Today we talk about one of my favorite producers from Argentina who ultimately revolutionized the Argentine wine industry within the last 50 years. Catena is a popular wine making family in Argentina that put Malbec on the map for Argentina. Their vineyards are actually one of the most studied vineyards in the world.  They are sticklers for quality which is why they invest so much into studying and evolving their land and grapes. I get into a quick little story time behind this family, their vineyards and the back story to the blend we taste today.

Today’s blend consist of Malbec, Bonarda and Petit Verdot. Listen to the new episode now to get all the details on not only one of my favorite blends but also one of my favorite producers.  

Cheers!

2:05 - Intro to today’s Argentinian producer

3:10 - Nicolas took the family business to the next level

3:55 - The Grand Cru of Argentinian

4:20 - Facts about the land and location

4:55 - High quality grape maturation

5:15 - Tinto Historico to honor his father

5:50 - Master blender

6:25 - What is in the blend

7:45 - Open the wine for tasting

9:15 - Olfactory analysis

10:40 - Rating for today’s wine

11:20 - Organic line (one of my faves)

Today’s wine: D.V. Catena Tinto Historico 2021 $20

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Join me today as I review a random bottle I found at the grocery store that intrigued me. The backstory to this producer is that he dedicated his whole brand to his mom and dad…how freaking cute right?!!

Eric Jensen, owner of Harvey & Harriet (today’s wine), bought 100 acres of land in Paso Robles in 2001.  The land they bought has a lot of history because it was cultivated in the 1920’s by the booker brothers, two brothers who dedicated their entire life to farming and being humanitarians. The booker brothers actually left 100% of their estate (about 1200 acres) to charity when they passed away.

Listen to this episode now to get all the details on the booker brothers, the booker vineyard bought out by Eric Jensen and this brand Eric dedicated to his parents.  He wanted a simple, affordable, good quality approach to everyday wine that everyone can enjoy at the dinner table.

Sit back, take a sip and listen in to see if this bottle is worth drinking.

2:00 - Introduction to producer/brand

3:00 - Booker Vineyard

3:40 - Booker brothers were all about charity

4:15 - Purpose behind purchasing the land

5:15 - Accessible family wines

7:00 - The grapes in this blend

7:30 - Certified organic & biodynamic farm

9:10 - Olfactory analysis of the wine

10:15 - Taste analysis

11:18 - Rating of today’s wine

Today’s wine: Harvey & Harriet Red Blend 2021 $22 (Fun facts it’s cheaper at total wine!)

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Today I get into a bottle that was gifted to me which is found in Trader Joe’s at a $4.99 price point! It’s a vinho verde from a small region in northern Portugal. In Portugal, vinho verde is super popular and is known as a ‘portuguese wine specialty’. 

Who doesn’t love a cheap fizzy wine on a hot day?  Check this episode out as I get into the history behind vinho verde, how they make it, what makes it “fizzy” and find out my thoughts on this particular wine I open up today.

Today it’s short, sweet and fizzy.

1:55 - Trader Joe’s wine

2:45 - Regional blend

3:20 - Summertime wine

3:45 - Artificially carbonated

4:15 - Open the bottle up to taste

5:00 - Tasting notes

5:55 - Refreshing for a hot day

7:07 - Low alcoholic beverage

7:35 - My rating on the wine  

Today’s wine: Espiral Vinho Verde $4.99 

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/espiral-vinho-verde-047536

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Today I had the honor of having my mischievous king Carlos on the Podcast.  As a content creator, blogger and life coach, Carlos is the biggest support system when it comes to feeling at home with yourself and, as he says, “living your personal mythology and activating your main quest of life”.  

Wisdom and jokes is our main cup of tea at all times. Carlos explains what “shadow work’ means and how it’s simply bringing the unconscious to the conscious and changing your relationship with it.  Every experience will help aid you in your growth if you let it.  Nothing is “bad” or “good” when it comes to emotions.  It’s simply asking your emotions questions to gracefully maneuver them and understand them to better understand who you are.

We dive deep into shadow work, emotions, boundaries, toxicity, self-discovery and much more while drinking a yummy cabernet-malbec blend from Argentina.

Tune in with a glass of wine… you don’t want to miss this one!

1:15 - Intro to Carlos De La Playa

2:25 - How me and Carlos met

4:55 - Taste like luxury

5:55 - Mid range price point for today’s wine

6:45 - Shadow work… what is it

7:20 - Foundation to healing the mind, body & spirit

8:50 - Invite the monster to the table

11:20 - Date yourself

12:10 - Boundaries

14:30 - Taking things personally

15:15 - F*ck around & find out

17:00 - Mistakes bring you closer to what you want

17:30 - Besties with “shame”

18:25 - Survival based action

19:17 - Failing is part of succeeding

21:00 - Listen to your intuition

23:30 - Dating exposes you

25:20 - Hug the monster

27:20 - It’s ok to “suck”

28:45 - Meet insecurity with devotion

Today’s wine: 2021 Cabernet-Malbec Rutini $22

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Connect with Carlos on IG @carlosdelaplaya 

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Bubbles are always a good idea…today we get into one of my favorites… Prosecco.  What is Prosecco?  It is an Italian sparkling wine from the Northeast of Italy.  This is like the “Champagne” of Italy (France please don’t come for me for that comment… I love me some Champagne too).  

