Wisdom From The Women Leading the Wine & Spirits Industries, with Cristie Norman

An interview with Kelly Reeves

Networking and being a nice person are both just as important as studying wine. Your network is your biggest support group. It’s easy to get caught up in this idea that it’s you against them, but I’ve found being kind to my colleagues and people I meet at events has never backfired.

Less than 20% of winemakers and distillers are women. Traditionally, women were excluded from these industries. This number is slowly rising as more women choose to study this profession and enter the wine and spirits fields. What is it like for those women who work in this male-dominated industry? What are some of the challenges that these women face? Is there hope for better representation, and better wages, for women in the wine and spirits industry? As a part of our series about women leading the wine and spirits industries, we had the pleasure of interviewing Cristie Norman.

Cristie Norman is a Wine Educator and Sommelier, certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers and WSET (Level 3). She became a Wine Expert at 21 years old and wants to make wine education affordable, accessible and fun for everyone with her Online Wine Course. She is also the President of the United Sommeliers Foundation, providing financial assistance for Wine Professionals in crisis due to circumstances beyond their control.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your origin story, and your childhood?

I was born in Japan and moved to the U.S. when I was around 6. There’s a huge tea culture in Japan and I ended up working at a tea house when I was 15 that I loved. It was my job to recommend tea to customers based on aromas, scents, and flavor profiles. My mom says I was destined to be a sommelier because of this, and it definitely sparked my interest in the restaurant and wine industry.

Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the wine and spirits industry?

When I was 19, I started as a bar back at this fancy steakhouse. I was pretty much willing to do anything to get my foot in the door — which meant doing the less fun side of bar life, like cleaning up spills and taking out the trash. I was also trying to learn everything I could about spirits because I knew my GM at the time was really into wine, and I thought if I impressed them with my wine knowledge, they would promote me.

When I started waitressing, I began studying for the Certified Sommelier Exam. I was only 20 at the time and had to ask for special permission to register for the exam because I wasn’t old enough to legally drink. I passed the exam a few days after my 21st birthday, and for a while I was the youngest sommelier anyone on my team had ever worked with.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Since I’ve started taking charge of my own business and working for myself, there’s been a lot of shifts in how I view work.

There is a crazy amount of responsibility that comes with being your own boss! I feel like I wear a million different hats and a lot of my day revolves around making sure all my ducks are in a row. I like to hold myself accountable and I pride myself on not being late and making sure I always show up for my team. Even if I’m tired from a long night of work, or I don’t want to get out of bed, I make sure the people I work with know I’m in this 100%.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’ve made a lot of funny mistakes over the years. You’ve got to laugh about a lot of the stuff that happens in this industry, especially when you’re surrounded by wine and spirits, because there’s a lot of mistakes and awkward moments.

One moment I love to talk about now is the time I spilled wine all over a celebrity guest that I will not name! This was honestly super embarrassing and I remember thinking it was the end of the world — but it just taught me to laugh at myself and to go into every situation with the idea that tomorrow is a new day, and nothing is ever that serious.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Michael Papadol once gave me the advice to buy a bowtie, and I always say he is the reason I’m where I’m at today. When I was still just a bar back at that steakhouse, I met Michael and told him about my dream of working my way up in the industry. He told me the one thing I could do to set me apart from my co-workers and get promoted was to buy a real bow tie instead of a clip-on. At the time I sort of laughed it off, but I did buy a real bowtie and when my managers saw me untie it at the end of the night, they were so impressed! A few weeks later I was promoted to food runner, and soon after that a server, and the rest is history.

Michael unfortunately passed away earlier this year, but throughout my career he was someone I could always turn to. He introduced me to my first mentor and was a constant source of encouragement. I feel like I owe a lot to his bow-tie idea and even though he can’t see me now, I know he was proud of how hard I worked to get here.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Passion, perseverance, and willingness to fail are traits that you need to have to survive in this industry. You are going to make so many mistakes at different points in your career, and that’s literally just human nature. Take a deep breath, pivot, and recognize that everyone is taking their lives one day at a time.

You need passion because not every day will look like a success. There will be times when you don’t know what the next steps of your business will look like, and if you’re not truly passionate about it, you won’t have the energy or the drive to keep going.

You also need perseverance and willingness to fail because you will probably mess up a lot! I had to work extremely hard to get to where I’m at today and take heat from a lot of nay-sayers who thought I was too young or inexperienced. Even when I did make a mistake, I always took it as an opportunity to learn a lesson rather than give up, and I think that’s why I’m able to keep doing what I do today.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Something I’ve been really excited about lately is my Instagram series that I’m calling, “Wine Basics 101”. These are short, 30 second to 1 minute clips where I explain all things wine, from how to cut open the foil on a bottle to how to use a chambong.

I’ve had so much fun filming and editing these videos. I used to be really nervous about posting on TikTok and Instagram but I’ve realized that nobody is judging you as much as you think. I keep a list on my phone of all the ideas I have and I’m constantly adding new ones. I’m hopeful they will continue bringing new people who are interested in wine into our community.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. In Napa Valley, the percentage of lead women winemakers or winery owners is about 12%. Overall, men account for about 80% of winemakers and winery owners. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society as a whole to support greater gender parity moving forward?

While I think there are a lot of things we can do as a community to help support women in this industry, one thing that comes to mind is to be more open about what type of jobs are available in the wine and spirits industry. I’ve gotten a lot of comments from people telling me that they didn’t know being a sommelier was an option, or they never knew what a sommelier did, which has been a huge part of my Instagram series and my wine course. I’ve always felt a pull to make wine knowledge more public and accessible.

We are a male-dominated industry, but I’m constantly talking to young people who are excited to work and get involved in this field. Exposure to the industry is key, which I think is the heart of a lot of the work I do.

Supporting women and BIPOC-owned businesses is also something anyone could do! Visit that new wine bar in your area with rad female bartenders, listen to woman-hosted wine podcasts, and support us on social media — we are here and not going anywhere!

Challenging industry norms is another thing that we can all do to help spring us in a new direction. I’ve mentioned this before, but the wine community is all about tradition and old school values, so to see people starting to break down those barriers has been really cool.

You are a “Wine and Spirits Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non-intuitive things one should know to succeed in the wine and spirits industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each?

1. Networking and being a nice person are both just as important as studying wine. Your network is your biggest support group. It’s easy to get caught up in this idea that it’s you against them, but I’ve found being kind to my colleagues and people I meet at events has never backfired.
2. 100% is easier than 99%. Decision making becomes crystal clear when you’re 100% committed. When you’re even the smallest bit uncommitted there’s room for you to make other decisions or move away from your goal. When we were creating virtual masterclasses with physical tasting kits for somms during the pandemic — and people were hundreds of miles away — we shipped kits of wine from Los Angeles to San Diego and Santa Barbara overnight. We worked together as a team to figure out how all attendees could get physical samples in their hands. This was something I was really passionate about, and the passion paid off because so many people appreciated it. If I hadn’t been all in, I could have easily given up and only given wine kits to people in my area, but I made a promise and I was determined to keep it.
3. Don’t be scared of new technology, embrace it! In an industry that is obsessed with tradition, embracing new tech, especially social media can give you a huge edge. From using online data to understand who your audience is, to leveraging social media platforms for marketing, new tech can really expand your reach. So many somms are very traditional and old-school, and so they are immediately turned off by anything new or shiny. But if you want to keep moving up you have to get with the times!
4. Adaptability is key. The wine industry is always subject to change, so you’ve got to learn to be flexible. Sometimes a winery will struggle with climate conditions and produce less that year, or an event will get canceled that was supposed to bring in a ton of business. There have been days where I’ve had to throw my hands in the air and recognize there’s nothing I can do about being out of a certain type of wine, or that someone in our team is running late. Having the ability to go with the flow will make you a better business owner and team player.
5. Storytelling sells. Being able to craft a story around your wine, your business, and yourself can help set you apart from the crowd. As a sommelier, you’re not just selling wine; a lot of people want to see the full picture. Where did this wine come from? What is the vintage, what were the conditions like, have you visited this specific winery or region before? When you show people you have personal connection to the product, it’s much easier to engage and I end up making a ton of connections this way.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the industry?

