Inspiring Conversations with Myrna Elguezabal of The Wine Voyage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myrna Elguezabal.

Hi Myrna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Event planning has always been part of who I am. As a kid, I loved organizing my family’s celebrations, putting together a full program, assigning performances, coordinating routines, and keeping the chaos mostly under control. It was just kid stuff, but I genuinely loved bringing everything together. Let’s just say I have always been considered a little bossy, haha!
In my mid twenties I married, and my husband and I moved to Spain with no money, no job, and no housing, just a deep hunger for adventure and growth. I came across a job opening as a corporate event coordinator. I never thought I would get it since I had no experience, but I did! And it was there, in Spain, where I not only found a career that I loved and dedicated 15+ years of my life to, but also discovered the wonderful world of wine.
I come from a conservative family where wine was never part of our table, but in Spain it was everywhere, and I found everything about it fascinating: the history, the culture, the dedication, and the role nature plays in every bottle, the soil, the rivers, the wind currents, the mountain ranges, and so much more. I saw wine as this perfect blend of land and people, the raw beauty of nature and what human hands are capable of doing with it. And then to see this ancient drink shared around a table full of loved ones, adding to human connection, that is what captivated me most. I started signing up for weekly tastings and courses, reading wine books, and dragging my husband along to wineries and wine regions.
What began as a hobby turned into expertise. I earned WSET certifications 1, 2, and 3, Spanish Wine Scholar and Sherry Wine Specialist titles. Along the way I also chose to focus on Mexican spirits, honoring both my deep appreciation for them and my Mexican heritage. My journey with wine & spirits began in 2007, and for years it stayed a personal passion.
After many rewarding, sometimes challenging, and always fun years in corporate events, in 2022 I decided to merge my two worlds. I knew I wanted to build something in wine and spirits, but I could not fully let go of events either, it is something I love and, quite frankly, am very good at. That is how The Wine Voyage was born: unique, fun, and engaging experiences built around human connection.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, and I have faced real challenges along the way, with plenty more ahead I am sure. But honestly, my biggest challenge was simply getting started. It was an internal battle, rooted in my own fears. I was not afraid of the hard work, the responsibility, or learning new skills. I was afraid of putting myself out there in the world. I was afraid of taking that first step.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Wine Voyage?
I built The Wine Voyage around one idea: wine & spirits are at their best when they bring people together. Our experiences are unique and can all be designed as stand alone events or add ons to existing events.

Some of our experiences include: Blind Tasting Competitions, Mezcal Vs Tequila Stations, Wine Blending Competitions, Thematic Wine Stations, and more. We work with groups of any size, for corporate team building events, private celebrations, or anything in between, and we come to you, at the location of your choice (office, hotel, restaurant, home, you name it!). We are based in San Diego and regularly serve Orange County, Los Angeles, and Northern California, and we have also traveled to other states.

What sets us apart is that every one of our tastings has an interactive component, every experience is tailored to fit the group, and we are experts at adapting to whatever a client’s location requires, from a venue’s existing wine & spirits selection to its layout and budget. I am also slowly building this into a company that offers experiences led exclusively by women professionals in wine & spirits. My long term goal is for The Wine Voyage to grow into a group of exceptional women sharing their expertise and passion.

Brand wise, what I am proudest of is creating a space where anyone, regardless of their knowledge in wine & spirits, feels curious and excited to explore. I wanted to strip away the intimidation and snobbery and show these beverages for what they are: products of the land and of human hands, rich in history and culture. Seeing that spark of curiosity, connection, and people just having a great time happen again and again is what makes me most proud of The Wine Voyage.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that might surprise people is how much I love exploring different forms of creativity and simply learning for the sake of learning. I’ve been studying Italian for years, journaling and writing poetry for most of my life, trying to learn the ukulele, and taking random workshops in jewelry making, ceramics, and candle making. I even recently bought a sewing machine. And the list goes on…
For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with this and that I should choose one thing, stick to it, and master it. But eventually, I realized that what I truly value is the freedom to explore, to have fun learning without a specific goal, to experiment, and to enjoy the process of creating in different forms.
I think that same curiosity is what pulled me into wine in the first place. The difference is that wine completely captivated me and never let me go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thewinevoyage.net/
• Instagram: @thewinevoyage

Image Credits
Sarai Elguezabal