July 17, 2020
This interview shines the spotlight on an ex-pat in Lyon. Caroline Conner is a thriving wine expert who overcame a troubled past and was literally saved by her passion for blind wine tasting, at which she excelled, That, in turn, led to her alcoholism. Find out how she beat that demon and how she now loves her life.
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Expat and Wine Expert In Lyon France: Caroline Conner
I knew l was going to have a good time with Caroline, even before the actual interview. Instinctively looking at her picture signaled to me that she had a story to tell, and l could tell she was enjoying her life. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
Being a wine lover, I loved learning tidbits about wine. Caroline grew up in California but alternated between there and London, so she had a very privileged upbringing. She went to college at London’s Oxford college after moving permanently there at 16. She also went to culinary school at London’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu and got her Wine and Spirits Education Test (WSET) diploma in 2012.
After graduation, she did a variety of unsatisfying jobs, eventually, moving back to California. Being a re-pat did not work out for various reasons, and once again she found herself back in Europe and eventually started her own wine tasting business.
Being in Lyon, one of France’s most famous wine regions allows her the luxury of discovering local wines. The fact that the region is also a top gastronomy destination means pairing wine with delectable cheeses and entrees.
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Some of the highlights of the expat and wine expert in Lyon podcast include:
- Growing up in Menlo Park and troublesome childhood.
- Moving to live in London with her dad after her parents broke up.
- Discovering blind wine tasting at Oxford, and loving it.
- Her various jobs after graduation.
- Moving back to California and realizing the U.S. was no longer for her.
- Her Ayahuasca experience and how it helped with her dependence on alcohol.
- Returning to Europe and falling instantly in love with Lyon.
- Virtual wine tasting and believing that wine knowledge should be accessible to all.
- Her wine tasting business for small groups that are intentionally intimate, and new wine course.
- Finding love in Lyon.
- Taking advantage of the knowledge of your local wine store to find great wines.
- Her YouTube channel where she shares knowledge of wine in layman’s terms.
Listen to the podcast here:
Our conversation was fun and light-hearted. She enjoys her life in France (what’s not to love?) and sees herself doing this for a very long time. I find myself heading to her channel now when l want information on wine (how long to keep it, what is tannin? etc. ).
You can find Caroline Conner on these platforms:
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Valencia Spain Update:
Our gym is finally officially open to everyone. You are required to wear masks in the locker rooms. The aerobic classes are now 45 minutes instead of an hour. I’m not sure why that is. No mask required (l don’t think) but I’m not sure what difference 15 minutes make as far as contagion. Nonetheless, we plan on going back in August because a lot of people will go to their family house and the city will be quiet, so for sure fewer people at the gym. I am being ultra-cautious.
The restaurants are definitely getting fuller as days go by, the ones that reopened anyway. A lot of shuttered doors, both in the neighborhood and in the center sadly. The tourists from other parts of Europe are flowing in, and most are not bothering with masks, unfortunately. I don’t think it’s going to work out well for us. As it is, several other regions have joined Andalusia in requiring masks for all, now even at the beach (I can only imagine the tan lines 🙂 ).
The drunk louts are causing major problems in places like Marbella and Palma de Mallorca, not observing social distancing. The bars have been shut down again, and they threaten to shut everything down everywhere if it keeps happening. Most Spanish people definitely do not want tourists right now according to the latest poll.
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The government has this Back to Spain campaign which signifies to tourists that it’s okay to come back and carry on as before, fighting in the streets, drinking excessively, passing out, etc. It seems the powers that be want it both ways (tourist euros without the troubles) as if only responsible adults will come for holiday. I will be hiding out a bit longer l think. I am not in the best health to be taking chances :-). Too hot to be traipsing around anyway.
I have given up on trying to make sense of what is happening in the U.S. The numbers keep going up, and yet a lot of people are still fighting the experts. The sucky part is them putting others at risk. It would make me feel so powerless and angry. You do your best, and then some twit can screw up your life just like that. I’m glad l am not there right now, and l feel for my family and friends. If more companies go the way of Walmart and refuse to serve the non-mask wearing people, the behavior will change for sure l think.
My latest video on YouTube: ( I would appreciate your subscribing to the channel 🙂 )
How goes it for you? Are you enjoying the summer? Any travel plans in the near future?
