The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Forrest Kelly
library_music 328 Episodes Available
Recent Episodes
Your Brain Lying to You About Wine — The Stanford MRI Experiment Pt. 3
Guest: Claire Wang (Pricing Strategist) Upcoming Book: The Price of Influence — September Topics covered: The Stanford/Caltech MRI wine experiment — identical wines, different price tags, measurably different brain activity The "marketing placebo effect" — believing you paid more makes you genuinely enjoy more Journal of Wine Economics blind tasting study: untrained drinkers preferred cheaper wine without context The pricing "sweet spot" — too cheap triggers quality suspicion, too expensive reads as a ripoff Why wine never speaks for itself — storytelling as a sales and perception tool How knowing the winemaking process increases personal enjoyment @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why "Mighty Fine Wine" Is the Only Tasting Note That Matters
What does a bullfrog have to do with Barolo? More than you'd think. In this Wine Wednesday Back Label Story, Forrest Kelly uncorks the surprisingly rich wine philosophy hidden inside Hoyt Axton's 1971 classic — the song Three Dog Night rode to six weeks at number one. The line that stuck? "He always had some mighty fine wine." No credentials required. No auction catalog. Just the stubborn, booming joy of a bottle that moves you. Forrest traces why the best wine experiences have nothing to do with complexity — a chilled Vermentino under a warm lamp, a $14 jammy Zinfandel that tastes like a better life, a misunderstood Lambrusco poured into a juice glass in someone's kitchen. Jeremiah the bullfrog never explained himself. Neither does a great Barolo. This episode is a quiet manifesto for every wine lover who's ever stopped performing appreciation and just… drank. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why Your $30 Bottle of Wine Is Actually a Bargain — Pricing Strategist Explains Pt. 2
Claire Wang was in Bordeaux for a business trip when she visited Château Pichon Baron, part of the AXA Millésimes portfolio — one of the world's largest insurance companies, which also happens to own a remarkable collection of wineries across Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Portugal. She sat down with managing director Christian Seely and asked him point blank: how do you price your wine? His answer stopped her cold. "I will charge the highest price my regular customers will enthusiastically buy." That one sentence, Claire says, captures everything she's spent 20 years teaching businesses about pricing. It's not about what you think your product is worth. It's about knowing your customer so well that the price feels inevitable to them — even exciting. In Part 2, Claire and Forrest dig into: Why the world's top Bordeaux châteaux are doubling down on wine tourism — and what that says about what customers actually want to buy Why story is now a winery's most valuable asset — especially in a crowded market where being "just another producer" is a death sentence The experience economy and how it's reshaping wine pricing from Bordeaux to California Claire's personal wine picks — all under $50, including a summer red from Sicilian producer Occhipinti that she says is best served slightly chilled @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Pricing Strategist Walks Into a Wine Show — Blows Your Mind Pt. 1
Ever wonder why a $18.99 bottle feels like a deal but $19 feels like a splurge? There's a reason for that — and it's not an accident. Claire Wang is a pricing strategist with two decades of experience helping major brands put the right number on everything from phone plans to foreign exchange rates. She's also the author of an upcoming book, The Price of Influence: How to Move Anyone to a Yes. In Part 1, Claire breaks down: Why pricing isn't manipulation — it starts with understanding what customers truly value The "magic number of 99" and when wineries should use it — and when they absolutely shouldn't How quality wines intentionally signal premium by dropping the .99 Why when you buy a bottle of wine, you're not just buying the liquid — you're buying an experience How a winery's target customer determines everything about how their wine should be priced and positioned @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
True/False: Can You Send a Drink From Your Phone Right Now? Quiz Show
