Somm Women Talk Wine - TUNE IN NOW TO EVERYDAY SOMMELIER!

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In this exciting episode of Somm Women Talk Wine, we are honored to have Chris Keel, the owner of Put A Cork In It, a favorite Fort Worth wine shop, and a Vinitaly Ambassador, as our guest. Join us as we deep dive the world of lesser-known white Italian wines, revealing the hidden gems that make Italy the "go to" location for wine enthusiasts.

While Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc often steal the spotlight, Italy's diverse wine regions offer a plethora of unique white wines that deserve way more attention than they receive. Chris Keel, with his deep expertise in Italian wines, takes us through a curated selection from regions from the north in Piedmont,  Alto Adige, and Venezia Giulia, south to  La Marche and Campagnia.

Chris kicks off our exploration with Gavi from Piedmont made with the Cortese grape, and we deep dive into the aromatic Soave from Veneto crafted from Garganega.  While we don't specifically cover it, we highly recommend your  wine exploration can continue into Venezia Giulia, discovering the unique characteristics of grapes that thrive in this picturesque region.

Our journey continues in the northern region of Alto Adige, known for its crisp, citrusy wines. Here, wines include the vibrant flavors of Trebbiano and the fresh, light notes of local Pinot Bianco wines. 

We travel a bit south to explore the versatility of Vermentino from Liguria and Sardinia, and the rich, complex flavors of wines from Campania such as Greco, Fiano, and Falanghina.

Moving further south to Lazio, near Rome, Chris educates on how the region's unique terroir influences its distinctive white wines including Grechetto and Trebbiano. This region is increasing its focus on natural wine, a growing movement that emphasizes organic and sustainable winemaking practices, offering wine lovers an authentic and unadulterated tasting experience.

While we don't touch on them, we cannot forget the classic red wines like Chianti (Sangiovese), Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, as well as the effervescent joy of sparkling wine. But stop in and visit Chris. He'll provide valuable tips on selecting great wines at an affordable price, making the world of Italian wines accessible to everyone.

Whether you are a seasoned wine connoisseur or a curious novice, this episode is packed with recommendations to enhance your wine journey. 

So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite Italian white wine, sit back, and join us on Somm Women Talk Wine as we uncover the rich tapestry of Italy's lesser-known white wines. Let Chris Keel's passion and expertise guide you through this delightful exploration, and get ready to discover new favorites that will elevate your wine-tasting experience. Cheers to the vibrant world of Italian white wines!

Join Put A Cork In It's Monthly Italian Wine Club today!

Tune in now and read on for a deep dive into the captivating stories and flavors that make Italy's white wines truly exceptional.

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Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

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@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

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Ever wonder what it takes to create a new California Sparkling Wine? Tune in as Somm Women Talk Wine interviews Weston Eidson and Russell Bevan, two world-renowned winemakers who partnered on Weston's vision to create magic in a bottle of bubbles.  Created in the traditional method with a whole lot of patience and more blending and tasting than one can imagine, this wine is a passion project for perfection.

In this episode of Somm Women Talk Wine, Weston and Russell take us through the exciting journey of creating Westborn. From selecting the perfect sites in Napa Valley, Russian River Valley and  throughout the North Coast wine region, to blending countless barrels of wine, they share the meticulous process behind crafting the exact style, flavor, and experience Weston envisioned years ago. Their passion is palpable, and while we can’t pop the cork or sabre a bottle just yet, we’re certain it will be ethereal!

Both Weston and Russell are familiar voices on SWTW, and we’re grateful for their continued support of our podcast. Russell previously shared his enthusiasm for his PerUs project during the height of 2023's harvest. Missed it? No worries! Listen again here: Russell Bevan: Winemaking.

We also had an unforgettable live podcast with Weston, featuring his Silver Ghost and Montagu Pinot Noir. It was our first live recording, and we had a blast. Check it out: Weston Eidson: A Live Chat with the Winemaker and His "Vertical".

We can’t wait to get our hands on a bottle of Westborn, but until then, we’re thrilled to share the story behind this exceptional sparkling wine from two of the industry’s most respected winemakers.

If you're like us and cannot wait, here's the link to explore becoming a club member before the first bottles of Westborn ship!

