Have you ever wondered what Sommeliers do? What jobs are out there for sommeliers and what does a day in the life look like? In episode 29, I chat with my friend and fellow Certified Sommelier Ariel Bruckner. Ariel has been in the beverage industry for over a decade and has been beverage director for a major Orlando resort with over 17 restaurants and a large convention business. We chat about what it's like to be a female in the industry, how she became a beverage director, and what she drinks regularly! We also discussed the right questions to ask when ordering wine in a restaurant and how to properly send a bottle back. It's an episode that you don't want to miss, so be sure to hit play now to start listening!  Ariel is also co-founder of Wash and Wik, an amazing candle and soap company in Orlando, Florida. They make incredible candles, including a few wine scented. Where else can you find a wine scented candle that has been mixed and approved by a certified sommelier?! Wash and Wik is actually the sponsor of today's show and for The Wine CEO Podcast listeners, Wash and Wik has offered a 20% discount when you use the code THEWINECEO at checkout! Be sure to check them out at washandwik.com Sponsor: Washandwik.com Discount Code for 20% off: THEWINECEO --------------------- Show Notes While recording the show, Ariel and I were drinking Campo Viejo Rosé Cava (around $10 at most grocery stores - sommeliers don't drink fancy wine every night! I promise we're regular people too!) Ariel & I discussed ordering aged wines and how they can taste different from fresh, young wines. For more information on proper aging and how a few years can affect a wine, be sure to check out The Wine CEO Podcast Episode #12, "Is Age Just a Number?". Ariel's go-to wines: 1. Joel Gott: This family of wines tends to range from $12-$20  at most grocery stores. Despite the inexpensive price tag, these wines are really consistent and a perfect pick for a mid week bottle! 2. Chalk Hill: These wines have a large price range with bottles anywhere from $15-$55, but all of them are consistently delicious.   

Navigating work luncheons and dinners can be intimidating. You're networking to get that next promotion, trying to be funny but not too funny, and trying not to spill any food on yourself. Adding alcohol into that equation only makes things more complicated. Is it always okay to drink at a company event? How many glasses is too many when the company is paying? What do you do if the server keeps topping you off, but you're afraid you're getting tipsy? In today's episode I chat about these questions and more to help you feel prepared for your next professional lunch, dinner, happy hour, or company whatever! And be sure to hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode! thewineceo.com Instagram: @thewineceo

In episode #27 my friend Samantha joins me on the show to chat all about poolside sippers. From rosè and refreshing white wines to light reds and bubbles, we cover it all! We even discuss what glassware and cooling options you have to keep tour pool day simple and care free. You also get a sneak peek into how Samantha set me up with my boyfriend Cris, so it’s an episode you don’t want to miss! Listen now and don’t forget to hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode! ———— Episode Show notes: Great poolside sippers for wine this summer: Rosè: look for lighter colored dry rosè (sugar isn’t quite as refreshing on a hot day, so i usually stay away from sweeter options!) Try one of these: Bertrand Cotes de Rose, Chateau de La Noblesse Rose from Bandol, and Sonoma Cutrer White: I love white wines that are light, crisp, and acidic in the hot summer. So Sauvignon blanc and Albariño are two top picks! Try one of the below wines: Martin Codax Albariño, Burgans Albariño, or Licia Albariño Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (A classic New Zealand SB), Domaine Fournier Sancerre (Sancerre is from France and delicious Sauvignon Blanc!), and Duckhorn SB from California Red: lighter red wines can be a good option on a cooler evening or if you chill the bottle more than normal (45-50F degrees). Look for Gamay, Pinot Noir, from the U.S., or even a Lambrusco. Bubbles: you can’t beat cava. This inexpensive Spanish sparkling wine is made in the same method as champagne for a fraction of the cost! Try one of my favorites below: Villa Conchi Cava Brut, Campo Viejo, or Borrasca If you want to learn more about canned wines, check out my episode #18 HERE.  Tips for poolside wines: Temperatures: A large corkcicle or thermos is great to keep wines cold by the pool! (Keep in mind that a normal sized bottle of wine is 750mL or 25oz.) Don’t add ice or this will water down your wine! Pour wine in small amounts into your glass because the wine will warm up faster in your glass than in the corkcicle. Glassware: If you can’t bring glass to your pool, invest in small insulated thermos cups from corkcicle, yeti, or another company. I love my Rifle Paper Co one HERE. You can also try these plastic reusable stemmed wine glasses that look like real glass from Amazon (I love them and they are great quality!!). I hope today’s episode was helpful! Please write a review if you learned something new and don’t forget to tell your friends about the show!

