Sip & Grow The Podcast

My dearest friend Dakota Wallace is back on the podcast! She was my first guest on the show back in episode 14 and now she has returned once again to join us in tasting some delicious wine. We picked up this wine in Eataly Boston and it is from the Piedmont region in an area called Valle D'Aosta. Valle D'Aosta sits in the Northwest of Italy and borders France & Switzerland lying in the Western Alp...

Bordeaux is the largest fine-wine vineyard on the globe. It is a powerful wine region where complex, age worthy wines are made (we love that). Bordeaux is so complex that it can be challenging to comprehend aka Bordeaux's are authentic af with lots of personality (we def love that haha). They have over 15,000 growers and dozens of top-class estates plus many other "lesser standing" wine producers...

How was your first week of 2025? Have you set your intentions and goals yet?   I open up a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State from one of my favorite natural wine brands Avaline. I have spoken about them before but they basically get together with wine growers around the world who align with their brand mission of having wines made of 100% organic grapes, no residual sugar present and no unw...

Latin America's leading wine producer… Viña Concha y Toro.   This producer was founded in 1883 and today exports to 135 countries. As the largest wine-growing company in Latin America, located in Santiago, Chile, they created the second most influential wine brand worldwide in 1966 known as "Casillero del Diablo". The reason why they created this brand was because they believed the best wines were...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!   I figured since it's the holidays, might as well bring on a bold, full bodied wine. Today I open up a Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma county.   Rodney Strong has been making waves in California's wine scene for decades and today's bottle is one of their umbrella brands known for their commitment to quality and sustainable practices.     Bluewing vineyards focuses on sustainable...

Wine made from 100% Organic grapes… sign me up.   Avaline is a brand created by Cameron Diaz & Katherine Power who partner with winemakers around the world that prioritize sustainable farming (100% organic grapes with no synthetic pesticides or insecticides), have no residual sugar present and have no unwanted additives.   I came across their wine initially grocery shopping at Sprouts and now have...

What is amphora aged wine? It is the traditional way of winemaking, fermenting and aging that dates back to the 15th century in the Eastern Mediterranean. Today's producer specializes in amphora-aged wine and specifically uses concrete eggs to ferment and age most of their wines.   I go over the differences between a steel tank, oak tank and clay/concrete tank to see the pros and cons of each one....

Target finds are my favorite finds and today I go over a bottle I bought during one of my target shopping sprees.   This producer came about through a woman who had a love for nature and the wild since she was a kid and was curious about how she can get back into what she loved through a career.   She became an attorney but always dreamed about the "farm life" and that's why she started looking in...

I open up a Chenin Blanc from Mendoza, Argentina.   This white grape varietal is versatile in style and sweetness and I love that it has the ability to adapt to a wide variety of tastes.   We love a grape that is versatile and adaptable!   Today's producer is from the northern part of the Uco Valley in which they cultivate their grapes at a high altitude (1400 meters above sea level). High altitud...

What makes a wine vegan? Usually, if any animal products are used in the winemaking process that would definitely make it non-vegan. Animal products are commonly found in fining agents used to break down left over particles in wine that winemakers want to get rid of before bottling. I touch on this topic so that you can understand why a wine would not be considered "vegan".   I also get into a boo...

Come with me on the Portuguese Alvarinho ride. I came across this white wine in Total Wine and was instantly intrigued by the label. Turns out Portugal's leading premium port producer (Symington Family) collaborated with winemaker Anselmo Mendes (Vinho Verde producer) to create the brand Contacto.   They created this joint venture in order to develop premium wines from Moncao and Melgaco (northern...

We open up a blend today from one of the top producers in Argentina, Susana Balbo.   She has different lines of wines and the one I try on this episode is from the line called Ben Marco. It's a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Franc.   One of the things I love about this brand is that they honor the terroir by low intervention winemaking to reveal their true essence and character. Low interven...

I got my hands on a Brut Nature for today's episode… this is the first time I try this type of sparkling wine (watch episode 60 for all information on sparkling wines). Rutini is one of Argentina's top producers and became the first winery to plant vines in the Uco Valley which is one of the top wine-producing regions in Mendoza.   They have different lines of wines and this one specifically is fr...

