Work with Me: What I Do

I am first and foremost an educator. Yes, I love wine, I really do, but my primary passion is teaching. So, while I still do wine parties, I am most happy when I get to really teach.

Thus, my main focus is on improving wine education whether it is by working with consumers to increase their wine knowledge, collaborating with a consortium to deliver its message to the trade or coaching wine professionals to enhance their teaching skills.

With over 20 years of experience in academia, coupled with my formal wine certifications, I am able to bring a wealth of professionalism, educational expertise and wine knowledge to any project. And, while I am grounded in academics, I equally understand and appreciate the value of entertainment. If wine and education are intertwined, I’m your gal.

I am fortunate to have a cadre of great friends and colleagues who describe me as an excellent communicator, with a real eye for detail (See Praise). I like to have fun and be playful, but I am also intelligent, organized and reliable.

Most importantly, I show up and do the work.

General Wine Education
Staff Training
Wine Writing
Professional Development
Consulting

General Wine Education

Presentations that Dazzle & Deliver!

Want to provide members of the press and trade and/or consumers with your (or your client’s) latest and greatest news?

Let me craft a customized educational presentation that pinpoints your key message.

click for more information and pricing

Whether you need to promote the most recent vintage, highlight the difference between your region and others or simply acquaint the world to what you have to offer, I can create the perfect presentation that will engage the audience and reinforce the important concepts you want them to know.

Recent projects include: co-presenting a seminar with the President of the Chianti Classico Consortium for press and trade; developing an intensive Tuscan Wine Masters program on Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; and creating a session on Sicily for the American Wine Society’s annual conference.

For two consecutive years, and to our great satisfaction, Tracy has conducted the seminar in New York presenting the Chianti Classico appellation and wines. She is a highly prepared journalist with excellent knowledge of Italian wines and especially of our Chianti Classico. We have been very pleased with her work for us and hope it will continue. In addition to her fine professional training I would also like to mention her warmth and humanity, two gifts that surely increase her value and prestige.” –Silvia Fiorentini, Marketing & Communication Manager, Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico

We love working with Tracy. She is always organized, well-prepared, and her presentations are full of information. In fact, I’ve seen some of the biggest names in wine taking copious notes while she was teaching…” –Paul Wagner, President, Balzac Communications & Marketing

PROJECT PRICING
$499 Seminar Development
$999 Presentation

Pouring Events with Purpose

Need to pour your wine(s) in a retail or other environment, but want to be sure that your message is communicated clearly to consumers? From promoting producers to highlighting specific regions, let me pour your wines with purpose. Consumers will be introduced to the selected wines and understand their importance as I guide them through their tasting experience. I’m also pleased to create fun, educational worksheets for their use at the event and later reference.

click for more information and pricing

Recent projects include: Pouring Beaujolais Crus for Sopexa USA for a Bastille Day event held at the French Institute – Alliance Française and pouring a selection of Chianti Classico wines for 67 Wine & Spirits.

I handle the Educational Department at Sopexa USA, which is a Marketing agency for Food, Wine, and lifestyle. I have worked with Tracy on several projects, she did an outstanding job for us educating both trade and consumers on numerous occasions. Tracy is one of our best educators and we will certainly work with Tracy on many new opportunities in the future!” –Thierry Pezin, Education Manager, Sopexa

We’ve received exceptional feedback during the tasting, on Twitter, and from a few more customers this afternoon who have strolled in for tonight’s tastings. Additionally, Tracy’s lead and presentation truly aligned with the experience we’re creating around wine. By all accounts, we met our sales goals and made an impact (invariably intangible) that are positive for the near and long term.” –Melissa Sutherland Amado, formerly Director of Marketing, 67 Wine & Spirits

PROJECT PRICING
Projects start at $499

Staff Training

Educate your staff to increase sales and customer satisfaction

Today’s consumers are more knowledgeable about wine. Is your staff ready to assist them? Whether at home or in a restaurant, wine and spirits make the meal and they also greatly add to the bottom line – your bottom line. If your sales associates or servers aren’t well versed in speaking to your customers about wine and spirits, you could be missing out on important sales. My results-oriented training for restaurants and wine store staff is focused on improving product knowledge, but equally important, on increasing confidence to sell these products to your customers.

click for more information and pricing

All training programs highlight key food and wine pairing principles as well as provide a solid foundation of wine knowledge and include educational materials and learning tools. Training programs can also be customized for your team based on your list/inventory and clientele.

