We could all use a little mellowness a week out from the elections, so we'd like to propose Merlot. It's that grape that gets along with everybody, sometimes to her own detriment, but this noble, globetrotting grape finds a way to shine no matter where she lands. Today, Gina and Julie raise a few glasses to try Merlot from several American growing regions.
LUIS GÜEMES is the winemaker working with the family of Congressman Francis Rooney to make Bodega 202 from Rioja, Spain. Gina and Julie caught up with them both at the 2020 Naples Winter Wine Festival in January where they tried the wine, talked with the man who made it, and learned a little about how the Camino di Santigo led Rooney and his family to put down some roots in Spain.
Today we continue our salute to Hispanic Heritage Month with a trip (via Zoom) to Chile where we talk with Enrique Tirado, the winemaker behind Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.
With story as delicious as the wines he makes, Rolando Herrera of Mi Sueno Winery recalls washing dishes, mowing lawns, sending out resume after resume, and then deciding to make Mi Sueno reality.
Hispanic Heritage Month straddles the months of September and October, lasting from the 15th of September to the 15th of October. The impact of the numerous cultures that make up the diaspora of the Hispanic population cannot be denied in the wine industry. Today we're talking with Bibiana Gonzalez Rave of Cattleya Wines in Napa, by way of Colombia and France.
On International Pinot Noir day we celebrate with a few domestic options since we couldn't seem to get the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti here in time. Just kidding- who'd ship something like that in August? This grape may be of particular interest to our Libra friends- the zodiac sign we paired with this delicate beauty of a grape.
Yeah, we know we just talked about rosé a few weeks ago on rosé day, but the wine gods have given us the entire month of August to celebrate the pink stuff, so here we are, yet again, loving on this bashful hue of wine. Dive in with us as we cool off and talk about the summer sipper we all adore.
We try: Cattleya Wines' Rosé of Pinot Noir from Sonoma and Hahn's Rosé of Pinot Noir from Monterey County.
Gina and Julie joined a virtual happy hour with wine lovers from around the world to talk about BIG NEWS in Italy's Bubble Belt (Prosecco land aka: Conegliano Valdobbiadenne). Mionetto hosted the Happy Hour so we were able to try through their wines with the winemaker.
The time to make your opinion heard is now. The US Trade Representative's Office is taking public comment on a proposed 25% tariff on European wine. We've been hearing about a couple of different tariffs (the proposed 100% hike on sparkling wine was particularly upsetting) and this week the president of the US Wine Trade Alliance sorts out the hows and whys- showing exactly how a tariff like this can hurt American small businesses already reeling from the economic crisis in the wake of COVID- 19.
Once judged for its pinkish hue, rosé presents a cooling option for those who swing red in their wine preferences. This week Gina and Julie try a few lesser known grapes that look cute when they blush.
A podcast that looks beyond the glass to the stories of wine making, culture, and the history of the world’s most intriguing beverage. Hosts Julie Glenn and Gina Birch interview winemakers, talk with importers, and dig into the issues and nuances of wine in the modern world while always keeping it down to earth.
