The Wine Pair Podcast is a weekly podcast co-hosted by husband and wife team Joe and Carmela Mele. Our goal is to help the everyday wine drinker discover wines that are worth their time and money, so each week, we taste and review three reasonably priced and easy to find wines. Our reviews are honest, easy to understand, and usually pretty funny. Along the way we also interview folks in the wine industry, talk about wine etiquette and advice, give pointers on wine pairings, and tease Joe...

A super wine enthusiast, a curious world traveler as well as an ICU RN, Joni Rials founded Seek and Sip Travel with the belief that wine shouldn’t be intimidating and travel should be accessible to everyone. After experiencing the connection between wine culture and travel, she began traveling and studying different regions and global destinations known for excellence in wine and spirits production. She slowly built Seek and Sip Travel.  Ms. Rials holds a WSET Level II Wine Certification. She...

Chelsea grew up in a small town outside of Portland, Oregon, then ventured to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue life, liberty, and old school country music. She finds purpose in growing and establishing meaningful communities, educating and speaking on freelancing & entrepreneurship, as well as writing- both with her keyboard and with her guitar. Chelsea believes in the power of stoicism and maintaining a mentality that daily challenges happen for you; to shape you and mold you into a...

Jordan Salcito has been curious about wine since learning her grandfather made it in his basement and fell head over heels for it since her first harvest in Burgundy in 2006. She began her career in New York as hostess at wd~50 before becoming a prep cook at DANIEL, sommelier and manager at Eleven Madison Park, then eventually Wine & Beverage Director for David Chang's Momofuku restaurants.  After investing over a decade working her way through several facets of the wine and restaurant...

The Swirl Suite cast is re-introduced to new listeners. Listen to our feature from Snippets of The Wine Pair Podcast and a vintage epiode with guest Reggie Soloman. - The full Wine Pair Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fBxfssRXhW2byrGFnJEu2?si=59c2ebf4fe114f36.   Follow us @SwirlSuite:  Sarita @VineMeUp  Tanisha @GirlMeetsGlass  Glynis @Vino_Noire  Leslie @Vino301Wine 

Colleen Hardy, along with her husband Sebastian, founded Living Roots, a winery which melds the best of their hometowns in two different corners of the globe: the Finger Lakes of New York and the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.  Colleen​ grew​ ​up​ ​in​​ ​Rochester,​ ​New York and has a degree in marketing from Michigan State University.​ ​Three years into a marketing research and analytics career in Chicago,​ ​she​ was keen to get into the wine industry in some capacity and landed ​a...

I'm Ken Pettus. I reside & work in New York City as a consultant for the biggest wine portfolio in the world. I'm a WSET certified wine & spirits educator and enthusiast. I've been in the wine & spirits industry for over a decade now. I'm a product of my Jamaican + Black American parents. My experiences as a Black man in the wine industry has its share of stories. My journey in wine started living in Europe, being exposed and captivated by wine culture. After moving back to NY, I...

We are back with a new episode! Tanisha gives an informative recap of her press trip to Chiaretto. Chiaretto’s area is in the province of Verona, Romeo and Juliet’s town, halfway between Milan and Venice, in Northern Italy. "Chiaretto is a truly Italian rosé wine". Chiaretto di Bardolino The Italian Dry Rosé www.chiaretto.pink #discoverchiaretto #chiarettopink IG: @chiaretto_di_bardolino Follow The Swirl Suite: @SwirlSuite www.swirlsuite.com  Sarita @VineMeUp Tanisha @GirlMeetsGlass Leslie...

On this flashback episode with Rae Mathis, we go after dark. It's an entertaining episode, full of random questions. Follow The Swirl Suite: @SwirlSuite www.swirlsuite.com  Sarita @VineMeUp Tanisha @GirlMeetsGlass Leslie @Vino301 Glynis @Vino_Noire Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/SwirlSuite. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the age of 22, Drew planted the first 7,600 grape vines on his family's farm. His dream was to grow great American wines in Maryland. Today he pours his energy and passion into forging a new image for Maryland wine. Each year he travels the world studying his craft and honing his skills. Drew believes the rolling hills of Maryland offer just the right mix of elevation, sun, breeze, and rocky soils to grow grapes fit for remarkable...

Jennifer Croll is the author of six books on fashion, culture, and cocktails: Dressed to Swill (2022), Art Boozel (2021), Free the Tipple (2018), Bad Girls of Fashion (2016), Bad Boys of Fashion (2019), and Fashion That Changed the World (2014).  During the daytime, she’s the editorial director at nonfiction publisher Greystone Books. You can follow her on Twitter @jencroll.  Follow The Swirl Suite: @SwirlSuite www.swirlsuite.com  Sarita @VineMeUp Tanisha @GirlMeetsGlass Leslie...

“Find what you love and let it kill you.” is the famous quote wrapped around a global knife tattooed on Ikimi’s back.  Destined to be a lawyer to help her Brooklyn community, Ikimi ended up in Culinary school by accident. Securing her first job at the World Trade Center Marriott as a silver polisher, was a humbling and knowledgeable experience. Ikimi attended Johnson & Wales University, and after graduation utilized her time traveling the world studying culture through food. Upon her...