Quiz master Rusty Cellars is back, and this time he's turning everything you heard in the Sherman Mohr interview into a full-on game show. Two rounds, five questions each — a warm-up round that eases you in, and a second round with a little more bite. Topics covered include how Shared Spirits actually works (hint: no app store download required), how the COVID-19 pivot shaped the business, what happens to a drink credit when you can't use it, and what drove Sherman to launch Over 50 Pros. Bonus: you'll find out how many bottles of wine a single three-hour sampling event actually moves. Whether you went 10 for 10 or reached for the bottle early, Rusty wraps it up the way only he can — keep your standards high, your pours steady, and your tabs under control. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Truffle Hunting, Mt. Etna Wines, and a Bed That Gives You a Hug
Episode Summary In this episode, host Forest Kelly is joined by Paul Cullen, former bass player for Bad Company, and Sofia Hedman, Group Travel Manager at Accent on Travel. They share the details of an upcoming, exclusive luxury wine cruise aboard the Oceania Allura, sailing from Rome to Venice in April 2027. Learn about the private performances, curated vineyard tours on Mount Etna, and a special pre-cruise culinary experience in Umbria. Cruise Highlights The Vessel: Sail on the Oceania Allura, a gorgeous small ship limited to 1,200 guests. The ship features all-balcony staterooms, world-class artwork, and exceptional service. The Itinerary: Departing April 23, 2027, from Rome (Civitavecchia) and concluding in Venice. Stops include: Salerno, Italy. Messina, Sicily: Gateway to Taormina and a private group excursion to Gambino Vineyard on the slopes of Mount Etna. Taranto and Bari, Italy. Montenegro: Featuring stunning views where the mountains meet the Adriatic. Exclusive Paul Cullen Events: Onboard guests enjoy a private dinner featuring Paul Cullen’s wines and a hosted cocktail party with hot hors d'oeuvres and a live performance by Paul. Pre-Cruise Luxury in Umbria: A custom land option in Orvieto featuring truffle hunting and a cooking class with Chef Lorenzo. What’s Included: The package features the Prestige Select Beverage Package (unlimited premium spirits, wine, and beer), free specialty dining, prepaid gratuities, onboard WIFI, a $200 per stateroom shipboard credit, and a $200 per person shore excursion credit. CONTACT & BOOKING INFORMATION To reserve your spot or for more details on this hosted group experience, contact Accent on Travel: Website: www.accentontravel.com Sofia Hedman (Group Operations Manager): 302-200-4265 Toll-Free: 888-806-2337 Email: sofia@accentontravel.com or inquiry@accentontravel.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The App That Lets You Buy Someone a Drink - Shared Spirits Pt. 1-6
Sherman Mohr is co-founder and COO of Shared Spirits, and Over50Pros. In this episode Sherman cover how wine brands fight for placement at restaurants and retail stores, how Shared Spirits works as a mobile platform for buying, sharing and redeeming drinks at restaurant partners, how Sherman's promo agency grew to 1,700 events a year doing retail wine and spirits sampling activations, the surprising reality that the average age of their best brand ambassadors is in the 50s and 60s, and Sherman's newest venture Over50Pros — a resource platform for professionals over 50 navigating career transitions. Contact Sherman at sharedspirits.com and sherman@sharedspirits.com. Also check out his newest adventure - over50pros.com. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
From a Library Pamphlet to $5.3 Billion: The Ernest Gallo Story
Ernest and Julio Gallo founded E. & J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, California in the fall of 1933, just after the repeal of Prohibition. Their starting capital was less than $6,000 — $5,000 of it borrowed from Ernest's mother-in-law, Teresa Franzia. Their winemaking education came from pre-Prohibition pamphlets retrieved from the basement of the Modesto Public Library. With a single tractor running back-to-back 12-hour shifts, they produced 177,000 gallons in their first year. What the front label doesn't show: Ernest and Julio's parents died in 1933, the same year the winery was founded. Their father shot their mother, then turned the gun on himself. Ernest was 24. He never spoke about it publicly. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Pop The Quiz: Flying Whale Edition — No Mercy, Just a Wine Quiz
