Hi! Sit down and grab a glass! My name is Zach Geballe, and I'm the owner of Vine Trainings. Beyond helping people just like you better understand and enjoy wine, I'm also the Wine Lead at Tom Douglas's Dahlia Lounge in downtown Seattle and a columnist for the Seattle Weekly and SIP Northwest. I'm fortunate to be able to devote my working life to a subject as fascinating and diverse as wine, and I hope that fascination shows through.

 

I've been a wine lover for nearly all of my life. It started at the dinner table.  The first few tentative sips from my father's glass. One of my own when I was old enough. Wine was a must, just like lit candles and a tablecloth.

 

Ever since I was a child, I loved food. Not just eating (though I sure did love that), but cooking, and the joys of sharing a meal with friends and loved ones; hell, I used to throw dinner parties for my birthday in high school.

 

My passion for wine came a bit later. It was awaked in Florence, Italy by a transcendental Brunello de Montalcino, heightened through continued exposure to great Italian wines, and consolidated while working in some of the best restaurants in Seattle.

 

One thing I learned in my travels and jobs was that there's a great deal of unnecessary mystery and nonsense attached to wine. While it can be complicated, it doesn't have to be. Understanding what's in your glass, learning how to describe what you like (and don't like) in wine, and buying with clarity and confidence is something that anyone can learn. I decided that teaching people more about this magical and enchanting liquid was as worthy a life goal as I could ask for, and so here I am!

 

Now, I team up with some of Seattle's finest sommeliers and wine educators to put on great classes, throw the greatest wine happy hours, and just bring more wine into your life.