The Connected Table

The Connected Table We connect you to the people who enrich the food, wine, spirits & hospitality industry. Listen to The Connected Table podcast on more than 65 channels. We eat.

Watch on YouTube. Work with us to create compelling content and events and to share your story., We drink. We explore. We share stories of the people who shape our industry and we help you tell yours in a compelling way,

The Connected Table® Live radio show connects you to the people, stories and places in food, beverage and hospitality. Hosted by industry insiders Melanie Young and David Ransom

(the insatiably curious culinary couple), the show airs live on www.w4CY.com, Wednesdays, 2 p.m. ET and is podcast to iHeart.com and the free iHeart App. Does your brand need a story or have one that needs to be shared? The Connected Table creates custom special events and promotional programs for wine, spirits, food and wellness. David is a wine and spirits writer for Tasting Panel Magazine, SOMM Journal and others outlets and lectures on wine.

Melanie is a Certified Health Coach and author who writes and speaks about healthy living and writes about wine and lifestyle. Learn more at www.melanieyoung.com

Char broiled oysters
08/05/2025

Char broiled oysters

Happy Hour 4 -6 p.m. $1 ea. raw. $1.50 ea. charbroiled with parmesan butter
08/05/2025

Happy Hour 4 -6 p.m. $1 ea. raw. $1.50 ea. charbroiled with parmesan butter

If there is a story in every bottle of wine, Lacryma Christ del Vesuvio DOC is top of the narrative among the wines of C...
08/05/2025

If there is a story in every bottle of wine, Lacryma Christ del Vesuvio DOC is top of the narrative among the wines of Campania. Lacryma Christi wines are produced exclusively from grapes cultivated on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

How the wines earned their name “Tears of Christ” varies depending on whom you speak with. Some say when Jesus Christ first laid eyes on the Bay of Naples, He cried tears of joy over its beauty. Others say He cried tears of pain after Lucifer, Angel of Evil, was expelled from Paradise and stole a piece of Heaven to form the Bay of Naples. Still others say He cried tears of relief because Lucifer was finally removed from Heaven and sent to Hell. Whatever the version, the story ends the same: Christ’s sweet tears landed on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius and nourished the soil from which vineyards blossomed.

Read more

https://theconnectedtable.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/170124168/share-center

Tasting Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio wines with Giovanni Russo, family owner at - The Connected Table Live Wednesday, Au...
08/05/2025

Tasting Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio wines with Giovanni Russo, family owner at - The Connected Table Live Wednesday, August 6 2 p.m. EST/8 p.m Italy.

Wine has been made on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius for millennia. The first evidence of grape cultivation dates to the fifth century B.C. The Vesuvio DOC, established in 1983, includes many family-run wineries including Cantina del Vesuvio founded in 1930 by the Russo family. The winery sits on the slopes of Vesuvius with views of the Gulf of Naples and is only a few kilometers from the archaeological site of Pompeii. It’s a stunning setting for tasting Cantina del Vesuvio’s Lacryma Christi wines made from native grapes like Caprettone, Piedirosso and Coda di Volpa.

We had the pleasure of visiting Cantina Del Russo this past May during Campania Stories. Our tasting included dishes prepared with local Campania ingredients including the local sweet tomatoes known as Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio and the winery's own Donna Ester wine vinegar condiment made from their own Lacryma Christi. We brought a bottle back home.

We'll discuss these wines and cultivating vines on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius with Giovanni Russo on The Connected Table Live Wednesday, August 6, 2 p.m. EST - Watch on YouTube - The Connected Table TV or your preferred podcast channel.

Hump Day Happy Hour at
07/31/2025

Hump Day Happy Hour at

Not often we get to try an 18 year old Bierzo wine, as tends to be promoted for drinking while young. Yet, when made w...
07/30/2025

Not often we get to try an 18 year old Bierzo wine, as tends to be promoted for drinking while young. Yet, when made with aging in mind, this grape stands up to all of it and delivers silky tannins, elegance, beautiful fruit and classic notes of cedar & To***co from the American oak.
Wine: 2007.

.

Tasting local culture and cuisines with Kenneth Dunn, Founder, Eating Europe food tours- The Connected Table Live July 3...
07/29/2025

Tasting local culture and cuisines with Kenneth Dunn, Founder, Eating Europe food tours- The Connected Table Live July 30, 2p.m. EST Watch & Listen W4CY Radio

Want to experience local food culture and visit historic markets, shops and eating spots with an expert guide when you visit Rome, Florence, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and other European cities? Kenneth Dunn, founder of has you covered.

What started as a single experience in Rome quickly expanded to Florence and beyond, offering premium food tours in 20 cities. Dunn worked at the United Nations in Rome on food insecurity before hatching his plan to create Eating Europe. A chance experience on a Greenwich Village pizza tour sparked the idea, leading him back to Rome to develop a tour rooted in deep local knowledge and research.

Since its inception, the company has welcomed over 450,000 guests and earned more than 10,000 five-star reviews on places like and . Dunn, who lives in Rome, is a recognized expert in culinary tourism and speaks on the topic at travel summits around the world. He remains deeply involved in crafting every experience the company offers, from food tours to truffle hunts.

