Wine Face

There is no Helen's Wines without Jon & Vinny's and vice versa! My business partners Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo join me to talk about the earliest days of their cooking careers, how we all met, and what they cook for their families at home. The trifecta is real: Jon, Vinny, and Helen unite!

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chocolate GURU Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections stopped by with some very special treats. Valentine’s Day is next week and you deserve it all! All the love, but especially some killer chocolates & wine. We taste through a very romantic box of chocolates, get the 411 on liquid caramel, make some wine & chocolate pairing magic, & taste a new chocolate she made with crispy rice that is so insanely good! Oh, and I come out about my love of milk chocolate...did I mention that she makes our Jon & Vinny's/Helen's chocolate bars? Get ready to indulge!!

More about Valerie Confections: https://valerieconfections.com

Featured wines:

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Such an inspiring Tour de Force of a woman!! We laughed, Pia cried, and we tasted fabulous wines. The boss of so much dopeness, Pia Baroncini, stopped by to fill me in on all things Sicilian olive oil, the perfect cooking dress, and all the ways her husband Davide and her want to bring more authentic Italian culture to Los Angeles. I also share my advice when it comes to pulling the perfect shot of espresso. She is heaven!!

Featured Wines:

Salvo Foti, I Vigneri, Vinupetra, Etna, Sicilia, Nerello Mascalese/Nerello Cappuccio, 2018

Agrapart & Fils, 7 Crus, Avize, Chardonnay/Pinot Noir

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Step into my somm brain!! When you grab a wine bottle, one of the signs of its character is its vintage, A.K.A. the year the grapes were harvested. Let’s dive into how weather can change the taste of a wine, what it means when there's no year on a bottle, and why you should not be aging your rosé! 

Recommended wines:

Kewin Descombes, Beaujolais Cuvée Kéké

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is there anything Westside Winos co-founder Khalil Kinsey can’t do? With the opening of his new Los Angeles wine bar Offhand Wines, he and I look back on his roots in the skateboarding and fashion world and how his family's massive role in the art world informed his career, taste in wine, and commitment to community. 

Featured Wine:

Dominique Derain, Las Nubes is SOLD OUT on Helen’s Wines but follow Dominique on Instagram to see what he drops next!

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is it important to drink specific wines out of certain glasses? Are champagne flutes a myth? When did humans start drinking out of glass? Are there really rules? All of these mysteries and more will be revealed! A nice bottle of wine does deserve a nice glass... but not all glasses are created equal, cost the same, or feel the same. Let’s look back at the OG days of wine glasses — I’m talking metal goblets and the earliest days of glass blowing. But then, we’ll zoom forward and discuss the latest wine-drinking vessel trends from the casual table glass to the super swanky.

Wine glass recommendations:

• The crème de la crème is the Zalto wine glass brand — this is what I like to drink out of at home but they are extremely thin and breakable so… maybe don’t get attached!

Other brands I love:

• Gabriel-Glas
• Vintage sets!! I look for mine at thrift stores and use them for parties because if they break it's all good!
• I love the glasses we use at Jon & Vinny's! You can purchase a set of 6 through our website!

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Not only is Tinx dubbed “Tiktok’s big sister,” she’s also dubbed “extremely lovely podcast guest” by me! It was honestly such a joy to talk with Tinx, she is incredibly smart, sensitive and aware-- all of which is super refreshing! I love when women know how they are and what they want! We talk all about the joys of casual dinner parties, the best martinis in the world, and why Tinx always keeps a steak in her freezer. 

Here are the champagnes I told Tinx to keep in her fridge:

Ruppert-Leroy, Papillon, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Nature, Pinot Noir, 2019

Michel Gonet, Les 3 Terroirs, Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Chardonnay, 2017

Featured Wines:

Benjamin Leroux, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 2020

2021 Lorenza Picpoul Blanc

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Champs for my real friends, baby! I am obsessed with Champagne. My whole team is! It's so good and worth the splurge, and so I am here to tell you on this episode that it's a New year, and maybe a new you, but there are still the same old delicious bottles of bubbly! Champagne is a part of the cultural zeitgeist but it hasn’t always been that way. So how did we go from friars transporting bottles of wine on horse-drawn carts to shaking up thousand-dollar bottles of champagne in nightclubs? Let’s talk about it before New Year's Eve so when you head to the store to grab your sparkling wine, you know exactly what to get! 

Grower-producer champagne recommendations: 

Grower-producer champagne refers to a person growing the grapes and then making the champagne from those grapes, a practice that used to be very uncommon in the region. Here are some of my favorite producers, some are linked to wines we carry! Any wines from these producers you can find will be amazing:

George Laval

Laherte Freres

Savart

Calzals 

Visit Helen’s Wines for more information.

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every December my wine shop is poppin! And for good reason-- Holiday times are flush with gift giving, champagne celebrations and cozy moments drinking fabulous wine with people you love. I celebrate Christmas, so I wanted to talk about the history of wine during holiday times, the best varietals to please your in-laws, bottles to pair with tamales, and an updated take on an old Christmas-time classic: mulled wine.

Head to the blog at Helen’s Wines for this week’s Cocktail Corner recipe: The Lighter Side of Mulled Wine.

Wines that I am loving that I mentioned:

Châteauneuf-du-Pape – My absolute favorite producer is Raya, but it's sold out. I love Chateau du Boursan as well, the balance of the fruit is magical. This Papi is so good and we have it at the shop right now!

Chateau de la Font du Loup, Le Puy Rolland, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Grenache, 2019

White Burgundy – There are literally way too many white burgundies that are my faves, but here are my top producers at the moment: 

Benjamin Leroux

Domaine Roulot

Athenais de Beru

Alice & Olivier DeMoor

Hubert Lamy

Château La Fleur Garderose – Obsessed with these wines from Bordeaux, they are using minimal intervention and the wines are unfiltered magic. Also, they will definitely entice a classic Bordeaux drinker as well! Sadly, we are sold out of this wine at the shop, but you might be able to find some bottles online! 

Visit Helen’s Wines for more information.

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bricia Lopez and her family own one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles: Guelaguetza! Do you live in LA and haven't been? RUN THERE NOW. Bricia is on a mission to bring Oaxacan food and culture to the masses. Between her family’s delicious restaurant, her packaged mole business, and her michelada mix business — she took the time to sit down and school me on what it means to throw an asada, why mezcal is the bee's knees, whether ice in your beer is acceptable, and why she doesn’t know how to ride a bike. I really admire and love Bricia, she is one of the smartest and most passionate people I know!

Featured Wine: Ashanta, Embryo II, Ashton Vineyards, Sonoma County, Syrah, 2021

Visit Helen’s Wines for more information.

Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.