Welcome to the Wine Geek of the Week
Where I ask my favorite wine geeks shitty questions!
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Where I ask my favorite wine geeks shitty questions!
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This week's guest is Vanessa Raymond @telesomm.app
Tell us a bit about yourself. Why are you a wine geek?
I get geeked for wine geeks... if that makes sense. I want to make somms' wildest dreams come true & build new and magical ways that people connect through wine.
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Extraterrestrials just landed on earth. What wine do you pour them?
I quickly form a council of somms from each wine region, a United Nations of Wine if you will. We begin heated deliberations as to the most salient and profound wines to engage our guests & delight their senses. We ponder year, soil, technique... the ethics and the poetics. In the end we end up pouring them this reddit guy's Baja Blast wine but actually we're all ok with it because it is kind of apropos given the situation.
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What's your favorite scent you have ever smelled in a wine?
Favorite scents are those that transport me somewhere. The last scent journey I had? Saudi Arabia at night. Jasmine, bougainvillea, palm trees, dry air mixing with a little dankity dank because I remember the smell of watering plants with grey water at night.
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Any favorite music or podcasts you like to listen to while you drink wine?
Friday night, 90's gospel on the good speakers, cuddled up on the couch with a glass of wine... can't beat it.
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If you could visit any wine region in the world right now what would it be any why?
I must know more about the Canary Islands. Absolutely positively must be in that place and drink those wines.
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What do you think is the most exciting thing going in the world of wine right now?
Changing the face of wine! This change needs to happen everywhere, in every industry. And it feels great to be a part of that change for wine.
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What would you like to see in the future of wine?
Can you make it so the snobby goes down and the nerdy goes up? Thank you. Also more yummy wine in different formats - large, small, pouch, can
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What advice would you give yourself looking back to when you first started working in the wine industry?
I still feel very new to the wine industry but I'd say try everything. Try everything and find out is my motto.
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Who are some people that inspire you in the world of wine?
Shitty Wine Memes, you inspire me to be irreverent and witty and use the cultural language of my era when I talk about wine. Let's all collectively say goodbye to the pressure to be a thing or present ourselves in a way isn't genuine or authentic just because we like wine. I am also endlessly inspired by Elaine Chukan Brown @hawk_wakawaka for always being true to her roots and for speaking as her whole self for her work within the wine industry and beyond the world of wine. And then, and not to be a sap or nothing but, I am so inspired by the wine professionals and sommeliers I get to work with on the Telesomm platform for their integrity, passion, and grit.
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Anything in the works you'd like to mention or promote?
The Telesomm app brings wine lovers & sommeliers together for custom wine experiences from the comfort of home. We donate a portion of our revenue to The Roots Fund (12% in 2020), and local charities to end hunger. We are a WOC-founded and managed wine startup, and 73% of the somms on the Telesomm app are women! 36% of our somms are Black & Latinx! And 27% of our somms can give you a hyper specific wine pairing for your Taco Bell order & 9% of our somms have pink hair, although we hope to have that to 18% by 2021 (I'm looking you Kelly)
All we want for Christmas is diverse, fun-loving clientele.
I get geeked for wine geeks... if that makes sense. I want to make somms' wildest dreams come true & build new and magical ways that people connect through wine.
.
Extraterrestrials just landed on earth. What wine do you pour them?
I quickly form a council of somms from each wine region, a United Nations of Wine if you will. We begin heated deliberations as to the most salient and profound wines to engage our guests & delight their senses. We ponder year, soil, technique... the ethics and the poetics. In the end we end up pouring them this reddit guy's Baja Blast wine but actually we're all ok with it because it is kind of apropos given the situation.
.
What's your favorite scent you have ever smelled in a wine?
Favorite scents are those that transport me somewhere. The last scent journey I had? Saudi Arabia at night. Jasmine, bougainvillea, palm trees, dry air mixing with a little dankity dank because I remember the smell of watering plants with grey water at night.
.
Any favorite music or podcasts you like to listen to while you drink wine?
Friday night, 90's gospel on the good speakers, cuddled up on the couch with a glass of wine... can't beat it.
.
If you could visit any wine region in the world right now what would it be any why?
I must know more about the Canary Islands. Absolutely positively must be in that place and drink those wines.
.
What do you think is the most exciting thing going in the world of wine right now?
Changing the face of wine! This change needs to happen everywhere, in every industry. And it feels great to be a part of that change for wine.
.
What would you like to see in the future of wine?
Can you make it so the snobby goes down and the nerdy goes up? Thank you. Also more yummy wine in different formats - large, small, pouch, can
.
What advice would you give yourself looking back to when you first started working in the wine industry?
I still feel very new to the wine industry but I'd say try everything. Try everything and find out is my motto.
.
Who are some people that inspire you in the world of wine?
Shitty Wine Memes, you inspire me to be irreverent and witty and use the cultural language of my era when I talk about wine. Let's all collectively say goodbye to the pressure to be a thing or present ourselves in a way isn't genuine or authentic just because we like wine. I am also endlessly inspired by Elaine Chukan Brown @hawk_wakawaka for always being true to her roots and for speaking as her whole self for her work within the wine industry and beyond the world of wine. And then, and not to be a sap or nothing but, I am so inspired by the wine professionals and sommeliers I get to work with on the Telesomm platform for their integrity, passion, and grit.
.
Anything in the works you'd like to mention or promote?
The Telesomm app brings wine lovers & sommeliers together for custom wine experiences from the comfort of home. We donate a portion of our revenue to The Roots Fund (12% in 2020), and local charities to end hunger. We are a WOC-founded and managed wine startup, and 73% of the somms on the Telesomm app are women! 36% of our somms are Black & Latinx! And 27% of our somms can give you a hyper specific wine pairing for your Taco Bell order & 9% of our somms have pink hair, although we hope to have that to 18% by 2021 (I'm looking you Kelly)
All we want for Christmas is diverse, fun-loving clientele.