Ribera del Duero is a wine region located in the northern part of Spain and is known as the home of Tempranillo. Tempranillo is the most widely planted red grape variety in Spain and is called “Tinto Fino” in Ribera del Duero because it taste different from other regions in Spain. Tempranillo berries tend to be smaller with thick skin, darker color and have lots of acidity resulting in complex wines.  Although it is native to Spain, it is also a very popular grape varietal in Portugal.

As I open up this Tempranillo I get into the importance of being in alignment with yourself. Self-alignment is the idea that your view of yourself matches your ideal self living in harmony with your values, beliefs & priorities which ultimately lead you to have peace of mind. Watch this full episode now as I taste a Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and dive deep on how self-alignment is so important and ultimately achieved by living consistently aligning with your best self.

1:30 - Ribera del Duero

2:00 - The place to drink Tempranillo

3:55 - Shout out to Tazz

4:35 - Alignment with self

5:25 - Pour the wine

5:45 - Being authentic to who you are

6:50 - Communicate what you need

9:15 - Your cards are your cards

9:30 - The key to overcoming the cards you were dealt

10:20 - Having people who love and support you

11:25 - Visual analysis of the wine

12:05 - Taste the wine

13:25 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Vuela Ribera Del Duero Tempranillo $18

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Champagne is always a good idea and in this episode I get into the traditional way of making champagne. This method originated in the French region Champagne and is one of the most popular methods to make sparkling wine. It is considered the classic and highest quality method for producing sparkling wine.

The key feature that makes this process so unique is that the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. Usually champagne producers blend different grape varietals to create a consistent style based off of what type of sparkling wine they want to create. Champagne is usually classified based on the amount of sugar added after second fermentation.

Today’s sparkling wine is a Brut that consists of a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. Brut is the most popular and most consumed style of champagne. Tune in now to learn the details involved in producing champagne the traditional way, hear me talk about all the different styles of champagne and what would classify each one under a certain category and try this amazing brut from Crémant de Loire with me. 

1:15 - Bubbles aka Champagne

2:05 - Crémant de Loire

2:35 - Same quality & process at economical price point

3:35 - What is traditional method?

4:15 - Second fermentation in the bottle

4:55 - CO2 creates the bubbles

5:55 - Dead yeasts & particles in the bottle

6:10 - Riddling

7:10 - Gyropalette was invented

8:40 - Disgorgement

9:08 - Dosage

10:45 - Different types of champagne

12:10 - The most consumed style of champagne

12:25 - How to open a champagne bottle

13:25 - Open the bottle for tasting

14:05 - Milton was a b*tch

14:20 - Visual & Olfactory analysis

16:15 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: De Valloie Crémant Brut Sparkling Wine $16

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This week I am staying on course with French wines to see what they are all about.  In today’s episode I dive into a red blend from Rhone called Signargues Cotes du Rhone Villages.  The brand/producer is Pierre-Henri Morel which was created in 2008 by Michel Chapoutier. Chapoutier is actually one of Rhone’s most dynamic producers and this brand is run by Chapoutier’s commercial producer which is Pierre-Henri Morel. This blend is located in an appellation in the far south of the Rhone wine region in which the key grape varietals are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. 

I get into story time on how I found a wine key I misplaced and couldn’t find and ended up getting into the beauty of letting go of control and allowing yourself to be in the moment and let things unravel organically for themselves. When we stop looking for something is when it ultimately finds us.

Tune in now to get the full story on this producer, how this blend tastes and why releasing control can ultimately lead you to exactly where you need to be.

1:25 - Red blend from Rhone

1:50 - Most dynamic producer in Rhone

2:55 - Commercial producer

3:15 - Most popular grape varietal in Rhone

4:00 - Signargues (appellation of this wine)

4:55 - Red blend dream or disaster?

