The Sipping Point: Wine, Food & More!

What happens when a winemaker stops trying to put his stamp on a wine—and lets the vineyard do the talking? This week on The Sipping Point, Laurie sits down with acclaimed Santa Barbara winemaker Greg Brewer, the force behind Brewer-Clifton and Diatom , to talk Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and why sometimes the best winemaking decision is to do less. Greg shares his unlikely journey from teaching French...

What happens when a former rock band manager decides to make wine? If you’re Charles Smith, you don’t just join the wine business—you do things your own way. Charles joins Laurie to talk about his unconventional journey from managing indie rock bands in Europe to becoming one of Washington State’s most recognized winemakers. Along the way, he created hugely successful brands including House Wine,...

What makes Anderson Valley such a special place for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? This week on The Sipping Point, I’m joined by Maggy Hawk winemaker Sarah Wuethrich to explore this cool-climate California wine region and her fascinating approach to winemaking. We taste 4 wines— Aurelia Chardonnay, Skycrest Chardonnay, White Pinot Noir and Jolie Pinot Noir —as Sarah shares how elevation, soil, clones...

Think “100% agave” means there’s nothing else in your tequila? You might be surprised. This week on The Sipping Point, I’m stepping outside the wine glass and into the world of tequila with Heidi Anderson, better known as La Tequila Mamacita. Heidi is a certified tequila educator, spirits judge, co-founder of the Tennessee Agave Club, co-host of The Tequiladies and a tequila reviewer for The Tequi...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her Zoom Info Session on 9/23 at 6 PM ET to learn more about her Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. What does five decades in the wine business teach you about wine, leadership, and knowing when to trust your own instincts? This week on The Sipping Point, Laurie sits down with Eugenia...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her Zoom Info Session on 9/23 at 6 PM ET to learn more about her Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. In this episode, Alessandra Casini Bindi Sergardi shares her family's rich legacy in winemaking, rooted in Tuscany since 1349. She discusses the unique characteristics of Chianti Cl...

What if the future of wine is less about teaching people everything they need to know and more about giving them a reason to open a bottle? Laurie sits down with Eric V. Orange, founder of LocalWineEvents.com , to talk about how wine events and wine consumers have changed over the past 26 years and why experiences, travel and connection may be increasingly important to the future of wine. Eric sha...

What do Olympic sailing, aerospace engineering, and world-class Brunello have in common? More than you might think. This week on The Sipping Point , Laurie Forster sits down with Alessandra Angelini of Altesino , one of Montalcino's historic Brunello producers. Before returning to Tuscany and her family's wine business, Alessandra trained with the Italian National Team in Olympic-class s...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. Bordeaux may be one of the world’s most famous wine regions—but is our perception of it stuck in the past? Laurie Forster sits down with Bordeaux-based wine educator, writer and yoga teacher Wendy Narby to explore a region that has...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Johnson of Spy Valley Wines for a thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation about family, place, and the future of wine. Amanda shares the story behind her family’s winemaking journey,...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. One grape. Three world-class wine regions. One legendary winemaker. What happens when the same winemaker crafts Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley, McLaren Vale (Australia), and Walla Walla (Washington)? Chris Carpenter joins Laurie...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. Michigan may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of world-class wine—but that may be about to change. In this episode of The Sipping Point Podcast , Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®, sits down with acclaimed win...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. Is Verdicchio Italy's best-kept wine secret? In this episode of The Sipping Point Podcast , Laurie Forster sits down with Damiano Sorato , Vice President of Sales at Ethica Wines, Federico Veronesi , CEO of Signorvino and Oniw...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her newly announced Treasures of Tuscany Tour in May 2027. What does it take to turn a family legacy into one of Brooklyn's most beloved Italian restaurants? This week, Laurie sits down with Chef Al DiMeglio , owner of Barano and Spirit Animal in Williamsburg, to explore the stories,...

What happens when a NASA budget officer trades spreadsheets for beer? Elliott Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Soul Mega , shares how a homebrewing hobby evolved into one of the Mid-Atlantic's fastest-growing craft beer brands. In this episode, Elliott discusses leaving a successful government career to pursue entrepreneurship, building a brand that celebrates culture, creativity, and community...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the legendary Judgment of Paris approaches, we're raising a glass to one of the wineries that h...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. What does it take to lead a family winery that's been making wine for more than 450 years? In this episode of The Sipping Point, Laurie Forster sits down with Louis Ba...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. What makes a great restaurant wine list? Should you trust wines by the glass? And why are so many wine lovers saving their best bottles for "someday"? This week,...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. What happens when a rock star trades stadium tours for wine glasses? In this episode of The Sipping Point, I sit down with Paul Cullen, former bassist for the legendary roc...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. Maryland wine is having a moment, and this episode takes you right to the heart of it. Laurie sits down with Janna Howley of the Maryland Wineries Association to get a prev...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. On this episode of The Sipping Point, Laurie sits down with Kim Akhtar, senior sommelier at Le Bernardin, to explore wine through a completely different lens. From her fasc...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her comedic wine tasting Something to Wine About at The Room at Cedar Grove in Lewes, DE on July 10th at 6PM. Is great wine created through science, artistry… or a little bit of both? On this episode of The Sipping Point , Laurie Forster sits down with two experts from Hartford Fam...

Discover the secrets behind tasting like a pro with Anthony Giglio—sommelier, longtime Food & Wine contributor, restaurant critic, cocktail expert, and creator of SUPERSALT. Anthony shares practical, no-snobbery tips for improving your palate, pairing wine with food, and making everyday eating and drinking more flavorful and fun. From mastering wine temperature to breaking out of your “usual w...

In this episode, Laurie Forster and Karen MacNeil discuss the importance of wine and food in fostering connections among people. They introduce the Share and Pair Sundays campaign, emphasizing the joy of sharing simple meals and wines with friends and family. The discussion highlights how wine serves as a connector, breaking down barriers and creating community. They also explore the psychological...

Check out all the great events Laurie has on the calendar in 2026 on her website at TheWineCoach.com/events including her Treasures of Tuscany Wine Tour this October. Join us for a conversation with Katie Santora, head winemaker at Chehalem Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Katie shares her journey from Utah to wine country, how she blends science with intuition in the cellar, and her approach...