Celebrating One Year! Your Fav Episodes, My Fav Episodes, the Future of this Podcast and more!

Ep 54 

It’s time to raise our wine glasses and celebrate!! The Cork & Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast is one year old!!!!

This episode means so much to me and I’m reflecting on my favorite moments, challenges I’ve encountered along the way, your top 5 favorite episodes to listen to, and my top 5 favorite episodes to record.

I’m giving a behind the scenes peek into what the future holds for The Cork & Fizz Guide to Wine, and don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere because the future of this podcast is incredibly bright! 

I have so many ideas that I can’t wait for you to hear them!

Thank you so much for being a part of my community and for sharing your enthusiasm for the world of wine with me. 

As I continue to grow and improve I’d love to hear your feedback on what you would like to hear more about in the future.

If you are ready to listen in as I reflect on what the last year has meant to me and where I see us heading in the future press play and listen in. Cheers!

Your Top 5 Favorite Episodes

Ep 31 Exploring Virginia Wine with Sarah And Nate Walsh

Ep 1 My 4-Step Wine Tasting Method 

Ep 19 French Wine 101

Ep 22 Interview with Natural Wine Expert Molly Ringe

Ep 37 Navigating Challenges and Crafting Boutique Wines 

My Top 5 Favorite Episodes

Ep 5 Tips for Smelling Wine

Ep 15 Producing Wine in the Rocks District 

Ep 20 Creating a Luxury Wine Experience 

Ep 47 4 Up and Coming Wine Regions

Ep 8 The Story Behind Cork & Fizz

Episode Highlights:

