Road to Wine Expert

Latest Episodes:

Chappy Cottrell - Host of Cru Podcast Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Chappy Cottrell is the man behind the mic at Cru Podcast. Listening to Chappy's interviews was a source of inspiration for The Road to Wine Expert Summit. After all, here was someone seeking out wine stories of industry folk.

Chappy Cottrell is someone who I got to meet in real life when I made my first trip to Sonoma, California in July 2018. We got coffee, shared some laughs and some vino. An all around great time.

I'm thrilled to see his continued success with his podcast and his wine career.

But let's take a step back before we go forward. To hear how Chappy started in the wine industry, listen to his podcast episode.

To learn more, visit: https://roadtowineexpert.com/chappy-cottrell/

The following songs were used in this episode:

Funky Souls by Amarià
https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/Funky-Souls
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/jFMCyqKF-EE

chill. by sakura Hz
https://soundcloud.com/sakurahertz
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pF2tXC1pXNo

Grapevine by Peyruis https://soundcloud.com/peyruis
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download: http://bit.ly/Grapevine-Peyruis
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E_0lrfefZL0

Hillary Zio - @hillaryzio and Author of The Unfiltered Guide to Working in Wine Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

Hillary Zio doesn’t just have an Instagram account, @hillaryzio, that leaves you inspired and envious. She is a wine educator and consultant.

Her book, The Unfiltered Guide to Working in Wine, is a roadmap that outlines her career path and documents the ins and outs of different jobs in the wine industry.

Upon reading, I decided to double up and take the WSET Level 2 and the Introductory Sommelier Course and Exam at the same time. I registered and then passed both in 6 weeks.

She’s single-handily helped me jumpstart my wine career. So, thank you, Hillary.

Let's turn it over to Hillary Zio and learn about the twists and turns in her wine journey.

To learn more, visit: https://roadtowineexpert.com/hillary-zio/

The following songs were used in this episode:

Yannick Benjamin - Sommelier, Founder of Wheeling Forward and Star of Uncorked Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

You might know Yannick Benjamin from his years of stellar service in the New York restaurant scene. Or maybe, you know him from the TV series Uncorked. Perhaps, you have been to one of his amazing wine events in support of his non-proft, Wheeling Forward.

Yannick Benjamin is a master of the art of the hustle. He’s an inspiring figure in the wine world, and every time I talk to him I feel blessed and motivated.

I’ll let Yannick take over to tell his story and hopefully leave you inspired too.

To learn more visit: https://roadtowineexpert.com/yannick-benjamin/

The following songs were used in this episode:

Chel Petras - @chelloveswine on Instagram Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

I'm continually impressed by Chel Petras and the wine knowledge she's gained in the past two years.

One of the most rewarding parts of looking back on these interviews is to witnessing the continued growth of many of the speakers from the summit.

When I listen back to this interview compared to my recent conversations, Chel seems like a different person. And I mean that in the most positive sense.

Her maturation as a wine personality is due in large part to her dedication to wine education. So much so, that WSET made her an ambassador and she's sharing her studying on Instagram. You can follow along and take her quizzes by checking out @chelloveswine.

She's due to take the test in August so please wish her good luck.

So, let's rewind to connect with Chel and discover how she got started.

To learn more visit: https://roadtowineexpert.com/chel-petras/

The following songs were used in this episode:

Cal Fussman - Big Questions and Cocktails Before the Collapse Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

I first encountered Cal Fussman on The Tim Ferriss Show. In his chat with Tim, Cal briefly talked about his wine experience for his column in Esquire Magazine. Exploring those show notes, I read Cocktails Before the Collapse, the article in which Cal writes about his time as Sommelier at Windows on the World.

That piece is cornerstone to my leaving the corporate 9-to-5 in order to chase this crazy wine dream. Some might be wondering, “A magazine article changed your life?” It certainly did.

When I created the Road to Wine Expert over two years ago, it was with the hope that I might be able to do the same for someone as Cal had done for me.

Cal is the host of an amazing podcast, Big Questions. You can listen to Cal as he uncovers the heart, head, and soul of his guests in thoughtful, deep and entertaining conversations.

To learn more visit: https://roadtowineexpert.com/cal-fussman/

The following songs were used in this episode: