Meet Trailblazer Emily Mares

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Mares.

Emily, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been working in the retail wine industry for fourteen years. I have always LOVED talking about wine, pairing food and wine, and educating others about wine.

In September, I was in Barcelona with my best friend. Whenever we went to dinner, I would always order the wine and talk to the server about it. She came up with the brilliant idea that I should start my own wine channel and that’s how @winewithemily started on Instagram.

I launched the channel on January 1st of this year and it was a great way to start out the New Year! I give others tips and reviews on wines they can buy in the store and not fly all the way to France to get. Also, I am apart of the Tucson Sommelier group where we blind taste test wines, where later on, I will be testing for the Certified Sommelier Exam.

Has it been a smooth road?
Don’t succumb yourself to how many followers you have. It can be slow at first but stay consistent. Know that this is your passion and you will attract like-minded people. Think about the tortoise and the hare–slow and steady wins the race!

We’d love to hear more about Wine with Emily.
I love educating others about wine in a fun, easy, and informative way. Whether it’s about different grapes or my favorite Cabernet Franc, I’m your go-to wine woman! I help others get awesome wines that they could find locally in their store and not fly around the world to get or spend $100. Most of my wines I review are under $50 and I don’t cater to the 1%.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
The majority of my family roots stem from France and Germany where a large amount of wine is made. It’s in my blood haha! Coming from a culinary family, my Grandma Ruthy had her own family cookbook. I was around cooking and cookbooks a lot as a kid. As I got older as an adult, I started pairing wine with it.

I grew up in Wisconsin which is the biggest beer drinking state but I was never a big fan of beer. Wine was my calling!

Contact Info:

• Email: Winewithemily44@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winewithemily
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/winewithemily

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.