A Cork in the Road
A Cork in the Road
Creating Opportunities for Wine Education and Exploration
Creating Opportunities for Wine Education and Exploration
Wine Media and Events Specialist
A Cork in the Road, LLC uses wine as a platform for connecting and communicating with wine enthusiasts, novices, professionals, travelers, etc. Through designing wine events, teaching wine classes, producing audio journalism, and creating social media adventures, we help people develop skills to explore their own tastes in wine.
Wine Media
Writes articles and creates digital media for wine travel and education
Tasting Events
Customizes events for private clients both in-person and virtually
Wine Handbags
Designed and retails a leather wine handbag with an insulated pocket
Podcast
Interviews people shaping the Southeast wine industry and beyond
About
We partner with wine retailers and restaurants to host wine dinners, classes, and tasting experiences - both in-person and virtually. We also team up with private chefs to design wine pairings for clients. Currently, we are also seeking venue partnerships for hosting our signature "Wine vs Beer Dinners" for continued data collection. If you or your organization are looking for wine event media coverage, we are available to offer promotional partnerships. And per request, we have recently agreed to accept wine samples for assessment as long as there is no endorsement expectation. CONTACT US
Kelly @acorkintheroad
Founder of A Cork in the Road, LLC / Host of "The A Cork in the Road" Podcast
Born in Minnesota, Kelly holds a Masters in Exercise Physiology and completed a study abroad program in Argentina during her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology. While pursuing her career in public health, however, she simultaneously fell in love with wine and has since accumulated 10+ years of wine industry education and experience.
From 2011 - 2013, she worked for a South African winemaker while managing a winery in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia learning all aspects of wine production and tasting room sales. Since then, her interest in the people, places, and history of wine has taken her biking to wineries in Mendoza, exploring tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma, learning about Gamay vines in Beaujolais, meeting with producers in Northern Rhône, studying Pinot Noir in Burgundy, expanding perceptions of Port in Portugal, and discovering the diversity of microclimates in the Willamette Valley.
After founding A Cork in the Road, LLC in 2018, she has contributed to wine and travel publications, designed multi-course wine pairing dinners for restaurants, produced almost 100 episodes of the "A Cork in the Road" podcast, and partnered with retailers to create a wide variety of unique education experiences. She continues to share the joy of all things wine through custom tastings, virtual classes, and Wine vs Beer adventures.
Our Leather Handbag for Wine
A Cork in the Road, LLC and P. Sherrod & Co. have designed a fashionable, high-quality "everyday" style purse that can discreetly carry a bottle of wine separated from other purse items for wine lovers on-the-go between errands, work events, and gatherings with friends.- Insulated wine sleeve (fits most standard 750ml bottles)
- Flap closure snaps securely over the top of a wine bottle
- Inside zip pocket plus pocket for corkscrew
- Studded feet on bottom
- 13.5h x 12w x 5d
- Imported, Colombia
Currently available in 3 colors:- Fuchsia
- Golden Yellow
- Black
Our handbags are also for sale at the following retail partners:1. DRNK wines in Sebastopol, CA2. Deep Roots Wine Market & Tasting Room in Roswell, GA3. R Five Wines in Downingtown, PA4. Wine Enthusiast Magazine online catalogThe Power of Partnerships
Listed below are a few of our ongoing partnerships allowing us to work collaboratively with other brands and businesses.
Southeast Wine Educator
Ross Knoll Vineyard in Sonoma County
A Cork in the Road, LLC's newest partnership is with Diane Carpenter, a SommTV Board Member and a Somm Films Executive Producer, who is bringing together a stellar team of wine professionals to support her Ross Knoll Vineyard project. This opportunity will bring us closer to our roots in wine production, and it will be so fun to be able to share these thoughtful small-production wines as part of what we can offer at events and tastings. Shipping direct to your doorstep is available to CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK, ILLINOIS, FLORIDA, VIRGINIA, and GEORGIA.
