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We’re discussing “All the Water in the World” by @eirencaffall! 🌆💦 This absolutely beautiful book reminds us of the resilience we’re all capable of, especially when we stick with those who love and support us. Inspired by Octavia Butler’s classic “Parable of the Sower,” Caffall takes us on a journey through New York after the cataclysmic effects of climate change have decimated the planet. Water becomes a main character, something to be feared, respected, but also sought after to sustain life. We can’t talk about this book without talking about climate change, so we paired this book with Hedges Family Estate La Haute Cuvee 2019 and discuss Sustainable Washington–an educational sustainability program created over two decades ago.

After a much-needed break and some time to reflect on everything that’s been going on, we’re back and we’re amped up! 💫 In this episode, we take some time to reflect alongside you and talk about the 2024 election, our future, and what we can do to help build a better world. In an effort to do that, we’ve come up with a “Required Reading (and Drinking)" list, to serve as a survival guide for these next few years of Trump. 📚 We do not simply want to preach to the choir, we want to give the choir the tools they need to do the work that will be required of all of us. 🧰We’ve missed you all and we’re always here and always ready to provide necessary resources and support!

This episode focuses on “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee and we can’t wait to discuss it with all of you! Some of you might’ve watched the Prime Video hit movie of the same name, so we figured this was a good time to talk about the adaptation and compare it to the book! We have lots of thoughts about this one! “The Idea of You” centers around art dealer Solène Marchand and her unconventional relationship with boy band heartthrob Hayes Campbell. After having met at the August Moon concert, Solène is swept away into a life completely transformed into something unrecognizable. The two become a viral sensation and Solène is forced to deal with how this complicates her “real” life—particularly, the ways in which this all affects her young daughter. We paired the book with Pommery Royal Brut Champagne N.V., which speaks to the main character’s ties to France and England.

We are back and coming in hot with “The Woman in me” by Britney Spears. This book was highly anticipated and named Best Book of the Year by Elle, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NPR, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, and more. I know we were both itching to get our hands on it! In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. “The Woman in Me” reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history. Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’ groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last. In this episode, we pair the book with Josef Ehmoser Zweigelt Rosé 2022 to capture Britney’s feminine and ever-changing spirit. This is one you don’t want to miss!

Remember episode five featuring “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam? Get ready for our take on the movie adaptation. Available on Netflix, this thriller is directed by Sam Esmail and is produced by the Obamas (you know how we love Michelle). Featuring film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon, this movie follows a family vacation on Long Island that is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a blackout. As the threat grows, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world. Don’t miss our thoughts on the actors, revised storyline, and more!

Remember episode four featuring “Red, White, & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston? Get ready for our take on the movie adaptation. Available on Amazon, this romantic comedy is directed by Matthew López and depicts a developing love affair between the son of the president of the United States (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine). Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, and Uma Thurman appear in supporting roles. Don’t miss our thoughts on the actors, revised storyline, and more!

During our stay at Glen Hollow in the Finger Lakes, we met many knowledgeable and inspirational people in the wine scene. One afternoon, we took a moment to speak with Maiah Johnson Dunn, of New York Kitchen, and Adrian Prieto, of Hosmer Winery, to discuss the Finger Lakes wine scene, diversity and inclusion, and more.

This summer, we spent some time in upstate New York in the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes are a group of 11 long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the Finger Lakes region in New York, in the United States.A pre-Prohibition wine region, the first vines were planted in Hammondsport, New York in 1829. By 1900, more than 50 wineries were established along the lakes. The Finger Lakes AVA was established in 1982 and boasts two sub-AVAs, the Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake AVAs, both established in 1988. Today, the region is home to almost 150 wineries and 11,000 acres of vineyards and produces about 54,600 tons of grapes.In addition to wine, the Finger Lakes boasts a strong history, including Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in America (and you know we’re all about that). We stayed at Glen Hollow and learned about all the local history and wine. Hosts Chris and Lisa were so gracious, and showed us all around the beautiful region. Tune in to learn more about what Glen Hollow, and the region, has to offer.

For our spooky season episode, we head to Paris for this suspenseful, unique, and unpredictable thriller! In "The Paris Apartment," Jess, our main character, travels to Paris to visit her brother Ben. When she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found, he’s left no note, and his neighbors are all extremely suspicious. Jess decides to take matters into her own hands and find Ben herself. Guaranteed to keep you turning pages, the twists in this story will keep you guessing! Since Alexa just came back from Bordeaux, France on a Clink Different wine trip, We paired this book with Chateau d'Arsac Margaux 2019. P.S. Lot's of spoilers in this episode!

