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Welcome to Not a Somm Wine Reviews (NASWR.com), where wine appreciation is shared, curious, and refreshingly unpretentious. We are not sommeliers, critics, or score-chasers. We are simply two people who love wine, conversation, and the stories that unfold around a table.

NASWR is run by James and Jennifer, a couple who believe wine is best experienced together. Our reviews are rooted in real moments—weekends away, unexpected tastings, long conversations, and bottles opened with intention rather than ceremony. James gravitates toward bold, structured reds with presence and depth, while Jennifer is drawn to wines marked by elegance, nuance, and balance. Together, those perspectives shape every review we publish.

This magazine is less about authority and more about experience. We care about how a wine feels in the moment, how it pairs with food, people, and place, and how it invites connection. We also care deeply about the story behind the bottle—the winemaker’s path, the vineyard’s character, the hills and soils that shape the vines, and the decisions that bring one grape together with another. 

We want to understand the goals of the winemaker and the tasting room team alike, and the passion that drives a wine from the vine to the glass.

Our aim is to explore new wineries, revisit familiar ones, and document what we discover with honesty and curiosity.

Wine is inherently social, and some of the most meaningful insights come from shared experiences and thoughtful conversation. We are always open to tasting alongside other “not somms” who share this approach. If that sounds like you, feel free to reach out at NASWreviews.com.

James “Just James” Stice is a registered nurse researcher whose work is grounded in the practical application of science to everyday life. His professional focus centers on health, longevity, and weight management, with particular expertise in intermittent fasting and nutrition. He has followed a predominantly clean eating lifestyle for more than seven years and approaches dietary strategy through evidence-based research rather than trend or ideology.

In addition to his clinical background, 

James is the author of six books exploring health, nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. His writing is known for translating complex scientific concepts into clear, approachable language that resonates with both professionals and the general public. He also leads a large online intermittent fasting community of more than 45,000 members, where he serves as an educator and mentor, emphasizing sustainable habits and long-term wellness.

James’s curiosity extends beyond health into the world of wine. His interest in wine has led him to vineyards across the United States, from New York to California, where he focuses on cultivation practices, blending decisions, and the science behind structure and balance. 

Now based in Paso Robles, California, he co-founded Not A Somm Wine Reviews, an online magazine that approaches wine from the perspective of the drinker rather than the technician. His reviews often employ a clear, structured rating framework and explore how wine intersects with culture, history, and shared experience.

Jennifer (Vetter) Stice is originally from Medina, Ohio. She currently creates most of her artwork along California’s Central Coast, working from Paso Robles to Pismo Beach, and signs her work under the artist alias JVS.

She finds inspiration in many places and has traveled to Canada, Mexico, France, Brazil, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, England, and Scotland. These locales have influenced her creative style and process. She creates art as a way to communicate, appreciate, and memorialize what cannot always be put into words. Art, for her, is an echo from the soul. 

She specializes in artistic photography, focusing on unique and compelling compositions that emphasize the juxtaposition of heart and soul. She also enjoys working with encaustic wax painting, acrylic painting, and mixed media art. She has been creating art for more than thirty years, and her work has been shown in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Italy, and California.

Her artistic style is eclectic. She works and creates from the heart with an artist’s eye, not from a single defined style, but from a culmination of aesthetics and formal technical design elements that capture feeling and move the viewer.

She approaches wine in much the same way, seeing each bottle as a masterpiece created from vine to bottle.

James “Just James” Stice is a registered nurse researcher whose work is grounded in the practical application of science to everyday life. His professional focus centers on health, longevity, and weight management, with particular expertise in intermittent fasting and nutrition. 

He has followed a predominantly clean eating lifestyle for more than seven years and approaches dietary strategy through evidence-based research rather than trend or ideology.

In addition to his clinical background, James is the author of six books exploring health, nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. His writing is known for translating complex scientific concepts into clear, approachable language that resonates with both professionals and the general public. He also leads a large online  intermittent fasting community of more than 45,000 members, where he serves as an educator and mentor, emphasizing sustainable habits and long-term wellness.

James’s curiosity extends beyond health into the world of wine. His interest in wine has led him to vineyards across the United States, from New York to California, where he focuses on cultivation practices, blending decisions, and the science behind structure and balance. 

Now based in Paso Robles, California, he co-founded Not A Somm Wine Reviews, an online magazine that approaches wine from the perspective of the drinker rather than the technician. His reviews often employ a clear, structured rating framework and explore how wine intersects with culture, history, and shared experience.

Jennifer Vetter Stice is an art therapist, photographer, and multidisciplinary artist originally from Medina, Ohio. She currently creates and exhibits work throughout California’s Central Coast, working primarily between Paso Robles and Pismo Beach, and signs her artwork under the artist alias JVS.

Her creative perspective has been shaped by extensive travel, including time spent in Canada, Mexico, France, Brazil, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, England, and Scotland. These experiences inform both her visual language and artistic process. Jennifer creates art as a means of communication and preservation—capturing emotion, memory, and meaning when words fall short. Her primary focus is artistic photography, with an emphasis on composition and the interplay between heart and soul. She also works in encaustic wax, acrylic, and mixed media, with more than thirty years of creative practice. 

Her work has been exhibited in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Italy, and California.

Jennifer’s artistic style is eclectic and intuitive, driven by feeling rather than adherence to a single formal aesthetic. She blends technical design elements with emotional depth to create work that invites reflection and connection.

She approaches wine through the same lens. Each bottle is viewed as a creative expression shaped by human intention—from vineyard to cellar to table. Her contributions to Not A Somm Wine Reviews focus on sensory nuance, atmosphere, and the human stories behind the wine, capturing not just how a wine tastes, but how it feels in a moment