Alright guys, welcome to another episode of live with a cork in the road. And I'm Kelly. I'm your wine Explorer here in Atlanta, Georgia and I'm chatting with people who are shaping the southeast wine industry.
Hello, thank you for pushing play today on the A Cork in the Road Podcast. I'm Kelly, your host based in Atlanta, Georgia, and my guest for today's episode is the freshly official certified Sommelier, Hailey Culmone, she works in wine distribution, but she also runs her own business doing private customized tasting events in client homes. We talk about why she enjoys teaching and hosting tasting events. But we also talk in detail about her recent experience taking the certified sommelier exam through the court of Master Sommeliers, which is very interesting because I was with her on the day that she did her final practice mock exam to prepare. She gives a behind the scenes type of recap of the whole experience with some inspiring tips for anyone pursuing a similar path. You'll also find out how she got into wine in the first place. And surprisingly enough, it has to do with a PhD program and a coffee farm in Brazil. So we get to dive a little into her previous work in coffee, and talk about the parallels to the wine world. I love her energy, her curiosity, her interest in the unknown. And I hope you enjoy today's episode as much as we did recording it, For A Cork in the Road, LLC., I feel like I've been sprinting since the Fourth of July doing a lot of events, private public media and all the things and it's been a pretty incredible couple of weeks. But I can't sit here without giving a shout out to everyone who supported the fundraise the roof auction that we hosted here in Atlanta because we just raised almost $16,000 for two talented wine professionals, Marvella and Jade, to pursue their WSET diploma programs. I still can't believe the numbers because it was so incredible exceeded all of our expectations. Thank you again to Chelsea of the oenophile Institute for coordinating everything, the porchetta group for hosting on the roof at Grana,, ourvolunteers, all the people who contributed items to the auction and the 85 plus of you who came out on a Tuesday to party with us and take all of these amazing wines and experiences home. I'll never forget the energy on the roof that night. Thank you for supporting wine education and honestly making a couple of dreams come true in one night. I have a lot of events coming up so you can check out www.acorkintheroad.com for the ticket links and info and you can also sign up there for our monthly newsletter to be the first to know when event tickets are available. Going forward. On September 9. I'm heading back to North Georgia to teach a blind tasting class at Limoges cellars that is all about the beautiful grape of Cabernet Franc. And then on Saturday, September 16, I'll be back at the theater in epicurean hotel to host and produce the fall edition of Sip and Style, a wine and fashion pairing showcase featuring two clothing designers two jewelry designers and my handbag design partner Donna of P. Sherrod. I will be pairing wines to the five ensembles and five dishes across five themes and guests will have the opportunity to shop the looks and meet the designers after enjoying the fashion show and tasting event. The spring edition sold out so head to acorkintheroad.com for the tickets if you would like to join us on that Saturday. This episode is generously sponsored by Diane carpenter and Ross Knoll vineyard in Sonoma County who just bottled the 2022 Vintage on August 4, which included two new 100% new oak 100% single vineyard Pinot Noirs in California, a Green Valley Calera clone and a Russian River 100% Mount Eden clone, new labels and everything. I can't wait for people to try these wines as I tasted them this spring when I was in Sonoma County and I was already excited about what was being expressed in those barrels. The Ross Knoll Team will be harvesting the 2023 Vintage in early October which is quite later than usual, actually, with veraision just beginning here in August, but next month I'll be able to give you a full harvest report so stay tuned for all of those details. Ross Knoll also recently teamed up with a distribution company in Florida called 21 Wine and Spirits based in Miami so if you are based in Florida, or you work in the industry in Florida, you have first access now to this portfolio. For everyone else in Georgia, California, Illinois, New York and Virginia, you can still ship these wines to your door. The 2022 Rose is sold out. But we do have some of the 2022 white Pinot Noir still available to purchase as well as the 2021 Russian River Pinot Noir so lots ahead and I will be heading to Spain for the last week in August here. So keep an eye on @acorkintheroad on Instagram for updates and travel insights. I'll try to keep you all posted because spoiler alert, I might even have the opportunity to pick some grapes in Penedes. So until the next episode drops in mid September. Please take care. And I hope you enjoy learning and being inspired by Haley's journey on this episode. Cheers. And we'll talk soon.
So great to see you on this Friday afternoon for Happy Hour.
Thank you for having me.
I did pour myself a glass of wine because it is 6pm here in Atlanta. You've been someone I've really wanted to have on the show. So thanks for being here.
Of Course, I'm honored to be here. Thank you for asking me to do this. I've been looking forward to it all week.
Well good, we're gonna cap it off. Well, you just had some really big fun news. So we'll start with the big accomplishment. And we'll kind of work our way back here. Because I saw you right before this huge thing happened. You are now officially a certified Sommelier, officially.
Right. It feels so good. I haven't gotten used to saying it out loud yet.
