Wine 201 Bridget Leech & Nick Vorpagel

If you like wine and want to know just a little bit more about wine without being overwhelmed by nerdy information, this podcast is the right place for you!On this introductory episode, you'll learn:Just who the heck we are (we're Bridget and Nick and we're excited to be hosting this podcast!)Why we are releasing this podcast in addition to our weekly Dinner Plus Drinks podcast.What you can expect in each episode.Wine 201 will be released in seasons, giving you the information you need to fee...

When it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Staglin Family Vineyard is one of the best. To learn more about Cabernet Sauvignon, we were joined on the podcast by Amber Mihna, the Global Trade Sales Director at Staglin Family, and a fellow Wisconsinite.Amber is one of the best wine educators and advocates for drinking wine that we've ever met. She was the perfect person to help us learn some basic facts about wine, wine production, and Napa Valley. From there, she helped us narrow down wha...

When you say "Cabernet" you probably are thinking of Cabernet Sauvignon, not its genetic parent - Cabernet Franc. You may not have even known Cabernet Franc was a grape - but fear not, know you're going to discover the OG Cabernet and also get to know an emerging wine region all at the same time.To learn about Cabernet Franc, we headed to the East Coast and talked with Bruce Murray, owner of Boundary Breaks winery in Finger Lakes, New York. Bruce helped us understand why New York is doing an ...

It originated in France, but is now best known in Argentina, and there's no one better at growing the grape and making wine from Malbec than Bodegas Catena Zapata, or as you may more simply known them, Catena.To learn more about Malbec, we were joined by one of our most energetic and fun guests, Ernesto "Nesti" Bajda, winemaker at Catena. Nesti started working in the Catena family's vineyards in 2002 and has grown in the company since that point. He was able to shed light on all areas of the ...

Sideways, the movie, gave Merlot a bad rap, but we are here to tell you that it's an incredible grape, that makes delicious wines, and you need to try some for yourself!To help convince you that Merlot isn't a joke of a grape, we enlisted the help of Neil Bernardi, Vice President at Duckhorn Vineyards. Personally, we can't think of a producer that makes better Merlot than Duckhorn, and the company is in large part built on their reputation for making incredible Merlot. That's a rarity in Napa...

If you listen to true crime podcasts (like Bridget), you may love this episode as we talk about the "Lost Grape of Bordeaux" - Carmenere! Once thought to be completely wiped out, it was re-discovered in Chile and makes unique and delightful wines that you may have never tried before!Lapostolle is one of Chile's premier wineries and focuses on making quality wines at affordable prices. We were fortunate to be joined by Andrea Leon, Head Winemaker at Lapostolle Wines. She helped us unders...