Foretold: How Curiosity and Kismet Led to Owning a Vineyard in Argentina’s Uco Valley
The story behind Foretold Wines: a WSET Diploma, an Argentine vineyard, and the power of following your intuition
Ten years ago, I started studying wine for a simple reason: I was curious about what was in my glass. The color, the smell, the way a single sip could taste like a far-flung destination.
So, I began studying with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). WSET Level 1 was approachable, teaching me basic pairing principles and key regions. It was fun, so I kept going. Level 2 expanded my knowledge, culminating in mildly nerve-wracking exams that left me with a sense of pride. So, I kept going. In Level 3, things got serious. The material was dense. I sought out a mentor to coach me through tastings and theory. I sat my tasting and written exams, unsure if I’d pass. When I did, I was certain that was enough.
Several years later (perhaps when the amnesia of Level 3 had set in), I enrolled in the WSET Level 4 Diploma, the highest, most rigorous credential offered. The journey that followed consumed the better part of three years of my life.
Every week and weekend, my free time was spent studying: attending lectures, reading dry encyclopedic wine books, drilling flashcards, studying maps, practicing blind tasting, writing wine analyses and tasting notes in timed, exam conditions. My exams were held exclusively in Napa, necessitating flights every few months. “Oooh, Napa! That sounds amazing!” my friends would say. Yeah, no. Think: less vineyards and sunshine, more Hampton Inn conference room in a strip mall. Not exactly a glamorous origin story.
Along the way, I was stressed. I complained. People noticed. “You seem miserable,” friends would ask. “Why are you doing this? What’s your end game?”
My answer was the same every time: I don’t know. I’m just curious. I want to learn. I don’t have an end game, but I’ll never have one if I don’t keep going.
I didn’t have a better answer. And for a long time, it bothered me. Because here’s the honest truth: part of my motivation was the gold star. The achievement of a certification. The A-plus feeling you get when you pass an exam with flying colors. It’s always been engrained in how I operate. I won’t pretend otherwise.
But underneath that was something else. A pull I couldn’t fully explain.
The Art Appraiser, the Argentine Artifacts, and the Art of Inquiry
My ex sister-in-law has been one of my closest friends since middle school. I went on to marry her brother, have a child with him, and get a divorce. Our friendship suffered some hits along the way. But it never broke. Time passed, wounds healed, and as the years went by our friendship blossomed again.
My sister is an art dealer and appraiser. One day, while appraising art in someone’s home, she noticed something unusual: a vast array of Argentine gaucho artifacts. Her curiosity got the best of her. She had to ask.
The owner explained: he acquired his collection over many trips to his vineyard in Argentina’s Uco Valley. He told her about the wines, the people, and the memories forged with family and friends.
“Sounds like a dream,” she responded.
“Is it your dream?” he asked. “Because we’re selling.”
She texted me to share the story. I got chills. The kind that signal you’re on to something.
“We’ve gotta do this.” I said.
And so it began.
A Foretold Destination: The Uco Valley
My sister, her partner, my husband and I flew to Argentina to inspect the land and make a decision. It was a chilly June day, fall in Argentina. We stood on rocky, unplanted earth, gazing out at the snow-capped Andes erupting from the horizon. We looked at each other and said almost simultaneously, “Yep. This is happening.”
So many forces converged to bring us to that moment. A middle-school friendship that outlasted a divorce. A birthday that my sister’s partner and I share. A happenstance appraisal of Argentine artifacts. Years of grueling wine study with no clear destination in sight. It all felt like kismet. It all felt… Foretold.
And so our brand was born: Foretold. Our wine brand represents the vision of four dreamers, brought together by destiny and a touch of magic
The Next Step in a Foretold Journey
Our vines are still young, fledgling Malbec and Chardonnay just beginning to take shoot upwards through the earth. But, that’s not stopping us from bringing our vision to life now. This May, Foretold will release its first wines, sourcing grapes from neighboring growers to produce a rosé, a white blend, and a Cabernet Franc.
We’re still figuring it all out, slogging through the hurdles of import, distribution, and retail. But we’re getting there. And if this journey has taught us anything, it’s that intuition and vision have a way of landing you exactly where you’re meant to be.
The Lessons of Hindsight
If you had told me after my first WSET certification, or in the slog of Diploma studies, that someday I would own a vineyard in Argentina, I would have laughed in your face. If you had told me in the midst of my divorce that my sister-in-law and I would rekindle our friendship and start a business together with our partners, I would have raised an eyebrow. Yet here we are.
In the depths of a challenge, it’s impossible to see beyond what’s right in front of you – whether that’s a wine flashcard, a divorce decree, or a pair of Argentine gaucho chaps. But, sometimes, all you need is that voice within, compelling you to push forward, to ask the next question, to inquire more deeply. It’s not always about seeing the destination. Sometimes, you don’t have a plan. Sometimes, all you have is the chills.
That’s what Foretold is. Not just a wine brand. It’s proof of what becomes possible when you follow your intuition without demanding it justify itself first. Honor the voice that propels you, even when you can’t explain why, even when you seem a little lost to everyone watching.
Sometimes the end game reveals itself only after you’ve arrived.
Foretold wines will drop this May. Once we figure out how the heck we can sell them to you, I’ll let you know. Until then, enjoy the journey.
Such a beautiful story!
Loved this, Katie!