by Anita Skogland

Heather Walker is a wine educator and wine buyer at Arthur’s inside of Belk. Photo courtesy

Heather Walker, wine educator and buyer at Arthur’s Wine Shop at Belk, first discovered her passion for wine as a college student. She was attending UNCC, majoring in French and International Business, and had the good fortune to spend a semester in Limoges, France. While under the tutelage of French hosts and educators, she tasted a variety of wines and became fascinated with the abundant regional styles. 

 “At the end of my semester, I decided to travel to the Loire and Rhone regions to learn more about grape growing, wine making, and regional grapes,” Walker says. “It was a fascinating learning experience, and I was hooked on wine.”

After returning to North Carolina, and still under 21 years old, she was limited with tasting opportunities. However, her interest in wine did not abate. She started a career with Showmars’ corporate office, expanding into the food safety and marketing areas. She then moved to Steritech Corp. for 13 years, a job that took her to various corners of the U.S. and beyond. Her nugget of wine interest was fed by opportunities to taste various products at wineries, restaurants, and corporate events as she traveled. 

“Whenever I was on a business trip, I tried to learn about the wines of the region,” she says. “I was starting to consider a career transition into working in some capacity with wine.”

She started earning wine certifications in 2014, through online classes with WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) programs. 

“I had the good fortune to meet some of the best wine educators in Charlotte through interactions with Johnson & Wales WSET on-campus events, including Sara Guterbock, Sarah Malik, and Catherine Rabb,” Walker says. “They encouraged me to take the plunge into wine education, marketing, and sales.”

With their support, she continued her wine education. In early 2020, just as Covid-19 shut down life as we knew it, Walker had her first child, a son named Fitz.  

“I stopped working for a year and a half, and did a major reset on what I wanted to pursue in my career,” she says. “I wanted something flexible so I could be successful at my career while being a good mom.”  Walker decided to test the wine waters and became a wine educator and wine buyer at Arthur’s Wine Shop, in the bottom level of Belk at SouthPark mall. Owner Robert Balsley has been working in food and wine for more than 50 years, and is one of the most respected wine retailers in the city. His confidence in Walker’s wine expertise allowed him to put her in charge of Arthur’s education program and to assist with buying decisions.

Most of the classes at Arthur’s are held on Wednesday evenings. Walker coordinates the classes with importers, producers, distributors, and Arthur’s’ customer base. The classes are small — usually 14 seats — and are  curated around the region, grape or style being presented. For those who want to learn more about wine, Walker says,  “take a class, start a wine tasting group with friends, explore local wineries, and be open to new styles and types of wine.”

A couple of her favorite wine tasting venues are Bentleys, Fin & Fino, and Vin Master. See what she’s drinking by following her on Instagram, and meet her at the store on Monday, Thursday, and Friday.