A Cork in the Road

This episode features Tiffany Morris, an inspiring wine professional who recently moved from Atlanta, Georgia to Melbourne, Australia. Prior to moving, she was a Fine Wine Specialist at United Distributors with fifteen years experience in the industry and a deep appreciation for building relationships with her restaurant clients and on-premise colleagues. She is a Certified Specialist of Wine & Spirits, WSET3, and Certified through the Court of Sommeliers. While in Atlanta, Tiffany represented and focused on craft, boutique, and fine specialty brands from many regions globally.  Her team included 22 wine consultants who conducted weekly tastings with top sommeliers in the Southeast. They also hosted wine dinners and tasting events, undertook new brand procurement, and delivered focused producer & regional wine education. She has also spent time in several wine growing regions globally, including working harvest at the prestigious Opus One in the Napa Valley. We talk about what it's like to explore a new country's food and wine culture, and she describes how she is still finding ways to inspire customers to find excitement through constant discovery and wine experiences. Follow her @prettysweetmess on Instagram for captivating photography and thoughtful wine insights. Recorded September 27, 2020

Kacey Ivey is a sales consultant for a national importer and distributor, and she always puts her clients' needs at the top of her priorities. She also values the supportive relationships with her colleagues as much as she values the producers of the wines she sells in her portfolio. We talk about some of the travel and educational experiences that have had the biggest impact on how she studies and speaks about wine. She also shares how she got her start in the wine industry after a brief career in engineering. In addition to studying and reading about wine, she practices yoga, loves to be outdoors, and travels the world. We discuss the utility of blind tasting skills and how she weaves that knowledge into her assessment of wine quality. In 2019, Kacey became the first female champion of the annual "Somm Smackdown" blind tasting competition, and she is currently in the middle of her WSET Diploma studies.  You can ask her for wine recommendations and travel tips by following @sweetkaceyjane on Instagram.  Recorded September 27, 2020.

We are kicking off Season 3 with Stephen James of Uva Imports. After falling in love with nature out West, studying Ecology at the University of Georgia, and pursuing a musical career for 10 years, Stephen developed his passion for nature, art, and history surrounding the world of wine in New York while working at a French restaurant. A few years later, his musical career brought him back to Georgia where he started working in restaurants under mentorship of Chef Hugh Acheson. In 2015, James moved to Atlanta as the opening beverage director for Staplehouse where the focus was on pairing wine with food. Now at Uva Imports, the focus is on connecting small family producers; their history, geography, culture, and individual expression, with wine lovers around the U.S. We talk a lot about the parallels between wine and music, and his multiple career interests highlight the importance of always "listening" to whatever opportunities life brings your way. Part of his job now at a small import company is to make this vast, variegated world of wine more approachable to those getting started. He usually does this by comparing wine to music, often stating “wine does for your taste-buds what music does for your ears. Slow down and take some time to listen to your palate." You can learn more about Uva's tasting events and producers by following @uvaimportants on Instagram and checking out www.uvaimports.com. You can also find Stephen @ragazzi_perduti for additional wine adventures. Recorded live on September 20, 2020.

Sommelier Joon Lim's wine journey started in college by picking up a wine book - and he still recommends that anyone interested in wine do the same. He brings a love for hospitality and education to his profession, but it wasn't until after transitioning from a job working in the coffee industry  that he cultivated his passion for studying wine. Gaining experience serving in restaurants furthered his appreciation for the craft, and he has since worked with some of Atlanta's most talented chefs. From Rathbun's to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse and now to his current role at Cherokee Town and Country Club, Joon has always enjoyed blending formal education with a thirst for exploration into his approach to helping customers discover new wines. He says he is constantly humbled by the world of wine - such an admirable mindset for a wine professional. He is looking forward to technology innovations for the sommelier profession as a form of resilience during and after the pandemic, and he encourages the industry to focus on shining a brighter light on our small domestic producers and regions. You can connect with him @joon.lim918 on Instagram to see photos of his unicorn wine discoveries and to follow along for all of his sommelier adventures.

This episode featuring Sommelier Chris McLloyd is both inspiring and entertaining - he has such a joyful approach to wine exploration. After first working in the music industry, he gained experience serving at restaurants and ultimately decided to pursue a career in wine. With a combination of both formal and informal wine studies, he transitioned to the wine retail space where he still continues to weave music and an appreciation for culture into his lifestyle as a connector within the Atlanta wine scene. He talks about what makes the Atlanta wine market so unique, and he shines a light on how tasting groups with fellow wine professionals have had an impact on helping to build his wine vocabulary. He also encourages people to partake in blind tasting to expand their palates and to deepen their understanding  of varietal nuances. Before we wrap up, we make predictions for the future of the wine industry during the pandemic, and he's optimistic about the role of wine bars and also excited about the amount of sommelier knowledge transferring to the retail space. You can connect with him on social media @thehiphopsomm to get the latest updates on all his upcoming projects and collaborations. Recorded July 19, 2020

