Susan Lin MW, Head of Wine Expertise at Belmont Wine Exchange | Wine & Music at Susan R Lin

Title: Head of Wine Expertise at Belmont Wine Exchange | Wine & Music at Susan R Lin
Location: Mountain View, California

Your Background in Wine:
Officially I’ve been in the industry for 9 years, although thanks to my grandfather’s love of wine and home hospitality I became fascinated as a child by the magic wine can create when shared in a convivial setting. I witnessed this phenomenon repeatedly as I played piano at hotels and restaurants while growing up. Music is my first enduring love and I earned my Master of Fine Arts in Classical Piano and Musicology while completing my WSET Diploma. I was working full time in high tech, and looking back I’m not sure how I did this!
I knew I needed to continue studying wine, because I felt a fire inside as I feel about music. I was named Master of Wine seven years after taking my very first wine course and I am still a student! There is so much to learn, so much that is changing. My greatest pleasure is creating memorable experiences through music and wine, rooted in my and others’ academic research on crossmodal correspondences. For me there is nothing like expanding the senses through the interaction of music and wine.

What are the top three challenges to maintaining your well-being in your work?
1) Knowing when to leave off for the time being. Everyone here no doubt identifies with the sense of urgency of getting one more thing done, of going over your notes or draft again (and again), or whatever it may be. But just as in practicing the piano, sometimes I have to let it go and allow what I've done up until then to sink in. When I come back to it in a fresher state, I'm often surprised by how much more I can accomplish in a better way.

2) That nagging feeling that I'm never enough: what if I'm not doing enough for my colleagues and my family; what if I'm falling behind in general in terms of what I want to accomplish? Writing in a journal is incredibly helpful for me to acknowledge these feelings and to work through them. Having passions outside of immediate work is crucial for me: If I'm having a difficult day in the wine world, I can go to my piano and work on something completely different and feel incredibly fulfilled, even if the session is frustrating.

3) Having the wherewithal to be honest to myself about whether I can take on a project or ask, and if not, having the courage to be honest to the requester. I want to make sure that if I commit to something, I can do it to my utmost. If I know I won’t be able to, given the circumstances, I need to be forthcoming about it. I want to keep the conversation going, though, as who knows what may come up in the future? I always look forward to collaboration with great people.

What are 3 things you do (or try to do) to maintain your well-being?
1) I handwrite in a journal every day. It's something I've done since I was in grade school. It's true that there's no CTRL+F to find a passage you wrote in the past, and journals do take up space. There is, however, nothing like the way physically writing your thoughts will push you to think more about who you are and the world around you. For me there's also no replacement for the visceral rush of suddenly changing my handwriting style, drawing, or doing whatever I feel like on the page.

2) I try to make time for the people I care about. Each day isn't guaranteed and there's no time like the present to say hello and to tell someone you're thinking about them.

3) I try to make time for the things that matter to me. If I've been spending the majority of my time and energy on wine industry activities, I make sure to practice or even just play the piano for some part of the day. If I'm traveling and don't have access to a piano, I relish thinking about projects I'd like to do and plan them out. I've been making piano recordings and setting them to edited scenes of an anime that fascinates me. Is it silly? Maybe, but I'm deriving such joy and learning from the process that I'm going to keep making these music videos! Go where the energy is.

What other beverages do you drink when you're not drinking alcohol?
Hot tea and hot water! I love the way they warm me up from the inside. I'm partial to green teas because they remind me of precious after-dinner teatime hours visiting with my grandparents when I was a child.

What inspires you on your journey in the beverage industry?
The people I meet and with whom I have forged friendships with are what inspire me the most! I'm continually amazed and humbled by the breadth and depth of talent, interests, areas of expertise, and personalities of the people that make this industry thrive. Thank you all for working hard and for being the best you can be - your efforts can only help us all grow.

What is a quote that you love?
My grandmother used to say: "Taste the words on your tongue before saying them, so you don't say anything that tastes bad and then can't take back later."

You can connect with Susan on Instagram at @susanrlin and LinkedIn