Wine & Chisme

Wines We're Drinking

Episode Description

Note for listeners: this episode touches on immigration and includes a candid conversation about how Jessica curates guests for the show's mission of amplifying communities of color specifically.

Timestamps

Guest Social Handles

Connect with Wine & Chisme

This week, Jessica sits down with Cynthia Rodriguez, a San Diego-based educator with over 20 years in the classroom, proud Cindy from the South Side of San Antonio, and now a thriving empty nester whose kids are taking Manhattan by storm. They pour a glass, skip the agenda entirely, and just talk.

What We're Drinking:

Timestamps:

0:00 — Welcome, Cynthia's bio, and what's in the glass tonight

10:00 — From San Antonio to San Diego: comparing cities, surviving Texas heat, and why California weather is not a small thing when you've lived through South Texas summers

20:00 — Raised to be independent: what it looks like when your dad raises three daughters like three men, and the complicated gift of not needing anyone once you're finally in a relationship

30:00 — Tejana identity, Texas politics, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and why if you're pissed off about what's happening, you already know what to do

40:00 — Aunt Carmen, a Tinder match, a forgotten wallet, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2015 that changed the whole plan

50:00 — A text in the middle of the West Texas desert, two weeks to pack up a life, and two kids who had to trust their mom knew what she was doing

1:00:00 — Empty nesting as a reframe: who was Cynthia before she was a mother, a teacher, a wife? And how do you find her again?

1:10:00 — Salsa and bachata at the Rosin Box in Liberty Station, passion projects, and what it means to finally be present for the people who've been waiting

Connect with Cynthia:

TikTok: @DiaryOfAnEmptyNester

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

Instagram: @thewineandchisme

TikTok: @thewineandchisme

Latiné Wine Brand Directory: https://www.thewineandchismepodcast.com/latine-owned-wine-brands

Wine I'm Drinking: 2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Casa Martinez Wines

This week, Jessica reflects on her struggles to record solo episodes, and the topics discussed through season 6 and how that has affected her.

She also discusses the upcoming 300th episode and wants to hear from you regarding your thoughts over the last six years.

Wines We're Drinking:

She's a licensed therapist with over 20 years of experience, a certified wellness menopause coach, and the kind of guest every woman in her 30s, 40s, and beyond needs in her corner. Susie Cortez, LCSW joins Jessica for a candid, unfiltered conversation about perimenopause, menopause, and everything our mothers never told us about our bodies, because nobody ever told them either.

From panic attacks at a football game to building a coaching practice that fills the gap doctors leave behind, Susie shares her own journey into the menopause movement and why education, community, and speaking up are the most powerful tools women have right now. Jessica opens up about her own experience after her 2024 hysterectomy, including the HRT patch shortage, the ear itching nobody warned her about, and why she finally told her mom, "I'm so sorry."

This is the conversation the women in your family needed to be having for decades. It starts right here.

In This Episode We Cover:

[00:00] Welcome & intro, Susie shares Edgar Torres Wines from Paso Robles, Jessica pours the last glass of Ortega Family Wines Pinot Blanc

Connect with Susie Cortez:

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

Sin prisa. Sin vergüenza. Con vino.

Wines We're Drinking

In This Episode We Cover

Connect with Sandra Guzman

Wines We're Drinking:

What happens when a BIPOC wine writer, AI strategist, and astrology enthusiast decides to build the bridge between all three? You get Erin Ortiz, and this is one of those conversations you're going to want to come back to.

Erin has been in the wine industry for nearly a decade, writing about BIPOC issues in wine and building a career in account development before founding Brand Arcadia in 2024 to help boutique winemakers and BIPOC brands leverage AI in their digital marketing strategies. She's currently collaborating with Parra Wines on AI video content and building Celestial Somm, an app that pairs wines with astrology transits to make wine more accessible and culturally relevant, prioritizing Latiné-owned and independent brands.

This conversation goes deep: we talk about what it really means to use AI as a tool without losing your voice, why the wine industry is falling behind with younger drinkers, how AI is reshaping search and why now is actually the golden moment for niche brands, and the very real racial bias Erin encountered when she first started using AI-generated images. Oh, and we may have had a little debate about AI video, porque I'm not gonna lie, I had some feelings.

In This Episode We Cover:

[00:04] Wines We're Drinking: Para Wines Tomaté Frío and Envino Blanco

[07:00] New Jersey wine shipping laws and how they're hurting independent wineries and BIPOC brands

[11:00] Erin's origin story: growing up in Manhattan, the projects, and an unexpected path into wine

[18:00] How Erin started writing about BIPOC wine issues and what took her from bartending to brand strategy

[24:00] Why AI is a powerful tool for storytellers, and how she used it to build the Para Wines AI video content

[27:00] Jessica's honest take on AI photo and video, and why transparency about what is and isn't AI matters

[32:00] How AI-generated content around the Iran conflict changed skeptics' minds about visual storytelling

[33:00] Why being "weird" and specific is now a competitive advantage in AI-powered search (AEO vs. SEO)

[35:00] Gen Z and wine: are they actually not drinking, or are they just not drinking your product?

