My food and wine communications grad students at the Slow Food University in Piedmont will surely remember sommelier and activist Tahiirah Habibi (above, in a photo she shared with me yesterday; disclosure, she is a good friend of our family).

During my last four or so years of teaching there, we would watch her Instagram reel where she laid bare some of the too-often-left-unspoken transgressions of the wine industry. It was one of the examples of “activism in wine communications” we discussed in class.

It was always one of our most compelling sessions, with many students (and the instructor) welling up with tears. A lively dialog was guaranteed to follow. Sometimes, just voicing an unright can lead to changes of mind.

Tahiirah has developed a new online seminar she calls “Secure Wine.”

With her video sessions, she seeks to alleviate the “intimidation” that can come with “so many choices, so much jargon.”

It’s meant to be fun, informative, convivial, ecumenical, and approachable.

But it also addresses an underlying issue that too many in the wine trade continue to ignore. It’s what Eric Asimov has called “wine anxiety”: wine in our country sadly remains a dividing line between those “in the know” and those “on the outside.”

One of the things that has always struck me about that great misunderstanding otherwise known as the Atlantic Ocean is that wine in Europe has always retained its demotic nature while here in the U.S. it stands apart from other food and beverage in its cultish and often exclusionary status.

I love the way that Tahiirah has inverted the conversation: she’s giving her students the tools to feel the confidence we all should feel — we all deserve — when it comes to talking about and socializing over wine.

When I saw that she had launched this wonderful program, I couldn’t help but think that it would make for a great holiday gift. I highly recommend it to you.

Here’s the link to sign up.