Sip with Nikki

A recent experience at a local restaurant here in the Napa Valley (shout out to Rutherford Grill) really got me thinking about how the right wine can truly elevate an evening and connect people in a world where we are all moving a million miles an hour!

We're Diving into:

• Why we like to sit at the bar
• The magic of Syrah and why you should be drinking more of it
• The importance of a pioneer family and their delicious wine from Napa
• An exciting new movement you need to know about

Here are a few of my favorite things:

Olives and Olive oil from our awesome American Olive Farmer. Use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!

Sollevato Wines...yes I'm biased, I make it! Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off your order!

Mi Sueño- check out their story on the Today Show

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode.

Please leave a RATING or a REVIEW (on the podcast platform), or thumbs up and subscribe (on YouTube!)

Questions? Comments? Guest requests? [email protected]

It's Harvest time here in Wine Country! We wait all year for our one chance to create beautiful wine for you...and you're coming along for the day! Ride along with Michael and I for the pick, sorting and extra special crush (hint: STOMP) that happened on September 9th. You'll hear:

• The vineyard crew hand picking our Sangiovese grapes
• A special check in with our growers Joe and Travis Ramazzotti
• The sorting process that only allow the BEST grapes into the mix
• How I react to spiders in my hair
• Our creative solution(PIVOT!) to crush the grapes this year (Lucy would be proud)
• All of the emotions that come along with Harvest Day

If you'd like to SEE what you're listening to, check out and FOLLOW our Sollevato Instagram for pictures and videos of Harvest Day.

Our tiny production sustainably produced wine, 2021 Sollevato Sangiovese , just received a Gold Medal and 92 point rating in the Orange County Wine Competition! Order online and Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off your order.

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode.

Check out our Sponsor American Olive Farmer and use the code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order of their fantastic olive oils, vinegars and raw olives for brining!

Questions? Comments? Guest requests? [email protected]

All the cool kids are drinking it... are you?

Pétillant Naturel (aka Pét Nat) is a fun, delicious style of gently sparkling wine... and can usually be found for a great price, like the $13 Amuse Bouche I found in my local Trader Joe's! I giving you the intel on:

• What is Pét Nat?
• How is it made?
• Why you should be drinking it?
• What you should be drinking it WITH!

Check out more about this week's SIP SPOTLIGHT wine from Pierre & Antonin.

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode.

Our tiny production wine/passion project, 2021 Sollevato Sangiovese , just received a Gold Medal and 92 point rating in the Orange County Wine Competition! Order online and Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off your order.

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

• How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 
• If you haven't already, please FOLLOW the podcast! We have so many more exciting episodes coming out, and if you're not following you might MISS then! Click here to Follow! 

Want to learn more about wine? Get my Wine Tips Cheat Sheet HERE

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

Something SO COOL happened this past week, that I couldn't NOT record a podcast episode about it!

Without giving away too much... You'll hear about:

• 26 years of consistent passion and enthusiasm for ONE THING
• How being patient paid off this week
• My curiosity of how YOU think it went and what you would have done differently!

Song lyrics referenced in the episode:

Oh, how it happened, blew the lid and got a taste, it's some kind of magic

It could happen like it did, Like we awoke, we were still dreaming

When it happened like it did , If I wasn't there, I wouldn't believe it-DJM

This week's Sip Spotlight wine is a Blast from the Past!

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode.

Our tiny production wine/passion project, 2021 Sollevato Sangiovese , just received a Gold Medal and 92 point rating in the Orange County Wine Competition! Order online and Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off your order.

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

• How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 
• If you haven't already, please FOLLOW the podcast! We have so many more exciting episodes coming out, and if you're not following you might MISS then! Click here to Follow! 

Want to learn more about wine? Get my Wine Tips Cheat Sheet HERE

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

If you've ever wondered if screw cap = cheap wine and why there are different types of wine bottle closures... you are not alone! Listen in as I:

• Clarify the differences in the types of wine closures
• Simplify why certain bottles have corks and some do not
• If and how the closure relates to the wine's quality
• Answer LISTENER QUESTIONS and give a couple shoutouts!

