Wine Behind The Scenes [introduction]

Do you love wine, food, travel and fascinating stories? Then you’re in the right place. 

Welcome to the Wine Behind The Scenes Podcast where you can escape into stories about wine, and the passion and people behind it. 

Join me Laurel Simmons!

Do you love wine? Are you curious about what’s behind a particular wine, or the people involved in getting that wine to you? I have been passionate about wine all my adult life. I love wine. And I love the life I’m creating for myself. That’s why I’m launching this podcast called Wine Behind The Scenes. 

This is a place where we can escape into stories about wine, passionate people – a place where we’ll have fun, where we’ll learn, and where we can share our joy about wine and the journeys attached to it.

I’ll be talking with people who are fascinated by wine, and who have made a conscious decision to focus their lives around the world of wine. I’ll be weaving in stories about the magnificent places where wine is made. The business of wine, the history of wine, the art and science of wine, the grapes, the vineyards, the people who make the wine, and of course, the people who drink the wine. 

Then there’s everything else that can go with wine, especially the food. You can spend hours figuring out what food goes with what wine, or you can cross your fingers and hope that what you’ve thrown together works. And either way, it can be wonderful. You could end up with a classic pairing, or an OMG moment that takes you by surprise, and that you want to repeat over and over. 

There are great stories everywhere when it comes to food and wine. And people can be absolutely obsessed with strange and wonderful pairings. Food and Wine don’t just exist by themselves. If you’re like me and so many other people, wine is part of the celebrations of our lives. We eat and drink during special times and during ordinary times. We have fun, we laugh, and we enjoy life with friends and family. 

As we do that, we create memories and stories that we love to share and be remembered for many, many years. This podcast will uncover many of those stories. The people in this podcast are people who build their lives with intent. They don’t sit on the sidelines and watch life go by. These people are passionate about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. Just like I am. Because after many years of working in high tech, I decided that enough was enough. And I was going to explore my own passion with enthusiasm and with intention. 

So what did I do? I applied and was accepted to a full time college program where I studied all the intricacies of winemaking. I spent countless hours in the winery, making wine, studying soil, pruning vines and working at tasting bars. It was a life- changing experience and above all immense fun that I topped it off by spending time in Florence, Italy, where I learned how to really taste and evaluate wine at a professional level. Adding to the fun is all the travel I do to places far away and near where wine is made and wineries can be explored. 

Listen in as I get to talk to wonderful winemakers and drink fabulous wines. Join us in our fun conversations with chefs and sommeliers as we dive into what you can do with food and wine. Come with us as we hold those conversations in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Chile, and many other countries where I have spent countless hours gazing at vineyards, chateaus, oceans, mountains, and farms. Sometimes, we will be in my own backyard here in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. 

So these are some of the conversations you’ll be listening to. And all of them will be filled with passion and joy, stories from people who are directly in the wine industry, such as winemakers, farmers, and sommeliers. There will be other stories from people who interact with one in their business lives all the time. From those who make corks, to those who create the labels for wine bottles, stories from professional chefs, and those not-so-professional chefs who absolutely love to pair dishes with wine. 

There will be stories that will make you laugh, stories that will do nothing but entertain you, and stories that will make you think. And perhaps even stories that will inspire you and help you make decisions about something you could do in your life. After all, who wouldn’t love to wake up every day, knowing that they’re doing what they absolutely love to do and knowing that they would do nothing else. 

That’s what many of my guests are about the passion, the pride, and the continuing joy of being in the world that they choose to be in.  Through this podcast, I hope you’ll hear and feel that passion and joy, too. So, please join me as we escape into and explore stories about wine, the world around it, and the people who enjoy it. 

Learn with me, laugh with me, taste with me and travel with me as we explore Wine Behind The Scenes.

Connect with Laurel Simmons:

• Website: winebehindthescenes.com