Wine Made Fun, Affordable and Fine

As much as any place in town the Elmwood Road neighborhood has come to appreciate a glass of wine.

Thanks to one of their own, Maia Gosselin of 17 Elmwood, many of them, and others in town, feel confident and relaxed picking and paying for the bottles that fill their wine glasses.

Maia, 41, started a small business called Sip Wine Education in December; though she has been giving wine tastings since last June.

They are portable, casual and theme-based wine classes for small groups in host homes.

She totes sparkling wines, Sauvignons, roses and fume blancs among others to Swampscott, Marblehead and Salem homes, and has three tastings scheduled in the next three weeks.

The gatherings usually draw 15-20 people.

They sample wines and talk, reflecting on and learning about varieties and qualities — the smell, the color and the taste of wines — in an informal, homey setting.

They also learn they can land many terrific bottles for less than $10.

Kelly Bilodeau of Swampscott, who went to one of Maia’s tastings, said shopping for wine can be a little daunting. 

“When you go into the store there are a million different choices and it seems like there are a ton of different rules about how to choose the right one,” Kelly said.

Maia explains the basics about the wines, pours samples and gives the guests a printed list with details about all the different wines they sampled, she said. 

“I actually kept the list and take it with me when I'm looking to pick out wine to bring to a party or as a hostess gift,” Kelly said. “It's great because it includes some fantastic, inexpensive wines that I never would have thought to try otherwise.”

Maia, who is married with two girls, 4 and 7, is well suited for her part-time Sip business.

For one, she’s outgoing.

Her education in wine started at 19 as a college student waiting tables in an English pub at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

In those days, for many people ordering wine meant having a single serving bottle of pink Zinfadel, and Maia felt important serving them, she said.

Over the years, she graduated from waiting tables to tending bar in Boston. 

Her wine education grew as her work experience grew.

Meanwhile she got her undergraduate degree and then her master’s in children’s literature from Simmons.

Later she landed a job as a writer for a beer, wine and spirits trade publication, and, eventually became its managing editor.

She still has the job. Reading her writers’ stories and going to wine events has deepened her knowledge about wine and the regions in which the grapes grow. 

From this knowledge she has collected stories she tells at Sip events.

These stories often hang on local customs or the taste or quality that the soil in a particular region imparts to a wine.

Fellow Elmwood Road resident Greg Comfort likes to hear these anecdotes.

He hosted a neighborhood wine tasting in July and will soon host a Sip event for coworkers.

When Maia tells a story about a wine being aged in an oak barrel he can taste that story in his mouth, he said.

Greg said Maia is a friend and neighbor, but, when it comes to wine, she is an approachable person who makes the wines approachable.

“I trust Maia and her taste,” he said.

Annie Pulaski of Swampscott went to a Sip event in January.

It lasted from 7 to 11 pm and included eight wines. 

Annie said it was a good time and she learned about wine.

“Maia provided tasting notes with brief yet informative descriptions of each wine which highlighted suggested food pairings as well as retail prices in local wine and spirit stores,” she said. 

The seed for Sip sprouted at a fundraiser for a Swampscott preschool, though it didn’t take root until a few days later.

Maia was pouring and talking wine at the fundraiser when her husband, Emil, said she ought to think about doing wine education.

She wasn't listening.

A couple days later a friend who heard Emil’s remark brought it up.

The friend said to Maia that they should follow through on her husband’s idea.

“And I’m like — what idea?” Maia said.

Then the more she thought about it, the more she thought it was a good idea.

The tastings are social and informative and teach people they don't have to spend $20 to $40 to get a good bottle of wine.

The guests at the tasting pay $20. For the host there is no charge.

Maia has held some larger scale tastings including one at the Swampscott library.

On March 24, she’ll be presenting a wine tasting for 80 to 100 people at the Blythswood mansion in Swampscott at a fundraiser for the nonprofit Jumpstart.

The guests will breathe in bouquets, admire the colors, swirl their glasses and taste.

Maia's business goal is to see it develop and unfold.

Sort of like a wine.

To contact Maia or learn more about her business:  www.sipwineboston.com; maia@sipwineboston.com; 617.669.6934.