• A review of one year of podcasting

• Your top 5 favorite episodes

• My top 5 favorite episodes

• My evolution as a host and my journey with the podcast

• How I prepare for interviews and behind the scenes insights

• Future content and platform expansion

• Monetization plans for the podcast

• Challenges that come with having a podcast

Transcript

0:09

Interested in learning about wine, but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. I'm your host, Haley Bullman, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle based wine tasting business, Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total cork dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass and let's dive in. Welcome to this very special 1 year anniversary episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. This podcast officially released its first episode, June 1, 2023. So, technically, we're a little bit early, but I say close enough. This podcast is so freaking special to me. I'd been wanting to start it for a while before that first episode came out. I really enjoy talking about wine. You probably know this if you spent any time with me, If you've ever done a private tasting with me, that is the thing that just lights me up and has me so excited. And I just love telling people about wine. And when I first started the business, blogging seemed to be the thing to do in there. Like, you should write blog posts, talk to people about wine. I'm like, but that's not the same. That's writing. And I don't love writing. I really don't. So the idea that when podcast started becoming a more popular thing and I thought about I could actually start a podcast, I was like, that is perfect. I can talk. I can do that. No problem. Like, I'll just pretend there are people looking at me. I mean, I know there's people that are gonna be listening to this eventually. But while I'm recording, I can pretend there's somebody there listening to me. I could talk to myself. Not a problem. And I even remember the first time I heard the intro music with my little recorded intro. Oh, my gosh. It was just so special. My whole body was tingling. It made me smile from ear to ear. Like, that was my podcast. And now I have been podcasting for a year. Like, thinking about it, the fact that I've put out 1 podcast a week for a whole year, it sounds like a lot. But at the same time, it feels like this year has gone by so quickly. Now for one, I have the most amazing podcast manager who has helped me the entire way. She helped me launch the podcast, and she's been helping me every single week with the new episode, editing it, and putting it all together. I have no idea how to do this without her. So shout out to Liz. If you're looking to start a podcast, definitely let me know. I'll get you in touch with Liz. She is wonderful. But I mean, beyond that, I just love talking to you about all things wine. And I've loved hearing from you about how you listen to the show. I mean, for those that are closest to me, my sister, she's mentioned that she listens in the car with my nephew and she says he always smiles because he recognizes my voice. It makes me so happy. My mom, she listens almost every single Wednesday right when the episode is released or Thursday if she's busy. But even from all of you, it makes my day when I hear from you that you enjoyed an episode after dropping your kids off at school or that my podcast kept you company on your walk this week. I'm also super grateful for all the reviews. Those 2 just really make me smile. I mean, gosh, the her bubbly personality is contagious, always brightens my day. One of you wrote that she doesn't bombard you with intimidating jargon or arcane knowledge. Yeah. I don't I don't even like know that much intimidating jargon. That's not my thing. And you wrote instead she's like, instead, she takes you by the hand, invites you on a journey through the vineyards, making wine appreciation easy and fun. Music to my ears. That is exactly what I hope you feel like when I'm talking to you on this podcast. Like, I never want you to listen to this and be like, I am not smart enough about wine to listen to this podcast because that's just not possible. This is meant to be for both wine beginners and wine enthusiasts. It's just meant to be a fun conversation about wine. And I created this podcast for you. So while I'm celebrating creating a year's worth of podcast episodes, this episode is about celebrating you and your support of this podcast. It truly means so much to me that I'm not just talking to the void when I'm recording my podcast. I'm talking to you, my listeners. The fact that I can say my listeners is also just super cool. It blows my mind every day that there are people who look forward to Wednesday so they can listen to my podcast. So like I said, this isn't just gonna be me blabbering on about how I'm so excited to have this podcast and me talking to you. I do have some fun content to talk about today. I wanted to go over we're gonna do 2 different, like, lists. So we're gonna do the top 5 most listened to episodes, and then I'm gonna share with you as the person behind the scenes which are my 5 favorite episodes. And oddly enough, these didn't overlap at all, though I think it was just because I wanted to highlight more episodes. I think any of the top 5 most listened to could also easily go up towards the top of my favorite episodes. And then at the end of this podcast, I'm gonna talk to you a little bit about the future of this podcast and what I see happening, what I don't see happening, and all that fun stuff. So stick around. It's going to be a fun episode. And be sure to come check me out on Instagram if you haven't already at corkandfizz. We will be celebrating the year there as well. I'm trying to think about, like, what in particular I wanna do, if I wanna do a giveaway, if I wanna do something special. We'll see. We're still figuring that out. But come check me out on Instagram. We'll continue the celebrations there. Just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under$15. Head to korkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Now let's get back to the show. Alright. Let's start with the top 5 most listened to episodes. So I love that there is a combination here of both interviews and solo episodes. There is something you know, I really enjoy interviewing folks in the wine world, but I'm glad that you also enjoy listening to me talk about different subjects. So the one at the very top is episode 31, exploring Virginia wine. It was Sarah and Nate of Walsh Family Wines. And I'm not surprised this is at the top. I mean, first, Sarah and Nate were so wonderful. I actually, with this episode, I had reached out to a friend of mine, Diane. She is Sipping Virginia, I believe, on Instagram. And she's the one that really introduced me to the world of wine in Virginia. And so I wanted to ask her when I was like, oh, I wanna get