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 and designs educational class formats
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 tasting room at 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 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.
PODCAST
"A Cork in the Road" is the Atlanta-based wine podcast featuring real, engaging conversations with wine professionals, creatives, and culture-shapers making wine more human and accessible
An award-winning wine podcast for curious people
Recipient of The Hue Society's "2023 Podcast of the Year" Award
Long-listed for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards in 2024
Each episode of this Atlanta-based wine podcast features thoughtful, engaging discussions with winemakers, sommeliers, wine educators, beverage professionals, and creative voices from across the wine world. The focus is on the people, journeys, and experiences that shape how wine fits into our lives. It highlights both local and global perspectives, making it a go-to wine podcast for listeners who want authentic storytelling and enaging conversations.
On Air
You can expect 2 episodes per month. Recent guests include:
Episode 165 - Atlanta Wine Professionals Pair Wines with Anna Bell's Mac & Cheese LIVE at The Perlant
Episode 166 - Winemaker Rajat Parr Returns for a Live Audience Tasting at The Vine Club in Atlanta
Episode 167 - New Opportunities for Wine Tourism with Jacqueline Strum, President & Publisher of Wine Enthusiast Media
Episode 168 - Listener Q&A to Close Out the Year, Amanda Kimbrough of Avant Partir Interviews Kelly of A Cork in the Road
Episode 169 - Live Audience Port Tasting and Masterclass at The Vine Club in Atlanta with Chris Forbes, the Deputy Managing Director for Taylor’s Port
Share and leave us a review. You can also inquire about our monthly presenting sponsorships and adverttising opportunities.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us for a ticketed wine education and exploration experience - follow @acorkintheroad for all updates and event announcements.
Discover Spain: Wine Pairings
Friday, February 13th, 2026
7:00-9:00pm @ Epicurean Atlanta
Embark on a tantalizing journey for the senses during a series of strategic food and wine pairings that will highlight different regions of Spain. Chef’s dishes will showcase signature flavors or ingredients of the region while Kelly provides insight about the wines grown in each area. Book your tickets & get ready to go on a food and wine adventure right here in the theatre! Each ticket includes a 5-course dinner paired with an educational lineup of 5 wines during an evening of exploration.
Cookie & Wine Pairing
Thursday, March 5th, 2026
6:30-8:00pm @ Trilith Guesthouse
Join us in Fayateville, GA for the second annual edition of this popular event featuring girl power wine pairings designed & submitted by female wine experts around Atlanta! Each ticket includes an educational tasting of five wines paired with five different flavors of Girl Scout cookies. Guests will gain pairing insight from Kelly about the combinations designed by her friends in the wine industry. After the event, a local scout will have additional cookie boxes available for guests to purchase.
COOKIE FLAVORS:
- Exploremores (new cookies!)
- Thin Mints
- Samoas
- Tagalongs
- Lemonades
Cookie & Wine Pairing
Friday, March 13th, 2026
6:00-7:30pm @ Epicurean Atlanta
Join us for the third annual edition of this popular event featuring girl power wine pairings designed & submitted by female wine experts around Atlanta! Each ticket includes an educational tasting of five wines paired with five different flavors of Girl Scout cookies. Guests will gain pairing insight from Kelly about the combinations designed by her friends in the wine industry. After the event, a local scout co-host will have additional cookie boxes available for guests to purchase.
COOKIE FLAVORS:
- Exploremores (new cookies!)
- Thin Mints
- Samoas
- Tagalongs
- Lemonades
A Cork in the Road designed a session for the 2026 DTCWS
January 20-22, 2026 in Monterey, CA
The Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium is more than an industry event — it’s the driving force behind progress in winery DTC shipping, leadership, and education. Presented by Free the Grapes, this annual gathering funds this 501(6)C’s work to eliminate shipping restrictions and expand consumer choice in wine across the U.S.Meet the dedicated volunteer Steering Committee whose leadership makes this event — and its impact — possible. A Cork in the Road designed and hosted a panel presentation for the 2026 programming inspired by Sommlympics.