Right now say that you are
a certified sommelier?
Are you still riding the adrenaline from taking that exam?
Definitely. You know, every week I run into someone that I haven't seen yet. And they congratulate me, which is super nice. And it just reminds you like, oh, yeah, I did that. And it's crazy. Because you saw me before my last mock service, you saw my last mock service. And I, you know, mentally it was like, Oh, my God, I'm not ready. And then the week later, literally, exactly a week, I was ready. And it happened.
Oh, it happened. And I did get to see you in total practice prep mode. But how are you feeling about this milestone in your education? What does it mean for you personally, to have achieved this?
Yeah, that's a good question. So I mean, it's something that I've always wanted to do. When I first dove into my wine journey back in like, like, 2018, I was working at a restaurant and I, the guy that I was working under, like a sommelier, he was, I was infatuated by what he would say when he was talking about wine and a service aspect. So I was always attracted to the court, because of the service aspect, honestly. So you know, I took my level one in 2019. And I was planning on taking level two in 2020. And then obviously, the whole world shut down. So that was a little postponed. So you know, it actually ended up being great, though, that I couldn't take it in 2020. Because I don't think I was ready then as I was taking it this year, but no, I feel you know, it's a really big accomplishment. It's I you know, people always ask me, other people studying like, you know, what's the secret? What's the tip, and the only thing I can think of is, is discipline, like, you just have to commit to X amount of hours studying X amount of days blind tasting. And if you can do that, then you can, you can probably pass.
Oh that regimen and sticking to it sounds easier to say maybe then to do but I get that. So it has to be regular and routine. Well, I did witness that last practice service exam for you. And to be honest, I think I told you at the time, but it was my first time in person ever seeing somebody do the mock exam? I'd never seen one before.
Right! Yeah. You know, it's funny, because the service that they're asking you to do in the exam is really outdated. Even the finest, you know, restaurants, you know, the Michelin star, I mean, yes, the bottle service is the same, but there's little nuances that you have to learn and really practice, like, you always walk clockwise around the table, these are things that really just don't happen anymore. So little things like that were kind of hard to keep in mind, but it's, it's fun. You know, it's like any other thing that you practice, and then you you know, you set a goal, and then you study or whatever work to achieve it. So yeah, the service part for me was was actually my favorite, which I know a lot of people hate that part, I've always felt super comfortable, like tableside. And, you know, you have to just pretend they're not master Somms at the table. And they're just like, your parents or whatever. Once you just kind of change your mindset a little bit, it gets a little less intimidating.
I'm loving that you felt comfortable and that you were actually excited about that portion of the exam. Because I do feel like people, if you don't have that muscle memory, from maybe being on the service floor, or being tableside, it seems like it might be a little bit challenging. But for people who may not know, can you just describe a little bit what this part of the exam entails? What do you have to show? What are you getting tested on in this portion?
if Elizabeth is listening to this, she'll be very proud with my answer. So in the service portion, ultimately the number one thing is that you're confident and that you know how to divert. So you know, they purposely are trying to ask you something that you don't know because they want to see how you react. So the service component you have a master Somm sitting at the table can be one to four I was lucky, all I got was one. And you know, they have you approach the table. So there's what they call mechanics. And so these mechanics are things like where you have your wine keys. Where are your pens? Do you have a notepad? Do you have the right wine key? Of course, they asked you a champagne question one of the Tête de cuvées, there's about 20. So you have to have all 20 memorized. So you know, it's a, it's a combination of knowledge and information with mechanics. So of course, how you open the bottle of champagne, more than just a silent removal of the cork, it's how you hold the label, it's how you ask them after, would you like it in an ice bucket or on the table, there's trivets, you have to put it on a trivet that's perfectly to the right of them to the right of the glass to the corner of the knife. So it's like all these little idiosyncrasies plus the knowledge and then while you're pouring wine and physically doing the service, they're asking you questions about sake, about cocktails, about wine regions, so you're having to really multitask. And granted, you're also like, freaking out on the inside, because you're like, If I mess this up, you know, that's it. So there's nerves. There's, you know, technicalities, and then there's pure knowledge. So it's it's definitely the most nerve wracking, but I think it's the most fun.
You just named so many things going on at the same time. And you're saying, This is what you love, I am not surprised for one second to hear that you do have a background working in restaurants since you were like 12 or something. So do you think that that experience plays in to how you performed in the exam?
Oh, absolutely. I think there's no secret to service it's experience. And yeah, I was, you know, when I was 12. Did I tell myself I was lucky working in restaurants? Probably not. But definitely, with all things you know, in my life. Now. I'm super grateful that restaurants were kind of where I grew up and feel that comfortable with unfamiliar people.
You worked your way around those questions while you were trying to do the mechanics. I remember seeing this happen. I could feel the multitasking energy. A lot going on, but you just stayed focused. And you did to me really well. I thought the questions were absolutely meant to trip you up. You were asked about specific recommendations for whiskey flights or something like whiskey flight what would you recommend?
