On their own, food and wine each have their own distinct flavor profiles. When we combine them, they create a third flavor! One that doesn’t exist without both. Perfect pairings happen when two components come together in harmony on the palate. When we understand the building blocks of flavor, we can graduate to combining them!

Have you ever wondered how wine is made? It’s not exactly something they cover in school! There are so many decisions to be made and each has an impact on the resulting wine. Nonetheless, the basic steps of the winemaking process are fairly consistent.

This week’s content is all about the FUN and creative side of describing wine. Last week, in How to Describe Wine: Part 1 of 2, we focused on the foundation of our descriptions: a wine’s structure. Now it’s time to bring your own unique perspective and expression to the composition of your descriptions. We’re introducing specific flavor profiles related to fruit, flowers, herbs, spices, oak, minerals, and the other nuances we’re learning to detect as we gain experience tasting wine.

If you’re someone who likes wine but struggles to put into words what you like specifically, this week’s content was created for you! As always, we’re starting with the basics. It’s easy to get turned off or intimidated by the way some people talk about wine. We're here to help!

You can analyze the fun out of anything, but that’s not what the process of learning to taste wine is all about. Tasting using a strategic approach is the best way to learn about different styles and better understand your preferences. Comparison is the key!

In this week's episode, Montana lays out the major factors that contribute to the price of a bottle of wine: region, farming practices, winemaking, aging, packaging, marketing, shipping and distribution, and more!

In today’s episode, Montana is joined by beverage industry veteran, Myles Fischer, for a discussion on how to approach putting together a case of wine to enjoy during the winter months.