Sniff Sip Repeat

Today we’ll be discussing southern Italy with our resident somm, Ferdinando Mucerino. We’ll pour three excellent wines and discuss their uncommon varietals. 

We'll start with the 2021 vintage of Iddu Catarratto I.G.T. from Sicily, a soft and fresh white wine with citrus and floral notes. Moving on to reds, we'll sip the 2020 L'arca Negroamaro I.G.T wine from Puglia and produced by the Castellani family. This episodes selection is rounded out with the 2020 Cantina di Solopaca Aglianico I.G.P. 

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

This week our guest is Benoit Calvet, the founder of Maison Benoit Valerie Calvet in Bordeaux. Benoit and his partner Valerie have been making wine for forty years, producing excellent wines from France, Spain and Italy. They recently partnered with Wine Insiders for our Ruby Anniversary Collection creating a red blend with a very interesting backstory that he shares with me. We’re going to talk about everything from family and the earth’s frequency to hypnotherapy, horses and more. And of course, we’ll taste wine, so pour a glass and join us.

For our tasting (timecode 16:56:00), we begin with De La Rougerie Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp, medal-winning wine with notes of greengage and apple. Next we pop a cork on the delightful, Spanish sparkling wine Toro Loco Cava Brut Rosé. We'll top the episode off with a sneak peak at the upcoming Maison Calvet Red Blend that is available in August as part of our Ruby Wine Collection.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

This week, my guest is Walter Santero, CEO of Abbazia Vineyards, a family-run estate in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. Walter is the fourth generation of his family to continue the winemaking tradition. He and Abbazia recently partnered with Wine on a special Prosecco sparkling wine that is part of our soon-to-be-released Ruby Collection of wines celebrating our 40th anniversary. Walter and I chat about everything from Benedictine monks planting Moscato to Zabaglione, sea turtles, and more. He even explains why Prosecco is the best, so pour a glass and join us.

For our tasting (timecode 13:22:00), we begin with Abbazia La Tartaruga Moscato I.G.T., a light and fruity wine from the famed region of Pavia. Next we uncork the gorgeous cherry notes of 2019 Abbazia Barbera d'Asti, a wine made from hand-picked grapes to ensure optimal quality and aged for six months. We'll top the episode off with a sneak peak at the upcoming Abbazia Prosecco that is available in August as part of our Ruby Wine Collection.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

This week we have a special episode to kick off a celebration of our 40th Anniversary at Wine Insiders. We'll travel by glass to the southern hemisphere to sip wines from the gorgeous vineyards of the Maule Valley in Chile. Our guest is Sebastian Cremaschi, CEO of Cremaschi Furlotti family vineyards. He and his siblings are the fourth generation to continue his family's winemaking tradition. We'll learn more about the family history and vineyards, Chilean terroir, Carmenere, etc. While chatting, we'll pour three of their delicious wines.

For our tasting, we begin with 2021 Santa Vita Carmenere Rosé, a delightfully dry wine, before moving on to 2018 Pajarito Gran Reserva Syrah. We'll top the episode off with 2018 Primera Impression Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

It's tax season here in the US! Join our guest host Sumner as he interviews our resident somm Ferdy to get some grape vine-ancial advice. The best investments grow over time, so why not find out more about the specifics of wine that ages well? They taste three wines from our collection that are good buys that get better with time.

For this tasting you will hear all about the flavor and aging potential of Château Grand Champ Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Cuvée Vieilles Vignes from France, Porto Lagarada Reserva Ruby Port from Portugal and Windsor Hills Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from California.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.

When it comes to holidays, few are as fun and filled with libations as St. Patrick’s Day. Celebrated annually on March 17th, this Irish holiday gets a lot of love here in the US, so we thought we’d chat with our favorite Irish import. He’ll talk to us about shamrocks and snakes, teach us what a “pratie” is, then taste wine that pairs to the boiled bacon, cabbage and Sheppard’s pie he ate grewing up.

My guest today is Tomas O’Grady, a farmer’s son from the west of Ireland who now lives with his family in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. Tomas is the founder and Executive Director of Enrich LA, a non-profit organization whose mission is to create an organic regenerative garden in every Los Angeles schoolyard. While urban farming is not exactly viticulture, he has serious terroir cred—and as a bonus, he’s a hardcore wine enthusiast. I’m honored to have him join us for this episode to taste wines I’ve selected for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day feast.

