Renegade - A Blackthorn Podcast

We have the perfect winery to celebrate Spooky Season! We are talking to Anna and Peter from Final Girl Wines.  Final Girl Wines is an homage to the last woman standing in all your favorite movies from Laurie Strode from Halloween to Sidney Prescott from Scream.  From 13 years old Anna was bit by the winemaking bug, while Peter gained his foray into the American wine world from one of their first...

In this episode, we talk about one of our favorite areas for wine in the world: the Loire Valley. If you are looking for exquisite Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, or Muscadet this place has it all. With over 600 miles of wine country along the river for which it is named there is a historied past of grape planting and winemaking.  Julie pours a classic Chinon (aka Cabernet Franc) fr...

In this Sipisode, we look at one of California's oldest wineries, Inglenook. Located in the heart of Napa Valley this brand came from humble begins as a beautiful vineyard site in the 1800's.  It was transformed over the years into a brand synonymous with high-end, quality wines.   Julie reviews how the Inglenook name came and went over the years and how Coppola Winery helped revive the...

In this episode we are talking about Barbera. This wine is both rich in texture and light bodied making it ideal for food pairing and a daily glass of wines. Allie brings us a excellent and affordable example of the wine.  Julie breaks down the regions and history of the variety, and how it has changed over the years.  Then Allie takes us back to 1985 and the methanol scandal of Barbera from Piedm...

We continue our interview series with Adam McHugh, author of Blood From a Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead In addition to being an author, Adam is a pro tour guide and has a deep connection with the Santa Ynez Valley and the California Wine Industry.  We talk about our mutual love of Rose, Santa Barbara County, and the value of history as it relates to wine and our own sen...

This Sipisode is dedicated to answering questions you may not want to ask at a tasting room or can't readily find online. We are here to give you real simple answers and show you that wine is accessible and an easy everyday beverage for everyone. We are not here to tell you what wine is wrong or right for you to drink, but to help you better enjoy wine and learn more about it. Grab a glass of...

The Mosel region of Germany is home to some of the top wineries for Riesling. The steep vineyards along the riverbanks benefit from the ideal climate and soil conditions, that produce some of the best white wines in the world. After a lucky encounter with a top Mosel producer, Julie brings you a fun, elegant, and budget-friendly Riesling. Hailing from a long line of the name Max Ferdinand Richter....

We are excited to bring you our latest interview with Sabrine Rodems of Wrath and Scratch wines out of Monterey County.  With over 20 years in the business,  Sabrine brings her unique perspective on winemaking, collaboration, and creativity. We talk Pinot Clones, Italian Varieties, and our mutual love of bubbles. Join us for a lively conversation as we nerd out, sip wine, and get to know how wine...

Get to know one of the world's most sought-after sweet wines, Sauternes. In the episode, Allie breaks down the relationship between the grapes and 'noble rot', making this wine complex and flavorful. Find out how sweet wines have a place both before and after a meal.  Support the show CONNECT WITH US:  You can follow and message us on Instagram @joinblackthorn You can also reach out...

Greetings! After a few tries, we finally bring you our Wine Certifications episode! Julie puts Allie to the test with a blind tasting and a little wine quiz. Then, we answer what it means to be a Sommelier and what all of these different certifications mean in the wine world.  We finish off the pod with a scandal that rocked the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2018 and has changed their organization...

We are happy to bring you a special interview with Peter Andrews of Culture Wine Co.  We have always had a great interest in South African wines and Peter owns a company that champions some of the most diverse and up-and-coming wines from South Africa.  We spoke with him about how he transitioned from the culinary world to wine, and how years of working in high-end wine distribution led him to cre...

Greetings friends of CrushCast! We are bringing you a special bonus episode in lieu of our latest episode. Due to some technical hiccups, we have to delay our release by one week, so we decided to give you a sneak peek into our Patreon. In this episode, We bring you some of the wines from the past that are still singing now. Julie did some digging and found new documentaries about wine that are no...

