The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Sicily to Dallas: CLINQ ZERO Saw the Gap in the Wine Industry Pt. 1
Most people who launch a non-alcoholic wine brand come at it from the wellness world, the beverage startup world, or the "I gave up drinking and couldn't find anything good" world. Anto Li Brizzi came at it from none of those places. He came at it from the winery floor. As head of North America for an Italian capital equipment company, Anto spent years selling the machinery that wineries use to make wine. He understood the production process, the industry dynamics, and the category from the inside out. When he saw the opportunity to build a better non-alcoholic sparkling wine — one that starts as real wine and is gently dealcoholized rather than constructed from juice, sugar, and flavoring — he had the knowledge and the credibility to do it right. In this first episode, Forrest traces Anto's full origin story: Growing up in Sicily in a family defined by bread, bakeries, and the rhythms of Italian outdoor life Studying aerospace engineering — bachelor's and master's degrees — before pivoting to the corporate world A career path that took him from Fiat to agriculture to Tetra Pak and eventually to a front-row seat in the wine industry The move to the US eleven years ago, becoming an American citizen, and making Dallas home while still traveling back to Italy multiple times a year And the founding insight behind CLINQ ZERO: real sparkling wine, gently dealcoholized — not grape juice with bubbles, not a drink rebuilt with additives, but something that starts exactly where great wine starts. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why Joseph Phelps Expanded to the Sonoma Coast — Freestone Vineyards w/ Justin Ennis Pt. 4
Justin Ennis explains that you can't talk about Napa Valley's red table wine history without talking about Joe Phelps, who founded Joseph Phelps Vineyards in 1973 after building a national construction company, Hensel Phelps, with his father's business out of Greeley, Colorado. Phelps released the first vintage of Insignia in 1974, Napa's first Bordeaux-style blend, and was also among the first to varietally label Syrah in California after Prohibition. Working alongside his first winemaker, German immigrant Walter Shug, Phelps experimented widely across varietals including Riesling, Johannesburg Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, tearing out plantings that didn't meet his standard and starting over until he found the quality he wanted. Justin connects this same relentless pursuit of excellence to the founding of Freestone Vineyards, born from Phelps' love of Burgundy wines and his desire to make a true Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in a cooler climate. That search led the Phelps team to the West Sonoma Coast, where they planted two estate vineyards, Pastoral at 60 acres and Quarter Moon at 40, totaling 100 acres roughly seven to eight miles from Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean, complete with a separate winemaking facility and staff dedicated entirely to the Freestone project. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Maryse Wrote the Book on Wine Smart — Now Take the Quiz
Rusty Cellars is back behind the quiz desk, and this time the subject is the one guest who literally wrote the book on wine talk. Maryse Chevriere — certified sommelier, illustrator, and James Beard Award winner for the gloriously funny @FreshCutGardenHose — gets the full Pop the Quiz treatment as Rusty turns her interview series into two rounds of trivia and translation. Round one tests how closely you listened: her grape-stomping fall in Alsace, the humor award she won as an illustrator among writers, the Ian Cauble "fresh cut garden hose" line that named her brand, learning to drive at fifteen in Houston, and the all-Riesling wine list that gave her a big break in New York. Round two flips the glass and quizzes the language itself, busting the cork-sniffing ritual, decoding what legs really reveal, defending screw caps, and translating what "approachable" actually means when a sommelier says it with a smile. It's the perfect capper to the Maryse series and a 5-minute crash course in sounding wine smart without a single ounce of snobbery. Tally your score, grab the book, and pour something friendly. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
32 Harvests, Here's the Real Path - Justin Ennis Pt. 3
