Sip & Grow The Podcast

Spanish wine under $10… another Trader Joe's find.   I want to make it a point to bring on different wines at different price points and also find the perfect day to day wine that won't break your bank.   Today's wine is from a town in Aragon, Spain called Calatayud. This wine region is known for big and bold red wines mainly made from Granacha grapes. Granacha is one of the most widely distribute...

Willamette Valley, Oregon is well known for producing Pinot Noir in Oregon.   I am very particular about my Pinot Noirs, as you may know, so this one will be judged harshly.   As I open up this Pinot Noir from Oregon I get into my fairly new transition into a new company. I am doing the same thing just in a different territory.   I am so grateful to be able to continue bringing podcast episodes to...

Antigal Winery & Estates is one of the oldest wineries in Mendoza, Argentina. One of their most well known bottles is the UNO Malbec. Today, I open up their 2019 Aduentus Cabernet Franc to give a try.   I give you all the details on this wine while getting into the importance of being present and how we should always do things that inspire us to keep our creative flame alive.   Recently, I went to...

Skin contact wine made from 11 different grapes… yes please!   I found this wine at trader joe's for $12 and had to try it out. This is made up of 34% Chenin Blanc, 18% Pinot Gris, 12% Colombard, 9% Xarello, 8% Verdelho,   6% Vermentino, 3% Gewurtztraminer, 3% Semillon, 3% Trousseau Gris, 2% Riesling and 2% Malvasia.     Skin contact wines are natural wines known as low intervention wine because o...

Maipo Valley in Chile is considered the "Bordeaux" of South America. Within the Maipo valley there are three sub regions known as Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Pacific Maipo. I get into detail about each of the sub regions and the wine we open up today is actually from the Central Maipo area which is known to be the oldest winemaking area in Chile… aka the birthplace of Chilean viticulture.     "C...

Pinot Grigio from Veneto, Italy located in the Alto Adige region.   This particular family has been growing vines in the Northeast of Italy since 1607. Their philosophy is to respect nature, grapes, territories and people living in them. I love that they are all about sustainable practices and producing high quality wines.   What intrigued me about this one was the fact that it is produced with lo...

Pinot Noir - Malbec blend…. Let's try it out!   In my Graziano's market quest, I came across this red blend and was immediately intrigued. This producer is known for high altitude wines and I love the story behind how this label was created. Five friends that love wine basically created Gen del Alma to keep on making awesome wines that are delicious! Coolest thing about today's wine is that they l...

I came across a red blend from Argentina that uses the appassimento technique. The most known wine for using this method is Amarone (from Italy) but this is the first time I try this style wine from another country.   Today's blend is made up of 45% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Bonarda and 5% Cabernet Franc.   I dive deep into what this process of appassimento means and give you insight on...

Southern Italian wines have never disappointed me and today I open one up from Calabria.   This grape is called Greco and is known for it's rich, velvety texture and aromatic bouquet. Apparently, this grape descended from greek settlers. They brought their vines and winemaking skills to this area and ever since then the land has been dedicated to producing wines.   The producer I open up today is...

Have you ever tried a Gewürztraminer? It's a medium bodied dry (with a sweet bouquet) white wine from the northeastern part of France. Alsace, France is known for having the best environment for this grape varietal along with the Alto Adige region in Italy.   Today I open a producer that has been around for centuries in France called Lucien Albrecht.     What is integrity? For me it falls along th...

I saved this episode for a rainy day and funny enough it's been raining a lot this past week.   This is part two of when I was in Lincoln, New Hampshire with my good friend Dakota Wallace. We opened up an Italian wine made primarily with the Ruche grape varietal (this trip was the first time I had tried this wine).   This is from the Piedmonte region and it's an exclusive wine because the Ruche gr...

Sonoma county Pinot Noir… one of the best places for this grape. I talk about Joe Wagner, a very well known 5th generation winemaker in California.   Joe comes from the Caymus family (vineyard founded in 1972), a very well know wine label in Napa and the United States.   He grew up around vineyards and making wine but he always wanted to do his own thing.     Joe's first venture was creating the M...

