What if the best way to enjoy wine isn't about finding the perfect bottle, but finding someone to share it with?

This week on The Sipping Point, Laurie welcomes Kimberly Charles, wine industry veteran and co-founder of Come Over October, a movement created with Karen MacNeil and Gino Colangelo to celebrate wine's unique ability to bring people together. From casual gatherings with neighbors to themed wine nights, Kimberly shares how a simple invitation can create meaningful connections and lasting memories.

Laurie and Kimberly also explore why wine deserves a place at the everyday table, how to make entertaining less intimidating, and why sparkling wine shouldn't be saved for special occasions. Along the way, they share two delicious wine discoveries: Gruet Brut from New Mexico and Fox Run Unoaked Chardonnay from New York's Finger Lakes. Plus, Kimberly busts one of the biggest wine myths of all: you don't need to be an expert to enjoy what's in your glass.

So grab a bottle, invite someone over, and remember to trust your own taste!

Learn more and find entertaining inspiration at ComeOverOctober.com.

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Can a $65 Cabernet really compete with a $200 bottle? And do those 90-plus-point wine scores still matter? This week on The Sipping Point, Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach, sits down with Austin Hope, winemaker and owner of Hope Family Wines, to talk about what makes Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon special, why wine doesn't have to be intimidating and what you're really getting when you spend more on a bottle.

Austin's family has been growing grapes in Paso Robles since 1978, and today Hope Family Wines includes six brands spanning a wide range of styles and prices. Laurie and Austin taste four wines—Troublemaker Refresca Grenache, Liberty School Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Treana Cabernet Sauvignon and Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon—while tackling everything from chilling red wines and understanding wine scores to what “Reserve” really means and why your Cabernet might contain other grape varieties.

Plus, Austin reveals why spending $700 on a bottle of wine made even him uncomfortable, how he developed a $65 Cabernet to compete with luxury Napa wines, and the challenges of producing great wine at scale while keeping the business family-owned. It's a conversation about value, quality and why the best bottle of wine isn't necessarily the most expensive one.

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Follow The Sipping Point on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode!

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What happens when a winemaker stops trying to put his stamp on a wine—and lets the vineyard do the talking? This week on The Sipping Point, Laurie sits down with acclaimed Santa Barbara winemaker Greg Brewer, the force behind Brewer-Clifton and Diatom, to talk Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and why sometimes the best winemaking decision is to do less.

Greg shares his unlikely journey from teaching French at UC Santa Barbara to taking a $5.50-an-hour tasting room job that changed the course of his life. More than three decades later, he’s devoted his career to the Sta. Rita Hills. Laurie and Greg taste Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, exploring neutral oak, whole-cluster fermentation and how stems can bring structure and savory character to Pinot, before tasting Diatom—Greg’s clean, bright, stainless-steel expression of Chardonnay.

They also dig into Greg’s philosophy of taking ego out of winemaking, why vintage variation should be celebrated rather than corrected, and his mission to make wine less intimidating. And Greg takes on one of wine’s long-standing “rules”: Who says you have to drink white before red? His advice? Mix up the order, keep a few bottles open and experience wine on your own terms.

Support the show

Follow The Sipping Point on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel @thewinecoach to get video footage of the podcasts an more.

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