What to Drink

Lord Carnarvon and Adam Von Gootkin, founders of Highclere Castle Gin, join us this week to help us elevate our garden party to that of Highclere Castle (or a fictional Downton Abbey, which was filmed at the estate!). They also provide the recipe for their version of a French 75, the British 75, which is delicious, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink!

Song Pairing: Gin & Juice by Snoop Dogg

Netflix/Bingeable Series Pairing: Downton Abbey (duh!), All Creatures Great and Small

British 75 Recipe: 1.5 oz Highclere Castle Gin, .5 oz Simple Syrup, .5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice, Champagne (or other bubbles). In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add Gin, Simple Syrup, and Lemon Juice. Shake it and strain into a cocktail coupe and top with bubbles. Enjoy!

We got Gott!

Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc -

Tastes like: ⚖️🧂🍑🧹

Watch with: Ted Lasso

Galentine's Day, as we all know, is February 13th and a celebration of our best Gal Pals. We brought in Galentine's expert Michelle Schmitt (Jackson Family Wines) to explain why Hartford Court's "Four Hearts" Vineyard Chardonnay is the best pairing for the gals in her life. We'll help you build your perfect Galentine's Day party, or Palentine's Day party for the boys!

Hartford Court "Four Hearts" Chardonnay is perfect for this party because:

Streamable Show Pairing:  Parks and Recreation, Season 2, Episode 16 (the one with Galentine's Day!)

Alternate:  Friday Night Lights (Team Higgins forever)

Song Pairing: "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince

Tastes Like: 💥🐚🌴

Are you ready for the best pairing party ever?! Tune in to hear how to host the best pairing party on the planet: Chicken Wings & Riesling (trust us!) 

Thom Horsey, National Wine Educator for Ste Michelle Wine Estates, joins us to explain why Riesling works so well with Chicken Wings. Heat: Meet Sweet! Thom also explains why Washington State is such a good place for Riesling in general.

We'll tell you exactly how to host this party:

- Grab Mild, Medium, and Hot/Extra Hot wings

- Pair each with a Dry Riesling, Off-Dry Riesling, or Off-Sweet/Sweet Riesling. Using Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry, Classic, and Harvest Select Riesling makes this incredibly easy.

- Thank us later. This combo is insane! 

#CharcWeek, a weeklong celebration of Charcuterie and great wine, is upon us - can you believe it?!

This week legendary winemaker Tony Coltrin of Oberon wines helps us build the perfect Charcuterie Board to pair with his iconic Oberon Napa Cabernet. Tony recently celebrated his 50th vintage and worked for the likes of Robert Mondavi & the Mondavi family. His "old school" style of Napa Cabernet is all about balance (and usually less ABV) which makes for a versatile wine to pair anything during #CharcWeek.

Oberon Napa Cabernet Tastes Like: 😋🤤😍🌹🍔🍪

Song Pairing: Below Us, All the City Lights by Tower of Power 

Bingeable Series: Wednesday

This week wine industry legend Derek Benham joins us with his Director of Winemaking for Purple Brands, Steven Urberg, to discuss why Raeburn Sonoma Chardonnay is *the* perfect pairing for your next bubble bath! 

Why it works:

Pair this Chardonnay with Dungeness Crab or Swordfish.

Tastes Like:

This week we tackle What to Drink when you're not drinking! Whether it be Dry January, March Sadness, or Sober 'Tober, a reset is nice every once in a while. Avoid the "Empty Hand" syndrome at parties with Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits. These libations are meant to sub in for all the classics (Gin, Whiskey, Rum, Liqueurs, etc.) so that you can become an amateur mocktail-mixologist (Mock-tologist?) at home OR ask your bartender to "make it a Lyre's." Nick Crutchfield, Lyre's Global Head of Education, gives us the skinny on this line of Spirits and RTD's (Ready-to-Drinks).

Sonoma-Cutrer winemaker Zidanelia Arcidiacono (aka "Z") joins us to tell us why her wines work so well for lawn games, especially Croquet! Sonoma-Cutrer has a world-famous Croquet court, and there's no better pairing in that setting than Z's Rosé of Pinot Noir or Russian River Pinot Noir. Delicious!

Song Pairing: Rosé - "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles, Russian River Pinot Noir - "I Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra

This week we tell you What to Drink as a gift for yourself AND a present under your tree: Jack Daniel's Bonded!

Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller for Jack Daniel's joins us to discuss Jack Daniel's Bonded & how it differs from Old No. 7. 

The Whiskey Advocate just named Jack Daniel's Bonded #1 on their list of the 20 best whiskies of 2022, at 97 points. It's also incredibly priced under $50, and not that much more than Old No. 7! That's why we're declaring this whiskey the one to purchase for a family member AND yourself. Drink it next to your yule log and thank us later.

Terra d'Oro Winemaker Emily Haines tells us why her Chenin Blanc/Viognier white blend is What to Drink for appetizers, seafood, poultry, and especially when you are panning for gold in the sunny California hills.