Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Berit Johnson and Sarina Varibović
Berit Johnson and Sarina Garibović will cheerfully remove you from that chardonnay rut you might be in.
What’s an out-of-work sommelier to do? How about get together with pals and throw a class online called “How to Taste Wine Like an Out of Work Sommelier”?
Perhaps the best thing to come out of the restaurant chaos of the last year is the creative reimagining of traditional roles. Wine and spirit professionals, for instance, like Sarina Garibović and Berit Johnson, still have all their knowledge even though they have fewer and fewer dining rooms in which to deliver it. Rather than being sidelined by this setback, the pair decided it was time to approach the situation from a different perspective.
Along with the business-minded Sarah Darnall, they founded Ženska Glava. The name is based on a Bosnian phrase that translates to “woman’s head” and denotes a crazy kind of thinking that implies faulty logic. Rejecting the insult buried in this phrase she heard growing up, Garibović has reclaimed it as the name of this group of inspired professional women who seek to educate. For them, a different kind of thinking, maybe one that strays from the conventional logic, seems not so crazy these days. Instead, the words ženska glava speak to curiosity, community, and the embrace of life’s complexities.
For this group, it really comes down to helping you rethink the drink. What you feel you’re supposed to know about wine, or how you’re supposed to drink it, can be intimidating and limiting and can stop people from really learning about and enjoying all kinds of wine and spirits. The ladies of Ženska Glava aim to bring the conversation to a more relaxed place with a more casual approach online. With seminars like “How to and How Not to Pair Wine” and “Champagne and Friends,” they break down the knowledge in an approachable and fun way. “What’s needed is real engagement with wine. We have to take out the pretense and move past the academic so that people don’t just keep drinking the same things because they think they’re supposed to,” Garibović told me. Johnson, who is a veteran bartender in town, does the same for spirits and cocktails.
While they’ve partnered up with local wine shop Henry and Son to stock the topical bottles for the classes, Garibović stresses that you’re not required to buy anything. “It’s not a wine tasting where we sell you a wine; it’s about the theory of wine,” she says. Most classes run around $25, and often, a portion of the proceeds is donated to a local charity, keeping the cost accessible for most budgets while also helping build the community. For now, all classes are offered online, but when the future allows for more in-person learning, the women’s heads have ideas for gatherings and, perhaps, someday, a wine bar.
We asked the ladies to pick three bottles that they would choose for their summer bar.
Ezio Poggio “Caespes” Timorasso
Bottle of Ezio Poggio wine
Ezio Poggio is just one of the winemakers passionate about bringing Timorasso, an indigenous Italian variety, back from near extinction. This wine is where the adventurous meet the conservative. Truly a wine for everyone.
Julien Pineau “Les Sucettes à l’Aunis” Pineau d’Aunis
Bottle of Julien Pineau wine
Native to Loire, grown in Clos Roche Blanche by an excited young winemaker taking steps toward permaculture—what’s not to love? This light and red-fruited wine is delicious and absolutely perfect for summer days spent outside.
Clairin Sajous “Distillery Chelo”
Bottle of Clairin Sajous Wine
Clairin is a Haitian rum made from indigenous sugarcane and fermented spontaneously without filtration, which produces a true product of place. We love its versatility and ability to add complexity to any cocktail calling for rum.