Yeah, I know it was and you know, it's so funny because in all my mocks, I was asked like crazy questions like, you know, I want to do a vertical of whiskies from I don't know something crazy. So I, I had memorized like Speyside whiskies, scotch whiskies, all the different types, Highland was like all the different types because I was worried I was gonna get a question like that. I studied, I memorized, not studied, I memorized 75 Different cocktails. And the cocktail they asked me about was a cosmopolitan. I try not to laugh of all of them. That's the one that I get. But that was a funny moment.
You studied 75 obscure ones just for
For no reason. Do I remember them? Maybe a few. But it's just, that's that's the thing about the court, the biggest difference that I people always ask me that are interested in going court or WSET. The service component is definitely the biggest difference. But also, you know, the court doesn't, that they don't really give you a structure, they can test you on anything. And it's very vague. So you kind of have to know a little bit of everything, versus WSET, which I prefer the structural element that WSET offers, you know, they're very, like, here's your textbook, this is what you're tested on. These are the ones that are, you know, probably going to come up. So that's the big difference. But again, and Elizabeth and I have talked about this, there's something attractive about the unknown and the uncontrollables. And entering an exam like that, where you just have no idea what's coming your way.
Exhilarating. And that's why you still have adrenaline from that day. Were you confident the day of the exam?
I was honestly leading up to it. I wasn't like that week, that day before I was like, I was most nervous about theory. Maybe I was confident, but I'm super nervous. But honestly, once I did each you know, you go in for your tasting, right 8AM, and then it's followed with your theory, and then it's followed with your service. After I did the first flight like the tasting. I was a little like, Ha like, I think I got the wines but you you never know, you know, you could have totally been off. But after I did theory, which was funny, because I was the most nervous about I was I left super confident. I was like, Okay, I just, I nailed that. And then again, I knew that I was really confident in the service part. So like, okay, as long as my tasting was good, I know, my theory was good. I think I'll crush service. So the hardest part was waiting because you know, you take your theory part and then they tell you to come back three hours later for service.
Your brain is going in a million directions and thinking what did I do wrong?
Exactly, exactly. It's pure torture.
But then you come to the end of the day, and you have the moment where they tell you if you pass or not so what was that moment like when you heard your name and you heard passed? What went through your head?
It was so surreal. There was 30 or 29 of us that took the exam and nine people pass Two of which were female. And I was one of the last ones. This always happens to be this happened to be my level one. Anytime I've ever had my name called out, I'm always at the end of the line, they call you and your supposed to walk up to the master Somm that gives you the glass of champagne and the pin. And your certificate. And I like had to be like, Hailey, move your feet like go like you did it like you can go up there. So it really was surreal. It definitely like took me a second. But yeah, how did it I feel I felt like, oh my god, like I can't believe I can't, I really can't believe I did it. Because, you know, the pass rate is just not super high. But yeah, I was just relieved, I was excited. And I was just really proud of myself, because I really, I wanted to do this for a long time I said I have a lot going on with work. And so I always told myself for many from 2020 that 2022, really, you know, you're too busy with work, you don't have time to study, but then I just, you know, I had to just again, go back to the discipline and just be like, you just set aside these many hours and, and just commit
That's really inspiring to hear. Because you were telling yourself, you didn't have time to do it. And you found the time and then they tell you, you passed, all of that becomes worth it. And all of that feeling of accomplishment rolls forward. So this is really exciting. I'm just, congrats.
I love that you got to be part of the process. It's so special
at the very end!
You know, Atlanta is such a great community. And honestly, I said this to everyone that helped me like I wouldn't if I really don't know, if I would have passed, if it wasn't for the support of everyone that was you know, helped me whether it was just being supportive or with like setting up a blind tasting for me or just, you know, it was the help of everyone.
