Dr. Elizabeth Smith is an award-winning wine and travel writer and independent Fora Certified Travel Advisor. A former French and Spanish professor, Napa Valley and Sonoma wine club manager, copywriter for Naked Wines, and brand ambassador for Croatian Premium Wine Imports, she now combines her love of wine, travel, and storytelling to spotlight the people and places shaping Central and Eastern Europe’s dynamic wine scene.
Elizabeth's accolades include the 2017 Born Digital Wine Award for Best Tourism Content with a Focus on Wine for her story, “Lodi: Beyond the Zinfandel”, the 2022 Hungarian Wines Web Wine Writing Competition (Koch Winery category) for "2018 Wetzer Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary", and four consecutive finalist nods (2023-2026) in the Wine Travel Awards’ "The Brightest Journey" category. Her 2022 writing win brought her to Hungary for the first time—igniting a deep passion for the wines of Central Europe. Since then, she has traveled extensively throughout Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Serbia to uncover the region’s hidden wine stories.
Elizabeth is also a wine adjudicator for various competitions, including the Foothill Wine Fest (California), International Cabernet Franc Competition (California), Winelovers Wine Awards (Hungary), Open Balkan Wine Trophy (Serbia), Portugieser Du Monde (Hungary), and Vranac Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (Montenegro).
Elizabeth holds a doctorate in community college education, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in French, a graduate minor in Spanish, and WSET Level 3 Advanced certification. She is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, Les Dames d’Escoffier International (Sacramento and Sonoma), and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association.