We'll discuss Ken's journey from working in food insecurity to devouring Europe with custom food tours on The Connected Table Live Wednesday, July 30, 2 p.m. EST. Watch or listen W4CY Radio

A Visit with Gaetana Jacono, Valle Dell'Acate, Sixth Generation Vintner in Sicily- The Connected Table Live July 23 2pm ...
07/22/2025

A Visit with Gaetana Jacono, Valle Dell'Acate, Sixth Generation Vintner in Sicily- The Connected Table Live July 23 2pm EST/ 8 pm Italy W4CY Radio Watch! Listen!

Gaetana Jacono is the sixth-generation member of a family who has produced wines in southern Sicily since the nineteenth century. Valle Dell’Acate is in the province of Ragusa within the Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG production zone. Gaetana joined the family business in 1996 at age 23 after completing her university studies, initially to oversee international trade and marketing.

Working with her father for many years and now taking the reins, Gaetana has modernized the winery and restored its historic cellar and palmento (a traditional Sicilian winemaking facility). She has also established a strong hospitality program that includes wine and food pairings and cooking classes. Valle Dell’Acate produces organic wines from 80 hectares of vineyards planted in seven separate subsoils. These include reds: Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Cerasuolo di Vittoria and whites: Grillo and Vermentino.

Gaetana Jacono is vibrant voice in promoting the native wines unique to this region and is especially passionate about Frappato, a light bodied red wine only produced in Vittoria that is fruit, floral and refreshing served slightly chilled.

Sicily is ablaze with a new generation of dynamic winemakers who are making their imprint to respect the biodiversity of...
07/15/2025

Sicily is ablaze with a new generation of dynamic winemakers who are making their imprint to respect the biodiversity of the region and produce wines that uniquely express their local terroir. One key example is who started her namesake winery at age 22 in 2004 in Fossa di Lupo (Vittoria) which she calls "a magical place." Her first wines sold out immediately.

Occhipinti's has received high praise for her biodynamic and certified organic cru wines. Now, more than 20 years later, Occhipinti is a leading voice for biodiversity and top producer of biodynamic wines in Italy. She has described herself- and her wines- as “wild, original, brave and rebellious.”

Occhipinti says, “The wine that I like making is not simply an organic wine. It is a coherent wine that is natural in what it becomes, a wine that in both its various harmonies as well as in its rougher edges speaks of the earth that yielded it and of the artisan who fashioned it. This is why I believe that a natural wine, in addition to being a good wine, is also a human wine.”

The name Occhipinti is derived from Sicilian dialect and means “painted eyes” or “dark eyes”- We’ll ask Arianna Occhipinti what she envisions in her future and in the world of natural wines on The Connected Table Live Wednesday, July 16, 2 p.m. EST/ 1 p.m. EST.

Watch on TheConnectedTableTV and Talk4TV and
Listen: Radio and more than 65 other podcast channels.
Stream at theconnectedtable (dot) com

Happy Bastille Day from our maison to yours!Salade niçoise (our way)Brie and warm baguetteCherry clafoutisChampagne Perr...
07/15/2025

Happy Bastille Day from our maison to yours!

Salade niçoise (our way)
Brie and warm baguette
Cherry clafoutis

Champagne Perrier Jouët Belle Epoque 2007- the year we were married

Next summer..in France!

Brunn Grüner Veltliner, Niederosterreich, Austria- crisp, peppery with notes of green apple and and lime.Our wine selec...
07/12/2025

Brunn Grüner Veltliner, Niederosterreich, Austria- crisp, peppery with notes of green apple and and lime.

Our wine select with our seafood and softshell crab.

Average $16-$18 retail based on our online search.

We craved some soft shell crab before their season ends. At in Bucktown by Lake Pontchartrain, this dish hit all the hi...
07/12/2025

We craved some soft shell crab before their season ends. At in Bucktown by Lake Pontchartrain, this dish hit all the high notes.

We requested sautéed soft shell crab because frying masks their tender taste in our opinion. This smallish crab was topped with crabmeat and buttery. Complemented with potatoes brabant and asparagus. Pricey at $45! But the last for us this summer.

The Brunn Gruner Veltliner was reasonably prices and delicious

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Our Story

We eat. We drink. We explore. We share stories of the people who shape our industry and we help you tell yours in a compelling way, The Connected Table® Live radio show connects you to the people, stories and places in food, beverage and hospitality. Hosted by industry insiders Melanie Young and David Ransom (the insatiably curious culinary couple), the show airs live on www.w4CY.com, Wednesdays, 2 p.m. ET and is podcast to iHeart.com and the free iHeart App. Does your brand need a story or have one that needs to be shared? The Connected Table creates custom special events and promotional programs for wine, spirits, food and wellness. David is a wine and spirits Columnist and East Coast Editor for Tasting Panel Magazine, The SOMM Journal and others outlets and lectures on wine. He grew up working in the wine business at his family’s winery in the Hudson Valley. @connectedtable Melanie writes about wine, spirits, food, travel and wellness. Her articles have appeared in Beverage Enthusiast, Wine4Food, Sante Magazine, Huffington Post and many other outlets. She is also a published author of two books and A Certified Health Coach and author who writes and speaks about embracing a balanced life and making healthy choices. Learn more at www.melanieyoung.com @mightymelanie.

Both Melanie and David are available to speak, write and organize private events, tastings and panel discussions. Melanie provides content creation, copywriting and media training services both in and outside the travel, health and hospitality industries.