more states that you may not have heard of that make wine. I I wanna highlight them on my show. And so I reached out to her and said, who would be a good person to talk to to represent Virginia wine? And she recommended Walsh Family Wines. And I'm so glad she did. This husband and wife team were just super friendly and you could tell they really cared about telling people about Virginia wine and not just their wine. Like, they also had their little I don't remember what they called it, but it was like an incubator kind of program where they brought small super startup beef wineries in to use their facility so they could help them grow as a winery. And on top of that, they would allow them to use their tasting room to have folks taste those startups wineries and the startups wines. And I just think that's so fantastic in an area where, like, you would be seen as like, I feel like some people be like, no, that's your competitors. And they're like, no, of course not. We wanna build the Virginia wine scene, and we wanna be a part of building that. So they were so wonderful. I also think this as well kinda points out that folks are interested in learning about, like, as well known or as popular wines. Like, we're sick of the same old, same old. We want to know what else is out there that's a little different, very unique, and very fun. So I'm glad this one was at the top. And, again, not surprised that it's the top either. Go check it out if you haven't listened already. Like I said, Serenade are just fun to listen to and know a lot about wine, and I definitely recommend giving their wine a try as well. Alright. The next most listened to was actually episode 1. Now, of course, you could say that any of the episodes that are, like, earlier have, like, been out the longest so they're most likely to have the most views. But this is the only one that is at the top, so I think this just says that it everybody really enjoyed this episode, and I'm glad you did. This was kind of like I feel like this is the cornerstone of cork and fit. So it's episode 1, my 4 step wine tasting method to build your wine confidence. And this is truly what my business is built around. It's what cork and fizz is all about. 1st, this wine tasting method. I think when you can break something difficult into 4 easy steps or into x mini, you know, easy steps, it just really breaks it down and makes it far more approachable. And then the other important part is second part of the title, which is to build your wine confidence. I teach you the wine tasting method not so you can become a wine expert, not so you can become a sommelier. I mean, that's great if that's your goal. I think you could still use this wine tasting method to do that, but this method is more to help you out and to build your wine confidence and learn what is your palate. So if you haven't listened to this episode, go check it out. But just a brief little preview, the 4 steps are that you look at the wine, smell the wine, taste the wine, and then importantly, you think about the wine. And in that last step, rather than trying to think about, you know, where is this wine from and and what is this and doing, like, the blind tasting style of thinking about the wine. When you think about the wine, what I want you to think about is, did you like it? And I want you to dig deep on this. Like, I don't want you to just be like, yeah. It was fine. Like, I wanna know. Would you buy a bottle of this? Right? Or would you buy a whole case, like, 12 bottles of this? Or on the flip side, would you probably not even order this again or have this at a party if you saw it? Right? Like, at what level do you like or dislike this wine? And then why? Like, the whole reason for me for going through this, you know, looking at it closely and trying to pull aromas out and then deciding, is it high alcohol, low alcohol, high acidity, lots of tannin, no tannin. Right? You just did all of that work so that you can now start to figure out what it is that you like and don't like in wines. And the more you do this, the more you can start deciphering what it is. I think I have the perfect case study in my mom. I love her so much. I'm so glad she lets me bring her up very often on this podcast. But when she started drinking wine, she only drank sweet, and she primarily enjoyed Moscato d'Aosta. This is a white sweet wine. So in my head, when I was trying to, you know, kinda branch her out and try to figure out, you know, what else would she like. Like, if we're trying to expand her wine interest in what she drinks, well, she likes white wines that are kind of fruity. What if I got her like a pinot grigio? And it was okay. But here's the thing, I had thought that because she liked a sweet wine, she wouldn't like a tannic wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or something like that. But the thing is she likes a sweet wine because she doesn't like acidity. And it took us doing this 4 step wine tasting method or more specifically, I should say it took her doing this 4 step wine tasting method. She had joined my court crew, my virtual tasting club. And so she had been tasting with me for, you know, months months and each time doing this method. And soon we realized it wasn't like tannin that she was afraid of. It wasn't like a dryness. You know, she didn't need to have sugar in there, but what she didn't want was high acidity. That's what she didn't like. And so this tasting method got her to that. So now she can try new wines. She has a bunch of red wines that she loves, and she also knows which white wines to reach for and what to say when she's at a new winery so they can help her find good wines that she would enjoy. And that is exactly what I wanna help you do with this episode. So again, if you haven't listened to that, if you're a new listener and you haven't gone back to the beginning, go listen to it. I I think it's one of my best episodes and it's really the cornerstone of Quirk and Fizz. All right. The next episode on the top 5 most listened to. So this is number 3 on the top 5 most listened to list. It is episode 19 French wine 101. And this is another solo episode, so just me. I'm really glad you like this because I was a little worried that it might be a little bit too much in of an overview. But what inspired me to make this is I feel like once I started to understand which like, when I'm looking at French wine and I could see the region and immediately in my head I could think, oh, that is this grape, I should expect this type of wine. I felt so much more confident like ordering off of a wine list or shopping in a wine shop that has a lot of French wines. And so I thought if I could relay this information to you and kinda give you a little bit of that confidence. Right? So that if you saw, oh, a burgundy wine, you, in your head, immediately went, oh, if it's a white, it's Chardonnay. If it's a red, it's Pinot Noir. Right? If you had