Hello Slik Skool students! This platform has been through many-a-iteration. When I first opened up Slik Skool, I committed myself to be more integrated by hosting virtual events and participating in every conversation as part of the monthly value. I got a bit of news that I’m letting you know first: I’ve accepted a Registered Nurse job here in Chicago. A new full time job, working on the book, and social media posts are enough for me in my life right now, so my participation will not be part of the monthly package anymore. Since students are still active on this page, I’ve decided to simply make the Chatroom free. I’ll make the Classroom free for everyone in here currently and I will likely add a small one time fee to the On Wine Online course from here on out. After reviewing the course again, it’s a great tool for beginners that I still stand by. These pricing changes will take effect July 15th. The goal is that this page will grow organically into a space where people from Slik’s social pages can trickle in and talk about wine in an approachable and welcoming way. I’ll hop on and respond to questions from time to time and assess what the Slik Skool could use. Thank you for everyone who has been here for the whole ride :) Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thank you, Marie

I love hanging out with y'all for happy hour and getting to know you all a bit more. Thanks to everyone who joined today (even if it was only for a minute, @Tammy Matlock ;) ) I'm doing a "wine personality quiz" on the website a la Seventeen Magazine, so I made this visual to go with it. You guys get first dibs to laugh with me. And, why not, you guys can take it early if you want. Here's the preview link: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/preview/67bfcc068ad67300152642a1 (it'll ask for your email before your results but you can just give a fake one lol) <3 Marie

Howdy! We're chugging along nicely with the book and y'all get to see it first. The COVER PAGE! I'd love your feedback with the cover art as well as the titles! We mocked up 3 different titles and I'd love to know: which title are you most likely to purchase? I'd love to hear all your thoughts: good and bad. You won't hurt my feelings 😂 I also have posted some new events for March in the calendar so check em out!

Sup Slik Skool? Lots to go over this week: 1. I talked with importer Randall Bush about what it's like being a new importer in the US, the challenges he faces, and the joy that comes with it. I feel like it's quite pertinent to the questions that people have in Slik Skool. Check it out below :) 2. This is a pretty interesting bottle of wine I wanted to go over with you. 4 big things make this bottle special. Almost all of these points have come with the newest generation taking over the Familie Moussé estate. - Starting with the wrapper on top, it's made from recycled materials from grape musts. Grape musts are the leftover skins, seeds, and stems from the winemaking processes. There are companies that recycle musts by using them mainly for compost, but I had personally never seen paper being made from it. - The Special Club bottle without the special club label. You can find more of the history of the special club here but essentially it was an award given to Champagne producers for making "the best vintages from the most unique terroir". The best of the best for grower Champagne. I had never seen the Special Club signature bottle with the insignia without a unique label. This happened because they were awarded the Special Club in 2022, so they were sent the bottles for the wines that year. Champagne takes time to ferment in the bottle, so when two years passed by for aging the wines and the new generation took over, they decided that they did not care about the Special Club (I find that lots of the newer generation think of this club as a bit outdated). Although it technically cannot be sold as Special Club, they have to keep the bottles and sell the wine with their estate labels. - The bottle itself is 30% lighter than traditional Champagne bottles. This is the newest technology for the bottle to be as light as possible while still being able to hold the pressure of a bottle of bubbles. - Finally, in the last photo, you'll see 'NFC' in the corner. This is a tracking system used specifically for collectors. It is essentially a tracker that keeps track of the location of the wine as well as preventing fraud. You can read more about practical use cases and how NFCs work here.

But I went to California wine country and got these silly pictures outside of The French Laundry in Yountville. Had a crispy rosé at Bouchon. 💜😎