People
Suits, Combat Boots, a 500-Bottle Plus Wine List
Meet Sommsation's Lead Sommelier, Elyse Lovenworth
April 6, 2022
Elyse Lovenworth is passionate, determined, genuine, a Certified Sommelier who strives to normalize that "moms can drink for a living, too," and a fan of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise.
Elyse Lovenworth is passionate, determined, genuine, a Certified Sommelier who strives to normalize that "moms can drink for a living, too," and a fan of Bravo’s“Real Housewives” franchise.
She learned the fundamentals of growing, making, and selling wine by training under Oregon wine producers and vintners at ROCO Winery, Dusky Goose winery, and the Carlton Winemakers Studio. Lovenworth, 36, worked 80-to-90-hour weeks to support her "full immersion into living and breathing all things wine," pouring wine in tasting rooms during the day, and pouring cocktails and waiting tables at James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Nick's Italian Café, at night. She furthered her education by "talking about wine with winery people and…interacting with tourists and winemakers."
Lovenworth has always embraced challenges and learning curves in the hospitality space. "I've always wanted to do everything, she says. " As corporate beverage director, Lovenworth oversaw a team of 50 bartenders and planned and organized wine menus, including a 26-page, 500-bottle plus wine list, across five restaurants.
Good sommeliers are knowledgeable and approachable. Great sommeliers share these qualities; they're also inclusive and understand the value of listening. Lovenworth is a great sommelier. She has little patience for the "elitism and the pomp and circumstance" long associated with the wine industry's old guard. Her sommelier's uniform: suits paired with combat boots and leather jackets. Her dedication to wine: absolute, ongoing, and profound. "I remember it as the moment, the first time in my life, that I felt I was exactly where I should be," she recalls of finding her calling during a trip to an Oregon winery in 2011.
Now, a little over a decade later, Lovenworth is the lead sommelier for Sommsation. "I've always been surrounded by men," she says. "This is the first time in my career that I've experienced working mostly with women and females. It's one of the things I really love about Sommsation!"
Lovenworth lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, Joseph Zumpano, a chef – "We were engaged five months after we met; it was a real whirlwind romance," she says, laughing – and their 10-month-old son, Jake.
Get to know Elyse Lovenworth in the Q&A below.
Sommsation works with a team of 16 independent sommeliers. What does a lead sommelier do?
I recruit somms who I know are good, whose company I know people will enjoy, who aren't too serious or stuffy. I've done a lot of virtual tastings so I've created resources and guidelines based on my own successes and failures. We offer guidance but we don't train our somms. They wouldn't be working for Sommsation if I didn't know they were well suited to our virtual format.
The wine industry is becoming more inclusive but there's still a tremendous need for change. Do you make a conscious effort to recruit women and sommeliers of color?
We want Sommsation’s team to be exceptional and diverse. That's the thing about wine. Depending on people's backgrounds and personal histories, they have different connections to it and talk about wine in different ways. It's really important to have a global, inclusive approach so our customers can get the somm that best matches their event. Our repeat customers want variety. But when you look at how the industry as a whole it’s tough to have everyone represented because they're are some small pools. We work hard to have a great selection of wines and somms to tell you about them.
Sommsation has partnered with 24 independent wineries. Do you also help recruit wine producers and vintners to the site?
As a corporate wine buyer I traveled to Napa and Sonoma multiple times a year. I went up to Washington. I, like so many on the Sommsation team, have a great network of wineries and wine makers. We have leveraged our deep knowledge of who is making great wine to recruit. I also help present the wineries on the site in a way I think helps customers understand and appreciate what each has to offer.
You've said that for you, the only way you can really learn about wine is if it's all you do. How do you keep on top of what's happening in the industry these days? How do you keep learning and improving and informing yourself on wine?
I read for a few hours a day: emails, newsletters, different websites, vintage reports, Wine Spectator, posts and ratings and reviews from critics like James Suckling and others. I marry what I read with what I hear from the somms. In this way I know about what people are interested in and I know what the top critics think, how they see consumers reacting and relating to wine. And then I also drink wine, which counts as work!
You've worked in all facets of the wine industry, from pouring wines in tasting rooms to working the floor as a sommelier to creating wine lists, among other things. Have you ever felt less than competent in any of your jobs in the wine industry?
I worked for a wine distributor and I was terrible at it! I was a terrible wine salesperson. I lasted 6, 8 months in that position. But having that experience as a salesperson made me a better buyer. I understood that side of the business and I was a lot nicer to the reps because I could understand how difficult their jobs were. It was an important experience to have.
When did you realize you could earn a living as a sommelier?
Working at Mica was when stuff got really serious. It was an unbelievable restaurant with less than 30 seats. We did all the tasting menus and pairings for 6 to 10 courses. It was fine dining, but it wasn’t stuffy. I loved that everybody who came in to eat was there to have a new experience. They weren't there to have a steak and their normal Napa cab. They were coming there open-minded and wanting to have a real culinary encounter.
What has been your most challenging experience in the wine industry?
I was a manager and sommelier at a high-end resort in Oregon wine country. I was there at 6 a.m. doing breakfast service then I would stay through the dinner shift. If I walked through the door, I knew I wasn't going to attempt to leave for at least 12 hours. I learned a lot but it was a hard lifestyle. I lasted for about 8 months before leaving to work at ROCO Winery. I loved the owners – they helped me learn the business side of the industry.
You have a 10-month-old son. Did you assume that you'd have to choose between having a family life and pursuing a career as a sommelier when you were starting out in the wine industry?
I want sommeliers to know that you can have a balanced life. I want to normalize that moms can drink for a living, too. Just because we work in this field doesn't mean we can't also be moms. A lot of women I worked for weren't married or didn't have kids and it kind of put the idea in my head that it's because it's too hard or it doesn't make sense. But once I met a few women who were married or had kids and were still at the top of their games and killing it, I was like, "yes."
