Jesse Smith

Years of Participation

Jesse was born and raised here in Charleston, SC. After earning her BS in Psychology in 2011, she became interested in wine and began working at a tiny boutique wine shop, Crushed Fine Wine, where she was under the tutelage of long-time Charleston sommelier Desmond Garrity. Over the course of many tastings, she met another wine mentor, Patrick Emerson, with whom she later co-directed the wine and beverage program for the 10th annual Charleston Wine & Food Festival in 2015. After her season with CHSWFF, Jesse went into wine distribution with Curated Selections Wine Group where she specialized in small, family-estate fine wines from around the world with a commitment to sustainability and the highest quality. During her time with Curated Selections, Jesse developed a fondness for Biodynamic and Natural wines, and loves to introduce others to clean examples of the style. In July of 2017 she joined Hall Management Group as the sommelier and beverage director of High Cotton restaurant. She is preparing to take the Advanced Sommelier Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers later this year. When she’s not proselytizing wine, Jesse enjoys traveling, live concert photography, and practicing Martial Arts.