Wine & the Bottle

For years, Sara has longed to taste the luscious delicacy of Sauternes dessert wine. Join her as she discusses what makes this wine so unique and tastes some authentic, library Chateau Giraud Sauternes.

Featured wine: 2010 Chateau Giraud Sauternes

Available in video format on YouTube.

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The term "Champagne" is often used ubiquitously for bubbly wine, but the name actually holds a specific distinction indicative of wine style and place. In this episode, Sara will go into the details of what makes Champagne unique and sits down with Paula Kornell, a Napa Valley winemaker, to discuss traditional method sparkling wine from all over the world.

Visit Paula's website to learn more about her and purchase her AMAZING Blanc de Noirs traditional method bubbly!

Interested in expanding your palate? Try VineBox, a subscription service that sends you 12 individual servings of different wines from around the world every quarter. The perfect wine gifts for the wine lovers on your list this holiday season! If you make a purchase using my link, a portion of the sale goes toward supporting Birds and Wine content.

Available in video format on YouTube

Prefer reading to listening? Read the original draft of my scripted commentary here. It is a little bit different than what ended up in the show!

Sara was surprised to find a lack of literature on Greek wine while doing her Wine & Spirits Education Trust studies. Coming from a theatrical background, she knew that wine was a major player in ancient Greek poems and tragedies, so why was there a disconnect from past to present? In this episode, Sara connects the dots between the myths of Dionysus, the unique style of ancient wine, and finally explores two very different examples of modern Greek wine, albeit made from the same grape variety.

Watch this episode in video format on YouTube!

Featured wines:

Episode Sources:

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Matt Reid does is all! As the proprietor and winemaker for PWR Wines, Matt makes all the decisions from start to finish, everything from sourcing the grapes to vinification to pricing and marketing. But most of all, he wants to create quality wines at an accessible price. In this episode, host Sara interviews Matt about navigating the unique challenges of boutique winemaking as he leads a guided tasting of the current releases from PWR wines.

Want to taste along with us? Get his wine here: PWR Wines - The Revolution is for Everyone

Or here: Discover PWR Wines & Buy Direct Online at Vinebase

And follow Matt and PWR on Facebook and Instagram!

Aging wine is a hotly debated topic. What allows a wine to age well, and why do some wines get worse with age? In this episode, Sara looks addresses these questions as they apply to red wine (a white wine episode is coming soon!) and tastes through two examples from Laird Family Estate. The first is a Pinot Noir; the second is a Cabernet Sauvignon. Can you guess which one is better suited for aging?

Sara delves into the turbid and ancient winemaking history of Ukraine. Featuring Shabo Grand Reserve Chardonnay, Shabo Royal Story Korolevskoe, and Taipobo Kagor - which were very difficult to find. Shout out to Best Buy Liquor Store in New York for shipping to California. Sara will donate $10 to United Help Ukraine for every listen/download of this episode between the initial release and May 1st. Cheers!

Sara compares the most common grape varietals in Spanish winemaking and discusses a few of the most popular wine styles, from traditional Rioja to sherry to new-world-style experimentation. Features wines are Bajel Pirata 2020 Monastrell and 2018 Bodega Tandem Ars in Vitro.

Join Sara as she revisits the history of Napa's cabernet craze and discovers what exactly makes "cult producers" so special. The answer may surprise you! Featured wines include Schafer Vineyards TD9 and Bryant Family Vineyards DB4.

Join Sara for an introduction to Chianti, with history dating back to the 1700s! Our featured wine for this episode is 2018 Banfi Chianti Classico, if you’d like to sip along.

Sara tastes an example of Piazza Family Wines from Solvang, California and talks about the history of this unique wine town. This episode also includes a featurette about Gretchen Voelker, who most definitely should come on this podcast.

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