[40:00] The biggest challenge in AI-driven brand strategy: the rules change overnight

[41:00] Introducing Celestial Psalm: the app that pairs BIPOC wines with astrology transits

[43:00] What a "transit" is, explained through wine terroir and a metaphor about umbrellas

[47:00] How the app assigns zodiac personalities to wines instead of winemakers, and why that matters for discovery

[50:00] Erin's ethical line: AI amplifies your story, it does not replace it

[51:00] AI's racial bias problem in image generation, and how it's (slowly) getting better

[53:00] Erin's favorite AI tools, why she left ChatGPT, and a little love for Claude

[56:00] What Erin has learned about authentic storytelling from years of wine writing, including the article about ICE raids in Napa Valley she was nervous to publish

[59:00] Brand Arcadia's mission: drawing out unique stories, getting BIPOC brands visible in search, and a free audit offer for the first three listeners

Connect with Erin Ortiz:

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

We're here turning every conversation into a celebration, one glass at a time. Salud!

Wines We're Drinking:

May has felt like the longest month of the year, and your two favorite chismosas needed a release. This month's chisme episode is a full-on bitch session, no prepared topics, no political rabbit holes, just two real friends talking how they actually talk. Jessica is recording from her parents' place in Orange County, Erika can't wait to sip on her glass, and the conversation goes everywhere, mi gente.

From curly hair frustrations to house hunting reality checks, wedding planning advice for people who don't want to go broke, the Gen Z vs. Millennials debate on writing papers without AI, and the wildest movie theater experience you'll ever hear described, this one is all vibes and zero filter. Plus: Jessica shares a major podcast milestone announcement and a heartfelt ask from the comunidad.

In This Episode We Cover:

[00:00] Welcome and setting the scene (Jessica recording from her parents' house)

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

Latiné podcast. Chicana stories. Wine & Chisme has been building since 2019 and we're on our way to 300 episodes. Thank you for being part of this comunidad.

Wines We're Drinking:

This week, Jessica sits down with Miriam Simon, executive coach, author, and host of the Latina Mic Drop podcast, for a conversation that is equal parts chisme, healing, and straight-up inspiration. Miriam grew up in Passaic, New Jersey as one of the only Mexican kids in the neighborhood, raised in survival mode, navigating a mother's Jehovah's Witness faith, and finding her footing on a volleyball court. She had three kids by 21, listened to the tia who told her to go back to work, and quietly climbed to an executive role in the transportation industry while hiding parts of herself the whole way up. Until she didn't anymore.

Miriam opens up about coming out publicly after 20 years with her partner, the identity framework she built from her own wounds, and why she created the Sin Miedo Authority Score assessment to help Latinas stop editing themselves in the workplace. She also shares the launch of MEC House, her new press company dedicated to amplifying and publishing women's stories.

In This Episode We Cover:

[00:00] Welcome and West Coast vs. East Coast weather chisme

Connect with Miriam Simon:

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

Your story deserves to be heard, your voice deserves to be in the room, and your glass deserves something worth sipping. Salud, mi gente!

Wines We're Drinking:

This week's episode is one for the cultura and the closet, mija. Jessica sits down with Elvira Zamora, visionary founder of Thrifts.com and Chicano Elegance — two platforms rooted in culture, community, and conscious expression. Elvira grew up in Lima, Peru, where reusing, repurposing, and refusing to waste were just a way of life. When she arrived in the U.S. at 10 years old, the wastefulness she witnessed was a full-on culture shock — and it sparked a lifelong commitment to sustainable fashion that she's turned into a movement.

From the hidden health risks of fast fashion fabrics (yes, you might literally be wearing plastic) to the radical joy of clothing swaps and sewing circles, Elvira breaks it all down in a way that's real, funny, and genuinely eye-opening. She also shares the story behind Chicano Elegance, a glam gala she created after waiting two decades to see Latiné culture celebrated on a fashion runway — so she built the runway herself.

This one will have you rethinking your closet, your consumption habits, and maybe even that wedding dress sitting in a bag in the back of your room. No judgment, just chisme and good wine.

In This Episode We Cover:

[00:00] Intro and welcome — Jessica introduces Elvira Zamora

[43:45] How Thrifts.com and Chicano Elegance came to be

Connect with Elvira Zamora:

Fabric Recycling & Donation Resources:

Search your area for domestic violence shelters, prom dress programs, and women's reentry organizations accepting clothing donations — and ask your community!

Connect with Wine & Chisme:

Amplifying Latiné voices, one glass at a time. Salud, mi gente!