This episode featuring Sommelier Juan Cortés is one of a kind - it will give you a true look behind the wine into his incredible journey to becoming one of Atlanta's most talented wine professionals. Like a series of short stories, he will outline details of experiences that have shaped his perspective and work ethic from a very young age growing up in Colombia. Wine has always been woven into his life, but some of the things he has accomplished along the way will surprise you. After completing an internship at Noma in Cophenhagen, he returned to Atlanta to continue serving as a sommelier at Atlas as well as most recently influencing the wine selection at the Garden Room in Buckhead. He is also one of the founders of the Stanky Wine Pop-Up, which is designed to showcase natural wines and help people connect with local chefs in a whole new way. He gives "The Most Interesting Man in the World" a run for his money - a true storyteller with a unique appreciation for how wine interacts with all other aspects of life. You can follow him on Instagram @sommjuan and let him pick out wines for you at Savi Provisions on Roswell Road. In the Podcast thumbnail photo, he is wearing a facemask that he made out of Riedel microfiber typically used for polishing glassware.  Recorded July 17, 2020

Sarah Pierre, an Atlanta native, has been the owner of 3 Parks Wine Shop in Atlanta's Glenwood Park neighborhood since 2013. She moved into the wine world from restaurants and brings her expertise in hospitality and service to her wine shop. She laughs as she recalls the mixed emotions from that first day opening the doors and welcoming customers, but she also reflects fondly on how much their hard work has paid off over the years to build relationships and memories with clients. Her perspective on what makes the Atlanta market so unique is to be admired - she says there's an underestimated amount of knowledge and buying power here in the Southeast and she's excited about where we are heading. The shop's multiple wine club program recently earned national recognition in being named one of "America's 50 Best Wine Retailers" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and they've been helping people continue their wine exploration safely during COVID-19 by offering online shopping and curbside pickup options. Sarah talks about her enriching wine travels, her welcoming approach to wine education, and her enthusiasm for connecting with people through wine. For her latest news and updates, you can visit www.3parkswine.com and follow @3parkswine and @sarahpierre1 on Instagram. #ATLwinescene Recorded June 29, 2020

This episode features Whitney Blue, wine educator of @winewithwhitney and sales rep for Prime Wine and Spirits based in Atlanta, GA. We talk about her experiences working in retail, restaurants, and distribution and how she continues to be drawn into the story aspect of the wine industry. She recalls taking a wine class during her senior year of college in Florida and how that sparked a deeper interest in expanding her wine education. Now, in her current sales role, she thrives off building strong relationships with her clients and customers as well as learning from her mentors in the Atlanta wine community. Her tastings, events, and wine pairing dinners allow for making connections with people who share her passion for wine. We talk about how she also effectively utilizes social media as an important tool for having authentic, meaningful conversations woven into her stories of wine exploration. I can't wait to see the impact of her scholarship program and to hear more about her upcoming collaborations with other ATL wine professionals. Follow her on Instagram for all the latest updates!  Recorded June 21, 2020

This episode features Ahry Ko, the Corporate Beverage Director for Savi Provisions based in Atlanta, GA. She first moved to Atlanta for college at Emory University with her eyes set on attending law school, but she decided to pursue her passion for wine and has already established herself as a talented sommelier in the southeast market. We talk about all the ways she weaves her approach for academic studies into her approach for wine education and what it was like to attend her first Atlanta tasting group with other wine professionals when she was just 21 years old. We share a mutual love for all things Burgundy, and we discover that we share a philosophy about making any moment the "right moment" for Champagne. She speaks 6 languages and brings a global perspective to the wine industry with a deep appreciation for terroir. You can follow her @its_kobo on Instagram. Recorded June 7, 2020

Certified Sommelier Pepe Fundora grew up in the restaurant and hospitality industry, and his passion for helping people discover new wines lies at the core of all his work. His family owns and operates an Italian restaurant in Alpharetta, GA called Casa Nuova that is extremely connected to the local community. They are known not only for their incredible food and wine program, but also for their generous outreach and fundraising efforts for their local community organizations. Pepe tells me about his time studying engineering at Georgia Tech followed by recounting his wine journey with experiences like working harvests in Napa Valley and Italy where he connected deeply with the farming and engineering aspects of viticulture. We also chat about the Atlanta wine community and what it makes it so unique. Visit www.casanuovarestaurant.com for information about the restaurant, and you can follow Pepe's wine adventures @pepeasomm and @cork.and.glass on Instagram. Recorded May 31, 2020 #makingwineaccessible