Today I get into story time of getting a nail in my tire while I open up a wine from Avaline.  Avaline was founded by Cameron Diaz and Kathrine Power and they basically source out wine growers and winemakers around the world that stick to the natural process of winemaking and practice sustainable farming.  They make sure all their wines are made with organic grapes, have 0g of residual sugar and have no unwanted additives.  

This red blend comes from a producer in France called EthicDrinks. They offer ethical wines with a sustainable approach and place the environment at the heart of it’s winemaking. Tune in to this new episode as I try this blend and emphasize the importance of slowing down, reassessing and taking the time you need for yourself in order to find balance and move forward with full force.

1:15 - Vibin with the wine

2:50 - Organic & Natural wine brand

3:55 - Four grapes in this blend

5:10 - Nail in my tire

6:21 - Everything happens for a reason

7:25 - A sign to slow down

8:40 - Olfactory analysis

9:00 - Tasting notes

11:00 - 15% off avaline

Today’s wine: Avaline Red Blend $24

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15% Off Avaline Code - 15FORMARCH

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Fun find today, $26 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley is small in size compared to other regions but has diverse offerings when it comes to wines.  There are a total of 16 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas) / sub-appellations in the valley. Each of these AVA’s are important, allowing winemakers to differentiate their wines based on the specific terroir in which the grapes grow. It ultimately helps consumers identify and appreciate unique characteristics of each wine while maintaining the region’s reputation for producing high-quality, distinctive wines.

There are strict regulations the AVA’s must stick to in order to ensure the wines meet the standards of quality and authenticity of the area.  Overall, even though Napa Valley is known to have a big ego, they ultimately have a hunger for success when it comes to creating spectacular wines.

Tune in now as I briefly go over the AVA’s and dive into what makes a California cabernet a “Cabernet Sauvignon” while opening up this 2020 vintage I found at Total Wine at a great price point.

2:35 - Don’t judge a wine by it’s label

3:08 - Expensive wine region in the US

3:55 - Wappo Indians

4:44 - Perfect climate for vines

5:15 - American Viticultural Areas

6:30 - Open the bottle 

8:05 - Visual analysis 

8:40 - Olfactory analysis

9:20 - Tasting notes

11:00 - Cabernets in California

12:28 - Rating on the wine

Today’s wine: 2020 District Series Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $26

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THE TIME HAS COME. I finally get to try a wine from the harvest I worked back in 2023!!

My team at Emeritus Vineyards sent over six different bottles from the 2023 vintage and today I open up the Halberg Blanc. Emeritus Vineyards is a winery located in Sebastopol, California where they produce solely Pinot Noir grapes. I personally have a deeper appreciation for Pinot Noir because of them.

Today, we get into the Halberg Blanc which is basically a white Pinot Noir. This is one of my faves because I honestly never was introduced to a white Pinot Noir until I worked with them and I think it has unique and complex flavors for a white wine.  Tune in now to hear me talk about the process of making this wine as I reflect on my journey and full circle moment of working the harvest all the way to receiving a bottle I helped create delivered to me at home.

If you enjoy a highly acidic white wine with crisp citrus notes coming through, you will definitely enjoy this one.

1:30 - Grateful for Emeritus Vineyards

3:10 - Amazing packaging

3:30 - Blanc made from Pinot Noir grapes

4:15 - How this blanc is made

5:25 - The run off juice

7:10 - Oxidation

8:08 - Full circle moment

10:55 - 95 points on wine enthusiast

12:40 - Visual & olfactory analysis

14:15 - Tasting notes

16:45 - Follow your passions & dreams

Today’s wine: 2023 Halberg Blanc Emeritus Vineyards $45

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WE FOUND A RIPASSO FOR $12… THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

As part of a well known historic Veronese winery, Pasqua wines was looking to acquire more vineyards and increase their investments. Cecilia Beretta estate was founded in the 1980’s in the wine village of Valpolicella.

Ripasso is known as “baby amarone” and tends to be less expensive than Amarone because in a nutshell the leftover grapes used to make amarone are “repassed” to make ripasso. You are essentially getting the same quality of grapes but just using the pomace of the grapes used for amarone a second time to get the most out of it to make the Ripasso.  I explain the whole process in this episode and go into detail as I pour a glass to try this one out from Trader Joe’s.

Tune in now to get all the details on the producer, the process of making amarone and ripasso and see if you are intrigued to pick this one up at your local Trader Joe’s.

Cheers Sip & Grow Fam! Hope you enjoy this one.