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Good podcast I enjoyed hearing Caroline’s story. I’m not a wine drinker. I can thank one of those nasty sangrias in Torremolinos for that. I’m also not a France person. I can thank my 8th grade French teacher for that!
Even though I lost interest in wine after that sangria, a few years later I toured the Napa and Sonoma valleys and visited lots of beautiful wineries. Back in the days when cellar tours and wine tasting was free. Thank goodness for that. Most of that wine I tested I couldn’t finish. One sip. Yuck. Put down the glass. No sale here.
Right now I’m reading a mystery by Gemma Halliday called A Sip Before Dying – book 1 in the Wine & Dine mysteries. I got it while they had it on for free. Takes place in Sonoma, lead character runs her family winery. Well written but I probably won’t buy any more in the series.
Nice photo of that pink building. Is that a reflecting pond, or had it been raining? I checked Travelocity for flights to Madrid from Vancouver. No non-stop flights. All with one plane change. None of them changing planes in the states. Interesting.
I enjoyed my podcast with her, and she made me laugh and l certainly found her story interesting. I love France so maybe that makes a difference, and l definitely like wine. I used to love going to Napa with my friend on a yearly basis during the Thanksgiving holiday when she would come down from Bermuda. Fun times wine tasting and getting massages.
Your book sounds interesting. I am trying to jump-start reading again and currently reading a paperback by John Sandford. Slow going though. If l remember correctly that day, it had indeed rained just a tiny bit as we were worried we would get caught in the rain. It was in front of the museum with discovered ruins, not a big one, but quite interesting.
Great podcast, loved the energy! I would say that wine tasting sounds like a dream job for sure. I know nothing about wine, unfortunately.
From what I see, all countries are having problems now with increasing numbers. The touristy ones definitely do – Bulgaria and Greece seem to be trying to do their best, but numbers go up. Here in Romania, it’s an explosion as well. Record numbers every couple of days. I think that the tourists you see without masks are Romanians, haha.
It is good that life there is slowly but steadily getting back to the new normal. I think it’s pretty obvious right now that this won’t go away, so we have to learn to take the required precautions and keep doing what we like. I don’t think there’s any other way of winning this.
I think l would definitely overdo it if l were in that business, especially when it comes to the sweet wines. I wouldn’t be able to stop, all in the name of being excellent at my job. No spitting out the good stuff either :-).
Yes, this new normal is here to stay for a very long time. Maybe not in the U.S…. and haha… and Romania since they can’t seem to get it together, but we are all at some point going to adjust, like it or not. As of today, we are joining most of the country, and masks are required at all times. €100 fine and they don’t play here. You will get fined.
I am also glad to see the restaurants coming back to life. They need a boost. The big winners, in the end, will be oil companies because road trips are back with a vengeance. The thought of getting on a plane has not been on my mind at all. I think train travel sounds good to me if we can’t do day trips.
Caroline has landed on her feet in Lyon. Great food and wine, what could be better? I love drinking wine, but I have to be super careful since I can get very bad migraines. I stopped drinking for years, but now I have a little bit occasionally. We are planning a tour of Italy in September, so I guess Italian wine will definitely be on the cards.
She certainly did land on her feet, and what a great place to land. It’s always wonderful when you feel like you found a home. That sucks about the migraines. I love wine, especially sweet ones but we drink maybe once a week at home and indulge when we go out. Hmmm… you will definitely have some great ones in September. Can’t wait to hear about it :-).
What a fun interview Kemi and Caroline seemed like a person that would be super interesting and fun to meet. I didn’t drink for years because my husband had a problem with alcohol but I’ve loved discovering the Portuguese and Spanish wines in the last several months. There are so many great wines and, of course, they’re super cheap here in Europe. I’d love to do a wine and dine with Caroline and will remember her course. It would be fun to learn more about wines with a non-snobby person. LOL!
It was indeed a fun interview. She is so funny, and l cut out some good bits so it wouldn’t run too long. Here’s another place we can visit and wine, dine with Caroline. I totally thought about it. We can sample wines and learn a bit with her in such a beautiful setting. The prices are definitely great. Snob teachers, we don’t need! :-).