Justin Ennis explains that his path into winemaking didn't run through a four-year degree program, but through 32 harvests of hands-on, ground-up learning that started at age 19 with the least glamorous jobs in the building: cleaning tanks, floors, drains, and barrels. From there, progression came step by step, learning to run the crush pad, organize the barrel room, and operate equipment like pumps, forklifts, and cranes before eventually taking on bigger responsibility. He stresses that interns benefit most from working at high-quality, technique-focused wineries rather than high-volume producers, since that's where the best habits get built. Justin describes winemaking as a true lifestyle career rather than a 9-to-5 job, comparing it to professional sports in terms of the all-in commitment it demands, since farming and winemaking run year-round with no real clocking out. He wraps up by walking through the cyclical rhythm of his year, from the relatively quiet stretch of leafing, shoot positioning, and crop estimating in the vineyard right now, to the upcoming July bottling and the harvest prep that follows, all while Mother Nature ultimately dictates the timeline. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Premium Blend Is Giving Away Product — For the Best Possible Reason
Henry Santos of Premium Blend joins Forrest to talk about Raise a Glass for Colombia, the company's earthquake relief campaign. Premium Blend has deep roots in the Colombian community, and just two months before the earthquake they launched Brisa Ardiente, a wine-based Colombian aguardiente created with the community's support. Now they're giving back in a big way. Henry explains that the campaign has grown beyond its original scope: rather than just Colombian restaurants, Premium Blend is challenging all of its customers to host a one-evening fundraising event and dedicate cocktail proceeds to earthquake victims. Premium Blend supplies the product to make those cocktails at no cost, and the company has opened its Miami warehouse as a receiving center for donations being gathered and shipped to Colombia. Henry also shares the good news that his friends and contacts in Colombia are safe, while acknowledging that not everyone was so fortunate. Restaurant and bar owners can get involved by visiting premiumblend.com or calling 800-899-0331 and asking for the Colombia package. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
From the Vault: Keith Urban, Golden Road Era Pt. 3 — The Finale
Then things get playful: Keith cheerfully ad-libs an Outback Steakhouse tagline ("Crikey, I just threw that one in myself"), before a rapid-fire lightning round turns up Citizen Kane, a love of tattoos, chocolate over vanilla, and his dad as his athletic hero. He signs off by picking Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me — the same song that opens his show every night — ahead of the Farmhand benefit at the House of Blues in Anaheim. A warm, funny, generous farewell to a genuine star on the rise. Show notes The story behind the forgiveness line, and writing by stream of consciousness Keith riffs a full Outback Steakhouse ad-read on the spot The lightning round: speed limits, favorite videos (Landslide), and drinking as a sport Dad as his athletic hero, Citizen Kane, tattoos, and chocolate over vanilla Picking Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me to close — the song that opens his live show One last plug for the Farmhand benefit at the House of Blues, Anaheim @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why Every Winemaker Needs To Travel First - Justin Ennis Pt. 2
Justin Ennis dives into the long tradition of international exchange programs in winemaking, where interns and foreign workers move between wineries to share techniques, equipment innovations, and processes that have developed differently across regions. He recalls starting in the cellar at eighteen years old, working alongside people from completely different countries, languages, and backgrounds, and how that experience opened his eyes to how much more there was to learn beyond what he'd seen at home. Justin challenges the assumption that American winemaking is automatically the best, pointing out that Old World regions like France have been refining their craft for centuries longer. He explains why harvest season, typically August through October, requires an expanded labor pool and round-the-clock monitoring of fermentations as fruit comes in at all hours. He also talks about why internships matter so much for young people entering the industry, giving them a low-stakes way to explore winemaking, vineyard work, hospitality, or sales before committing to one path, and how he now gets to pass that same mentorship forward at his own winery. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Wine-Based Cocktails, a Cuban Escape — Premium Blend Pt. 1-5
