The Wine Situation

Elle meets with Olivia Wright, winemaker at Rodney Strong Vineyards, and a Master of Wine candidate, she's on the second stage of the program (there are three total) and shares everything the program entails! Elle tastes her stellar Russian River Reserve Pinot Noir at the top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aly Wente of Wente Vineyards joins Elle to talk about what it was like growing up as the latest generation of a legendary wine family, and what brought her back home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allison Levine joins Elle to get into her journey into wine and discuss her upcoming Festival of Forgotten Grapes, which you can get a discounted ticket to here or by using the code SITUATION10 at the checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madeline Puckette of joins Elle to talk about her journey from music and art to creating Wine Folly, a wine education platform, and spills the beans about their latest innovation, Wine Folly+! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the most chaotic (in good ways) ep in a while! This week Elle is joined by Fahara Zamorano, of NiteThyme Wines, Ace of Cups and more! They get into Fahara's globetrotting career, all the while watching a standoff between Elle's little cat and Fahara's rather large dog. They washed it down with Inman Family Wines newest offering, the 2022 "G&T" a Grenache/Tempranillo blend from Lake County. Made by Kathleen Inman, it stunned them both. Take a listern now to hear it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode Elle is celebrating Come Over October!!! First she tastes some wine perfect for sharing at a picnic or party as they come in cans! She tries the Los Cuernos Reserva, an intriguing red blend including Alicante Bouschet. Then she talks to Come Over October's founder, the one, the only Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible! Karen had a fascinating entry into the wine world, and Come Over October is her initiative to bring back the social side of wine--it's ability to bring us all together is unparalled! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle chats with Elyse Wilson, of Houston's Camerata Wine Bar! The two discuss her journey into wine as well as her recent adventures in Australia and New Zealand! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month Elle has another Kristin for you! This time it is Kristin Fione, aka @winokristin the winemaker behind Adorato Wines. She and Elle knew each other for some years, but only recently did Elle try Adorato at the Garagiste Festival and knew she had to get her friend on the pod. They talk everything wine, but also entertainment and a healthy dose of cat-talk - childless cat ladies forevs! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle is joined by Kristin Olszewski of Nomadica! She has done anything and everything and has more in store! But they spend the lion's share of time exploring her ethos behind Nomadica, sustainable canned wines that taste amazing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle is in conversation with Yannick Benjamin, renowned sommelier at Contento Restaurant and co-founder of Wine on Wheels, an organization uniting wine enthusiasts and sommeliers to channel their passion for fine wines into charitable endeavors. He has been collaborating with Olé and Obrigato to spread the good word of albariño and as such, Elle kicks things off by opening a bottle of Lagar de Pintos Albariño. Listen in to learn what makes Benjamin tick! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle and guest Jenna Duran discuss her wine trajectory towards being a partner at Connect the Dots Collective where she helps craft brands. They taste Purple Cowboy - founded by a woman that benefits Tough Enough to Wear Pink, an organization that fights breast cancer! It's a helluva female-forward episode so listen in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What an exceptional interview Elle recorded with Bianca Bosker, author of her beloved "Cork Dork" as well as the more recent "Get the Picture"! The two delve deep into Bianca's journey through both worlds and speculate on what is next for the New York Times bestelling author! As well as what she is currently pouring! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle connects with Kelsey Phelps which if her name sounds familiar...she's Joseph Phelps granddaughter. But she is beating our her own path, making sparkling wines as SEPPI. Tune in for her history, wine reviews and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elle is joined by Jiaqi Tang, her WSET Diploma classmate and owner of the newly opened Honest Bottle Shop in Los Angeles! The two discuss Jiaqi's journey from China, to Chicago hospitality, and ultimately how she landed in Los Angeles and opened her own highly curated wine shop. While it was a Zoom hang, both Jiaqi and Ellen ended up bringing intriguing wines--one from Greece and one from the Savoie region of France. Tune in to get the scoop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time around Elle joins forces with another one--Elle Rodriguez! She's also known as The Modern Pour and is a prominent force in the grammable world of wine and also funny and down to talk about everything They down Garnacha and dish on everything under the sun. Join in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month Elle is chatting with Marilee Bramhall, found of Iola Wines! The two discuss her journey into wine, which took her around the world, where she meets the coolest and bestest and most exciting women winemakers who are making wines, naturally. In between it all she and Elle taste a fabulous Gavi and a bottle of Bandol. Take a listen and learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time Elle welcomes Canadian wine writer Natalie MacLean, whose book Wine Witch on Fire was recently published (and devoured by Elle)--look for the book (and some juicy discounts) here! You can also find a guide to the book complete with book club prompts and tips on hosting a tasting here. The two had an excellent talk on what it was like being a woman in tech, as well as what she did when the wine bros came for her...and ultimately triumphed. Plus, they discuss some handy tips if you are trying to drink less. Lastly, look here for more on her free pairing class and Unreserved Wine Talk podcast.

