As the leaves turn and the season shifts toward cozy dinners and holiday gatherings, there's no better guide to the perfect bottle than Kory Luebke. Our Food & Drink issue celebrates these flavors of the season worth savoring this fall.
Tucked into downtown Woodstock is a shop that feels less like retail and more like an invitation to slow down, taste something new, and talk about it with someone who has spent a lifetime chasing that exact conversation. That's the world Kory Luebke has built at Private Somm Fine Wine, and as one of the only Certified Sommeliers in Cherokee County, he's bringing a rare level of expertise to a neighborhood he calls home.
Kory's path to wine didn't start with wine at all, it started with coffee, and a simple hunger to understand how things are made. "I began really digging in with coffee and truly enjoyed learning everything I could about the process of growing, production and roasting," he says. That same curiosity eventually pulled him toward the glass, and he never looked back. "I quickly began to realize how large this world was and how much there was to discover."
It was his first mentor in the hospitality industry, a sommelier himself, who pushed Kory toward the Court of Master Sommeliers, one of the most demanding certification paths in the beverage world. Of its four levels, Kory has passed the first two, Introductory and Certified, and completed the coursework required to attempt the third. For now, he's chosen to pause there. "The dedication of time required to pursue the higher levels is so great that, for the moment, I have decided to pause any goals of reaching higher levels. I want to pour my time and energy into my family and the shop."
Before opening his own doors, Kory earned his stripes at some of the most demanding tables in the country, including Augusta National Golf Club and top Atlanta restaurants. Those years, he says, shaped everything about how Private Somm operates today. "This hospitality is ingrained in who I am now because of my extensive background at these high-level establishments," he explains. "The people I have met, the mentors I have had and continue to have, and the lessons I have been taught have all played a key part in how we handle the day-to-day operation of Private Somm Fine Wine."
It's also where his palate was formed. Tasting some of the world's greatest wines along the way gave Kory a clear vision for what he wanted his own shelves to represent and the shop is, in many ways, a joint venture built on family. "This shop has been a joint venture between my father and I," he says. "We would not be having these conversations if it wasn't for his support and willingness to embark on this adventure with me."
For Kory, opening in Woodstock was never just a business decision. He, his wife Michelle, and their three children, Kaiah, Kamila, and Kameron have deep roots here; two of their kids were born in Cherokee County, and the community holds years of family memory. "We wanted to be involved in the community on a level that opening this shop would provide," he says. "We are blessed to be part of this community, and opening Private Somm Fine Wine was an adventure we have been so excited to undertake." He's watched the local wine culture grow in recent years, and he's glad to be part of that momentum.
As the seasons shift, so does what Kory reaches for. "As we move away from the heat, I start gravitating towards reds that are a little heavier," he says. Lately, that's meant bottles from Ribera del Duero in Spain, where the Tempranillo grape takes center stage. "They are powerful, savory, and my favorites are filled with layers of complexity."
Ask him about his true love, though, and the conversation always drifts to Burgundy. "This incredible region in France is the birthplace of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir," Kory says. "There is so much uniqueness and complexity in this region that no matter how many different wines you try or books you read, you never feel like you can master it." It's a corner of the wine world he's especially proud to bring to Woodstock, with both white and red Burgundy represented in the shop at every price point.
Private Somm was designed to meet wine lovers wherever they are whether that's a quick stop for a bottle to go, or the start of a night out. Throughout the month, the shop hosts tastings and winemaker dinners featuring some of the industry's most respected names, with wine classes currently in the works. Everything is announced through social media and the shop's email list, making it easy for Woodstock to stay in on the next pour.
For all his credentials and pedigree, Kory keeps coming back to gratitude for the city that welcomed him, and the family that made it possible. "I am incredibly grateful to the city of Woodstock for embracing our concept and what we are striving to develop here," he says. "This journey would not be possible without the love and support of my wife Michelle and my three beautiful children. They have been by my side the entire way and an immense encouragement from the very beginning."
His invitation to readers is simple: stop in, pour a glass, and start talking wine. "I encourage you to come visit the shop, share a glass of wine with us, and join us along this amazing road of wine."
Private Somm Fine Wine 8200 Main Street Woodstock
privatesommfinewine.com
"We are blessed to be part of this community, and opening Private Somm Fine Wine was an adventure we have been so excited to undertake." says Kory