A Sommelier Tastes Beer & Chocolate: Lauren Gay of Tender Mercy (Ep. 40)

“There is so much emotion and memory and feeling wrapped up in the tasting process.”

In this episode we’ll talk with Lauren Gay, a certified Sommelier and the wine director and general manager at Sueño and Tender Mercy in Dayton, Ohio. Lauren is passionate about hospitality and just really great wine, and you can hear her enthusiasm as she discusses her journey as a Somm, what she loves about the tasting experience, and how she extends that experience to her guests. Along the way, I have Lauren taste two excellent beers and three bean to bar chocolates to get a unique perspective on the flavors of each from a seasoned wine expert. 

Beer discussed in this episode include Odious Cellars Rubied Perspective and Is/Was Tree Tipper.

Chocolates discussed in this episode include Definite Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70%, Firetree Philippines Mindanao Island 73%, and Belvie Good Morning, Vietnam. 

The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Free” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website.

Guests:

Lauren Gay is a Dayton native with sommelier certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has worked in hospitality for two decades in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, and had a brief stint in Travel/F&B content creation. She is currently the GM and Wine Director for Sueño and Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton.