March is Women’s History Month, so we decided to sit down with Amanda Kimbrough, a wine sales representative and coordinator of a local women in wine collective, to discuss the importance of community in not just our careers, but in our individual lives as well.
Your community can be the city you live in or the people who live in your apartment, but a sense of belonging is a necessary part of human engagement. Amanda acknowledged the need to “love and be loved” and how this urge leads to humans surrounding themselves with like-minded people.
“Atlanta has fostered a community in the wine world that is unique to other cities,” she says, noting that it’s not uncommon for a group of wine buyers and sommeliers to meet up for bottle shares and networking.
Also unique to Atlanta is the abundance of women in the field. Not only are numerous wine stores women-owned, but restaurants across the city have buyers and sommeliers who are female. In the distributor arena, we have countless numbers of women out in the field selling wines and spirits, but leadership has mostly remained male-dominated.
Amanda has worked in both restaurants and retail and is among those who spend their days selling wine and spirits. She also helps bring together a diverse, inclusive set of women who meet up quarterly to share bottles, camaraderie, and fellowship.
Her goal is “to provide an opportunity for all the women in the Atlanta wine industry to learn each other’s names and faces.” She knows, too, that “community isn’t all bottle shares and fun. It sometimes can require uncomfortable conversations and sacrifices. We have to bend to be in community with people.”
Amanda spoke on the importance of networking, saying “It forces you to be around those who might not be ‘your people’ but also the next step is looking to find common ground. We all have our unique contributions.”
For the young professional, this helps to develop skills that can translate into any arena of life. Communities are built by the strengths of individuals coming together. “Community is a sum of parts,” Amanda says. “Everyone contributes something, whether big or small, to create a strong, thriving community.”
For those of us who have worked in the business for many years, we have seen a lot of change in the hospitality industry. The Atlanta-based organization The Giving Kitchen, which helps provide emergency funds and resources for service industry workers, has opened the dialogue for labor inadequacies and practices around the field which has spread to national engagement.
We have seen a growth of women entrepreneurs in both the restaurant and the retail sector around the city. These changes can be attributed to the community in which we live and the people who have helped to build it.
“We have to buy out of the idea that there is only one seat at the table,” Amanda says. “Success means competing together, not against each other.”
For future growth, we must also consider what the wine industry is lacking. While the Atlanta community is diverse and continues to be a leader, the wine industry as a whole needs to take note. Overall, racial equality and inclusion of those in the LGBTQ+ community are vastly underrepresented. With the understanding that “Atlanta Influences Everything,” our responsibility is to look forward and be an example of what a full and healthy community can look like.
Of course, we can’t forget what wine does best: Bring people together! Here are Amanda’s suggestions for your Spring wine enjoyment:
• A glass of Ultraviolet Sparkling with a big glug of Momenpop Blood Orange Aperitif is a perfect Sunday Spritz.
• Anything that Maya Hood White makes, but especially Early Mountain Petit Manseng from Madison, VA.
• Statera Winery where “Meredith Bell is doing the hard work” when it comes to labor practices and sustainability. Amanda loves the 2021 Chardonnay Pet Nat from Willamette Valley, Oregon.