What’s a Somm Women Talk Wine episode without a WINE FIND? This time, we’re highlighting COLORED WINE GLASSES! Whether you opt for the luxurious Estelle or the cute, fun, and affordable options by TOSSWARE on Amazon, you're sure to elevate your table setting.

Cheers to the debut of a fabulous California Sparkling Wine – Westborn!

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

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Temperatures are heating up and our natural instinct is to shift from red to white wine to tame the sweltering summer temperatures.  SWTW takes on the task of finding the perfect chilled summer red wines perfect for every occasion!  From Lambrusco to Syrah and a few in between, we hit the highlights so you, too, can pop the cork on red wine throughout the dog days of summer. Tune in for a few of our summer wine suggestions.

What are the key elements which make a red variety perfect for serving at cooler temperatures (45-55 F)?  High acidity, red fruit flavors, thin skins for low tannins, and lower alcohol!  Winemakers pick grapes at the perfect point, likely on the early side, to achieve the crunchy, bright, light, fruity, summer red wine style needed to put on the chill. There's truly nothing better than a light bodied red served chilled on a summer evening.

Lambrusco is a moderately fizzy red made in the same way as Prosecco.  Grape varieties are little known Maestri, Marani, Montericco, and Salamino and translate to vibrant fuchsia deliciousness in the glass.  Gamay, most famous in Beaujolais as well as Pinot Noir are definitely in the perfect wheelhouse for summer chillables!  SWTW faves include Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village and our previous guest Morét-Brealynn Wines Pinot Noir. What's not to love!?!

The most surprising star of the summer chilled summer red wine show is cool climate Syrah!  We'll let you listen in to the story, but Division Wine Co's Gamine wins our vote along with Unison Vineyard's New Zealand "And Relax"! Chilling red summer wines is all the rage from New York state to South Africa!

Summer is here and we think it's the perfect time to put the chill on a great bottle of fruity red and sip your way through the season!

Cheers!
Charisse & Kristi

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

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A Cali girl through and through, Morét Brealynn, has done it all when it comes to wine.  From tasting room host to marketeer.  From event planner to any odd task she could get involving grapes.  Her passion and experience from some of the top wineries in Napa and Sonoma (you’ll have to listen to learn which ones!) gave her a phenomenal foundation the good ole fashioned way - OJT (on the job training).

Moving into her fourth harvest as the head winemaker for her own label, Morét-Brealynn Wines, Morét now calls the shots. We think she’s pretty darned good at it too!  With a refined palette and passion for California Pinot Noir, she’s tackling everything from purchasing barrels to walking the vineyards to identify the exact moment of perfect ripeness of the grapes in her wines. Her fingerprint translates to wines which are seductive, yet playful. Linked to tradition, yet innovative. All with her own personal touch.

Giving back and having fun is also key in who Morét is and what she represents as a female as well as a minority (100% Mexican) in the industry.  She also serves as a Board Member of Wine Women, a women focused non profit and supports local animal shelters in her free time.  When a glass of wine isn’t in her hands, you’ll likely find a golf club there instead. She truly is the Queen of California Pinot Noir

We know your curiosity is piqued and you’ll want to try Morét-Brealynn Wines for yourself - good news!  Simply go to https://moretbrealynnwines.com and use SOMMWOMEN in the coupon code for 20% off all individual wines! (Bundles excluded)

Join us as we explore Morét’s journey from the tasting room to head winemaker - of course it wouldn’t be Somm Women Talk Wine without a little fun along the way!

Cheers!
Charisse & Kristi 

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

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What possibly could Captain Cook‘s exploration of the Fiordland of New Zealand’s South Island and world class wine have in common? Greg Hay, Wet Jacket Wine’s own Captain, leads the team toward a vision of precision, exploration and legacy. Hay founded several of Central Otago’s renowned wineries (Chard Farm and Peregrine). With Wet Jacket, he set out to do something more visionary to fulfill a spirituality in his quest to link land and sea.

Wet Jacket’s lineup breaks the stigma of New Zealand = Sauvignon Blanc. For those who have the opportunity to explore, seeing the breadth of gorgeous whites and legendary Pinot Noir in the Central Otago area brings a completely different perspective. Pinot Gris from the Wet Jacket and Puntangi labels delivers depth and complexity with floral and crisp fruits. Way beyond a porch pounding PG, these wines deserve contemplation to unravel their layers.

