Details: No Apologies. No Excuses. No Bullshit.

That’s how I describe my conversation with Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly.

Starting out at 6 years old, when her mom told her it would be cool if she played the saxophone, Madeline started pursuing a career as a musician [starting with the flute, THEN sax, then guitar] and then morphed into a rock star by fronting several bands, in Oregon, where she grew up.

Fearlessness in her blood, Madeline also had a practical side. When she began attending Cal Arts, studying music technology, she also decided to learn graphic design [in case the rock star/musician thing didn’t work out] and she worked in both fields until she moved to Seattle in 2010-ish.

Where does wine come in? Well, it was a move to RENO, NEVEDA [with her partner], from L.A., where her serious interest in wine and her cultivation of wine knowledge started. Now, one would not think that Reno, NV would be the natural birthplace of a serious, and very substantial wine career that includes exploring the best wine regions in the world, writing a New York Times Best Selling Book and being the head of an award-winning wine site, Wine Folly. But indeed it was. It was the intersection of living in Reno, NV and a casual conversation with a wine bar owner that led to wine being Madeline’s obsession and how that obsession led to her taking big chances by entering a serious wine competition, to her pursuing certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers, choosing Seattle over New York City, chucking the idea of being a traditional sommelier and creating her own thing – Wine Folly – with the intention of making wine more accessible to people.

It’s quite the journey that now includes a New York Times Bestseller [it actually made the list the day we met to record the podcast] that is being published in over a dozen countries and being featured in the kickass movie [one of my favorites!] Somm 2: Into the Bottle, among many other initiatives in the world of wine.

Plug in and give a listen to a very lively conversation with Madeline Puckette.

Quote: “If you really want to be successful, it’s learning how to deal with your own bullshit, and owning your weaknesses while turning them into your advantages”

Topics Covered:

• Origin story – when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• Music, bands, Cal Arts and graphic design
• Moving from LA to Reno, NV with her boyfriend, Justin Hammack [and now biz partner], and how wine was their shared passion
• The birth of a wine obsession – working in a wine bar in Reno and starting to learn everything she could about wine
• Entering a San Francisco wine competition, taking first runner up, and beginning taken to dinner by key members of the Ruinart Champagne House.
• Key words of encouragement from Ruinart winemaker, Frederick Panaiotis: “I can see where you may have a future in wine professionally
• The Court of Master Sommeliers certifications, preparing to move to NYC to “take wine seriously” and the pivot of deciding to move to Seattle instead
• Taking the entry and intermediate tests for the Court of Master Sommeliers at the same time [and passing], pursuing the Masters Program [literally one of the hardest tests in the world – check out the movie Somm for more on that. It’s fantastic and fun to watch!] and then ditching it as she decided this wasn’t the path for her
• Hating her job, being miserable in her life and her work, and in turn alienating the people around her – getting real with her bullshit and ego – figuring it out
• The idea for Wine Folly and the blending of Justin and Madeline’s passions and expertise
• How Seth Godin personally influenced Justin and Madeline’s direction
• Failure, no excuses, back to the drawing board and making it all work with the core question “Who is Wine Folly FOR?”
• What inspires Madeline personally and what inspires her and Justin daily to move the business forward
• Madeline’s transparent perspective on business in general, her business in particular, and how she operates

 

SHOWNOTES:

Cal Arts

The Court of Master Sommeliers

Wine Folly [the site]

Wine Folly [the book!]

Ruinart Champagne

Somm

Somm 2: Into the Bottle [check out Madeline in the trailer!]

Seth Godin

 

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