Stop Wasting Your Wine

This week we ask a simple question. Is a fifty dollar white wine actually worth it?

We head back to Umbria with the Rigogoli 2022 from Tenuta di Salviano. A fifty fifty blend of Viognier and Grechetto di Todi. An IGT wine built on freedom and intention. Named for the winemaker’s grandfather, Rigogoli brings real story to the glass.

We also kick off a new yearly tradition. The wine fridges are officially cleared. New year. Clean slate. Only three spots are open for 2026. Things go off the rails fast when Colin puts a natural orange wine straight into his fridge. No hesitation. No apology.

Along the way we dig into why IGT does not mean lower quality, how Viognier and Grechetto work together, and why serious white wine should not be ice cold. We also revisit PiNope or ChardonnYay! and ask you the listener for your experience with the last white wine that truly surprised you?

Wine details
Producer: Tenuta di Salviano
Wine: Rigogoli 2022
Region: Umbria Italy
Grapes: Viognier and Grechetto di Todi
ABV: 13.5 percent
Price: Around $50

Support the Show!
Buy us a glass!
⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/cheers3⁠⁠

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/

Wine Specs
https://www.kobrandwineandspirits.com/product/tenuta-di-salviano-rigogoli/

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction and Show Dynamics
02:02 – Wine Review: Tenuta di Salviano Rigogoli
04:41 – White Wine That Surprises You
06:07 – Price Point and Value Discussion
07:23 – Tasting Notes: Nose and Palate
15:14 – Balance, Acidity, and Finish
16:19 – What Is Bianco Umbria IGT
18:37 – Viognier vs Grechetto di Todi
20:18 – Winemaking Choices and Style
25:59 – Final Reviews and Ratings
32:21 – Pinot or Chardonnay: Aged Wine Debate
36:15 – Closing Thoughts and What’s Next

This week we open our gift wine series with Pighin Collio Pinot Grigio 2024. This is Italian Pinot Grigio with ambition. 14.5% ABV means it brings more power than you expect. We explore the Collio region in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where ponca soil, mountain air, and coastal warmth shape wines with edge and depth. This bottle shifts the narrative. It asks you to rethink the Pinot Grigio category.

We also play PiNope or ChardonYay, because choosing sides is fun. And we solve a real problem: what do you do when someone keeps gifting you wine you don’t like? The answer might change how you gift wine forever.

This episode pours bold opinions, regional facts, and the kind of surprises that make you laugh, learn, and reach for another glass.

Support the Show!
Love finding great wines at a great value? Every dollar you give goes straight toward sourcing the next hidden gem for the show. Buy us a glass at the link below to keep the reviews flowing. Cheers!

Buy us a glass!
⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/cheers3⁠

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Wine Pronunciation
00:10 - Choosing the Right Wine for Gifting
01:32 - Exploring the 2024 Pigan Colio Pinot Grigio
03:29 - Understanding Estate Bottled Wines
06:03 - Tasting Notes and First Impressions
15:19 - Origin, Terroir, and Why Colio Matters
19:59 - Winemaking Choices and Texture
24:20 - Final Thoughts and Must Gift Verdict
29:24 - PiNope or ChardonnYay!
33:41 - Wine, Gifting, and Changing Tastes

Kicking off 2026, the Stop Wasting Your Wine team dives into the vibrant world of orange wine with a review of the Pierre and Antonin Petite Sauvage Orange Wine. Far from being just a passing fad, this 100% Souvignier Gris natural wine proves to be a bottle that perfectly balances high quality winemaking with an approachable price of $17 to $20. Throughout the episode, the hosts explore what truly defines an orange wine, explaining how skin maceration creates a unique "skin contact white" that delivers the tannic grip of a red with the bright acidity of a white. You will hear the team break down surprising tasting notes ranging from a Grand Marnier style orange lift and honeysuckle to a complex, earthy finish of black tea.

The discussion also features a special guest clip from winemaker Antonin Bonnet, insights into why this style is the ultimate food pairing "chameleon" for everything from spicy Thai food to funky cheese boards, and a heated "Pick Your Poison" debate that pits high end clubbing against dive bar comfort.

