Our fellow student and colleague, Luis, passed his Level 2 Certified Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers. It was no small feat. He had studied for well over a year, worked tirelessly, and carried not only theory and tasting techniques but humility and presence—the very things Annie taught us to value.

In Loving Memory of Annie 🐶

On July 16th, we lost a beloved team member: Annie, the spirited golden retriever who co-hosted Wine Blog With A Dogand the Bark & Barrels Podcast, our condolences go out to Greg and Meg for their loss. As we process this deeply felt loss, we want to celebrate the joy she brought—not only as a companion, but as a remarkable presider of community, taste, and embodiment.

For 2 months I have been working on and refining an idea that I had while starting our podcasts. It's taken what feels to be a lot longer and many many hours dedicated towards getting a fun, futuristic, clean way to present wine. This is the start to great adventures!

Isaac Asimov was one of the early adopters of the word “Robot” in literature. What is fascinating is how his words are still, if not more so, relevant today.

You can tell in his writing that he is creating rules, kind of like a robot, for robotics - in which he stresses his three laws of robotics quite often in his writing.

It is with great honor that I was able to meet and make friends with Matt whom was gracious enough to give me a tour at NASA JPL in Pasadena during the week in which we drove to LA for charity donations at YMCA.

This was an incredible experience being able to navigate the facilities as I learned a deeper love for technology and greater appreciation for our future in humanity.

It couldn't be a greater honor to know that our community continued to raise more donations over the past few months and were able to keep collecting for the LA communities affected by the fires in the beginning of this year.

Our first round of collections was quite the success for our community and it was amazing to see us collect another 20 cases, in total of 42 cases and $450 worth of donations!

Came a long way, with a lifetime's worth of failures and successes. Years of experiments, learning, and overcoming.

Today, I'm totally stoked to announce the merger of…

In total we collected a wonderful amount of donations for Sip Studies’ first donation collection ever! Initially I thought this was jumping the gun on our roadmap of productivity but ironically it was perfect timing to start helping our neighboring community in LA. I never thought about what the first charity or donation would be, I just knew that we would need to do it when the time was upon us.

From Your Lips to Your Skin

So, what I learned from wine, was to always balance your pH. From your skin, to your stomach and what you consume.

After a smooth descent into Heathrow, we stretched our legs in the terminal and slipped into a brief exploration of what the airport had to offer—especially when it came to spirits. The duty-free aisles were lined with some tempting deals: from aged rums like Havana Club 7 to a rainbow of gins and Scottish single malts. If you’re into rare finds or just want to restock your bar cart, this is the place for youuu!!!

We came to Milan expecting fashion and architecture. We left enchanted by something deeper: the rhythm of a city that lets its food speak, its people shine, and its bitters linger—just like a good amaro.

My mother had expressed great interest in wanting to go to this museum should we visit Torino and we did not disappoint! This one museum lasted almost the entirety of one day to explore. I made this a special entry because it deserved to be highlighted in detail.

A Treasure at Every Corner

Never, in any city I’ve ever visited, have I experienced such intense beauty, artistry, and creativity at EVERY corner.

This beautiful gem we call Torino was the best city to stumble upon. I know my family had gotten wind of this town and did some homework before ultimately deciding to go but for me, this was like stumbling into the worlds best museum. A city dedicated to it’s craft: from food to fashion, art to architecture, & wine to windows.

It’s been quite the intoxicating amount of sightseeing and an enormous amount of distance covered so far in Piedmont Italy. It was time that we returned home to our Airbnb in Milan where we were able to rest and catch up on some good sleep.

The Islands of a Legacy

I wanted a deep dive into the Borromean Islands because of how detailed they are. They are truly a labor of love, passion, and legacy.

Staying At a Real Palace

This was a beautiful highlight of our trip, a moment in time where I was able to treat my family by taking them to a lakeside palace, Regina Palace Hotel ❤️

Tasting the Dream

This was the moment where we successfully got a good sip of coffee, some real Italian food to satiate our desires, and a wonderful café to sit and watch the sights as we let life pass by in fashion.

A Dip into the Unknown

We arrive to London from Heathrow Airport, with a strategically long layover so we might get the chance to explore a day in London. Caution: this works well when you are youthful and willing to run around!

A Journey Through
Wine, Culture, & Cuisine

Our adventure begins with the goal of experiencing Europe as a family: to explore something far away, inspiring, and life-changing together! In the past few years my family has been yearning to get out of town and explore new places, new potential homes, and escape the desert heat of Las Vegas.