Hello All! We have embarked on an entirely new Sipisode series all about historical wineries. Often names are thrown around in the wine world to indicate quality and refinement. But we asked ourselves why their names carry such heavy meaning. Our goal in this series is to demystify the lore and explain how their legends were made. Our first stop is at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti often known as DRC...

We are very excited to bring you an interview with a good friend and champion of Natural Wines Drew Cuddy. He shares with us his background steeped in the organic food industry that brought him into the wine world in his own unique way.  With kindness and a commitment to wine and food, Drew takes us on a tour from Canada, to Italy, then California. We are fortunate to have his perspective, with ho...

We have started off the summer with a little island hopping of our own. In this episode, we are checking out the Italian island of Sardinia and the variety of wines that are made there.  We sip one of their most planted varieties Vermentino and discuss its long and short history with winemaking. We talk about Blue Zones aka places where people live the longest and how wine can promote health. We t...

In our not so mini Sipisode we answer some listener and personal questions. We celebrate our 2nd anniversary by explaining some common wine questions and giving you some inside information about us. We each have a unique history and perspective on your burning wine questions and on how we formed Crush It.  Along with wine all the way from the island of Cyprus, we bring the laughs, share our storie...

We have an extra special interview episode for you with one of our favorite humans Sunny Doench Stricker of Future Perfect.  She is as bright, sparkly, and bursting with color as her wine labels. She is a lesson in positivity and how hard work and determination can bring you success. To quote Sunny, "Tiny bubbles, tiny troubles." Her philosophy is  “serious wine made with a lot of joy.”...

We at CrushCast are excited to bring you a bonus episode all about the Ojai Wine Festival.  We take this opportunity to learn more about the Ventura County wine country,  its untapped potential, and a sneak peek into the wines being made.  In this episode, we are speaking with two local Ojai wineries; Side Street Winery and Majestic Oak, both of which give us a better look into the local Ojai wine...

Greetings! We are celebrating our 50th episode of CrushCast with one of our favorite wine and food pairings, Champagne and Clips! We took a deep dive into our archives to pull out some of our early gems and some of our more recent laughable moments. Even though we have always had a delightful blend of education and humor, we have come very far when it comes to how we sound.  Thank you all for list...

You talked and we listened. This episode is all about how to better shop for wine. We give you a short list of tips that can help you get more value for your money and make it easier to find the wines that fit your palate. Grab a bottle of your go-to wine and join us to learn just how many possibilities there are to find wines you may not know you have always wanted. Cheers!  Support the show CONN...

In this episode, we talk Taylor Swift and 'Mommy Wine', sustainability, and ancient Italian wine sites. We are excited to highlight a large but possibly not as widely known wine region in California, Monterey County. We have a unique example of one of the most planted varieties there, Pinot Noir. Join us and learn how all of these things are connected.  Sip along with us with a glass of...

We at CrushCast are happy to bring you a friend and longtime winemaker from our hometown in Santa Barbara County. He brings us his authentic story of discovering what wine means to him and how it turned into a lifelong career.  We have a unique twist by offering a look at high-quality Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills, California. Get a glimpse into a small winery that cares about its employees as m...

In this episode, we cover opening, storing, and pouring wine.  These things may seem simple, but we go over the how and why of keeping your wine fresh and free from damage.  Having a good understanding of how you keep your wine at home can save you money, time, and flavor.  Grab a bottle of your favorite wine  (for practice) and join us. Cheers! Support the show CONNECT WITH US:  You can follow an...

Pinot Blanc (or Bianco) is not to be confused with Pinot Gris (Grigio), it is all its own. It is a lovely bright white wine that is produced in many countries across the world.  With so many choices to highlight the grape, Julie brings you a beautiful complex example from northern Italy. Allie breaks down all of the details about Pinot Blanc and its origin and explains the differences between them...

We are so excited to bring you an interview with one of our favorite Santa Barbara winemakers. She shares how she got into the wine industry and he philosophy about the wines she makes and how she organically built her own winery. We taste her amazing Gruner Veltliner and her Gamay Noir.  This is all about how humbling it can be to have a winery and maintain your vision. Join us and grab a glass o...