Graza

Q: How would you describe yourself?

P: A former lawyer who was so obsessed with wine that she couldn’t stop talking about it on the internet and somehow ended up a wine content creator.

Q: Finish this sentence, cooking for me is…

P: meditative and creative! I used to be a lawyer, so cooking was one of the few sensory, tactile things I would do. Even as a content creator now, I spend so much time on my phone and I find that cooking is one of the few things that can get me fully off technology. It’s such an incredible outlet.

Q: What’s something you think every person should know if they’re interested in learning more about wine?

P: That the only difference between you and someone who can taste the difference between wines is practice. I find that so many people have this perception that you’re either a gifted wine taster or you’re not, and that’s absolutely not true. Sure, there are some “supertasters” in the world, but very few - it mostly comes down to trying a lot of wines, learning the vocabulary, having a community to taste with, and training your brain to think about wine in a certain way. 

Q: Are you more of a Sizzler, Drizzler, or Frizzler?

P: Drizzler!!! I drizzle olive oil over my yogurt every morning, over every dish I cook, and over ice cream (with a little bit of sea salt).

Q: Your recent fave sip or tasting?

P: I recently tried the Joseph Roty Rosé Marsannay (a rosé Burgundy - which isn’t what people think of when they think of Burgundy) at Noble Rot in London. It was a salmon-pink, gastronomic, savory rosé - so delicious and a new discovery for me!

Q: Who do you look to for inspiration for wine recommendations or recipes?

P: I typically look to talented, meticulous beverage directors at top restaurants for wine recommendations, like Victoria James at Coqodaq or Etheliya Hananova at Comice. As for recipes, I honestly make up a lot of my own at this point (while wine is my focus, I’m a pretty solid cook!), but Amanda Shulman from Her Place Supper Club was a huge inspiration for me when I started getting into cooking. She taught me how to bake the perfect brown butter cake, how to get the perfect sear on a churrasco steak, and how to make cooking fun and communal.

Q: Are there any wine and dish combinations that you keep coming back to?

P: So many! Some of my favorites are the Château Simone Rosé with duck breast, a great Sauternes (like d’Yquem, or Suduiraut for something a bit more affordable) with foie gras, Manzanilla Sherry (like the Bodegas Hidalgo “La Gitana”) with olives and boquerones, and Champagne and french fries! The classics.

Q: Some common misconceptions about wine? Something you wish more people knew about wine?

P: Other than the fact that anyone can learn to taste wine, I’d love for more people to understand the nuance around “natural” wine. Natural wine is way more polarizing than it should be, because so many people associate it with a specific juicy, simple, kombucha-esque profile. In reality, natural wine just refers to a philosophy around viticulture and vinification, not to a style of wine.

Many wines which are made with natural, organic, or biodynamic methods are extremely high quality, complex, and taste a lot more “traditional,” so to speak. A lot of the elite producers in places like Burgundy and Bordeaux have been natural, organic and/or biodynamic for years. People are often shocked to hear me say, I like natural wine, because I don’t highlight or personally love the punchy wines which are like “hey, look at me, I’m a natural wine!” but so many of my favorite wines are made with natural methods. 

Q: Which wine would you pair with an Graza EVOO potato chip?

P: A Fino or Manzanilla Sherry! They’re both aged under a thick layer of yeast in bodegas filled with humidity and ocean winds in the south of Spain, which, long story short, gives them this incredibly light body and saline flavor profile. They’re sooooo good with salty foods like potato chips!

Q: Any words of wisdom, quotes, or mottos you live by?

P: Maybe it’s a bit cliché, but I love the Anthony Bourdain quote of “your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” I do take pretty good care of myself (I eat great ingredients (like great olive oil!), I stay active, etc.), but my priority has never been to live as long as possible or look as fit as I can. I feel there’s an extreme emphasis on optimization and longevity these days and it just has never really resonated with me.

My focus has always been on having as many interesting and enriching life experiences and relationships as possible while I’m alive. Anything I do for my health is in service of that, nothing more.

Q: What’s on the horizon for you?

P: I know we’re only halfway through 2025, but I’m spending a lot of time thinking about content and community experiences for next year! Mainly, I’d like to be interviewing inspiring people in the wine and hospitality industry, and I’d like to run a couple of trips to wine regions for my community.