Italians take their Prosecco very seriously and it was officially recognized in 2009 by the Italian government that regulates the DOC and DOCG systems. These systems are placed to guarantee the best quality out of these wines.  For Prosecco to fall under the DOCG category, it must be grown in Valdobbiadene, Conegliano or Asolo and has to have at least 85% of the Glera varietal.  While the DOC still requires 85% Glera, it includes a wider strip of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino… ultimately there are more areas to grow and produce Prosecco within this category.

I get into all the details regarding producing Prosecco, the main difference between Prosecco and Champagne and give some history on today’s producer.  Tune in now as I open up a Prosecco Rose from Veneto from an OG producer in the area.

Hope you enjoy this one!

1:40 - Prosecco or Champagne

2:25 - Traditional method

3:15 - Yeast consumes sugar in the bottle

4:35 - DOC & DOCG

5:10 - DOCG Prosecco

6:55 - DOC Prosecco

8:10 - 85% Glera varietal

8:45 - History on Gancia (today’s producer)

9:50 - Gancia philosophy

10:45 - How to open any sparkling wine bottle

12:10 - Pour the wine to taste

12:40 - Congrats Lando Norris & McLaren

13:18 - Fun facts about the Glera grape

14:30 - Wine analysis

16:20 - Rating on the wine

17:55 - How Prosecco is made

19:15 - Champagne vs. Prosecco

Today’s wine: Gancia Prosecco Rose 2020 $14

https://www.gancia.com/en/vini-and-aperitivi/vini/metodo-charmat/prosecco-doc-rose/ 

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Finding a cool ceramic bottle at the liquor store led to reviewing it on this episode… also it was super intriguing, Nicole had to try it.  Today’s wine is a Rhone red blend from Languedoc…the south of France.  The producer, Gerard Bertrand, created this “Art de Vivre” bottle which pays homage to the mediterranean region, it’s preserved nature and it’s artists. Also, it celebrates a vineyard that is thousands of years old that is witness to a civilization and living heritage of rare beauty.  The bottle is made of natural clay (like the first amphoras = tall ancient greek or roman jars with the two handles) and the wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. 

As we open this wine for a tasting, Nicole gets into intentionality and how it’s important to be intentional in everything you do.  With intentionality comes self-awareness and boundaries. “Intention is nothing without action but action is nothing without intention”. 

Tune in now to get a full review on this wine.  Hope you enjoy!

1:30 - Liquor store wine

2:00 - Ceramic bottle

3:15 - Fun facts about today’s wine

4:30 - Three grapes in this red blend

5:45 - Hand harvest + late harvest

7:35 - Intention

8:40 - Self-awareness & boundaries

10:15 - Boundaries are important 

12:15 - Do what you need to do

13:05 - Pour wine for tasting

13:40 - Olfactory Analysis

14:18 -“I like it a lot”

15:55 - Rating on the wine

Today’s wine: Gerard Bertrand Art de Vivre Rouge 2016 $22

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We have a very special guest today on the podcast… Lucas Larvenz.  Lucas is a young musical prodigy born and raised in Miami who established himself as a contemporary powerhouse within the electronic music community.  He joins us today to not only drink some delicious rose but also fill us in on his new song ‘Right my wrongs’ that comes out this Friday April 26, 2024.

Watch us taste a 2022 Rose from Emeritus Vineyards as I simplify to Lucas how this Rose was made and walk him through tasting notes when it comes to drinking wine.  We get into how we met, his story on his musical journey and how he continues working hard to amplify his sound and cultivate music that inspires others.

Tune in now to get all the details. You don’t want to miss this one!

1:05 - Introducing Lucas Larvenz

3:10 - What is vintage

4:25 - Dart board or wine wheel?

4:50 - How is Rosé made

6:20 - Lucas wine notes

7:50 - Drink or chug?

8:15 - How did Lucas start in the music industry

9:10 - Martin Garrix = game changer

9:55 - How Nicole and Lucas met

11:30 - Special announcement

12:15 - What to expect from Lucas musically

13:45 - How to go after what you want

14:20 - Lucas’ first gig at club Space

16:05 - Wynwood fear factory

16:45 - Mom made it happen

19:00 - Sneak peak of ‘Right My Wrongs’

21:30 - Call Nicole for wine bottles

Today’s wine: 2022 Ruby Ruby Emeritus Vineyards

• this is sold out but the 2023 vintage is being released this Saturday April 27th!

