Janelle Freeman, raised in Northern Virginia, has made a career in education as a special education teacher and currently, instructional specialist. After college graduation, she returned home and began attending local wine festivals and visiting wineries throughout the state, falling in love with Virginia wine. In 2013, Janelle frequented a small, woman-owned wine bar in Arlington, Virginia which led to her obtaining a part-time job as a retail staff member to pass the summer days. This would open Janelle’s eyes to the world of wine. She quickly fell in love with exploring different wines, regions, and grape varietals.

Janelle began pursuing formal wine education during the pandemic and is now an American Wine Expert and WSET Level 2 certified. One of her favorite aspects of wine is that the learning never stops and there’s always something new to try. She now curates and hosts private educational wine tastings at the wine bar where she first started out in the industry. Janelle believes in making wine education fun and approachable for all.