Non Alcoholic wines are really trendy right now...but are they good? When you're shopping for Non-Alcoholic wines, how do you know if some are better than others? In Episode 26, I dive into these questions and more! I also tried something I've never done before on the show - I invited 3 of my friends to taste 4 wines with me to get their LIVE reactions. We had some really fun thoughts on these wines, so you don't want to miss this hilarious (and interesting) episode! And be sure to hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode. ------------- Episode 26 Show Notes: The biggest thing to remember when you are shopping for non-alcoholic wines is that the label should say "de-alcoholized" or "alcohol removed". If the label simply states "non-alcoholic", then there's a good chance that this is simply grape juice (or a very loosely regulated sugary beverage). De-Alcoholized wines are wines that are made in normal wine making and fermentation processes. Then the alcohol is removed to leave a beverage that should still taste like wine, but has less than 1% ABV. (It is important to note that some non-alcoholic wines can still have a small percentage of alcohol in them! Unless the bottle says 0%, be mindful that it may have trace amounts of alcohol). Sadly, what we found from today's episode was that a lot of de-alcoholized wines on the market are just not as good as the real stuff. We only tried 4 wines, so there's definitely an opportunity to try other brands and explore a bit more. But, we tried 4 different brands and none were overly impressive. As a sommelier, I was really underwhelmed, but even my 3 friends were hoping for more flavor. They all agreed that you could use these wines as a mixer to make a mocktail or NA sangria, but none of the wines were delicious enough to polish a bottle off at your next mommy-to-be brunch. Below are the 4 wines that we tried as well as a brief review of each wine. Be sure to listen to the show to get our full reactions and why we rated each wine as below. 1. Almost Zero Ravishing Rose This wine label from South Africa makes a white, red, rose, and sparkling that are all de-alcoholized. They claim that all of their wines have 0.4%ABV and are lower in sugar than the average wine.  Sadly, we were underwhelmed by their rose. It had a very odd aroma and a weird aftertaste. Only 1/3 of my friends said that she would drink this while she was pregnant. The other 2 said that they would drink it over ice with some sparkling water or juice, but wouldn't drink it on it's own. Overall, we rated it a 5.5/10 as someone who likes dry rose and is desperate for a glass of wine during pregnancy may enjoy it.  2. Giesen 0% Sauvignon Blanc This was definitely the best NA wine we tried. I actually did a blind tasting where I gave everyone this wine and a regular sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. Everyone guessed correctly which one was non-alcoholic, but they did hesitate for a moment, which speaks to the quality of the dealcoholized wine. The aromas were pleasant and the flavor profile did remind me of a lighter sauvignon blanc. Sadly, it was a bit flat on the end though and lost so much flavor within seconds.  Again, only 1/3 of my friends said they would drink it on their own and the other 2 said they would turn it into a white sangria or mocktail.  Overall we rated this wine a 7/10 as it was the best of the 4 we tried. If you were looking for a glass of white wine, this is the best one I've found on the market.  3. Alternativa 0.0 Rosso  I can't beat around the bush....this wine was awful. We all agreed that it had almost no flavor. It had a very light scent on the nose and then no body at all.  Sadly it tasted watered down. Maybe we got a bad bottle, but it was truly terrible. I was disappointed since I love Italian red wines and this one was made from a fairly well known grape varietal (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo). But at the end of the day, we rated this a 0/10 as we could not in good faith recommend it to anyone! 4. St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon Although this red wine was better than the Alternativa 0.0, we were still disappointed by the lack of flavor.  For a Cabernet Sauvignon, it had extremely light body and almost no structure. One of my friends said that it tasted like grape juice to her and not wine at all. We rated this wine a 3/10 because it has enough flavor that you could turn it into a red NA sangria, but it's not good enough to drink on it's own. It was suggested that we need to do a second episode that is solely on non-alcoholic sparkling wines and I agree this would be a popular topic! Sadly I think the final thought was that there are a few decent NA wines on the market that could be used as mixers in mocktails, but they can be hit or miss and surprisingly expensive for the quality. I will be on the lookout for better options and will continue to update you all as I'm determined to find a great NA wine for my pregnant friends and others who want to cut back on alcohol! So stay tuned!  

Memorial Day weekend is here which means that summer is right around the corner and everyone is ready for a good old fashioned cookout. On today's episode, we aren't talking bbq....we're talking classic hamburgers and hot dogs and the wines that pair perfectly with them. Listen now for all of the details and be sure to subscribe to my show so you never miss an episode! Also head over to thewineceo.com to sign up for my monthly newsletter and get a free guide to pairing food and wine!  ---------------------- Episode 25 Show Notes: My top pick for a classic cheeseburger pairing is a Spanish Tempranillo.  Awesome regions in Spain for Tempranillo include: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Toro Tempranillo is given the following classifications based upon age: 2 Years: Crianza 3 Years: Riserva 5 Years: Gran Riserva *Some awesome Tempranillo to try include: Marques des Caceres Marques de Murrieta La Crimus (Less than $10 at Trader Joe's) Montecillo My perfect pairing for a classic hot dog is Gewüztraminer! This wine is extremely aromatic and can compete with strong flavors like mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, and relish.  Some of the best regions for Gewüztraminer are Alsace (France), Tentino Alto Adige (Italy), and The United States (California, Washington, and New York).  Some delicious Gewüztraminer to try include: Chateau St. Michelle (Washington State) Trimbach (Alsace) Albrecht (Alsace) Armani (Trentino) Don't forget to tag me on social media this summer if you try one of these wines with your cookout! @thewineceo

Springtime is here and the weather is finally getting nice enough for picnics! So what wines should you have in your picnic basket? Join me as I discuss 2 perfect wines for springtime - Gamay and Viognier. These aromatic wines both have amazing floral notes that complement this season so perfectly. Listen now to learn more about these two varietals and why they are perfect for your next picnic! Want to know why Little Red Riding Hood was drinking wine? You'll have to listen to find out! And don't forget to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode! Want a personalized pairing for your next picnic menu? Send me an email [email protected] or send me a private message on my website thewineceo.com.  --------------------------------- Show Notes: 10 Villages in the Beaujolais Cru: Morgon, Brouilly, St. Amour, Julienas, Chenas, Moulin-a-Vent, Fleurie, Regnie, Cote de Brouilly, and Chiroubles Great grocery store Beaujolais to try: Louis Jadot & Georges DeBoeuf Try a Viognier from the Northern Rhone (Condrieu and Chateau Grillet), California (Paso Robles is awesome), or Australia (Barossa Valley). Some great viognier to try: Sobon Estate (CA), Yalumba (Aus), Michel Gassier Les Piliers (FR) If you try a Gamay or a Viognier this spring, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on social! @thewineceo  

For years people have been saying that 1 glass of red wine daily can reduce your risk of heart attacks and even keep your brain healthy. But is this actually true? Are there any real health benefits to drinking wine? And is there a difference between drinking red wine or white wine? This week on The Wine CEO Podcast I'm diving into The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of drinking wine. We discuss all of the health challenges and benefits from drinking wine, so hit play now to start listening! thewineceo.com Email me any questions at [email protected] and don't forget to write a review for my show to tell other listeners how much you enjoy it!

