Lucinda Smith, Owner
How did I end up in a wine store you might ask? I “got into the wine business” through the restaurant business. Undoubtedly, I am a lifelong restaurant rat. One of my first restaurant jobs in the Washington, D.C., area was opening The Tower Club in Tysons Corner back in 1989. The original concept was white gloves and tableside service. I probably made fifty tableside caesar salads a night! Marking, swing service, the whole bit was part of the drill. The best restaurant experience I ever got and I was so very grateful to get it relatively early on in my restaurant career. It made me a much better server everywhere else I ever worked. The sommelier who worked with me at The Tower Club became one of my very best friends and she gave me the “wine bug”. She would include me in on serving all the special wine dinners and let me taste leftover wine not consumed by members. It opened up my world. I’ve been stuck on wine ever since and I owe my career in wine to Linda to whom I am eternally indebted.
The restaurant path took me many places – Santa Fe East in Old Town under the culinary guidance of Allison Swope (and an eye opening experience to the cuisine and spices of the Southwest), 219 Restaurant in Old Town (another culinary eye opener…I am a New England girl and I grew up on New England Boiled Dinners! I had no idea what was in jambalaya!!), opening Sequoia Restaurant down at the Washington Harbor, opening Off The Record at the Hay-Adams, enjoying “the best job ever” as a Sommelier at Tuscarora Mill Restaurant (there is nothing more satisfying than to help transform someone’s evening out – you have all the tools right at you fingertips to ensure a diner’s happy experience!), working in the very food and wine centric formal dining room of the Morrison House in Old Town, working as a Fine Wine Sales Rep for Roanoke Valley Wine Company (where I developed my crazy, insane love for Pinot Noir…..) and now, the latest (and longest) stop on the food and wine train as first the manager and now the owner of this store.
I’ve done my fair share of wine studying along the way too. Not that anyone is going to feel sorry for somebody in the world of wine “studying”…..I get that! My credentials include:
- WSET Intermediate with Distinction
- Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) by Society of Wine Educators
- Introductory Course of the Court of Master Sommeliers
- Sommelier Course by the Sommelier Society of Washington, D.C.
- Guild of Sommeliers Member
- Society of Wine Educators Member
- Oregon Pinot Camp Alum
- Australian Sommelier Immersion Program (SIP) Alum
- Road Trip Washington Alum
- Judge for Virginia Governor’s Cup
While tasting, tasting, tasting is always the best way for anyone to learn about wine, traveling to places, virtually and/or literally, to discover the history, culture, geography and all of the unique aspects about any particular wine region is, without a doubt, a fantatsic journey as well. And of course, there is perhaps no better pleasure in life than to share food and wine with friends and family. That is, after all, why all of us in the business stay in this business.
As many of you know, Bogart, my long time Basset Hound, was the store mascot for many years at The Wine Seller on Elden Street. After a good fight with cancer, I put him down in September of 2009. While there will truly never be another Bogart, I’m looking forward to the next store mascot (yes, another Basset Hound!) hopefully sometime in 2011.
With Best Regards,
Lucinda