What does it take to build a 35-year-old spirits brand from scratch when nobody believes in your product, you have no industry experience, and a liquor license costs seven figures in your market? Ask Gino Santos. Premium Blend Cocktails for one of the most wide-ranging, personal, and genuinely fascinating guest conversations in TB5MWP history. The Business Concept Premium Blend produces wine-based spirits that are legally classified as wine — meaning any venue holding a basic beer and wine license (as low as $400 in Florida) can serve them. No six-figure liquor license required. The products are formulated to taste like the spirits they replicate: tequila, rum, vodka, mezcal, and more — and when mixed into cocktails, they're virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. The Product Line The flagship Agave Wine Collection is made from 100% blue agave sourced in Jalisco, Mexico — the same region as the world's finest tequilas — and includes Tequesta, Ginete (blanco-style), Guitarron, Guitarron Classico (reposado-style), Zapotec (mezcal-style), and El Guitarron Cristalino. At 48 proof, the line has evolved from a cocktail mixer into a sipping spirit in its own right. Additional products include Rumbero (rum-style), Clear Red (vodka-style), Santos Sangria (100% Spanish origin, grandmother's family recipe), Failing Irish Cream (produced in Ireland), and Cafe Luna coffee liqueur. A new Aguardiente (Colombian-style spirit) is also in the pipeline. The Origin Story Gino and his brother Henry were born in Cuba. Their father Orestes — a celebrated Cuban singer-songwriter — was anti-Castro, thrown in jail, and eventually escaped with his family on a shrimp boat stolen by an uncle. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued them mid-ocean as the boat was sinking, bringing them ashore in Key West to sandwiches and cold milk. From Newark to Miami, through Stetson University and an MBA from the University of Miami, Gino ended up on the road selling Oscar Mayer products when he spotted a wine-based spirit that no one was marketing correctly. He and Henry saw the gap and built Premium Blend to fill it. The Pitch and the Hustle The early years meant self-distribution across Florida in plastic bottles (glass breaks; plastic doesn't), cold-calling venues with no distributor support, and doing trade show samplings to get skeptical buyers to try the product. The sales pitch Gino still stands behind: Premium Blend increases your margins, improves customer retention, and makes your wait staff more money — all without a liquor license. Blind taste tests against actual rum and tequila have been closing deals ever since. The Legacy Gino closes the series reflecting on his late father Orestes, who told his sons when they arrived in America: "We didn't come here to take, we came here to give." Premium Blend now employs a team, operates in multiple states, and has helped countless small restaurants stay in business on the strength of their cocktail margins alone. 📞 Premium Blend toll-free: 800-899-0331 🌐 premiumblend.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
1 Harvest Changed Everything: Freestone Winemaker Justin Ennis's Sonoma Coast Story Pt. 1
Justin Ennis, senior director of winemaking for Joseph Phelps Vineyards and the steward of its Freestone brand along the Sonoma Coast, where he's spent the last twenty years shaping the wines. Justin grew up surrounded by wine without ever planning to make a career of it — his grandfather kept a full table, and his mother's family in Healdsburg tended an old field-planted vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley. It wasn't until his stepfather, who worked facilities at what's now Hartford Family Winery, nudged him toward a harvest internship that everything changed. Justin signed on as cellar help for his first vintage in 1995 under winemaker Dan Goldfield, expecting little more than hard, unglamorous labor: power washing, barrel cleaning, and punch-downs. What he found instead reshaped his entire worldview. That first harvest, he worked alongside cellar hands from Portugal, France, and Australia, brought to the United States through agricultural exchange visa programs like CAEP. For a young guy from what he calls an "insular" Sonoma County, the camaraderie and global perspective of harvest work opened a door he hadn't known existed — one that would eventually take him as far as New Zealand using that same visa program. Justin reflects on falling into winemaking purely by chance, simply applying for a job that needed warm bodies, and discovering a calling he never set out to find. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Keith Urban: Golden Road Interview — Guitar Heroes & Hidden Tracks Pt. 2