Have you ever heard someone say, "I don’t drink red wine, because it gives me headaches.”? I’ve heard this a lot and usually from females. When I ask them what they think causes the headaches, they usually equate it to tannins or sulfites. It’s a commonly shared belief, but I'm here to break that wine myth and rock your world. Tannins and sulfites are NOT giving you headaches! In episode 22 I dive into the topic of tannins and sulfites and discuss what's actually giving you a headache. Listen now to learn more and be sure to hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode! thewineceo.com  

This week on the Wine CEO Podcast we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo early by discussing some delicious wines that pair perfectly with tacos, guac, and all of your favorite Mexican foods. These wines can be a great substitution for a margarita and spoiler alert - I'm NOT talking about Sangria! Listen now for all of the details on these 2 amazing Spanish wines and don't forget to share this episode with a friend for your next fiesta! thewineceo.com  *Write a review so more wine enthusiasts can find my show! -------- Notes from today's show:  1. Albariño - crisp white wine from the Spanish region of Rias Baixas.  Great wines to check out: Martin Codas Rias Baixas Licia Albarino Burgeons Rias Baixas Albarino 2. Verdejo - crisp white wine from the Spanish region of Rueda.  Great wines to check out: Marques de Riscal Verdejo, Rueda Palma Real Rueda Verdejo Latitud 42 Rueda Ecologico Cheers to trying these wines this week for Cinco de Mayo and don't forget to connect on IG or FB so you can tell me what you think of this episode!

Today’s episode may seem like a simple question, but it’s actually a bit more complex when you think about it. There are over 1,000 different grape varietals (like literally, there are almost 1,300 to be precise) and there are dozens and dozens of countries that produce wine. So where do you even begin when you are looking to learn more about wine? And should you begin by reading or tasting? I answer these questions and many more today on episode 20 of The Wine CEO Podcast! thewineceo.com Email: [email protected] ---------- Recommended Books from today's show: The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil Wine Folly, Magnum Edition by Madeline Puckett Windows on the World Wine Course by Kevin Zraly  The Oxford Companion to Wine by Janis Robinson

Spring is the perfect season to be looking for a medium white wine that has enough body to hold up to a crisp spring breeze, but is still refreshing to drink with a little sunshine. It's warming up around the country and everyone is looking for some lively wine flavors to brighten up their evenings, so this week on The Wine CEO Podcast I am telling you all about the best wine to drink this time of year! Don't forget to hit subscribe, so that you never miss one of my episodes and check out thewineceo.com for more amazing wine content! ----------- Quick Facts on Chablis: Chablis is located in Burgundy, France It is a region that exclusively produces Chardonnay wines Typically these wines are not aged in oak, so they have a crisp and refreshing flavor profile (unlike most California Chardonnays) Chablis is broken into 4 designations based upon vineyard classification and grape production quality: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru Chablis pairs well with lighter dishes like salad, chicken, pasta salad, and things with medium fat and citrus content. Try to avoid heavily spiced foods. Wines listed in today's episode:  - Chenevieres Chablis $20 from Total Wine -Sainte Celine Chablis $16 from Trader Joe's -Amazing Premier Crus and Grand Crus if you're looking for a higher end Chablis: Les Clos, Valmur, Raveneau, Laroche, Fourchaume, and Jean Dauvissat

Are all wines with screw caps cheap and poor quality? Join me this week as we dive into the discussion around screw caps, corks, boxed wine, and canned wine! It's a very trendy topic right now and one I get asked about A LOT! Be sure to check out thewineceo.com for more wine info and remember to screen shot this episode and share it on your social media accounts tagging @thewineceo to share what you learned and spread the word about the show! --------------- Notes from today's show: Good labels for boxed and canned wines to try: Cupcake Underwood Coppola Bota Box Bandit Have you tried more? I would love to hear about your experience! Either send me a message on Instagram or Facebook or send and email to [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Thank you all for the love and support during my brief hiatus this past month! I had a minor health scare and had to have a cardiac surgery, but I am recovering and excited to be back with you all! This week's episode is all about temperatures.... We discuss everything from 'what temperature to store your wines at if you don't own a dedicated wine cooler'  to 'what temperatures you should serve your wine at'. I dive into the common question - how do I quickly chill a bottle of wine if I just got home from the grocery store and I need this bottle for dinner in less than 45 minutes? So be sure to listen to the full episode for this tip and many more and don't forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode! ------------------- thewineceo.com Links from today's show: Beginner Wine Coolers -  6 bottle, 1 temperature mini wine cooler on Amazon Wine Enthusiast, 1 temperature, 12 bottle wine cooler on Amazon Larger Wine Coolers -  24 bottle Dual Zone Cooler on Amazon *Contact me if you're looking to buy a larger cooler as I can recommend some great options and help you choose your starting wine selection! Just email me at [email protected] Tabletop Wine Chillers Marble Wine Chiller on Crate and Barrel Marble and Brass Wine Chiller on Williams Sonoma Steel Wine Chiller on Williams Sonoma Champagne Bucket on Williams Sonoma  

