Stop Wasting Your Wine

Love Pinot Noir but ready to try something different? This week, we head to Sicily with the 2024 Ayunta Nerello Mascalese Rosso, a $33 red that brings bright cherry, earthy spice, and some familiar Pinot vibes with an Italian twist.

We explore what makes this grape worth a look for fans of lighter reds, how the wine changes in the glass, and whether it earns its price tag. Plus, what does growing wine on the slopes of Mount Etna actually change? We dig into volcanic soil, test our knowledge with Grape Guesses, and finish with our verdicts.

Wine: 2024 Ayunta Nerello Mascalese Rosso
Region: Sicily, Italy
Grape: 100% Nerello Mascalese
ABV: 13%
Price: About $33

Thank you to Ushwin at Unpinned for providing this week’s bottle.

You can see everything the Unpinned Bottle shop has to offer at the website: https://unpinnedwineclub.com/collections/bottle-shop

You can scoop up a bottle for you self on the Unpinned wine shop. https://unpinnedwineclub.com/products/ayunta-terre-siciliane-nerello-mascalese-bianco-2023

Follow us on Instagram @stopwastingyourwine.
Questions, bottle suggestions, or guest inquiries? Email cheers@stopwastingyourwine.com.

Chapters:
00:00 A Red Wine from Mount Etna
00:20 Meet Ayunta: Is It Worth $33?
02:26 The Grape, Vintage, and Bottle Details
03:54 First Sips: “Freaking Italian”
05:36 Cherry, Spice, and Pinot Noir Vibes
08:01 A Little Chill and a Finish That Keeps Going
10:27 Does Volcanic Soil Change the Wine?
12:00 Grape Guesses: How Rare Are Volcanic Wines?
14:19 What Soil Actually Does to the Vine
18:58 Grape Guesses: The Etna Blend Question
21:25 Final Reviews: Must Share Material?
26:27 Joel’s Wine Fridge Shakeup

What makes a Sauvignon Blanc worth $75?

Brian Mondavi Borger returns to Stop Wasting Your Wine with the 2024 Sentium, a Sauvignon Blanc led blend from the fourth generation of the Mondavi family. We taste it together and explore why winemaker Chiara Mondavi looked beyond Napa to old vineyards in Mendocino.

From Robert Mondavi’s Fumé Blanc legacy to Chiara’s approach in the cellar, Brian shares how the family’s history informs something new. We dig into the wine’s bright acidity, creamy texture, and the decisions behind what ends up in our glasses. Then comes our verdict: does Sentium deserve a spot in our wine fridges?

Plus, Brian takes on Grape Guesses. Does a lifetime around wine give him the edge, or can Colin and Aaron pull off an upset?

Pour a glass and find out whether Sentium belongs on your splurge list.
Learn More About Sentium Wine
Website: https://www.sentiumwine.com/

Also be sure to check out Continuum Estate
Website: https://www.continuumestate.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/continuumestate/

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Chapters:
00:00 The Next Generation of Mondavi Wine
01:59 Introducing Sentium and the Story Behind Its Label
05:11 Robert Mondavi and the Fumé Blanc Legacy
09:36 The $75 Bottle: What We’re Drinking
11:50 Old Vines and the Search Beyond Napa
15:57 First Sips: One Word Each
17:42 Why Use Oak, Concrete, and Stainless Steel?
23:39 Bright Acidity, Creamy Texture, and Sémillon
29:27 Minerality and Brian’s Vineyard Quartz
33:21 Our Ratings: Does Sentium Make the Wine Fridge?
40:04 Brian on Food Pairing and Aging Potential
42:59 Grape Guesses: Can We Beat a Mondavi?

Did the wine industry push away a generation of drinkers by making wine too expensive, intimidating, and inconvenient?

This week, we sit down with Los Cuernos founders Zeke Blattler and Cory Assink to discuss why they believe wine has a consumer trial problem and how they plan to fix it. Their solution is premium California wine served in single portion cans and kegs, designed for places where quality wine is often missing.

We taste three wines from the Los Cuernos lineup: Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling Rosé, and their flagship Petite Sirah based Red Blend. Along the way, we discuss stale restaurant pours, the value of nonvintage wine, the science behind canning, and why breweries, burger bars, golf courses, hotels, and outdoor venues could become the next frontier for wine.

Can canned wine break through the traditions holding the industry back, or will consumers struggle to look beyond the package?