Keith talks his TV run on Leno and The View, a fan poll that had him wanting to see him on the big screen (right behind Faith Hill), and previews the next single, Raining on Sunday, written by Radney Foster and Darrell Brown. Keith geeks out over guitar heroes Lindsey Buckingham and Mark Knopfler, his love of Bob Seger, and reveals the surprising story behind But for the Grace of God — co-written with two members of the Go-Go's. A warm, funny, guitar-obsessed snapshot of Keith Urban on the rise. Show notes (timestamped highlights) Rebecca Lynn Howard calls in — Somebody Like You is her favorite on the radio How fast the single caught on, before the record was even done The TV whirlwind: Leno and The View, and winning over a non-country crowd The fan poll that wanted Keith on the big screen, right behind Faith Hill Guitar talk: Dire Straits, Lindsey Buckingham, Mark Knopfler Previewing the next single, Raining on Sunday (Radney Foster / Darrell Brown) The Bob Seger shirt and playing Against the Wind The Go-Go's story behind But for the Grace of God Co-writing Somebody Like You with John Shanks — and that banjo riff @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
New Products, World Cup, Holiday Table: Premium Blend's Next Chapter Pt. 5
Thirty-five years. Same 800 number. Still picking up. That's Premium Blend in a nutshell — built on relationships, consistency, and a product that just keeps finding new audiences. In this final episode of the series, Gino Santos gives Forrest a full picture of where the brand is headed and what it looks like at home. Highlights include: A new Aguardiente (Colombian-style spirit) launching just ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with Miami games on the schedule and Premium Blend accounts already lining up launch parties The long-term retail vision: getting agave wine and other products onto shelves at stores like Ralph's so consumers can take them home The Santos family holiday table — roast pork, black beans and rice, and the Cuban flag in food form, shared with three generations across Miami, Jacksonville, and Nashville The full drink lineup for that dinner: Santos Sangria (100% Spanish origin, grandmother's old family recipe), rum and Cokes made with Rumbero, vodka sodas made with Clear Red, and after-dinner pours of Failing Irish Cream (produced in Ireland) and Cafe Luna coffee liqueur Why the margarita quietly became America's number one cocktail — and what the tequila boom means for Premium Blend's agave wine collection How Premium Blend supports its accounts beyond the sale: recipe books, promotional materials, and hands-on drink-making help A fitting close to a five-part series packed with business insight, immigrant grit, family pride, and genuinely great product storytelling. 📞 Premium Blend toll-free: 800-899-0331 🌐 premiumblend.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Greets You With… But Hits You in the Face: Inside Wine Drawings Everyone Loves Pt. 6
Maryse Chevriere's illustrations — a little figure she simply calls "my little dude." He's intentionally universal, someone anyone can see themselves in, though she'll add a ponytail, a bow tie, or a mustache when a drawing calls for it. Forrest zeroes in on a favorite: a "greets you with… but hits you in the face" illustration featuring the character at a microphone under a spotlight, arms up as if shielding himself. Maryse explains the improv-style thinking behind it — "greets you with" is the chill, gentle version of describing a wine's notes, while "hits you in the face" is the version where lemon, lime, and green bell pepper smack you so hard you can't miss it. The whole thing is built around a punchy Sauvignon Blanc (or, in Forrest's Boston translation, a "Savvy B"). Then the practical heart of the episode: who is the book for? Maryse describes it as ideal for newer wine appreciators looking to level up, or anyone who wants a fun, flip-through companion for a glass of wine — originally imagined as a coffee-table book. It's rich with 101-level information, but polished enough that professionals will recognize their own wine-speak and chuckle. Above all, it's a wine book that doesn't feel like a textbook, and a great gift for anyone who loves wine. Maryse takes the open mic to acknowledge the people behind the book: her mom, aunt, and in-laws (who bought and promoted copies), her publishers who finally saw a vision she'd carried for years, her friends Annie, Jess, and Laura, and especially her husband, who held her together while she wrote and illustrated the book through her pregnancy. There's a warm, funny riff about family members enthusiastically promoting her at local wine shops — her mom being the biggest cheerleader of all — and even getting her book and drawings into a charity silent auction. She closes with where to find everything: Instagram at Freshcutgardenhose, prints and custom work at fcghstudio.com, and the book at Amazon, local bookshops, and Barnes & Noble — or search "How to Sound Wine Smart" at SimonandSchuster.com for every retailer. A warm, generous send-off to a standout series. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We Didn't Come Here to Take, We Came Here to Give" — Gino & His Father's American Dream Pt. 4