Ames Morison is the founding partner of Medlock Ames Winery. A Virginia native, Ames graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a degree in Ancient History before working as a teacher in New York. He spent three years in the Peace Corps in Guatemala which solidified his desire to be a vocal supporter of organic farming, where he applies diversified agricultural practices to create a balanced and sustainable environment in the vineyards. Light-touch techniques are also healthier...

Mailynh (pronounced ‘my-LIN’) Phan is the CEO of RD Winery, which takes a more inclusive approach to the Napa Valley wine experience. The winery is the first Vietnamese-owned winery in Napa and was founded with a vision to solely export wine to Vietnam. But in 2020, Mailynh led RD Winery’s entry into the U.S. market and opened the Vietnamese-inspired tasting room in the summer of 2020. As an outlier in the industry, Mailynh envisioned a place where anyone curious about Napa wine would feel...

JC Select Wines “Curated Wine Selections, Events & Concierge Services for the Modern Wine Enthusiast”. "Once a Civil Engineer, Jennifer "stumbled" into the wine industry during her move from Canada to California. She started out on the broker/distributor side of the business over 10 years ago, co-founded a brokerage, always passionate about the lesser-known, fantastic wineries & their stories. In 2019, she launched her passion project Great Pour Decisions®, a lifestyle and wine...

Eric Depradine is from Boston, Massachusetts. He is a 2006 and 2008 graduate of UL-Lafayette in history and chemistry. He's worked for various municipal governments in Louisiana and Missouri regulating federal and local wastewater laws. He is also a 2021 graduate of Highland Community College's enology certificate program. Finally, he is proud the owner of Zydeco Meadery, one of four minority-owned alcohol manufacturers in Kansas. https://www.zydecomeadery.net/ https://www.vesta-usa.org/...

Lizz Rene (she/her) is a Black woman entrepreneur, innovator, and disruptor. The daughter of immigrants, Lizz is a proud first-generation college graduate and proud Black alumna of the University of Georgia. She has dedicated her work full-time to dismantling oppressive systems and amplifying Black stories. With retail partnerships with Busboys & Poets (DMV), Nubian Hueman (DC & Baltimore) and Happy Cork (Brooklyn, NY), Lizz presents PO’ UP! Card Game – an unapologetic drinking game...

Ray Sholes is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. He has a discerning palate and is a passionate wine lover. He is known not only for his incredible tasting abilities and vast knowledge but also for his friendly, relaxed and professional approach to wine education. Growing up in Compton, California Ray admits, “I come from a world where an education in fine wines, sake, craft brews, and spirits did not exist.” His fascination for wine took off after graduation from...

A former 4-H kid, Royal oversees 575 acres, of which about 250 are planted to prime Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel grapes at the iconic Monte Rosso Vineyard. She studied crops and horticulture science at Cal State Chico and then worked as an intern at Gallo, where she was promoted to vineyard manager in 2015. Home to some of the oldest-producing grapevines in California, Monte Rosso has an almost mythical reputation among winemakers who love its brilliant acidity and distinct notes of...

With a decade of building intrapreneurship teams at Fortune 500 companies such as IBM and LinkedIn, Terrence is an analytical strategist with a focus on emerging trends and culture. Terrence oversees the execution of current and future visions of Michael Lavelle as he traverses between worlds of strategy, creative and operations to execute each objective at the highest standard. Born and raised in Chicago, Terrence holds a BA in Economics from Howard University in Washington, DC. Passionately...

SOMM TV brings together five of the top wine connoisseurs, along with other culinary professionals, in SPARKLERS, a high-stakes, high-pressure competition show based on cooking and pairing great sparkling wine from around the world. The 13-episode food & wine competition show premiered Tuesday, November 23rd and continues until a champion is crowned on Tuesday, February 8th.   SPARKLERS features a diverse cast of food and wine professionals who are changing the culinary world. While the...

A winemaker with a wide and diverse background, Cadamatre started in wine on the East Coast as a winemaking apprentice with Stargazers Vineyard in 2003. After graduating from Cornell University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Viticulture, Nova moved to California. During her time in California, she worked with fruit from all over the state eventually settling in Napa and focusing on Bordeaux and Burgundian varieties from some of the top vineyards in the area including To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch,...

Growing up on the Space Coast of Florida, Alicia Ortiz began her career at Kennedy Space Center as a Public Affairs intern and quickly developed her skillset in brand strategy, media relations, and social responsibility. Ultimately taking her first full-time job out of college with MORI Associates, another NASA contractor based in Maryland, she connected with Blake Hershey in 2019, who told her about his idea for Sippd. Resonating with Sippd’s mission to create a more inclusive wine...

Alex Jankowski has been the Marketing Manager for Wagner Vineyards, located in New York's Finger Lakes wine region, since December 2019 and also serves as the Marketing Chair for the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Prior to this, he was an editor and journalist for publications in Massachusetts, California, Alaska, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He is a native of Buffalo, NY, and glad to be back closer to home, telling the stories of the hard work and ingenuity needed to craft world-class wines in...