Food & Lifestyle Contributor for the Greeley Tribune and award-winning author, Emily Kemme, gets the W25 take on everything from the holiday table, cooking with wine, to stemware, gifting, and office parties. Steph’s signature SWT cocktail returns to the show and is sure to cure what ails you. We’re thankful for all of you who listen, subscribe, and laugh and sip along with this special episode, your holiday entertaining survival guide.
Val: “Welcome back to another episode of Wine Two Five! I also love that I got a text from Steph about an hour before we were scheduled to record, saying pretty much, “I’m running to the liquor store.” Gosh darn it, I love getting texts like that in the middle of the afternoon! Then a little while later … “I’m driving.” So Steph is back home from her booze run and she and her friend Emily Kemme are double trouble over there in the FoCo I am almost certain. Ladies!”
Steph: “Yes, today I have sitting next to me Emily Kemme, award winning author and Food & Lifestyle Contributor for The Greeley Tribune. Emily writes feature articles and restaurant reviews for the Taste Dining and Drinks section online version of The Greeley Tribune. You can also find Emily’s creative writing on her site FeedingtheFamished.com where she blogs about the quirks of human nature and the foods that comfort us. Emily and I connected about 4 years ago over cocktails at a 40th birthday party, and she is an inspiration to me. I am grateful to have you on the show with us today and to introduce you to Val and our listeners.”
IN OUR GLASSES:
Val: Turley 2005 Hayne Vineyard Napa Valley Petite Syrah. This wine is 11 years old and you’d never know it. The Hayne vineyard dates back to the early 1950s. We were so surprised at the fruit that’s still present and how gracefully the tertiary notes are sliding into the palate of this wine. According to the Turley website, “Powerful and inky in its youth, the wine becomes more feminine and refined with age and will outlive us all.” (www.turleywinecellars.com).
Steph: In a govino beer glass is a local Colorado cider called Climb Hard Peach. It tastes like a mimosa and bellini combined. Not sweet either. Emily has a little taste in her govino beer glass as well.
Emily: Steph mixed up her “Smoked Whale Testicles” cocktail so she could try the Linie Aquavit. “It tastes a little like root beer with herbal notes. Yum.”
DISCUSSION: 
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holiday Happenings! This episode was recorded in mid-November and released on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th 2016. We had a different format with our guest, Emily, who lead the conversation with holiday inspired questions. First, a little bit about Emily:
As the award-winning author for her first novel, In Search of Sushi Tora, and on her lifestyle blog, Feeding the Famished, Emily Kemme writes about human nature, illuminating the everyday in a way that highlights its brilliance. Throughout her writing, there is a skein of humor that leaves a lasting impression. She is also a recipe creator and self-acknowledged foodie. Look for a variety of recipes on her blog. Emily’s second novel, Drinking the Knock Water: A New Age Pilgrimage, is scheduled for release February 2017. She is the Food & Lifestyle Contributor for the Greeley Tribune.
We chatted with Emily and answered questions ranging from glassware at the table, cooking with wine (Check out Episode 17 to hear us chatter about cooking with wine, by the way), to holiday parties and white elephant gifts. We also answer that ever present (pun intended) question: “What do you give the wine person who has everything?” There’s something for everyone, including Turkey and beer (and yes, it’s certainly a great option!), and even non-drinkers. The goal is to make a harmonious meal happen when you have differing tastes around the table.
FACTOID:
Which chateau in the Graves region (of Bordeaux) used to sell its wine as mineral water to the Ottoman palace in Turkey?
Answer: Chateau Carbonnieux
This historic chateau dates back to the 13th century. It was later in the 18th century that the Benedictine monks introduced the pale white wines of Carbonnieux to the Ottoman sultan and referred to them as “the mineral water of Carbonnieux”. The legend also says that the Prince asked “why do the French make wine when they have such delicious mineral water.”
WINORADAR:
Our newest Patreon Supporter, Andrew, just hooked us up with this link about whiskey – frankly, it reads like a shopping list. It’s from the Men’s Journal and they compiled a list of what they (and some consulting bartenders & restaurateurs) thought were the 50 best whiskeys in the world. While we aren’t fans of words like, “the best” or these list thingies, this article is truly whiskey porn and it’s fun to scroll through and hear yourself mumble, want that, drank that, yes, please, cusswords, mmmm, and oh yeah.
