Water Into Wine

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a 2022 Trimbach riesling and talks about the freedom that comes from accepting that we aren’t in charge. He reflects on a simple prayer that’s helped him let go, why faith means trusting what we can’t see, and how stepping back from the trenches can help us recognize God’s hand in our lives. The episode also includes tasting notes, food pairings, an amusing correction, and an interesting question about choosing the right wine glass.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2022 Trimbach Riesling, Alsace, France

(04:30) Why this wine for today’s topic?

(09:40) Tasting notes

(13:00) Food pairings

(13:40) Father Charleston’s nighttime prayer

(23:07) Correction from a previous episode

(25:15) Listener question: How do wine glasses enhance the wine drinking experience?

(30:50) Final takeaways

What can a grape transformed by fungus teach us about suffering, grace, and redemption? Father Charleston explores the strange beauty of “noble rot,” the process behind some of the world’s most sought-after wines, and what it can teach us about the Christian life. From strength in weakness to the beauty found in broken places, he reflects on how seasons that feel like failure or loss can become places of unexpected transformation. Father Charleston also shares his surprisingly detailed plans for a champagne truck and takes on another blind wine tasting to mark the podcast’s 20th episode.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2020 Domaine de l’Alliance Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

(01:34) Why this wine for today’s topic?

(04:38) The theology of noble rot

(08:01) How noble rot transforms the grape

(10:12) How brokenness can produce something beautiful

(13:34) Strength in weakness

(18:59) The cross, redemption, and new life

(21:21) Tasting notes

(22:49) Food pairings

(27:44) Listener question: What would Father Charleston’s food truck serve?

(31:40) Episode 20 blind wine tasting

(35:29) Blind tasting reveal

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a 2022 Sancerre and talks about regret, failure, and the freedom of God’s grace. He reflects on why everyone has regrets, how admitting our failures can loosen their hold on us, and what it means to trust that God’s love is not dependent on our achievements. The episode also explores forgiveness, the lasting weight of the past, and how faith can help us move forward. It includes a listener question about the proper temperature for serving red and white wine.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2022 Domaine Fouassier “Les Chasseignes” Sancerre, Loire Valley, France

(03:50) Why this wine for the topic of regret?

(07:40) Tasting notes

(09:20) Food pairings

(12:10) Is there a regret you would like to share with us?

(14:45) Why do some people think they have no regrets?

(17:00) Is there power in admitting regrets?

(20:20) Why do we wait to ask for forgiveness?

(26:35) Listener question: Should I put red wine in the refrigerator before opening?

(29:45) Final tasting notes and words of wisdom

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a California pinot noir and discusses walking, faith, and what it means to move closer to God. He reflects on why the Christian life is about “proximity, not pedigree,” how to recognize whether we’re walking toward Jesus or away from Him, and why it’s never too late to turn around. The episode also explores spiritual direction, prayer walks, pilgrimages, forgiveness, and how God can meet us in the burdens we carry. It includes a listener question about Sancerre and a preview of the wine that will be featured in the next episode.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2023 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA

(02:00) Why this wine for the topic of walking?

(04:40) Tasting notes and food pairings

(11:30) Father Charleston, the avid indoorsman and walker

(14:20) Why does the Bible use walking as a metaphor so often?

(16:35) What does it mean to walk with God?

(19:10) How can listeners walk toward Jesus?

(21:40) What is a spiritual director?

(25:45) Prayer walks

(29:25) Listener question: Can you tell me more about Sancerre?

(32:45) Final takeaways

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a 2022 Napa Valley Chardonnay and uses it as a doorway into a conversation about anxiety, worry, and finding peace in God’s presence. Drawing from his own experience with anxiety, Scripture, and years of pastoral conversations, Father Charleston reflects on why our feelings are not always telling us the truth, how worry often lives in the “what if,” and what it means to cast our anxieties on Jesus. The episode explores surrender, the pressure of modern life, and food and wine pairings. It also includes Father Charleston’s answer to a listener's question about whether to order the house wine at a restaurant.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2022 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, USA

(03:10) Why this wine for the topic of anxiety?

(06:30) Tasting notes and food pairings

(10:50) Reframing anxiety through faith

(15:05) Practices to work through anxiety

(19:00) Listener question: Do you shy away from ordering house wine at a restaurant?

(22:10) Final tasting notes and takeaways

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a 2022 Stag’s Leap Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon and uses it as a doorway into a conversation about nighttime, faith, and the quiet ways God works when the world slows down. With a nod to America’s 250th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind wine tasting, Father Charleston reflects on why darkness should not be feared, how Scripture is full of holy moments that happen at night, and why sleepless hours can become an invitation to prayer rather than a time of frustration. The episode also explores Mary and Martha, intentional prayer, church community, and why some of God’s deepest work happens while the rest of the world sleeps.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2022 Stag’s Leap Cellars “Artemis,” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA 

(05:50) Tasting notes

(08:00) Why this wine for the topic of nighttime?