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Episode 16 is all about pairing chocolate and wine! For an easy chart to save to your phone, check out The Wine CEO Blog Post - Chocolate and Wine for my post on this topic! Don't forget: I host virtual wine tastings! CLICK HERE to learn more! Follow me on social! IG:@thewineceo and FB: @sarahthewineceo ----------------------------------------------------------------- Does Wine pair with Chocolate? And with so many different kinds of chocolate, how do you know which wines to choose? The answer is YES - wine 100% pairs with chocolate. And there are some wines that complement certain chocolate flavors better than others. But as always, please remember that my recommendations are not gospel! I encourage you to try my pairings to enjoy some great flavor combinations and maybe find a new favorite, but if you love something, stick with it (even if you are going against a "typical pairing"). So what I’m going to do today is break down a few different types of chocolate and then the wines that would pair really nicely with them. These same pairings would work nicely for things that have those chocolates in them, like a dark chocolate molten lava cake or a white chocolate cheesecake, so you can keep that in mind when thinking about these wine pairings as well. I'm going to mention options today that pair well with white, milk and dark chocolates as well as a few stuffed chocolates or truffles. (Side note - when you are pairing with a truffle, you’re most often pairing your wine with the filling more than the chocolate. It’s likely that the filling will overpower the chocolate so you want your wine to match the strongest flavor in the truffles.) If you have any additional questions on specific pairings I didn't mention in today's episode, don't hesitate to email me at [email protected] and I would be happy to give you a free personalized pairing! >>White Chocolate with Chardonnay or Rosè >>Milk Chocolate with Pinot Noir or Gamay >>Dark Chocolate with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon >>Caramel Chocolates with Madeira or Sweet Riesling >>Peanut Butter Chocolates with Lambrusco or Pinot Noir To better understand why these are great pairings, listen to the full episode now or check out my Blog post at thewineceo.com.  Cheers!

Rosè wines are such an interesting topic because there are so many different styles out there! With Rosè made in almost every major wine region, the countless options can be overwhelming at times. I often get asked “How are Rosè wines made? Are there rosè grapes? Or are they made by mixing red and white wine?" The short answer is that rosè wines are made from red grapes. The winemaker limits the amount of time the grape juice is in contact with its skins during the crushing process, so that the juice extracts minimal color and looks more pinkish than red. This also means that the juice extracts less flavor from the skins, so these wines tend to be much lighter and fruitier than the red wines made from the same grape varietals. There are a wide range of flavors and styles of rosè wine because there are countless red grape varietals used to make rosès - Pinot Noir, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah….the list goes on and on! Rosès can be a single grape varietal or a blend of multiple varietals. There are no requirements around the specific grapes that must be used or how the wines are made, so they are truly different depending on where in the world they are from and the specific winemaker who made them. It is important to note that in some rosè regions, like Provence (FR), there are some white grapes that are added to the blend to soften the red grapes. This is not very common as most rosès around the world are made exclusively from red grapes, but I think it’s worth mentioning! Rosès are perfect to enjoy all year long, but I have found that there is a specific uptick in rosè interest around Valentine’s Day. Everyone loves to drink something pink around this holiday, so I’ve rounded up my top 5 picks for this year and included pictures of each bottle to make it a little easier when you’re shopping for your sweetheart or galentine’s day party! 1.  Sonoma Cutrer Rose: First up is the Sonoma Cutrer Rose from Sonoma California. They’ve made each vintage a little differently and it looks like their 2020 is really light and fresh. I’ve only tried their 2017 which had a really rich dark color, but I was really impressed with it! I’m not normally a California Pinot Noir fan and they make all of their rose’s out of 100% pinot noir grapes, but this wine was fresh, fruity, and delicious. It had great acidity and would honestly hold up to a lot of heavier foods. It’s around $20-$25 depending on the retailer so very decently priced and an awesome pick for Valentine’s Day! 2. Bertrand Cote des Rose: You can find this wine in most grocery stores for less than $20. It’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault from the south of France and although it has some bold grapes in it, it is very light and refreshing. This is a perfect valentine’s day pick because it is delicious, well priced, and has a gorgeous bottle! Not that you should pick your wines based on the pretty bottle or label, but the bottom of this bottle is shaped like a rose, which makes it beautiful and perfect for a romantic celebration! 3. Reserve des Chastelles Tavel Rose. This wine really surprised me because it’s less than $15 at Trader Joe’s! I bought it because the dark rosey color intrigued me. It’s also from Tavel, which is a very famous region in the Southern Rhone Valley, France that is specifically known for making amazing rose wines. Well, this wine lived up to the reputation because it is absolutely delicious! You may have seen this bottle a few weeks ago on my Instagram because I paired it with a pesto chicken pizza and it was an absolutely amazing pairing! I think this one is undiscovered and an absolutely perfect wine to drink in the winter time because of its bold flavors and dark color. 4. Chateau Vignelaure Rose: When most people think of provence, they think of rolling lavender fields and unbelievably delicious foods, but Provence is also known for being an incredible home to rose wines. Some of the best roses in the world come from Provence and this one is true to that reputation! It’s around $20 a bottle and is very crisp and refreshing. I really like recommending rose from Provence (or Bandol, which is a region in Provence) because they have an incredible history in this region for making excellent roses!   5. Chanoine Champagne Rose Brut: Last up – Valentine’s Day would not be complete without a little champagne and why not make it a rose champagne? If you listened to my New Year’s Eve episode on Champagne then you know it can be difficult to find champagne under $50, but I love to recommend this rose champagne from Chanoine because it is delicious and under $40! It’s light and refreshing and has great notes of strawberry, making it a perfect pairing with dessert or some chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy with your valentine. Be sure to subscribe to the show so that you never miss an episode!   Check out my blog post on this episode which includes pictures of each wine to make shopping a bit easier!    Still looking for a Valentine's Day gift for that special someone? Purchase a coupon for one of my virtual wine tastings! It's the perfect date night and it's a creative gift that your beau will not expect. Email me at [email protected] to learn more!  

Why do people sniff the cork of an open bottle of wine? Is it okay to add ice cubes to your wine? Is there a right and wrong way to hold a wine glass? Join me in Episode #14 of The Wine CEO Podcast as we discuss these topics and so many more!  There are tons of wine faux pas out there and you may not know you're doing some of them! Instead of letting you be embarrassed or caught unaware in a social setting, I am listing out 10 common wine faux pas so that you can be well informed of what to do and not to do when it comes to enjoying wine! This is a fun episode and one that you don't want to miss! To learn about more interesting wine topics, check out my website at thewineceo.com and be sure to hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode of my podcast show! Cheers!

