Southern Italian wines have never disappointed me and today I open one up from Calabria.  This grape is called Greco and is known for it’s rich, velvety texture and aromatic bouquet. Apparently, this grape descended from greek settlers. They brought their vines and winemaking skills to this area and ever since then the land has been dedicated to producing wines.

The producer I open up today is called Statti and they have been around since the 1700’s. Each generation of the Statti family has lived on their land and have played an important role in the Calabrian economy. Tune in now to get all the details on this producer, the grape and the area.  I really enjoyed this white wine and hope you do too!

1:22 - Intro to today’s wine

2:45 - Greco bianco

3:24 - Land of wine

5:00 - Four tier system for wine

7:20 - Tasting notes

8:48 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Statti Greco 2022 $25

(Bought this at Graziano’s market)

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Have you ever tried a Gewürztraminer? It’s a medium bodied dry (with a sweet bouquet) white wine from the northeastern part of France. Alsace, France is known for having the best environment for this grape varietal along with the Alto Adige region in Italy.  Today I open a producer that has been around for centuries in France called Lucien Albrecht. 

What is integrity? For me it falls along the line of doing what is right even when it’s difficultI while standing up for what you deeply believe. I get into how having integrity means building solid foundations and why doing the simple things right prepare you for the difficult things in life. Tune into this full episode now to learn about this producer and get all the details on this grape.  See if this one is worth the buy.

1:50 - Intro to today’s wine

2:22 - Well known for Gewürztraminer 

3:00 - Lucien Albrecht

3:45 - Visual analysis

4:18 - Olfactory analysis

5:00 - Tasting notes

6:40 - Rating for this wine

7:35 - What is integrity?

9:45 - Solid foundations are important

10:45 - Do the simple things right

Today’s wine: Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer 2023 $25

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I saved this episode for a rainy day and funny enough it’s been raining a lot this past week.  This is part two of when I was in Lincoln, New Hampshire with my good friend Dakota Wallace. We opened up an Italian wine made primarily with the Ruche grape varietal (this trip was the first time I had tried this wine).  This is from the Piedmonte region and it’s an exclusive wine because the Ruche grape has limited production due to only 125 acres of this grape being planted in the region. It’s a rare grape and at one point was nearly extinct but has experienced a resurgence in recent years.

I get into the details behind this wine as we open it up and taste it while diving into my ski rental adventure. We get into the topic of mentorship and confidence while talking about how Dakota will be helping me learn how to ski for the first time.  Fear of failing, anxiety, expectations, experiences, internal dialogue, etc. we get into conversation involving all these things in our day to day life and how we deal with it.  Release the fear of failing and put in the reps to see where it gets you. Remember, it’s only failure if you stop trying.

Hope you enjoy this episode and wine.

1:15 - Intro to guest on podcast

4:15 - Quilting & knitting

5:05 - Intro to today’s wine

7:00 - Limited production

8:05 - How do you maintain the DOCG certification

10:20 - Olfactory analysis

11:55 - Tasting notes

12:22 - What we would pair this wine with

13:40 - Skiing for the first time

15:05 - The difference between teaching & mentoring

17:00 - Enjoying silence & confidence

19:20 - Anxiety vs. anxiousness

22:25 - Expectations we put on ourselves

27:00 - Release the fear of failing

31:00 - The only way to get better is to start

35:00 - Is failure a part of success?

37:30 - Consistency is key

41:15 - Dakota should not be allowed to date LOL

44:33 - Rating of the wine

45:44 - Not a sipping wine for Dakota

47:07 - My view on this wine

Today’s wine: Crivelli Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato 2023 $29

(Bought it at Eataly)

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Sonoma county Pinot Noir… one of the best places for this grape. I talk about Joe Wagner, a very well known 5th generation winemaker in California.  Joe comes from the Caymus family (vineyard founded in 1972), a very well know wine label in Napa and the United States.  He grew up around vineyards and making wine but he always wanted to do his own thing.  

Joe’s first venture was creating the Meomi wine label which took off well in the states.  Eventually he sold this label to Constellation Brands in 2015 and launched a new label called Copper Cane.

Tune in now to get the full details of how and why he created Copper Cane and try one of his popular Pinot Noirs with me.

2:30 - Caymus founded in 1972

3:22 - Black sheep of the family

3:55 - Meomi brand

4:18 - Copper Cane Label, do things differently

5:25 - Introduction to Tuli Pinot Noir

7:50 - Visual analysis

8:25 - Olfactory analysis

9:10 - Tasting notes

11:15 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Tuli Pinot Noir 2023 $33

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Have you ever been to a restaurant and seen a section for orange wine on the wine list and wondered what is that? Is it made from oranges? How does it taste?

Well hate to break it to you, it’s not made from oranges but it definitely has a unique taste. Orange wine, in simple terms, is a type of white wine that has been made like red wine.  It is basically skin contact wine produced by fermenting white wine grapes with their skins and seeds  for an extended period. It bridges the gap between traditional white and red wines.

The color skin contact wine gets comes from the compounds in the skin like carotenoids (also found in carrots). Hence, this is why it gets an amber, orange like color and that is why it is called orange wine.  Tune in now as I open up this Gruner Veltliner from Austria and dive into the story behind this grape, the producer and what orange wine really means.

