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Introducing The Wine Linguist (TWL) 

My name is Alice Achayo. I am the founder of The Wine Linguist, a company dedicated to reshaping the language and culture of wine in order to invite and welcome a more diverse demographic of people into wine, and provide them with the opportunity to engage with it in a more relatable, intentional, and meaningful context. Our mission is to cultivate a deeper connection to wine that goes beyond taste, by centering the stories of winemakers and farmers, and integrating the language and cuisines of diverse cultures. 

Why We Are Uniquely Qualified To Do This

My background is in hospitality, sustainable agriculture, and eco-gastronomy. I was first introduced to wine through a course at university and later experienced the culture of wine and food during my study abroad program. While studying in Italy I witnessed and experienced wine as an important part of a culture's daily life, where wine is intended to bring people together and foster meaningful connection. Wine is more than just a beverage; wine is about agriculture, people, culture and history. This was my foundation and understanding of wine, and ultimately what inspired me to pursue a career path in wine. 

I started The Wine Linguist in 2022, after nearly a decade of working in various positions within the wine industry. At this point I was becoming disenchanted with wine. What had once inspired me to pursue wine was nowhere to be found. Over the years I have interacted with countless wine drinkers across diverse demographics, and noted a common theme around their hesitation and disengagement with wine. For many, the language and culture of wine is elitist, intimidating, and unwelcoming. Demographics from historically under-represented groups voiced that wine culture and language is built around Euro-centric/western societies and fails to represent them entirely.

I wanted to change that. 

I've spent the last two years pushing the wine industry to reshape the lexicon of wine, educating wine professionals how to broaden the way they think and talk about wine, and empowering wine drinkers to engage more intentionally with wine. Recently, I was honored with the Wine Enthusiast Future 40 Tastemakers award for this important work. 

Alice Achayo is a catalyst for a more accessible and inclusive wine language and culture. ThroughThe Wine Linguist,this Boston-based consultant aims to highlight global cuisines, innovate approaches to discussing wine to increase accessibility and relatability to diverse drinkers, and raise awareness around the work of winemakers and farmers. Her dinner events and workshops focus on the stories and journeys of the winemakers to foster a deeper appreciation for wines beyond aroma and taste. For Achayo, wine language draws upon sensory memories, and wine serves as a medium that bridges cultural and social divides. 

-Wine Enthusiast

The Problem

The language of wine has become incredibly intimidating, unapproachable, and unrelatable, leading to demographics across generations and cultures of would-be wine enthusiasts feeling excluded from participating and engaging with wine in a meaningful way. Furthering the disconnection, wine, a product of agriculture, has become so abstract and far removed from its origin that the languages used to discuss it fail to center the land, history, culture, and the people who make the beverage possible: winemakers and farmers.

A call for change is ringing loudly! Here are some examples of what wine professionals are saying needs to change:

"Now, as the U.S. wine industry recognizes the need to engage younger, increasingly multicultural consumers, forward-thinking industry professionals are calling for a more inclusive wine lexicon that reflects the country’s current and future demographics." Sevenfifty Daily, Why Industry Professionals Are Rethinking the Language of Wine

“The consumer side is evolving rapidly. The wine industry has chosen to ignore the fact that consumers driving changes are coming from diverse backgrounds. We haven’t tapped into consumer bases that have demonstrated growing economic power and would support the industry if they felt a connection. Representation matters.”- Priyanka French, Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Are Key to The American Wine Industry’s Future

"Celebrate culturally diverse foods and wine. Wine should be associated with culturally relevant foods, highlight important flavors, spices, and tastes, work with POC chefs and restaurants, and educate wine store staff in Hispanic and African American areas. " - New Research Reveals the Top Cultural Wine Barriers and Opportunities for Hispanic and African American Consumers  

“When you bring different mindsets and backgrounds to an industry that’s very traditional, that’s where you get this innovative thinking.” - Larissa Dubose,  Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Are Key to The American Wine Industry’s Future

“If places of business want to welcome diversity and provide equal opportunities to all—whether we’re talking about race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other marginalized group in society—their public image should provide a reflection of the type of employee and clientele they welcome,” says Theresa Heredia, winemaker at Gary Farrell Winery and active advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. This includes social media posts and images, food-wine pairings, tech sheet information and tasting note verbiage, Heredia says." - The Wine Industry Pledged to Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity. Has Anything Changed?

New Research Reveals the Top Cultural Wine Barriers and Opportunities for Hispanic and African American Consumers, September 2022

TWL Solution  

Currently we host workshops, seminars, wine tasting classes, and dinner events, focused on educating wine enthusiasts and professionals on how to broaden the language they use to think and talk about wine.  

We constantly receive feedback from our audience wanting and asking for more intentional and in-depth knowledge of wine: they want to know the who, what, where, and how of wine, so that they can understand and connect with it in a more meaningful context. 

I spent 3 months working along side a winemaker in the Willamette Valley wine region, for the 2023 harvest season. During that time I shared bi-weekly updates of the processes involved in making wine. I filmed and photographed the arduous work we were doing in the winery.

The goal for the bi-weekly updates, which contained highly informative content and a "first look" at what it takes to make wine, was to gauge the level of interest that our audience would have for this kind of learning and experience through my eyes on the ground.

People messaged constantly to thank me for "bringing us along" the journey of winemaking. This was precisely the kind of feedback I was looking for. It supported the vision I have for us to connect more people to wine, from the ground. To bring wine back to its origin of agriculture, people, history, and culture. To introduce wine drinkers to winemakers and their stories. All with the bigger purpose of removing the barriers that have caused so much intimidation, exclusivity, and unwelcome feeling for wine drinkers. 

Why We Are Seeking Funding

We are raising funds through IFW to help us in the next critical step of our work: 

1. Produce a wine-region focused docuseries that will bring wine enthusiasts and professionals along with us on a journey to discover and learn about wine regions around the world--to get to know the wine, people, history, and culture of each region. 
2. Produce a podcast series that will connect our audiences to exemplary voices of professionals across all facets of the food and wine industry; from chefs, to winemakers, to vineyard workers, and sommeliers.
3. Build a small team (a video producer and editor, and social media and content manager) and fund our basic cost of living as we invest 100% of our time producing this important work. 
4. Launch TWL Wine 101, our short and informative video series (in a true TWL fashion!) providing wine enthusiasts with foundational wine knowledge to begin and/or advance their wine journey.

Who Is On Your Team?

Associate Creative Director, Marie-Ana Follett

Marie-Ana (she/her) is a born and raised Bostonian and mixed Latina who strives to be a global citizen. Marie-Ana’s journey in wine started with her childhood love for food and the land. She has continually explored and cultivated these interests through formal learning and on-the-job experiences. 

Marie-Ana's interests led her to study Race, Class, and Gender and the Environment at Pomona College. Prior to her budding interest in the wine world, Marie-Ana worked in documentary filmmaking as a producer, community-based farming, corporate recruiting, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and education. These experiences brought her to California, China, and back to Boston. Last year Marie-Ana worked in wine retail in Boston, and at a Willamette Valley winery as a harvest cellar hand intern through Our Legacy Harvested.

Marie-Ana strives to bring authenticity and some humor in all that she does, and she holds a belief that we can embrace equity and community in every space, including wine. She’s incredibly excited to work with Alice and help grow The Wine Linguist in this next phase.

Thank you so much for your support.  We appreciate you!