We welcome radio host, internet impresario, and influencer extraordinaire Nycci Nellis to the studio to share island wines and trade gossip about the Washington restaurant scene. Fresh off a memorable trip to Sardinia, Nycci delivers a fresh, fruity Cannonau, while Bill brings one of his favorite digestifs, an herbal-inflected mirto derived from myrtle berries. Nycci talks about growing up in a food-loving household, how she came to launch a website devoted to dining in the DMV ("The List Are You on It), and what it's like hosting a weekly radio show with her husband ("Foodie and the Beast"). We consider the enduring charms of Mediterranean island life, the singular beauty of Sardinia, and the lessons from vacation we'd like to apply to our workaday lives. We close out with a bit of verse from Sardinia's Nobel Laureate Grazia Deledda and ponder the future of Washington's restaurant scene.

We welcome Chris Boustred, winemaker and director of South Africa's Remhoogte Wine Estate. Chris' parents purchased the historic Stellenbosch estate in 1994 and worked closely with famed flying winemaker Michel Rolland to develop their brand. We trade a pair of bottles from South Africa's signature grape Pinotage, Chris' own alongside an offering from the "Pioneers of Pinotage," Kanonkop Wine Estate. Chris talks over what it was like to work alongside one of the wine world's most divisive figures, the enduring lessons he gathered from Michel, and why he ultimately decided to go his own way. We talk about the legacy of apartheid in South African wine country, the thorny history of Stellenbosch's Pinotage pioneers, and Chris' hopes for the industry's future. We close out with a bit of verse from his relative Patrick Cullinan and consider the enduring charms of this misunderstood varietal.

The one and only Mary Taylor joins us this week, entrepreneur and force of nature single-handedly making the world of appellation-based European wines comprehensible to American consumers. We share two wines from Mary's catalog, a dusty, dry red from the wind-swept plains of Manchuela and the forgotten grape Moravia Agria alongside a juicier Prieto Picudo out of León. We tackle some of the industry's biggest questions: What is the difference between varietal and appellation? How does wine communicate a sense of place? What is "natural" wine? Mary traces her roots in the business from personal assistant to Elie Wiesel to cheesemonger to wine buyer to Burgundian cellar rat to trailblazing importer. We close out with an old favorite from Denise Levertov, and Mary tells us why her staff has declared a moratorium on new additions to the portfolio and what's on the horizon once the stay is lifted.

We are honored to be joined by Yannick Benjamin, a sommelier and restaurateur making hospitality accessible to all. Born into a restaurant industry family, Yannick always knew what he wanted to do for a living, but his life took a turn in 2003 when he was paralyzed in a car accident. He has since become a tireless advocate for the disabled community while pursuing a trailblazing career as a sommelier that saw him open his own restaurant, Contento, in East Harlem. We pop the cork on a pair of East Coast Bordeaux blends (from Virginia's Glen Manor and New York's Treleavan) and discuss the joys of drinking local. Yannick talks about growing up in the restaurant industry, tackling wine service from a wheelchair, and creating an accessible environment for both able-bodied and disabled staff and guests to explore his favorite food and drink. We close the program with a bit of verse from Vassar Miller and Yannick considers what he has gained through his immeasurable loss.

We celebrate our 10th episode in style with the one and only Kelsey McKinney, journalist, novelist, editor, and creative genius behind the critically acclaimed podcast "Normal Gossip." We devote the entire broadcast to celebrity wines with four bottles from prominent public personas turned variously successful vignerons, including Zac Brown, Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Bon Jovi. We consider what these bottles have to say about their celebrity producers, ask ourselves if these wines are passion projects or shameless cash grabs, and decide if they pass the wedding reception test of drinkability. Kelsey talks about growing up in the evangelical church in North Texas, the life raft of summer visits to her Bay Area aunt, and the difference between celebrity gossip and normal gossip. We close things out with a pair of poems from Emily Dickinson and share our deep and abiding love of pop royalty turned dirt-under-her-fingernails winemaker Pink.

We welcome pioneering Santa Barbara winemaker, retailer, and restaurateur Doug Margerum to the studio for an episode all about Southern Rhône blends from beautiful, sun-drenched corners of the world. Doug shows off the latest vintage of his flagship red blend M5, while we answer with a stately Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Bois de Boursan. Doug remembers collecting wine at a young age, launching a restaurant that became a clubhouse for local vignerons, and learning on the job with Santa Barbara luminaries Bob Lindquist and Jim Clendenen. We consider how his past life as a sommelier informs his work as a winemaker, assess the merits of ungrafted vines, and discuss the differences between the Central Coast and Southern Rhône. We finish with a bit of verse from California's first Poet Laureate, and Doug tells us why Santa Barbara is the West Coast's Riviera.

We are joined by award-winning, New York-based Filipino sommelier, writer, and activist Miguel de Leon. Miguel celebrates the release of his collaboration with Proxies, a wine alternative featuring Riesling grape must infused with tropical fruit with citrus, tea, and pandan. We respond with a grapefruit-rosemary shrub (or drinking vinegar) that has long served as the welcome drink at Tail Up Goat. Miguel talks about growing up in Manila, experiencing American food for the first time, and coming out as an aspiring sommelier to his mother. We discuss the merits of various non-alcoholic alternatives to wine, consider how the pandemic experience has transformed our industry, and imagine less eurocentric ways to describe our favorite beverage. We round out the episode with a poem from Virginia's Filipina-American Poet Laureate, and Miguel shares his favorite childhood dish to cook for friends.

We trade bottles with Alexis Percival, New York sommelier and partner in the East Village wine bar Ruffian along with the dearly departed Adriatic-inspired restaurant Kindred. It's our booziest episode to date with dueling artisanal spirits, a mezcal distilled with mole-spiced chicken breast and an equally rare Haitian clairin, white rum derived from local sugarcane juice. We consider how spirits transmit a sense of place, what is so special about the production process, and how they compare to the wines we love. Alexis talks about her trip to Mexico's mezcal heartland, explains her affinity for wines from lesser-known regions, and weighs the merits of letting the world pass you by. We close out with a bit of verse from Mexican poet Rosario Castellanos, as Alexis ponders her post-pandemic future in the wine trade.

We welcome Genevieve Villamora, owner of the late, great Filipino restaurant Bad Saint and enjoy dueling cool climate reds from just outside of Montreal, Quebec and the heart of Vienna, Austria. Genevieve discusses her epic seven year run at the helm of one of the buzziest restaurants in the country, recalls her earliest memory of food as pleasure and pain, and considers why it has taken Filipino cuisine so long to become popular stateside. We talk about the enduring charm of bright, acid-driven reds, how the wine program evolved over the life of her restaurant, and her favorite moments of service at Bad Saint. We close out with an old favorite from Joy Harjo and Genevieve tells us what feeds her soul as she embraces a new era.

We are joined by Eric Moorer, sommelier and Director of Sales and Customer Engagement at one of the country's finest natural wine retail outlets, Domestique, and wine vendor for Selection Massale. We taste dueling Chenin Blancs from different corners of France's Loire Valley, a sprightly, mineral driven charmer from a limestone heavy parcel in Montlouis-sur-Loire and an opulent, honeyed showstopper from the blueschist of Savennières. Eric reflects on the evolution of his taste in wine, the enduring charm of his favorite grape, and his experiences of racism on the restaurant floor and abroad. We consider how the wine industry has evolved, what still needs to change, and how he is trying to redefine wine service while engaging historically marginalized groups. We close out with a poem from Langston Hughes, and Eric explains his distinctive Instagram handle.