1:15 - Trader Joe’s journey

1:55 - Italian Classifications 101

3:35 - Valpolicella

5:10 - $12 ripasso

5:45 - Difference between ripasso & amarone

7:30 - “Appassimento”

8:00 - Two ways of drying the grapes

9:45 - Control the mold

10:50 - “Baby amarone”

12:50 - Re-passed grapes

14:20 - Open the bottle of wine

15:35 - Valentine’s Day

18:35 - Olfactory analysis

19:45 - Tasting notes

Today’s wine: 2021 Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Cecilia Beretta $12

(Bought at Trader Joe’s)

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$15 dollar Barolo… I had to give it a try. Known as the king of wines or the wine of kings, Barolo comes from Piedmont (northern Italy) located in Langhe and is one of the most prestigious, age worthy and collectible wines. It’s safe to say that Barolo is the “Burgundy” of Italy. Patience is the name of the game when it comes to a good Barolo because it needs a good amount of time to reach it’s full potential. 

Coming across this price for a Barolo at Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t resist. This episode is short, sweet and to the point.  Listen to the full episode to see if it’s worth the buy.

1:05 - The wine of kings

2:22 - $15 Barolo

3:00 - Where is Barolo

3:20 - Nebbiolo grape

4:16 - Age-worthy wine

7:10 - Garnet red color

7:35 - Olfactory analysis

8:30 - Tasting notes

10:19 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: 2020 Rosa Dell Olmo Barolo $15

(Bought at Trader Joe’s)

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I open up a Semillon from the Uco Valley in Argentina! Usually semillon is most popularly grown in France and Australia and is the main grape varietal used to make a white Bordeaux.  I love this grape because it tends to be medium to full body (like a chardonnay) and brings weight and depth to the wine and when aged can bring a creamy texture with honey flavors coming through.

Today we get into the art of aging wine. The earliest evidence of stored wine goes back to 7,000 year old pottery jugs buried in the dirt floor in Iran. Wine is one of the few consumable goods that can improve with time if stored properly.

I talk about the importance of storing wine, the compounds in wine and how they react overtime and the simplest approach to take when storing your wine.  In simple terms, all you really need to remember is that the wine must be kept in a cool, dark place.  Tune in now to get the full details on how to easily age your wine and tips on how to best drink and store your favorites while I open up this semillon and give you my viewpoint on the wine.

1:30 - Intro to today’s wine

3:15 - Describing the terroir where these grapes are grown

3:55 - The art of aging wine

4:25 - Phenolic compounds

6:00 - Binding to proteins

8:18 - Polymerization

10:10 - Environment matters

10:55 - Set your wine up for success

11:25 - Support the compounds in wine

11:50 - UV light is bad for wine

12:30 - The color of wine can tell you how old it is

12:55 - Acidic wine = great for aging

13:40 - Tasting notes

16:05 - Rating of the wine

16:40 - Great experiment when aging wine

Today’s wine: 2020 Mendel Semillon $26

(Bought it at an Argentinian Bakery in Tamarac, FL called Milanos)

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I came across this bottle in Total Wine and fell in love with the label… I’ve also had other wines from this producer that are solid. Domaine Bousquet is a family owned wine producer in Mendoza, Argentina and they are known for their sustainable practices that produce high quality, organic and vegan wines. Today’s wine is from one of the many lines Domaine Bousquet has and it is called “Cameleon”.

To them, “Cameleon” represents the embodiment of fine adaptation to the environment. This label symbolizes the story of the Bousquet Family, “a fourth generation that left their native France after a long worldwide search for an idyllic wine growing region”.  Their story is truly magnetic because they went in search of finding what they wanted and adapted to their new environment ultimately creating an iconic and successful winery in Argentina.

In this episode, we get into the family background while opening up a wine label dedicated to their story and touch on how they are one of the leading sustainable producers in Argentina. 

I get into what adaptability looks like for me in my life and the special conversation I had with a friend in regards to the idea of being graceful and efficient in our turnaround time when things get thrown at us from left field… aka when life happens.

Tune in now to see if this $15 organic cabernet is worth the try and be open to being a “cameleon” with me.

1:25 - I am a cameleon

1:45 - Intro to today’s wine producer

3:25 - BA certified

4:10 - What “Cameleon” means to them

6:20 - Charles Darwin

7:10 - Visual analysis

7:50 - Tasting notes

9:27 - Rating of the wine

12:15 - Turnaround time

14:22 - Adaptability & understanding

15:20 - Control

Today’s wine: 2023 Cameleon Organic Cabernet Sauvignon $15

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My dearest friend Dakota Wallace is back on the podcast! She was my first guest on the show back in episode 14 and now she has returned once again to join us in tasting some delicious wine. We picked up this wine in Eataly Boston and it is from the Piedmont region in an area called Valle D’Aosta. Valle D’Aosta sits in the Northwest of Italy and borders France & Switzerland lying in the Western Alps.

