The story behind Her Second Pour

Not an expert.
Endlessly curious.

This is not about retiring from life. It is about becoming more curious about it.

Alissa holding a glass of wine among vineyard rows — Alissa, following one curiosity into the next.

For the endlessly curious

A second chapter

What do I want the next chapter of my life to hold?

At 57 and semi-retired, I finally have a little more room to ask that question—and to follow where it leads. For me, the answer begins with curiosity: learning more, traveling more thoughtfully, listening more closely, and understanding the stories behind the wine, food, art, music, history, and places that move me.

I’m not an expert in any of it—at most, I’m an apprentice. I’m certainly not in a position to go everywhere or try everything, however much I’d like to. But I do want to experience as much as I can. Her Second Pour is where I share that exploration in the hope that it encourages someone else to imagine a next chapter of their own.

A little more personal

Meet Alissa.

Former producer. Lifelong storyteller. Enthusiastic apprentice.

I’m Alissa—a lifelong New Orleanian, mother of two twenty-somethings, and wife to a handsome motion-picture catering company owner who is also my favorite partner in travel, laughter, love, and the occasional questionable idea.

Before this second chapter, I spent much of my career as a film and television producer and unit production manager. I was also a co-founder of an Academy Award–winning animation company. It was a life built around stories, creative people, complicated logistics, and transforming a collection of ideas into something others could experience. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that I’m still drawn to stories—only now I’m following them through wine, travel, food, art, history, books, music, and culture.

Our home is shared with one dog, two cats, a bearded dragon, and a blue-tongued skink. I’ve also developed a new passion for growing fragrant flowers, despite having limited space and what could generously be called a developing green thumb. My husband says our front garden looks a little like my brain: pretty scattered, filled with ideas, and not especially concerned with cohesion or organization. He isn’t wrong.

These days, my favorite wines tend toward dusty, tannic Napa Cabernet and Loire Valley Chenin Blanc—but I reserve the right to discover a new favorite at any moment.

These days, I’m more curious than ever. I’m not an authority on wine, travel, art, food, books, music, gardening, or any of the other subjects that capture my attention. At most, I’m an enthusiastic apprentice. But I believe a meaningful life is built by continuing to notice, learn, ask questions, and share the discoveries that bring us joy.

Her Second Pour is where I follow those questions—and pass the best discoveries along to you.

Why do I share so many different things?

One day it’s an audiobook about the history of wine. The next it’s an airline miles strategy.

Perhaps that’s because I’m more curious now than ever—and because I’ve come to see just how many different ways there are to understand the world.

Then a tiny village in France. A grape you’ve never heard of.

A book that made me cry. A piece of music I can’t stop replaying.

At first glance, it probably feels a little random.

To me, it’s all the same conversation.

I’ve always believed that wine, food, travel, history, books, music, art, and culture are all different ways of understanding the world.

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel where they dream of going. I get that.

So perhaps we can begin the journey another way.

Through a story.
Through a remarkable meal.
Through a beautiful bottle of wine.
Through an amazing work of art.
Through curiosity.

I believe every bottle tells the story of the people who made it, the land that nurtured it, and the history that shaped it.

The more we understand those stories, the more we understand one another.

My grandparents taught me that education never ends and that curiosity is one of life’s greatest gifts. They taught me that the world is far bigger—and far more connected—than we often realize.

Her Second Pour is my way of passing that gift along.

If this page inspires you to read one more book, ask one more question, discover one more place, or see another culture with fresh eyes, then it’s doing exactly what I hoped it would do.

Curiosity is the invitation.
Conversation is the journey.
Understanding is the destination.

Welcome.

— Her Second Pour

The editorial promise

Shared as I would share it with a friend.

I only highlight something I have genuinely enjoyed, would use myself, and would feel good recommending to a friend. If it did not bring me joy or add something meaningful, it does not belong here.

A gift, invitation, referral credit, or hosted experience never guarantees coverage. Whenever a recommendation includes a commercial relationship or a benefit to me, I will say so clearly.

A little formal study

Learning the language of wine.

I wanted to feel more confident finding what I was looking for in a wine shop or restaurant, so I enrolled in WSET Level 2 at The Independent Caveau in New Orleans—and was immediately hooked. After completing Level 3 with Merit in both Theory and Tasting, I realized I had learned a good deal, but also how much there still is to know.

I don’t want that education to stop. Lifelong learning—in wine and in everything else—is a commitment I want to make to myself.

A little more personal

Words
I Carry

The poems, passages and ideas I return to.

If— by Rudyard Kipling

Someone shared this poem with me when I was in high school, and I’ve carried it with me ever since. Its call for steadiness, humility, resilience, patience, perspective and grace still asks something of me.

“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;”

Read why these words matter to me

Your second pour

There is no single way
to begin again.

A second chapter can follow retirement, a career change, children leaving home, loss, recovery, relocation—or simply the realization that you want more from the years ahead.

Follow a thread