This week, your wine guides flock to the 2022 Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon to find out if Duckhorn’s value label is truly worth the hype. The guys dig into what makes a “second label” wine, compare it to a TV dinner in the best possible way, and fire up a new round of their game “Viterations.”

Expect a lighthearted look at flavor, structure, and value with a few good laughs along the way. Watch or listen, then tell us your favorite backup wine.

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

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Paige Comrie joins the Wine Guides—well, two of them anyway—for a cozy glass of Witch’s Brew Mulled Wine from Michigan, a $9 spiced red that started it all for her. Paige shares how this approachable bottle became her gateway into wine, leading from late-night study sessions with Wine for Dummies to earning her WSET Level 3 certification and becoming an influencer in the wine world.

She talks about building her business, Wine with Paige, around storytelling, creativity, and genuine connection instead of rigid wine rules. From small producers to inspired photo shoots, her work proves that wine is about experience, not ego.

Expect laughs, cats, a little spice, and a warm reminder that wine should always be fun, not fussy. Grab your mug, settle in, and join the community of wine lovers who drink what they like.

Connect with Paige

Wine with Paige on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/winewithpaige

Check out the Wine with Paige website!

https://www.winewithpaige.com/

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

https://stopwastingyourwine.com/

The Wine Guides open their first Hungarian bottle with the Chateau Megyer Late Harvest Tokaji. Along the way they dig into what makes Tokaji one of the world’s great sweet wines, how late harvest differs from the famous Aszú style, and why noble rot is better than it sounds.

This week's conversation mixes in stories from a night out in New York, thoughts on when dessert wine works at the table, and plenty of laughs as Joel tests his Hungarian, Aaron chases down floral notes, and Colin connects the dots on Tokaji’s long history. The episode wraps with their final verdict and a lively round of “Hungarian Spellmolier.”

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Wine Guys return to Germany for their first German red on the show, the 2023 Gerd Anselmann Pfalz Dornfelder. What starts with jammy blackberries, blueberries, and plum on the nose quickly turns into one of the most unusual tasting experiences they have had all season. Freshness, juiciness, bitterness, and earth all fight for attention in a wine that feels like two different bottles in one sip.

The crew dives into Dornfelder’s backstory too. Bred in 1955, this crossing has already climbed to become Germany’s second most planted red grape. They talk through the two styles you’re most likely to run into and where this Pfalz bottle falls. The chat drifts into serving temp, what foods it begs for like lamb or a charcuterie board, and how the wine’s unexpected weight and flavor keep throwing them curveballs

To close things out, the Wine Vibes game makes another appearance, distilling Dornfelder into pure vibes instead of tasting notes. Weird, surprising, but enjoyable, this wine sparks one of the most curious conversations yet.

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

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Chapters: 00:00 - Intro02:40 - What we are drinking. 05:33 - Wine Discussion: Smells and Flavors14:26 - Wine Drops: Learning Segment23:28 - Wine Review30:29 - Game: Wine Vibes34:39 - Outro

This week we sit down with Daley Brennan of Vik Wines, whose path into the wine world is anything but ordinary. Born in the UK, educated in Paris, and once on track for a career in neuroscience, Daley’s journey shifted after a side job at a Paris bottle shop had him opening first-growth Bordeaux's.

In our conversation, Daley talks about moving from academia into wine, navigating French and American business culture, and how Vik has built its reputation in Chile by embracing bold ideas and experimentation. He also shares what makes Vik’s valley so distinctive, from its soils and microclimates to amphora crafted with estate clay and barrels toasted with local oak.

And of course, we open a bottle of the VIK Red Blend Millahue 2021. From its shift toward Cabernet Franc dominance to the rare 100-point score, we explore why this flagship wine stands out and how it captures Vik’s vision for Chilean wine.

Learn More About VIK!

The VIK Consumer Website

https://www.vikwine.com/

The VIK Wine Industry Website

https://www.vikvines.com/

Connect with Daley

LinkedIn

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

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This week, the guys pop open the 2021 Tenuta di Renieri Chianti Classico Riserva. A $25 bottle that James Suckling stamped with 95 points. The question, does that score really hold up?

Along the way we dig into what separates Chianti Classico from the rest of Chianti, the rules behind Riserva and Gran Riserva, and why the black rooster on the label actually matters.

We also roll out our brand-new game Viterations, where this Riserva gets reimagined as a car, a cheese, and even an Italian speedo.

Looking for a solid Sangiovese that won’t empty your wallet? This one might be your next dinner table pick.

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters00:00 - Welcome and Wine Introduction02:30 - Why This Bottle? $25 and 95 Points05:20 - First Impressions and Tasting Notes10:30 - Structure, Balance, and Finish16:30 - Old World vs. New World Discussion
18:00 - Learning Segment – Chianti Classico, Riserva, and Gran Riserva
25:30 - How Air and Decanting Change the Wine
28:00 - The Review
30:30 - Food Pairings and Dinner Table Potential
33:00 - New Game: Viterations
36:30 - Closing Thoughts

This week we crack open the 2021 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon, a bottle you can find just about anywhere. In this episode, we dive into what it means to take on “big brand week,” share our first impressions of a California Cab at this price point, and talk through where it lands in our wine ranking system.

Along the way, we swap out the name of our learning segment, "wine nuggets”, for the much better sounding “wine drops,” dig into California’s climate and oak choices, and discuss the food pairings that actually make sense with this style of wine. And for the first time, we try out a brand-new game: Wine Vibes.

Is this Cab a wine fridge pick, a backup bottle, or just a casual sipper? Tune in and see where we landed.

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

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Chapters

0:00 - Intro and Big Brand Week

2:00 - Preconceptions About California Cab

6:00 - The Story Behind Joel Gott 815

9:00 - First Impressions and Tasting Notes

14:00 - Structure, Balance, and Oak Talk

17:00 - Wine Drops26:00 - Food Pairings Beyond Steak

29:30 - Revisiting the Wine

32:00 - Final Verdict

36:00 - New Game: Wine Vibes

40:00 - Closing Thoughts

This week we sit down with writer and storyteller Noah Chichester, the voice behind Wines of Galicia. Noah shares how a college job in a small wine shop set him on a path that led to teaching in Spain, falling in love with Albariño, and dedicating himself to telling the story of one of Spain’s most overlooked wine regions.

We dive into what makes Galicia so distinct from the rest of Spain, from its Celtic coastline to its remarkable diversity of native grapes. Noah explains why Albariño is the perfect gateway to the region, why Mencía deserves more attention, and how Galicia’s wines deliver both freshness and value.

Along the way, we taste a bottle of Martín Códax Albariño and share our thoughts on its sea-spray minerality, citrus brightness, and surprising complexity. All for around thirteen dollars.

Whether you’re a longtime Spanish wine fan or just starting your journey, this episode offers a fresh look at why Galicia should be on your radar.

Connect with Noah and The Wines of Galicia

The Wines of Galicia Website

https://winesofgalicia.com/

The Wines of Galicia on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/@winesofgalicia

Noah on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nchichester

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!

Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram

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Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube

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The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