Chelsea Russell — Inside the Cardboard Jungle

Before a judge ever lifts a glass, thousands of bottles have to arrive, get unpacked, get checked, and land in exactly the right category. Chelsea Russell runs that operation. As Warehouse Operations and Volunteer Manager at The Tasting Alliance, she turns what she calls a very organized cardboard jungle into a competition that runs clean. In this episode, she talks about what it takes to classify a bottle correctly, why that decision matters more than most people realize, and the volunteers who make the whole thing move.