Hosted by Rusty Sellers, producer of The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast and resident quizmaster of the Pop The Quiz segment Flying Whale Edition — ten questions based on the Maba Ba interview series Round One: Multiple Choice (5 questions) Which African tribe inspired Flying Whale Wine? (Dogon) Which star system did the Dogon base their belief system on? (Sirius) Where did Maba Ba grow up? (Dakar, Senegal) What unexpected event led him into wine? (A random meeting in Miami) Before wine, Maba primarily worked as what? (Filmmaker) Round Two: True or False (5 questions) The Flying Whale name comes from a real animal used in winemaking (False) Maba met his winemaking partner shortly after their first introduction (True) The vineyard was newly built from scratch (False — 5th generation, 100+ years old) His red blend was inspired by big California Cabernet wines (True) He believes rosé should only be enjoyed in summer (False — "that idea is ridiculous") Scoring breakdown: 9–10 correct = locked in / 6–8 = mostly listening / 3–5 = wine in hand / 0–2 = you just liked the intro music Rusty's closing line: "Wine isn't just about what's in the glass — it's about the story behind it. And sometimes that story involves a flying whale." @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Spirits to Second Acts: Sherman Reinventing Your Income After 50 Pt. 6
Sherman Mohr has spent years placing brand ambassadors for spirits and wine companies — and the data kept pointing to the same thing: the best ones were over 50. That pattern sparked a new venture called Over 50 Pros (over50pros.com), a platform dedicated to helping people in that demographic understand that their experience has real market value — they just need a new narrative for delivering it. Sherman notes that roughly 35% of all gig work in the U.S. is currently performed by workers over 50, many of whom are doing it for reasons that go beyond a paycheck — engagement, community, mental sharpness, and yes, fun. He calls them the most mentally healthy people he knows. The wine and spirits industry itself gets a vote of confidence too: Sherman describes it as relatively recession-resilient, a good sign for anyone considering it as a career lane. Connect with Sherman: Shared Spirits: sharedspirits.com Email: sherman@sharedspirits.com Socials: @sharedspirits New venture: over50pros.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
One Station Wagon, One Crazy Bet, and the Birth of Oregon Wine
David Lett didn't discover the Willamette Valley — he invented it as wine country. When he arrived in 1965, Oregon was timber and berries. Nobody was planting Pinot Noir there. Nobody serious, anyway. Lett and his wife Diana set up in the Dundee Hills and did it anyway, with no roadmap, no guarantee, and no backup plan. For years they were written off. The market wasn't interested in Oregon wine. If it wasn't French or Californian, it didn't matter. But in 1979, Lett entered his 1975 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir in the Wine Olympiad in Paris — and when the results came in, his wine ranked among the best in the world. Just like that, a region nobody respected demanded a second look. What Lett built in the Dundee Hills didn't just put Oregon on the map — it rewrote the map entirely. Today, the Willamette Valley is one of the most respected Pinot Noir regions on the planet. All because one man decided the biggest risk wasn't failure. It was listening to people who thought they already knew everything. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Senegal to Napa: How a Filmmaker Built a Wine Brand Worth Talking About Pt. 1-5
Maba Ba — founder of Flying Whale Wine, based in New York; originally from Dakar, Senegal; serial entrepreneur, filmmaker, WNBA enthusiast. The Flying Whale name is rooted in the Dogon people of West Africa, whose ancient cosmology centered on the Sirius star system — they believed an amphibian being called the Nommo flew to Earth in a whale-like ship to deliver the first humans Maba grew up in Dakar — a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic, the westernmost point of Africa — with a lifelong connection to the ocean and whales breaching His whale philosophy: "They keep trying to get out of the ocean and fall back in — so I gave them wings" The wine partnership began in June 2022 at a Miami lunch meeting; by August 2022 he was in Perpignan, south of France, meeting winemaker DJ Rodriguez (flies into Barcelona, drives to meet him) Flying Whale Gold (Red) — 2023 vintage Grenache Noir/Syrah blend; inspired by big California Cabs but crafted