In this episode of Pour Memories, we sit down with our brilliant and book-loving friend Erin Kirschenmann, longtime managing editor at Wine Business Monthly and founder of the new wine-and-literature experience: Novel Pairings.
We talk about what pulled Erin into the wine industry, how she’s spent over a decade helping shape the conversation around wine business, and why she’s now building something of her own with Novel Pairings—a project that connects wine, books, and music into curated experiences.
Erin shares her favorite “pour memory,” how wine can act as a time capsule, and why excitement often matters more than expertise when it comes to connecting with wine. We also dig into how books shape us, what sibling dynamics in literature can reveal about us, and how music is increasingly part of the reading experience. Of course, we had to ask her for her top book recommendations and what wines she’d pair with them.
It’s a cozy, creative, and deeply thoughtful conversation about storytelling, sensory memory, and the joy of bringing people together around wine and words.
About Our Guest:
Erin Kirschenmann is the managing editor of Wine Business Monthly, where she’s worked since 2012, and the founder of Novel Pairings, a new subscription and community experience pairing books, wine, and music. She’s a reader, a writer, and a fierce advocate for making wine more welcoming and accessible, especially for those still finding their way into the industry. She also really loves a good Chenin Blanc and the occasional Trader Joe’s Grüner.
Listeners of Pour Memories can enjoy their first month of Novel Pairings free with code POURMEMORIES at checkout.
Books and Wines Mentioned in This Episode:
* The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
* The Wedding People by Alison Espach
* The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
* The Three Lives of Kate K by Sharon Maas
* Beach Read and Book Lovers by Emily Henry
* Vineyard Rocks and Soils by Alex Maltman
* Limited Addition Wines by Bree Stock
* RN Estates Pinot Noir from La Encantada Vineyard
* Tablas Creek Vineyard Viognier
* Floriana Grüner Veltliner from Trader Joe’s
* Literally any Chenin Blanc
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