Boy do I owe you a big thank you for the miracles you worked at the Four Seasons. Of course, everyone there knows volumes about wine, but you added a lot of fantastic information and excitement that refueled their passion for wine. Thank you very much.” –Regina McMenamin, President, Regina Ink Ltd., New York, NY

I hired Tracy to train the staff of my family’s wine and spirits store in East Hampton. The team members not only learned a great deal, but truly enjoyed “wine school” and working with Tracy. Tracy’s value was clear: increased confidence and selling skills among the staff and a boost in overall morale. Tracy has been back to train new staff members.” – Donna McDonald, Park Place Wines, East Hampton, NY

PROJECT PRICING
Programs start at $1,500.00

Wine Writing

Educational Materials/Textbooks and Public Relations Materials/Collateral

As someone who has written a doctoral dissertation, I know how to write and how to conduct significant research. I transfer these skills to everything that I do, but especially to my writing to ensure that your publication, study guide or educational materials are well written, clear, concise and up-to-date. I approach each writing project with an educational slant, keeping learning theory and styles in mind and, developing images and diagrams to bolster comprehension and retention.

Additionally, I am available for writing assignments related to public relations, technical sheets and any other projects connecting wine and the written word.

click for more information and pricing

(Please see my writing portfolio.)

Recent projects include: creating an educational article on Sparkling Wines in the USA for WSET Diploma Students; updating the SWE Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide; editing and writing content for the SWE Certified Specialist of Spirits Study Guide; and writing industry updates for the SWE Smart Sips Newsletter.

The WSET contacted Tracy to write a piece on the sparkling wines of USA for Diploma students. She very quickly understood what we required, completely embracing the brief, and produced an outstanding piece which was thoroughly researched and written with a sparkling clarity. This is a unique piece that will offer Diploma students a fantastic amount of insight into the US sparkling wine industry. It was always a pleasure to work with Tracy who was efficient and punctual throughout the project.” – Nicholas King, Research and Development Manager, WSET®

I have attended Tracy’s presentations at the Society of Wine Educators Annual Conferences, and also worked with her on education initiatives for the SWE Board of Directors and Board of Examiners. Tracy is a consummate professional and also very approachable. As an instructor she is always well-prepared, has a strong knowledge of her material, and makes students feel comfortable. Tracy’s writing and presentation skills are top-notch and I would highly recommend her for any teaching or writing opportunities in wine education.” –Heidi Stine, Executive Director, TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society)

Professional Development

Credential & Exam Preparation

Take your knowledge and career to the next level with formal wine education and credentials. Study and prepare for your next wine certification exam with some who actually likes to study! As a member of the Society, I am a strong proponent of SWE’s certification programs, including the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) and Certified Wine Educator (CWE).* Although these are all self-study programs, I would be pleased to provide candidates with private tutoring as they prepare for one or more of these certification exams.

click for more information and pricing

Once an evaluation of your strengths and weakness is completed, I will develop and implement a customized study plan in anticipation of your upcoming exam. Exam review sessions are also available for groups.

Recent projects have included: presenting the CSW and CWE Preview sessions at the SWE Conference; presenting CSW Preview sessions for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board; and private tutoring sessions for individual candidates.

PROJECT PRICING
Billed hourly in two-hour minimum increments.

*Please see the SWE website for more information on these programs.

Educational Coaching

Are you proud of your presentations? Guilty of “Death by PowerPoint”? It may not be a matter of “gun control” but make the commitment and say it with me, “No more bullets!” From gaining a basic understanding of educational theory and identifying learning objectives to designing better PowerPoint slides and honing your delivery, I’ll work with you to improve your teaching skills.

click for more information and pricing

In a recent seminar for wine educators titled ‘Classes Beyond Glasses,’ Tracy Ellen Kamens demonstrated a number of the techniques that make her such a wonderfully effective educator. Whether she’s presenting as a sage on the stage or a guide on the side, Tracy has moved well beyond a static classroom format to engage and enlighten her students. Sign me up!” –Deborah Parker Wong, AIWS, No. CA Editor, The Tasting Panel and contributor to Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

Tracy I taught my 1st class since your session at #sweconference, it was my best class ever! Thanks for the guidance @winederfullife” ‏@AngelicaSbai 11 Aug (via Twitter)

One of the best wine education classes I ever took was led by Tracy. It was not so much her expert knowledge of wine that stood out, but the ideas, skills and techniques she shared about how to engage and enthuse your audience around the subject you are presenting. The class was terrifically enjoyable and gave us many practical tools.” –Ned Towle, CWE, Director, Westchester Wine School

Consulting

Custom-tailored for you

Want to better understand the U.S. wine market and its consumers? Need to translate your website and Technical Sheets from French or Italian? Let me help you speak to the largest wine market in the world and tell your story.

click for more information and pricing

I have known Tracy for several years now and as a wine importer, it has been a real plus to receive professional and independent feedback on the wines we bring in to the US market. It is always great to share a glass or two with Tracy and get her point of view. Her extensive knowledge and passion about wine are truly contagious, and so is her ‘joie de vivre’.” –Vincent Renault, Executive Vice President, Cognac One, LLC