silkier, rounder, less tannic; meant to be enjoyed slightly chilled or with a meal; soft launched at Aspen Food & Wine, June 2025; fully launched August 2025 Flying Whale Rosé — Grenache/Syrah; fuller body, dry, strawberry/peach with citrus balance; designed as an "all season" rosé — equally at home by the fireplace or poolside Flying Whale White Gold (in development) — a Viognier that drinks like a Chardonnay; floral nose and finish of Viognier + buttery/greasy mouthfeel of Chardonnay; inspiration struck at Miami Vine Expo Maba's creative process: ideas come at 4–5am; keeps notebooks everywhere including bedside Bottle design philosophy: "striking simplicity" — the medallion/coin aesthetic was designed to feel like a collector's item and a gift Writing the tasting notes was harder than the visual design — references the Pascal quote about not having time to write a short letter Partnership dynamic: Maba brings a beginner's mind and bigger dreams. flyingwhalewine.com @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Wine Tech You Didn’t Know You Needed: How Shared Spirits Could Change Tasting Rooms Pt. 5
What you’ll learn: Why Shared Spirits is built as a progressive web app (PWA) How saving it to your home screen makes it behave like a native app Why wineries and tasting rooms could use this tech to drive foot traffic How drink gifting works during wine tours, proposals, and special events Why digital gifting is now normal thanks to Amazon, Starbucks, DoorDash, and Uber Eats How Shared Spirits uses digital signage, social media, and marketing partners How wineries, distributors, and restaurants can reach out and get involved The revenue model: free for consumers and restaurants, funded by supplier campaigns How restaurants can deploy drink credits to influencers, ambassadors, and VIP patrons The surprising stat: one bar customer spent $22,000 in a single year Key takeaway: Shared Spirits isn’t just a drink‑gifting app — it’s a flexible hospitality tool that can expand into wineries, tasting rooms, and any venue that sells bottles or glasses. Guest: Sherman Mohr — Co‑founder of Shared Spirits. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Oldest Wine Evidence on Earth Is in a Museum — Here's the Story Nobody Tells
In this Wine Wednesday Back Label Story, we take you to the Caucasus Mountains of the country of Georgia — home to what may be the oldest evidence of wine on earth. Clay jars called qvevri, buried in the ground and stained with 8,000-year-old grape residue, tell the story of a human relationship with wine that predates the pyramids and the Roman Empire. But the real twist comes from the Greeks and Romans themselves. Despite building entire cultures around wine — complete with gods, poetry, and legendary philosophical drinking parties — they considered drinking wine straight a sign of barbarism. Every symposium, every gathering, every social occasion ran on wine cut with two or three parts water. Drinking it undiluted? That was something the Scythians did. Barbarians. The people you never wanted to be compared to. So the next time you reach for a glass of water alongside your Cabernet, raise it. You're not being cautious. You're being civilized — exactly the way the ancients intended. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Wine That Works by the Fireplace AND by the Pool Pt. 5
The Flying Whale rosé is a Grenache/Syrah blend — fuller body than a typical rosé, dry, with strawberry and peach fruit balanced by citrus, finished with that signature silky texture. Maba's word for his entire wine lineup so far: "silky" — it's the through-line he's chasing across every bottle. He rejects the idea of "rosé season" — he designed this wine to work year-round, from poolside in summer to fireside in winter; he calls it the "all season" wine. The third wine (White Gold) is a Viognier — inspiration struck at Miami Vine Expo after Napa tastings had him leaning toward Chardonnay. His goal: a Viognier with the floral nose and finish of a classic Viognier but the buttery, almost greasy mouthfeel of a Chardonnay — a challenge his winemaker partner initially resisted. The partnership dynamic: Maba brings a beginner's mind and bigger dreams; his French-trained winemaker partner DJ brings deep Old World tradition — the tension is productive and fun Maba notes that long experience can sometimes mean thinking inside a very rich box — his outside perspective is what keeps the collaboration exciting. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.