Whether you are a natural wine devotee or a curious newcomer, this episode is a fun and educational deep dive into a bottle that truly "crushes it".

Support the Show!
Love finding great wines at a great value? Every dollar you give goes straight toward sourcing the next hidden gem for the show. Buy us a glass at the link below to keep the reviews flowing. Cheers!

Buy us a glass!
https://buymeacoffee.com/cheers3

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Orange Wine
01:59 - The Rise and Fall of Orange Wine
04:54 - Exploring Natural Wine
07:06 - Interview with Antonin
11:40 - Tasting the Petite Sauvage Orange Wine
16:34 - Understanding Orange Wine
23:54 - Food Pairing with Orange Wine
29:04 - Final Thoughts and Reviews
32:13 - Fun Game: Pick Your Poison

Cheers to a spectacular wrap on 2025! In our final episode of the year, the "Stop Wasting Your Wine" crew is popping a bottle of Poema Brut Cava to ring in the new year without breaking the bank. At just $15, this traditional method sparkler from Spain brings the "tiny bubbles" and crisp acidity you crave for a celebration, but is it the best value we’ve found in our sparkling wine mini-series?

Beyond the bubbles, we’re taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane. From discovering a love for Cab Franc and sweet dessert wines to checking off more of those "10,000 grapes," we reflect on the bottles that defined our year. We also give a heartfelt shout-out to the incredible guests and experts who joined us on this journey. Whether you’re looking for a last-minute party recommendation or want to relive the highlights of 2025, grab a glass and join us for one last toast.

Happy New Year!

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/

Chapters00:00 - Intro and The 2025 Wrap-Up02:22 - Our Top Picks of the Year05:22 - Discoveries & 10,000 Grapes08:23 - Popping the Poema Brut Cava11:36 - Tasting Notes & Comparisons16:58 - Cava 101: Methods & Terroir21:30 - The Value King25:23 - Final Review & Scoring30:21 - Community & Guest Highlights44:37 - Looking Ahead to 2026

Sparkling wine season rolls on and this week we pop open the Alta Vista Brut Rosé from Mendoza, Argentina. It is a tank method sparkling wine made from an unexpected blend of Malbec and Pinot Noir, and it lands right in the middle of holiday drinking season.

On this episode, we talk about why bubbles take over this time of year and how easy it is to lose track of what you are pouring between family dinners, guests dropping by, and that strange week between Christmas and New Year’s. This is the kind of bottle you keep cold and open without overthinking it.

From there we break down what tank method really means and why this wine tastes fruit forward, bright, and more rosé driven than bready or yeasty. Cherry, raspberry, citrus, and a little funk on the finish lead to a bigger conversation about sparkling wine styles and how production methods shape texture and flavor.

We also walk through traditional method, ancestral method, and carbonation to help you understand what you are actually buying when you reach for bubbles. Especially when holiday pricing starts to climb.

We wrap with our verdict on value, where this wine lands on our scale, and whether it earns the not a waste stamp. Plus we bring back Wine With That for a holiday table scenario that gets a little too real.

If you like casual sippers.
If you like sparkling without the fuss.
If you want to drink smarter during bubble season.
This episode is for you.

Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!
Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:28 - Sparkling Wine Season
04:18 - Exploring the Alta Vista Brute Rosé
06:07 - Question of the Week
06:59 - Tasting the Wine
09:48 - Flavor Profiles and Production Methods
13:09 - Exploring the Funk in Wine
15:44 - Understanding Sparkling Wine Production
19:40 - The Traditional Method of Sparkling Wine
19:51 - Exploring the Tank Method of Sparkling Wine
24:23 - Understanding the Ancestral Method of Sparkling Wine
26:01 - The Carbonation Method: A Different Approach to Sparkling Wine
27:55 - Wine Reviews: Casual Sippers vs. Premium Choices
37:08 - Final Thoughts on Wine Quality and Pricing
42:53 - Game: Wine with That