A Cork in the Road – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode features a conversation with the 2024 Champion of our "Unusual Suspects" Blind Tasting Competition that was hosted by the Oenophile Institute at the beginning of August in Atlanta, GA. This was the second annual session of this competition format where we have two rounds of blind tasting flights – 3 white wines followed by 3 red wines - and then the two highest scores from each round move on to a final round to crown a winner. The wines, however, are all just on the fringe or technically not typically testable in wine certification exams, so the wines can be from basically anywhere in the world. And this year, we had to have a second bonus final round because the top four competitors all scored so evenly on the first wine – but what happened in the "final final" round was truly impressive because our 2024 Champion, Joe Herrig, basically called that wine 100% correctly to walk away with the trophy and cash prize. On this episode, you’ll hear from our winner, Joe, as he breaks down his thought process and logic for each of his calls from the competition. Joe was first on this podcast in June of 2022 (Episode 78) and he is still the Director of Education for Georiga Crown Distribution Company. He has since earned his Diploma through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, so he now holds one of the highest honors in the world of wine education. You'll hear how he approached the process of identifying these wines and how he connects his palate skills to his theory knowledge. You can follow him @suburbanwino on Instagram.

Recorded August 25, 2024

Episode 134 not only features the first repeat guest for an episode of the show, but also, we very likely make podcast history for the number of wine bottles that were opened during a recording with our live audience in Atlanta. Sam Coturri of Winery Sixteen 600 in Sonoma, CA joined an incredible group of Atlanta wine, food, and media professionals to lead a wine tasting and open it up to an audience Q&A session at the end of the episode. Sam first joined as a guest on the show for Episode 7 of Season 5 – recorded in November 2021 – and it was the first unedited podcast in honor of the style of his own podcast, The Wine Makers Podcast. Sam is such a great friend, and he was visiting Atlanta this summer representing his Sixteen 600 wines that are now available in Georgia thanks to Empire Distributors. They were in town to host an innovative wine dinner in honor of Jerry Garcia’s birthday with a Grateful Dead themed menu and music pairings. You can follow @grapeswithaview and @sixteen600 on Instagram to learn more about Sam and his wines, and you can listen to @winemakerspod wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Recorded LIVE at The Vine Club in Atlanta on July 30. 2024 - thanks, Taylor! @thevineclubatl

This episode features Nicole Alvarez, the head Sommelier and Beverage Director at The Alden in Chamblee, GA. She has been working in restaurants since she was 16, but she also recently graduated with her college degree in Political Science last December. Her current focus is to expand the wine list at The Alden to meet the variety and range of the culinary program. Her role includes everything from buying, tasting, staff training, wine list inventory and maintenance, and wine pairings. We talk about her approach to designing wine pairings, her relationships with her wine reps, and how her family and her community continuously inspire her to chase after all her goals and dreams. She will also leave you with some insight on finding ways to relieve some of the stress of working in the service industry, and we may inspire you to drink more Champagne and Nebbiolo going into the spring season. When she is not hitting the wine grind, she says she is an avid gamer, a runner, and a crafter. You can visit www.thealdenrestaurant.com to make a reservation to check out Nicole's wine list and tasting menu pairings, and you can find @the_alden_atl on Instagram. Recorded March 16, 2024

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This episode is generously sponsored by Diane Carpenter and Ross Knoll Vineyard:⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.dianecarpenter.org/wines⁠⁠⁠ - available for shipping to 11 states

Noble Wine Cellar is winemaker Jabe Hilson’s label devoted to the development of Southern wines. Together with his wife Barbara and a select number of growers, Noble Wine Cellar has developed a reputation for high quality wine produced exclusively from locally grown grapes in the Southeast. We talk a lot about their insight on the industry as a whole, but for the Hilsons, it’s all about having the right grape for the region. Their tasting room in downtown Clayton, GA just one hour north of Atlanta welcomes costumers to taste their wines while learning about what makes the region unique alongside other local Georgia products available for purchase. Even with the challenges the outline about 2020, the couple remains hopeful and is preparing for an expanded production in the coming years. You can follow @noble_wine_cellar on Instagram for all the latest updates.

Recorded Oct 11, 2020

This episode features Dwight Phyall, better known as "DAP", who lives in the D.C. area but is connected to the Atlanta wine community through friends of the Podcast. He is a Program Manager for a health tech company, OSCAR, in NYC full-time, but he is also a part-time Sommelier at V-NO Wine Bar & Shop in Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland. We chat about how he balances these multiple interests, and he shares what first brought him into the wine world. He highlights how it was a combination of some noteworthy wines and influential people who inspired his current journey. With a genuine passion for the craft, he talks about how he is using an academic approach to explore the various aspects of wine that continue to motivate him to learn and discover. He is the founder of "Wine the Way You Like", a wine curation service launching in the Spring of 2021, and he is also currently studying to obtain his CSW and WSET Level 2 award. Follow him @thedapper_oenophile on Instagram to get all the latest updates on his wine adventures.

Recorded Oct 15, 2020

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