There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening in the wine world right now. I’m excited about the role of social media and how its helping people discover wine in a way they never would have imagined. I got into wine super young, and I want people to know that there isn’t really an age restriction when it comes to wine. I’m starting to see a lot of younger, fresh faces.

I also love the sense of community coming from the wine world. During the pandemic, I founded The United Sommeliers Foundation, which has helped distribute over a million dollars to sommeliers and wine professionals in need. I truly believe that our work with this foundation has helped bring a lot of people together in a way they may not have in the past, and I’m really excited to keep working with my team to keep growing this project.

There’s lots of exciting wine events, new wineries popping up, and more ways to get involved than ever before. It’s so fun to watch Gen-Z become the next generation of sommeliers, and I’d love to be that voice of support for them that I wish I could have had when I was first starting out.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

I’ve seen a lot of improvements over the years, but when I was first starting out I think it scared a lot of the older men that a young woman was taking charge and being a loud voice in the industry. I like to think that we’re moving past that, but the gender gap has been an issue for a long time. People are also very hesitant to try new things, and I’ve seen my colleagues pass by a lot of opportunities because it was out of their comfort zone, or it was not how things “should” be done.

The lack of wine resources online was always troubling to me and was one of the reasons I started The Online Wine Course. I wanted to bring wine to a more affordable, accessible level and stop the gatekeeping!

I think the best way to improve the industry would be to keep sharing knowledge, be more open to different experiences and to make sure we have kindness to our community. I was able to get this far because I put myself out there and I tried to make as many connections as possible. A lot of the wine world is built off tradition, which I appreciate at times, but my hope for the future is that the wine industry can grow out of these old habits so we can have a more open, accepting community.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.”

I swear I live by this! I’ve said this before, but you will probably mess up a million times, whether that’s in your business or your personal life. Of course, there are moments when you need to be serious and you can’t take everything as a joke, but life becomes so much more fun when you go into situations with the knowledge that not everything is the end of the world. You can have passion and drive for your career and still have time for a lot of laughter and care.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to keep growing the United Sommelier Foundation. We’ve helped so many people already, but I know there are still wine professionals out there who could use an extra hand. Growing this project will take time, but it’s something I’m passionate about and I’m excited to continue working on.

Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!

About The Interviewer: Kelly Reeves is a published writer, copy editor, speaker, and certified entrepreneurship and personal growth coach. She is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and executives over 50 to help them discover their life’s purpose, unlock their full potential, and thrive in the second half of life. As an award-winning public relations professional with multi-industry knowledge Kelly worked with global brands, startups and media personalities including the Tony Hawk Foundation, Barrett-Jackson, Targus, Kingston, WD, and Howard Stern. Kelly successfully launched a variety of consumer electronics and B2B brands and executed highly successful PR and social media campaigns. With an average track record of generating more than 50 million media impressions on a monthly basis, she placed clients in leading media outlets such as InStyle, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNet, TechCrunch, AllThingsD and Mashable; and landed spots on high profile programs such as Extra, the Today Show, ABC News, CNN and Good Morning America. She also played an integral role in helping clients increase sales revenue by over 350%. Her community service includes mentoring students in the Masters of Entrepreneurship Program at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She also mentors students in the College of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. Kelly serves as the Co-Founder and President of Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue, a 501c3 animal welfare organization where she oversees the operations, donor relations, and marketing and PR strategy.