Well, that blind tasting group that I was able to join on a Monday, I can't always join on Mondays. But I really enjoyed that I was there with you all because there was this energy in the room, because everyone feels invested in each other's journey together. Like we're all studying for something or bettering ourselves in the wine industry through these skills. And so there is this sense of camaraderie which we'll come back to because you are a big part of that camaraderie, which is really awesome. So you must be using this knowledge to teach others because I have even sent my own clients your way, when my schedule hasn't allowed for me to book private tastings. And with my clients, I have requests and I send them your way. So tell me about the business that you're currently running, Hailey
first of all, thank you for sending me those clients. They've all been amazing. So yeah, so I started, oddly enough, at COVID times in 2020 of April. I had left the restaurant I was working at at the time, and I was just you know, you got free time. And I got the idea to host public wine tastings at my house. Again, kind of during COVID time, some people might be like, Oh my God, why would you do that? But crazy enough, every Friday, they booked out like we're talking like 15 to 20 people every single Friday in 2020. So really, I was just looking for a way to I was studying to have an outlet for what I was the knowledge that I had in my head and you know, a way to share that but also a really just, why not? Let's just see what happens. So I did that and it really couldn't believe the the response that I got. And then I started getting a lot of inquiries for you know, it's my girlfriend's birthday. Can you come to our house and do a tasting here? Hey, we you know, we just moved to Atlanta, can you come do a housewarming and literally, you name it like bachelorettes, I just did like a, basically a dress party last week. So this, this woman, she's getting married, and she bought like several different dresses that she wanted to try on for her friends and have them help her decide. So I paired wines with the dresses, so you name it, I mean, I've probably done it. So it's really cool. Because in the world of wine, I also work in wine sales, and we can probably touch on that later. But you know, there's not a ton of creativity there. I mean, there is in their own its own way. But the wine classes really allow me to talk about and teach and educate people on wines that I'm really excited about. That may not necessarily be wines on on selling so I'm very lucky and grateful I mean word of mouth and and really like Instagram has been my success with getting you know people to find out about me and book me and it'll once I do one event, someone there is like, Oh my God, I want to do this with my parents or gift it for my friend. So the more I do, the more demand there is and I'm I'm super grateful for that.
So it can be pairing dresses with wine, or it can be a million things. That's a pretty cool thing. We have that in common. I often pair wines with fashion items, so we'll have to swap ideas. But I do love this because you have the creativity here. What types of classes and tastings are people requesting is there a common theme that comes up for you?
Yeah, I used to when I was first doing this I got real I started really nerdy because it was what I was excited about. So Chenin from four different parts of the world, or different levels of sweetness in Riesling, and then I realized that I was I was speaking above people, I was talking about something that was really not a tangible for a lot of, you know, just regular people that regularly consume wine. So, I really started like honing in on, you know, I had to think about who my audience is, like, do I want to educate other wine professionals? Or do I want to educate the everyday person that's just, you know, drinks wine on a Friday night. So I found that I, as much as I love also, educating wine professionals, I find I found more of like a niche with the kind of like, not so savvy wine people, because they are buying wine regularly, they're drinking wine regularly, and they really don't have a lot of information about it. So that's kind of where I like I grabbed on to and so I really had to hone back on my themes and do more, you know, not not to say that they're not amazing themes, but you know, new world versus old world, or let's deep dive into Italy, let me just like talk to you about the history of Italy and what the common grapes are and stuff like that. I did a class called Big Macs and burgundy. This was not my idea. This woman, Victoria stone, I believe wrote a book, Big Macs and burgundy and I got the idea to replicate that tasting. So to answer your question, the number one ask for class is Big Macs and burgundy. I didn't realize what I was doing to myself. What I when I did that the first time, because people still I mean, they DM me, Hey, can you do this? Hey, are you still and so that speaks to also like, people want to learn about wine and drink wine with maybe not so fancy, quote unquote, foods? I think a lot of people are intimidated when they're at a restaurant and a tasting menu to really ask the questions about wine. You know, if a Somm is at a table, I'm sure they're sharing tons of information. But if you're someone that maybe doesn't have any foundation, you're probably lost. And they're saying words that you don't know. So with a with a Big Mac, you know, anyone can, everyone's pretty much I would hope had a Big Mac at least once in their life. It's easy for them to understand, you know, when you go through why this Pinot Noir from Burgundy is pairing so well with such a simple quote unquote, food. It's like they have a light that goes off. And so I don't mind doing those, you know, food and wine silly pairings for that reason.
And that allows you to be creative with that, and connect with people that they will actually be using that type of information. As they're pairing wines in their home, you're in their home. You're educating them, you're giving them tools that are so easy to apply to their normal daily schedule. I love that Hailey. That's so important.
So good. Yeah, that's the goal
So Big Macs and burgundy. That's, that's your thing. That's that's what we got if you want to learn about that contact Hailey, what do you enjoy most about going into people's homes, a lot of times they don't know you in advance at this point, you're just getting requests online or word of mouth. So you go into someone's home? What do you like about that atmosphere?
So that's a really, really good question. I'm glad that you asked me that. Because a lot of people ask you that. So I love that you don't know what you're walking into. Maybe this is going back to I love the court of masters so much. You know, working in restaurants a lot. You're, you're constantly kind of on, you don't really know how busy it's going to be what kind of guests you're gonna get at your table, but you just know that you need to anticipate needs and adapt really quickly and kind of just provide a service and really more of an experience. So you know, luckily, I've had mostly 99% Really awesome people, but I kind of like it's like thrilling, I guess, to not know who I'm about to meet or I've never been at this person's home. I don't know what their setup is, like, I don't know if they're going to be super interested. I mean, I've had groups where, you know, they're 25 years old, and they just want to drink and I'm like, okay, I can do I can we can do that. And then I've had people that are like all have notepads and they want you know, it's there. It's like a class for them. And they're taking extensive notes. So it's always a little bit different. And I think that I really I guess maybe the theme for me is I like the variance of Environment and the kind of the uncertainty and just having to make it work and, and no matter what, just they have a good time. Hopefully, I don't get any weirdos in the future.
