When You Just Want a Glass of Wine

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When You Just Want a Glass of Wine

A podcast dedicated to making wine drinking more approachable and inclusive.

Join hosts Zena & Renée as we decode the language and unlock the customs of wine drinking.

09/09/2026

Barrels are born in fire. That’s not a metaphor! For this episode in The Missouri Series, we went behind the scenes at The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri, one of the premier cooperages in the world, and watched Missouri oak become something that eventually shapes what ends up in your glass.

The tour was led by Master Cooper Danny Orton, one of only 50 Master Coopers in the US. We watched a barrel being raised right in front of us! This was fire, wood, steam, steel hoops, sawdust, muscle memory and the smell of toasted oak in the air. We talk seasoning, toasting, bending staves, consistency, palate, craft and why Missouri oak matters. We also get into their incredible connection with Silver Oak.

Because the barrel may be quiet, but it’s never passive. It’s working the whole time. Watch the video on our YouTube Channel and listen to the full episode wherever you get your pods. 🎙️

From tree to toast to barrel. 🍷

08/29/2026

A bubbly called Lost at Sea. An obscure grape. A veteran-owned Oregon w**ery. We were in. This week’s is from Dauntless W**e Company, founded by military veterans with a mission that continues well beyond the bottle. And the grape? Schönburger. Never heard of it? Neither had we! Stay tuned for that story on “What’s in Renée’s Glass.” More on Patreon!

Have you ever tried Schönburger?

**e **ePodcast

08/26/2026

Prost from the Rheingau!🍷There’s something special about sharing a bottle of w**e with good friends in the place where that w**e was born. We were sitting in the gardens of the nearly 900-year-old Kloster Eberbach monastery with our friends Jon and Kelly, who recently made Germany their home, reflecting on an incredible tasting, wandering ancient cellars and realizing that some conversations simply couldn’t happen anywhere else. This wasn’t just another recording. It was one of those moments you know you’ll remember long after the last sip.

We explored the beautiful, fascinating (and sometimes intimidating) world of German w**e. From Riesling and Pinot Noir to terroir, German w**e labels, terms and classifications, we break it down in a way that’s approachable and fun. Join us at Kloster Eberbach, where every glass has a story and every story begins with a place.

Wait! Don’t forget the delicious argument! 🤭 We tasted two consecutive vintages of their Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spätburgunder GG from the same vineyard. Jimi loved the cooler, more taut 2021. Kelly went for the warmer, riper 2022. Same parcel, same grape, same producer, but two growing seasons and two totally different expressions of place.

Now on Patreon and wherever you get your pods.

**e **e Spätburgunder

08/20/2026

THIS is how we do it. 🔥🪵🍷 You’ve heard “aged in oak.” Now watch how that oak barrel actually gets made. Renée and I went behind the scenes at Oak Cooperage in Missouri and watched an American oak w**e barrel being made from start to finish, and there is SO much more to it than I ever really thought about.

It starts with individual oak staves, carefully selected and fitted together. The barrel is “raised,” heated over fire, bent into shape and toasted. The hoops are tightened, the ends are precisely shaped, the b**g hole is cut and the wooden heads are fitted into place. And then water and air testing to make sure that finished barrel is completely sealed. No glue. Just oak, fire, metal hoops, precision and a whole lot of skill.

Come inside the cooperage with us for three minutes and watch it happen—from a pile of oak staves to a barrel ready for w**e. And Missouri…we’re definitely not finished with you yet. 🍷

08/19/2026

When you just want a glass of w**e… but apparently your Norton wants its OWN glass. 🍷 Yes, there really is a RIEDEL glass designed specifically for Missouri’s signature grape, and we get it. RIEDEL worked with MO w**e experts, tasting Norton through different glass shapes to find the one that let this big, beautifully stubborn grape show its best side. The rounded, tapered bowl concentrates those dark fruit, spice and pepper aromas, while the shape and thin rim change how the w**e hits your palate by bringing the fruit forward and making Norton’s naturally bright acidity feel more balanced.

We’ve always believed the glass matters. This was one of those …. Ohhh… THAT’S why moments. 💡 And the timing couldn’t be better. This Oct, we chat with Maximilian Riedel, 11th generation of the Riedel family and CEO of RIEDEL, to talk glassware, w**e and why what you drink from can change what you taste. Until then, we may need a bigger glass cabinet.

🎙️ Follow When You Just Want a Glass of W**e (now on Patreon) for our Missouri w**e series.

08/17/2026

Zena, Renée & Jimi are at the pool deck of the Loisium Hotel for this episode of “What’s in Renée’s Glass?” It’s a Kloster Eberbach Berg Schlossberg Spätburgunder GG from Zena & Jimi’s trip to the Rheingau w their friends Jon & Kelly.

08/07/2026

When you just want a glass of w**e… and discover your new fav Austrian white. We’re kicking off at Beauty with a little preview of one of September’s Bellezza W**e Club w**es: Rotgipfler. 🤫 Don’t tell! And if you don’t, you’re about to! This wonderfully Austrian grape is exactly the kind of w**e I love putting in W**e Club. It’s delicious, unexpected and a story worth telling. Stay tuned for 9/4 for a preview tasting w Klaus. 👇 for tix.

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