What to Drink Conner Taylor

Erik Kramer, head winemaker for Oregon's Willakenzie Estate, joins us today to tell us why his Estate Pinot Noir is the perfect pairing for a outdoor farm dinner!

The Pairing:
You've returned from the farmer's market with an incredible haul! Fresh carrots, tomatoes, local chicken, pork, salmon, & cheeses, and you've decided you want to have a "Farm Dinner" in your backyard. You need a wine that is versatile enough to hang with a myriad of foods. Enter Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir. The acid, red fruits, and relatively low tannin count of this wine will pair beautifully with everything on your gigantic wooden table!


What Makes This Wine Special:


Family-owned, estate driven winery named after the dominant soil type, Willakenzie
The winery coined the moniker “Place Matters,” emphasizing their Burgundian (or.. Oreg-undian?) emphasis on terroir and soil
Geologist-turned-winemaker Erik Kramer’s mission is to deliver Pinot Noir and Chardonnays that represent the clarity and distinction of the estate

Learn more here: https://www.willakenzie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willakenzie/


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Drew Schneider, Global Ambassador for The Prisoner Wine Co., joins us today to tell us why The Prisoner Red Blend is the perfect pairing for a Chicken dish featuring Mexican mole sauce!

The Pairing:
You’re making mole sauce for the first time ever. Your sauce has lots of tantalizing flavors, like cinnamon, cloves, chilis, raisins, and chocolate! You want a wine that is bold enough to hang with these intense flavors, but supple enough to not overpower it. Cue The Prisoner Red Blend’s list of ingredients: Zinfandel, Cabernet, Petit Sirah, Syrah, & Charbono. Bright, ripe red fruits add an extra layer of flavor to your complex sauce!


What Makes This Wine Special:


The Prisoner Wine Co. became a cult winery by championing some of the lesser-known grapes that the first Italian immigrants grew in the Napa Valley, like Charbono. They have long-standing contracts with over 100 small growers that ensure these grape varieties will thrive for the foreseeable future
The brand name and flagship label were inspired by an etching titled Le Petit Prisonnier by 19th century Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Its subtitle translates to “the custody is as barbaric as the crime.”
Prisoner Wine Co. releases a series called "Corrections" each year that benefit non-profits that support individuals who are formerly incarcerated or currently navigating the complexities of the prison system.


A Family of Wines: Be sure to check out The Prisoner Wine Co.'s other labels: Saldo, Unshackled, Blindfold, & Corrections.

Recipe for Chicken Mole: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/chicken-mole-recipe-1972934

Learn more here: https://theprisonerwinecompany.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prisonerwineco/


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Melissa Rift, Master Taster for Old Forester, joins us today to tell us why Old Forester is the *best* Bourbon for your home bar.

What is a 'Master Taster?' Melissa trained under legendary distillers Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall of Old Forester & Woodford Reserve and handles much of the quality control for Old Forester whiskies. Melissa also works on innovative projects, like their new 117 series.

Why the Pairing Works:  Old Forester is the best bang for your buck on your back bar, but Melissa has also given us a 4-course meal with the "Whiskey Row" series

Melissa's 4-Course Pairing Last Supper:


Old Forester 1870. The fruits & florals of this whiskey pair perfectly with something citrusy like an arugula salad with parmesan cheese
Old Forester 1897 Bottled- n-Bond . The woodsy, spicy, and earthy notes of this Bourbon will pair perfectly with a fatty cheese course, like burrata, and good crusty bread. The black pepper backbone will go perfectly with any fat, including charcuterie.
Old Forester 1920 with prime rib! Going a little out of turn here, but it's time for a protein. This higher proof (115) cask strength whiskey has notes of salted dark chocolate and will pair well with the complexity of rare meat.
Old Forester 1910 & banana bread pudding. This double barrel expression goes splendidly with any dessert, but the underlying banana tones of the 1910 will complement each other perfectly!

