Exploring the Wine Glass

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  If everything you thought you knew about Lambrusco comes from a sweet, fizzy red bottle you bought in college… clear your palate right now. Welcome back to the podcast. Today, we are taking a trip straight to the sun-drenched plains of Medolla...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  Pour yourself a glass of something dark, bold, and deep crimson. Sit back, dim the lights, and lock your doors. Welcome to a special Halloween edition of the podcast. We all love wine for what it brings to our tables—celebration, romance, comm...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  This week  we took a lovely little field trip to Healdsburg that rapidly devolved into a wine country survival expedition. If you’ve ever wanted to know what happens when a tasting room experience involves accidentally becoming an unpaid cave...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  In this episode Protecting What Matters on AM 1230 KPRL, host Barry Fisher welcomes local wine expert, podcast host, and Dracaena Wines co-owner Lori Budd. (ME!) Tune in as I share my unique journey from biology into the heart of the Paso Robl...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  A Note About the Recording: This episode was recorded live during a Franciacorta wine tasting at Catch in West Hollywood. Because the event took place in a large, lively room, you’ll hear some natural room ambience and background conversation...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  Today, we are heading to the heart of Paso Robles to dive into the incredible evolution of Sculpterra Winery. Long before they were crafting estate wines and filling a breathtaking sculpture garden with monumental works of art, the Frankel fam...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  In this episode, we are packing our bags for Northern California's wine country—starting in the charming, upscale town of Healdsburg, where three legendary valleys converge. But let's be real: we aren't here for the small-town agricultural her...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Do you believe it is November already?! 2023 sure has flown by. We just left Merlot Month and tomorrow we wrap up the celebrations with International Merlot Day.   Join me in this light hearted episode with my buddy Nick Berube as we go throug...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass.  In this episode, we head to the Adelaida District in Paso Robles to visit Mustard Creek Vineyard. I sit down with co-owner Megan Rickenbach to chat about taking the leap into vineyard ownership, preserving the legacy of 20+ year-old Zinfandel...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Welcome to Napa Valley, the land of legendary Cabernet, world-class hospitality, and, apparently, runaway sprinklers and free protein in your wine glass! In this episode, we’re taking a hilarious tour through the absurd world of 1-star winery reviews. From servers who p...

TITLE: Lipari Wine Exploration: Napa Valley Unfiltered: From 5-Star Dreams to 1-Star Drama  It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Welcome to the El Camino del Albariño masterclass, a special podcast brought to you in conjunction with Ole & Obrigado! Hosted by wine educator Ric...

New York is home to the first bonded winery in the United States, making it one of the oldest wine regions in the the country.  The lasting effects of Proibition  made it difficult for wineries, but in the 1950s, the first vitis vinifera vines were successfully harvested. Since the 1976 passing of the New York Fram Act and the creation of the New York Wine and Gape Foundation in 1985, the NY wine...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  You all know how deeply I love Italy—the culture, the history, and of course, the incredible diversity of its wines. Today, we are heading off the coast of Sicily to the stunning volcanic island of Lipari. This place is rugged, beautiful, and...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Think of today’s region as the 'Alice in Wonderland' of California wine country. You’ve got dramatic ridges high above the fog line, soils that have been shaken up by the San Andreas Fault, and tiny, family-owned producers who are doing things...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  We talk a lot about 'place' in wine, but sometimes, the best way to really understand a region is to just drop yourself right into the middle of it—even if you’re doing it in your pajamas from the comfort of your own living room! I recently sa...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Today, we are lace-up our boots and continuing our journey across the incredible landscapes of Spain. Now, if you think you know Spanish wine, prepare to have your mind completely blown, because today we are diving headfirst into Navarra. This...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Buckle up, because we are trading the icy tundra of Alaska for the tropical humidity of Hawaii, and the drama is only getting steamier. In this episode, we dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of craft beer where things aren’t always as "...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Today we return to Winephabet Street where the letter of the day is L and it stands for Lagrein. The Italian grape variety meant that it was morning drinking for me. We had the honor of having Karoline Walch of Elena Walch winery in Alto Aldig...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Welcome to a special live episode of the podcast, recorded on location at ZINposium: A Tale of Two Zins—an immersive seated masterclass created for true Zinfandel lovers. In this episode, we take you inside this incredible seminar featuring tw...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  We’re taking a sharp detour from the wine trail this week because I’m headed to one of my favorite vacation spots ever: Alaska. I went hunting for wineries, but with most of them closed, we pivoted to the next best thing. We drank a lot of bee...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  One day a few months ago, I was walking through a wine shop looking for something a little different. As I perused the shelves, it was the same old supermarket wine after supermarket wine. I turned to leave and as if a light was shining down t...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass! Today, I am honored to share an episode where the table has been turned on me.   I had the honor of being interviewed by Natalie MacLean. If you are unfamiliar with her, here is her self claimed biography: To fund her late-night vinous habits,...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  Today we’re touching down in the stunning, UNESCO-protected medieval village of Saint-Émilion, a place where the wine flows like time travel and the reviews are occasionally aged in pure bitterness. While most visitors rave about the breathtak...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  The statistics all state the wine consumption is decreasing. According to Statista, wine consumption has dropped 6.75% since 2019 and the International Organization of Vine and Wine says that wine consumption has dropped 2.6% just this last ye...

It’s Monday, Let’s raise a glass to the beginning of another week. It’s time to unscrew, uncork or saber a bottle and let’s begin Exploring the Wine Glass!  My friend Martha—my fun loving co-host of One Star Winery Reviews—recently made a trip out to Paso Robles. It was the first time we actually met in person and the conversation was effortless, the wine was flowing (along with a few margaritas),...