Episode 48: Fizz, Flowers, Factoids and Fun!

Episode 48: Fizz, Flowers, Factoids and Fun!

This episode was recorded on International Women’s Day, and we found a way to link the celebration with a bit of fizzy cocktail history. Somehow we also packed in a surprising little factoid, shout-outs galore, and way too much fun into a commute-sized episode. Want to get in on the #W25Challenge for a chance to co-host the show with us? There’s still time! Listen, sip, share, enjoy! Cheers ~

Val:  “Welcome Wine-Two-Five listeners! Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 48! Oh and by the way, Happy International Women’s Day, Steph!”

Steph:  “Hello Val! We couldn’t have planned a better show on International Women’s Day – but somehow magically we did.  It is also amazing that we are only 5 weeks away from our 1 year podcast anniversary.….April 16th!!!

“We should mention that our scheduled guest for this week had a family situation at the last minute, so we’re sending her our best wishes and hope to chat with her in near future. Cheers, Leanne!”

Drinking:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion: International Women’s Day

Val: “The mimosa flower has been the symbol of International Women’s Day (in Italy known as la Festa Delle Donne)  since 1946, although this day has been celebrated since the turn of the century. In France they give violets and lily of the valley flowers, but Theresa Mattei of the Italian Women’s Union introduced the flower; it was a more affordable option. IWD began with political intentions but now honors women’s achievements.

“In fact, I’d never heard of it until  I showed up for a Wine Appreciation II class back in 2010 and our instructor (remember Massimo??) was Tanti Auguri-ing (kind of like, “best wishes” – they say it on birthdays, too) all the ladies as they walked in the door.

“Personally, I think it’s serendipitous that the IWD flower symbol in many countries (not just Italy) is the mimosa flower. Why? Because it’s also a cocktail, which, according to wiki, is believed to have been named for the yellow flower and created at the Ritz in Paris.  Like with many cocktails, there are other stories of the Mimosa origins alluding to an original Champagne and OJ in London called, “Buck’s Fizz” … and even a suggestion that Alfred Hitchcock had something to do with its creation, or at least helping to make it popular!

“What’s that you say again?  We get a whole day?  A WHOLE DAY?  Of course Women’s History Month is also this month so I guess we get a whole month too. ”

Steph: “I didn’t know about this recognized day. Had no idea actually, until I saw it on Twitter. And Val, did you see the Google video? I thought it was very well done – deserves a moment of silence. Why does it seem like all girl-power type of stuff gives me a rush of emotion, almost get the goosebumps.

“You know… we’ve had 7 ladies as guests on our show… and I am so grateful for each one of their contributions to our show and the wine world at large. Round of applause for Sally Mohr, Carol Reber, Jennifer Burke, Jane Nickles, Chantal Gonet, and Sharron McCarthy, Michaela Hightower. I have a feeling that the winner of our #W25Challenge will also be woman. Definitely looking forward to that announcement.”

Factoid:

Val: “What is the most widely grown grape in California? The answer may surprise you.  According to UC Davis it is the Thompson Seedless! Thompson Seedless, also known as Sultana , are used for mainly raisins, table grapes, some wines & distillation products, and concentrates. It’s originally from Turkey.”

Winoradar:

Steph:  “WineSpeed – Weekly Wine Intel from Karen MacNeil. It is an e-newsletter that my friend Denise forwarded to me. No surprise that Karen MacNeil has some great material in her newsletter. For example – there’s a Fascinating Fact (much like our factoid on the show), a Wine Question of the Week, a Wine Word of the Week, and a wine review. I also like how there’s a quick link to buy a signed copy of her new edition of the Wine Bible. It is a clean looking newsletter. Classy and Fun to read!”

Val:  “Did you know that this is the last month to contribute to the quarterly #W25Challenge for a guest spot on an upcoming episode? If you are new to the show, we announced the challenge on episode 38 and discussed it more detail in episode 39.

“Susan Golicic’s been on a roll and here’s her latest contribution: ‘#‎W25Challenge‬ – though this was definitely NOT challenging – a 2010 Pommard during a Sideways FAC. Can’t believe I hadn’t had it before – I will be having lots more of this! Also tried some new sour beers at Oskar Blues earlier in the week’!”

Shoutouts:

Steph:  “Thank you to all our podcast listeners and supporters! Last month was our most successful month with record downloads. This podcast has slowly grown over the last 11 months, and we have YOU to thank. You have contributed in so many ways – commenting, posting, sharing, retweeting, writing reviews and downloading episodes. Val and I are blowing you kisses. Thank you!”

Val:  “My shoutout goes to Joy Bauer, the Today Show’s health and nutrition expert! Love the Today Show, love Joy! We just got her cookbook last night in the mail which we had pre-ordered on Amazon.  From Junk Food to Joy Food: All the Foods You Love to Eat…Only Better is LOADED with very simple and nutritious recipes that convert all those things we’ve been denying ourselves in this house over the years (mac and cheese – looking at you!) to healthy versions. She even has cocktails in there. We were flipping through it last night and were so impressed with how well-done the book is in terms of pictures, organization, simplicity and nutrition information. Brava, Joy!”

 

Next Week:

Our guest will be Jeff Solomon from the Stay Rad Wine Blog and We Like Drinking Podcast. This promises to be a hoot, so prepare yourselves.

Meanwhile, check out this week’s episode in its entirety.