Afro-Latina Sommelier, founder of Vino Concierge, Lydia Richards speaks Wine from a cultural perspective.

Profiles of Color

Lydia is a Certified Sommelier from the Sommelier Society of America and holds the WSET Level 3 Advanced Certification; currently a WSET Level 4 Diploma student. Originally from Panama, Lydia’s passion for wine began while living in Paris and having the opportunity to travel to multiple French wine regions. After moving to New York, she worked in Marketing and PR for multiple industries before pursuing her dream of becoming a wine evangelist. Lydia worked as a Marketing Manager for the Wine Cellarage, a fine wine online retailer, and founded her private wine education, tastings and events company, Vino Concierge, in 2017. She was a Senior Account Executive at Colangelo & Partners, an integrated communications agency focusing on wine, food and spirits, working with their Spanish and South American accounts; and as of January 2021, she is a PR Manager for Taub Family Companies: Palm Bay International & Taub Family Selections.
In September 2020, Lydia launched an exciting passion project alongside wine colleagues Maria Calvert and Ivonne Nill called Hispanics in Wine, a social space dedicated to showcasing Hispanic/Latinx roots in the beverage and hospitality industries. Whether it's a producer, sommelier, retail store, restaurant, or vineyard steward, we are committed to empowering, amplifying and supporting the great work and business ventures our community is doing within the industry!
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