Savino – ever heard of it? The Savino looks like a carafe. You pour your wine into it, or what’s left of your bottle, and then place the “float” on top of the wine. Then you secure the lid on top so there’s no spillage. Check out our links to see the video of how it works and you can also look at it more closely on Wine Enthusiast. (It’s also now available in our store!)
SHOUTOUTS:
Val: Shoutouts to Lucero Olive Oil – I just got this deluxe bottle of their freshly pressed Olio Novello, bottled only one month ago! It’s become an annual tradition and there were only 1500 of these bottles made – I have bottle number 349 and cannot wait to dig into this later on…
Steph & Emily: Social an underground cocktail bar in Old Town Fort Collins. I love their Shishito peppers the most! Monday night we met some friends there and enjoyed multiple bottles of Gloria Ferrer “Cuvee Brut” sparkling wine from California.
THE END –
Patreon Love:
Thank you so much to our Patreon supporters! Sending out some Patreon Love to:
Jeff E from the hilarious drinking show, We Like Drinking
By the way, the W25 ladies and the WLD guys will be celebrating the We Like Drinking podcast’s 99th episode to be released on November 30th. If you’re not yet subscribed, and you’ll want to be as there will be a “time-sensitive” contest that Friday morning, now’s a good time to do it. Just sayin’.
“It’s not five o’clock and we don’t care” listeners: Thank you:
- Meg from South Dakota!
- Clay from Arizona!
- Jon in California!
- And our newest supporter, Andrew in Illinois!
A little bit about Andrew: “I’m a former Trader Joe’s employee of eight years I was in charge of their wine and spirits department and in that time I had to do ordering and inventory management I poured wine for customers and I lead the wine tastings for our coworkers that gave them the tools and vocabulary to better help customers in the wine department. I loved my job but I told myself the day I stop having fun is the day I leave my job. I want to teach consumers as well as wine professionals as a career I left Trader Joe’s to pursue my passion. Since I left Trader Joe’s I have acquired my Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, and my Certified Sommelier certifications as well as going through the WSET program levels 1,2, and 3. I must be crazy because in the very near future I would like to study and acquire my Certified Specialist of Spirits, Certified Wine Educator and possibly even Diploma WSET. Currently I am a student of wine and you can find me with my nose buried in a book filled with wine maps and drinking way too much coffee by day and a bartender by night. I am not super active on social media but you can find me in Facebook or Twitter @MrTraderJoe where I post funny wine quotes and I’m trying to post a wine word of the day to help people feel more comfortable with the complex words of the wine world.”
You ALL will be entered in our “Exotic Wine Travel Patreon Giveaway.” Charine Tan and Dr. Matthew Horkey were kind enough to send us an extra copy of their book, “Uncorking the Caucasus: Wines from Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia.” And It’s not too late to enter! The contest ends January 1st. For more details, go to our Patreon Page https://www.patreon.com/winetwofivepodcast
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Share the Love:
If you love Wine Two Five then we know you’ll share our show with your friends and online community, and we certainly appreciate all your involvement and feedback. Leave us a burning wine question or comment on speakpipe. iTunes love is always appreciated in the form of a glowing iTunes review as well. For your listening pleasure, whether IOS or Android, we are also on iHeartRadio!
Come play with us on our FB page, Twitter, Pinterest & YouTube, Google+ spaces if you’d like. Also, you can build your collection of wine books & accessories at our online store also located on our website!
Connect with Val on Twitter @WineGalUnboxed and on the Vino With Val FB page, and on instagram as Vino with Val.
Steph is on Twitter @Albarellosoap and on the AlbarelloSoap FB page, and check out the videos on the Albarello YouTube channel! Steph is also on instagram as the Wine Heroine.
Emily:
Feeding the Famished Blog, FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter @EmFeedsYou.
Don’t forget to use the #W25Challenge when you are trying new wines and drinks to win an opportunity to co-host the show with us.