52 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECEMBER 18-24, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE Microinfluencers are ones that engage about 10,000 to 100,000 followers on a social media platform. By that standard, Christy Nakada falls just short at over 7,000 Instagram followers, but by Monterey County community population standards, she may be considered a macroinfluencer of the local wine scene. Nakada was born and raised in Japan, where she spent all of her childhood and adolescence before coming stateside to attend Occidental College in the Los Angeles area. Her mother is from Palo Alto and her parents kept a vacation home in Monterey. She would spend about two weeks with them there every summer, giving her a foundation in the area. It wasn’t until after the pandemic that she moved permanently to Monterey County, where she unlocked her passion for wine. “When it comes to wine, it’s the terroir,” she says. “It’s the whole mystique behind wine and romanticization [that draws people in].” It was that mystique that led her to begin a blog and Instagram account called Christy on the Vine where she posts content to highlight the wine, food and travel scene, not just in Monterey County but all over California and beyond. The project has been not just fun for her, but successful; she receives some wine samples and does earn some money from her efforts. Weekly: What led you to start your wine blog? Nakada: I was looking for a way to create visual and writing content so I decided to start my Instagram. I got interested in wine during the pandemic, so I was learning a lot about wine on my own. I thought, “Why don’t I combine the two?” I’m lucky enough to live here in Monterey’s wine country where we have lots of independent and small wine producers. I’ve talked with them about their experience and how they got into wine. I really want to tell the stories of the people that I’m lucky enough to interact with every day. I’m very grateful for this life I get to live. I feel so often that with social media, marketing and advertising you don’t always get to hear everyone’s stories. It’s often only those who are the loudest or who have the most marketing or advertising that you get to hear. What kind of wine education have you done? In 2021 I did my WSET [Wine & Spirit Education Trust] Level 2 in wines because I wanted to learn more about wines in an educational setting. I really enjoyed that program, but then my friend Fanny Gonzalez suggested that I enroll in Cabrillo College’s wine studies program, which is headed by wine journalist Deborah Parker Wong. What’s your favorite varietal? Oh my gosh, that’s always such a hard one, but honestly it’s Pinot Noir. I really love it. I like all different styles of Pinot Noir but especially the ones from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Willamette Valley. It has just great structure to it. Did you expect your online presence to take off like it has? No, not at all. I started with the idea of it being a creative portfolio I could use for creative writing samples, photography and video. I didn’t want it to create content for other people or for use by a company. I felt like I wasn’t doing very much creative stuff in my past job. I felt like all I had was email marketing samples. My bachelor’s degree is in art history and visual arts with an emphasis in film. I took screen writing and video editing. I’ve always been a creative writer but I wasn’t used to writing for myself, so I thought I would start creating my own content. My Instagram is my passion project and I want to tell the stories I want to tell. If people follow my content for who I’m authentically trying to be, that means a lot to me. It would be great to grow, but not at the cost of losing authenticity. Are there any wine regions that you haven’t explored yet that you want to? Oh yes. I’ve been really wanting to explore more of Santa Barbara County. I’ve never been to the Santa Rita Hills or Los Olivos. I know they have great expressions of Pinot Noir there. I’ve been lucky enough to explore a lot of California’s smaller wine countries like Amador County. I really love Italian varieties and they make Barbera out there, which is pretty fantastic. I was born in Japan so I go back there a lot because my family still lives there, but I haven’t explored much of their wine country yet either. Read Christy on the Vine online at christyonthevine. com and instagram.com/christyonthevine. Vine Views Local wine influencer Christy Nakada wants to tell the stories of winemakers and enophiles. By Sloan Campi Christy Nakada was a writer before she got into wine, then merged the two interests in her social media and blogging accounts, where she has been a successful influencer. DANIEL DREIFUSS Green Bean Want to meet Green Bean? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. Things to love: approx. 10 years old - 12 lbs - female - Chihuahua, Dachshund mix Green Bean is a gentle, gray-faced sweetheart who’s mastered the art of quiet companionship. She enjoys slow strolls, sunny naps, and being close to her person. With her calm, loving spirit, she brings comfort wherever she goes. Green Bean is ready to settle into a peaceful forever home filled with kindness, routine, and love. If you’d like sponsor our next ad, give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org P.O. 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