This episode was so fun because I brought my little sister, Rebecca, onto the show to ask some questions that she's been wondering as well as a few that you all as listeners have been asking about as well! We had so much fun covering a ton of topics like how I got into wine, music and wine, and judging a bottle by it's label. It's a fun episode that you don't want to miss so hot play and listen now!   thewineceo.com

Is age just a number or does it actually impact the quality of your wine? In Episode #12, I dive into this topic of wine vintages and old wines and answer a lot of questions that you may have about the dates found on wine labels!  We first discuss that the vintage, or date you see on a bottle, is simply the year that the grapes were harvested to produce that wine. Not all wine bottles have vintage dates on them because winemakers may use grapes from multiple years (a blend of multiple vintages) to make a wine and then they cannot list a date. Rules around labeling can differ from region to region, but in general, you can assume that if a date is listed on the label, then the grape juice that made that wine was harvested in that particular calendar year listed on the bottle. Now does it really matter if the grapes were harvested and fermented in 2014 or 2015? It does! Things like weather patterns, infestation of pests, or global pandemics that affect harvest dates can all affect the outcome of the crop. This in turn will affect the flavor of the juice and the final flavor of the wine.  The only way to really know if a vintage was a "good year" or not, is to research it! And if a wine is older, does it mean it's better? Not always! Only wines that have high acid, high tannin,  high alcohol, or high sugar content are great aged. Believe it or not, only 5-7% of wines should be aged, so the rest should be enjoyed within 2-5 years of the year they're released for sale.  Red wines that age well are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and high acid Tempranillos. White wines that age well are ultra sweet reislings and oak aged, tannic chardonnays.  If you are looking to age a wine, research the winemaker to ensure they have a history of making great wines that age well. Then store the bottle on it's side in a dark, temperature controlled room. (You don't want the wine to be exposed to sunlight or extreme changes in temperature.) Be sure to listen to the full episode for all of the details on the above and don't forget to check out thewineceo.com for more wine related content or to book a virtual wine tasting!

Gone are the days where Pizza is simply Cheese or Pepperoni. With so many gourmet flavors of pizza out there (BBQ Chicken, Buffalo, Truffle, Ham & Pineapple) it can be difficult to know how to pair wine with all of these different flavors. Well all of these unique pizza flavors can make things a little challenging when it comes to pairing the perfect wine. One of my favorite episodes so far was episode #3 where I talked about pairing food and wine and how to ensure your flavors harmonize. If you haven’t listened to that episode, go back and listen to learn the basics of how to pair food and wine. One of the things I discuss is how you can’t just pair protein with wine. For example, I can’t say that you should always pair white wine with chicken because chicken alfredo will pair with a different wine than barbecue chicken, kung pao chicken, chicken tacos and so forth.  It’s similar with pizza - a wine that might go well with a pepperoni pizza is not going to be the best option for a pesto pizza or an arugula and goat cheese pizza. So how do you know where to begin? Well let’s start with the basics and the easiest to pair with. Good old pizza with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Maybe you have some pepperoni on there, maybe you don’t. So it’s always good to remember that you can pair regional food with regional wine and it’s almost always going to be a perfect pairing. So if you’re eating a pizza with classic Italian toppings like this, then you want to pair your pizza with an Italian wine like a pinot grigio or a chianti. But when you start going crazy with gourmet toppings, you want to pair your pizza with the flavors of the toppings. Below I listed a few common pizzas and recommended pairings here, but you can also check out my blog post HERE to see an awesome chart I created with these parings and more! You can also save the chart as a photo to your phone or pin to pinterest to keep in mind for the next time you’re doing a pizza and wine party! BBQ Chicken Pizza with Syrah Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza or Veggie Pizza with Sauvignon Blanc Pesto Pizza with Rose Buffalo Chicken or Cauliflower Pizza with Chardonnay Meat Lovers Pizza with Chianti 4 Cheese Pizza with Pinot Grigio White Cheese and Truffle Pizza with Nebbiolo   When in doubt, stick to Pinot Grigio. Pinot Grigio is a very light white wine that is nice and acidic. That makes it an awesome wine to cleanse the palate and pair with a lot of different flavors. It’s light enough to go with lighter flavors like pesto or goat cheese and veggies, but the acidity will still make it refreshing if you pair it with a tomato sauce based pizza or even one with unique flavors like barbecue or buffalo. Although pinot grigio has a reputation of being a cheap white wine, there are actually some really great pinot grigios out there. You may not know that Pinot Grigio is actually the #1 most imported wine into the United States!  Check out the below Pinot Grigios for some great quality wines at really good price points and if you want to learn more about Pinot Grigio, be sure to listen to the full episode! Tesoro Della Regina, Italian Pinot Grigio Banfi, Italian Pinot Grigio Santa Margarita, Italian Pinot Grigio Trimbach & Albrecht, French Pinot Gris Acrobat, U.S. Pinot Grigio Parducci, U.S. Pinot Grigio Thanks for listening! As always, you can check out my website for virtual wine tastings, consulting services, blog posts, and so much more at thewineceo.com. 