that information, you, if you're especially if you're from the US, which I know a lot of my listeners are, or Canada as well, you're more familiar with the grape variety than you are, like, these regions in Europe and especially in France. You might feel a little bit more confident about what to expect from these wines. In this way, they're not just bottles that have names on them that you can't read. This way you know that when you come across a Cotes du Rhone, that this is likely a blend, and it's called the GSM blend. Right? And you'll know what people are talking about when they say this. That's what I was hoping you would get from this French wine 101, and you could feel more confident trying French wines because you're like, oh, I get it. The region tells me the grape variety in most places. Obviously, not all, which is why there's a part 2. And that one is not at the top of the list, I think because it's a little more complicated. The the top five that I talked about in this one, which I think were, what, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone Valley, Loire Valley, and probably Champagne, I feel like. And maybe Alsace. I might have added that 6th one in there as well. I feel like those are, like, one of the most well known regions in France and the most, like or the least, I should say, the least complicated. Like, you could easily, like, point out, okay, this region makes this wine, and this region makes this wine, and they're very specific rules versus in the part 2 or part as we did it. We did set a little fun play on words there. Or part du. I don't speak French, but I'm I'm actually trying to speak French. I'm going to France in September, and so I got a subscription with Babble to try to teach myself how to speak at least basic French. So I'm not just one of those annoying American tourists. We'll see. Anyhoo. Yeah. Those the regions that are in part or du, again, don't know how to say that, are a little less like clear. Right? Like in the Languedoc, they make a lot of different wines. And that was one of those regions that we talked about in the second part. So I think this first part was straightforward. It's a great like reference episode. I think you're gonna get a lot out of listening to that, and you can listen to it, you know, multiple times. And the more you listen to it, I think the more that it's gonna click in your head what these wines are, and you'll start to be able to make that connection like I have been and feel way more confident buying French wine. Okay. We're getting to our last 2 here. So number 4 on the list of the top 5 most listened to. These next two are actually interviews. So number 4 was episode 22. This was an interview with natural wine expert, Molly Ring of Molly's Bottle Shop. And I have to admit, going into this, I had certain feelings about natural wine. I feel like there's very much this anybody who's a natural wine expert or like a natural wine fan, like, they're like, you should only drink natural wine, and here are all these reasons why other wines are bad for you. And I really appreciated Molly's approach to this. Molly came from this or came into this with a personal reason for wanting to drink natural wine. She had been diagnosed with cancer earlier in her life while she was a sommelier wine expert. And she felt like, you know, not only was this scary because cancer is just scary on its own, but even if she survived the cancer, does that mean that she has to give up something that she is passionate about? Does she have to give up wine? And she thought she did. And she beat the cancer and she's doing great, but she was so worried that she'd have to give up wine. And it wasn't until she was introduced to natural wine that she realized she didn't have to, and she could continue drinking wine. Now keep in mind, natural wine does still have alcohol. So I'm not saying that every cancer survivor should drink natural wine and that is totally good for you. Right? It's it's everybody's own experience and and you get to decide that and you should talk to a doctor, of course. But in her case, she felt comfortable and confident drinking these wines because they were, you know, they didn't have any chemicals in them. And that's when we learn that a lot of wines, especially in the US, can have a lot of, concerning chemicals in them. Not all. And this is where I kinda draw the line between, like, I only drink natural wine because there are plenty of small wineries in the US that don't label their wine as natural wine, but also don't have any chemicals in them. Okay? So just I think with all this, I just keep in mind that, like, a wine that isn't labeled natural wine doesn't necessarily mean, oh, it obviously have chem has chemicals in it. All that said, I think you could learn a lot about natural wine by listening to this episode. And Molly was just super approachable. Again, I make it a thing to make sure that anybody on this podcast doesn't make you feel dumb for not knowing things about wine. Right? We are here to educate, to inform, and you're not expected to know something about something that you've never studied or that you've never learned about. So I feel like she was a great person to talk to about this, and I myself learned a ton recording this episode. And, unfortunately, I still haven't gotten out to Molly's bottle shop. I'm just so darn busy. But I can't wait to get out there and see Molly in person. She has 2 wine shops in the Seattle area. One of them is in Ballard, I believe, and the other one is in West Seattle. So and I've heard really amazing things about all the wines that she has in the shop, so I need to check it out. Okay. Last one on the top five most listened to list. This is also an interview. This is an interview with the winemakers, a husband and wife team again. And again from a region that is not as well known. This one is episode 37, how one Colorado winery is navigating challenges in crafting boutique wines. And, specifically, this was an interview with the husband and wife team, Jamie and Steve of the Storm Cellar. And this was super cool. I couldn't believe, you know, when I started doing research, I mean, I know for a fact that wine is made in, I'm pretty sure, all 50 states, but just learning about all the cool stuff they're doing in Colorado and how they're able to grow grapevines, like right outside their house, but also how they have a lot of challenges and, you know, what they had to do when they lost all of their crop when they had an, you know, an a late frost and, you know, when it it got down to below freezing and and what they're doing with hybrid grapes in this region. It was a really cool conversation. Jamie and Steve were nice enough to send me out of 3 bottles of their wine. We also featured them in my court crew virtual tasting club, and they were just, again, down to earth, super friendly, really fun. We got to hear about, you know, when a bear came in