Wine—and wine education—is often shrouded in mystery and pretension, though a growing group of educators, sommeliers, and wine sellers are working to make this world more accessible. Part of that, perhaps, is taking wine out of its classic restaurant context. This July, a new kind of wine workshop series takes over Woodstock’s beloved Mountain View Studio. With a warm, beamed interior and serene, forested surroundings, this studio has hosted dance, yoga, and creative workshops for decades, and its is now the backdrop for Sacred Pour—a six-part summer wine series designed to blend the pleasures of wine with art, culture, and mindfulness.
The Sacred Pour classes, which can be taken individually or as a series, kicked off on July 9 and 10, with the remaining classes on July 16, 17, 23, and 24, from 6 to 7:30pm. Each 90-minute session includes a sparkling wine welcome, a tasting of three hand-selected wines from around the world, and thoughtfully curated bites from local purveyors. Whether you’re looking for something different for date night, a social outing with friends, or a solo adventure for the palate, Sacred Pour’s workshops offer playful, intellectual, and sensorial experience.
Founders and life partners Jessica DeStefano and Nick Jurman, both certified WSET wine educators, created the series to go beyond traditional tasting formats. “We bring a combined 45 years of experience in education to Sacred Pour,” says DeStefano. “Creating this together felt like a natural evolution—an alchemy of our shared values, our love of teaching, and our mutual reverence for wine as something both ancient and alive.
Their workshops encourage a more personal, even poetic, approach to wine. Each session explores a different theme, from the evolving language of wine to how music affects taste, and from the mysteries of terroir to the role of critics in shaping our preferences. “We wanted to create a space where people could engage with wine not as a status symbol or something to be ‘mastered,’ but as a living invitation a way to reconnect—with themselves, with each other, and with the moment,” says DeStefano. “So our Sacred Pour isn’t about memorizing grapes or regions (though you might pick that up along the way); it’s about showing up with curiosity and playfulness and letting the wine lead.”
Participants will also explore concepts like meditative sipping, “ghosts in the glass” of aged wines, and how we might use all our senses to experience wine more fully. One session challenges drinkers to visually express their tasting notes instead of relying on conventional descriptors, while another considers wine’s historic role as a sacred offering and a vessel for memory.
In an age of distraction and sensory overload, Sacred Pour aims to foster a space to slow down and savor. The series is equal parts education and celebration, fusing wine with music, literature, and atmosphere. DeStefano and Jurman believe that the best way to learn about wine is to engage with it in ways that feel alive, personal, and connected to larger questions about art, meaning, and memory.
Each $75 workshop can be attended on its own or as part of the full series. While the first four sessions, including the upcoming “Wine and Words: New Ways of Talking about Taste” and “Talking about Terroir” have sold out, there are still limited spots available for the final two sessions. “Wine and Attention: Tasting with the Senses” will take place on Wednesday, July 23 and will explore the impact of music on taste as well as a “blind smell” test along with a visual tasting notes exercise. July 24’s “What Makes a Wine Worth Drinking: Are You Your Own Best Critic?” participants will learn experts’ methods for assessing wine as well as participating in blind tastings.
If you don’t make it to one of these classes, fret not. The July sessions mark the beginning of an ongoing program that will expand across the Hudson Valley in future months.
“After the Woodstock series, we plan to evaluate the response from our participants and use that going forward,” says DeStefano. “We’d love to bring our workshops back to New York City, where we are from, and are considering collaborations with wellness and creative spaces, as well as intimate food and wine-focused venues.” Through the ongoing events, Sacred Pour aims to build a community of curious wine lovers who want to deepen their appreciation through storytelling, sensory play, and shared experience.
“If you’ve been to a traditional wine tasting, you know how it goes—you taste a few wines while someone lectures you about their qualities, maybe you ask a few questions, and then you go home,” DeStefano says. “We just saw so much more possibility here—for reflection, connection with others, for greater mindfulness in a world that seems determine to fracture our attention at every turn. We were inspired by the ancient Greek symposia and the salons of early modern France, where wine was used as a catalyst for conversation, philosophical discussions, entertainment. Sacred Pour is our love letter to wine, and to the human impulse to gather, taste, and be transformed.”
Space is limited, and early registration is encouraged. Register online and stay up to day by following Sacred Pour on Instagram.