1:45 - Skin contact wine

2:30 - Winzer Krems

2:55 - What is orange wine?

6:25 - Open the bottle

7:30 - Visual analysis

8:18 - Tasting notes

9:45 - Great with spicy foods

10:18 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner Orange 2023 $15

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Jim and Bob Varner, founders of Foxglove, are devoted to the production of low intervention wines in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Today’s Cab is from the Paso Robles area in California coming in hot at a great price point (for California Cab LOL). Remember, low intervention winemaking means minimal manipulation and additives… literally my favorite type of wines to drink.

I love low intervention wines because it’s all about trusting the grapes, the soil, the season, etc. to do it’s thing.  Tune in now to hear about these two brothers who created this brand and try out this $22 Cab with me to see if it lives up to the hype and price point.

1:40 - Not a big California cabernet girl

3:25 - Central Coast, Intro to Foxglove

3:55 - The Varner Brothers

4:52 - Dedicated to low intervention winemaking

5:25 - Go with the flow

6:40 - Surrender to the present

7:55 - Trust that being you is enough

9:35 - Visual analysis

9:55 - Olfactory analysis

10:40 - Tasting notes

12:15 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Foxglove Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 $22

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Today I try an indigenous grape from Italy called Friulano.  It is most similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but tends to be more full bodied and has less acidity than a Sauvignon Blanc. The Terlato family is very well know in the industry and I go over their history and growth which has ultimately led them to creating an empire within the wine and spirits industry.

Robert Mondavi comes up because he was actually very close friends with the Terlato family. It’s overall very impressive what this family has built. Tune in now as I try this grape varietal for the first time and give you my insight if it’s worth the buy.

1:11 - Liquor Land II

1:45 - Introduction to today’s wine

2:15 - Northeastern Italy

2:25 - Friulano, indigenous grape

4:20 - Terlato humble beginnings 

5:00 - Robert Mondavi

6:40 - Importing fine wines

8:08 - High yield grape

10:05 - Malolactic fermentation

11:25 - Olfactory analysis

12:11 - Tasting notes

14:00 - Best price at Liquor Land II

14:45 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Terlato Vineyards Friulano 2018 $16

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Random find at a bakery leads to either a great wine or a not so great wine LOL. Today we open up a random Malbec I came across at Milanos Bakery. This one is specifically from a micro-region called Agrelo located at the foot of the Andes in Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza Argentina.

As I open up this Malbec, I get into the topic of how daydreams are not distractions they are instructions. Usually, whatever we think about most is probably what we should be doing.  Everything happens for a reason and it all becomes clearer when you are fully aligned with yourself. Life is about unlocking levels and being ok with being a starter at the next level.  Start embracing each moment for what it’s teaching you while using what you have learned to keep on aligning and becoming who you are.

Tune in now to listen to the full episode.

1:35 - Random wine with no information

2:00 - Details on today’s wine

2:45 - Argelo, micro-region

5:25 - Daydreams are instructions

7:45 - Olfactory analysis

8:18 - Tasting notes

10:50 - Rating of the wine

11:45 - Everything is about alignment

12:40 - Unlocking life levels

14:40 - Everything comes at the perfect time

Today’s wine: E Especial Class Malbec Reserva 2018 $21

(Milanos in Tamarac, FL)

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What is non-alcoholic wine (NA) or alcohol free wine? In this new episode, I open up an alcohol free French sparkling wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes and explain what it actually means when you drink a NA wine.

You may think this is just sparkling grape juice but I assure you it’s not. It actually goes through the same vilification process that wine goes through, the only difference is the alcohol is taken out at the end.

Tune in now to get all the details on this process called vacuum distillation and see if this NA wine is worth the buy.

1:45 - Introduction to today’s wine

2:45 - Sparkling grape juice

3:15 - Vacuum distillation 

5:25 - Background on the producer

7:20 - Sauvignon Blanc sparkling wine

8:50 - Visual analysis

9:10 - Olfactory analysis

9:55 - Tasting notes

12:35 - Rating of the NA wine

Today’s wine: EthicDrinks Alcohol Free French Sparkling Wine $27

(Bought at Sprouts)

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Another Trader Joe’s find… we love that. This Malbec cost me $8.99 and I had to pick it up to see if it was worth the price point.  I love the fact that this producer hand harvests their grapes and is grown in the sub region called Gualtallary which is the high altitude wine region in Tupungato on the Northern side of Valle de Uco located in Mendoza, Argentina.

As I open this Malbec, I dive into how we can’t have evolution without discomfort.  Being uncomfortable is part of the growth process and we need to remember that we are always in control of what we are becoming. 

Tune in now as I dive into detail on this topic and try out this Malbec from Tupungato.  Hope you enjoy… and sip a glass while listening to this episode.

1:30 - Introduction to today’s wine

2:22 - Hand harvested grapes

3:45 - Evolution requires discomfort

5:55 - Life is about the journey

6:20 - Ego keeps you in the comfort zone

8:10 - Transformation

8:55 - Go with the flow

10:00 - Everyone’s growth journey is different

11:45 - Visual & Olfactory analysis

12:25 - Tasting notes

14:05 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Belhara Estate Malbec $9

(Bought at Trader Joe’s)

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