and started eating their grapes. Like, how are you supposed to expect that that would ever happen? Like, that's not supposed to be a challenge you run into as a winery, but they were just so wonderful. And Jamie was super cool. I loved I learned a lot. Like, they both come from a culinary or not culinary, but, like, the culinary side of things. They worked as sommeliers in the restaurants, and they actually just started a winery when they realized that they didn't know a lot about the Colorado wine scene. And they wanted to show off that Colorado can make wine. It can be amazing wine. And it was really cool because Jamie's actually also interested in spirits and cocktails. And so she's creating a wine club with their wines to encourage folks to use good wine in wine cocktails. I always thought, like, you know, if I'm gonna make a wine cocktail, I'm gonna go out and buy that, like, $5 bottle of Prosecco, right, to make my mimosas. But she's like, think about the best cocktails. You do not use cheap vodka. Right? You go out and you get the good stuff. Why not do the same thing with a wine cocktail? And why do we have to be so prescriptive about only drinking wine on its own, and that you don't wanna mix it with other things. And it's like, why not? Why not do that? There is some really cool stuff you can do, and, you know, there doesn't have to be only one way of enjoying wine and only one way of creating wine. So I feel like she brings this philosophy into their wine making style and into their winery. They're also creating you're gonna have to keep an eye on them. So, again, this is the storm cellar. Go listen to the episode. It's episode 37 if you haven't already, But also keep an eye on them. Follow them on Instagram. They share lots of fun things. They go deep into, you know, we're going out picking, and here's you know, here's why we picked this grape and not this one, or they'll talk about what measurements they take when they go out to the vineyard. You can learn a ton from them, and they're creating more than just a winery in their space. They wanna create, like, a place to come visit, and they do these amazing dinners that looks so delicious and so pretty. And they're also hoping to build these little I I don't think cottages is the right word, but just little, like, vacation spots where you can come out, stay for the week, you know, drink some great wine. They'll have, you know, catering and all these fun things. I know I'm keeping an eye out for when that happens. I told them I'd be one of the first ones to come out because it just sounds like such an amazing time, and I can't wait to meet them in person. Because, again, I just they're those type of people that you could just easily have a conversation with, and I would love to open some bottles with at some point. Okay. So those were the top 5 most listened to episodes. Now I have created over this is episode 54, so I have over 53 episodes before this one. So I was like, 5 is not enough. Let me tell you about 5 episodes that maybe they don't have the most views, but they were special to me. And you'll notice the first three are interview episodes. I do really enjoy those. Like, I think it's so cool that I have this platform that I get to interview really cool people in wine. I think it's one of the reasons I love wine so much is that the people here just are so passionate about what they do. I mean, nobody gets into the wine business to make money. It's a running joke, but so true that the way to make a small fortune in wine is to start with a large fortune. It's just not a place that you make a lot of money, but you do make a living and you do find passion and happiness and amazing people. So for my list of my favorite, my top five, this is the my favorite episodes. This podcast is sponsored by Repour Wine Savers. Listen, I love wine, but that doesn't mean I want to drink a full bottle every night. You see, it's always a risk opening a bottle knowing I'll only have a glass or 2. But now I don't worry about that at all because I have repour. These little contraptions will keep your open bottles of wine good for up to 3 months by removing oxygen from the bottle using fancy chemistry. And they're so easy to use. I simply open a bottle of wine, cork, or screw cap, just like normal, and enjoy my glass or 2. Then when I'm ready to call it a night, I rip the foil off my Re pour wine saver and place it in the bottle in place of the cork or screw cap, and then stick the bottle in the fridge. Simple as that. Then whenever I grab another glass from that bottle in the future, I just make sure to put the ripour back on as soon as I'm done pouring. It's that easy. Wanna give Repour a try? Head to repour.com, repour.com, and use code corkandfizz for 10% off your order. That's repour.com, and use code corkandfizz. No spaces. And that and the and is spelled out. So it's cork andficc. Once you have repour, you'll never have to worry about opening a bottle of wine just for one glass. I mean, heck. Now, you can try 2 or more wines at the same time and have your own at home wine tasting. This podcast is sponsored by The Court Crew Virtual Wine Club. Interested in trying new wines but not sure where to start? Or maybe you've been listening to this podcast for a while and you love the idea of tasting wine live with me. If that's you, come join my Court Crew virtual wine club, and you'll get to sip wine with me twice a month while I help you find new favorite wines. The Court Crew is not your ordinary wine club. This is a community of people who are passionate about exploring new flavors, learning about different wine styles, and having fun along the way. And the best part about this club? Purchasing the wine is completely optional. Plus, all events are recorded and you have access to the full library of recordings as a court crew member. So you can always catch up if you can't make it live. Oh, and did I mention it's virtual which means you get to do all of this from the comfort of your sofa in your p j's. No need to worry about driving in crappy traffic, finding a designated driver, or spending an arm and a leg on a taxi. Wanna give it a try without the commitment? You're in luck. Right now, I'm offering a free class pass to anybody who wants to try out the Court Crew Virtual Wine Tasting Club. With this pass, you'll be able to join a Court Crew event of your choosing. No strings attached. I don't need your credit card. I don't need you to sign up for anything. You'll be my guest. Simply head to corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass to get your class pass and be one step closer to becoming a member of the best wine tasting club around, the Cork Crew. I can't wait to see you there. Now, let's get back to the show. We're starting off with episode 5, which is tips for smelling wine with corkdork author, Bianca Bosker. When I knew that I was making this podcast, I knew I was gonna reach out to