Meet Shaunna Cooper: Co-Founder of Wine Spencer, a Wine Education and Consulting business

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shaunna Cooper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaunna, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My sister Shayla and I both had a love for wine. I started drinking wine shortly after college. I didn’t take a specific liking to wine until working at an Italian and really learning more about different grape varietals and wine pairings. My sister Shayla wanted to start a wine blog a few years ago. At the time I just had a baby so I wasn’t in the proper mindset. Last year, I was ready to start something new. We revisited the wine blog idea but added in the wine education element. We both received our certification and thus Wine Spencer was created.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Wine Spencer was started from two sisters with a pure love for wine. We knew we wanted to educate other about wine but wasn’t exactly sure how that would look. We knew a lot about wine, but we wanted to expand our knowledge. That’s why we enrolled in the WSET courses. I learned so much more about wine and was able to get questions I always wanted to know answered. What excites me about sharing my wine knowledge is being able to introduce new wines or producers people are not familiar with. Our class selection features a black winemakers class. This has been our most popular and one that we are very proud of. We enjoy being able to share brands that are not usually represented in the wine industry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely take them to Postinos. Their bruschetta board is one of my favorites and I haven’t found anything that compares. They also have a pretty good wine selection. It’s one of my favorite restaurants. For breakfast/brunch I would take them to Snooze. I love their breakfast. Sedona would have to be must see because it is sooo beautiful. It was actually the first city I visited after moving here that was outside of the Phoenix area. Antelope Canyon is on my places to visit list so I would definitely want to check that out. Bisbee and Tombstone are great towns that are neat and different to check out. To hangout we can go to Old Town Scottsdale because there is so many neat restaurants, shops, and bars. Wine Tasting in Verde Valley especially when the weather is hot in Phoenix area. Arizona has so much to see and do that you can definitely easily spend a week here checking out different parts of the state.,

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize Jessica Haygood, the author of Dreams and Motherhood. She wrote a book and start a blog to remind moms they can live out their dreams while still being a mom. . Reading her blog articles and books gave me the motivation I needed to really figure out i wanted to do more with my life. I also want to shout out my former co-worker, Lorynn Cancio. She helped me realize my passion and love for wine was something worth sharing with others.

Website: WineSpencer.com
Instagram: Winespencer_
Facebook: WineSpencer

Image Credits
Brittany Arroyos Photography