Hi there.

My name is Stefie, aka “Two Bottle” Stef! Currently based in the Greater NYC area, I’m very passionate about all things wine, especially when it comes to the wonders of food pairing. As for qualifications outside of being a wine enthusiast, I have obtained Passes with Distinction for Levels 1, 2, & 3 Awards in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

While I use my Instagram account as a visual diary of bottles I’ve purchased and opened since 2021, I wanted a place where I could write more about wine and my related experiences separate from that bottle log, especially as I embark on a little side hustle in wine consulting for all occasions. I’ll be featuring those gigs here on The Decanterbury Tales, as well as other wine-centric things on my mind.

Here are some tastings I’ve planned for friends and colleagues, including:

• Pairing Food with Wine: This was a fun team-building seminar which showcased how certain aspects of wine (think: body, tannin, fruitiness, alcohol, and sweetness) typically interact with the basic tastes of food (think: umami, salt, acid, and sweetness).

• Le Grand Prix du Trousseau Gris: After two years of serious collecting, this special tasting highlighted Trousseau Gris and Trousseau Noir, comprising 20 total bottlings across 13 American producers & 9 distinct vineyards, with fruit sourced primarily from a single vineyard in the Russian River Valley.

• Wines of Raj Parr & Sashi Moorman: This was a very well-curated Raj Par / Sashi Moorman themed tasting featuring wines from their various labels, including different types (sparkling vs. still) and grape varieties.

• Women in Wine feat. Taylor Swift: In honor of Taylor Swift’s lucky number, there were 13 wines in this tasting, each highlighting various women in wine, just in time for Women’s History Month and the recent kick-off of ‘The Eras Tour’. Each wine had been paired with a song or two through various tie-ins to chosen lyrics. Additionally, the song pairings aligned their year of album release with the chosen wine’s vintage or disgorgement date. Her entire discography (10 albums in total) was explored – an ‘A-side’ and a ‘B-side from each.

• Boujee Foodie Con:

  • 2023 explored sparkling wine production (Champagne vs. Prosecco, white wine vinification (unoaked vs. oaked Chardonnay), and tannins in red wine (low vs. high tannin).

  • 2024 featured 12 different wines which showcased curated food pairings with various vendors.

• Italian American Wines: This was a thoroughly curated themed tasting featuring wines made from grapes traditionally grown in Italy (as well as in styles typical to Italian winemaking). Wines were subsequently paired with Italian American dishes as well.

• Hero(w)ine Pairings feat. Nora, Nancy, & Greta: To properly kick-off the autumn season, I compiled a tasting of 16 wines carefully selected to celebrate 3 iconic filmmaker-writers (Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, & Greta Gerwig) of the ‘relationship comedy’ genre and the multifaceted heroines they’ve brought to life on the silver screen. Each wine has been paired with one of their films (14 in total) through various tie-ins to a particular scene or moment.

• So Nice (Summer Samba): Asked to put together a private wine tasting with a fun summer theme, I was inspired by the Bebel Gilberto’s of the 1964 bossa nova jazz standard, “So Nice (Summer Samba)” as I felt it embodies quintessential summer — whenever I hear it, I imagine sipping something delicious poolside. What better parallel than these lighthearted lyrics tying into the romanticism and sensuality of wine over easygoing tipples? For this tasting, I wanted to capture the same energy and imagery I get from listening to bossa nova classics like this one: refreshing, welcoming, and light on its feet. I selected wines made with lesser known grapes from more unsung regions, as to widen the group’s “go-to” repertoire for summer drinking al fresco, especially as the weather heats up.

Welcome to The Decanterbury Tales Substack — hope you stay a while. Cheers!