This month, Elle chats with Ellie (double ell trouble!) of Eleven Eleven Wines! In between sipping her Russian River Chardonnay and Napa Cab, the two get into Ellie's journey from corporate life to owning a winery, down to what day-to-day life is like. It's a tasty episode--pour a glass and dig in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a fantastic talk n' tasting Elle has with month, with Morét Brealynn of (wait for it) Morét-Brealynn Wines! They met last month for a fabulous (and boozy) dinner in the Santa Lucia Highlands, and reunite via Zoom here to discuss how she got into wine, her stealth travel tacos, and challenges she has faced being a woman in the industry. Wines sampled include Stray Cats Muscadelle, Stray Dogs Pinot Noir , and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jermaine Stone of the Wine & Hip Hop podcast joins Elle! He talks about how rap and wine auctioneering collided, what it was like training his palate on the elite of elite wines, and then puts his prowess at pairing wine and hip hop to the test when Elle precures a Chablis. Listen in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Elle talks with Kristie Tacey, the winemaker behind Tessier Winery. A former scientist, Kristie had an interesting journey towards becoming a winemaker--and she also moonlights as a dj! She pairs her wines with music--for instance Elle and she taste through Electric Ladyland, an orange wine blend that pairs with Jimi Hendrix's "Have You Been (To Electric Ladyland). Grab a bottle of Tessier, check out this week's episode, then pull up Kristie's playlist here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, Elle's former co-host Shaughn Buccholz is back for an episode, and they are back to recording at Bar Covell! They get into Shaughn's new life working in aerospace, what living in Texas was like, and what's up next! All of it is washed down by a bottle of rosé from Walla Walla, Oregon! Cayuse Vineyards "Edith" Rosé of Grenache 2020 is a delectable pink drink! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FIRST LIVE INTERVIEW POST PANDEMIC! Elle was thrilled to join Amanda Greenbaum of AJA Vineyards this time--and to taste some of their fabulous wines. They get into Amanda's triple-threat-of-it-all she is trained in wine, beer and spirits in between sipping Chardonnay, rosé and Sauvignon Blanc. GREAT times abound. Listen in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Elle welcomes Kate Ayres of Penner-Ash Wine to the show! The two get into how she went from pursuing a career in veterinary medicine to realizing that wine was just the thing she never knew she needed to do. She traveled the world and has now settled in her native Oregon to make wine at Penner Ash. Tune in to hear her and Elle discuss a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, and Kate's journey in the wine world! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it's an OG longford interview with Kristin Barnhisel, the winemaker responsible for the white wines of J. Lohr! They get into how she got going, some science geekery (learn all about clones!), and she also shared the #JLohrwomen movement. Right now applications are open to shadow at the winery! They also pop a couple of bottles, the "Gesture", a blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier, as well as the Arroyo Vista Chardonnay. Open a bottle yourself and listen in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it is a double dose of Bellas! The wine on tap is a delightful Late Harvest Zinfandel from Bella Winery, and the guest for the Final Five is Bella Crimson, an actor, model, budding stunt person and content creator Elle met on set of the movie she's working on. All that brings us to the other two segments (rife with tangents of course) this month: a catchup on the movie set actor life that has monopolized Elle's month, as well as an installment of On the Food Side where Elle goes deep on what she's getting fed on set. It's a lot in a lot of ways. Grab a snack and a drink and tune in!Follow Elle on Instagram @ellenclifford Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Elle's got a Grenache by Filaments and wowwwwww is it easy to crush! There's also a life update and a question for listeners, It's all wrapped up with the Final Five questions with Dan Ahdoot, Cobra Kai actor, host of the Green Eggs and Dan podcast, and author of the upcoming Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That's a Dumb Way to Live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's another longform interview! This time Elle and Megan Bell of Margins WIne have a conversation--how Megan came into the wine world, the challenges, the surprises, how she has changed, and what is to come. Open a bottle of Margins and see what it is all about! