A big, hearty “Cheers!” to those amazing readers who follow my wine adventures. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at The Wine Fairy.
Things are flowing fast. It’s been the craziest three months in my wine career–probably in my life. My brain is mush, my palate is exhausted…and yeah, I’m ready for the next pour. 🍷🍷
Some of this personal wine news has made it into the blog and some hasn’t. So, here’s some of the new developments in Michelle’s world of wine.
What just happened
Wine Paris 2026
In February, I jumped on an opportunity to travel to France for Wine Paris 2026. It was a peek into a global industry that may be contracting in size and market share, but is still capable of supporting a massive international gathering of buyers and sellers.
Wine Paris–the world’s largest wine trade show, by some accounts–is enormous. Tens of thousands of attendees, approximately one bazillion wines.
I wrote about the trip in two posts: Wine Paris 2026: A trip to remember and Six takeaways from Wine Paris 2026.
Napa Valley Wine Writers’ Symposium
I was thrilled to be selected as one of 24 Fellows of the 2026 Wine Writers’ Symposium in Napa Valley. (Participants were chosen via an essay contest–you can read my entry here.)
On this three-day writer’s retreat, I tasted incredible Napa wines, both old and new. I rubbed elbows with people I’ve been reading for as long as I’ve been drinking wine. I made new friends and absorbed professional and creative advice that will stick with me for a long time.
2026 TEXSOM Awards
Founded in 2005 as the Texas Sommelier Conference, TEXSOM holds two annual events in the DFW area. The summer TEXSOM Conference is an education-focused event for beverage professionals, and the TEXSOM Awards (in the spring) is a respected international wine competition.
I attended the Conference last year as a “Sommer Camp” volunteer and documented my experiences. (The five-part TEXSOM Diaries series can be found here.)
This year, I was invited to join the media team at the Awards–which included the exciting and edifying job of sitting in as observer on some of the judging panels. I also helped out with the production team’s duties of organizing, verifying, and serving wines for TEXSOM’s judges. Results from the competition were released last week–check out the full list of winners here.
Expanding to Substack
The Wine Fairy is now (also) on Substack! I hesitated for a long time about adding another platform. (Social media is not my favorite part of modern life.) But I think it was the right choice.
New content will always be posted here first, on The Wine Fairy website. But if it’s easier/better for you to get updates via Substack’s app or newsletters, then please hop on over to my Substack (@winefairymichelle) and subscribe. (It’s free!)
I got a wine job!
This is mundane news, but it could actually be the most significant thing on this list: I got a job! I’m now pouring and selling part-time in a specialty bottle shop and wine bar.
Making the leap from “enthusiast” to “actual wine pro” was not a simple decision. I’m a homebody. I work a lot of hours running a small e-commerce company. I treasure time with family, and between work and study it already seems like there’s never enough.
Also: I’ve burned out of the food and beverage industry once already. In 2014, I left my career as chef, threw away my black non-slip sneakers, and have never looked back.
But then, wine happened. I’ve been working on theory, tasting, and wine communication skills so intensively that service began to feel like the missing piece. I want to be good at front-of-house work, too.
There is truly no substitute for talking to people–beginners, experts, in between–and helping them find their next great bottle. True somm-liness (tasting, dexterity, fluency) only comes with practice. I’m proud to be serving at a unique, exploration-focused place where I’ll have the opportunity to learn on the job.
The 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards
These were announced last week! I’m longlisted in two categories: The Laurent-Perrier Award for Long-Form Writing and the TEXSOM Award for Short-Form Writing.
What’s coming up
Pinot Forum Dallas
The Russian River Valley Pinot Forum is going on the road for the first time! The two-day event for sommeliers and wine buyers starts Monday and I will be there, tasting Pinot and meeting 20 of the region’s top producers. Excited and grateful that they chose Dallas for the Pinot Forum tour, and that my application was accepted. 🍷
WSET Diploma
I completed my Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3 Award in Wines in early 2026. I’m now gearing up for the next challenge: The Diploma, also known as the Level 4 Award in Wines. This is the highest certification that WSET offers, and it usually takes 2-3 years to complete.
I’m tentatively planning to enroll over the summer and sit the first of the exams in October. I wrote a lot about my Level 2 and Level 3 study experiences for the blog. You’ll likely see Diploma updates here soon, as well.
Champagne Specialist Certification
This May, I’ll be making the Champagne love official by attempting the Champagne Specialist certification developed by the Comité Champagne (CIVC).
Over the past year of tasting, I’ve come to a clear (and expensive) realization: Champagne is really freakin’ good. I was lucky enough to visit Reims and Epernay during my France trip earlier this year, and it did nothing to cure a lurking infatuation with the bubbles.
So, hooray! I’m going to San Francisco for a two-day intensive Champagne class taught by Monika Bielka-Vescovi. A big part of my class fee was offset by a generous scholarship prize from Commonwealth Wine School that I received at TEXSOM’s Sommer Camp.
What’s not changing
Bottle reviews and tasting notes
I currently review a couple of bottles a week: One Merlot, and one or two other wines that I encounter at dinners and tastings. I love writing bottle reviews! I try to go beyond tasting notes to tell the story of the wine–how I found it, who made it, and where it fits on the table and in the marketplace.
Texas wine coverage
Here at The Wine Fairy, our taste is global, but our heart is local. I will never get tired of drinking Texas wines. Texas is on the verge of many exciting wine developments–commercial, agricultural, and artistic–and I’m excited to watch them unfold from my home in the Lone Star State.
Most recently, I highlighted a visit to Red River Wines in Sadler, TX. I’ll be tasting pours from many more North Texas producers at the annual Drink North Texas Wine Festival in May.
Ongoing features
Some recurring blog features that will continue:
Merlot Thursday (Weekly)
Where I drink a Merlot and write about it.
What Is This Thing? (Occasionally)
Where I taste cheap, weird, and/or uncommon wines and wine-like products.
Texas Wine News Roundup (Quarterly)
Where I highlight five newsworthy items from Texas’s wine industry.
DFW Wine Events (Monthly)
One for my DFW wine friends! Where I compile a list of places to drink, shop, and learn about wine in the Greater Dallas area each month. These are posted before the 1st of the month–the May 2026 edition will come out in a couple of days.
Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing this journey with me. There’s plenty more wine ahead–don’t forget to subscribe!
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