Witches Winecast

It's August. It's Leo season. It's time to drink some more Pét-Nat. This month we're drinking through Alex's wine fridge and all of the bottles bought during travels. If you remember the infamous spring break trip that involved nine bottles of wine in a suitcase and a $100 heavy bag fee, this is one of those bottles. The 2020 Pét-Nat from Caduceus Cellars is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Malvasia. Perhaps what is most interesting about this wine is where it is produced - Jerome, Arizona. Arizona might not be the place where you'd expect to find any wine, let alone good wines, but this small region is home to several wineries that grow a wide range of varietals. Caduceus is owned by Maynard James Keenan, who is best known as the vocalist for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool (not Bent, we misspoke). We talk a bit about Malvasia and some of the distinguishing characteristics of the grape. 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

Today we're drinking one of our favorite wines, and one that we've repurchased many times. Lioco's 2019 "Sativa" is Carignan from Mendocino County. While Carignan isn't a well know varietal, this particular bottle is a great example of this grape. We discuss dry farming and regions where you might find dry farmed grapes. 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

We're back after an untended summer break. And today we have wine that is truly an on brand Witches brew. We're drinking the 2021 Poilu's Pinard from Florez Wines. This blend of 55% Picpoul and 45% Pinot Noir was maybe not an intentional blend. The Picpoul had a few aging problems, the Pinot Noir came in at a very high sugar level that would not ferment to dryness without the addition of water. But when blended together the two troubled wines on their own became a delicious light red. Not only do we love this story and honesty about winemaking, but the wine itself is a delicious chuggable red wine that is perfect for the summer. We talk a bit about Picpoul and where the grape is grown.

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

Today we're featuring the 2020 Field Blend Piquette from Old Westminster Winery. While Piquette is not technically a wine, it’s made by adding water to grape pomace (the leftover skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit) and fermenting what’s left of the sugars. Piquette can be made from countless numbers of grapes that winemakers are left with after bottling their traditional wines. Think, reuse and recycle leftover biproducts of winemaking. We love it because it's low in alcohol content (typically between 5-9% ABV) and has a zippy acidity perfect for summer day drinking. 

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What could be more feral than canned wines? One of our favorite producers, Las Jaras, has three incredible options under their Waves label. The 2021 Waves Rosé is a blend of 43% Zinfandel, 40% Carignan, 9% Viognier, and 8% Petite Sirah, leading to a bright, zippy wine you'll want to drink all summer. This is a great alternative to beer or hard seltzer, or for any scenarios when you don't want a glass bottle. We give you some other canned wine options that we love as well! 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

We're back with another weird natty wine. Today we're featuring the 2021 "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" from Scotty Boy Wines! This is a co-ferment of 65% Grenache Noir and 35% Grenache Blac, all grown in Santa Barbara County, resulting in a wine that is ripe with fruit on the nose, bright acid and plush tannins on the palate. Is it over the top? Sure. But it's feral girl summer. We discuss the history of Garnacha/Grenache and the multiple varieties of the grape. 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

Happy Pride Month! And happy feral girl summer. All June we'll be bringing you our feral girl wine picks, which is whatever the heck we want to drink. We're kicking things off with a quintessential summer wine - Txakolina. The 2021 Ameztoi Txakolina is a beautiful (and admittedly classed up) expression of Txakolina. Txakolina, or Chacolí, is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos in Spain. Made from hondarrabi zuri grapes, this wine has a natural effervescence that makes it so fun to drink in the summer. We discuss the traditional method of drinking Txakolina from a porron and give a few recommendations of where to find it around Charlottesville. 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

Coming to you a little late and basically live on this Memorial Day with our final rosé for PINK WINE SZN. I know, we're sad to see it end too. Today we're drinking the perfect summer rosé from Latta Wines. The 2021 Kind Stranger rosé is a delicious blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Cinsault. We bought it for the label but love that some of the proceeds to go Mary's Place and the International Rescue Committee. Wine that also gives back? Sign us up. We end PINK WINE SZN by discussing the history of rosé and it's origination in Provence. We'll be back next week for the official start of feral girl wine summer. 

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

If you liked this episode or wine we hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast and now TikTok @witcheswinecast! As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].