I love how your fingers were crossed when you just said that. No weirdos allowed to Hailey's business noted. I get it. You are also very clearly into people and learning about what people want and their interests and then finding out how to meet them with wine knowledge with where they're at and what they want. I think that that's a really cool skill. So does that mean that that aspect of the Certified Sommelier knowledge, what is the way that you're now using what you've learned throughout that formal education process? How does that apply to the in home tastings?
To be honest with you, I don't want to say it's, it's not applicable because it definitely is. You know, when you're studying for the Court masters for certified it's a lot of technical information like how long can Barolo be aged and in what vessel. And so it's very specific. So with my private in home tastings, when I kind of honestly I don't really like you said, I don't really know to like show up, if people are really into it, then I really deep dive with them. I would say the way that the certified has helped me the most in private tastings is with the history when you're studying, it's a lot of history, about the region, about the soil about the aging regimens, and that really sheds light into the wines that the place wherever we are talking about is making. So it's definitely given me a wider understanding of each region and each style and just more of a knowledge bank to be able to share with the people that really want to deep dive with me.
And you can pick and choose what type of information comes forward, what you highlight is going to vary depending on your audience. That's also a skill with having the broader knowledge, you can then focus and narrow in as needed. So fun for you again, the challenge of the unknown, right? I don't know what's gonna happen, send me forward. I love learning a little bit more about your background in the pre wine days as well, because we happen to have some parallels in the way that we found wine while studying something completely different in a whole different part of the world. Wine while I was studying abroad, in Argentina, that's really where I found this passion for oh my gosh, I need to know more. But for you sounds like it wasn't originally wine. It was a coffee farm in Brazil. That was the game changer. How does that connect back to wine? Hailey, draw the line for me draw the map.
So it sounds very disconnected. But I assure you there is a there is a line. So I'll try to give the the condensed version. So I went to school for psychology and philosophy. I was enrolled in a Ph. D program for clinical psychology in 2018. At the time, I was working at Grady Hospital and Emory in a research lab and in between undergraduate and graduate school. I took a gap year basically so I got into the school, but then kind of was like well, actually, I want to go travel. So kind of random. So my supervisor Emery wrote me a letter to defer my acceptance. That's that's kind of important. So I decided to go travel but I didn't want to just, you know, where am I going to go? What am I going to do? I wanted to really immerse myself. So at the time, I was super into coffee. So I was like, I'm gonna go work on a coffee farm to like really understand this beverage that I'm obsessed with. I guess I've always been obsessed with liquids. So I got really lucky and I ended up with a great family on an awesome farm, we were in an area called ___, which is about three hours northwest of Sao Paulo. So I was enrolled in a Ph. D program. I left September 1, I deferred my acceptance a year, so I had theoretically a year to travel. So I started with a three months in Brazil working on this coffee farm. And it was by far like, I don't want to say the best experience of my life, because that's really dramatic. But it was one of the most influential experiences of my life. You know, when you're living in another culture, as you know, living in Argentina, like you're exposed to so many different cultures and languages and ways of life and thinking patterns. And, you know, I was in school and I was very regimented. And this is what I'm doing. I'm getting my PhD in clinical psych, I'm gonna become a psychologist. I had this plan. And so living in completely outside of everything that was familiar to me. I just, I don't know, I just really started thinking a little bit. So I was on the farm for actually four months, I really loved it, I was pretty much in charge of hosting the green buyers. So there are people that travel all over the world to really be coffee farms to taste coffee, to then decide which coffee they want to bring back to their coffee shops. So what happened was I was meeting a lot of people that lived in Paris, Romania, Budapest or Hungary, you know, all over and they a lot of them were also really into wine. So I made really good connections in Brazil, I decided that when the four months ended, I wasn't ready to come home. So I kept traveling for six more months, by myself, and I just kind of made it this coffee wine journey and visited lots of wine regions, and it was purely at this point in time I I was still getting my PhD, I was not working in coffee or wine. I you know, it was more so like an adventure and exploration phase rather than like a career switch at this time. And I was in Portugal and I you know, just had this like epiphany that I don't know for sure if I wanted to continue with the path of a graduate program. So I really basically I I fell in love. I've always been in love with wine. You know, I grew up in a restaurant, I've always been around it my family's Italian, we've always had it, you know, around us. So why was always like in the back over here. And you know, I never thought of it as a career, but this trip really made me start thinking about how can I be in the wine industry and not just be a server? But what does that look like? Do I have to be a sommelier in a restaurant? You know, do I, you know, so it's just started to like, really marinate in my mind,
because you're a lover of beverages.There's a lot of parallels and synergy already. And finding the connection to the places where these beverages are from and the people who make it. And I have not had anybody on this show who has shared a love like you just did for coffee, I am so delighted to find this out. I had no idea because that is often a way that people can find a way to learn about other beverages, the parallels between coffee and wine, there's probably a lot I can think of a few for myself having my dad was obsessed with coffee. So that is what got me originally into coffee as well. And you think about the way that people enjoy it, or the atmospheres or the settings. But what are some of the parallels to you of the beverages themselves that stick out to you the most?
