Wine Connoissaurus Rex

The esteemed Eric Asimov wrote a great article about the possibility that we are in the twilight of the American Sommelier. In response to his article, I approach this topic through a slightly different lens - does it have to be? To be clear - I love what Eric writes and this is simply a commentary through an approach that I truly believe can reignite the sommelier experience in this post-COVID wo...

They say you should never meet your heroes... and they are wrong. Dustin and I spent nearly an hour discussing all parts of the wine industry from his start and how to build knowledge to the direction it seems to be going, how to talk to people about wine, and why we all need to do our best to track down the bottle of DRC Dustin hasn't yet tried. He also almost witness me getting a concussion...

With it being Shiraz (Syrah) Day, it seemed perfect to actually kick off the new series from Wine C-Rex/Somm for the Day that is all about grapes.  In this episode, we'll dive into the world of Shiraz and Syrah – two names for the same grape that bring their own charm to the wine glass. We'll explore the origins of this bold and expressive grape, unraveling the stories that have captivat...

Inclusivity in an exclusive club. In this wide-ranging conversation with a “recovering sommelier”, Sarah and I discuss everything from being a sommelier at Le Bernardin to the reason behind her children’s book series – Kalamata’s Kitchen – and her approach to creating an inclusive space in an exclusive world. We could have talked for another two hours and hopefully one day we will get the chance t...

Got your attention! No one gets murdered but there is a sweet analogy of federal murder laws and how they are handled broadly like wine laws. It makes sense if you listen.  This episode helps to break down the importance, definition, and confusion of wine regions. With a focus on AVAs in this episode, I take you through what an AVA is, how it can be defined, how it can be home to  other  AVAs (bec...

Let's be honest, it is intimidating to meet your heroes. And over the course of a 1 week period, I got to meet 3 of mine. This episode features one of the coolest, nicest, ambitious, driven people in the wine world. George Walker III (IG @georgewalks3) of Wade Cellars joins the podcast to talk about how he got into the game, what it means to be a part of a movement to bring greater inclusivit...

Featuring Alain of Napa Valley Wine Guide. Alain and I chat about how to navigate prep for Napa, what it means to break down wine experiences into consumable doses, and make the whole wine experience space less daunting (but no less fun!). Alain's Napa Valley Wine Guide is all about making sure you have the perfectly customized and curated wine experience for your first or any other number of...

Sometimes, when the moment strikes, I just need to get some stuff out there. You may notice that I love to make sure I say it right when I refer to Champagne vs. Sparkling wine. This episode gives some really super duper clarity on how important it is to actually maybe probably see the difference. Not to be pretentious or fancy but to actually see what the differences are and know what you may or...

The interviews have begun! Thanks to Chef Eric Gephart for joining me for this awesome episode and thanks to the Andy and the wonderful team at Elephants Corner Wines in Winston-Salem, NC for hosting us and sharing some lovely wines. Chef Eric Gephart is the Director of Culinary Inspiration for Kamado Joe where he travels the world redefining what it means to cook over live fire. And while he trav...

At some point in your wine drinking life, you have at least considered bringing a bottle of wine somewhere. It could have been a restaurant, a friend's house, a party… somewhere. In some of those instances, you followed through. And you did it with a purpose. Today, I am going to talk all about that purpose and help you figure out what to do when you don’t know the purpose or etiquette. Clear...

We have all been there. The best of intentions, clear eyes, full stomachs, can't lose. But alas, by the end we spent a TON of money on wine we never actually wanted - or honestly couldn't even afford.  Let's take a step back and revisit that approach. I will still be fun! I PROMISE! But maybe just take a minute to get those stars aligned to make sure you remember what you liked (wri...

Rosé is so freaking popular these days and I love it! There are two things I really want to make sure you take away from this new episode - 1. You are legally allowed to drink rosé all year long and 2. Rose is not made from the rose grape. It is made from all sorts of different red/black skin grapes. Pinot Noir? Yep. Cabernet Franc? You better believe it! Cabernet SAUVIGNON? HELL YES! I'll ta...

One of the most frustrating experiences in drinking wine can be figuring out what wine is actually inside that bottle! How the hell can you read a label that often is in a foreign language and you don't know if it is telling you who made it, where it was made, what it was made with, or what sandwich the winemaker ate while making the wine. Or worse, you went and told your wine friend that you...

There is a fun meme/topic going around the internet these days that can be applied to loads of different situations. It’s called Fuck around and find out. Today, let’s look at what that means in the wine world and have some fun. There are rules. But we aren’t just here to talk about breaking rules, there are also accidents and mistakes.  And the wines we are about to check on are fun wines. Let’s...

As the Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments kicked off, I decided to create a little bracket challenge of my own… GRAPE Madness! Pitting 16 red and 16 white grapes against each other, IG followers voted every day. This podcast will talk about some of what I learned along the way.  Why did I do it?  I like the structure It gives at least a little organization to chaos I love the arguments it creates...

You will quickly realize that I like to do two things in many of these podcasts. One – use analogies – it always helps me and hopefully it helps you Two – reference pop culture stuff As I record this episode, the world is just hours away from the release of Season 3 of Ted Lasso. Holy smokes, this couldn’t be more of a perfect time and topic. Now remember, this is a WINE podcast first so I will tr...

Today, as I enjoy another delicious glass of wine – to be named shortly, I want to connect wine to wordle, the puzzle game that has taken the world by storm. Why? Pop culture I play it every day Without realizing it, I have drawn on it for my approach to tasting wines. It is a global phenomenon that a LOT of people have played at least once. Starting to get a feel for today’s episode? The episode...

An intro to Wine Connoissaurus Rex, I give an overview of all the types of episodes that could happen. In the intro episode, Clos du Val is the featured in the What's In My Glass and a general discussion of their winery focuses on their re-engagement of their Bordeaux roots.  It is a general overview with more exciting topics in the coming episodes! Talk about what the heck a vertical of wine...