Check out this cool article about composting your wine corks!

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode.

My wine, 2021 Sollevato Sangiovese , just received a Gold Medal and 92 point rating in the Orange County Wine Competition! Order online and Use code PODLISTENER for 10% off your order.

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

• How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 
• If you haven't already, please FOLLOW the podcast! We have so many more exciting episodes coming out, and if you're not following you might MISS then! Click here to Follow! 

Get my Wine Tips Cheat Sheet HERE

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

As a wine educator hosting tastings, I often get asked  “what got you into wine?”

I realized I hadn’t shared this story of my AH HA wine and lightbulb moment with my listeners yet and I thought whether a first time listener or loyal Sip Fan (I see you!), that you’d like to know what brought your gal, Nikki, to wine Country, which eventually led to this very podcast becoming a reality

So this week I’m Sharing:

• My first intro into wine… at Pleasure Island???
• The wine that shut me up (Literally)
• Why I got banned from ordering the wine on the Disney Cruise
• My first impression when visiting the Napa Valley
• A tip for you if you have a passion bubbling under the surface 

Splurge on this weeks Sip Spotlights available on my partner website:

The Ah-Ha wine:

Antinori Tignanello

Another super rare WOW wine for me:

Montes Purple Angel 

Other Resources and Ways to stay connected:

• If you'd like to Support the Podcast, I’ll give you a shout out!
• Check out Nikki's boutique wine brand Sollevato!
• Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts! Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! And If you haven't already, Be Sure to Follow  the podcast!
• Looking to better at understanding wine? Download my Free Wine Tips Cheat Sheet here
• Follow Nikki on Instagram
• Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

I'm starting off this episode with a shout out to one of our listeners, Mitchell! Thank you for supporting the podcast, Mitchell and for buying me a glass of...you guessed it… Rosé! (Actually, it’s probably a bottle...)

If you'd like to be like Mitchell and Support the Podcast, I’ll give you a shout out too!

This week we are making sense of Rosé:

• Why you should be drinking it
• How it’s made and why that matters to you
• How to pick the right one

Nikki's recommended rosés:

Gerard Bertrand Cote des Roses (France)

Feudo Montoni Rose of Nerello Mascalese (Sicily)

And a special SIP SPOTLIGHT:

Tres Sabores Ingrid and Julia Rosé (Rutherford California)

Other Resources and Ways to stay connected!

• Check out Nikki's boutique wine brand Sollevato!
• Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts! Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! And If you haven't already, Be Sure to Follow  the podcast!
• Looking to better at understanding wine? Download my Free Wine Tips Cheat Sheet here
• Follow Nikki on Instagram
• Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

Olive Oil Farmer

Check out americanolivefarmer.com and use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!

This week I’m inviting you to pull up a chair with my new friend Sally Srok and I! We are happy hour-ing at one of my favorite restaurants, Willi’s Wine Bar in Santa Rosa, CA enjoying delicious food and wine pairings and talking about ALL of the things including:

• How she came to be the GM of a top-notch winery in Sonoma County
• Why the heck she was in the improv class where we met 
• Her Memoir “The New Jew: An Unexpected Conversion"
• Her second Memoir, "Bonus Round: A Divorce, a Gay-Ex Husband and A Life Reimagined"
• The life-changing Cattle Drive that started her path to self-realization
• Asking What If and the struggle to put herself first 
• What the Dining Room table represented and how she let it go
• Helping others to find themselves in the pages of her books 

Find the White Wines we paired with Ahi Tuna and Scallop Dumplings:

Aperture Sauvignon Blanc 

Domaine Orion Chablis 2022

Find the Red wines paired with Pork Belly Postickers:

Patricia Green Reserve, Willamette Valley  Pinot Noir

Ramazzotti Super Tuscan

Find Sally's Books on Amazon:

1. Bonus Round: A Gay Ex-Husband, A Divorce and a Life Reimagined
2. The New Jew: An Unexpected Conversion

Follow Sally on Instagram!

