Hurricane Maria, it does not seem to leave us! The storm came to Puerto Rico 5 months ago, on September 20, and there’s still people without electricity and of course without internet. I felt I needed to have solidarity with them and not blog until we all were connected again. Then it hit me, we need our lives to get back to normal as soon as possible! There is nothing to gain by lingering. Mental health should be our priority. We need to take our lives back and have some fun! So, I bounced back into the wine world.

During one of my recent part time gigs, I was a sommelier at Costco for Horreo de V. Suarez and CAFA Formation School of Sommeliers. I had the privilege of talking to different people and recommending wine labels depending on their preferences. People reacted very positively and, to my surprise, many wanted to talk about the hurricane and how eating and drinking with family and friends helped them cope. We even joked that we had become “hurricane wine drinkers” (in a fun and silly way). The camaraderie that developed after the storm has been incredible. I am very proud of the Puerto Rican people and how we have been able to cope and keep smiling.

Some wine labels that you can find at Costco: Louis Jadot Pinot Noir, everything Orin Swift (Prisoner, Abstract, Submit), Tattinger champagne and many more. My favorite wine…Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot from Napa Valley brought to PR by Plaza Provisions. It rated 92 points at Wine Spectator.