Everyone seems to make goals this time of the year, so I figured - why not make some fun wine goals too?! So in today’s episode, I’m chatting my top 3 recommendations for ways you should mix up your wine life in 2021. I also chat about the health and nutrition side of wine since everyone seems to make a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight in the new year and this doesn’t necessarily mean cutting wine out completely. So let’s get started by talking about some fun wine resolutions for 2021. 1. First up, I want to challenge you to try a wine again that you’ve had in the past, but didn’t like. If you’ve been listening to some of my previous episodes, then you know that the food you’re eating or other situational factors like the time of year and weather can all impact your perception of a wine. Maybe you didn’t like it last time because you were eating spicy food and the wine just didn’t quite mesh well. Or maybe you had just finished a cup of coffee and there was a little residual acid on your palate. Try this wine again because you may actually love it….or at least appreciate it for what it is!  2. Next resolution for the new year is to try a wine you’ve never heard of! We all know about Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but have you heard of Grenache? Or what about one of the below: Viognier, Nebbiolo, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Lambrusco, Torrontes, Valpolicella It’s great to be adventurous and try something new!   3. My third challenge for you is to try a dessert wine. These are the wines that most people forget about 99% of the time. Everyone remembers red, white, and sparkling… but there are so many tasty dessert wines out there! Port, Sauternes, Sherry, Vin Santo, Ice Wine, and my personal favorite Tokai, which is a sweet dessert wine out of Hungary. And these are just a few of the many options! These wines are naturally very very sweet, so you have to think of them a little differently than you would a normal white sweet wine like a Riesling. They are going to be thicker and have a lot of residual sugar. They pair perfectly with dessert obviously, but they are delicious on their own as well. They also make amazing pairings with cheeses, so if you aren’t a big dessert fan, you can still enjoy balancing the sweet wine with savory! And if you’ve already tried a dessert wine and you didn’t like it, try a different one! They’re all a little different, so it’s great to try a few of them to see what you like. Just to share some of my personal goals with you all for 2021… as a new small business, I have so many goals to create new and exciting content that you all find useful, valuable, and fun!  The Wine CEO is here to help you all on your wine education journey, so I want to focus on creating great content for you guys! I want to create more videos on useful wine topics as well as do some live wine review videos! I also want to explore the world of orange and natural wines a bit more, which we’ll talk about in a future episode! So lots of goals, but these are some big ones that I’m really excited about! In a perfect world, I would also love to be traveling again so that I can take you all to some beautiful wine regions, but we’ll see what the world has in store for 2021! Now I also want to chat about wine and health. A lot of people make New Years resolutions about health - wanting to lose weight or maybe eat healthier. Well we all have a bit of a hangover from 2020 😂. This year was extremely stressful and I think we all had a lot of free time at home with little to do….. no judgement, I was there too! So since most folks drank more this year than most years past, I think a lot of people may be looking to cut back on alcohol consumption in 2021. But before you cut it out completely, there are actually some health benefits from wine! A lot of studies show that wine can actually decrease your risk for heart disease. And for many, drinking a glass of wine can help relax and reduce stress, and we all know that stress and anxiety can cause some pretty serious health issues. Now that being said, I love wine, but I am a proponent of everything in moderation…. The American Cancer Institute recommends that men drink no more than 14 drinks per week and women drink no more than 7 drinks per week.  And if you are a daily wine drinker, I recommend that you stick to  bold red wines or acidic white wines as these dry wines will have less sugar (it doesn’t mean that you never enjoy a fruity rose or sparkling wine, but for nightly drinking, keep in mind that these wines tend to have more sugar....sometimes up to 30g of carbs from sugar - so definitely a decent amount if you’re trying to watch your nutritional intake!). A glass of wine usually has 100-140 calories, so if you’re trying to count calories, it’s good to plan in advance the number of glasses you’re going to let yourself enjoy tonight. And my number 1 recommendation is to be sure to drink lots of water before, during, and after drinking to make sure you don’t get dehydrated as this will cause your headaches and hangovers. A lot fo folks think it’s the sulfites, but it’s not…..it’s just dehydration or cheap wine with fillers, so save up for the good stuff, drink it in moderation, and stay hydrated! For more amazing wine content, be sure to check out my website thewineceo.com or sign up for a virtual wine tasting with yours truly by emailing me at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Around the holidays, there are so many specials offering memberships in wine clubs! You sign up for a meal subscription box, you get a free wine club membership. You subscribe to a magazine, you get a wine club membership. I swear if you buy perfume these days you even get a free wine club membership! But are these wine clubs worth the investment? Are they worth the hype or a total waste of time? In this episode we are going to chat all things wine clubs and discuss if you should tack on that new membership to all of the fancy Christmas gifts you got this year. And as always, be sure to subscribe to my show so that you never miss and episode and check out me virtual wine tasting and consulting services at my website thewineceo.com!

In Episode # 8 of the Wine CEO Podcast I dive into a question I get a lot this time of year.....what champagnes should I buy for Christmas and NYE? And is there really a difference between Champagne and other sparkling wines?  So I will break down a few different types of sparkling wine, explaining how they’re different, and listing a few great options to find in your local wine market!  -------------- First up is the queen of sparkling wines and what every other sparkling wine wants to be…..Champagne! Champagne is delicious and it’s so amazing because of the high level of restrictions that go into the winemaking process! In order for a sparkling wine to be called “Champagne”, it must be grown and processed in the region of Champagne, France. It must be made from either Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meuinier, or a blend of these 3 grape varietals; and finally, it has to be made using the Methode Champenoise, also known as the Methode Classique or Methode Tradicional. So this means that all champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wines are champagne! If it doesn't follow all 3 of the above requirements, then it cannot be called a champagne. Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode to get the details on each of these requirements and a little more detail on champagne! So is champagne worth the price tag? YES! Because of the quality of grapes, the experience of the winemakers, and the time and effort that goes into make every single bottle of champagne - it is emphatically worth the cost. It's not necessarily affordable for every day drinking, but for special occasions and gifts, nothing compares!  Some great champagnes at an affordable price tag include: Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve, Tattinger Brut, or Piper Heidseick Sublime Demi Sec ----------- Because of the price tag, I never mix champagne with orange juice (or really anything!). Instead I look for something a bit more affordable like one of the following sparkling wines. Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Northern Italy, is a delicious wine with an affordable price tag. Although not made in the traditional Champagne method, this sparkling wine is perfect for mixing into mimosas or bellinis and is refreshing to pair with almost anything. Some of my favorites include Tesoro della Regina, Armani, and Nino Franco. Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne method, is a delicious pairing with Charcuterie and Cheese. With flavors that compete with Champagne at a fraction of the cost, cava is crushing the US scene for sparkling wine! Juve y Camps and Berberana are two well known producers with great quality. In France, wines made in the traditional Champagne method that are made outside of the Champagne region are called "cremants". These wines boast outstanding flavors and definitely give Champagne a run for its money! I love the Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne, but they also make a rose that’s really nice. Albrecht Cremant d’alsace is also a wonderful option if you love your sparkling wines a little sweeter. Lastly, there are a few French Champagne houses that have bought property in California and produce sparkling wines in the same methode champenoise. This gives them a similar quality wine to what they’re making in France, but at a much more affordable price tag. There are a lot of great sparkling wines out of California, but if you stick with one of these labels, you’re not going to be disappointed! Roederer Estate is the California branch of Louis Roederer, a famous French Champagne House. Piper Sonoma, founded by Piper-Heidseick, another great champagne house, is also known for amazing sparkling wines. Read my full blog post at thewineceo.com/blog/holiday-2020-bubbles 

