When you’re shopping for wine, how do you decide what you’re going to buy? For a lot of people, it comes down to things like price, packaging, and position in the store or website. Sometimes it comes down to a recommendation from a trusted source. Is your preferred source a publication? Influencer?

In last week's episode and blog, I had the opportunity to give you a crash course in still red and white winemaking. The time I spent at Melville Winery with Chad during harvest of 2021 afforded me the insight to put that content together. Today, I'm excited to introduce you to the man himself!

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.

We’re back this week to introduce you to the wonderfully creative California winemaker, Brandon Allen of SLO Down Wines. Brandon’s wine story began as a freshman at Cal Poly when he and his buddies decided to make a barrel of wine in their backyard.

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 July of 2021, I officially launched The Wine Ship. It’s been a wild seven months. A few key people will always stand out in my memory from those first crazy days and nights. Ian Devereux White is one of them.

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.