ROSE EMERITUS VINEYARDS

Pre-sSave ‘Right My Wrongs’ now — https://7clouds.fanlink.tv/RightMyWrongs 

Connect with Lucas:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucaslarvenz/?hl=en

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lucaslarvenz

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lucaslarvenz/

Twitter: twitter.com/lucaslarvenz 

Connect with me on IG @sipandgrowpodcast

Get your FREE Wine Aroma Wheel at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale 

Check out my Italian Wine Guide at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale

DAO = the most important wine region in Portugal.  Today I open up a wine from this region and taste Portuguese wine for the first time ever. Dao is located in the northern part of the region, south of the Douro Valley.  It is named after the Dao River and a majority of the region’s vineyards are located along this river. The altitudes in this area help maintain healthy vines and grapes and also increases diurnal temperature variation (the difference between the highest temperature of the day and the lowest temperature of the night) which impacts the grapes ripening pattern in a positive way.

Producers in this region commonly implement a lengthy maceration during fermentation which is the process of soaking the grape skins in the grape juice.  They do this in order to extract as much color, flavors and tannins from the skins in order to create a big, bold and tannic red wine. Today’s producer is a family owned vineyard (small production) and their estate is surrounded by pine trees on a high hill overlooking Serra da Estrela (Portugal’s tallest mountain).  They planted the vines in 1988 and everything is organically grown and hand harvested.

I open up about feeling burnout and get into detail as to why it’s important to recover physically and mentally.  Everything is connected and if your tank is running on empty, it is impossible for you to give 100% at home, in your relationships, in your workout, at your job, etc.  Sometimes taking a break is what is necessary for you to reset and refill your tank.  After all, you need to be 100% in order to give others your best self.

Tune in now to learn more about Dao, this wine I open up and dive into what to do when you are feeling burnout.  I hope you enjoy this episode with a nice glass of wine!

1:45 - One of the most important wine regions

3:22 - Highest ranked wines in Europe

4:25 - Altitudes & how they affect the grapes

5:25 - Diurnal temperature variation

6:40 - Oak maturation + lengthy maceration

9:00 - Information on today’s producer

10:15 - Where to find today’s wine

11:15 - I am burnt out

11:45 - Shout out to my friends

12:30 - Regulate your nervous system

13:10 - Athlete mindset

14:25 - Running is so good for you

15:45 - The importance of resting & recovering

16:35 - Listen to your body

18:30 - Be in tune with what you need

20:15 - Tasting notes on today’s wine

22:30 - Rest & recover 

Today’s wine: Artesania Portugal Dao 2019

LINK TO TODAY'S WINE 

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Right and left bank…What is that? I simplify what this means when it comes down to wines from Bordeaux.  I watched a show on Apple TV called Drops of God that really opened my eyes to how the French wine world (along with talking to wine experts in the real world too lol). Overall, I will say that the regions in France are prime for making excellent wines.

The French are very particular with how they regulate their wines and take winemaking very seriously. I was fortunate to attend the Union Grand Cru wine event in Miami, FL where I tasted the best of the best from Bordeaux from both the right and left bank.

Today’s wine was one of the bottles I tasted that day. Listen to this episode now to learn more about what the “right bank” and “left bank” means when it comes to Bordeaux and taste this wonderful Bordeaux blend with me as I express to you my overall thoughts on French wines.

1:45 - Drops of God

3:15 - France is #1 for wines

4:20 - Union Grand Cru

7:00 - Introducing today’s wine

8:10 - Left bank & right bank

9:20 - They are always in competition

11:25 - French wine prices

13:20 - History on the Chateau

14:30 - Olfactory analysis

16:05 - Taste the wine

17:58 - Rating of the wine

Today’s wine: Chateau Ormes De Pez 2020 $40

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*Gironde Estuary - Dordogne & Garonne rivers

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Today I open up a Crianza from Protos (today’s producer) located in Valladolid, Spain located about an hour away from Madrid in the wine region of Ribera del Duero.  Valladolid is one of the four provinces located in Ribera del Duero and Protos is one of the first wineries in this region.

Most of the vineyards at Protos sit on the south facing hills giving them optimal sunlight for maturation.  The soil is predominantly limestone, they have a manual harvest and hand sort the grapes on the sorting table.  They produce about 3.5 million bottles of wine per year… WILD.

Tune in as I open up this bottle of Crianza from one of Spain’s largest wineries and get into why growth is important in order for you to be the best version of you. Let me know what you think of this one!

2:50 - One of the biggest wineries in Spain

3:18 - Ribera del Duero

4:07 - Special guest comes on camera

5:05 - Purpose of Peñafiel Castle

5:45 - Their mission as a company

6:30 - What is growth?

7:15 - We will always have ups and downs

7:45 - Your lessons will always be repeated

9:00 - Background on Protos & this vintage

10:50 - Olfactory analysis

13:35 - Well-produced Tempranillo

Today’s wine: Protos Crianza 2017

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