1. I have a double major in Philosophy and Communications (Rhetoric) from Grand Valley State.
2. Vine and Brew for 5 years on and off. Worked at General Motors for 6 years then moved to Oregon to work in the the wine trade. Wine Sales for Walden Wine Selection in Portland. Picked grapes for friends and bottled many cuvées. Retail/Wine service at Pairings, a wine shop that arranges its wine by what the wine pairs with; movies, food or even astrology. Finally, warehouse manager, delivery, general help at Delicious wines/Bow and Arrow for two years. 

3/4  As for my customer service objectives? I’ve actually written a little theory about customer service a few years ago on my substack. After reading it over and I still think it’s true. I’ll link it here: 

https://matthewkuhr.substack.com/p/awkward-haiku-guide-to-customer-service

5. Favorite drink at home? It’s either Riesling, using a Coravin (to have a glass at a time) or a Gin and Tonic. I like Lavender Gin and Elderflower Tonic with a lemon. 

6. As of late, I’ve been gravitating to the tinned fish. They’re little morsels from the sea and actually affordable. 

7. I haven’t traveled abroad too much, I’m the caretaker of the ancestral homestead in the Upper Peninsula and that takes up most of my spare time in the summer. There used to be a great Riesling collectors dinner at the Wythe Hotel in New York City called Rieslingfeier. People would bring old and unique bottles of Riesling to share with other lovers of that noble grape. In between courses you’d take your wine to neighboring tables and trade wine as it were. I was talking to the wine maker Johannes Selbach and asked him if he wanted to try the half bottle of 1983 Sanctus Jacobus, Eiswein (a bottle of old desert wine). He nodded and I proceeded to miss the glass and spill the wine down the front of his shirt. I, naturally, was mortified but he charitably let out a laugh and said, “It smells good at least!.”

8. As for hobbies, I have many though my accumulation of them has slowed recently. Writing is first and foremost among them. I like woodworking and printmaking, mainly linocuts.  In the past I’ve used these hobbies to make t-shirts for Sommelier’s in NYC and for wineries in Germany and the US. I also printed four editions of “The Awkward Haiku Drink Zine.” The plan was to turn it into a book, but that never really materialized. Oh haha and I also have a podcast/Game Show called “The Real Wine Show w/ Chaad and Matt.”

9. I reside in the far-east side of Lansing.