Wine Guide with Cork & Fizz - Wine education for beginners and enthusiasts

Ep 161

Think decanting is only for expensive red wine? You might be missing out on getting more from wines you already own.

Most wine drinkers associate decanters with fancy restaurants, aged Bordeaux, and special occasions. But the reality is that decanting can benefit everything from an older red to certain white wines and even an affordable bottle from the grocery store. In this episode, we dive into where the decanting myth came ...

Ep 160

You’ve probably assumed wine always gets better with age…but not all wine is meant to sit for years.

Aged wine sounds fancy, right? The older the bottle, the better it must be. Right?

Nope. Sure, some wines are meant to age. But a lot of wine you’re buying is already close to its peak and waiting too long doesn’t make it better.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what actually happens as wine ages ...

Ep 159

The region matters. The grape matters. But how the wine is made is what changes everything.

There’s a level of intention happening behind the scenes that most people never see. In this episode with Maxx and Sidney from Stranger Wine Co., you’ll hear how winemaking decisions like not crushing grapes, using native yeasts, and limiting intervention completely change the structure, texture, and expression of the wine. ...

Ep 158

Michigan wine has been underestimated for years, but that’s starting to change.

For a long time, Michigan wine has been known for sweeter styles and honestly, a lot of people wrote it off because of that. But what’s happening now is very different. There’s a new wave of winemakers coming in with experience from other regions, and they’re approaching things with a completely different level of intention ...

Ep 157

You’ve probably heard that a glass of red wine is “good for you” but how much of that is actually true?

The idea that red wine is “healthy” has been around for decades: from the French paradox, to antioxidants and longevity claims. It sounds convincing and honestly, it’s something a lot of people want to believe. But when you actually look at the research, most of it comes down to correlatio...

Ep 156

If you’ve ever assumed that a bottle labeled “red blend” or “white blend” must be lower quality than a single varietal wine, you’re not alone. But that belief leaves out a huge part of how great wine is actually made.

In this Mythbusters episode, I’m breaking down the idea that blended wines are somehow inferior. While it’s true that some inexpensive red blends and white blends c...

Ep 155

Most people think they know German wine, but they’re only seeing a small part of it.

If you immediately think of sweet Riesling or those super cheap bottles at the grocery store when you think of German wine, you’re not alone. That’s what most people think. But it’s not the full picture and, honestly, it’s why so many really good wines get overlooked.

In this episode, I’m sitting down again w...

Ep 154

You’ve probably seen “biodynamic” on a wine label and assumed it’s just another marketing term.

Most people do. It sounds complicated, a little vague, and honestly it’s easy to ignore. But what’s actually happening in biodynamic vineyards has a direct impact on how wine tastes, how it evolves, and why some wines feel more alive in the glass than others.

In this episode, I’m sitting down...

Ep 153

Do you really need a different wine glass for every single varietal you drink?

In this Mythbusters episode, I’m tackling the idea that you need a Pinot Noir glass, a Cabernet glass, a Riesling glass, and basically an entire cabinet dedicated to stemware. Yes, glass shape does matter. There is actual science behind how aroma travels and how the bowl affects flavor. But no, you do not need one glass per varietal.

In this ep...

Ep 152

Sweet wine has been associated with having an unrefined palate or being a beginner in the wine world. But that does not automatically mean you are a wine amateur if you like sweet wine.

In this Mythbusters episode, we are setting the record straight. Sweet wine does not equal low quality. While there are plenty of mass produced sugary bottles out there, sweetness itself is just another attribute of wine, right alongside acidit...

Ep 151

What if the simplest way to support your favorite winery takes less than five minutes?

In part two of our conversation, Heather Daenitz shares how photography, storytelling, and consumer engagement can completely shift the way people experience wine. From highlighting vineyard workers to encouraging thoughtful reviews and rethinking how you shop at your local wine store, she explains how small actions like tagging a winery or ...

Ep 150

What does it really look like behind those beautiful wine photos you see online?

In this episode, I’m joined by Heather Daenitz, a wine industry photographer and marketing strategist based in Santa Barbara wine country. Heather shares how she went from studying viticulture and working in vineyard management to launching her business, Craft & Cluster, where she now helps small wineries connect with their audiences thr...

Ep 149

What if the red-with-meat, white-with-fish rule isn’t actually a rule at all?

In this Mythbusters episode, I’m sharing where the red-with-meat, white-with-fish idea came from and why it’s more of a simplification than a rule. It worked when wine styles were more predictable, but that’s just not the case anymore.

Instead of color-coding your pairings, this episode walks you through what actually matters: ...

Ep 148

Screw caps have a bad reputation in the wine world, but that reputation is mostly undeserved!

In this episode of my wine mythbusters mini-series I break down the myth that screw caps automatically mean cheap wine and explain where that belief came from in the first place. From the romance of popping a cork to the belief that wine needs it to age, this episode breaks down why cork became the gold standard and why that thinking ...

Ep 147

Most wine drinkers assume the wines they see are the only wines that exist, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In part two of my conversation with Unpinned Wine Club founder, Ashwin Muthiah, he offers insight into how wine discovery actually works, from the systems that favor familiarity to the biases that keep lesser known grapes out of view.

He shares how his own lived experience in wine regions across Europe ...

Ep 146

You probably learned about wine the same way most people do. A handful of regions, the same familiar grapes, and a lot of unspoken rules about what matters and what does not.

In this episode, Ashwin Muthiah challenges that narrow view and asks a bigger question. What if the wine world has been leaving out entire regions, cultures, and histories all along? He shares how travel shaped his curiosity, why Georgia (the country not ...

Ep 145

You can’t age white wine. Or at least that’s what most people think.

In this episode, that assumption gets unpacked and challenged. While it’s true that many white wines are made to be enjoyed young, that doesn’t mean white wine as a category isn’t capable of aging. The difference comes down to how the wine is made and what’s actually in the bottle.

I’m sharing why white wines change co...

Ep 144

Thank you to the following brands for sponsoring this podcast:

• Bon Chocolats: Go to www.bonchocolats.com and use code CORKANDFIZZ10 for 10% off your order!
• Pour Memory: Use code CORKANDFIZZ for 15% off your purchase at www.pourmemory.com. I’d recommend a starter kit that includes a journal and 24 or 48 labels. Don’t forget to download the Pour Memory iOS app to track your bottles digitally too.

The outdated ...

Ep 143

Wine school can teach you the theory, but it cannot teach you what actually happens once the grapes hit the cellar.

Today on the podcast I have Katie Truscott from 1 Mill Road Winery in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada back on the podcast. She talks about the shift from studying wine to making it, and what changes once that knowledge has to be put into practice. From learning cellar basics the hard way to realiz...