Inspiring Conversations with Devin Reed of Wine & Culture LA and 59Wines

Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Reed.

Hi Devin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started a job at Wally’s Wine & Spirits in West LA ten years ago before there was a restaurant and multiple locations, just a 45 year old wine store. I didn’t know ANYTHING about wine – my go-to drink was Grey Goose & I was still putting red wine in the fridge. I was always so curious about why certain wines were $15 and other wines were $500. Curious why a wine bottle label could look almost the exact same and one be a Premier Cru and one be a Grand Cru, and there be such a huge price difference. And curious who the hell was buying all this expensive wine and why. That curiosity, hard work, plus treating people well and people believing in me led me to various promotions, jobs, different companies, and opportunities in wine. And here I am.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Hell no it wasn’t smooth lol. There was a TON of tedious, hard work. Breaking my back moving 50 lb cases of wine for years, counting tens of thousands of wine bottles by hand, not to mention the aspect of dealing with the challenges of managing people along the way. But rarely do things that you really want come easy. By staying focused, none of the other BS even matters in the end, but the challenges always make you stronger. Now I welcome them.

As you know, we’re big fans of Wine & Culture LA and 59Wines. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Every day, I get to help people who really like wine. It could be sourcing rare wine in Canada, filling up a client’s wine cellar, delivering wine to Europe, filming fun wine content, interviewing and tasting wines with some of the brightest minds on earth, consulting with TV & film productions, or helping create the wine experiences that the world wants. I do it all and I love it. The show I produce, Wine & Culture LA, is in its 2nd season and is really at the forefront of wine entertainment and education and there’s nothing quite like it! I’m most proud of the team we’ve assembled, a team I love, which is the biggest perk of being in wine — bringing people together from all different walks of life. My team is Black, Jewish, female, etc., but we all come together for this common thing – vino! I’m also proud of the content we’ve produced and the ability to educate and entertain people. If you like wine, you gotta subscribe and rock with us!

What makes you happy?
When people finish all their wine. No, seriously, being with great people with great energy. There’s nothing better than learning from healthy, happy people and drinking wine and experiencing life together.

Contact Info:

• Website: wineandculturela.com
• Instagram: Wineandculturela

Image Credits
Additonal Photo #2 – Crossover VC Additonal Photo #3 – Daughter of the Vines/WineConsigners.com