Episode #7 is dedicated to the perfect wines to drink with all of your holiday meals! I’m also going to discuss the only wine you can drink with Christmas cookies, so this is a MUST listen for this December! -------- All of the wine varietals and pairings listed in this podcast can be found in the below show notes as well as on my blog HERE! Top 5 pairings for popular holiday meals: 1. Turkey & Pinot Noir 2. Ham & Riesling 3. Prime Rib & Bordeaux Blend 4. Citrus Pork Tenderloin & Viognier or Herb Pork Roast & Tempranillo  5. Italian 7 Fish Feast & Albariño --------- The only wine you can drink with Christmas Cookies is Vin Santo!! This amazing Italian sweet dessert wine is perfect for any holiday evening. It's sweet enough to be dessert on it's own, but when you dip a Christmas cookie in Vin Santo, you will be in heaven on earth!  Shop for Vin Santo at specialty wine markets, Italian specialty stores, or online.  Enjoy!

In Episode #6 I’m going to review some amazing wine gifts and explain why they are perfect for friends, family, yourself - truly any wine lover! I'm also going to spend some time discussing a question I get a lot this time of year - “what wines make great holiday gifts?” Whether you’re shopping for your boss or looking for a hostess gift to bring to your annual Christmas gathering, I’m going to give you a few options here that should help you get through the holiday season! And all of these wines plus my full holiday gift guide are also listed on my blog, with links to purchase, at thewineceo.com/blog ---------- We start by diving into price points and buying wines that you know they will love. But what if you don't know what they like? Here are my 3 recommendations for this holiday season... 1. Stick to bubbles! Everyone likes champagne and you know they’ll use it for new year’s if they don’t drink it around Christmas. Plus you can find some really good champagne for $40-$80. Try Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label or Demi-Sec, Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve, Tattinger Brut, or Piper Heiseick Sublime Demi Sec. 2. Try a California Cabernet Sauvignon. Most folks, regardless of wine knowledge, are familiar with Cabernet Sauvignon and will recognize Napa and Sonoma as great wine regions. Also, since many folks eat prime rib, roast beef, and other heavy meats for Christmas, a Cabernet Sauvignon will go great with these. Some of my favorites include Chappellet Signature Napa Cab, Stag’s Leap Artemis, Chateau Montelena, or Caymus. 3. But if you feel like they will get a ton of standard wines and you want yours to stand out, my recommendation would be to try either a French Pinot Noir from Burgundy or a sweet German Riesling. Both of these wines are recognized in the US, but not as well known as a lot of California wines and Champagnes. Try Joseph Drouhin Gevrey Chambertin, Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Nuis St. Georges, or the Jadot Beaune Vignes for a Burgundy Pinot Noir. And try Dr. Loosen and Trimbach for great German riesling. For more gift ideas and to check out the full list of items on my holiday gift guide, be sure to check out my blog post HERE and happy shopping!

When a recipe calls for "1/4 cup of dry white wine" or "1 cup of medium bodied red wine", do you know what kind of wine to use? Most people have no idea where to start and they either skip the wine altogether in their recipe or they just grab whatever wine has a pretty label. But you don't have to feel overwhelmed anymore! In this episode, I go over the basic tips for shopping for a wine to cook with as well as the specific wines I recommend using in recipes that call for white wine, medium bodied red wine, full bodied red wine, and fortified wines!  Up first are my 4 tips for cooking with wine. 1. Quality Matters. If you aren't willing to drink it, you shouldn't cook with it! 2. Don't buy any wines that are labeled as "cooking wine"! This is a marketing tactic to get rid of cheap wine! 3. Wine needs about 60-90 minutes to completely cook out of food. So keep in mind that if you only simmer your sauce for about 15 minutes, most of the alcohol content will still be in your dish.  4. Use the wine you plan on drinking with dinner as your cooking wine! Sounds simple, but it's the best way to ensure your food and wine will pair perfectly! Check out my latest blog post thewineceo.com/blog to get my "cooking with wine" overview that you can save to your phone for the next time you go shopping! Here are my top recommendations by varietal: If a recipe calls for a dry white wine, try using Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Below are some of my favorites: Ruffino Pinot Grigio, Venezia Tesoro Della Regina Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Matua Sauvignon Blanc Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc If a recipe calls for a medium bodied red wine, try using Tempranillo or Chianti (Sangiovese is the varietal). A few of my favorites are: Tenuta Di Renieri Chianti Villa Antinori Tuscan Red Banfi Chianti Classico Montecillo Rioja Crianza (Tempranillo) Campo Viejo Rioja Riserva (Tempranillo) If a recipe calls for a heavy red, try a Syrah/ Shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Try one of the below:  Montes Alpha Syrah Penfolds Shiraz Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon   If a recipe calls for a fortified wine, try using Sherry, Maderia, or Marsala. Some great options include: Osborne Pedro Ximenez Sherry Sandeman Madeira Florio Marsala  I hope this was helpful! If you learned something new, please write me a review on Apple Podcast or Facebook so that more folks can find my show! Thank you!

