Our story
“We love that wine offers a sensory window into another place and time.”
Hi everyone! We are Michael and Vanessa De Courcy, DipWSET — the couple behind Sips Ensemble. We dove head first into the world of wine while working as attorneys. Our family’s connection to French wine fostered our deep interest and reinforced our decision to pursue a formal wine education. So, we went back to school: our studies began at the Culinary Institute of the Americas (Greystone), where we took and passed the Introductory Course and Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS). This experience only increased our hunger (and thirst!) to learn more about wine.
We continued our wine studies at the American Wine School through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), where we both obtained a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines Certification with honors. We subsequently obtained our WSET Level 4 Diploma certification through Napa Valley Wine Academy, a multi-year course of study.
During our studies, we’ve made new, life-long friends; we were welcomed into the Twin Cities sommelier community and tasting groups; we found mentorship with local wine experts who continue to be a significant source of inspiration. The inclusion and warmth we experienced from the Twin Cities wine community spurred us to share our love of wine with others.
We created Sips Ensemble and started leading monthly wine classes at a local wine shop on subjects like Wine 101, Old World v. New World, Sparkling Wines of the World, and Wine Tour de France. Now we’re hitting the road, adding personal, customized wine classes, tastings, and consulting to our repertoire!
The more we learn about the vast and expansive world of wine (it’s endless!), the more we love it and want to share it with others. The joy we experience sharing wine with others inspired our name — Sips Ensemble — ‘ensemble’ meaning ‘together’ in French. Wine is definitely better, together!
If you’re interested in learning more about wine while sipping through one of our custom tasting classes, please reach out. We hope to hear from you soon — Cheers!