As a former professional golfer, Dixon Smith once hopscotched the globe’s fairways and greens with a bag of clubs in tow. Today, he visits homes and offices with wine bottles plucked from an inventory of more than 550 all-natural, additive-free wines produced by more than 200 vineyards from around the world. During his collaborative wine-tasting events, Dixon keeps sippers entertained and informed with intriguing factoids on topics such as the German grape harvest and the best ways to make a grape cry into your wineglass.

Although he has plenty of facts to dispense, he stresses that he’s “not there to bore” guests, and prefers to let each wine’s unique characteristics speak for themselves. Since people’s tastes are subjective, he introduces them to a broad swath of wines from France, Italy, Chile, and other famed growing regions, so tasters can develop their own opinions. Instead of answering the question of which region produces the best wine, he describes the noteworthy differences of each, and explains that wine appreciation is far more complicated than choosing red or white, bottled or boxed, and wineglass or helmet with straws.

When clients book Dixon for a holiday party or other social gatherings, they won’t be inviting the pinot pedant from the cinematic wine saga Sideways, which notoriously slumped merlot sales and boosted pinot noir’s production. Dixon’s tastes and views on varietals are much more inclusive. When asked about his thoughts on the blockbuster film, he replies, “There’s nothing wrong with merlot.”