
The Joy Of Brewing focuses on the ethical production of 1-gallon batches of cider, mead and herbal wine. There is a strong focus on the importance and economy of local as well as the history of each brew, recipes and pairing notes.
Koziol taught middle school from 1999-2007 when she left to work for the National Education Association. After being away from family for nearly a decade she still felt like something was missing. She and her husband—Little Falls, NY native Kris Koziol—took a risk. Nancy quit her job and started freelancing and the couple moved back to Bennington. An assignment to write a wine glossary for a Greek wine blog turned into more and more wine-related jobs. Her speciality was emerging region, the politics of wine and climate change and how it affects wine. Her writing on Wine Turtle got the attention of an editor at Skyhorse who then approached Koziol.
Koziol’s blog, The Oethical Oenologist, explores the ethical production and consumption of alcohol, green living and homebrewing recipes. She doesn’t update it enough. She is also fairly active on Instagram (@oethical_oenologist) where she posts about alcohol and chronicles her travels. Koziol spent time in France this spring exploring the wines and terroir of the South of France followed by the Loire Valley. She was the guest of regional wine organizations. She is #geekedongreek and has spent a considerable amount of time tasting Greek wine in New York City.
The Bennington Wine Tasting Meetup is organized by Koziol and meets a few times a month. They host blind tastings, regional- and producer-specific tastings and are always looking for new members. It is a friendly, unpretentious group.
“I don’t know what’s next,” Koziol said when asked about her next project. “I’ve got all kinds of ideas and have always been an obsessive planner. I’m learning, though, that when I let go and follow the cues of the universe I find where I’m supposed to be. Currently, all of my energy is focused on promoting the book—and I’d love to write another for Skyhorse, maybe on sour beer, the history of wine in the Finger Lakes or a more in-depth book on mead or herbal wine.”
The Bennington Bookshop and Harvest Brewing are hosting the book’s official release party on October 26 at 7 pm and Nancy is speaking at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester at 2 pm on the 27th. Both events are free to the public.
Koziol and her super supportive husband live downtown in the historic Drysdale Building with an old dog, a young cat and a lot of wine. They enjoy hiking Vermont, active travel and road trips to see live music. They can be found at Harvest Brewing most nights of the week.