In Person of Interest we talk to the people catching our eye right now about their projects past and present. Next up, we chat with Amari Collins, a wine caterer, educator, and wine world content creator.
Amari Collins is tired of wine speak, exhausted by pretense, and dedicated to comfort. She films her typical Vin Dealer post on a tar roof outside her bedroom window, dancing, often without pants. She describes qvevri, a traditional earthenware vessel used in Georgian wines, as “a big ass clay pot.” The wine she’s sipping, a Saperavi, “is Juicy Couture…with slightly naughty vibes.” Drinking with Collins is like hanging out with your bestie, not a wine guru.
As Vin Dealer on TikTok and Instagram and founder of wine-fueled dance parties dubbed Swirl School, she reaches 22K followers, wine lovers without traditional knowledge who feel seen and included thanks to her “you got this, gurl” vibe. You won’t hear Collins describe wines as reminiscent of brioche or leather. Instead, a Chardonnay is “a beachy blonde like Gwyneth Paltrow,” while Riesling evokes plastic bouncy house vibes. To her, a natural wine smells like armpit, while pét-nat “is giving Seth Rogen in The Studio,” descriptions that resonate with legions of followers who are most likely opening bottles of wine to pair with tuna melts while bingeing Heated Rivalry.
We spoke to Collins about the reason she dances without pants, why wine is best described using memories, and the way it feels to be seen as a Black person in an industry typically dominated by white people.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tell me a bit about your background. Where did you grow up?
I’m from Silicon Valley; my family all worked in tech. Growing up there in the late ’90s, I had a creative hippy dad. In the speech he gave at my wedding, he said we grew up together. It was true. Everything he did I wanted to do and wine was a part of that journey.
Your dad got you into wine?
Yes, he was getting his [certification from] the Wine & Spirit Education Trust when I was in my early teens and we studied together. He would be tasting and be like, try this! We loved dissecting wines and food together. That’s where it started. He was curious about wine, he wanted to be around it, but I am living his dream.
How did you find yourself working in wine?
I was originally a dancer and thought I was going to go to school for that, but I pivoted to film and ended up in LA working in casting. I just loved it and went to school for communications and film in NYC and worked at The View for a year. I sort of just fell into the natural wine scene. There were only a few natural wine shops then. I would walk into stores and pick bottles and they would say “You have good taste, and do you want a job?’ People would beg for me to work for them and that wasn't happening in any other industry, so after the pandemic, I got into wine sales. The wines I couldn't sell, I'd flip to my friends. Then I started working at Radicle, this funky wine shop in Clinton Hill.
Where did the idea to create a business as a wine caterer come from? It’s so smart—people cater food but never wine.
I was noticing that supper clubs were becoming a thing after COVID when everyone wanted to reintegrate into society. People didn't want to go to bars or restaurants, but were hosting at home. I loved [the idea of] people gathering in someone’s home or art gallery. I curated wine for a party at a boutique sneaker store, and another at a knitting circle in Bushwick. I started Vin Dealer to pour wine my way, which is non-pretentious, with the emphasis that it's just wine, it’s not that big of a deal.
Your tasting notes are evocative and descriptive, you say that helps with bringing down the classism around wine. How so?
My goal is to make drinking wine like drinking beer. It should be quick and easy and affordable, and get people around good conversation and good community. When we would talk about wine when I was a teenager, it used to be like, “remember when mom farted, it was like that!” Or it smelled like the fresh rosemary we were growing in the garden. I don’t want to exhaust myself because wine is what brings me love and community and joy.
I love that you dance on your roof talking about wine. How did that get started?
Truthfully, what am I already doing where the camera can be a fly on the wall? And the roof is right there. I’m in sweats, no makeup—my first post got over a million views. It turned out to be the most authentic, and that’s what people want to see. The older I get, something from my beauty routine gets eliminated. First it was nothing with zippers, then I stopped painting on my eyebrows. Some can say I am lazy, others will say I am more authentically me. Either way, it's what I like.
What do you drink every day and what’s your special occasion wine?
They are the same. It’s sparkling wine, all day, every day, whether it’s a Champagne, a pét-nat or a slightly effervescent rosé, that’s gone fast. I think it’s a nostalgic thing that came from me loving soda as a kid. My parents would never buy it, but my grandparents had a fridge in the garage devoted to soda. This is just the adult version.
Has the culture around wine changed over the years?
I think it has, in a generational sense. The Gen Z kids don't drink wine. Millennials are going to wine bars instead of clubbing, to see their favorite DJsspinning. Wine is not as niche anymore which has been great because it opens doors for me and other people who look like me to pour it. I never thought I’d see another Black person in wine.
Do you see it becoming a more inclusive space?
Knowing these other brown people in wine is the biggest surprise of my life. I am just grateful that people are digging me for me. I have always struggled with self-esteem and confidence. Someone asked me, “What’s the thing you have accomplished in 2025?" And my answer is seeing myself and showing it to the world, and having it be received.
These highly curated bottles are asking to be poured at your next dinner party.
