Hidden Gems: Meet Jenna Shreve of Get Uncorked With Jenna, Independent Wine Guide with Traveling Vineyard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Shreve.

Hi Jenna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Enjoying a glass of wine was never difficult. However, during the lockdown in March of 2020, acquiring new varietals took me on a journey around the worldwide internet. Looking back, I would have never realized that purchasing a half-case of wine to be shipped in from Italy would not only cost me as much in shipping insurance but would bring me a long-lasting friendship and an adventure. Once the lockdown was lifted and we began socializing, I returned to my volunteer meetings, where another volunteer overheard my costly wine venture and said we needed to talk. I hosted my first in-home complimentary wine tasting and loved Traveling Vineyard. I quickly became a frequent shopper before signing up for their wine club subscription, and after a year, I decided it only made sense to join Traveling Vineyard and their Wine Guide Nation for the discounts and mainly for fun. I have been a wine enthusiast for most of my adult life. Now, I enjoy sharing my love of wine by offering complimentary wine tastings, social sips, personal wine shopping consultations, and more. I bring Traveling Vineyard’s exclusive and award-winning wines from around the world directly to the consumers in a relaxed atmosphere where together we utilize our sense to explore 5 free wines and discover new and familiar varietals with a splash of wine 101 fun with the hopes that we might learn something new.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Getting started was quite intimidating. Luckily I was determined to dive right in and took advantage of their online onboarding training program. And with my wine mama’s guidance and wine guides’ support within my direct upline and throughout our company, I have fine-tuned my personal approach. This does not necessarily mean I have yet to have any mishaps or less-than-stellar performances, but I am no expert. I am truly a wine enthusiast, and that being said, I feel that wine should be fun — so turning a mishap into laughter over a glass of wine makes great memories. Stumbling over the wine names or pronunciation of the varietals isn’t uncommon. However, as I explain to my clients and customers, you don’t need to know how to pronounce it, just whether you enjoy it.

Another challenge I found more at the beginning of my adventures as a Wine Guide was finding hosts and building my clientele. Traveling Vineyard offers suggestions on pooling a list of prospective hosts to help kick-start the process. And I did utilize this but more for finding my voice. After several tastings, I decided to expand outside my inner circle. I joined several farmers’ markets in north Peoria and surrounding areas. Within a year, I am grateful to have filled my calendar with bookings reaching 4-6 months out. My weekend availability is now scared, with limited openings at least two months out. And now I’m focusing on obtaining more weekday tastings.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been a wine enthusiast for most of my adult life. Now, I enjoy sharing my love of wine by offering complimentary wine tastings, social sips, personal wine shopping consultations, and more. I bring Traveling Vineyard’s exclusive and award-winning wines from around the world directly to the consumers in a relaxed atmosphere where together we utilize our sense to explore 5 free wines and discover new and familiar varietals with a splash of wine 101 fun with the hopes that we might learn something new.

My tastings and the 5 bottles of wine I share at my events are also free. But the experience and the fun is priceless. And I do not just market wines through my complimentary tastings; I share my love of wine with my experience, where my knowledge develops from my joys of cooking (and baking) with wine, private social sip opportunities, and being one of Traveling Vineyard’s Nominated Guest Blogger for 2023.

Know someone that loves wine but needs to be local? I offer complimentary tastings in 40 states. I am shipping the 5 free wines directly to the host and shipping my personalized sensory-driven tasting experience via the Internet. I join my host and their guest remotely to walk them through the 5 varietals just as if I were in the room with them. And whether you’re local or in another state, I help the host plan the perfect tasting experience by offering simple pairing suggestions to be budget mindful and allowing the wines to be the event’s highlight.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
I would not have ever become a Wine Guide or been able to have the fun and success I’ve had if it were not for that one instance of meeting the person who eventually became my wine mama, Robin Berseth. She recently stepped out of her role as a Wine Guide and team leader to focus on her life and family, but I am forever grateful to her and blessed to call her my friend. Thanks to her and Traveling Vineyard, I have made many long-lasting friendships with other wine guides and with several of my clients. And as our children have grown up and moved on with their lives, I have found ways to fill my time sharing my love of wine; none of this would have been imaginable had it not been for Robin and Traveling Vineyard.

Pricing:

• Complimentary wine tastings are FREE.
• Wine tastings include 5 FREE bottles of wine.
• Try before you buy with a complimentary wine-tasting experience.
• Purchase wines from the traveling vineyard’s exclusive and award-winning cellar of wines from vineyards worldwide at happy prices.
• Most wines are priced under $20.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.travelingvineyard.com/guide/770768/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/LetsGetUncorked
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/GetUncorkedWithJenna
• Other: https://linktr.ee/GetUncorkedWithJenna