Wine plus Friendship

A Place That Stinks of Desperation

Maddie & Andrea investigate whether wine glasses actually matter by drinking Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir out of coffee mugs, water glasses, crystal stemware, and giant Burgundy bowls. Along the way they discuss crystal vs glass, varietal-specific stemware, quiet luxury, and why some vessels feel refined while others feel… desperate. Wines featured: * Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Trocken 2022 * Thomas William Chardonnay 2024 * Franklin Estate “Spätberg(down)under” Pinot Noir 2024 * Capas del Bosque Pinot Noir 2024 Glasses & vessels featured: * Riedel Wine Friendly Glass 003 * Spiegelau Burgundy glass * Stemless Amazon wine glasses * Water glass / rocks glass * Coffee mug Special thanks to contributors: * Camilo * Priscilla * Nat * Jack * Fabian * Josh

The dirt on soil [EDITED]

[Edited to fix corrupted audio] Maddie & Andrea dig into the role of soil in wine (pun fully intended) while tasting Pinot Noir from Burgundy and New Zealand. Along the way, they bust some common wine myths, question whether you can actually taste “minerality,” and discover just how much soil influences what ends up in your glass. Maddie shares some facts about the science of smell (including the fact that humans can detect one trillion scents), mispronounce several wine regions with confidence, and encounter a particularly… questionable Pinot. By the end, they come to a surprising conclusion: soil matters — just not in the way you might think. Wines featured: * Maison Champy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023 * Paddy Borthwick Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2022 * Monthelie-Douhairet-Porcheret Savigny-les-Beaune 2021 * Valli Burn Cottage Vineyards Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022

How Tasty is a Cow Horn?

Maddie & Andrea (& a special guest) walk through how to taste wine and answer questions like what is biodynamic wine? Why do I want to taste dirt in my wine? Is a pear the same as a tomato? Wines featured: * Sassotondo San Lorenzo 2021 * I Forestieri Giratondo Rosso 2022 * Cullen Wines Red Moon 2024 * La Bien Planta Garnacha 2023

Sure as... Syrah!

Maddie & Andrea talk food and wine pairing and peppery Shiraz (or Syrah?). Who wore it better, France or Australia? Wines featured Wine paired: Wild Bee Chardonnay from Big Table Farm (link [https://www.bigtablefarm.com/past-vintages-of-wild-bee-chardonnay]) French Syrah: * Etienne Becheras “Le Pieurre d’Arras” Crozes-Hermitage 2022 (link [https://www.vivino.com/en/becheras-crozes-hermitage/w/1515768?srsltid=AfmBOooV4lgC1P0W7_Dvkzk8bZV1xZ2rlrb9X5R4yWldQ-8JLg9z2RZm]) * Julien Cecillon “Les Marguerites” Crozes-Hermitage 2022 (link [https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/julien+cecillon+les+marguerite+croze+hermitage+rhone+france?srsltid=AfmBOor4qHOdK_k8NVbHwjksHdhfjg0KdNrqoHAtclzIz8qMb9cr5_yo]) Australian Shiraz: * Karatta “Lost Ram” Shiraz 2023 (link [https://www.karattawines.com.au/collections/red-wines/products/2022-lost-ram-shiraz-copy]) * Frankland Estates Shiraz 2023 (link [https://www.franklandestate.com.au/node/12687])

Tapas is Not Food!

Maddie & Andrea (& a special guest) talk Spain. Rioja or Ribera del Duero? Who makes the best Paella in DC? Answers to these questions and more. Wines featured: * Nivarius 2022 Tempranillo Blanco (Rioja) (link [https://palaciosvinosdefinca.com/en/nivarius/]) * Valenciso 2020 Cemento (Rioja) (link [https://www.bibendum.com.au/collections/vendors?q=Valenciso]) * 2022 Granito del Caldazo Garnacha (Sierra de Gredos) (link [https://www.vivino.com/en/comando-g-sierra-de-gredos-granito-del-cadalso-garnacha/w/5992599?srsltid=AfmBOoo3QgiK4bKTn0vnIrW8acxFucdpc-zv7YSjbNxoa2p05iWqkGXs])