Today I speak with Anani Lawson, sommelier with Lucy restaurant in the Bardessono Hotel in Yountville. Anani has traveled an interesting path. Originally from Togo, Africa, he came to the U.S. to work in a completely different field (I’ll let him tell the story), and has ultimately served as sommelier in several world-class restaurants including the famed French Laundry and its sister restaurant Per Se in New York. Anani talks about his approach to serving guests, and the art of enjoying wine. One of his comments rang true with me and gets to the heart of this podcast: “Having a relationship through a glass of wine— there’s nothing like it. That’s what makes wine so special.”