Out of the Bunk

Abbey spent 12 summers at Yavneh, starting as a young Gurim camper in 2009 and eventually becoming a Rosh. Today, she lives in Chelsea and is a certified sommelier, working in the New York City restaurant world and studying toward additional certifications through the Court of Master Sommeliers.”

What brought you back to Yavneh every summer?

That’s where all my people are. There’s no better way to spend the summer than hanging out with my favorite people. While I love Zimriyah and free swim, camp for me is really about the people.

I still keep in touch with a lot of my camp friends. I just had Shabbat dinner with one last week, and there are a handful of us living in the city. It’s a really solid squad.

What’s one of your favorite Yavneh memories?

Oh my goodness, so many. Mosh-pitting on Friday nights is definitely up there. And getting to paint Shelet my Ma’alot summer was probably the highlight of my professional career.

But it’s also the little things like pranking each other in the bunk that I’ll never forget.

Favorite trip day / Achla Yom?

Water Country. The greatest. But not Geronimo, that’s too scary. I even went back as a counselor and was still too scared to go down it.

So how did you become a certified sommelier?

It was totally an accident. I’ve always loved food and restaurants. I ran a food blog in high school, and I wanted to do one last fun job before applying to medical school. I had just graduated college, was studying for the MCAT, and found a job posting for a “beverage apprentice” at The Modern, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Midtown.

I thought it was the funniest title ever. I didn’t know anything about wine, but I showed up to the interview and basically said, “I don’t know anything about wine, but I will learn and I will work really hard.”

I spent the whole summer learning from what was basically the top sommelier team in the city at the time. I would sit with them every day, watch them work, and see how passionate they were about what they were doing.

Afterward, I went back to working in the ER and realized I wanted to be surrounded by people who were genuinely excited about what they were doing every day. So I started studying wine while I was studying for the MCAT at the same time (sorry to my tutor), and eventually decided I wanted to do it full time.

What does a sommelier actually do all day?

My day is split into a couple of different parts. I’m still studying for the upper-level wine exams through the Court of Master Sommeliers, so I’ll spend time doing blind-tasting practice with a study group, going to distributor meetings, sitting in wine theory sessions, or just going through flashcards.

Then the second half of my day is at the restaurant. I do some behind-the-scenes administrative work for the wine program, and then it’s showtime. I’m on the floor walking guests through the wine list, talking about what different wines will taste like, and connecting people with a bottle that fits what they’re looking for.

And I get to open and taste some really awesome stuff along the way. Spitting, obviously.

What’s your favorite part about the job?

I think my favorite part is talking to guests who are my age about wine. I’ve come to understand a lot of people find wine intimidating or pretentious. I love demystifying it and breaking it down in a fun and unserious way. At the end of the day, it should just be a pleasurable experience. 

I’m trying to get more people into wine who are my age and just getting their first adult money and introducing them to what quality wine is. That’s my favorite.

What’s one thing you wish wine amateurs knew?

You can just ask questions! A lot of people are afraid to ask, so they’ll just get something by the glass or order the same thing they always do. I wish people knew they could ask a couple of questions and let the answers lead them into a much more interesting exploration.

What’s the most unexpected thing being a sommelier has taught you?

I didn’t realize going into this how niche being a 20-something-year-old girl in this industry would be. I assumed that when I got into this industry I’d find a lot of people who looked like me or were like me. Very much not the case. But it’s been exciting to break people’s expectations of who’s going to show up at their table.

For our alumni on a budget, what are some good affordable wines to try?

I think drinking domestic wine is the move right now. There are some really great value wines coming out of New York State, especially New York Riesling and Cabernet Franc.

I’d also look at lesser-known regions rather than the big names. If you like Sancerre, for example, try something from a neighboring village like Pouilly-Fumé. You can find a similar quality level at a much lower price point.

And I’ve been really into wines from the Canary Islands recently.

What’s one of the most memorable wine experiences you’ve had?

A couple of months ago, I went to a tasting with Jasmine Hirsch from Hirsch Vineyards on the West Sonoma Coast. She recently took over the project from her dad, David Hirsch, who had been a major winemaker for decades.

Getting to taste through her father’s work and then see her transition into her own interpretation of the vineyard was really interesting. Dor L’dor. 

And she’s also just a total badass.

What Yavneh nish-nush would you pair with wine?

Pre-Shabbat pizza with a Barolo. And probably five slices, because I would always go back to the end of the line to get more.

Finally, what do you want the Yavneh world to know about wine?

You can get into wine even if you don’t know anything about it. It doesn’t have to be intimidating. I started a TikTok account to help younger girls learn more about the wine world – check it out at @lilabbeydrinkswine.