The Ross Knoll portfolio currently consists of a Rosé of Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, a White Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, and the newly-released 2021 Russian River Pinot Noir. Fermented in a neutral oak barrel with low pressure pressing immediately after picking for no color from skin contact, the White Pinot Noir is the "unicorn" of Ross Knoll's production thanks to winemaker, Justin Seidenfeld, crafting a textured, unique, and elevated white wine made from a red grape. You can Join the Mailing List, Make a Purchase, or Request a Tasting.
Wine Pocket Handbag Designer
P. Sherrod & Co. in Atlanta, GA
Partnership with P. Sherrod & Co. began in Atlanta, GA when Donna was planning a fashion show for her line of leather handbags in the fall of 2018. She found Kelly by searching online for a wine educator who could pair wines to several ensembles for the show. At the event, Kelly selected wines based on the style of each look to serve to guests as each model walked the runway. It was a sold-out success and sparked ideas for further collaboration.
Kelly recognized a need among wine lovers for a more practical yet stylish way to carry wine bottles between events, and Donna had the skills and resources to facilitate a design and manufacturing process. Their teamwork guided each wine-loving detail and business decision that has led to the launch of their co-branded specialty handbag for wine lovers.
The Fall Collection is sold out for online orders, but our retail partners in Georgia and California still have some inventory available. The Summer Collection will launch in July 2022 along with several pop-up events around Atlanta.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us for a ticketed wine education and exploration experience - follow @acorkintheroad for all updates and event announcements
Friday, February 10, 2023, 6:00-7:30pmPetaluma, CAA Cork in the Road, LLC is...taking this show on the road! Join us for our first out-of-state pop-up wine class this spring. It will be a fun and insightful evening at DRNK's new pop-up location in downtown Petaluma. Kelly will share her knowledge about the history and origins of 6 grape varieties featured in the tasting flight while we taste DRNK's California version of it. Kelly's leather wine pocket handbags will also be available for purchase at the pop-up event!
This tasting class will be held at DRNK's new pop-up location in downtown Petaluma at the Bagel Mill off Western Ave.
TICKETS: $45/person
Sunday, March 19, 2023, 2:30-4:30pmSmyrna, GALet's celebrate the 100th podcast episode with a blind tasting challenge! The Oenophile Institute was started in September 2022 by wine educator, communicator, and culturist Chelsea Young. Come join us in the beautiful educational space she has created for a celebratory blind tasting group session! Guests will taste 6 wines and learn about the process of deductive tasting to identify the wines in the glass using all of your senses. Kelly and Chelsea are teaming up to design a fun and educational line-up that will help you practice connecting taste, smell, and structure with wine growing regions, characteristics of grape varieties, and wine production methods.
TICKETS: $30/person
PODCAST
The "A Cork in the Road" Podcast highlights people who are shaping the Southeast wine industry and beyond.
Or search for "A Cork in the Road" wherever you get your podcasts.
To honor incredible people and share inspiring stories, this podcast shines a light on those who are inspiring education and truly setting the bar in the industry. This series goes behind the wine so you can meet the distributors, retailers, educators, beverage managers, etc. who are shaping the wine market.
On Air
We are currently producing ~3 episodes each month. Recent guests include:
Episode 94 - Steven Meir, Founder of Bon Vin SelectionsEpisode 95 - Adam Pucillo, Fine Wine Specialist for The Estates Group of Republic National Distributing CompanyEpisode 96 - Kaitlin "Jett" Kolarik, Wine Professional and Photographer
Episode 97 - Yolanda Shoshana, Wine & Spirits Ambassador and On-Premise RepresentativeAll episodes from Seasons 1-6 are also still available.
Share and write us a review. You can also support the show directly on Anchor's platform.
PUBLISHED
Available for reporting assignments and media bookings
Contact acorkintheroad@gmail.com
FOLLOW
@acorkintheroad #acorkintheroad
