It's a special two part episode today! First, we took a field trip to a local winery and had the chance to try a Riesling under active fermentation. We talk about the process of fermentation and Brix, and what this grape tastes like in the early stages of fermentation. Then we dive into our final bottle of September with a Grüner Veltliner from Austria. The T26 Dürnstein Grüner Veltliner is bright with a hint of spice, and would pair perfectly with a fall salad. 

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].

Another Gewürztraminer today! We decided it would be fun to compare and contrast an Old world versus New world wine. Today we're featuring a wine out of California's central coast, that brings a new take on Gewürztraminer. The 2020 Los Ositos Gewürztraminer from Union Sacre is bright and has no residual sugar, you might pick up on more delicate floral tone but will be greeted with a zippy acidity like tangerines. We discuss the difference between old world and new world styles of wine making, give updates on harvest in Virginia, and share our insights to the Harvest Moon aka the full moon in Pisces. Enjoy!

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 as always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

We're continuing our German white varietals with a Gewurztraminer from Alsace! The 2018 Willm Gewurztraminer is considered an off-dry wine, given it's residual sugar. But fear not dry wine drinkers! This is a wine that pairs well with food and could even be served as a dessert wine. It has a great mouth feel, and tastes like tropical fruits. When drinking a Gewurzt, you'll often find that lychee is very common on the bouquet and pallet, so much so it is one of the "tells" of the varietal. We talk in depth about residual sugar and give recommendations on how to find a semi-sweet wine. 

Residual sugar refers to the natural grape sugars left over in a wine after the alcoholic fermentation is complete. It is measured in grams per liter. The amount of residual sugar will vary in different types of wine depending on the varietal and style.

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 as always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

Happy Labor Day, witches! We're kicking off a new wine theme for September - German whites! This was what you selected on Instagram, if you aren't following us what are you doing!? 

Our first German white is an obscure grape - Sylvaner. Sylvaner is a white German varietal, similar to Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. However, Sylvaner is less aromatic than these other German white grapes, and therefore allowing a vineyard site to sometimes show it’s terroir more clearly. We're bringing you Sylvaner from Scribe! Sylvaner was first planted on the Scribe Farm in the 1850’s. The Dresel family, original landholders of what is now the Scribe farm, had moved to California from their vineyard in Germany to plant the first German wine varietals in California soil. We talk about lesser known varietals and the resurgence of single varietal wines. Hope you can get your hands on a bottle of Sylvaner!

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 as always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].

We're closing out August with our final Pet-nat recommendation. This bottle is a tried and true favorite of ours, the 2020 Rosé Pet-nat from Field Recordings. By tried and true, we mean a wine we've had many, many time together. It's honestly a staple of our friendship. We also love Field Recordings and highly recommend any of their wines. We also discuss brix and alcohol content in wines, and celebrate the beginning of harvest for all of the wine makers out there. 

Brix (°Bx) is a way winemakers measure the potential alcohol content of a wine before it’s made by determining the sugar level in grapes. Each gram of sugar that’s fermented will turn into about a 1/2 gram of alcohol. Brix levels are measured in vineyards right before the harvest to determine whether the grapes are ready. Winemakers use a device called a refractometer where they can crush single grapes from different sections of their vineyard to determine if the grapes are ripe.

Today's episode features the 2020 Gonc Rose Pet-nat. This hipster wine is 100% Pinot Noir and fermented using the ancestral method. It is medium bodied and has an interesting palate that might remind you of a beer. We discuss the role climate plays on wine making, why we'll never move to Cleveland and begin our series on Gossip Girl characters as a bottle of wine. Dan Humphrey, this one is for you. Enjoy!

Today is a special day here on the Winecast. It's Alex's Birthday! Our Leo girl was cheersed with the 2020 Estate Pet-nat from Scribe Winery. This Pet-nat is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sylvanner all grown on their estate. The grapes were harvested together (under the full moon) and co-fermented. Madeleine puts Alex on the spot for some birthday revenge and we talk about co-fermentation. Co-fermentation is the practice of fermenting two or more grape varieties at the same time when producing a wine. This differs from the more common practice of blending separate wine components into a cuvée after fermentation. We absolutely loved this bottle and hope you can find one to celebrate the Leos in your life!

We're doing around the world in Pet-nats and are headed to Africa! The Lubanzi Pet-nat Rose is made from Cinsault grapes and hails from South Africa. We love that they're a carbon neutral grower, certified B corp, AND give 50% of all profits to the Pebble Project. This bottle features the third type of fermentation, which is forced carbonation. Forced carbonation occurs when wine is chilled to just above freezing and is then charged with CO2 gas. Just like making soda or seltzer! The bubbles are delicate and don't last as long, but are just as delicious.

It's LEO season! It's August! And we're here to bring you a month of baby bubbles. Welcome to Pet-nat month! Pet Nat or “pétillant naturel” is a delicious type of sparkling wine that develops bubbles from a single, continuous fermentation. Pet-nat is bottled while still undergoing its first round of fermentation, leading to smaller more delicate bubbles. But we just think it's the perfect, fun wine to wind out your summer! Today we're feature the "Romy" Baga Pet-nat from Duckman. We especially love this wine because it's a female winemaker! Alex shares her love of the Pato family, discovering Baga at Maxwell Park in DC, and continues to overshare. Enjoy! 

We're closing out July with the 2017 Riesling from Karhauserhof! This "trocken" Riesling is dry aka not sweet and comes from the oldest continuously operating winery in the world. We discuss what a dry Riesling is, the German classification system for residual sugar, and how to identify if a wine is dry or sweet.

We hope you'll rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts, and don't forget to follow us on Instagram @witcheswinecast for other wine recommendations. As always shoot us an email with your wine questions - [email protected].