SOMMLYMPICS: A Competition for Wine Professionals
A Cork in the Road is Co-Creator of Sommlympics - a one-day competition where teams of three wine professionals compete in blind tasting, theory, and service with each teammate tackling one event. Designed to celebrate skill, strategy, and community, Sommlympics brings people together through spirited challenges, shared passion, and a few surprise twists along the way. The concept came to life in 2023 when Chelsea Young the founder of The Oenophile Institute, teamed up with Kelly of A Cork in the Road. Together, they envisioned something that celebrated community, showcased talent, and made learning fun again.
The first Sommlympics was scrappy, hosted at The Oenophile Institute with just a few teams, some borrowed glassware, and a roomful of local wine lovers. But the energy? Electric. Service challenges, blind tasting, wine theory—it was part competition, part variety show, and all heart. By its second year, Sommlympics had grown exponentially. The event brought in competitors from 7 states, a judging panel, sponsors, and prizes that turned heads (Champagne trips, anyone?). The third edition of Sommlympics concluded on January 11, 2026 at FORTH Hotel in Atlanta, and it brought together 36 elite wine professionals from 14 states competing before an audience of nearly 100 spectators. Sommlympics will return to Atlanta on January 10, 2027 for its fourth iteration, continuing its mission to elevate wine education, celebrate professional excellence, and build community across the industry.
OFFICIAL MERCH
Every purchase you make directly supports our ability to continue producing the podcast while also providing access and opportunites for wine exploration.
Press & Media
We attend press trips and share stories from the wine industry across a variety of media platforms.
Our work and contributions:
- Mentioned in Atlanta has a taste for wine, despite dwindling consumption globally article in Atlanta Business Chronicle - July 2025
- Contributed to What to Pair with Southern Cuisine in Decanter Magazine - May 2025
- Quoted in Napa Magazine Issue No. 19 - Page 18 - April 2025
- ATL Staples Wine Pairing Dinner YOUTUBE Recap - November 2024
- Sip, Swirl, Win: Sommlympics Turns Wine Tasting into a Competitive Sport - Men's Journal, September 2024
- Uncorking a Tee Time at the Intersection of Wine and Golf - Men's Journal, May 2024
- Quoted in Despite Heat, Humidity and Skepticism, Wines From the American South Find Their Audience - Wine Enthusiast, May 2023
- Grappa: The Perfect Discovery Spirit for Wine Lovers - SommTV Magazine, February 2023
- A Cork in the Road on The Wine Makers Podcast - The Wine Makers, February 2023
- 4 Women Leading the Revival of Port in Porto - SommTV Magazine, September 2022
- Quoted in The Wine World's Never Been So Convenient - Whalebone Magazine, September 2021
- Meet Kelly Cornett: Wine Consultant and Event Specialist - Shoutout Atlanta, March 2021
- Quoted in Eggnog Taste Test: The Best And Worst Nogs For Your Buck - HuffPost, December 2020
- Meet Trailblazer Kelly Cornett - VoyageATL, April 2019
- The Great Vineyards, Wineries, and Cellars of North Georgia - DiningOut Atlanta Magazine, Spring/Summer 2019 (p. 96-99)
Our Leather Handbag for Wine
with P. Sherrod & Co. in Atlanta, GA
A Cork in the Road, LLC and P. Sherrod & Co. 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.
- 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 in the Wine Enthusiast Magazine online catalog.
On June 4, 2024, Fox 5 Atlanta’s Good Day Atlanta invited us to preview some of the looks featured in our Summer Sip & Style Showcase at Epicurean Atlanta. During the segment, Kelly of A Cork in the Road talked about some of the wine and food pairings while Donna of P. Sherrod & Co. highlighted the themed pieces from our featured designers. We also gave away the secret that the handbag we designed together holds a bottle of wine...
On September 24, 2024, Fox 5 Atlanta’s Good Day Atlanta invited us to preview some of the ATL-inspired dishes and wine pairings on the menu for an event we designed for the Epicurean Atlanta Theatre. During the segment, Kelly of A Cork in the Road talked about some of the wine pairings while Chef Stephanie Echeverria cooked and plated two of the featured dishes - Lemon Pepper Wet Chicken Wings and Tacos Estilos Jaliscos.
FOLLOW
@acorkintheroad #acorkintheroad
