Sip Sip Hooray Podcast Mary Babbitt and Mary Orlin

When you look at a restaurant's wine list, what do you see? Do you see equity, cultural and biodiversity, representation, affordability, fun?

Our guest today believes all of that should be front and center on a wine list. Miguel de Leon has made a career and a celebrated name for himself as a wine professional of color in New York City, where he is currently the wine director at Pinch Chinese in Manhattan.

When he's not running the wine program at Pinch, he's writing thought-provoking articles for the online magazine Punch that aren't afraid to throw a punch at the status quo of the wine world. He's brave and outspoken and just what the mostly white wine world needs today.

Today, we'll explore where the wine industry and wine culture stands now in terms of progress, or lack thereof, on diversity, accessibility, equality and inclusiveness.

Miguel has stirred up controversy with his writings for Punch, including "It's Time to Decolonize Wine," and "So Long to the Sommelier." Miguel has a point and is an important voice in what could be an inflection point in how we approach, talk and communicate about wine.

Is it time for wine speak to die? Are somms fading away? You don't want to miss our lively discussion with Miguel. 

The number one thing people always ask us is, can you do wine country on a budget?

With the Napa Valley wine experience becoming more and more expensive, with wine tastings regularly costing upwards of $10, can you visit this incredible wine mecca without blowing a small fortune in the process?

We, the Marys, say yes! You can be bougie on a budget in Napa Valley. We've got the inside scoop on the wine tastings for $50 or less, hotels in the $200 or less range, and restaurants that won't break the bank. We even got some freebies!

Here's the list of all the places and experiences we mention. But you'll have to listen to the pod for all the great details and tips - you won't want to miss any of them!

Is it time to turn to white wine?

Wine drinkers are now choosing white wine more than red! Our guests, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, aka the World Wine Guys, are the perfect ambassadors for exploring the wide and delicious world of white wine.

After all, their motto is, "We uncork your world."

Mike and Jeff could have dedicated their new book, "White Wine, The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties and Styles" to us, the Marys, because we're such big wine white wine lovers.

We'll get into all the tea on what it takes to author such an informative yet fun book. If you don't already have a white wine in your glass, this show will leave you craving a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or rich, aromatic Viognier.

The World Wine Guys are prolific writers and travelers. Imagine a job where you get to travel around the world, visiting the most incredible wine regions, eating exotic and gourmet meals, and of course, savoring the world's best wines.

A dream, right? Well, that pretty much sums up Mike and Jeff's lives. And today, we get to live vicariously through their wine-soaked adventures. You get the feeling that even their work isn't really work because it involves their absolute passion, wine.

On the podcast today, a wine friend so busy we can't believe she's made time to visit us again. And she’s speaking to us from Mendoza, Argentina.

Dr. Laura Catena is the managing director of one of the best known names in wine - Catena Zapata. Catena is admired around the world not only for incredible wines her family produces, but also for their stewardship of the land and efforts to make wine production more ecologically sustainable, as well as her tireless work to champion and preserve old vines and genetic diversity in wine.

Laura is a fourth generation Argentine vintner whose winery was recently named the world's best vineyard to visit.

It is such a pleasure to welcome Laura back to the podcast today - she was last on our pod in October 2020 - to talk about Malbec, the future of healthy wine consumption and what wineries can do to take care of people and the planet.

So pour a glass of Malbec and welcome Laura back to Sip Sip Hooray!

We’ve become cork dorks! That’s right, while you may love the convenience and ease of screw caps, after today’s pod, you’ll never think about cork stoppers the same way.

Sure, cork has been used for centuries to seal wine bottles, and, you may know it comes from the bark of cork oak trees. You may not know 60% of the world’s cork comes from Portugal. That’s one reason we’re excited to have Carlos de Jesus, Communications Director for Amorim Cork, the world’s largest cork producer, joining us on the pod from Amorim’s headquarters just outside of Porto.

In August and September 2023, Mary Orlin visited Amorim’s two main factories and a cork oak farm while vacationing in Portugal. She met with several members of Amorim’s team, including Carlos, and was treated to an in-depth master class on cork. She was totally fascinated and wanted to share what she saw and learned with our podcast audience.

Mary O says you may not think much about the cork stopper when you pull it from the bottle, but there’s a lot that goes into getting that cork there in the first place.Carlos will walk us through cork’s journey and also share how Amorim became the first cork manufacturer to identify and practically eliminate cork’s enemy, 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole, also known as TCA, cork taint or cork spoilage (which smells like musty basements or wet newspaper).Carlos is here today to talk about new progress in the world of wine corks.

Does wine speak make your eyes roll or glaze over? One of the most intimidating things about wine isn't about what's in your glass - it's the words used to describe it. Do tasting notes that allude to a pasture in Southern France, stewed plums or brown spices (whatever those are!) turn you off from wine?

You're not alone. The way we talk about and communicate sets wine apart from other alcoholic beverages. Maybe this is why younger consumers aren't big wine fans. Wine words matter. That's why today's guest, wine journalist, educator and Terroir Review.com founder Meg Maker says it's time for the languages of wine to change - and we the Marys, agree!

Meg has been researching the lexicon - or language - of wine and shares some fascinating discoveries and perspectives. Lately she's been speaking and writing about a new approach to talking about wine. The goal - use words that are more welcoming, approachable and relatable, whether you're a wine pro or just love wine.