Have you ever been to a restaurant and seen a section for orange wine on the wine list and wondered what is that? Is it made from oranges? How does it taste?   Well hate to break it to you, it's not made from oranges but it definitely has a unique taste. Orange wine, in simple terms, is a type of white wine that has been made like red wine.   It is basically skin contact wine produced by fermentin...

Jim and Bob Varner, founders of Foxglove, are devoted to the production of low intervention wines in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Today's Cab is from the Paso Robles area in California coming in hot at a great price point (for California Cab LOL). Remember, low intervention winemaking means minimal manipulation and additives… literally my favorite type of wines to drink.   I love low interventio...

Today I try an indigenous grape from Italy called Friulano.   It is most similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but tends to be more full bodied and has less acidity than a Sauvignon Blanc. The Terlato family is very well know in the industry and I go over their history and growth which has ultimately led them to creating an empire within the wine and spirits industry.   Robert Mondavi comes up because he w...

Random find at a bakery leads to either a great wine or a not so great wine LOL. Today we open up a random Malbec I came across at Milanos Bakery. This one is specifically from a micro-region called Agrelo located at the foot of the Andes in Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza Argentina.   As I open up this Malbec, I get into the topic of how daydreams are not distractions they are instructions. Usually, whate...

What is non-alcoholic wine (NA) or alcohol free wine? In this new episode, I open up an alcohol free French sparkling wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes and explain what it actually means when you drink a NA wine.   You may think this is just sparkling grape juice but I assure you it's not. It actually goes through the same vilification process that wine goes through, the only difference is the...

Another Trader Joe's find… we love that. This Malbec cost me $8.99 and I had to pick it up to see if it was worth the price point.   I love the fact that this producer hand harvests their grapes and is grown in the sub region called Gualtallary which is the high altitude wine region in Tupungato on the Northern side of Valle de Uco located in Mendoza, Argentina.   As I open this Malbec, I dive int...

Today I get into story time of getting a nail in my tire while I open up a wine from Avaline.   Avaline was founded by Cameron Diaz and Kathrine Power and they basically source out wine growers and winemakers around the world that stick to the natural process of winemaking and practice sustainable farming.   They make sure all their wines are made with organic grapes, have 0g of residual sugar and...

Fun find today, $26 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley is small in size compared to other regions but has diverse offerings when it comes to wines.   There are a total of 16 AVA's (American Viticultural Areas) / sub-appellations in the valley. Each of these AVA's are important, allowing winemakers to differentiate their wines based on the specific terroir in which the grapes grow. It ultimately...

THE TIME HAS COME. I finally get to try a wine from the harvest I worked back in 2023!!   My team at Emeritus Vineyards sent over six different bottles from the 2023 vintage and today I open up the Halberg Blanc. Emeritus Vineyards is a winery located in Sebastopol, California where they produce solely Pinot Noir grapes. I personally have a deeper appreciation for Pinot Noir because of them.   Tod...

WE FOUND A RIPASSO FOR $12… THIS IS NOT A DRILL. As part of a well known historic Veronese winery, Pasqua wines was looking to acquire more vineyards and increase their investments. Cecilia Beretta estate was founded in the 1980's in the wine village of Valpolicella.   Ripasso is known as "baby amarone" and tends to be less expensive than Amarone because in a nutshell the leftover grapes used to m...

$15 dollar Barolo… I had to give it a try. Known as the king of wines or the wine of kings, Barolo comes from Piedmont (northern Italy) located in Langhe and is one of the most prestigious, age worthy and collectible wines. It's safe to say that Barolo is the "Burgundy" of Italy. Patience is the name of the game when it comes to a good Barolo because it needs a good amount of time to reach it's fu...

I open up a Semillon from the Uco Valley in Argentina! Usually semillon is most popularly grown in France and Australia and is the main grape varietal used to make a white Bordeaux.   I love this grape because it tends to be medium to full body (like a chardonnay) and brings weight and depth to the wine and when aged can bring a creamy texture with honey flavors coming through.   Today we get into...

I came across this bottle in Total Wine and fell in love with the label… I've also had other wines from this producer that are solid. Domaine Bousquet is a family owned wine producer in Mendoza, Argentina and they are known for their sustainable practices that produce high quality, organic and vegan wines. Today's wine is from one of the many lines Domaine Bousquet has and it is called "Cameleon"....