Susan is a Master of Wine, her joy is to create memorable experiences through wine and the performing arts. Susan is the Head of Wine Expertise for online fine wine retailer Belmont Wine Exchange in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she collaborates with partners to source the world’s finest wines and provides clients with highly customized services.
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Susan was named Master of Wine (MW) in February 2021 by the Institute of Masters of Wine upon the passing of her research paper ‘Influences of classical music on the perception of a Brut non-vintage Champagne’. The Master of Wine credential is recognized globally for the highest standards of rigor in its holistic examination of all aspects of wine. Susan joins a prestigious group of 418 Masters of Wine around the world and is one of 56 Masters of Wine in the United States.
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In her independent consulting, she specializes in musical branding, pairings, and events for wine and spirits. Susan is a wine judge and speaker, and has given seminars such as Wine Through the Lens of Other Disciplines and Civil Discourse in Wine.
Susan is featured in a book on women in wine and leadership: Vino, donne e leadership by Barbara Sgarzi, and also on Biondi-Santi’s inaugural podcast magazine La Voce di Biondi-Santi. She is also writing about wine with featured articles published by GuildSomm and Tim Atkin MW.
Susan previously worked in high tech as a program manager for Google Search and Maps quality and has lived and traveled extensively in East Asia. A lifelong devotee of music, Susan is a classical pianist and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Classical Piano Performance and Musicology.
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She has performed internationally as a Chinese classical and folk dancer. Susan also works with performing arts organizations to grow their audiences through innovative programming and events, integrating wine whenever possible.
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Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine. The MW qualification is regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowledge.
The WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines is an expert-level qualification covering all aspects of wine.
Sommelier, Certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers
Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)
French Wine Scholar (FWS)
Italian Wine Scholar (IWS)
From vineyard to glass. Each wine is a unique experience, and it needs an ambassador to share it with the world. A journey that begins with wine and continues with people.
Leveraging relationships and contributing to creating a great wine community. WIA Ambassadors experience and share a deep understanding and excitement of wine. Bringing wines and vineyards to life in the form of great wines, events, courses, interviews, tasting, photos, videos and more.
Making local wineries global & bringing the wine community around the world to enjoy a life of wine, passion & prosperity.