6:30 - Death of the papelito 

7:45 - Pour the wine for tasting

8:05 - Visual analysis

8:40 - Olfactory analysis

9:25 - Taste the wine

10:40 - Soft & velvety

12:05 - Rating of the wine

13:00 - Wine key story

16:40 - Release control & accept the moment for what it is

18:30 - The last lecture by Randy Pausch

19:55 - Peace & freedom when you release control

Today’s wine: Pierre-Henri Morel Signargue Cotes du Rhone Villages 2020 $16

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Viognier from France located in southern Rhone. This is the first time I try this varietal which happens to be a common white grape varietal in that area. The brand was created by two French men who want to show the exceptional wines that came out of Southern Rhone (aka they were like lets just make our own label from our favorite place).

Their overall goal/objective in starting this project was to select, age and blend Grenache-centric wines. Tune in now as I get into the story behind the label and try this grape varietal for the first time.  

1:28 - Intro to today’s wine

2:25 - Halos de Jupiter

3:15 - Chateauneuf du Pape

4:05 - Purpose behind the brand

5:00 - Should I review spirits?

6:20 - Exciting news

7:05 - Visual analysis

7:35 - Olfactory analysis

8:20 - Taste the wine

9:20 - Very fresh with some body

10:10 - Tasting is subjective

11:35 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Halos de Jupiter 2023 Viognier $17

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I found a bottle that stood out to me at Total Wine and it just so happened to be a South American Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina.  The brand is named after the greek god Oneirois, which is known as the “god of sleep”. As I read more info on this greek god, it got me thinking about our subconscious mind and how we may not even consciously recognize these thoughts on a day to day basis but they definitely play out in our actions.

Tune into this new episode as I share information about this brand, the greek god behind the label and dive deep into your subconscious mind and how important it is to work on rewiring your subconscious thoughts in order to set yourself free from certain beliefs to be able to continuously go after your goals and ultimately level up your life with every opportunity that comes your way.

1:50 - Grupo Peñaflor

2:40 - Oneirois: greek god

5:30 - Morpheus

5:50 - Crazy dreams tells us everything

6:35 - Gateway to the subconscious mind

7:15 - Subconscious mind, what is that?

8:05 - Example of a subconscious belief being formed

10:00 - Write down your dreams to understand your subconscious thoughts

10:45 - Mental performance coach… Dakota

11:40 - Subconsciously we are stuck

13:00 - Pour the wine for tasting

14:15 - Tasting notes

15:38 - Rating on the wine

Today’s wine: Oniros Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 $20

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Mental Performance Coaching with Dakota IG @dakotalwallace

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South African wine for the win today… I open up a Pinotage grown in the Neethlingshof Estate located in the heart of Cape’s Winelands which are located in the region western Cape in South Africa.  This estate literally is breathtaking and their wines embody a taste of traditional Cape culture blended with influences from both Africa & Europe.

This estate is one of South Africa’s most historic wine estates; it goes back more than 300 years.  What I love about this estate is that everything is done onsite (harvest, winemaking, bottling, etc) and they are all about sustainability (ex. using minimum pest control interventions, global sustainability trends, etc.) To add to all the incredible work and care they put into their wines, they went ahead and decided to make all their wine vegan as well.

Tune in to this new episode where I dive into all the background on the estate, their history, their production and this delicious Pinotage. You don’t want to miss out!

1:22 - Intro to Pinotage

2:35 - History on the producer

4:18 - Renovation & restoration of the estate

5:09 - Cape Winelands

6:25 - Tukulu soils

7:40 - Open the bottle of wine

8:20 - Sustainability certification

8:55 - Vegan wine

10:25 - When the grapes are harvested

11:45 - Two grapes that make up a pinotage

13:00 - Olfactory analysis

13:30 - Taste analysis

14:44 - Pinot Noir + Syrah

15:34 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Neethlingshof Estate Pinotage 2022 $17

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Did you know the Malbec grape varietal is originally from Cahor, France?  Today I finally get to open a Malbec from Cahors to try it for the first time! 

As I have expressed multiple times throughout the podcast, Malbec is one of my favorite go-to grapes.  I am biased and love my Argentinian Malbecs but of course we need to try it from it’s original birthplace and see what the hype is all about.

Malbec has been grown in Cahors for more than 2,000 years. It was super popular in the 13th century where important people would come in to town from all over Europe and Malbec would be served everywhere (restaurants, parties, palace dinners, etc.). The Romans loved their Malbec from Cahors so much they nicknamed it the black wine of Cahors.

