Jesse Schwartz is a young American winemaker with vineyards in Portugal and the United States. Many such winemakers grow up in families that have been making wine for generations, but Jesse’s path was different.

A few years ago, Jesse was working at a corporate job when he fell in love with Burgundy wine. He wanted to know everything about it and decided to work a harvest there. He learned some basic French, travelled to Burgundy, and started knocking on doors.

He had no luck for a while—who wants an inexperienced American who barely speaks the language? But he persevered and finally came across a small winemaker in Rully who not only took him on for a 3-month internship, but also housed and fed him.

The experience was life changing. Jesse’s corporate job didn’t feed his soul, but this was different! He decided to completely change direction and now makes his own wine. It is inspiring to see someone follow their heart.

You can read more about Jesse at France Today, but the article is behind their paywall (it’s a great magazine, you might consider subscribing!) Or you can learn more about Jesse and his winemaking at his website or on Instagram.