Sip & Grow The Podcast

Today we get into a society of families who are growers in Saumur, a French wine region located in the Loire valley. This society was founded in 1956 with about 40 growers and today there are well over triple that amount. They are basically like-minded growers who want to produce high quality wines, tend to their vines with care and are proud to represent their terroir well.   In order to be a par...

Piemonte is one of my favorite wine regions in Italy… well I love and appreciate all Italian wines in general lol but I do tend to drink a lot from this region.   I open up a white wine made from the Cortese grape varietal which is produced in the town of Gavi (southeast of Torino).   I also happened to film this episode an hour before the Copa America finals so naturally I get into my game predic...

Another episode, another Georgian wine. Today I open up a red wine from the same producer we tried in episode 46 that is also part of the Lanchava collection.   The red wine I try today is made from the Saperavi grapes, which is used to make the regions most well-known red wines.   As I give you the spark notes on this bottle, I get into how our mind works and how powerful our mind really is.   We...

Today we get into one of the oldest-known wine regions in the world with a history dating back more than 8,000 years… Georgian wine.   Georgia is strongly associated with the continuation of ancient winemaking techniques like using clay vessels for fermentation and storage.   Claiming to be the birthplace of wine, Georgia thrived during the middle ages when it came to producing wine. Wine represen...

Today we dive into the story behind one of the most known New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc brands…. Kim Crawford.   If the name doesn't sound familiar just google the bottle and you will know exactly what brand it is.     Sauvignon Blanc makes up more than 85% of New Zealand's total wine exports.   The brands upbringing was pretty legendary because they had a solid sales plan… aka produce a "high value...

First Australian wine on the pod…yay!   I was recommended this producer and thought the label was pretty cool so of course I bought it to try it out.   Getting to know the story behind their label made it so much cooler.   Redmond Sweeny and Tony Davis founded Snake + Herring in 2010 and between them two, they agreed Tony would focus on making great wine and Red would focus on selling the wine.  ...

Today's Bordeaux blend is probably my favorite one yet for the price point.   I get into the history of today's Producer which happens to be the longest unbroken line of ownership in the world of any wine family. Due to the Chateau's location on the riverbank, it was known to protect citizens from attacks by the vikings which is why it appears to be a fortress.   So much history behind this beauti...

Have you ever tried a white Bordeaux??…. Today is the first time I open one up to try it out.   The producer I open up today has been around for centuries…. Since the middle ages basically.   All of us know that Bordeaux is the world capital of wine located in the south western part of France.   Most people think of red wine (most people being me LOL) when it comes to Bordeaux so I was really surp...

Today we talk about one of my favorite producers from Argentina who ultimately revolutionized the Argentine wine industry within the last 50 years. Catena is a popular wine making family in Argentina that put Malbec on the map for Argentina. Their vineyards are actually one of the most studied vineyards in the world.   They are sticklers for quality which is why they invest so much into studying a...

Join me today as I review a random bottle I found at the grocery store that intrigued me. The backstory to this producer is that he dedicated his whole brand to his mom and dad…how freaking cute right?!!   Eric Jensen, owner of Harvey & Harriet (today's wine), bought 100 acres of land in Paso Robles in 2001.   The land they bought has a lot of history because it was cultivated in the 1920's by the...

Today I get into a bottle that was gifted to me which is found in Trader Joe's at a $4.99 price point! It's a vinho verde from a small region in northern Portugal. In Portugal, vinho verde is super popular and is known as a 'portuguese wine specialty'.     Who doesn't love a cheap fizzy wine on a hot day?   Check this episode out as I get into the history behind vinho verde, how they make it, what...

Today I had the honor of having my mischievous king Carlos on the Podcast.   As a content creator, blogger and life coach, Carlos is the biggest support system when it comes to feeling at home with yourself and, as he says, "living your personal mythology and activating your main quest of life".     Wisdom and jokes is our main cup of tea at all times. Carlos explains what "shadow work' means and...

Bubbles are always a good idea…today we get into one of my favorites… Prosecco.   What is Prosecco?   It is an Italian sparkling wine from the Northeast of Italy.   This is like the "Champagne" of Italy (France please don't come for me for that comment… I love me some Champagne too).     Italians take their Prosecco very seriously and it was officially recognized in 2009 by the Italian government...