Our exploration of Wet Jacket’s wines extends across a wide array of aromatic whites, legendary varietals such as Chardonnay and Syrah. We delve into the Central Otago expression of Pinot Noir, but not without multiple layers of Captain Hay’s magician-like touch. There is a personal feel to what the wines deliver. The legacy, and the vision of what has transpired since Wet Jacket’s inception less than a decade ago is nothing less than well rooted in something ethereal, from the cosmos. It’s almost like the wines become part of you in telling their story.

For more of the story, visit:  Spirituality in a Quest for Wine » WINE WIZE (wine-wize.com)

Cheers! Charisse & Kristi

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

Sip, share, shape our podcast!

So many buzzwords fly around sustainability, organics, biodynamics and renenerative wine viticulture and viniculture it's impossible to make sense of it all.  What better way to break it all down than to hear from the expert team at Greystone in Wiapara, Canterbury, New Zealand?  Stephen McGowan, Sales and Marketing Director, give an insiders tour from the land to a Birdseye view of the property and explains how regenerative principles drive amazingly good wines. And, most importantly, allow the team to leave the land better than they found it.

Our interview continues with Gavin Tait, winemaker, who explains his approach to incorporating regenerative principles as far as fermenting wines out in the vineyard. And wait until you hear how they taste!

Greystone is truly a Summa Cum Laude student of regenerative farming and their passion shows through in our interview.  We cannot thank them enough for sharing their passion and for leaving a legacy for years to come!

For more information on Greystone, check out the rest of their story on their website.

Cheers and enjoy!

Charisse & Kristi

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

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What better way to celebrate the culinary and beverage geniouses of Fort Worth, TX than to partner with the James Beard Foundation? We think there is nothing better and Charisse and Kristi were honored to serve as podcast sponsors for the event held at Colonial Country Club on March 4.  With microphones in hand, the two took to task catching chefs and vendors before the kickoff of the 1.5 hour cocktail party.  The entire list of participants and sponsors can be found on the Colonial Culinary Classic website, but here is are the interviewees for this episode!

• Chef Martin Meadows - Colonial Country Club
• Chef Jon Bonnell - Bonnell's, Waters, Jon's Grill, Buffalo Bros
• Chef Blaine Staniford - 61 Osteria, Grace, Little Red Wasp
• Chef Jenny Castor - Luckybee Kitchen
• Chef Rodrigo Cárdenas - Don Artemio
• Chef  Maricsa Trejo - La Casita Bakeshop
• Chef Juan Rodrigues - Magdalena's
•  Matt Jacquinot - Holladay Bourbon
• Ashley Austin & Keith Beardsley - Delicato Family Wines
• Stacie Pearlman - Lalo Tequila
•  Grant Morgan - Hotel Drover
• Faith Fulginiti - Wilson Daniels
• Masumi Pinto - Fort Brewery
• Olivia Jacobs - Remus Bourbon Whiskey

A special shout out to Chef Amy McNutt of Maiden, Spiral Diner, and Dreamboat Donuts & Scoops for representing the Vegan community so well!  We'll get her on an upcoming podcast for sure!  There are many other chefs and vendors well deserving of a shout out - y'all did amazing!

Varsity Communications, led by Dick Stephens, partnered with Jeremy Lamb, Colonial Somm and F&B manager along with the Charles Schwab Challenge to bring this event to  Ft. Worth and Colonial for the 2nd year. This year was every bit as exciting and we know you'll want to join next year after hearing about it from our guests!

We would be absolutely remiss to not mention the James Beard Foundation who inspires the culinary scene all over the US through education, inspiration, support and scholarship.  Funds raised at the event go toward financial support for  young women who want to enter the culinary industry.  We can't think of a better cause!

THIS WEEK'S WINE FIND:  The Parkside Flask from High Camp Flasks!  CLICK HERE TO GET ONE WITH OUR SWTW DISCOUNT! Use discount code SOMMWOMENTALKWINE to save 15%!