Yeah, I like to start with the fact that first of all, you know, they both grow out of the ground. They're both crops. A lot of people don't know that coffee. The bean that we get, we buy in a store that looks brown or black that comes from the inside of a cherry. So it's the seed of a fruit. And so coffee is fruit and wine comes from grapes, which is fruit. So we're starting with the same kind of raw elements ish. So first and foremost there, the soil types, the environment where these whether it's a coffee tree or a vineyard growing so there's the viticultural element, you know, soil type? Is there a lot of rain? Is there a lot of sun? Are we on high altitude? When you're tasting coffees, you can all the same things that we look for when we're tasting wine in regards to the viticultural practices can be identified in terms of that they're different in coffee. So there's a bit of cultural part to it. And then there's the actual tactile, sensational part. So with coffee, you know, there's fruit, there's body, there's acid, and there's tannin. And there's fruit, body, acid, tannin of wine. So we talk about the same elements when we talked about the two liquids. They're different. Of course, like in coffee, you get a lot of kind of like caramel and peanut butter and cacao. So the subjective kind of adjective, the actual thing that we're smelling and tasting or perhaps different than wine, but it's the same idea. It's the same structural breakdown
The way that you just said that made me think about the way that you are probably enjoying your beverages. Do you enjoy and taste wine and coffee the same way? Are you analyzing them in any parallel way?
So I used to! when I came back from that trip, I worked at a coffee shop in Atlanta called East pole. I went there because they were a roastery. So I wanted to be really close to like the quality control of the product. And they were talking about opening a wine bar. So it was kind of like the perfect little match made in heaven. For me. That's actually where I should have said this at the beginning. But I actually my first wine class I ever taught was at East Pole - the owner asked me to do a wine class for the staff and specifically parallel how coffee and wine were so similar. That was the first class which was which is looking back that was February 2019. So it That's pretty crazy. But yeah, so So nowadays with my coffee, I used to be really snobby about it. Now I'm just like, if it's got caffeine and it doesn't taste like shit, I'll drink it.
I'm not gonna lie. I kind of wanted you to say I'm just as nerdy about coffee.
I used to be you know it because Okay, so another thing back to your original question, like there's different varietals of coffee of beans. So for example, one is___ are a pretty popular now there's Geisha which are like these prized coffee plants. So there's different varietals and the varietals, just like varietals, and wine express different characteristics. So I used to be like, you know, I would go to I'd frequent all local coffee shops, I'd find out what the coolest newest thing that they was that they had, I would practice all different brewing methods, the pourover versus the French press versus an arrow press. I used to be really into it because again, there's so many elements that you have, you could control and it's going to change how the coffee tastes and I still play around with it like on the weekends a little bit but my focus is is much more wine these days.
You care about the wines that you have at your home instead of the roasts of your beans. I think that's really fun though, because you are still bringing a lot of that knowledge and the way that you talk about it. The vocabulary is very similar. There are always going to be people who like other types of beverages in the same way. How cool to have the dialogue to bring people in To the spaces from a background in some other type of beverage, so you can still continue to do that with coffee. If you had to choose though, working in a coffee shop, versus a restaurant or a wine shop, where would we find you? Would we find you in the wine side of things these days?
Definitely, you know, in a wine shop, and I love East Pole for the record, I fully support East Pole, but working in coffee is not what it sounds like. You know, people come in at 8AM, they want their extra hot cappuccino immediately. And so it's a really fast paced working environment. And you know, I remember I used to spend 20 minutes every morning dialing in my espresso to make sure it was perfectly balanced. And not just is, you know, you're balancing the sugars and acids like wine. And so you dial it in perfectly, and then someone comes in and they order like an iced vanilla latte. And you just dump you're perfectly dialed in espresso into that. So you know, that shifted my mindset on specifically coffee shops, like for me, I I was no longer interested in being in that side of things. And also, I had started my journey with coffee on a farm with the people that are growing these coffee trees that are picking and harvesting by hand the cherries and so to go from that to like the coffee shop back in Atlanta, it was a big shift. And definitely honestly, I'm grateful for it though. Because that at that point when I was like, Okay, I don't think I want to work in coffee. That's when I started taking my wine career more seriously.
