Meet Allison Levine

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Allison Levine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Allison below.

Allison, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I am an optimistic person by nature. But I remember one time when I was a tween when I was feeling insecure and pessimistic about going to a party. My mom told me that if I went with a bad attitude, I would likely have a bad time. But if I went with a good attitude, who knows what would happen? In short, she told me that “you make your own good time.” And that is how I look at life. I see the glass as half-full; I think positively. I am optimistic and hopeful but also remain practical and realistic.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that we can and should learn from every experience and every relationship, whether it is a good one or a bad one, and I try to take at least one positive thing away from every experience. These experiences mold you into the person that you are.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have been working in the wine industry for more than 20 years and have had my own business (Please The Palate) for more than 12 years. Yet, if you ever told me that I would be working in the wine industry, I never would have believed it! I was first introduced to wine while I was in college in Santa Barbara but it was not until I was living in Italy (after college) that I started drinking wine on a regular basis. In Italy, wine was always on the table and I never had to think about it. But when I returned home, I was overwhelmed and confused. So, I started going to wine tastings and classes and I was intrigued. However, my interest was just to learn a little bit and I had no idea I would end up working in wine.

I have a master’s degree in International Communications and worked in the satellite and later dot-com industries. I always joke that when I got laid off from my marketing communications job in the dot-com world, I started drinking for a living. And that is actually true. I took my marketing and event skills and helped the friend, from whom I took wine classes, to build his wine education hobby into a business. After five years, I went to work for a wine importer and learned to sell wine, learning a different aspect of the wine industry, as well as new skills. I then went back to marketing and events when I went to work for a wine critic. This time I shifted to industry events.

I launched my own business, Please The Palate in 2011. My primary focus is marketing and event planning for wine regions around the world. I organize large walk-around tastings, as well as seminars and intimate tastings for the wine trade. This includes people who work in restaurants, retail, distribution, press, and wine education.
In addition, I am a freelance writer covering wine, food, and travel. I am the U.S. Host for the international podcast Wine Soundtrack and interview winemakers, getting to know them in 30 questions. I also co-host a wine education video series on YouTube called “Crush on This”. In addition, I host monthly virtual wine tastings with winemakers, teach about wine, and judge at wine competitions.

I look back at all of my experiences prior to wine, from living in Italy and getting a master’s degree in International Communications, to working in the corporate world as well as the wine industry, and every other job in between. Each of these plays a part in my life, and business, today.

As for wine, it is my passion. I love learning about wine and sharing that love with others through everything I do. I am privileged to be able to travel the world, learn about other wine regions, meet winemakers, taste numerous wines, and then share the stories through my writing. I am lucky to be able to work in something that I love and hope my passion inspires other people.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I think three key qualities that have been most impactful are:

1) An Open Mind and a Positive Attitude: Be open to opportunities. Say “yes”! Try new things. Go to new places. You may think you know what you want, or perhaps you do not. But be open to experiences as you never know what door will open. The wine industry was not something I was aware of when I was growing up. I never could have imagined I would be where I am today. But with an open mind, I have tried different things and they have led me here.

2) Hard Work and Integrity: You have to work hard to get to where you want. There are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Put in the time needed and do each and every job with integrity. Take pride in what you do, even if it seems like the smallest, most insignificant thing. Hard work does pay off, but it never stops, as I can attest as a small business owner. But when you love what you do, you do not mind working hard.

3) Constant Learning: We should never stop learning. I have been studying wine for 20 years now and I have taken classes and gotten certifications in wine. The wine world is vast and there is always something to learn and I never want to stop exploring and learning.

I know you only asked for three qualities but there is one more:

4) Effective Communication: Communication is so important. It is important to be able to communicate what we need and want. It is also important to be able to communicate with clients and customers. That means setting realistic expectations and not over-promising and under-delivering. Good communication also requires good listening skills. Be sure you are hearing what your client, customer, or audience is asking for.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As a small business owner and a sole proprietor, I do everything in the business. I write the proposals and organize and market the events. I pitch the stories and then write them. And in addition, I run the day-to-day of the business, which includes the finances. At times, when there is so much to do, it can be overwhelming.

For me, the key is to be organized and focused. I keep a daily list of everything I have to do. I love crossing things off my list as they get done. And other things get transferred to the next day’s list. Knowing what I need to do helps keep me focused and in control.

There are times when the tasks seem insurmountable. When that happens, I take deep breaths and go through each item, writing down what needs to be done. Then I take a few more deep breaths and tackle one at a time, sometimes starting with the easiest or quickest tasks so that I can see things crossed off the list, which will motivate me to keep going.

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