and just like that…

You’re handed a script from the moment you learn to speak: study, degree, desk. That “skip college, enjoy McDonald’s” casually thrown around by parent’s. But the thing is a service shift is alive, hands‑on in a way that a desk job will never be.

A stack of degrees later and I find myself in an uncomfortable office chair, staring at tiny words on a screen, in a job that I am finding less and less joy in. Four years in the corporate world— I can finally say the truth: this isn’t it.

the nudge

I started to question things after a director at my company—my age, 30—quit to start his own plumbing business. He managed a team, had the salary, the job title—basically, everything you’re taught to aim for before you’re ten years old. And then he left. For… plumbing???

Maybe he was over pretending his work mattered to anyone above him. Maybe he was tired of realizing his “impact” was just another slide in someone else’s presentation. Or maybe he just wanted to do something that had an actual, physical result.

I didn’t ask why. I didn’t need to. I felt it. I’m not about to start fixing toilets, but I do get the urge to do something real. Work I can point to and say, “I did that.” So, for about a year, I’ve been circling the question: what else is out there? What actually brings me joy?

the Answer

For eight years, one thing kept getting louder: wine. Since moving to France from the US, I’ve grown from “rosé and Prosecco” to “wait—red wine is actually good.” Somewhere between a glass on a terrace after work and a bottle by the canal, it stopped being a drink and started being a world.

So I’m ready to stop choosing wine by the cute labels. I’m learning for real—what I like and why. Wine as the quiet ritual of a single glass; wine as the laughter that grows around a shared bottle. Wine is more than alcohol; it’s its own culture.

the step off the path

So here I am, 30 years old, finally choosing something other than the predetermined path. I’m studying wine and turning my notes into something that can help others.

Brut Honesty is my little corner of the culture of wine, not just in France, but anywhere you’re reading this. Bite‑size lessons. Clear explanations. Honest takes. Humor to keep you entertained while you learn.

I’ll get into how I moved from the U.S. to France eight years ago, and all the moments that made me fall for wine. I’ll touch on life as expat, culture shock, the ups and down of living abroad, a jump at a career change all intertwined with the beauty of wine.

For now, consider this chapter one.

If you’re also done choosing bottles by the prettiest label, come with me. I’ll share what I learn so that your next glass can be intentional.

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April | Brut Honesty