So it was the lead in we have coffee to thank for Hailey finding her way eventually to wine. And speaking of the day to day, the schedule, you do have another job in wine in the business space. So the day job now what's a normal day like for you here in Atlanta?
There's no such thing as normal. There is no average day, right? So yeah, that's so I work in distribution. So I'm a sales rep also for a smaller distributor here in Georgia. And the day to day is, again, very different every day. But in general, as normal as possible as it could be, you see, like four to five appointments a day accounts rather. So for example, it could be a wine shop, it could be a restaurant. And so I will show up to the restaurant that I call on let's call it Kimball house. And I'll you know, I'll show them four to six wines. And you know, it is you have to think about okay, what kind of cuisine is this place? What price point are they looking for? So there is a creative aspect. But it's also sales, right? So what am I going to be able to sell so normal day, you know, you're driving a lot. You're definitely like eating lunch in your car, and you're showing wines, you're tasting people on lines. A lot of people that aren't in the wine industry, they're like so you just drink all day for work? And I'm like, No, not quite. Not really.
I wish Yeah, talk about drinking the whole time, but you're actually not drinking.
Exactly. So yeah, you show wines, you're you're trying to sell wines, but you're also informing them about the regions and the grapes and the styles and the winemakers. So it's very enriching in that way you do lots of you know, kind of consumer events for like your retail wine shop, they'll be like, hey, come for, you know, Thursday night for a few hours. So really again, like, it's it's every day is a little different. But ultimately the goal is to find the right wines for the right people within their space, whatever that might be.
See, you're still matching people's needs and interests to the way that you are selecting what wines to bring forward. I think you're in the right place, Hailey, I think you've found your way from coffee for really good reasons. And we have a lot of common friends in the Atlanta wine community. I've loved how many people know you. And I see you hanging out with people that I love hanging out with like, it's so fun. There's a lot of connections here. So how would you describe the camaraderie? We mentioned that earlier in the show, but the camaraderie in Atlanta, the wine community itself, to people who don't live here or study here? What's it like?
I love that. So yeah, I mean, I get I got goosebumps, actually, when you just asked me that. Um, it is honestly. So like you said, Everyone is so invested in the success of the other. There's really not this competitive or, you know, there's no competitive energy. It's like, oh, my gosh, this is incredible that this is like your journey, like how can I help you be on this journey, or get to your goal? So to describe the Atlanta wine community, I mean, it's just like, it's so wholesome. And it's, it's just kind of constant. Those are the first words that came to my mind. Like I could pick up my phone right now. And I have at least 10 people I could ask a question about whether it was, you know, a stylistic thing about a why and like a super nerdy question, or, Hey, can I really need this favor? Can you lend like, you know, whatever it might be. So I think the Atlanta wine community is incredible. And I want to say it's even more tight knit than maybe some bigger cities. I don't know because I don't have that experience. But I do feel like Atlanta is really special and everyone has really come together and I feel like in The last five years you've seen this, like surgence of more people entering the wine community and changing careers and being supported and really going and committing to some sort of certification or career in wine. And I think a lot of us don't necessarily come from a, you know, kind of come from an odd place. That's how we got to wine. It's not like a direct path. And I find like the people in Atlanta like same kind of thing, like a lot of them kind of either fell into it, or it became like, it was a side passion, and then it became their career. And so I think maybe that's what we all have in common is, it's somewhat new for all of us ish. But we all are really committed and eager to like continue learning,
don't the conversations that come out of those meetings, though, make you so intrigued because people do have crazy backgrounds, I find out things new about people that I thought I knew in wine here in Atlanta for several years, and then something will come up in these random bottles share conversations or something. And I'm like, I had no idea you did that in the past.
I know one of my favorite questions to ask people in the wine industry is what do you do before wine? There's always an answer. There's always an answer. And I love that. That story that what what changed for you that got you here? That's like my favorite thing to learn about people.
So as diverse or crazy as the answer to that question could be the current is the tie. The current is the common ground, that center of the Venn diagram, however we got there. Everybody is in this space where we enjoy being part of the wine industry. And you are living that every single day and bringing more people into this space Haley. So that's amazing.
I know it feels it's very gratifying. And I Yeah, it's incredible.
You do you probably get questions a lot about recommendations for certain things or know what's new on the market all of this. So I would be crazy not to ask you what is something that you're drinking these days that you think everyone should try? What should we seek out that you are just absolutely loving right now?
So you would think that wouldn't be a hard question
I kind of wanted it to be hard.
So my first thing that came to my mind is Txakoli. Txakoli is a Basque white wine. It's got a crazy spelling. But for me that that is my drink more than than anything, because it's lower ABV. It's so fresh, you don't have to think about it. So that's kind of something that I always hoped more people would learn about and buy and drink. And so that I mean, I guess maybe I shouldn't want that. Because then there's going to be less for me to purchase.
Did you answer that knowing I'm a few days away from going to Spain, did you?
