About Sarah
Sarah Phillips McCartan is a wine presenter, educator, and writer based in Miami, Florida. She moved to to Miami from London in 2019, and still wakes up every morning (well, most mornings) feeling grateful for the sunshine. Thanks to her enthusiasm, she won Jancis Robinson’s wine writing competition for her article, Miami for Wine Lovers, in August 2019.
Before relocating to Florida, Sarah worked for Liv-ex, a global fine wine trading platform based in London. She spent seven years in various marketing roles, covering everything from fine wine market analysis, to PR and product development.
She is now Head of Membership for fine wine think tank ARENI Global, a regular host of trade and consumer wine tastings, and a writer. Her work has been published in leading wine publications, including Jancisrobinson.com, The Drinks Business, and Meininger’s Wine Business International. She is also co-founder of wineguidemiami.com
Sarah holds a Diploma in Wine & Spirits, the highest level offered by the WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust), and she is a current Master of Wine student. After passing the theory exams at the first attempt, she is now focused on tasting.
When not in Florida, Sarah can be found exploring the world of wine. Recent travels have taken her to Mendoza, Napa, Bordeaux, South Africa, and Rioja – among others. She is happiest when sharing her enthusiasm with fellow wine lovers.
Private events
The best wines are those that spark conversation, inspire curiosity, and help to bring us together. I curate selections of exciting – and delicious – wines with this in mind.
I offer:
- Private/Corporate tasting events at your office, party venue, or home.
- Wine pairing dinners at your home or at a restaurant.
- Online events where we all taste together; a great way to connect with friends and colleagues who are far away.
- Guided tastings of wine from your personal cellar.
Staff training
Confidence sells. When I lead training for bar and restaurant staff, my goal is to give them wine confidence.
I use a combination of innovative teaching techniques to help teams to improve their tasting ability, increase their understanding of wine, and find language that they are comfortable with when communicating wine to customers.
Recent trainees have reported that they learned more about wine in my training sessions than any others that they have attended – while also having fun.
Brand representation
It’s important to get your wine in front of the right people, with the right message.
I can:
- Present your wine, and tell your story, to groups of consumers or trade.
- Leverage my knowledge of the market South Florida, and its key buyers, to introduce your wine to key members of the wine trade, primarily sommeliers and retail buyers.
- Co-ordinate dinners and masterclasses for trade or consumers.
Sarah was a true pleasure to work: detailed and professional. She was just amazing to see in action. Our guests were enchanted with her personality and her vast knowledge of wine. Pairings and wine selections were spot on. I would hire her over and over again!
Gretchen Drury, 180 Promotions
Get in touch
It would be a pleasure to talk to you about your wine plans! You can reach me at sarah@winebysarah.net, or find me on Instagram @whatsarahdrinks.