Bianca, and I had my fingers crossed that she would come join me and chat about her experience in writing her book Corkdork. If you haven't heard my story before, the way I got into wine is first a visit down to Willamette Valley in Oregon. But after I got back, got a book from the local bookstore that was recommended to me called Corkdork, and this was written by Bianca. And it was after reading that book that I was like, I need to know everything about wine. Absolutely everything I can get my hands on. So she is the one that truly sparked my passion in wine, and it was just so full circle that I got to interview her. I mean, I have no credentials that say I should be interviewing someone like Bianca who was a, you know, New York Times best selling author. She's also written another amazing book. Now she's basically done what she did in wine, indebted in the art world. I'm planning on getting it, so I can listen to it, as an audiobook. But all that to say, it was such an incredible experience and I couldn't stop smiling getting to interview Bianca and and talk to her again. And honestly, she, like, talked to me like we were good friends. And I was like, oh my gosh. This is so awesome. I had had her as a special guest in my court crew virtual tasting club 1 of the months, and we kinda kept up conversation a little bit occasionally. But just with, like, the ease that she spoke and, you know, it was almost like, yeah, what are you up to? And I was like, Oh, my gosh. This this woman doesn't even realize how much I look up to her. And I'm so grateful for her book and starting this passion for me in the world of wine. So go listen to that podcast. It's a special one for me. That's episode 5. Another cool interview, another amazing woman in the world of wine that I'm so glad that I've gotten to know and get to call a friend. This was episode 15, producing wine in the Rocks District with Brooke of Delmas SGR Vineyard. If you haven't heard me rave about Brooke, I don't know where you've been, you're probably new to the podcast. But I met Brooke when I went out to Walla Walla in Washington prior to my two wine retreats. I had seen that her vineyard offered a tour, and I thought that is perfect for my trip. So when I went out to kinda scope it out, I went out over my birthday weekend and brought my husband with me. And we went out and did a tour and Brooke gave us the tour and it was phenomenal. And I was worried that it was just me, but I asked my husband who is not as much of a wine nerd as I am. And he's like, no. That was hands down like the best experience that we had while we were out in Walla Walla. And every single time I go back out there I've gone back out twice now and I've brought 2 different groups, everybody always raves about this vineyard tour because of how amazing Brooke is. Like, she is just so cool. She knows so much about wine. And, again, that passion is there that you can just tell that this is her thing and she was born to do this. So the interview was amazing as always, and I think you can learn a lot about Walla Walla wine and this really special area called the Rocks District and why it's so special. So that was episode 15 with Brooke of Delmas SGR Vineyards. Okay. The third one and the last interview that made it onto my favorites episode, was episode 20, creating a luxury wine experience with NFL star, Sydney Rice, and entrepreneur, Tim Linehan of Dossier Wine. So I need to admit something to you on this one. This is probably one of the ones towards the top of the list that I was the most nervous for. I really don't get nervous when talking with people. I I used to as a kid. I you probably wouldn't believe this, but when I used to do presentations or having to talk in front of anybody, my heart would beat out of my chest and my lip would quiver so much that you could hear it when I was talking. I also inquire when we do choir presentations. I would get so, like, like, I would look white as a sheet and I was worried I would, like, fall off of the bleachers or the stands. I'd have, like, a banana before I would go out there so I can have enough potassium. That's what my mom said was gonna help me. But this one, I was definitely a little nervous for. I mean, heck, it's an NFL star. Like, this is a like, about as close as I'm gonna get to, like, celebrity status of talking to anyone. And it was just It was so cool. And the way that I got this, when I first started the podcast, I had sent out, you know, a Instagram story. Like, who would you like to see me interview on the podcast? And one person wrote back that, hey, there's this NFL star who is creating a winery out here. That'd be a perfect person for your podcast. I'm like, yes. That'd be wonderful. And I am not afraid to reach out to anybody. Right? So I looked up their contact information. I gave them you know, I sent them an email, didn't hear back. So, oh, well, it happens. I sent a few follow-up emails. Nothing really came of it, but I started following them on social media. And that is where I was a bit, not total stalker, but just, you know, a little bit. You gotta do a little research when you're on social media. And I happen to notice that this PR person was sharing about this winery, and so I realized that she must be the PR person for this winery. And so I started following her and started connecting with her, and I sent her a message. And I was like, hey. I hope this doesn't sound creepy, but I've been wanting to talk to Sydney and Tim of Dossier on my podcast. Do you think they'd be interested? And she's like, oh, sure. Send me more information via email. And so it's kind of a great example of one of those where, like, it might not happen right away and you might have to try a few different times, but you can make crazy stuff happen that you never believe would happen. And so I brag to my dad every chance I could get. My dad is a diehard Packer fan. So Sydney never played for the Packers, but he did play for the Vikings. And this was, you know, again, as close as I was gonna get to, like, an NFL star any day. But along with that, I I think Sydney's story is is so cool, and I love that he has taken what was the star in the NFL, but he's done so much more beyond that. And so I'm I'm sorry, Cindy. I'm probably leaning on that NFL star a little too much, but I can't help it. I was I was starstruck. But he's done some really cool things. And Tim is this amazing started so the fact that they came together to create dossier, and they sent me a couple bottles of their wine as well, which, again, I was like, oh, it's so cool. And they were so good. They were so good. And so I've been following along with them. They've opened up a tasting room in Walla Walla, Washington, and I believe they have or they are currently opening up a tasting room in Woodinville, Washington as well. So keep an eye out for them. It was a super special interview. I highly recommend listening to it. And it was kind