Lucia Volk, PhD, CWE, and DipWSET

My Story

I was born into an extended family of wine producers. My grandfather planted Riesling vines on steep slate slopes along the Mittelrhein, and my uncles and cousins continued in his footsteps. After high school, I left Germany to study Spanish in Mexico, Arabic in Lebanon, and eventually earned a PhD in cultural anthropology in the United States. Since I love teaching, I became a college professor. And since I love learning, I signed up for various credential programs in wine. In 2017, I passed the rigorous advanced Certified Wine Educator (CWE) exam of the Society of Wine Educators. Not only that, but I also received with the Banfi Award for that year's highest cumulative exam score! Since that time, I have been a presenter at SWE conferences and online seminars.

I also began to interview wine-makers in wineries along California’s West Coast, as well as in Germany, South Africa, Uruguay, Chile, and New Zealand, to name a few. I worked briefly in wine retail and attended many trade tastings. I kept reading more and more about all facets of winemaking. Then I decided I wanted to share my wine enthusiasm with other people curious about wine. This is how I started MindfulVine.

To add to my official teaching credentials, I signed up with more classes with the WSET and obtained my WSET Diploma in Wines with Merit as well as the WSET Certified Educator in Wines. Thus wine-credentialed, and with decades of teaching experience in higher education, I believe I am uniquely qualified to offer you a memorable wine tasting experience. I have held sparkling wine tastings at birthday and holiday parties, offered Riesling seminars to wine study groups, presented “Wines of Uruguay” at the Uruguayan consulate, and supported individuals studying for different wine exams. Whatever the question about wine, I will go find an answer!