Notice and Take the Time
We have a lot of great information to share in this month’s newsletter. Please scroll through to the end so you don’t miss any news or updates, including:
A must-read letter from our Board, penned by Rachel DelRocco Terrazas
Community toolkit: the what, why, and how of active listening
Save the date for The Bâtonnage Sessions, our upcoming online event series
From the community: job opportunities, scholarships, grants, events, and more!
Let’s dig in! A word from Rachel DelRocco Terrazas …
In 2013, I dressed in denim uniform and a specially designed apron and went to work as a cocktail waitress on the open-air patio of a hotly anticipated new restaurant in Austin. I wiped down tables. I set out menus. I tasted the cocktails coming out of the bar window and ran the wine list in my head before the doors opened. I carried out plates of octopus and lumpia, and I ran credit cards.
I’d been hired as one of the opening bartenders—they wanted my cocktail background, my spirits knowledge, and, quite unapologetically, a little estrogen behind an all-male bar. But on the schedule, night after night, I was put on the patio shift. I loved waiting tables but what I noticed: none of my fellow bar staff members were assigned to wait tables on the patio. I expressed my concern about this strange scenario to my male manager. I remember clearly the response being something along the lines of ‘too bad.’
But to good fortune, June Rodil was also managing the restaurant—and running the wine list. She started inviting me to producer lunches. Daytime importer tastings I had no real reason to be at. She talked me through her philosophies for creating unique, fun, and successful wine lists and taught me the inventory systems. Never once did it feel like she was inconvenienced; it felt like she saw something in me, and just maybe, I belonged in the room. I don’t think I understood yet that I was being prepared for something.
That wine program became mine. It went on to win awards and recognition, opening doors I hadn’t known even existed. All of it traces back to one woman who decided to notice and take the time.
Many years later, I was one year into sobriety. I had somewhat gotten over the terrifying nature of sobriety but I was still terrified of the industry. I’d built an entire identity, an entire career, inside rooms where everyone drank. I thought coming out publicly might cost me both.
It didn’t. The same conference June had first sent me to, years earlier, as a volunteer, asked me to be a speaker to talk about mental health in wine, along with four women with four different versions of the same hard story. I cried in the bathroom both before and after. But I got through it because those women were holding me up.
Different timeline. Same throughline. Someone invested in me once, and it kept happening. Because it’s not a one-off, it’s a pattern that, once started, doesn’t stop no matter where you are in your career or life seasons.
My trajectory depended entirely on June investing her time and energy, none of which was guaranteed. It was luck that looked a lot like mentorship.
Bâtonnage exists to make sure these opportunities are structural instead of accidental. To make sure the next woman on the next patio doesn’t have to only get lucky.
Rachel DelRocco Terrazas
Media consultant, writer, editor, and Bâtonnage Board Director
Community Toolkit
The most radical thing a person can do is have a one-on-one conversation. Why? It requires us to slow down, be present, listen, and be open to someone else seeing us. When so much around us is noisy, rushed, and too important to stop, pausing to listen to someone is the most generous act.
Active Listening
What is it? It is more than hearing words. Active listening means setting aside expectations, or the need to know how to respond, to instead find out what someone has to say. Active listening is trying to understand what a person is trying to say, rather than merely hearing it. Active listening is choosing to be present and connect.
Why do it? Active listening helps avoid miscommunication. Because it avoids jumping to conclusions, it supports better decision making. Because it expresses respect, it builds trust, which provides safety. Active listening is foundational to collaboration, friendship, mentorship and community building.
How to do it? Think of active listening as three parts listening and one part response.
1/ Be present. Pay attention. Set the phone down. Set aside other activities or distractions. Lean forward a little. Focus on what’s being said.
2/ Give the benefit of the doubt. Listen to find out. Delay an opinion or judgment until later. First, let’s listen to everything the person said and check to see if we understood. We find out what we think about it later, after the conversation.
3/ Seek context and clarify. Ensure you understand. Summarize what they said, and ask if that’s right. If it’s not, ask if they can explain more. Ask for clarity on any vague information or anything you don’t understand. Make sure you’ve heard what they mean to tell you (rather than assuming you know what they’ve said).
4/ Validate and follow up. (Don’t fix anything.) Acknowledge their feelings. Whether or not you agree with their perspective is a separate point. Their feelings matter regardless: “That sounds frustrating.” or “I can see how you’d feel excited for that.” Follow up with curiosity questions in case they need to share more: “What do you think your options are?” or “How do you feel about it now?” or “Do you want to tell me more, or brainstorm ideas to respond?”
Save the Dates
INTRODUCING … THE BÂTONNAGE SESSIONS.
Mark your calendars. This summer, Bâtonnage is hosting a three-part virtual series, The Bâtonnage Sessions, bringing our community together for conversation, connection, and mentorship.
Monday, July 27 | Session 1: Building Your Network in Wine
Monday, August 3 | Session 2: In Conversation with Pascaline Lepeltier
Monday, August 10 | Session 3: Bâtonnage Mastermind
Tickets available starting July. Stay tuned for more details.
From Our Community…
WINE SPECIALIST JOB OPPORTUNITY | HEALDSBURG, CA
Little Saint in Healdsburg is hiring a full-time, guest-facing Wine Specialist for its deep cellar of classic and new-wave producers. A great fit for someone hospitality-driven who loves connecting with guests over wine.
EARLY MOUNTAIN WINE WRITER FELLOWSHIP | VIRGINIA WINE COUNTRY
Early Mountain Vineyards has introduced a new Fellowship inviting one writer to immerse themselves in Virginia wine country during harvest, with a five-day residency, travel and lodging, and a $5,000 unrestricted stipend.
The application deadline is July 5, 2026.
THE DEBBIE LEWIS SCHOLARSHIP FOR WOMEN IN WINE
Applications are now open for the Debbie Lewis Scholarship, presented by United Sommeliers Foundation. Open to women based in the USA pursuing upper-level wine education or certification.
The application deadline is July 25, 2026.
LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER, SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER WINE STUDIES GRANT
LDEI-SF is now accepting applications for its first-ever Wine Studies Grant, offering two $2,500 grants to Bay Area women advancing their education and careers across any facet of the wine and hospitality industry.
The application deadline is July 31, 2026.
NOVEL PAIRINGS: PLOT TWISTS & PINOT | SONOMA, CA
A summer afternoon of bookish trivia, literary games, and a community book swap at Sangiacomo Family Wines in Sonoma, hosted by our co-conspirator and Novel Pairings founder Erin Kirschenmann. Capped at 75 guests and the last event sold out—most people come solo, the format handles the rest.
The event is Sunday, July 12, 11am–3pm. Tickets are $35.
FARMSTEAD LIVE FIRE X SOUTHERN SMOKE FOUNDATION | ST. HELENA, CA
California’s hottest chefs and top-tier wineries return to Napa for the third annual Farmstead Live Fire x Southern Smoke Foundation event, with a live band, cocktail activations, and a silent auction in support of the people who keep our industry alive.
The event takes place Friday, July 24, 6:30–9:30pm at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch.