A Cork in the Road

This episode features Cara McBroom, a Certified Sommelier and owner of somm.to.table currently living in Denver, CO. Her first job in the wine industry was working for a small winery in southwest Virginia, but she later found her way into the wine and food scene of Charleston, SC. She worked at multiple fine-dining establishments, became a wine director, and moved into a sales rep position with Breakthru Beverage. We chat about what it was like to manage such a stellar portfolio of wines and spirits, what she likes most about teaching wine education classes, and what ultimately led her to a position as a portfolio specialist for Moët Hennessy. During the pandemic, however, she decided to go back to school for an MBA program focused specifically on wine. In July 2020, she was accepted into the online wine, sustainability, and sales focused MBA program at Weincampus Neustadt in Germany. She also continues to grow her own business as a platform to blog and share information about areas of wine and spirits. You can follow her adventures @somm.to.table on Instagram and stay tuned for the launch of more classes and content on www.sommtotable.com.  Recorded May 4, 2021

This episode time travels from Atlanta to Burgundy as we chat with Nikki Dickerson, a wine writer and communications strategist with a passion for rare varieties and cellar hand experience in both hemispheres. After discovering her passion for wine in the cellars of the Southern Rhône Valley, Nikki left behind a nine-year career in public relations and marketing to forge a new path in wine. Living in Paso Robles, South Australia, Italy, and now France, she has gained experience in international sales while obtaining a global perspective on the industry. As a wine writer, Nikki’s work has been featured on Wine Folly, The Vintner Project, The Refined Society, Cellar Tours, and more. With over 2,000 monthly visitors to her wine blog, she is expertly versed in wine education and trade communications. We talk about her current role as a Content Director for Terra Vine Agency, her perspective on digital marketing's impact on the wine industry, and her interest in pursuing more wine education. She also shares a bit about what life is like in Burgundy, France with her winemaker husband and their plans for a winery and imports business of their own. You can follow her adventures at @palm.and.vine on Instagram and check out www.palmandvine.com to learn about vineyards and cellars around the world. Recorded April 25, 2021

This episode features Taurean Philpott, currently the Beverage Manager at Bacchanalia in Atlanta. He was born in Bermuda where agriculture was a pillar of his youth. We talk about how his upbringing has informed a love for travel, culture, and ultimately wine. His interest in art and design led him to discovering a more serious interest in wine while attending Architecture school. He joined the team at Murphy's in 2015 as a wine consultant during school, but he has since gone on to help open restaurants across Atlanta and greater Atlanta. In 2019, he joined Bacchanalia working closely with their respected wine portfolio and renowned chef-driven menu where his studies have grown to foster a further dedication to education around farming and agriculture in the wine industry. Follow his Instagram @chateauneufdupapi_ for educational live events and fun "what to drink" posts. You can also follow @starprovisions to learn more about the restaurant and beverage program. Recorded April 12, 2021

This episode features Krishna Chapatwala, a professional chef and wine connoisseur. She is delighted to bring her multicultural passion for wine and food to the Atlanta community. After earning a Bachelor of Science and Culinary Arts degrees, she opened local Green Eats in 2009— a personal chef, catering, and cooking class company. She has grown her business by preparing meals for families, intimate dinners, and festive occasions. We talk about how living in Germany influenced her interest in wine, which is where she tried her first Silvaner in Rheingau during a weekend trip from Bavaria to Mainz. After living in Europe and visiting many world-renowned locations, Krishna’s perspective on entertaining, cooking, and wine was transformed. Upon returning to the US, she learned to pair her sense of flavors in food and wine from across the globe. Now, as the owner of a retail shop, she’s bringing her love of wine and her well-honed knowledge about food pairings to everyone who walks into Wine Shoe. You can follow her adventures at @wineshoe on Instagram, and you can check out www.wineshoeatlanta.com to learn about the shop. Recorded April 5, 2021

This episode features sommelier Femi Oyediran, co-owner of Graft Wine Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. We talk about his love of music almost as much as his love of wine in this episode because he says he likes to share the gift of a great glass over the sounds of a great album. We chat about how these two passions now collide within his approach to wine retail and lie at the core of the foundation upon which Graft is built. He discovered his passion for wine while working at the Charleston Grill under the encouragement and mentorship of the former Wine Director, Rick Rubel. We discuss the utility of his award-winning blind tasting skills and how he uses his tasting knowledge to help his customers discover new wines. Among several major accomplishments, he was awarded Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2018 ‘40 Under 40' and was selected as ‘Sommelier of the Year’ along with his co-owner, Miles White, by Food and Wine Magazine in 2019. And while he says he is so thankful for his success and opportunities, he also emphasizes that wine is part of culture and connection that should never blind anyone from the importance of being a good human, first and foremost. You can check out their retail shop at www.graftchs.com and follow @femingtonsteele and @graftchs on Instagram. Recorded March 30, 2021