Tune in to this episode where I get into the details behind this producer, the history behind the grape varietal and compare both Mendoza and Cahors vineyards to share why they both are great places to produce Malbec.

Hope you enjoy this one!

1:15 - Introduction to today’s wine

1:35 - Original birthplace of Malbec

2:40 - Chateau de Mercues

3:30 - “Black Wine”

3:50 - Cahors + 13th century

5:15 - Plantation density

5:50 - Increasing quality

6:25 - A.O.C Designation

7:25 - Mendoza & Cahors similarities

8:15 - Open the bottle for tasting

10:00 - Typically French Malbecs are blends

11:40 - Tasting notes

12:40 - Tannin textures

14:55 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Chateau de Mercues Malbec De Cahors Grand Vin 2019 $30 

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Today I open up a white wine from Mendoza, Argentina made from the Torrontes grape varietal.  This white grape is mostly produced in Argentina and the most similar grape to this varietal is said to be a Reisling.  I would definitely say it is like the “Albariño” of Argentina. 

Phebus is a well known producer from Argentina and for the most part has a good variety of very cost efficient wines.  Tune in now as I taste this wine for the first time. This one is short and sweet but definitely worth the tasting.

Let me know what you think!

1:15 - Intro to today’s wine

2:22 - Torrontes grape varietal

3:22 - Open the bottle for tasting

5:00 - Visual & olfactory analysis

5:55 - Taste the wine

8:00 - Rating on the wine

Today’s wine: Phebus Torrontes 2023 $11.49

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Italian white wine from Sicily… wine from the south of Italy is literally my fave. Paolo Marzotto established this vineyard in 1997 and he loved Sicily so he did what anyone would do… buy a vineyard there. This winery is located in the village called Santa Cristina Gela in the city Palermo, Sicily. His main goal was to not only produce the best wines in Sicily but also have an eco sustainable vineyard, which is ultimately what he did.

Insolia, the grape varietal, is commonly grown in Sicily and Tuscany and it tends to be a light to medium bodied white wine with unique characteristics due to the high altitude vineyard. High altitude wines offer direct & concentrated sunlight, dramatic temperature shifts, scarcity of oxygen and exceptional drainage. 

Tune in to this episode as I go over this producer, the details behind their vineyard and wine cellar and dive into what high altitude wines are.  You don’t want to miss this one!

1:40 - Introduce today’s wine

2:35 - Palermo, Sicily

3:40 - Eco-sustainable vineyard

4:40 - High altitude wines

5:35 - 700 meters above sea level

6:25 - Don’t fear small berries

7:45 - Wine cellar design

8:45 - Open the wine bottle

10:05 - Visual & olfactory analysis

10:40 - Try the wine

12:45 - Food pairings for the wine

13:50 - Get out of my comfort zone

Today’s wine: Baglio di Pianeta Insolia Sicilia 2021 $19

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Miles from Nowhere was founded in 2007 by veteran wine producers Franklin and Heather Tate located in Margaret River, a small town in western Australia.  Shiraz (aka Syrah) is actually the first grape variety to be grown in Australia, making it a very important and primal grape to the country.

On today’s episode, I get into this producer, the story behind the name and try a Shiraz from Australia for the first time ever.  Before trying the wine, I touch on my experience on being a guest on another podcast for the first time and how it really made me reflect on the importance of having gratitude. It is so important to be in each moment and also realize how far you have actually come from where you once were. High Tea Mystique thank you so much for having me on your show and for reminding me that I am exactly where I need to be.

I hope you all enjoy this episode and check out the episode I’m featured on High Tea Mystique!

1:11 - Intro to the wine

1:25 - What is Shiraz?

2:00 - Miles from Nowhere

3:00 - The brand is dedicated to the family patriarch

3:33 - Guest on a podcast

4:07 - High Tea Mystique podcast

5:55 - Everything has it’s moment & time

8:05 - Sit in the moment

9:45 - Visual & olfactory analysis

10:35 - First taste of the wine

12:15 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Miles from Nowhere 2020 Shiraz $15 (they only have the 2019 vintage online)

GET WINE HERE 

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