of one of those where, again, I was a little little starstruck. Alright. We're gonna move through these next 2 a little bit quicker because I am starting to lose my voice as much as I wish I was a 100% better. This cold is sticking around and my voice is not sticking around. So my last two favorite episodes that I wanted to highlight, we have episode 47. This was 4 up and coming wine regions that you don't want to miss. And this was actually one of the first podcast. Well, I guess it's not because episode the one the one that I was just talking about before this was a recommended from a listener. But this was one that, one of my core crew members had recommended, and I had so much fun researching this episode just looking up regions. Again, regions that you wouldn't think of that are making wine or just aren't as popular that make wine. It was really fun. It really brought me back to the reasons that I love wine. And that is that you can never know everything about it, and there will always be new things to discover and to find. Okay. Last on the list of my favorite episodes is one that makes sense why it's special to me and maybe not the top listened to episode, but it is episode 8, the story behind cork and fizz. And this one, again, it was just so fun to, like, go back and see where this all started and and remind myself of everything that I've accomplished along the way and and where this began. It's so easy no matter where you are, you know, in growing your business or in your career to only see where you currently are and where you want to be. And I think we forget to look back at where we've been and really appreciate all the things that we've done. You know, it was so fun to go back and look at the very first private tasting that I did, and the very first time that somebody booked a virtual tasting with me that was not friend or family. Right? And also going back and really giving a shout out to those family and friends that supported me while I was creating this thing. I mean, Cork and Phys never would have gotten off the ground if it wasn't for my amazing family and friends who supported me and encouraged me and, you know, were my very first customers for those first three to six months. And then when I got my first virtual tasting where somebody had just found me online, oh, I was elated. It was so cool. And then when I hosted my very first public tasting and again, mostly filled with family and friends, but I'd found an amazing wine partner and people were like, how did you do that? You know? And I'm like, I kinda learned that lesson earlier where I was like, I just asked. Like, I just found what I thought could be a good partnership, and I mean, it happened. And the same with, like, I now have been on my local news, New Day Northwest. I've been on that talk show, I think, 8 times now, and everybody's always like, how did you do it? That's such a cool thing. And I'm like, I just sent an email and asked them. Now, to be fair, I've also sent an email to other talk shows in the area and have not received an email back, but it happens. It's okay. I love New Day Northwest. I love Amity, And I love Joseph who is my producer that I talk to there. We always have a lot of fun. And again, it had to start somewhere and it was really fun to kind of back it all up and realize where this all started, which, you know, gave me confidence for where this could go as a business, as a podcast, and everything in between. It's it's just really special to me. If you want to learn more about how Cork and Fizz began and why I even created this, that is the episode to listen to, episode 8. Okay. We have made it through our list of episodes. Now I just wanted to give you a little hint of what's what's maybe to come in the future. So first off, we're gonna start with some real I'm getting real with you. It costs a lot to produce a podcast. It takes a lot of time and it does take a lot of money. I probably record 2 to 3 episodes every other week, and this allows me to kinda get ahead in that way if I'm out at all. But even before recording the podcast, I need to plan out the podcast and the topics. If there's somebody that I'm interviewing, I need to email them and ask them to be on the show, get information from them, write down questions, you know, do some research on them, write down some questions. If it's a solo episode, I need to do a bunch of research so that I make sure I'm giving you factual information. I tend to like to plan out my podcast. I put an outline and kinda follow things along in Google Docs. And then once I have all that, then I can record the podcast. Then once the podcast is recorded, I send it to my wonderful podcast manager, Liz, who who goes through and does all the editing. And she creates a lot of the graphics for me, writes out the show notes, all these wonderful things. And then I get that back, and I have to review all of that for you, put it up on my blog, get it ready to post on Instagram, and I have to listen to my voice, y'all. I have to actually listen to the podcast back. I've gotten very used to that. But trust me, it was not easy in the beginning, but that takes time too. And all of this, and then I pay my podcast manager every month to do all of the editing that she does. She edits at least 4 podcasts every month. And so this is a lot of work, and it takes a lot of money. And I always, no matter what, want these episodes to be free for you to listen to, but I would really love to monetize this podcast in the future. And what that means is there's a few different options. One, I'm thinking of trying to find some sponsorship. So if you know of some brands that would be a great fit for this podcast and a great fit for these listeners, let me know. I would love to work with them. Also, I don't know if you've heard of this, but a lot of podcasts have what's called a Patreon. And this is almost like a, like, a dedicated community. They're usually super low cost. It could be as low as like $22 a year. But if you get people on there, I'm thinking of like offering bonus episodes for folks who join a Patreon and pay. It's kinda like a subscription, but it's not like you're not required to do this in order to listen to the podcast. Like, these are things you would do to get, like, bonus things and then to kind of show support to me as somebody who's creating this. But it's totally optional and I would not guilt you into doing it if it's not something that makes sense for you. But I would probably offer bonus episodes and maybe even do some special events, both virtual and in person for folks who are part of my Patreon community. And, And, again, no matter what, I always want these weekly episodes to be free. I think it's so important for there to be content on every subject, including wine, that folks can find and use without having to worry about how much it costs. You know, I think everyone should have the opportunity to find their passion