Instagram story viewer> @madscientess> Tagged

Wendy Shoemaker

@madscientess

2.7K

followers

3316

following

Champagne lover🍾 Pet lover. National Park lover. Epic traveler. Food & Wine. Outdoors wander.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

I finally got to cut this super expensive bracelet off.

On September 15th, I started having some rapidly progressing neurological problems in addition to the severe back pain I’d been dealing with for a few weeks. I took my first ever ambulance ride from the Emergency Department at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital to CPMC in San Francisco, and became a full-on medical mystery patient.

Ken, I’ll take “Not On My 2026 Bingo Card” for $2000:

* Rapidly losing the ability to use my right leg
* Rapidly losing control of my bowels and bladder
* Losing the ability to stand and walk by myself
* Being a patient at 3 hospitals in one week
* Spending 11 consecutive nights in the hospital
* Having 5 MRIs
* Seeing 7 doctors
* Having a lumbar puncture
* Having endless blood tests and pain medication
* Getting a diagnosis I’d never heard of
* Undergoing a procedure to separate and block 2 major nerves in my back and leg
* Having to relearn how to walk

@lil.pangburn is the true hero of my story. She kept me stable and sane, advocated tirelessly, and shared many take-out dinners with me to save me from the flavorless hospital food, and I couldn’t have gotten through this without her.

I’m forever in debt to the Groomswomen MDs @summer_of_kate and Nancy who fact checked all my doctors and helped me interpret so much. A huge shoutout goes to @madscientess for the very timely visits and the impromptu sushi lunch when I needed a flavor intervention, stat! And, of course, endless thanks and gratitude to the incredible nurses at CPMC who kept me in good spirits and helped us so much.

This is going to be a long road and a difficult recovery, and I’m grateful for the group of wonderful friends and family who’ve helped me along the way. I know it’s going to be tough, but I know I can recover.

If you feel that something isn’t right with your body, go see your doctor and ask questions, advocate for yourself, and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. It’s tedious and time consuming, but it’s better than ending up like this. Take care of yourself, it’s worth it.

119

16

This malbec OMG!!! Fermented and aged entirely in concrete with native yeasts, this wine expresses a raw, un-oaked, and mineral notes of the terroir. The tannins are perfect and harmonious, the after taste is a request for more of this wine....

#wine
#malbec
#sommlife
#winelovers🍷 #wineoclock

37

3

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
FAMILIA ZUCCARDI

8

0

Thank you to @winejames, @amiewinegirl, and the awesome team of staff and volunteers of the 21st Annual @texsom Conference for carrying the torch of a gathering that is equal parts education and reunion. It’s heartwarming to spend time with friends—new and old—especially right now.

Big shout out to colleagues who demonstrated interest in 🇬🇷 wines by attending and engaging in yesterday’s seminar, and especially to the awesome importers @stephenroussos, @dionysigrevenitis/@dnswines, @eklektikon, and @diamondwineimporters who furnished the wines that illustrated so many wonderful examples of the greatness born in Greece today.

Thank you also to fellow State of the Industry panelists @exquisitevines, @dzwine, @ssmmw, and @susanrlin for their valuable insights, and to Francis Percival for organizing, moderating, and (refereeing 😂) us.

And HOT DAMN that ‘91 @henschke Mount Edelstone blew my freaking mind.

Already looking forward to the next one!

118

9

Some throwbacks in honor of Washington wine month. In 2015 I was honored to be an attendee on the iconic annual @wa_state_wine road trip. For five days we traveled the Columbia Valley and explored wine country during harvest. Seeing the vineyards first hand….experiencing the landscape, and feeling the love of the winemakers and community really helped to me gain a deeper understanding, love, and appreciation for the region. Washington state is the third largest area in the country for wine production. Living by the mantra “old school dirt…new world fruit” this region embodies all of the geographical preferences afforded to them. The combination of both volcanic and glacier influences crafted unique soil situated to several varieties lending structure and minerality while over 300 days of sunlight ensure weight, ripeness and beautiful aromatic fruit. The trip was 1000% worth every minute…even if I was a tad tired at times (inside joke) and I am blessed to have had such a memorable experience …and receiving 3rd place wine scholar out of 50 somms didn’t hurt either🍷🍷♥️♥️. #washingtonwine #washingtonwinemonth #sommelier #blessed

13

2

The @madscientess 🧪, round two. She came back this week to fix the technique instead of just fighting it.

Next Saturday’s class has spots open. Come get your form (and ego) checked. 💪

#strengthtraining #strengthcoach #onlinecoach #fitover35 #fitover40

10

0

Wineapawlooza 2026 benefiting @jamesonhumane alongside this Rockstar Team. Thank you @castelluccinapavalley for hosting.

107

2

A night celebrating the @tjmartellfoundation and raising money for a great cause alongside this Superstar Somm Team.

110

6

@sfjoujou @theprogress_sf

33

2

@french.bloom @californiossf @barcrenn @legendsglobal #superbowl60

58

6

Thank You @diamond_creek_vineyards and Allie, @allie_regan for your beautiful wines and gracious hospitality! We kicked off 2026 for the #napatastinggroup in style! From a tasting of the 22 vintage of Red Rock Terraces, Gravelly Meadow and Volcanic Hill to an ATV journey across the estate, it was a journey of the senses. With three distinct vineyard sites exemplifying terroir, Diamond Creek is a very special place. We even took a tour of Lake Vineyard and crossed Diamond Creek.

69

0

@culturewithus 🫶🏽🤍

What a holiday season it has been! I’m truly grateful for our amazing team who rocked it all. Just two complaints, the unicorns worked late nights and weekends to ensure timely orders went out. Elegant Cookies handled hundreds of cookie and gingerbread orders with such grace, while E and 2 Chicks crushed the last-minute branded chocolate boxes like the champ she is. Ian even moonlighted as our wine packer, all while hosting whiskey and cookie decorating classes after so many requests, Rachel @wndmontclair sketching tote bags and refrigerator magnets. Culture Hosts took on all of the requests like pros and showed up with smiling faces while handling their full time jobs. Here we are, officially in the last two days of shipping gift boxes until the new year. Proud of our culture and this incredible team!

Thank you everyone. You all rock, and we could not have done this without YOU.

3

2