Christine Havens
Christine is a wine writer and former winemaker who has become a Vivino power user with over 30,000 followers largely thanks to her wine ratings. An early adopter, Christine has been sharing her reviews with fellow users since the app hit the US market in late fall 2011. She also frequently contributes articles and wine pairing recommendations to the news section of the app.
A fine artist and bronze sculptor by trade, Christine’s wine journey began with a chance meeting in early 2002, when Stan Clarke, the founding Associate Director of the Enology and Viticulture Program at Walla Walla Community College invited her to attend one of his lectures. She turned up with no expectations and very little knowledge of wine—the semester had already been in session for nearly a week. After the class, Mr. Clarke asked her what she thought of the lecture. “I’m pretty sure we can find a way to get you some vocational retraining money if you decide to enroll,” he said.
And so she did.
After completing the Viticulture and Enology program in 2004, she relocated to the small but picturesque town of Pullman, Washington, where she founded a small winery with her (now) ex and his family. Between 2004 and 2011, she honed her winemaking style, experimenting with Rhȏne and Bordeaux varieties, she specialized in blends that were well received in the local market. She maintained contracts with some of the same vineyards she interned in, and sourced fruit from some of the most distinctive AVAs in the state, including Walla Walla Valley, Snipes Mountain and Yakima Valley. Of note, she was the first winemaker to have created a private label for Washington State University.
Later she moved into retail for two years, with a particular focus on the grand cru classé estates of Bordeaux. Her love of Old World wines has since fueled her writing career. In 2014 she left her day job to write about wines full time, her background in winegrowing and winemaking have endowed her with technical knowledge and a deep appreciation for the process. In addition to her reviews, she currently writes for The SOMM Journal and is also a Network Advisory Ambassador for WineVine.tv.
Questions about the app? Feel free to contact Christine directly via email: [email protected], or follow her on Vivino: vivino.com/users/christine.havens, Facebook: facebook.com/christine.havens, Twitter: twitter.com/MsCMHavens, Instagram: instagram.com/christinehavens or LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christinehavens. And if you you’d like to read Christine’s reviews and articles, visit her website: christine-havens.com