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A day late for this to be a "November" episode but play along? Elle has had SO much wine activity, from the RAW wine fair to Sicilian dinners to the event in homage to Gran Moraine where Elle both sourced this FABULOUS blanc de blancs from Oregon and met today's guest, Andrea Jaramillo, aka Mas Vino Please. Oohhh! And also there is a revival of On the Food Side where Elle weighs in on butter boards. Never not hard journalism-ing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a long one but a good one! This month, Elle tastes the 2018 No Girl Wines Grenache, quite ironically made by a woman. The name has a cool origin story! She then goes longform in an interview with Cara Patricia of DECANTsf a wine shop in San Francisco. Cara is an advanced sommelier, and she and Elle get into everything from the Court to cats to natural wine, whatever the heck that means. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elle is back! With the September issue, at least half as stylish as Vogue's thanks in part to the awesome bottle art of this month's woman-made-wine, a Carolina Gatti bubbly bought from Vinovore, a shop specializing in wine made by women, and by her Final Five interview with Agnes Hewitt, host of the Goop Yourself podcast which goes above and beyond the empire that Gwyneth Paltrow built. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Elle has a special treat, tailor made for her Sex in the City Fandom. Elle kicks it off by reviving a segment she hasn't done in forever, the Hip Sip Tip, then she's drinking the 2021 Invivo, X SJP Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, wine that Sarah Jessica Parker helped blend. Will Elle like it? Is it worth it? Tune in to find out. After that she calls Meaghan Odum (aka @trillwinewife), wine educator and influencer, to go through the final five. They get into everything from goldfish crackers to Southern Comfort and Champagne. It's a good one, get into it! Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ohhhhh a kinda sorta return to old form! In that I spend a hot extra several minutes hanging out and taking to Christopher Ruhland, my fellow WSET Diploma graduate and author of "Press or Champagne". But first I ever so briefly review some rosé Champers and recap other wine goings on. Tune in! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the June edition and it's a good one! Elle has boatloads of wine-person updates-- she's been to a ton of tastings (Alsace! Abruzzo! Line39 spritzers!), taken trips (Italy's Garda DOC!) and was a behind the scenes helper at the LA Spirits Awards, so the juice flows, and how! She then does a bit of a dive into Côte du Rhône wines and tastes a village level one. Lastly, she chats with friend of the pod Mike Stone, host of the Tall Mike Wine Podcast and tasting room manager of Sonoma's Nicholson Ranch. Good times. Straight ahead. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wowwww has the wine scene in Los Angeles ever been happening! This month, Elle recounts five tastings (she's now a Barolo pro, just saying), drinks a fabulous bottle of Pinot Noir by Thomas T Thomas, gets into why she thinks cottage cheese is a fabulous food in an edition of On the Food Side, and lastly but not leastly, she talks with wine writer Kathleen Willcox! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

April's episode is all things Malbec! Plus a Final Five with a wine woman:) April 17th is Malbec World Day, so in its honor, Elle is reviewing Malbec, Mon Amour, a book by Laura Catena and Alejandro Vigil, the winemakers at Catena. Then, naturally she drinks a delicious glass of Catena Malbec. moving in a different direction, her Final Five segment is with Katja S. Newman of La Cienega Vineyard. Elle can attest to the deliciousness of her wine! Listen in to hear what's she's drinking, what she likes to eat with it, where she'd be interested in making wine besides California, and more!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's your March edition! Just in the nick of time. First up, Elle has the deets on a sexy soil from the Northern Rhone. The wine she is drinking is an Rkatsteli (a Georgian grape) made in the Finger Lakes by Dr. Konstantin Frank, whose eponymous founder hailed from the Ukraine. Lastly, Elle calls Robert Cameo, the author of "South of Somewhere", a book about southern Italian wine. She asks him the final five and the two get into that Italian vino! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This month Elle's got the goods and they are...great. Just great, really. She shares a Sexy Soil named wolfey, and tasted the Kwaya Sangiovese, a collaborative effort! Lastly she calls Maryam Ahmed, star of SommTV's Sparklers, and cofounder and leader of the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, for the Final Five! Get yourself a bottle and dive in! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This month Elle keeps it short-ish and dry with a her usual segments n' tangents, plus a stellar woman-made wine! She starts with a Sign of Wine Times, aka exciting news about suphur-ing wine, if such things can be exciting (she says they can)! Next she sips a Geodesy Cabernet Sauvignon, then wraps it all up with a Final Five questions with musician and writer Lamar Woods! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Oh hi, just in the nick of time its the December edition!!! This week Elle chats with John Taylor of Pairs With Life Cellars about how he got into wine, and why he started his own line! She also recaps tasting of his Big Gay Rosé and Tous les Jours Pinot Noir--spoiler alert, both were delicious. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Elle's got the November wine update! Then she introduces a La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi aka a refreshing white wine made from Cortese, hailing from the Piedmont region in Italy. Next up is On the Food Side. This month the food of choice is pho--that's right, Elle actually enjoyed a soup, but she wants the word broth to be banned. Lastly is the Final Five where Anush O'Connor. Anush is your go to for all things Armenian wine--although she's making some of her own in Southern California right now! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elle's back for October! This time she'll take you on a journey with her to the Languedoc, in a first time ever segment she calls Wanderlust. Then, she'll try a Malbec from Coen Wines you should lean into too! Lastly, the final five is with Urban Wine Tribe's John Michael Morcilio! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the September edition! Chock full of goodies as Ellen gets into the situation that is wine. Which is to say, you're going out more and you want to know more about wine so you can be the "person who knows wine" at the table! This week she'll teach you about a Sexy Soil and drink an autumn-ready Cabernet Sauvignon by Materra and yes that is a wine made by a woman! Lastly she calls one of her favorite and funniest friends, actor/comedian Beth Burnham! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Ellen is back with a wonderful sparkling rosé by Ultraviolet Wines!! Per the usual it's a terrific woman-made wine. Elle also has rewatched Sideways, so you don't have to. Does she still hate it? Tune in to find out!And lastly, Elle calls Casleah Herwaldt, the superpower behind By the Stem, creator of Casleah Wines, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elle is keeping it short n sweet this week!!! She's got butterbeer pairings , drinks a fabulous Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and talks with Matthew Lindsey, sommelier and creator of the Advanced Wine Course. If you want a fifty percent discount, use the code THEWINESITUATION! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Keeping it short n sweet again this week, Ellen updates (doesn't she always, as well as poll results! Then she gets into a bottle of old-vine Zinfandel from Testa Vineyards where she recently had lunch with winemaker Maria Martinson. Lastly, her musings on Somm III and blind tasting. Pour yourself a glass and listen in!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Back after another break, but with every so many tales to tell!!! In addition to an update, Elle has a meeting poll for you: what are your wine/cheers-ing superstitions? She will also share a glass of Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, explore tortilla chips in another On the Food Side, and finally has a Final Five questions with sommelier Alissa Bica!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week is a smorgasbord of follow-ups! Plus a tasty wine from one of Elle's favorite wine regions. The first follow-up is the unexpected (to Elle) results of the tasting of the wine that went into space. The other follow-up is the long awaited On the Food Side on the glory of potatoes that aren't French Fries. Pour a glass of Fleurie and get in!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

She's back! Elle is ready to dive into season six, all washed down by a nice glass of Banshee Pinot Noir. She will also give you a life update and had a new On the Food Side. It's all polished off with a final five questions with the wonderful sommelier Matthew Arnall. Pour a glass and listen in!!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What more could you want than booze and dirt! Ellen has that in spades for you this week. She gets into silex, has a game of WhoWhatWhenWhereWhy Wine, a cocktail to tell you about, and of course a nice bottle of bubbles made by a woman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week is easy breezy fun—Elle promises to not use up too much of your precious time!! She will reveal the results of her stemware poll, get into a wine made by a woman—this week it is a 2018 Giovanna Tantini Bardolino Chiaretto rosé, and then has another edition of On the Side. This week the topic is Fuego Box hot sauce of the month See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.