Finding a cool ceramic bottle at the liquor store led to reviewing it on this episode… also it was super intriguing, Nicole had to try it.   Today's wine is a Rhone red blend from Languedoc…the south of France.   The producer, Gerard Bertrand, created this "Art de Vivre" bottle which pays homage to the mediterranean region, it's preserved nature and it's artists. Also, it celebrates a vineyard tha...

We have a very special guest today on the podcast… Lucas Larvenz.   Lucas is a young musical prodigy born and raised in Miami who established himself as a contemporary powerhouse within the electronic music community.   He joins us today to not only drink some delicious rose but also fill us in on his new song 'Right my wrongs' that comes out this Friday April 26, 2024.   Watch us taste a 2022 Ros...

DAO = the most important wine region in Portugal.   Today I open up a wine from this region and taste Portuguese wine for the first time ever. Dao is located in the northern part of the region, south of the Douro Valley.   It is named after the Dao River and a majority of the region's vineyards are located along this river. The altitudes in this area help maintain healthy vines and grapes and also...

Right and left bank…What is that? I simplify what this means when it comes down to wines from Bordeaux.   I watched a show on Apple TV called Drops of God that really opened my eyes to how the French wine world (along with talking to wine experts in the real world too lol). Overall, I will say that the regions in France are prime for making excellent wines.   The French are very particular with ho...

Today I open up a Crianza from Protos (today's producer) located in Valladolid, Spain located about an hour away from Madrid in the wine region of Ribera del Duero.   Valladolid is one of the four provinces located in Ribera del Duero and Protos is one of the first wineries in this region.   Most of the vineyards at Protos sit on the south facing hills giving them optimal sunlight for maturation....

I was at my local Mega Spirits and came across a Pinot Noir Rose from Spain in the sale section… we love a sale.   I took a $7.50 gamble and bought this random wine to see if it would be good.     In today's episode I get into this particular bodega owned by two brothers, Hugo and Diego Ortega.   Located in central Spain, their vineyard is in the cold section of Ribera del Duero at over 3,000ft of...

I have unlocked the white wine madness… once you start you can't stop.   I am getting so much more comfortable with tasting different white wines and today I get into Godello, a grape varietal from the northwestern part of Spain in Galicia.   This area is known as the gateway to Galician lands.   It is filled with granitic soils which ultimately pushes the roots of the vines deeper into the ground...

Uruguayan red wine from a family who's been producing wine since the early 1900s.   Around 1870 Francesco Pisano arrived from La Liguria, Italy to Uruguay.   In 1914 his son, Don Cesare Secundino Pisano, moved to Progreso and planted vineyards.   It took them about 10 years to produce wine and in 1924 the first family vintage was created.   Currently, the vineyard is run by the 4th generation of t...

The most popular white wine from Spain…. Albariño.   Today's wine is located in the Rias Baxias part of Galicia in the Salnes valley (also known as the "capital of Albariño).   It is home to an annual festival called "Festa Internacional do Albariño".   I dive into talking about the misconception behind red wines for people who are just getting into wine and tell me they only like white wines beca...

Let's talk Tempranillo, one of the most popular grape varietals in Spain.   Why is Rioja one of the best wine regions in Spain? I get into this in this episode because as one of the most popular wine regions in Spain, Rioja's climate and soil is optimal for grape vines to thrive in.   The clay like soil allows the vines to thrive and not only gives them hydration when needed because of the easy wa...

I was inspired to talk about my historic wine cave experience when I visited a bodega in a small town in La Rioja back in 2022.   The bodega is called Lecea. The coolest part is that their cellar is all under a cave and we had a detailed tour explaining all of their winemaking practices and traditions. I even get into talking about how they used goat skins to transport the wine in the 12th, 13th a...

About 5 years ago, I visited Quebec, Canada and had the pleasure of going to a vineyard in Quebec City called Vignoble Les Murmures.   Daniel and Monique are this lovely couple who own this vineyard and are super passionate about winemaking.   Crop management, wine production, bottling, etc. they do it all and run the whole vineyard themselves.   Overall, I talk about the hospitality I experienced...