Welcome, from Zoom
A Visit to California with Zoom
7/30/24 | 8:30 pm Eastern
Join the Zoom at 8:15 pm Eastern Time to play trivia with us for some GREAT prizes from Zoom!
Just click the above and you’ll be whisked away to your tasting!
We’re sending you some wine!
Your wine will arrive via FedEx. Someone 21+ must be there to sign for the wine, which usually arrives during hours of 9-5. If it’s impossible to have someone at home, you can use the door tag left the first time they attempt delivery to reschedule for a local Walgreen’s or FedEx store. Need help? Just call, text or email couch + cork and we’ll make it happen!
What to do with your wine:
When your wine arrives, please place both bottles in your fridge, the white and the red. They can lay on their sides or stand up. Standing up is better, but it’s fine to lay them flat. The key is to let them just hang out!
Residents of IL:
Illinois is experiencing some shipping slowdowns but we are actively monitoring your wine and have requested an overnight a.m. delivery that will get it to you the morning of the tasting, 7/30.
Someone 21+ must be home to sign for the wine on the morning of the 30th. If this is not possible, please let us know and we can re-route your wine to the closest pick-up spot or find another way to get it to you in time to chill before the tasting. You can call, text or email us!
We’re Going to California
When it comes to wine, California is a favorite region of wine drinkers around the world. California’s large area and varied climates mean there’s a lot to be explored throughout the state. Interestingly, you can learn a lot about the rest of the state just by sampling two grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir!
In this tasting, you’ll learn all about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and how they vary around California and the world.
Preparing for Your Tasting
On the day of your tasting, drink your 64 oz of water prior to the tasting, and have two wine glasses and a water glass/bottle for each person participating. The reason people get hangover symptoms is because they’re dehydrated so trust this tip from your new wine besties!
To set up, take the red out at about 6:10, just before you join us for some fun California-themed trivia in the waiting room. Take the white out once we’re about to begin. If you have a chiller or ice bucket, that’s perfect for the white. To use an ice bucket, make sure you put in the bottle, then add about 1 parts ice to 2 parts water - the water is what chills the wine! You’ll need two wine glasses and a water glass (and water!) for each participant.
We like a nosh with our wine education and have prepared a list of all the things that pair with your wines. You can go as simple or as complex with this as you’d like! Here are some examples of how people have set up (and yes, we LOVE getting texted pictures of your spread!)
Handy Resources
Some people like to take notes. Others like handouts. Some just want to hang out and sip some delicious wine. All three are perfectly acceptable. Here are some things that might help those who want to really dive in.
10 Things Note Sheet – At couch + cork, we think there are 10 things everybody should know about wine. We’ll touch on MANY of these things during your tasting so this is a great way to jot down a few reminders if the spirit moves you.
Who are we?
Your presenters will be Kaiya (left) and Nancy (right). Sure, we could have put our headshots here but we think this screenshot from a virtual tasting tells you everything you need to know about them.
While they’ve got some serious wine bona fides, Kaiya and Nancy are fun, approachable, and don’t think wine should be taken as seriously as some people take it. The goal of couch + cork is to meet all guests where they are in their wine knowledge and increase their confidence and that’s way easier if everyone’s smiling.
Kaiya Kirk
Kaiya is an internationally-certified wine expert, certified through Wines & Spirits Education Trust. She received a perfect score on her level 1 exam and passed her level 2 with distinction. Kaiya is a Los Angeles-native who graduated from Bennington College in 2022 (can you imagine THAT senior year?!). She chose to remain in Bennington. Kaiya joined couch + cork in October, 2021 managing our social media but quickly started pursuing her wine education. Kaiya is a Wine Unify Fellow. She is Production Manager at Bennington Theater, serves on the Board of the Shires Young Professionals and volunteers throughout her community regularly. Find Kaiya singing show tunes, baking and wrangling the cats she fosters when she’s not working.
Nancy Koziol
Nancy (on the right) is also an internationally-certified wine expert, spirits and sherry expert, and currently working toward her WSET Diploma, a multi-year program. She did not pass any of her exams with a perfect score but has passed both her level 2 and level 3 with merit. Nancy left a successful career in labor and employment law to chase her dream of writing and fell into wine on the way. She’s not interested in climbing out any time soon. Despite not having any formal education in beer, that’s what she’d love to share with you if you run into her in the wild. Nancy is a best-selling non-fiction author and journalist. She is very involved in her regional Chamber of Commerce, business liaison to Alliance for Community Transformations (a community-based coalition focused on supporting area youth in making healthy choices), and a regular volunteer in her community. She is the first woman to judge the region’s homebrew festival, a major accomplishment in the industry.
Casey Rich
While not a wine, spirits or beer expert, it wouldn’t be a couch + cork tasting without Casey, who hosts our waiting-room trivia and manages the chat to make sure all of your questions get answered.
Casey, a Massachusetts native, lives in Pownal, Vermont and works as an accountant. She also owns and operates Phoenix Fitness & Self-Defense. Casey is a world-champion powerlifter, incredible cookie decorator and Jeopardy fan. Casey servers her community as Vice President of the Board of Directors at Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion.