We had the good fortune of connecting with Celia & Joe Catalino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Celia & Joe, what inspires you?
Mostly, we’re inspired by the freedom to live an unconventional life. We strive to be creative on our own terms and to always look outside the box. We’re also inspired by culture, by thoughtful food and agriculture, by human connection, and by small businesses who care about more than just trying to sell you something. We live and die by afternoon drinks on our back patio on a sunny afternoon, and dinner parties with friends that last for hours and hours. We love killer tacos, and love sharing where to find them even more.

What should our readers know about your business?
WHAT TO DRINK is an online wine shop and wine club that offers a curated selection of small production wines that are made thoughtfully and sustainably. We are a husband and wife team that have multiple years of experience in the wine industry and in professional kitchens. As an online-only business, we’re trying to create a hybrid approach where we encourage human connection and community. This is achieved by offering local delivery in the Bay Area* (hand delivered by us!), sharing stories and recipes on Instagram, and always being available for wine advice via email, DM, or even text. Our customers are our friends. Reaching out for suggestions on what bottle to pair with dinner, or even what’s good on Netflix is all highly encouraged.

We’re still a fairly new business, but overall, the response has been overwhelmingly rad. We’re learning as we go, and it’s been a fun challenge to stock an inventory of wines that we deeply stand behind and that our customers can’t get enough of. There’s a vast world of wine out there, and we firmly believe it’s much more fun to branch out than to stick to that “same old, same old” mentality. Wine does not have to be serious or complicated. Wine is about good times, good vibes, and good people coming together. Hit us up, and we’ll happily tell you WHAT TO DRINK.

*We ship to the rest of California

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’re a Bay Area Business, with L.A. roots. Here’s what we’re always excited to get back to.

To see: Hollywood Farmers’ Market, Huntington Library, Chinatown, The Silverlake Stairs, and The Rose Bowl Flea Market

To Eat & Drink: Triple Beam Pizza, Bestia, Go Get Em Tiger, Grand Central Market, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Taco Zone Truck on Alvarado Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We’d like to give a wholehearted shoutout to our daughter, whom we affectionally call “Cheech”. She is the most on-point 10 year old food critic, and she doesn’t complain (too much) when we drag her to wine tastings.

Website: https://www.whattodrinkclub.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what_to_drink/

Image Credits
Celia Catalino

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