Follow ME on Instagram!

Check out her website to learn more about her.

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode!

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 

If you haven't already, Be Sure to Follow! the podcast!

Looking to be better and understanding wine? Download my Free Wine Tips Cheat Sheet here:.

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

Olive Oil Farmer

Check out americanolivefarmer.com and use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!

This week’s guest is another fascinating individual that I hoped would be a guest  before I even launched the podcast! 

Tony Smith and I met in 2012 when we were classmates at the Culinary Institute of America’s Wine Program in the Napa Valley.  He and his parter had just purchased a very historic Winery in Portugal and he was in the program to prep him for winery ownership and production.

I was lucky enough to visit the stunning Covela property in 2016 and I knew it was a special the place the moment we drove in. 

We dive into:

• The roller coaster of buying and restoring a winery property that dates back to the 1500’s
• Acquiring the coveted Organic certification and what that means (compared to Biodynamic)
• Does glassware matter?
• Can you taste minerality from the soil in the wine?
• A surprising natural winemaking technique they are using that I've never heard of before
• Our "Sip Spotlight" tasting of 3 of his unique and gorgeous wines made from the rare Avesso grape

Check out how they are blazing the trail in Portugal with their recent international certification for Regenerative Viticulture, which is new and highly regarded.

You can see footage of the beautiful property and purchase Covela wines for shipping to the US (and other countries) here:

Follow them on Instagram!

If you'd like to Support the Podcast, you can buy me a glass of wine and get a shoutout on a future episode!

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

“Delightful and fun. Now I love my Monday Commute” (kpjscarbs). 

Sound like you? I’d love for you to leave your own review!

How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 

If you haven't already, please FOLLOW the podcast! We have so many more exciting episodes coming out, and if you're not following you might MISS then! Click here to Follow! 

Looking to be better and understanding wine? Download my Free Wine Tips Cheat Sheet here:.

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

Olive Oil Farmer

Check out americanolivefarmer.com and use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!

Whatcha know about Mallorca? I didn’t know a whole lot and it was my first time there! Located just off the coast of Spain, it's 1405 sq miles and just under a million in population and known for its beautiful beaches, mountains, architecture... and you guessed it, wineries!

Listen as we:

• Discover a local Mercado (market) in the capital city Palma
• Eat our way through that market
• Then stumble into the coolest wines shop where we make new friends and learn about the local wines!

Ingrid’s shop is fantastic and I recommend a visit next time you are in the area. Her website is HERE. Their wines can be purchased through their site but international shipping is currently cost prohibitive, so you can find or Sip Spotlight wine from Mallorca at my affiliate site winedotcom, with very reasonable shipping (especially if you sign up for their yearly membership!)

This is an awesome red blend driven by the 2 native grapes you heard us learning about, Called and Mantonegro and a little Syrah for good measure. Use the link to have it shipped to your door!

Anima Negra-a 92 point Wine from Robert Parker!

Want to be an "Angel?" You can Support the Podcast, and buy me a glass of wine to show how much you're enjoying my podcast passion project.

Please consider Rating, Reviewing and Following Us on Apple Podcasts!

“Delightful and fun. Now I love my Monday Commute” (kpjscarbs). 

Sound like you? I’d love for you to leave your own review!

How? Click Here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with Stars and select "write a review" and let us know what you loved most about this episode! 

If you haven't already, please FOLLOW the podcast! We have so many more exciting episodes coming out, and if you're not following you might MISS then! Click here to Follow! 

Trying to make sense of wine? Get my Wine Tips Cheat Sheet here. 

Questions, suggestions and guest requests? [email protected] or DM me on Instagram, @nikkilamberti or Facebook!

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out americanolivefarmer.com and use code SipWithNikki for $10 off your order!