Hey friends and welcome to episode number 5 of The Wine CEO Podcast. I’m so excited to be launching my podcast right before the holidays as I think a lot of folks struggle with buying wine for gifts as well as wines to pair with their holiday meals. And next week is Thanksgiving and I'm sure many of you are probably doing some menu planning!  There’s 1 main wine that I like to recommend with thanksgiving, because it’s a perfect holiday food pairing - AND it’s released around thanksgiving every year. It’s called Beaujolais Nouveau and it's a red wine made from the grape varietal, gamay. THIS Beaujolais Nouveau maker is one of my favorites and you can find it at most grocery stores and wine markets around this time of year!  With a few minor exceptions, it’s really only grown in France and is commonly found in both Burgundy and the Loire -which are both French wine regions. We call this wine Beaujolais Nouveau because it’s made in Beaujolais, which is a wine region within Burgundy,  France. I’ve included a link HERE to a map so you can see where Beaujolais is located. And what makes Beaujolais Nouveau so unique is that it's the first wine to be released for the year. All across the world, it is the first - no one else beats it. When you buy it, it is only 7 or 8 weeks old! It is harvested quickly, blended, bottled and shipped all over the world to be released traditionally on the 3rd Thursday of November. And because of the quick production process, the wine doesn’t have the same structure that most wines get, which means that it only lasts about 3 months before it will go bad! So it’s definitely meant to drink immediately upon purchase! Now there are 2 things that make Beaujolais Nouveau so great. It’s considered celebratory in the wine industry because it means the harvest has ended. Harvest is a busy and tiring time for many viticulturists, or wine growers, so the end of harvest is time to rest and be thankful for the plentiful harvest. And the second thing that makes beaujolais nouveau so amazing is its unique flavor. Because it is so fresh and isn’t aged, it has really unique fruity flavors that are unlike any other wine on the market. It's so light and easy to drink that it’s actually been a tradition for decades to allow kids in France to drink it! And these fresh fruity flavors don’t just come from the wine being young. Producers of Beaujolais wines (both nouveau and standard) actually use a unique process called carbonic maceration during fermentation. In this process, the vintner or wine maker, takes whole grape clusters and tosses them into stainless steel vats and they keep piling more and more clusters of grapes until the tank is almost full. The weight of the grapes on the top start to naturally crush the grapes at the bottom of the vat. Next, natural yeast that is on the grape skins will start to ferment the juice at the bottom of the tank. Now when yeast eats sugar, you get alcohol, but there are actually 2 other biproducts from this chemical reaction - heat and co2.  The natural carbon dioxide gas that is released, rises to the top of the tank, but because it can’t escape, it continues to collect above the grapes and it builds pressure in the tank. The pressure pushes the grapes further down in the tank, and causes the grapes to burst open and release more juice. This juice begins fermenting when it comes in contact with the juice at the bottom of the tank that has already been fermenting and this process continues until all of the grapes have been crushed and all of the juice is fermented. Then the winemaker opens the vat to release the co2 - otherwise you would have sparkling wine, which we’ll talk about in future episodes. And that’s it! They strain the skins, seeds, and other matter out of the juice, process it to kill the yeasts, bottle it up, and ship it all over the world to be sold before the end of the year! So because of this unique process, this wine has some equally unique flavors! A lot of sommeliers say that this wine reminds them of banana and bubble gum flavors, which are uncommon in most other wines and are distinctly from the carbonic maceration process.  So why is this such a great wine for Thanksgiving and the holidays? Well first off, the story is awesome. Few people in the U.S. have ever heard of Beaujolais Nouveau, so you can wow all of your friends and family by explaining that this wine is the first fruits of the harvest and the first wines to be released this year. But beyond the cool story, as a really light red wine, you will be able to please both red wine and white wine drinkers with this style of wine (which makes it a crowd pleaser for sure!). Gamay is very similar to Pinot Noir, which if you remember from our last episode, is VERY light bodied and fruit forward. It goes really well with baked chicken and lighter dishes, which is exactly what turkey is! In addition, the fruitiness makes it pair perfectly with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, and so many other holiday favorite side dishes! So this is my personal recommendation for the perfect Thanksgiving day wine to impress your family and friends.   If you can’t find Beaujolais Nouveau, you can try a standard Beaujolais, or a nice Pinot Noir from Northern California or Oregon would also make great Thanksgiving Day wines. And for all of these wines, you want to drink them slightly chilled, so be sure to pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you open it.   I hope this episode was helpful for you! If you liked what you learned, please write a review on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Amazon music - wherever you are listening! This is one of the best ways for new listeners to find my show, so I would so appreciate if you could just drop a quick note to tell me what you’re loving so far! 

In episode #3, we dive into the lies you have heard about food and wine pairings! Does white wine always have to go with fish? Can chicken taste good with anything other than Pinot Noir? These old school wine rules are dirty lies and I am telling you why! Join me as we discuss the common factors you need to consider when matching food and wine as well as 6 basic wine varietals that are perfect when you are starting your pairing journey. Also be sure to sign up for my newsletter on thewineceo.com to get the full Beginner's Guide to Food & Wine Pairing that accompanies this podcast!

In episode #3, we dive into the lies you have heard about food and wine pairings! Does white wine always have to go with fish? Can chicken taste good with anything other than Pinot Noir? These old school wine rules are dirty lies and I am telling you why! Join me as we discuss the common factors you need to consider when matching food and wine as well as 6 basic wine varietals that are perfect when you are starting your pairing journey. Also be sure to sign up for my newsletter on thewineceo.com to get the full Beginner's Guide to Food & Wine Pairing that accompanies this podcast!