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

Hi Nia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
While learning more and more about wine and completely falling in love with the process and the people, I started sharing about my wine travels and experiences on social media and my blog. During this time I also saw the magic behind small production wine, from the care taken in the vineyard and winery, to the stories behind the bottles. As I shared more about my wine experiences, the flow of requests for my wine recommendations steadily increased, but I realized that the small-batch wines I wanted to recommend weren’t easy to find or accessible as they aren’t available in your local wine shop or grocery store. I wanted a way to connect consumers to small production wines, so founded my Wine Club! I work directly with small producers to bring three of their wines to my members each month, and give members the opportunity to meet the people behind the bottles at our monthly virtual live tastings alongside each producer. It’s been really incredible to see my dream come to life!

What should our readers know about your business?
My Wine Club delivers three bottles of delicious small-batch wines from a single winery each month (that you can’t find at your local wine shop!) to members’ doorsteps. We go beyond great wine and host a live tasting with each producer so members can learn the stories behind each bottle directly from the producers themselves! The Club helps members expand their palate, refine their preferences, and gather the skills to select great wines, all while becoming part of a wine-loving community.

I am incredibly proud of the strong community I’ve built, and the big improvements I’ve seen in my members’ wine confidence and knowledge. Seeing my members’ eyes light up when they learn something new or try (and love!) a new wine is such an incredible feeling! I am also proud of supporting small wineries by spreading the word about them and getting their wines into new wine lovers’ hands across the country. Small wineries are the heart and soul of the industry, and I love doing my part to help them thrive. And finally, I am proud of the charitable component of the Club. Supporting vulnerable populations is incredibly important to me and always will be, and I am completely dedicated to structuring my business so that I am able to contribute to important causes each month – there’s nothing that brings me more happiness! To date, we’ve donated to causes from cancer research, to environmental protection, to animal rescue, and I’m looking forward to continuing to expand that list!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much to do in Palm Springs, but I always start the weekend by taking visitors to happy hour at High Bar so we can sip a delicious glass of wine while we watch the sunset over the mountains. I also love Italian food and wine, so dinner at Birba is a must! We’d kick off day two with a hike through Joshua Tree and a stop at the pool at the Sugar High roof deck to cool off with great vibes and a delicious cocktail. From there, we’d stop in for an afternoon glass of wine at Las Palmas, a natural wine bar and brewery! They have a little something for everyone, and a cute outdoor wine garden. There are so many hidden gems in Palm Springs, so it’s all about exploring and falling in love with new places!

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?
Though there are so many people that have been integral to the success of my business, I want to shoutout my husband, Ken, and my sister-in-law, Savannah. Ken has supported me at every turn, is the ultimate problem solver, and helps me find a way to bring even my craziest ideas to life. Savannah’s creativity and talent blows me away, and she’s the person that made me truly believe I could start a Wine Club! I would still be dreaming about my life today if it wasn’t for those two, and so many others, believing in me, giving me amazing advice, and cheering me on every step of the way!

Website: https://www.niaruth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niaruthwine/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nia-gordon-ruth-phd-44708189/

Facebook: https://ne-np.facebook.com/niaruthwine

Image Credits
@ChristiClarkPhoto https://christiclarkphotography.com/