California Cab Fatigue, Hybrids vs. Classics, and a Chillable Minervois Red with Roast Chicken on The Real Wine Show (S8E6)

In the season eight finale of The Real Wine Show, we thank our sponsor , the Gabriel Group (www.gabrielgrp.com) and introduce panelists Jason Lyons (assistant winemaker at Social Vines), House Alpens’ Midwest sales manager Megan Heinowski, and Red Wagon Rochester Wine Shop wine director Mick Descamps.

Panelists shared their “hot takes,” including boredom with oversaturated California cabernet, appreciating vermouth/oxidative and fortified styles as “wine,” and big suppliers narrowing restaurant lists while accelerating market decline. News topics debate how to position cold-climate hybrids, whether influencer “thirst posting” drives demand, and the Sancerre price/availability pivot to nearby Loire appellations.

Glass checks include Bayernmoor Pinot Noir, J.B. Becker Riesling, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin, and Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé.

Chef Jason’s Grape to Plate pairs a light Minervois blend from Clos Centeilles with brined roast chicken, potatoes, and kale; Wine Cipher is won by Mick; an emotive blind reveals a multi-vintage Austrian Grüner blend from aged barrels that were left without being topped, and Megan brings home the big prize!

00:00 Season Finale Kickoff

00:17 Sponsor Spotlight Gabriel Group

01:06 Meet Jason Lyons

01:48 California Cab Debate

03:30 Meet Megan Heinowski

04:24 Vermouth Is Wine

06:19 Meet Mick Descamps

07:11 Big Suppliers Backlash

09:52 Glass Check Tasting Notes

13:39 News Segment Hybrids Future

17:00 Selling Hybrids Smartly

20:28 Social Media Thirst Posting

24:04 Influencers Versus Craft

28:43 What Is Carcavelos

30:37 Rare Carcavelos Deep Dive

31:05 Tasting Notes and Rancio

32:01 Taylor Swift Bottle Banter

32:07 Sancerre Solution Debate

36:45 Downselling and Climate Shift

39:45 Glass Check and Score Update

42:29 Mystery Red Wine Analysis

45:28 Roast Chicken Pinot Pairing

48:13 Sides Potatoes and Kale

52:44 Reveal Minervois Blend

53:18 Chillable Red Reveal

53:56 Brining Poultry Practical Hack

55:13 Why Not Brine Steak?

56:41 Wine Cipher Game

57:10 Decoding Tasting Notes

01:00:45 Emotive Blind Setup

01:04:09 Springtime Wine Stories

01:09:39 Scores and Winner

01:10:22 Blind Wine Unveiled

01:12:21 Wrap and Final Toast

America Still Doesn’t Get Wine: Three Wine Biz Owners on Culture, Community, and the Magic We're Missing. Discover why South African wine is poised to win, if America has a problem appreciating wine, and find out which Friulian chardonnay gives sunny, Greek beach vibes! (The Real Wine Show S8E5).

Episode five of season eight opens with a shout-out to sponsor Gabriel Group (www.gabrielgrp.com) and introduces panelists Tommy York (owner of Ann Arbor wine hotspot and cafe, York), Emily Dorr (Flint community developer and owner of Queen’s Provisions), and Lori Herron (founder of Social Vines Vineyard and Winery in Dexter). Their hot takes include Emily calling for a 2026 “Judgment of Paris” redo with South Africa challenging California, Tommy arguing wine’s “magic” is underappreciated versus beer and spirits, and Lori defending Riesling’s range beyond sweetness.

Glass checks include Lalarge-Peugeot Champagne Tradition, Cartell Serena Prosecco, and a Bayernmoor Cellars Pinot Noir from Puget Sound. They discuss a fake “ancient cellar” story and SV Bank’s wine report on hospitality-driven sales and pricing, plus the perils and benefits of NA wine.

Chef Jason Bertold’s triple-blind tasting leads to a French style, spring-vegetable risotto matched to rare Coloma Alarije Dorado from Extremadura, Spain. The Wine Cipher identifies 2016 Lynch-Bages and Andre Cold Duck! Emotive blind tasting surprises with a delicious 2020 Pierpaolo Pecorari Chardonnay from Friuli, and Lori wins the game!

00:00 Welcome And Sponsor

00:53 Meet Tommy York (York Ann Arbor)

04:23 Meet Emily Dorr (Queens Provisions Flint)

08:56 Meet Lori Herron (Social Vines Dexter)

11:20 Riesling’s Reputation

12:41 Glass Check!

15:11 Fake News: Ancient Cellar

21:30 NA Wine Debate

24:14 Wine Industry Future

36:13 Score Update Segment

37:20 Grape to Plate w/ Chef Jason

40:34 Springy White Wine

41:31 French Style Risotto

42:52 Aged Carnaroli Rice

43:47 Risotto Cooking Plan

44:56 Vegetable Garnish Prep

46:11 Wine Reveal: a Spanish Alarije

47:57 Practical Hack: Blanching

50:01 Wine Cipher: Bordeaux

55:09 Candy Sparkler comes to the Cipher

01:00:03 Emotive Blind Tasting

01:08:25 Reveal: Friuli Chardonnay

01:09:35 Wines Of The Show

01:11:23 Scores And Farewell

Serious boss ladies get into it with Paper Bottles, Fake Wine Trains, and why stickies rule, plus a grenache-to-lamb pairing on The Real Wine Show (S8E4)

Special thanks to our sponsor Gabriel Group (gabrielgrp.com) for helping us make another great episode!

The show opens with intros to panelists Elisa Weber-Saintin (Little Guy Wine Company, celebrating 19 years; critic of predictable three-Michelin-star dining), Anna Nolan (Russian-born sommelier and co-owner of Vino and Vibes in Utica, aiming to “un-snob” wine), and Kristen Jonna (Michigan wine family royalty and owner of Vinology in Ann Arbor; she follows the moon!). In news debates, they discuss the viability of low-carbon “Frugal Pack” cardboard bottles versus glass, and a (fake) story about Japan’s underground wine trains, prompting talk of Michigan wine trains. Glass checks feature wines including Los Malditos Tempranillo, a Cremant de Loire sparkling wine, and a Slovenian pét-nat. The Wine Cipher note matches Château d’Yquem. On the Grape to Plate segment, Chef Jason Berthold pairs a 2022 McLaren Vale Grenache from Worlds Apart with grilled lamb loin crusted with black trumpet mushroom powder and pomegranate molasses plus chickpeas and grilled onions, sharing a grilling meal-prep hack. An emotive blind tasting generating Sound of Music vibes is revealed as a 2021 Lulu “BB1” Chardonnay/Savagnin blend from the Jura, and a 1975 Rivesaltes dessert wine stands out; Kristen takes home the big win!

00:00 Welcome and Sponsor

01:01 Meet the Panel

02:10 Elisa on Dining Hype

05:09 Anna Unsnobs Wine

07:54 Kristen’s Wine Royalty

10:40 Glass Check Tasting

17:36 Debate Paper Bottles

24:30 Fake News: Wine Trains

31:34 Wine Cipher Challenge

36:12 Dessert Wine Revival

38:22 Grape to Plate

38:44 Chef tastes

40:18 Food Pairing Pivot

42:01 Grilled Lamb Plan

43:41 Mushroom Pomegranate Crust

46:00 Chickpea Ragu Sides

48:09 Bottle Reveal: Grenache

49:07 Practical Hack: Grill Extras

50:22 Second Glass Check

54:20 Somm Slam Event Plug

59:05 Emotive Blind Tasting

01:06:39 Unveiling Lulu BB1

01:08:13 Wines of the Show

01:09:47 Final Scores; Farewell