Every great business has a moment when the founder walks into a stranger's establishment and has to sell the dream from scratch. For Gino Santos, that pitch had three parts: increase your margins, keep your customers coming back, and make your wait staff more money — all with just a beer and wine license. In this final installment of the Premium Blend series, Forrest gets the full story: Why Premium Blend launched in plastic bottles — a practical shipping decision when you're self-distributing across Florida with almost no capital Why plastic has actually become a selling point for bars and restaurants where dropped bottles are a real cost The three-part sales pitch Gino used to walk cold into venues: higher profit margins, increased customer retention, and bigger tips for waitstaff How Premium Blend sales presentations work — Henry and Gino would show up with bags of product like they were moving in, letting everyone taste everything Blind taste tests against actual rum, tequila, and more — and why the cocktails are indistinguishable Pricing breakdown: roughly $8–$10 per liter depending on state alcohol tax The philosophy behind the business: owning a company, not just having a job A moving tribute to their late father, Orestes Santos — the Cuban musician who said "we didn't come here to take, we came here to give" — and what he would think seeing his sons build something that employs people and sustains small businesses across the country Learn more at premiumblend.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Certified Som Flashcards to James Beard Award — Maryse Origin Story Pt. 5
The series wraps by going back to the beginning. Maryse Chevriere opens with the closure debate and dismantles an old-school myth: you absolutely can have great wine under a screwcap — some of the world's best Rieslings are sealed that way. She gets the confusion, since screwcaps are also a cheaper closure found on inexpensive bottles, but her position is simple: if the wine is good, she doesn't care how it's sealed. Corkscrews have more flair, sure, and she offers a pro tip on the trickier wax-topped bottles — drive the corkscrew straight in rather than trying to peel all the wax off first. Then a quiz question with real teaching value: when an expert calls a wine "approachable," they mean it's easy to drink and enjoyable right now — friendly, no curveballs. Not a polite way of saying cheap, though your greatest Barolo, Bordeaux, or Champagne probably isn't "approachable" in the same way. Think Tuesday-night wine rather than Friday date-night bottle. Maryse also shares the human side: the close-minded customer she'd love to secretly test with a box wine, her genuine modesty about calling herself an illustrator ("I like to draw... it was a hobby"), and the James Beard Award she won in the humor category for the media awards — standing out as an illustrator among writers. The payoff is the full-circle reveal. Forrest plays a mystery voice, and Maryse immediately identifies Master Sommelier Ian Cauble. It turns out her whole project traces back to him. While studying for her certified sommelier exam and clicking around Instagram, she was struck by how visually evocative — and delightfully silly — wine language can be. Coming to wine a little later herself and not always feeling like she fit in with the somm crowd, she found her own way to contribute. And Ian's iconic line — that a wine tastes like fresh cut garden hose — was so perfect it named the whole thing. A fitting finale for the Wine-Curious: proof that the most memorable wine language comes from having fun with it. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Keith Urban: The Golden Road Interview — From the Vault Pt. 1
In Part 1, Keith laughs through a surprise call to a bed-and-breakfast in his hometown of Caboolture, Australia (where the locals are more sure about the Crocodile Hunter than the future superstar), talks about flying his mum and dad over for the CMAs, and admits the Aussie beers he still misses back in the States. He opens up about the Farmhand drought-relief broadcast beamed to Australia via satellite, his love of Farm Aid and Willie Nelson, and where his best song ideas tend to strike — the shower. Plus a caller phones in about the Somebody Like You video with Niki Taylor. A warm, funny, genuine snapshot of Keith Urban on the rise. Show notes (timestamped highlights) The montage intro and the "urban legend" welcome The surprise call home to Caboolture — and Gloria's Crocodile Hunter mix-up Bringing mum and dad over for the CMAs The Aussie beers Keith misses: VB and Coopers (and a shot at Fosters) Anaheim House of Blues and the Farmhand drought-relief satellite broadcast Farm Aid, Willie Nelson, and why helping farmers touches everyone Songwriting in the shower — and the "wet trail to the tape deck" A caller rings in about the Somebody Like You video with Niki Taylor @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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