I did not know that. But now I want to know where in Spain you're going.
I'm going very close to that area where that wine is from because I'm gonna be going to San Sebastia so right there on the coast.
So you can it's one hour drive from San Sebastian, you can drive one hour to Getaria. But also, while you're in San Sebastian, I have a whole list of recommendations. But you must go to Bar Nestor and get their ___, which is a dry aged ribeye. And it's like the best thing you've ever eaten.
I did not know I was going to fill my itinerary for Spain through this conversation. I welcome everything. We're gonna be staying in Rioja, but one of our day trips is to San Sebastian. So I want to drink all of those types of wines that you just said, as I'm sitting there having my northern Spain coastal food. Yeah, that's you just described the exact wine that I want to be drinking up there.
And that's, that's what they pour. They drink Txakoli all day, every day. I mean, I'm talking like 10am When the little Pintxo bars open, they're pouring Txakoli. So I'll send you a list later. So you have some other recs, but so yeah, I always say Txakoli . I mean, right now. I feel like I've always loved the Canary Islands. I'm also pretty biased to those I think I just like Island wines or coastal wines. But I always you know, if someone tells me Oh, just bring me your fave, like, if it's a class, they're like, oh, just your top picks. I always bring Canary Islands because I really want to expose people more and more to that.
What do you think it is about those mines, the Canary Islands in particular, what's intriguing about them to you?
For me, so I visited them - a few of them. Not all of them. They're like about eight islands off the coast, technically of Africa, but they're part of Spain and I visited ___ and ____ and particularly ____, it literally looks like the moon like you're on a different planet. I mean, it's black, volcanic sand, sand everywhere. It's super windy. You know, you have the volcanoes everywhere and you're just looking around like how did these vines survive here? It kind of just defies everything that you I understood about viticulture, so for me, it's just there's something that's like a live in the wines. It feels the most the best way I can describe is like alive it's vibrant. It's like they are just jumping though, the aromatics jump out of the glass, the acidity is usually really high. They are mineral driven, they're kind of got this salty finish. There's always like this peppery, savory note. So maybe that too like all of the Canary Island wines I find to be more on like the savory side even and when I say savory, not like heavy, but like more vegetal herbaceous and less like fruity and floral. So I think I just have an affinity to that. But when you Google, the Canary Islands, in the vineyards, these little tiny vines grow in these really massive holes that are hand dug. And you're just in awe, you can't even fathom what the harvest would be like, or how the wine is me.
So if I want Island wine recs, I'm coming to you. If I want to have a big macs and burgundy tasting, I'm coming to you. And I love this so much. Because you do have these things that I can tell you're very passionate about sharing with people, you describe wines that you're drinking right now that take me to a place. And you've been to a lot of those places. And so having you be the voice for those places, and speak about the joy through these wines, is very exciting for the Atlanta wine community. I'm thrilled that this is what you do. On your day to day, even if it's not an average day or not a normal day, this is what you get to do.
Yes, no, I feel lucky that I get to talk about what I love as my job. So it's very rewarding. And it's very obvious the places that I'm very proud of the wind and passionate about people often tell me Oh, so that's like your favorite? Like, could you see it on my face? I guess so
amazing so if people want to know more about what you're doing. If they want to book a class, if they want to talk about the Canary Islands? What is the best way to connect with you and find out more about what you're up to?
Yeah. So anyone that was interested in booking a wine tasting class wants just any recommendations for Canary Islands or where to eat in San Sebastian,
which is what I will be doing.
Yeah, exactly. My email is my name, HaileyCulmone@gmail.com. I also have an Instagram, you guys can reach out to me through that a lot of people reach out to me through there. It's at Somm.Where. So either any any of those ways, I'm happy too, Kelly, you're welcome to share my contact, I'm happy to, you know, for someone to call or text me as well.
I will keep sending people your way. Because I really enjoy how you adapt to the needs of your customers. You can build and customize any learning environment to then help people continue exploring. I noticed that right away about the way that you talk about wine, we share that passion for doing that. So I really appreciate your time and your energy today, Hailey, I can't thank you enough for what you're doing here in the community.
Thank you so much, Kelly. I appreciate it. It's been a pleasure and truly appreciate you having me on. And I feel like I can't believe an hour is already passed. I'm like we can just keep keep chatting.
I know I haven't even finished my glass of wine yet.
So well, it's yeah, you gotta get to that.
We will definitely connect and have more happy hours and bottle shares and all of that, Hailey, please take care. And cheers to you, my friend.
Thank you so much, Kelly. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you soon. .
Thanks for tuning in to the A Cork in the Road Podcast coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia, and interviewing people who are changing the wine world in the southeast and beyond. Youccan find more about a cork in the road @acorkintheroad on Instagram and make sure to check us out on www.acorkintheroad.com. See you soon guys, cheers.