This episode features Nick Kaiser, a wine geek and music lover, who got his start in the service industry managing cafés. We talk about what he learned from those early days in the coffee industry and how he eventually made the switch to serving and bartending. Through Fifth Group Restaurants in Atlanta, he passionately learned about spirits and craft cocktails until ultimately landing in their fine dining concept, Ecco. He says this is where he truly fell in love with wine. Now working in wine retail, he's the wine buyer at Hop City Craft Beer & Wine's Krog Street Market location with a passion for helping consumers navigate the wide world of natural wine. We talk about this wine category and the multiple aspects of how it can be defined, and he gives a few tips for how to best keep exploring new regions and types of wine production - we even chat about my "wine vs beer" studies given Hop City's incredible inventory for both worlds. You can find him on Instagram at @nickdrinkswine and check out where he works at www.hopcitybeer.com. Recorded March 28, 2021

This episode features Vanessa Raymond, a wine-loving socio-technologist and entrepreneur. Working in tech since 2012, she is committed to software that solves real world problems, improves people’s lives, and makes for a more equitable and just world. She was first introduced to the wide world of wine as an assistant cook on the S.V. Steven Taber from co-owner and wine professional, Jane Barrette Barnes. She went on to work as the assistant to Michael Dorf during the startup phase of City Winery. After leaving New York to join the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Bulgaria, she fell in love with Bulgarian wines and wine traditions for homemade wine and small scale family vineyard. She then spent six months living (and tasting!) in Santa Barbara, and fell in love with wine towns, vineyard landscapes, and great wines. We talk about how these multiple experiences have led to her current project as the founder of an online wine event platform called Telesomm. At Telesomm, customers meet a hand-picked group of sommeliers and wine professionals with a passion for sharing their knowledge, telling the stories of wine, and making wine accessible. We also talk about our shared goal of using wine in ways that brings people together and the ways in which the wine industry continues to evolve. You can connect with her on Instagram at @telesomm.app and learn more about booking wine experiences by checking out https://telesomm.app/. Recorded March 24, 2021

This episode features winemaker Hardy Wallace of Dirty and Rowdy Family Winery. After living in Atlanta, GA while publishing his Dirty South Wine blog, Hardy followed his passion to pursue a career opportunity in the wine industry that moved him out to California. He gained experience and mentorship that led to starting the D&R label in 2010 with one wine while also working for several iconic producers in Napa and Sonoma. The original focus was on producing single vineyard Mourvèdre, and the brand quickly gained a core of true fans. We talk about his winemaking philosophy, how he stays inspired, and what makes his brand unique in the world of wine. He now works with vineyards stretched from Santa Barbara to N. Mendocino (450mi). The winery is in Santa Rosa, CA, but he has found so many innovative ways to strengthen connections with his customers all over the country even during the most challenging times. You can check out www.dirtyandrowdy.com for merch and wine, and you can find him on Instagram at @dirtysouthwine and @dirtyandrowdy.  Recorded March 4, 2020

Jordan is a California native, an internationally-trained chef, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, and a sommelier. She began her culinary career in Sorrento, Italy learning a global perspective on the nuances of food and wine pairing. She is now a WSET 3 and a Spanish Wine Scholar candidate with her own small luxury catering company in Atlanta. She has also been teaching food and wine pairing classes at The Atlanta Wine School for the past few years. Prior to her current role as a Private Wine Sales Advisor for a luxury winemaking estate in Burgundy, she also has worked as a Private Chef and Cellar Consultant for athletes in the NFL and the NBA along with an elite list of celebrity clientele for many years. We chat about her path to wine discovery as well as what she loves most about hosting her in-person and virtual cooking classes, wine pairings, and tastings for producers all over the world that always focus on the marriage of food and wine. You can connect with her on Instagram at @wandering_wino_ and stay up to date on the latest news about her new wine, recipe, and travel blog coming this spring. Recorded on March 1, 2021

This season premiere episode features Jaclyn Fiola, a PhD student and soil scientist in Virginia Tech's School of Plant & Environmental Sciences. She collaborates with vineyards all over the state researching how soil impacts grapevines, fruit, and wine. We chat about the Virginia wine industry, how she got started in this field of study, and how she collaborates with winemakers to support the state's vineyards. The ways in which soil ultimately impacts the wine in our glasses is complicated, but Jaclyn breaks down some helpful insights that shine light on the constant exploration that continues to inspire her research and her fascination with terroir. You can follow her adventures @jaclynsoilsomm on Instagram, and you can learn more about her soil science specialty by checking out www.soilsomm.com. Recorded February 28, 2021