I just got back from filming my Napa harvest documentary, and after spending time around vineyards, winemakers, harvest crews, and grape varietals I had never even heard of, I realized something pretty quickly: I don’t know a damn thing about wine.

So I’m fixing that one bottle at a time.

Today I’m trying Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, and talking about a bigger question: what actually makes wine good?

Is it the score? The vintage? The region? The terroir? The tannins? What some wine critic says about it?

Or is good wine simply the wine you actually enjoy drinking?

I try a Cava Clos XV Brut Nature Premium Cuvée and immediately start getting green apple, sparkling apple cider, high acidity, and a really light, easy-drinking feel. And honestly? I freaking love it.

The more wine I taste, the more I’m realizing that wine doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t need to know every grape varietal, understand terroir, memorize wine regions, or have the vocabulary of a sommelier to know whether you like what’s in your glass.

I’ve had highly rated wines that did absolutely nothing for me, and I’ve had cheap bottles with friends that created memories I still think about years later.

For me, that’s what makes wine good.

A good bottle makes the moment better.

So whether you’re completely new to wine, learning about Cava and sparkling wine, getting into wine tasting, or you already know way more about this stuff than I do, come taste some wine with me.

And tell me in the comments: What’s a wine you absolutely love, regardless of the price, score, or what anyone else thinks about it?

Riley Sanchez almost became an Amazon researcher studying leaf-cutter ants before a mentor nudged her toward winemaking, and ten years later she's running secondary fermentations most people don't even know exist.

We got into the wild technical side of sparkling wine, the riddling, the disgorging, the yeast cultures kept alive year after year, and why harvest days that start at 1am somehow feel more like camp than chaos.

Riley explained why positive attitude matters more than talent when you're 12 hours into a shift, and how patience shapes a career that takes a full decade to actually see its own results reach the market.

What's the most surprising thing you learned about how your favorite drink is actually made?

Philippe Bienvenu has spent 35 years in the champagne world and helped create Armand de Brignac, the Ace of Spades, working directly with Jay-Z and Beyoncé to build one of the most recognized bottles on the planet.

We get into why "champagne is champagne" is a myth, why non-vintage is actually the smartest place to start, and why the most expensive bottle in the room isn't always the one you'll love the most.

Philippe also breaks down why champagne might be the most food-friendly wine in existence, from Indian curry in Singapore to sushi nights gone wrong.

If you've ever stood in a wine shop paralyzed by champagne labels, this one's for you.

What's the wine you thought you were supposed to love but just didn't?