(10:30) Do you think God is a night owl?

(14:45) How can we be better listeners at night?

(17:45) Being Mary and Martha

(20:25) Listener question: What do you wish every parishioner would do and stop doing?

(25:50) Final tasting notes and food pairings

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson opens a 2023 California Pinot Noir and lets it lead into a deeper conversation about rest, Sabbath, and why our culture’s obsession with busyness is quietly wearing us down. Father Charleston explores the biblical rhythm of Sabbath, the spiritual danger of tying our worth to productivity, and the freedom that comes from resting in the finished work of God. Along the way, the episode touches on wine pairings, screen time, porch conversations, sabbaticals, and why rest is not for the weak but the holy. The episode also includes a listener question about small habits that make everyday life better and ends with a blind tasting.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2023 Sandhi Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California, USA

(02:40) Why this wine for today’s topic of rest?

(04:10) Tasting notes

(06:00) Food pairings

(09:00) Observing the Sabbath and taking a sabbatical

(14:00) Where does the Sabbath come from?

(15:40) These days, taking a Sabbath is a rebellion

(20:55) Does a Sabbath have to be on Sunday?

(21:30) What do you do on your Sabbath?

(23:50) Listener question: What’s one small habit that’s made your life better?

(25:15) Final tasting notes

(26:50) Blind tasting: Tasting notes

(30:20) Bottle reveal! Howling Wolf Red XI, Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery, Dahlonega, Georgia, USA

(32:30) Food pairing

What if doubt isn’t the opposite of faith but an open door to a deeper relationship with God? In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson explores how to talk with nonbelievers, seekers, and people who have honest questions about Christianity. Over a glass of chardonnay, he reflects on the difference between doubt and unbelief; why “I don’t know” can be one of the most faithful things we say; and how humility, personal testimony, and genuine relationships can make spiritual conversations more fruitful. Along the way, Father Charleston reminds listeners that Christians are in sales, not management, and that God can use even uncertainty as an invitation to grace.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2023 François Carillon Bourgogne Chardonnay, France 

(02:50) Why this wine for today’s topic: talking with nonbelievers

(04:25) Tasting notes

(06:00) Food pairings

(09:40) God loves you the way you are

(11:00) What are some “no no’s” when talking about your faith?

(13:00) Doubt vs. unbelief

(14:50) Doubt is a component of faith

(15:40) Do people with strong faith have doubts?

(18:20) Do strangers talk to you about their doubts?

(21:00) Do people challenge you?

(24:00) Discussion of Ephesians 5

(30:00) Where do you go in the Bible when people have doubts?

(32:55) Listener question: What can be inferred about the bottom of a wine bottle?

(35:40) Final tasting notes

What if weakness isn’t something to hide, but a doorway to grace? In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson explores how our limits can open us more deeply to God’s strength, comfort, and love. Over a 2016 Chilean pinot noir, he discusses pride, dependence, Mother Teresa’s reliance on grace, and why pinot noir’s delicate nature makes it the perfect wine for a conversation about spiritual weakness. Plus, Father Charleston shares practical ordering tips for long (and short) restaurant wine lists and the benefits of a white wine spritzer.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: 2016 Ventisquero “Grey Glacier” Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile 

(06:30) Why this wine for the episode topic: weakness?

(08:40) Tasting notes

(10:15) Food pairings

(11:40) What is your biggest weakness?

(15:30) Embracing weakness

(19:00) Reaching the limits of your own strength

(20:20) What should we do in moments of weakness?

(23:50) Listener question: How do you select wine at a restaurant?

In this episode of Water into Wine, Father Charleston Wilson explores the gift of laughter and what it reveals about joy, humility, and the Christian life. Over a glass of Pol Roger champagne, he reflects on why laughter can be more than a reaction. It can be an act of hope, a spiritual exhale, and a reminder that God’s grace is often found in ordinary human moments. From Saint Teresa of Ávila and Saint Philip Neri to Winston Churchill, Chick-fil-A nugget math, and The Andy Griffith Show, the conversation blends humor, faith, and practical wisdom. Along the way, Father Charleston reminds listeners that holiness does not have to be sour-faced, joy can resist despair, and sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is laugh at ourselves.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Welcome to Water into Wine

(01:20) Wine of the Day: MV Pol Roger “Brut Réserve” Champagne, Champagne, France

(05:25) Tasting notes

(10:35) Food pairings

(12:45) Is laughter the best medicine?

(19:20) The power of laughter in preaching

(22:45) Why does taking ourselves less seriously make room for God?

(25:45) Listener question: Should you use products to remove histamines from wine?

(29:10) What’s the deal with tannins?

(30:20) What’s your favorite sitcom?