Ribera del Duero is a wine region located in the northern part of Spain and is known as the home of Tempranillo. Tempranillo is the most widely planted red grape variety in Spain and is called "Tinto Fino" in Ribera del Duero because it taste different from other regions in Spain. Tempranillo berries tend to be smaller with thick skin, darker color and have lots of acidity resulting in complex win...

Champagne is always a good idea and in this episode I get into the traditional way of making champagne. This method originated in the French region Champagne and is one of the most popular methods to make sparkling wine. It is considered the classic and highest quality method for producing sparkling wine.   The key feature that makes this process so unique is that the wine undergoes a second ferme...

This week I am staying on course with French wines to see what they are all about.   In today's episode I dive into a red blend from Rhone called Signargues Cotes du Rhone Villages.   The brand/producer is Pierre-Henri Morel which was created in 2008 by Michel Chapoutier. Chapoutier is actually one of Rhone's most dynamic producers and this brand is run by Chapoutier's commercial producer which is...

Viognier from France located in southern Rhone. This is the first time I try this varietal which happens to be a common white grape varietal in that area. The brand was created by two French men who want to show the exceptional wines that came out of Southern Rhone (aka they were like lets just make our own label from our favorite place).   Their overall goal/objective in starting this project was...

I found a bottle that stood out to me at Total Wine and it just so happened to be a South American Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina.   The brand is named after the greek god Oneirois, which is known as the "god of sleep". As I read more info on this greek god, it got me thinking about our subconscious mind and how we may not even consciously recognize these thoughts on a day to day basis but they...

South African wine for the win today… I open up a Pinotage grown in the Neethlingshof Estate located in the heart of Cape's Winelands which are located in the region western Cape in South Africa.   This estate literally is breathtaking and their wines embody a taste of traditional Cape culture blended with influences from both Africa & Europe.   This estate is one of South Africa's most historic w...

Did you know the Malbec grape varietal is originally from Cahor, France?   Today I finally get to open a Malbec from Cahors to try it for the first time!     As I have expressed multiple times throughout the podcast, Malbec is one of my favorite go-to grapes.   I am biased and love my Argentinian Malbecs but of course we need to try it from it's original birthplace and see what the hype is all abo...

Today I open up a white wine from Mendoza, Argentina made from the Torrontes grape varietal.   This white grape is mostly produced in Argentina and the most similar grape to this varietal is said to be a Reisling.   I would definitely say it is like the "Albariño" of Argentina.     Phebus is a well known producer from Argentina and for the most part has a good variety of very cost efficient wines....

Italian white wine from Sicily… wine from the south of Italy is literally my fave. Paolo Marzotto established this vineyard in 1997 and he loved Sicily so he did what anyone would do… buy a vineyard there. This winery is located in the village called Santa Cristina Gela in the city Palermo, Sicily. His main goal was to not only produce the best wines in Sicily but also have an eco sustainable vine...

Miles from Nowhere was founded in 2007 by veteran wine producers Franklin and Heather Tate located in Margaret River, a small town in western Australia.   Shiraz (aka Syrah) is actually the first grape variety to be grown in Australia, making it a very important and primal grape to the country.   On today's episode, I get into this producer, the story behind the name and try a Shiraz from Australi...

Spain is Grenache's original birthplace but today it is more recognized as a key player in French red blends of southern Rhone (ex. Chatuneuf du Pape). This grape is also popular in Sardegna, southern Italy, in which it is called Cannonau. Today's producer is located in one of Italy's most renowned wine estates in Nurra, a flat region that dominates the north-western side of Sardegna.     Tune in...

The largest and most populated region of Southern Italy is Campania and today I open up a white wine from there.   Campania is a unique territory that has a combination of a fresh rainy climate, Mediterranean latitudes and mountain viticulture. The style and character of the wines from here are very different from the classic "southern" stereotype (unclean, overripe, highly alcoholic wines).     F...