M - Meghan Vergara - Be Bold
“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” – Oprah Winfrey
Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Meghan Vergara about her wine journey from sommelier to winemaker and everything in between. A self-made, hardworking woman, Meghan dictated her destiny the only way she knew how - by taking chances and surrounding herself with a strong community.
Meghan has always been self-sufficient. She supported herself through college, where she majored in marketing. She worked in various restaurants, where she learned the ins and outs of food and wine pairing. She advanced quickly in levels of responsibility and her reputation grew. Her passion was fueled by customer reactions to the wines, the meal itself, and the takeaway experience. Her big “AH-HA” moment came late one night when the restaurant’s very talented French chef sat her down and explained the intricacies of food and wine pairing in detail.
I asked her if she remembered the bottle he chose. It was an Elyse Winery Rutherford AVA Cabernet Sauvignon. For Meghan, it was crystal clear in that moment how impactful wine could be. The wine created a lasting sensory impression on her and evoked pure joy and celebrations of taste. Thirsty to learn more, she jumped feet-first into the opportunity to work at a high-end steakhouse in NYC. In tandem with her sommelier education at the Sommelier Society of America, she grew into her new job and quickly moved herself up to head wine buyer.
But, as our palate changes, so do our goals and dreams, and Meghan found herself thinking about what would come next. Her dream was always to live where the wine was made in the United States, which led her to Napa Valley. She took a job as Sommelier at the famed Brix restaurant, where she was able to interact and build relationships with iconic wine producers. She discovered their wines, studied their methods, and soon became a colleague, welcomed into their wine world. Her community continued to grow, apace with her ambitions.
Meghan’s career took a pause when she both started a family and worked to overcome a health issue, but when her son turned seven, she felt ready to jump back into the wine scene. She went back to her foundation of food and wine pairing, hosting events ranging from small groups to larger corporate functions. Her business gradually evolved into a consulting firm, Veritas Consults, offering personalized food and wine events and wine education. At a time when the digital space was exploding and evolving, Meghan produced digital offerings and teachables online for the wine industry. This allowed for more direct interaction with customers giving way for alliances and relationships to flourish within her wine community. Her career transitioned from sommelier to wine consultant.
But what would come next?
Why not a vintner? Why don’t I make wine, she thought to herself? She reached out to a few trusted friends and wine industry professionals to see if her dream was truly possible. Martin Reyes MW, her colleague and dear friend through their years as wine buyers, and Kirk Venge, winemaker and part of a multi-generational wine family (Robert Parker’s first perfect 100 point score), both emphatically said yes. Kirk then introduced Meghan to Vincent Traverso, a highly reputable winemaker who had just completed his thesis on how to make rosé better in the USA. For Meghan, who wanted to make a rosé as her first wine, everything fell right into place. It was unanimous. It was the right time and the right idea.
Why rosé? Firstly, for Meghan, the challenge with USA-made rosé was that it needed improvement. The style lacked character, length, and complexity. “Provence Rosé has it down to a science,” she said. “They have a recipe that works. They use the best grapes, the best methods to create a signature style imitated by other wine regions globally. The challenge is to create a wine that ticks all of those boxes.”
Secondly, she regularly tasted big, bold wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon during her daily routine. At the end of the day she craved a brighter, complex character wine with a body to match. As a huge lover of high-acid bright wines, she wanted to create a wine that she could enjoy at the end of her day.
Lastly, from a sustainability perspective, with climate change in mind, she felt that a rosé was a more thoughtful approach because the grapes are harvested much earlier than others, which is good for the vines and for production in the day and age of extreme late summer heat and fire seasons.
This was her greatest challenge and it was one she met on her own, both conceptually and financially. In 2020, she released her first vintage of M.
I have to be honest, what first drew me to her wine was the label. It was so inviting! It was strong and feminine, all rolled into one. I asked Meghan what her inspirations were for the label. She is a great admirer of Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, for both her use of color and the strength expressed in her art. She envisioned a label with a definitive letter that communicated both strength and growth, a vinous character, representative of the wine. The “M” represents both her name and her birth month of May, as well as the Magic of wine and the Moments that wine creates. She also drew inspiration from a local artist, Kristy Amador, and her drawing of a woman with flowers blooming out of her, finally commissioning Kristy to create a label to match her artistic vision and the character of her wine.
Her next wine, to be released this fall, is an M Sparkling, a traditional method Blanc de Blanc from Andersen Valley, where both Mumm and Roederer source their grapes. She’s also collaborating with renowned winemaker, Dan Person, of Carboniste (formerly from Schramsberg).
At the end of our interview, I asked Meghan if she had any advice for women in the wine industry, either the next generation or those who are transitioning into the industry from other careers. She said women in wine need more visibility, especially those in the higher echelon positions. There’s still a big gap for women in leading roles, and more disparity. She said a friend said to her, “Finally, there are as many female CEOs as there are CEOs named John.”
Meghan told me, in no uncertain terms: “It’s time to be bold. Picture yourself in a higher position. Make the jump and you’ll fly. The key is to find allies and build a community that supports your journey.”
Meghan’s final words hit home. They inspire me, emboldening me to reach further, take a leap in my own wine career and surround myself with people who will challenge me and lift me higher than I ever imagined.
Take it. Own it. And most importantly, BE BOLD. This is my new mantra.
