The Connected Table SIPS!

World-renowned Bordeaux oenologist, Michel Rolland, consults for more than 80 estates in 13 countries. He is a partner in Clos de los Siete, seven estate vineyards located on 2000 acres in Argentina's Uco Valley in Mendoza. The Malbec-blend wines are known for their refined style, ageability and value. Michel discusses select vintages and the provenance of Clos de los Siete, which is the #1 Malbec...

The beautiful island of Sardegna produces 70 percent of Italy's Vermentino wines. Donatella Muscianese, Agenzia Laore Sardegna, discusses key growing areas and styles of Vermentino: DOCG Vermentino di Gallura in the north has limestone and granite soils that produce a crisp, flinty wine full of minerality. DOC Vermentino di Sardegna to the south and West (Alghero) where soils range from clay and s...

Bodegas Bilbainas is one of Rioja’s most historic wineries dating to 1859 when French wine producers escaping the ravages of phylloxera established a winery in Haro in the region of Rioja Alta. In 1901 a group of businessmen from Bilbao purchased the winery and renamed it Bodega Bilbainas. Head Winemaker Alejandro Lopez Garcia discusses the winery’s history and its signature Viña Pomal wines, know...

Surrounded by the Dolomite Mountains, the Trentino region is recognized for its elegant Trentodoc sparkling wines, the first "metodo classico" wine to receive DOC status in Italy. Sabrina Schench, Director of the Istituto Trento DOC, which represents 51 sparkling wine producers, discusses grapes, production regulations and aging requirements - minimum 15 mos. for Brut and minimum 36 mos. for Riser...

Historic Kentucky Peerless has been continuously family-run for five generations since the 1880s when entrepreneur Henry Kraver purchased the original distillery. The 50th oldest distillery in the nation, Kentucky Peerless opened a new facility in Louisville in 2015 on “Whiskey Row.” Global Marketing Director Cordell Lawrence and Head Distiller Caleb Kilburn discuss Kentucky Peerless' history and...

San Marzano was created in 1962 when 19 multi-generational family growers from San Marzano di San Giuseppe joined forces to maximize their efforts. A leading producer in Puglia, San Marzano, located in the Primitivo di Manduria DOP, is a collective of 1,200 vine growers across 3,500+ acres of vineyards whose winemaking philosophy balances age-old traditions with modern techniques. Mauro di Maggio,...

San Marzano, located in the Primitivo di Manduria DOP, makes some of Puglia’s most important Primitivo-based red wines. Mauro di Maggio, Managing Director of San Marzano, discusses the winery’s signature Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria DOP, named for the 60-year-old bush vines that bore its fruit. Made in an appassimento method, this 100% Primitivo is an aromatic red with notes of stewed fruit,...

Negroamaro is a dark-skinned variety native to southern Italy. San Marzano, based in Puglia’s Primitivo di Manduria DOP, is known for producing some of the best. Mauro di Maggio, Managing Director of San Marzano, discusses Negroamaro’s appeal, versatility and pairings. The Talò Negroamaro—the Talò range is named after one of San Marzano’s founding families—is lively and approachable with intense a...

Malvasia Nera is a thin-skinned grape grown throughout Italy and the Mediterranean. Mauro di Maggio, the Managing Director of San Marzano—a leading producer in Puglia, established in 1962—shares the Talò Malvasia Nera Salento IGP and suggests food pairings. The 100% Malvasia Nera is a full-bodied red, aged six months in French oak. It has an intense, complex silky bouquet of plum, cherry and spice...

Well-known for its red wines, Puglia also produces some of Italy’s most unique whites, notes Mauro di Maggio, Managing Director of San Marzano, a leading producer in the Primitivo di Manduria DOP. San Marzano’s Edda Lei Bianco Salento IGP is a medium-bodied white wine blended from Chardonnay and native varieties Moscatello Selvatico, Minutolo and Passulara. It delivers a balanced bouquet of wildfl...

Bob Blue, Winemaker and Chief Storyteller for 1000 Stories in Mendocino, CA, takes a deliberate small-batch approach to winemaking. 1000 Stories utilizes old bourbon barrels for aging, which Bob says he began using in the 1980s when French and American oak barrels were hard to come by. Bob explains how the char of bourbon barrels adds distinct and nuanced complexity to wine and specifically his 10...

Many wine aficionados are familiar with the red wines of Bordeaux, but the region also produces exceptional white wines, says Bordeaux-based Global Oenologist Dr. Valérie Lavigne. One of the birthplaces of Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux put the art of blending on the map, creating balanced, expressive white wines, many available for under $25. Dr. Lavigne explains different styles of Bordeaux Blanc win...

ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines is the leading group of Spanish independent wineries, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018. Jeff Bothwell, Araex Export Director, explains the regions of Rioja (Alavesa, Alta, Baja) and styles of Rioja wines, as well as expressions of the Tempranillo variety in regions such as Ribera Del Duero and Toro. Araex's portfolio, imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, include...

Palacio de Bornos was founded and began making wine in 1976 in D.O. Rueda. Proprietor Christian Bungard notes that Palacio de Bornos was the first winery in Spain's Castilla y León region to produce a sparkling wine, in 1978 made from the Verdejo a dominant white grape varietal in this region. Christian provides an overview of D.O. Rueda and Palacio de Bornos' portfolio of wines imported by Kysela...

Thomas Hansen is the third generation family member of Weingut Hansen-Lauer located in Bernkastel-Kues, a picturesque village and tourist mecca in Germany's Mosel River region. The winery, which dates back 400 years, has two hectares of vines planted with 90% Riesling, the leading grape-variety of the Mosel, which produces many of the best and costliest white wines in the world. The wines are impo...

Andrea Oeffling is co-properietor of Dr. Leimbrock – C. Schmidt, a family-owned wine estate dating back 250 years. Located in Germany's Mosel, a region, known for exceptional white wines, their focus is dry and semi-dry Rieslings, and a selection of Spätlese and Auslese wines,with an emphasis on natural farming methods. The wines are imported by Kysela Pere et Fils. www.dr-leimbrock.de This show i...

Jen Riis, aka "Mr. Spain," scouts wines for Kysela Pere et Fils' Spanish wine portfolio. Based in Madrid, Jen discusses some of Spain's most well-known wine regions like Rioja and Ribera Del Duero, as well as smaller regions he says everyone should have on their wine drinking radar, such as Alicante and Jumilla. Jen underscores the increasing popularity of Spanish Sherry and white wines from D.O....

Ana Diogo Draper is Director of Winemaking at Artesa Winery in Los Carneros, Napa, Artesa (Catalan for hand-crafted) is owned by the Spanish winemaking family Codorníu Raventós, the oldest company in Spain with a winemaking legacy in the Penedès (near Barcelona) dates to 1551. Originally opened in 1991 as Codorníu Napa, a sparkling wine house, the winery was renamed and transitioned to produce sti...

Studies show that coloring alleviates stress and creates calm. Coloring is popular with women, who also enjoy buying and drinking wine together. Women and Wine Founder Julie Brosterman whose online community reaches 160,000 women combined the two to create Color of Wine, a free wine-themed mobile coloring app. It's easy to use and can be customized for wine companies and regions looking for a crea...

Want an easy way to learn about cocktails and find a recipe at the tip of your finger? Just ask Maggie at MixologyGURU™, a free online service for savvy sippers. It’s designed by Emiliano De Laurentiis, founder of Knowledge Avatars, Inc., which creates technology-based educational tools. Emiliano designed MixologyGURU to provide consumers top-notch cocktail recipes and offer top-shelf beverage bra...

Auction Napa Valley (ANV) was established in 1981 to generate needed funds for local nonprofits, including $6 million raised to build a new clinic for OLE Health, which offers a wide range of healthcare services for the community, from free monthly food giveaways to helping individuals obtain health insurance and medical care. OLE Health's Fernando Diaz discusses the organizations mission and serv...

Located in the historic town of Napa, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at COPIA is a delicious destination for anyone who loves wine and food. Anne Girvin, Manager of Marketing & Communications, discusses the history of COPIA, started by the late vintners Robert and Magrit Mondavi and now run by CIA. Visitors can take classes in wine and food, dine at the on-site restaurant, view curated ex...

Central Italy's Marche region, with its rolling hills that spill into the Adriatic Sea, is an agricultural breadbasket for food and wine. Cupramontana in the center of the Marche is considered the world capital of the white grape varietal, Verdicchio. And it is where Colonnara Winery, founded in 1959 by a group of 19 farmers, produces a range of elegant still and sparkling wines. Emiliano Bernardi...

Heartland cooking is having a culinary revival and Kansas City is now on chefs and food lovers' itineraries. Chefs like Howard Hanna of The Rieger, located in the historic Rieger Hotel, and Ca Va, a Champagne bar with a local twist, are embracing the region's bounty of farm fresh vegetables, highly regarded pork, local smokehouses and other artisan producers. Born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas a...

Located in the steep hills of Italy's Veneto lies Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the oldest region for producing DOCG Prosecco Superiore. It is only one of two areas of prosecco winemaking granted the prestigious DOCG status. Alan Tardi, U.S. Ambassador for Conegliano Valdobbiadene, discusses the three regions of production: Conegliano, Valdobbiadene and Cartizze, where the indigenous Glera grapes are...