This post was updated on April 18 at 7:21 p.m.
Amanda Greenbaum has very specific answers when asked what types of wine she prefers.
Her favorite white would be the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, ideally from 2013 or 2014, and her preferred red is a cabernet sauvignon because of its versatility and robust quality.
Greenbaum used her winemaking knowledge and passion to found The Sommelier’s Club at UCLA in winter. The third-year sociology student created the organization to share her love for wine with students Silena Palozzola and Natalie Baldacci on campus.
Around 20 to 25 of the club’s almost 90 members meet every other week at Greenbaum’s apartment, where she also hosts wine tastings for students who are 21 years of age or older.
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Wine has been in the Greenbaum family blood for a long time. In her freshman year of high school, her family moved to a property on the Malibu coast with a half-acre hillside to grow syrah and cabernet grapes. The move happened just in time for harvest season, and the family began selling grapes that year, eventually starting their own wine label called AJA Vineyards. Between her parents’ award-winning boutique vineyard and her grandparents’ longstanding love for wine, Greenbaum’s sommelier passion was born.
After months of teaching herself about different varietals – wine made from a single-named grape variety – Greenbaum decided to bring together students on campus that shared her enthusiasm for wine to educate herself and others about wine and the winemaking process.
“We don’t always want to buy that $2 bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s,” Greenbaum said. “Sometimes we want to actually know what we’re drinking.”
During meetings, Greenbaum and her executive board present club members with information about wines from specific regions, such as ones in Australia and Portugal while also conducting wine tastings with wine they provide themselves.
The club’s policy mandates students be 18 years or older to join the club and 21 or older to participate in tastings. Greenbaum, however, believes younger students can still cultivate an interest in wine early on, just like she did.
“I started learning and becoming passionate about the process of making wine when I was 16 years old,” Greenbaum said. “I wasn’t able to drink that wine, but I had people around me telling me about the flavors I’d be tasting, and they were flavors that I knew.”
Alexis Jugan, a third-year political science student and the club’s secretary, shares Greenbaum’s views that students need not be of legal drinking age to find their niche in the world of wine.
“There’s more to wine than people assume,” Jugan said. “Behind wine, there’s a really rich culture and history; you don’t necessarily have to drink it to appreciate that.”
[Related: UCLA’s juggling club strikes a balance between technical skill, whirlwind fun]
The students believe in educating young people about wine before they reach legal drinking age. Baldacci, vice president of operations, also advocates the importance of having a foundational understanding of wine beforehand.
“My analogy for that is the reason we study American politics, but we can’t vote yet,” said Baldacci, a third-year political science and geography student. “Just as people should be educated voters, they should be informed drinkers so that once you do turn 21 and choose to drink, you know what you’re drinking and you do have an interest in it.”
For future club activities, the club is planning presentations from professional guests, such as winemakers like Greenbaum’s father, and field trips to vineyards in California where students can take part in the production process of wine.
“Being able to see a product go all the way through (the different stages of production) is amazing,” Greenbaum said. “You can participate in the fermentation process and in some places, even step on the grapes.”
Greenbaum hopes to instill a love for wine among UCLA students, regardless of their level of familiarity with wine culture. Despite her lengthy experience with wine, she does not yet consider herself an expert and wants to learn more about wine herself in the process of running the club.
“That’s what’s good about the Sommelier’s Club,” Greenbaum said. “We’re all beginners.”