I’m continually impressed by Chel Petras and the wine knowledge she’s gained in the past two years.
One of the most rewarding parts of looking back on these interviews is to witnessing the continued growth of many of the speakers from the summit.
When I listen back to this interview compared to my recent conversations, Chel seems like a different person. And I mean that in the most positive sense.
Her maturation as a wine personality is due in large part to her dedication to wine education. So much so, that WSET made her an ambassador and she’s sharing her studying on Instagram. You can follow along and take her quizzes by checking out @chelloveswine.
She’s due to take the test in August so please wish her good luck.
So, let’s rewind to connect with Chel and discover how she got started.
“You should get rejected 100 times a year. I’m going to put out 100+ requests a year. I get rejected all the time.”
Chel Petras
Listen and Watch
Chel Petras’s Interview
Check back here on July 12 for the re-release of my interview with Chel Petras.
Update on Chel Petras
Before relaunching this interview, I was able to catch up with Chel who’s still successfully managing her work and her wine lifestyle all while studying for the WSET 3.
Check out Chel’s update below.
Q: What is exciting you right now in the wine world?
A: There are so many wines I want to try in these new world regions because a majority of the trips I go on are old world: France, Italy, Spain. I’m really into that new world wine making, regions such as South America, Australia, New Zealand, Chile. I would like to visit all of them!
Wines from the states are also so cool now, because every state has a functioning winery. So, I’m trying wines from Virginia and Texas; states that you wouldn’t think would produce very good wines.
Q: Are you traveling anywhere soon?
I am actually going to Sicily in September for a wine trip, so I have been trying to research more Sicilian wines. When you think of Italian wines, you typically think of wines from Tuscany and Piedmont. I’m excited for the trip because Sicily has amazing terroir. After all, it’s a volcano, so the wines are super dynamic and have the gun-powdery taste and smell.
Q: Any other tools, tips, resources you have been loving?
A: I still go back to my OG book, WineFolly. She just has great stuff. But I have also been using a lot of apps on my phone. Vivino. I’m sure a lot of people know about, but it’s a great one. It lets you see the price, taste, and region of the wine. This is especially helpful since I have been studying and tasting by myself, so it’s been great to scan wines in and see what other people have been tasting in it. It’s like feedback if I were in a class with people.
A lot of my wine friends also tell me about Vknow. I’ve never tried it that much, but a lot of my friends say it’s a super geeky wine app- for more of my wine geeks rather than my wine novices.
Q: Do you have any advice you would give yourself when we had our first interview together two years ago?
A: I think I would just want to prepare myself for how much work and how time-consuming wine would become like in the best possible way. Running an Instagram, my Youtube, a blog, whatever I’ve branched out to do since then, is super time consuming. I also have a full-time job, so I work in finance 9-5. When I come home, I’m a dog mom and a girlfriend and ChelLovesWine for the rest of the day. It ends up being a lot.
I do not think I would do anything differently, but I also think that how I’ve grown and changed. It has all been part of the journey, so I do not think I would have told myself not to do this or not to do that. I think everything that has happened has helped mold ChelLovesWine into what it is.
Q: Do you ever want to make wine?
A: I actually do. I mean I don’t know if I want to be the wine maker, but I definitely want to have my own wine brand eventually. Even if it’s a single serving wine because I do not think there are a lot of good canned wines. I would love to do something like that. But maybe work with a winemaker, so we could do it together and come up with a style that we like. That would definitely be a goal.
Q: Anything else in store for ChelLovesWine?
A: If you happen to be flying JetBlue you will see my face on all the JetBlue flights for wine pairings. I do this series with Pure Wow called Its Wine O’Clock, which is on their IG-TV every Thursday. Pure Wow has an existing relationship with JetBlue because they are both based in Long Island City, so they do a media partnership. So, I created content directly for JetBlue. Definitely keep an eye out!
Want more Chel Petras?
Watch her episodes on PureWow.
Read her interview with Sip Dine Design.
Here is the official press release announcing Chel as a WSET ambassador.
About Chel Petras
Chel is a NYC based TV personality, wine writer and wine lover. She is the face behind the popular wine Instagram account @chelloveswine, host of “It’s Wine O’Clock” on PureWow and JetBlue and a brand ambassador for the WSET. When Chel isn’t exploring new wine regions she enjoys time at home with her boyfriend Pete and Boston terrier, Carl.
Connect to Chel Petras
- Website: chelloveswine.com
- Instagram: @chelloveswine