Meet our WineShop Manager Julien

Julien Tremblay joined SingleThread in 2022 as our SingleThread Wine Shop Manager. We sat down with Julien recently to ask him why he loves what he does, but also to share more about our increasingly popular Wine Shop and the philosophy behind it. 

Julien grew up in a small town in Vermont with an idyllic childhood - thriving on the family 10-acre property and exploring nature. His path toward wine started after college when he got a break from family friends - the owners of Boyden Valley Winery - who hired him as Tasting Room Manager for their new venture in Stowe, Vermont. He spent a couple of years there before moving across the country to Los Angeles, taking a chance on adventure. 

After driving around, resume in hand, cold calling dozens of Restaurants and Wine Shops, he got lucky when the owner of V Wine Room returned his call and hired him.The V Wine Room focused on under-represented California wineries  and Julien became fascinated with CA varietals and styles. He made friends with regulars and often stayed late geeking out on CA wines.

“I got to pour super unique CA wines from a list of 100 bottles to people who became friends. The love of connecting people with wines started there. I learned early on to not say no to any opportunity because you don’t know what it’s going to lead you to. There are people who want to teach you, and you never say no to that. It’s full circle being here at SingleThread, learning from our Wine Director Chris McFall. I always seek out mentors.”

Julien and his fiance Natalie eventually moved to Sonoma County, where Julien took various opportunities with the goal of learning as much about the wine industry as he could. He spent time at the North Coast Wine company as a vineyard scout and later as a Tasting Room Manager at Coursey Graves where his appreciation for the wine community grew.

“When I discovered a gem with a guest, I discovered this ‘3-bottle-buyer’ principle - one you inevitably drink yourself when you come home, one you stash away to see the wine’s potential, and one you share with people in your life. Wine should be inclusive - not exclusive. You don’t need a special occasion to open a great bottle."

Julien arrives at SingleThread

Julien fell in love with the community in Sonoma County and how close knit and neighborly it is. It reminded him of his home in Vermont - where everyone looks out for one another. Whether struggling with wild fires, pandemics or more; everyone comes together. When he joined SingleThread, he felt this ethos more than ever. Julien merged his sense of community with his passion for wines and friendship, and tries to reflect this in every customer interaction.

“I get to do the packing, shipping and customer communication. The wine shop is pretty much me getting to build relationships with our customers ensuring they get to uncork something magical - like I used to in those tasting rooms. I bond with them, learn about them and make sure that every interaction is as personalized and intentional as possible. I like to help our customers discover wines they may never have thought of. SingleThread Wines is  an extension of the Restaurant and the warmth that Chef Kyle and Katina aim to greet every guest with. My hope is to take SingleThread Wine Shop customers on a journey with me -  just like our team does every night here in our dining room.”

SingleThread Wines aims to help you discover and collect benchmark producers alongside new winemakers at the vanguard of their region. We believe that wine needs to be inclusive, not exclusive. By carefully curating a selection of bottles that are of incredible value we can shine a light on wines that may not even be on our customer's radar and help people travel around the world through their glass as we do, each night within SingleThread. 

If you have any questions about our wines, or are curious about learning more, please don't hesitate to contact Julien at j.tremblay@singlethreadfarms.com