Wines tasted:
Los Cuernos Sauvignon Blanc
Los Cuernos Sparkling Rosé
Los Cuernos Red Blend

Learn more about Los Cuernos through their Instagram, LinkedIn, and online store.
Website: https://loscuernos.com/
Online Store: https://loscuernos.com/shop/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loscuernoswine/

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Chapters 00:00 Did the Wine Industry Ruin Itself?
00:15 Introducing Los Cuernos
02:25 Why the Wines Are Nonvintage
03:42 Should You Drink Wine From the Can?
05:30 The Idea Cory Initially Rejected
11:28 When Wine Became Too Precious
14:42 Wine Has a Consumer Trial Problem
22:53 Tasting the Sauvignon Blanc
26:37 A Sparkling Rosé Built for the Can
29:47 Meeting Winemaker Gerardo Espinosa
34:13 Is This the Future of Accessible Wine?
38:07 Is Canned Wine Inevitable?
39:29 Tasting the Sparkling Rosé
43:06 The Flagship Red Blend
47:04 Why Zeke Almost Rejected Wine Spectator
54:28 Can Los Cuernos Help Wine Grow Again?
57:41 Reviewing the Los Cuernos Lineup
1:02:11 Pick Your Poison
1:05:37 Where to Find Los Cuernos
1:07:31 Outro

Viognier came dangerously close to disappearing. By 1965, only about eight hectares, or roughly 20 acres, remained worldwide. Today, the grape is experiencing a comeback, and Yalumba played a major role in establishing it in Australia.

This week, we taste the 2022 Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Viognier from Eden Valley. At around $24, it delivers lime, stone fruit, melon, vanilla, minerality, and a rich texture that keeps evolving in the glass.

We explore why growers nearly abandoned Viognier, how a handful of producers kept it alive, and whether this bottle proves that the difficult grape was worth saving. Then we finish with our ratings and another round of Grape Guesses.

Wine featured:
Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Viognier
Vintage: 2022
Region: Eden Valley, Australia
Grape: 100% Viognier
ABV: 13.5%
Price: Approximately $24

This bottle was provided by Winebow Fine Wine + Spirits. Our opinions remain our own.

Winebow Website
⁠https://www.winebow.com/⁠
Winebow Yalumba Information Page
https://www.winebow.com/our-brands/yalumba
Winebow on Instagram
⁠https://www.instagram.com/winebow/?hl=en⁠

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Chapters
00:00 The Wine Grape That Almost Disappeared
00:20 Welcome and This Week’s Wine
01:32 Yalumba Viognier Details
03:22 First Sips
03:51 Lime, Stone Fruit and an Oily Texture
06:10 Colin Detects the Oak
07:22 What Makes This White Wine Different?
09:11 A Mix of Familiar White-Wine Styles
10:54 Was Viognier Worth Saving?
12:01 Why Growers Abandoned the Grape
13:15 How Yalumba Helped Bring It Back
16:20 Final Ratings: A Triple Must Share?
21:57 Grape Guesses29:46 Outro

Tokaji may be famous for dessert wine, but this bottle shows a completely different side of Hungary’s historic wine region.

This week, we taste the 2020 Préselő Tokaji Furmint, a bone-dry white packed with sharp acidity, green apple, citrus, minerality, and a petrol note that transforms as the wine opens. We explore why dry Furmint has struggled to escape Tokaji’s sweet reputation and whether it could follow Riesling’s path from misunderstood grape to white-wine favorite.

At around $30, can this unfamiliar Hungarian wine earn a place at your next dinner?

Wine Details:
Producer: Préselő
Wine: Tokaji Furmint
Vintage: 2020
Region: Tokaj, Hungary
Grape: 100% Furmint
ABV: 11.5%
Price: About $30
Provided by: UNPINNED Bottle Shop

Learned more about and sign up for the UNPINNED Wine Club and Bottle Shop!
Website: https://unpinnedwineclub.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unpinnedwine/

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Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Tokaji’s Unexpected Dry Side
02:02 - Préselő Tokaji Furmint Wine Details
03:51 - First Sips and First Impressions
05:00 - Apple Cider, Petrol, and Acidity
12:12 - Why Hasn’t Dry Furmint Broken Through?
19:41 - Our Final Reviews
24:53 - Exploring UNPINNED’s Wine Picks
25:51 - Hungarian Grape Guesses
32:44 - Final Thoughts and Outro