As we try this tasty high altitude Nebbiolo, we dive into the topic of seasonal depression and life purpose. Dakota grew up hearing the term seasonal depression and gets into what that means to her and how she maneuvers it.  As you begin to unravel the parts of you that you struggle with, it’s important to understand it is always best to attack it with curiosity over judgement.  What if we are all like trees hibernating because we need to grow and recuperate? What if “seasonal depression” is a moment for us to reflect on ourselves and be curious about who we are and how we operate?

It’s really easy to go after your goals, dreams and ambitions when the sun is out but what is getting you out of the bed during these "hard seasons”? The “hard seasons” is where you not only learn about yourself but also are given the opportunity to see what it is you truly want and what it is you are truly are capable of.

Tune in now to sit in with us on this deep conversation while we drink a solid Nebbiolo.

1:11 - Special guest, Dakota Wallace

2:15 - Intro to today’s wine

6:18 - Olfactory analysis

7:50 - Tasting notes

12:15 - Seasonal Depression

19:30 - What is getting you out of the bed during hard seasons?

22:48 - Everybody can’t be #1

24:28 - “Towards motivated” people

24:44 - “Away motivated” people

30:45 - Chaos or accountability?

32:22 - Crossroads with life purpose

39:45 - Lumberjack Jeff

45:26 - Rating on the wine

Today’s wine: 2021 La Kiuva Rouge de Valle Red Blend $22

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Bordeaux is the largest fine-wine vineyard on the globe. It is a powerful wine region where complex, age worthy wines are made (we love that). Bordeaux is so complex that it can be challenging to comprehend aka Bordeaux’s are authentic af with lots of personality (we def love that haha). They have over 15,000 growers and dozens of top-class estates plus many other “lesser standing” wine producers and they all produce around 700 million bottles of wine every year. Monumental wines come from here and are some of the priciest wines in the world.

80% of the wines produced in Bordeaux are red, today I talk about the other 20%… aka white Bordeaux. I get into the white grape varietals grown in Bordeaux in which a total of 9 grape varietals are grown in this region.  This is why Bordeaux wines are so special, these nine grapes not only proved themselves well suited to Bordeaux’s climate but also have been found to enhance one another when blended which is not the case for all grapes.  Ultimately, this is what makes their practice and philosophy of winemaking different from Burgundy.

Today’s white blend consist of the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Tune in now to get the full details on white Bordeaux and see if you are interested in giving it a try for yourself.

1:35 - Introduction to today’s wine

2:25 - Most important wine region in France

3:16 - Three important rivers

4:25 - Nine grape varietals grown in Bordeaux

4:42 - White Bordeaux grape varietals

5:55 - Creamy texture + honey notes

7:45 - Bordeaux = blends

8:20 - What makes a Bordeaux special?

12:10 - Visual analysis

12:45 - Olfactory analysis

13:50 - Tasting notes

15:35 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Chateau Lacaussade Saint-Martin “Vielles Vignes” 2019 $20

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How was your first week of 2025? Have you set your intentions and goals yet?

I open up a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State from one of my favorite natural wine brands Avaline. I have spoken about them before but they basically get together with wine growers around the world who align with their brand mission of having wines made of 100% organic grapes, no residual sugar present and no unwanted additives. This specific Cabernet comes from a producer in Washington State called Tagaris winery. I get into their family history and their farming practices in this episode.

With the new year here, I really wanted to talk about integrity and the importance of setting our goals for the year. When you approach everything you do with genuine intention, naturally it leads to actions grounded in integrity. Where your focus goes, your energy flows and how you do one thing is ultimately how you do everything. I really encourage you to take a moment to think about the goals you want to reach for the year, write them down and start taking little actionable steps towards them. I promise you, you will surprise yourself.

Tune in now as I talk about Avaline, give you some background on Tagaris winery and get into the nitty gritty of setting your goals for the year.  Let’s see if you like this Cabernet from Washington State.

Cheers to 2025!

1:40 - Intentions

2:25 - Introduction to today’s wine

3:45 - My critique about the brand

4:35 - Making wine since the 1300’s

5:05 - Drip irrigation system

6:05 - Other sustainable practices

7:12 - Visual analysis

7:25 - Olfactory analysis

8:10 - Tasting notes

9:30 - Rating of the wine

11:40 - Do everything with integrity

13:35 - Having self-awareness

15:25 - Everything is connected

16:25 - Vision board

17:05 - Have a system in place

18:30 - Everyday take actionable steps

Today’s wine: Avaline Cabernet Sauvignon $30

GET WINE HERE 

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