL >> 10 a.m. April 27-28, Main Street, Downtown Clayton. Browse arts and crafts stalls, sip wine or beer and sample the fare in the food court. There's a play zone for kids and live music and entertainment throughout the weekend. Free admission. bit.ly/CBCAartwine

SACRAMENTO GRILLED CHEESE FESTIVAL >> 1 to 4 p.m. April 27-28, Southside Park, 2115 Sixth St., Sacramento. This annual festival pairs grilled cheese with everything from craft beer to kids fare, so there's fun for everyone. Enjoy samples while sipping from your souvenir tasting glass, playing games and enjoying live music. $10 to $95. sacgrilledcheese.com

CABFRANC-A-PALOOZA >> May 3-5, Livermore venues. Cabernet franc lovers and wine producers are descending upon Livermore Valley for the second annual CabFranc-A-Palooza featuring more than 50 wineries, special events and tastings. $99 to $125. cabfrancapalooza.com/

HARMONIC BRUSHES & BREWS >> 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays in May, Harmonic Brewing, 7 Warriors Way, Suite 206, San Francisco. Harmonic Brewing at Thrive City is hosting a series of paint parties with sessions hosted by a fun instructor from Paint the Town, with stepby-step painting guidance and materials provided. $39. tinyurl.com/BrushesBrews

BAY AREA SPRINGFEST >>

12 to 7 p.m. May 4, Todos Santos Plaza, Concord. The third annual, familyfriendly SpringFest brings live music to the plaza along with eclectic food stalls and a beer and wine garden featuring beer from popular Concord breweries Side Gate and Epidemic Ales plus wine from Contra Costa's Viano Vineyards. Proceeds from the beer and wine garden will benefit Sustainable Contra Costa. Admission is free; tasting passes are $35. www.kidfestconcord. com/bay-area-springfest

TRI-VALLEY CRAFT COCKTAIL COMPETITION >> 4:30 to 7 p.m. May 4, Bankhead Plaza, 2400 First St., Livermore. Pacific Chamber Orchestra is presenting the first-ever Tri-Valley Craft Cocktail Competition. Enjoy cocktails served up by top-shelf bartenders while noshing nibbles from local restaurants. $65. tinyurl. com/PCOcraftcomp

CENTRAL VALLEY BREWFEST >> 12 to 5 p.m. May 11, Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, 900 N. Broadway, Turlock. Celebrating its 11th year, the Central Valley Brewfest returns to the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds with a mix of art, music and more than 150 brews to sample. $45-$65. cvbrewfest.com/

SF BEER FEST >> 12 to 10 p.m. May 11, 2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco. Head for Fort Mason to try the best beer in town, all under the same roof. Enjoy a vast selection of specially curated beers set to an absolutely jamming soundtrack. $45-$65. bit. ly/SFBeerFest2024