Our book choices often relate back to current events—whether it’s women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ equality, BIPOC empowerment, climate change, etc. So, we decided to create Popping Off the Page, special spin-off episodes that highlight the people who are trying to make the world a better place. On this episode, we interview Christina Davis from National Kidney Foundation. As you know, kidney health is near and dear to Maritza's heart, so we chat with Christina about the upcoming Authors Luncheon, a 35-year-old fundraiser uniting best-selling authors and tens of thousands of literary enthusiasts. Authors for this year's luncheon include Lee Child, Anita Gail Jones, Lauren Groff, Mac Barnett, and Shawn Harris.

In this episode, we unleash our female anger with “Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger” by Rebecca Traister. This book explores the transformative power of female anger and its ability to transcend into a political movement. Vanity Fair calls it “a hopeful, maddening compendium of righteous feminine anger, and the good it can do when wielded efficiently—and collectively.” We had the opportunity to record this episode in the Finger Lakes wine region (when we stayed at Glen Hollow) after having spent an afternoon in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in America.With this female-empowered book, we wanted to focus on a badass female winemaker in the Finger Lakes. We were lucky enough to get a tour and tasting with Hosmer Winery’s Julia Hoyle (a POP first!). We chatted with her about her journey, the region, and more.

In this episode, we dive into this kooky and wild adventure! “Big Swiss,” by Jen Beagin, is the story of Greta, a woman living in a small town and working as a transcriber. A local sex therapist asks her to transcribe sessions with his local patients and inevitably, Greta recognizes one of these voices while at the dog park. The voice belongs to none other than “Big Swiss.” “Big Swiss,” aka Flavia, and Greta get caught up in an affair that will keep you turning pages late into the night. This is a story about companionship, trauma, starting a new chapter, and the ways in which we build our lives according to our fears.With this LGBTQ+ book, we wanted to focus on queer winemakers. In a past episode, we featured the wife duo of Camins 2 Dreams, so we were pleased to find another partner duo in love at Birdhorse Wines. To celebrate this queer story, we chose their rosé from the 2023 Pride Pack.

Our book choices often relate back to current events—whether it’s women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ equality, BIPOC empowerment, climate change, etc. So, we decided to create Popping Off the Page, special spin-off episodes that highlight the people who are trying to make the world a better place. On this episode, we interview Jennifer Serrano and Veronica Vasquez from JZD, who are breaking barriers as a queer Latina-owned lifestyle brand that builds community and celebrates cultura every day. Founded in 2016 by the wife duo in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, JZD exists to empower and remind Latinas that eres una diosa; poderosa y hermosa!Jen and Vero are proud to be living their American Dream with their “dollar and a dream” hustle mentality, which has catapulted their business and brand to unimaginable heights as two women with immigrant roots. Jen immigrated from Mexico at the age of six and Vero is a first-generation Mexican-American. Jen and Vero started JZD because they needed a reminder of their power. Their first successful product is the now iconic Pink Latina Power Tee. When that t-shirt went viral, they realized that so many in the community felt the same way. At that moment they decided to focus on creating products that made them feel represented and connected to their roots. Under their community first mindset and dedicated leadership, JZD has reached $2 million in sales in under six years, grown a social media community of more than 100,000 followers, launched a collection at Target and shipped to more than 31 countries. All while being independently owned and self-funded.

In this episode we rock out to “Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. DJ&TS has been extremely popular and got a boost after the release of the series adaptation on @primevideo a few months ago! We discuss the book and the show—focusing on where we think the producers got it right and where they got it wrong! Based on the story about a fictional rock & roll band in the late 60s, DJ&TS is a moving story about a band that becomes more like a family, but eventually ending in disaster and sudden collapse. As an ode to main character Daisy Jones, we pair this book with Henriot Brut Souverain Champagne.

After a short break (life gets in the way sometimes!) we’re excited to dive into Ta-Nehisi Coates' “Between the World and Me.” This National Book Award winning-novel is short but packs a punch. Written as a letter to his son and inspired by James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time,” Coates writes about what it means to be Black in America. He weaves the personal anecdotes and stories into life lessons for his son as well as personal reflections we can all learn from. For this discussion, we are joined by Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) Director Franklin Sirmans and we touch upon what role education plays in our biases, reflect on what we learn at school versus what we don’t, the humanist approach of museums, and more. Alexa pairs the wine with La Fête Blanc du Blanc, gifted by the amazing Ray Sholes @theroyalvines, certified sommelier and wine geek. PAMM artists mentioned in this episode: Leandro Erlich, Virginia Jaramillo, Firelei Báez, Bisa Butler, John William Bailly, Alfredo Jaar, Teresita Fernandez, Calida Rawles, Gary Simmons, and Antonia Wright. And to humor our PAMM in-house general counsel: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this program are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or positions of any entities they represent.