Julia Coney is a Washington, D.C.– and Houston, Texas–based wine writer, educator, speaker, consultant, and luxury travel advisor. She is the co-founder of À Privé Journeys, a bespoke travel company specializing in curated, high-touch wine and culinary experiences around the world. Her work sits at the intersection of wine, culture, travel, and language, with a particular focus on storytelling that centers people, place, and equity.

Julia serves as Wine Consultant for American Airlines in partnership with the James Beard Foundation. She is the recipient of Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Social Visionary Award for her leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion within the wine industry and was named one of Wine Industry Network’s Most Inspiring People in 2022.

She is the founder of Black Wine Professionals, a resource for wine industry employers, gatekeepers, professionals, and the broader food and beverage community, dedicated to elevating and supporting the multifaceted Black professionals working in wine.

Julia is the former Wine Columnist for Sweet July Magazine and a former Contributing Editor at VinePair. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, The Washington Post, Forbes.com, Financial Times, JancisRobinson.com, SevenFifty Daily, Wine Searcher, Thrillist, Plate Magazine, The Tasting Panel, Glamour, Essence, and numerous other print and digital publications. She is a 2019 Fellow of the Professional Wine Writers Symposium at Meadowood Napa Valley.

An accomplished speaker and wine judge, Julia has presented at prestigious culinary celebrations such as the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, conferences including the TEXSOM Conference, SommCon, wine2wine, Assemblage Symposium, The Culinary Institute of America’s Summit for Sommeliers and Beverage Professionals, Jackson Family Wines Rooted for Good, and Bâtonnage Forum, as well as . She has judged wines for TEXSOM, the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, Wines of Michigan, and the Portugal Wine Challenge.

A lifelong Francophile, Julia hopes all professional roads ultimately lead to France. She can be found on social media at @juliaconey.