Thanks again for your support and please share with all of your friends and fellow wine lovers!  You, our community, make everything we do happen!

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

Sip, share, shape our podcast!

Do you get confused with wine terms? What does flabby really even mean when it comes to wine? Fear no more! Charisse and Kristi tackle the definitions of many often used wine terms and break them down into simple, easily understandable meanings for you! From Awkward to Zippy (well, we actually forgot that one!), you’ll get a dictionary full of useful terms to help your wine journey make more sense!

We’re thrilled to have a new sponsor in WINE WIZE, wine education for business and service industry professionals!  

Cheers!
Charisse and Kristi

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

Sip, share, shape our podcast!

For most wine drinkers, Sauvignon Blanc is THE white wine of New Zealand. We're here to debunk yet another myth and challenge you to think about NZ Chardonnay! From the focus of organic / biodynamic / regenerative farming to low intervention winemaking, winemakers let the chameleon varietal shine.  The land, the climate, even within the same vineyard is creating amazingly different expressions of Chardonnay and we're super excited to share them with you!

We explore Chardonnay from Central Otago to Auckland through interviews with wineries and wine makers - this is a must listen episode for sure!

• Felton Road Wines, Bannockburn, Central Otago, South Island
  • Winemaker Blair Walter deep dives the distinct soil types even within same vineyard giving unique expression to their Chardonnay.  Passion for land as evidenced in their biodynamic farming practice leaves the true impression of care for NZ's land, - the soil just feels and smells different as if it’s a living breathing organism.
• Te Whare Ra, Marlborough, Northern part of South Island
  • Winemaker Anna Flowerday who partners (with her husband,  Jason, tends some of the oldest vineyards in the region with some dainge back 20+ years or more.  Organic / Biodynamic farming, minimal intervention winemaking (no fining agents, yeasts, winemaking and small batch focus, hand pick / hand sort grapes, keep 100% control of the vineyard to bottle) add complexity to their Chardonnay. 
  • Anna shares her humor as she describes their wines by pairing them with celeb personalities which is a fun idea, but you totally get it when you listen to her tell these stories
• Kumeu River, Auckland, North Island and Hawke’s Bay (purchased in 2017) 
  • Paul Brajkovich shares Kumeu River's history as family owned, long legacy of growing grapes and making wines back to the 1940s.
  • CHANCE OF A LIFETIME - similar to 1976 Judgement of Paris moment, Paul shares a blind tasting where Kumeu River's Chardonnay's 
    are placed against a range of Premier Cru and Village Burgundies from the best producers.  The panel of well known somms, wine critics and the like blinded the wines and Kumeu triumphed over top white Burgundies in every flight apart from one, where it came first equal (tied).
• Man O’War, Waiheke Island, part of Auckland region but distinctly separate
  • Takes 45 min ferry to island and another 45 min bus ride to the winery on the opposite side of island and you'll find yourself at Man O' War, an enormous 4500 acre farm - about 20% of total island - full of animals, beehives, gardens, vineyards, lodging for staff etc…  plus76 vineyards!
  • Cecelia Bravo hosts and shares how Man O' War is going against the grain with their Chardonnay!

While many of NZ's Chardonnay wines don't make it to the export market, we highly encourage you to seek some out and hopefully we'll get the word out for more and more distributors to get these lovelies into the US or wherever you're listening!

Cheers and, as always, LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE!

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi 

Sip, share, shape our podcast!

From decanting to aging. From quality to color. From pairings to pourings. Charisse and Kristi tackle some of the top myths and misconceptions around wine! In the wine world where tradition has driven many of our consumption and selection decisions, it’s a whole new world out there!

Join us as we dive into some of the most common wine myths so you can decide or yourself which path you want to take on your wine journey. The path of tradition or the path or a walk on the wild side! Either way, we hope you’ll LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE and let us know if there are other wine myths you’d like us to take on in a future episode!

Cheers to the END OF DRY JANUARY, or as we like to say TRY JANUARY!

Charisse & Kristi

Support the show

Thanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine!  Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!

Instagram:
@somm_women_talk_wine
@kristiwinenerd
@charissehenryfw
@kmayfield109

All episodes are also on our website:
SommWomenTalkWine

Charisse and Kristi