With Tomas we pour three fantastic wines made from organic grapes: from Italy, the gorgeous 2020 StraBIOdante Organic Vermentino, from Alamansa, Spain, 2019 Puente de la Vega Racies Garnacha Tintorera, and from Austria, 2017 Villa Haas Zweigelt. To shop for these wines and more, browse our organic, our vegan and our sustainable collections online.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com.

In the Northern Hemisphere we're in thick of winter, so we have a very special two-part episode. First, we’re going to talk about wine made by our friendly neighbors to the north in Canada, including the elusive ‘Eiswein’. Then we’ll taste three wines from France and California that we’ve curated to pair to your coziest winter dishes.

Our first guest is Robert Stelmachuk, an Advanced Certified Sommelier with over 30 years in the industry who is currently the Wine Director at Mott32 in Vancouver, Canada. Robert was awarded sommelier of the year in 2020 by Vancouver Magazine and in the same year Mott32 was listed among the top 100 restaurants by Canada Magazine.

Our second guest today is Ferdinando Mucerino, resident somm at Wine Insiders who hosts the video series Inside Wine with Ferdy.  Prior to the pandemic Ferdy was somm and Wine Director at the Michelin Star awarded Rustic Canyon restaurant in Santa Monica. In 2019, was nominated by Wine Enthusiast magazine for Best Wine Director of the year. 

With Ferdy we pour three amazing wines: from France, 2019 Château du Colombier redblend and 2018 Henri de Lorgère Côtes du Rhône red blend, and from California, 2020 Windsor Hill Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Back by popular demand, guest-host Sumner returns to the table with Wine Insiders Sommelier, Ferdy Mucerino to discuss some fantastic last minute wine ideas for the holiday season. Whether you’re attending a festive gathering and need to just the right bottle to bring along or hope for help with the perfect gift suggestions, this episode offers crowd-pleasing recommendations.

The conversation pops off with an exploration of Toro Loco Cava Brut, a citrus-centric sparkler that embodies Spains answer to Champagne. Next up we uncork 2020 Vinum Chenin Blanc, one of South Africa’s most popular white wines (and one of Ferdy’ personal favorites).And finally, the conversation shifts to 2020 StraBIOrdante Organic Nero di Troia Puglia I.G.T., a fun fruit-driven Organic red wine from Puglia, Spain.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

This week we travel by glass to the Iberian Peninsula to sip wines from the beautiful vineyards of Portugal. Our guest is our resident sommelier, Ferdy Mucerino, and we'll discuss Chef Nuno Mendes, cuisine, and wine all hailing from the gorgeous country of Portugal while pouring three delicious selections from the Vinho Verde, Tejo, and Duoro regions. 

For our formal tasting, we begin with 2020 Mar Azul Vinho Verde D.O.C., a spritzy white blend from the Vinho Verde region. Next up is 2019 Tercius Vinho Tinto Tejo, a red blend created by the award-winning winemaker Antonia Barbosa. Finally, we pour 2019 Mentor Red Blend Douro D.O.C., a special red blend from the Duoro region made by the van Zeller family who has been producing port wine since 1715, with 14 consecutive generations involved in the wine trade. 

At 27:00 minutes, towards the end of the podcast, Ferdy and Kristin reveal themselves to be Arconiacs, Only Murders In the Building on Hulu, and we'll chat briefly about this favorite podcast-themed television show.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Visit Bahr restaurant at the Bairro Alto Hotel to taste the cuisine of Chef Nuno Mendes.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

It’s back-to-school time, so we want to get a little academic about the art of tasting. Our guest host is Sumner, IT specialist at Wine Insiders, and he speaks with Jonathon Alsop, founder & executive director of the Boston Wine School and a commentator for National Public Radio. Jonathon began writing about wine, food and travel in 1988 and emerged as a wine expert through his syndicated wine column In Vino Veritas. His latest book is Wine Life: A Collection Of Verses. 

For this episode Sumner and Jonathon will pour and discuss three unique wines: from Italy, Cantina di Solopaca Maria Cristina Falanghina Sparkling Brut, from Hungary, 020 Tüzkö Riesling, and from California, 2017 George Phillips Cellars Reserve Selection No. 39 Lodi Zinfandel.

Sniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.

Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more. 

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com