and things shouldn't be gatekept. Right. I feel this because of experience. I never would have gone down the path that I did outside of this wine business and everything here. I used to work as a software engineer and I still work in the world of tech, but I'm a technical program manager. I never would have gone down that path and I would have a totally different life right now if I had never been introduced to computer science. And the only way I was introduced to that is that I went to a college. I was dating a guy who was a computer science major, who is now my husband, and was introduced to the world of computer science. Now, obviously, that wasn't a free opportunity. I did have to pay to go to college, but it was funded with financial support. And so if I had gone somewhere else, had not been given that financial support to go to this liberal arts school where, you know, I was encouraged to try everything, something like computer science that I'd never done before, I may never have gone down that route. And I just think it's so important that everybody be given an opportunity to find their passions. And the world of podcasts is a great way to do that because it's all free information. Right? So all that to say, these episodes will always remain free. I've just been trying to think of ways that I can help monetize it so that I'm not working for free this entire time and that I can continue to create these podcasts for you. Looking into the future again, I am definitely planning on doing plenty of more interviews. When I reached out to you and I said, do you like interviews? Everybody was like, hell yeah. Please keep doing those. So I am hoping to find winemakers from regions maybe outside of the US to chat to as well. So if you know anybody who would wanna have a conversation and they speak English because I do not speak other languages, unfortunately, I'd love to have them on the show. I'm also considering maybe doing some more mini episodes. I feel like these could be nice as, like, something to listen to just, like, on your way home from work and you just, like, it'd be like a short 20 minute episode. And then if that could be like part of a bigger series. Right? Like maybe digging into the wines mini series to do. And maybe within there, I kind of throw in parts of, mini series to do and maybe within there I kind of throw in parts of interviews as well so they kind of last more than a single episode. I know those hour long episodes with the folks that I interview can get quite long, probably though they are a favorite. So I'm sure it doesn't feel as long when you're listening to them. But yeah, I'm also contemplating moving to YouTube to have a video and audio platform. I would still be on whatever you're listening to me now on, but I would also be on YouTube where there'd be a video component. So, like, anytime when I'm on the podcast and I'm going, oh, look up a picture of this. Instead, I could actually show you that picture, and we can be a little more visual and and it could be a little more entertaining. But I don't know. We'll see. I don't really have the space for that yet. The problem is that you need like a really good setup, and I am not good at editing video. So I don't know. It's an option. Let me know if it's something you'd be interested in. But also, I mean, obviously, no plans of stopping. I've gone 1 year and it's been so much fun, and I've got so many more ideas for podcasts to create. And so you can expect a new episode from me every Wednesday. There's no plans of stopping, but I do need your help to continue growing and to continue gaining more listeners. So please keep sharing this with your friends, share this with your wine community. Let's introduce everyone to this amazing world of wine where it's approachable and fun, and we get to do, I don't know, just fun things and and be passionate about something that might not be our day job, but is something that's a lot of fun and we get to drink alcohol along the way. Drink wine. So I still can't believe it has been a year of podcasting. It has just been so darn fun, and I can't thank you enough for being on this journey with me. Please let me know. What do you wanna hear me talk about next on this podcast? Like I said, this podcast is for you. Yes. I get to do a lot of fun things. I get to talk to a lot of amazing people, and I, you know, research different things. But I know a lot of the stuff that I'm talking about. I talk about this because I want you to learn about it. So tell me, what regions would you like to learn about? Do you want more wine 101, or do you want more wine recommendations? Should I dive deep into upcoming wine news or go back into wine history? Who should I interview? You know I'll reach out to just about anyone. I can't guarantee they'll say yes, but I can try. Send me an email, haleyat corkandfizz.com, or message me on Instagram at corkandfizz. This podcast is for you, so tell me what you want to hear. And, of course, if you know a wine lover in your life that would enjoy this podcast, please share it with them. Find your favorite episode and send it their way, or take a screenshot right now. You're listening to the podcast. Take a screenshot right now of the picture of the podcast. Post it on your social media. Tell people that you love this podcast and that they should listen to it too, it would mean the world to me. And of course, don't forget, if you have not subscribed yet, be sure to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode. I release new episodes every Wednesday. Now in next week's episode, I'll be interviewing Tania Jorgensen from Ezea Winery here in Washington state. I first tried Tania's wines at Taste Washington earlier this year and and was blown away. I thought I realized I say that a lot, but, like, so many wines are just like, woah. You can't think of any other words? Also, shout out to Mary from Damsel Cellars for pointing me in that direction. I just asked her, like, what are 4 wineries that I have to visit here? And this was one of them. Asya is a small batch winery. I know at one point they were making wines in her garage. They are making wines with a light touch and they result in lean, elegant, and acid driven wines. They source their fruit from sustainable and organic vineyards, and have a policy of minimal intervention in the winery. Their goal is to produce fun wines that you want to open up and drink, and I think that is such a great philosophy for a winery to have. I'm super excited to introduce you to this amazing winery and learn more from Tanya about her journey to becoming a winemaker. Now don't forget, if you'd like to taste live with me and belong to a community of amazing fellow wine lovers, come join my core crew. We are the coolest wine tasting club around, though I might be a little biased. Head to corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass to come check out a tasting for free. Cheers.