What Makes These "Whiskey Row" Bourbons Special:

Each of these whiskies mark a "First:"


1870 - The first whiskey released in a glass bottle
1897 - Old Forester's first Bottled-in-Bond
1910 - The first recorded double barrel expression, due to a major fire
1920 - the Prohibition bottle, 120 Proof.

Learn more here: https://www.oldforester.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldforester/


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Diva Moretti Polegato, Export Area Manager & 4th generation Villa Sandi family member, joins us today to tell us why Prosecco Rosé is the perfect beverage to have with your Boo before date night!

The Pairing: It's date night! You're getting ready to hit the town with your hot date. Maybe you're cooking for your partner. You put out a small plates of cheeses, meats, and finger foods.. but what could pair with all of these? The Answer: Prosecco Rosé!

Why the Pairing Works:  Bubbles bubbles bubbles! Bubbles cleanse the palate and invite you to take another bite. The mouth-watering acidity of this Rosé is the perfect complement to any fare.

What Makes This Wine Special:


After harvest, Villa Sandi freezes the Must (un-fermented grape juice) and keeps it frozen until they need to produce wine for the market. They are the only Prosecco producer to utilize this "on-demand" method of creating the absolute freshest sparkling wine possible
Wines made in the Champagne Method (bottle fermentation) often contain biscuity and toasty notes from lees aging. Prosecco is made using the Charmat, or "Tank Method," and the dead yeast cells are filtered out. This creates a sparkling wine that emphasizes freshness and fruitiness
The relatively new category of Prosecco Rosé includes a minimum 15% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) which adds body, acidity, and delicious red fruits like strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. The Villa Sandi Prosecco Rosé is 'Brut' and drier than most styles, making it even easier to pair. Delicious!

Diva's Last Supper: Al Dente Spaghetti with homemade red sauce, an entire wheel of Parmesan cheese, and Villa Sandi "Cartizze" Prosecco

Learn more here: https://www.villasandi.it/it_en/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villasandi/


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Anne Sarteaux, International Cellar Master, & Philippe Coste, owner and CEO of Meukow Cognac, join us this week to tell us why Meukow VS works perfectly in a Horse's Neck Highball cocktail!

How to Make a Horse's Neck:  This highball cocktail is bright, refreshing, and complex. Meukow VS is the best Cognac to use, with an emphasis on fruitiness and a smoothness due to a lighter tannin content.


Pour 2 ounces of Meukow VS Cognac in a Collins glass over ice.
Top with Fever Tree Ginger Ale
Garnish with a long strip of Lemon Peel (that's where the cocktail gets its name -- the lemon peel is long and looks like a Horse's Neck!)

What makes Meukow Special:


Cellar Master Anne Sarteaux, one of the very few female Cellar masters in the cognac world, blends spirits together like a musical composition, creating a symphony of suppleness, power, and elegance
Meukow VS is characterized by its well-balanced blend between the roundness of its fruity notes and the delicacy of its woody nuances
The Black Panther on every bottle perfectly embodies the strength, elegance and suppleness which are the intrinsic qualities of this cognac

Anne and Philippe also recommend putting the bottle in your freezer, then taking a chilled sip with smoked trout or caviar. Yum!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meukowcognac/


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Adam Dorfman, Clinton Dugan, & Patrick Lemmond, founders of Shortbarrel Bourbon and NEW owners of Old Fourth Distillery, join us today to explain the ins and outs of barrel picking and tell us their mission for Old Fourth Distillery!

What makes this project special:


Adam, Clint, & Patrick are taking Atlanta's first distillery since prohibition in a new direction: future O4 Whiskey will be aged and distilled here in the Peach State!
Georgia is further south and therefore slightly warmer than Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana, leading to even greater barrel concentration and 'Angel's Share' each year
This trio will use their barrel picking and blending acumen, a skill unto itself, to inform their distilling techniques here in Atlanta

Be sure to check out Old Fourth Vodka (created from a sugarcane base, but bone dry and gluten-free) and Gin as well!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldfourthdistillery/


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