Visionary cellist and composer Serena Jost grew up between Switzerland and Michigan, speaking the Swiss German language with her family and climbing up on the roof with a homemade radio antennae to take in the sounds of languages she didn't know. Serena writes lyrics that are poetic rather than narrative, takes inspiration from literature, and composes some songs in wordless or invented tongues. Serena describes the mind-opening, terrifying shapes of the Swiss Alps and their effect on human psychology. She and Rose Thomas discuss different modes of language acquisition, from need-based to perfectionistic to every-day. They also discuss the seemingly divine nature of composition, discuss a couple of poems, and play several songs from Serena's three albums, A Bird Will Sing, Up to the Sky, and Closer than Far, as well as two unreleased recordings. Purchase Serena's recordings—and hire her for remote cello lessons!—at her website: serenajost.com You can purchase Rose Thomas Bannister's new record at rosethomasbannister.bandcamp.com. Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  SPANISH LEARNERS NEEDED! This episode is brought to you by Culture Without Borders Language Collective, our exclusive sponsor for the month of October 2025. If you've been wishing for real people to practice your Spanish with, CWB is looking for more English-speaking Spanish learners to join their monthly language exchange.These online meetups are completely FREE for participants. Visit cwbcollective.com and subscribe to their newsletter to get the dates for the next meetup—including a bilingual wine tasting with Modo di Bere! If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein  

The sheer exuberance of Paul Balke's devotion to Italian wine regions bubbles up like a glass of prosecco—which, we learn in this episode, did not originate in Veneto, but rather in the village of Prosek, near Trieste. This special, double-size installment of The Boot in 20 is a true deep dive. Even diehard fans of Friulian wines will learn indigenous grapes they've never heard of before. Those who listen to the end will get the skinny on the world's most exciting slices of ham! Note: Paul Balke currently lives in rural Calabria and we struggled with our connection and other technical issues. While the audio quality does not quite match our usual standards, we think Paul's incredibly educational perspective is worth it. The Boot in 20 series features an interview with an expert on the wines of Italy's 20 regions, including grapes, wines, climate, history, culture, and advice for planning a visit.  After hearing this episode, you'll understand the geopolitical history that leads Paul to insist on discussing the wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in context with the wines of western Slovenia and the Croatian part of the Istrian peninsula.  Inspired to plan a trip to this region? You must consult Paul's beautiful book, North Adriatic. You can order it from Paul directly at his website, where you can also learn about Paul's winemaking and piano music!Paul's website: paulbalke.comFollow Paul on Instagram: instagram.com/paulbalke  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere   SPANISH LEARNERS NEEDED! This episode is brought to you by Culture Without Borders Language Collective, our exclusive sponsor for the month of October 2025. If you've been wishing for real people to practice your Spanish with, CWB is looking for more English-speaking Spanish learners to join their monthly language exchange.These online meetups are completely FREE for participants. Visit cwbcollective.com and subscribe to their newsletter to get the dates for the next meetup.   Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

Rose Thomas Bannister's husband, Bob, has a 2100 day Duolingo streak. For a while, he was doing 14 languages a day. But is he "conversational"? Is he fluent? Does that matter? Access the exclusive full interview by becoming a paid supporter at patreon.com/mododibere.  When he's not collecting records and linguistic knowledge, Bob Bannister is an influential guitar player whose solo albums helped inspire the "freak folk" genre. He plays guitar with Rose Thomas. You can check out their most recent album together at rosethomasbannister.bandcamp.com.Bob's other bands past and present include Fire in the Kitchen, Tono Bungay, The Scene is Now, P.G. Six, Escape by Ostrich, Julie Beth Napolin, Goddess, Franklin Bruno, Vineland, Vodka, Blowgun and Cat Power. Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzSpecial thanks to Tony Cenicola Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano    

Ineza Karalashvili has been making wine in the Kakheti region of Georgia for over sixty years, together with her brother Tamaz. Their family has been making and selling wine for generations before that, with forebears among the influential "Merchants of the First Guild" in the nineteenth century.Ineza, who recently turned 85, is the wine chemist responsible for quality control at Georgian Royal Wine, and Tamaz is the head winemaker. They work together with the family’s younger generation, including Rezo, Kate, and Irma. Irma, Ineza’s daughter, joins the Modo di Bere podcast New York City to translate for her mother and uncle as they call in from Georgia. Irma describe sthe Georgian feast, or "supra," including the personality traits required to serve as the "tamada," a sort of master of ceremonies who leads the complex toasting ritual. Irma recently had Rose Thomas over to her house for a miniature supra, where they tasted her family's delicious wines and Irma's incredible cooking, a skill she learned from her mother. She also teaches Rose Thomas several Georgian drinking sayings. Learn more about the family's wines at their website: https://grw-wine.com/en/ Follow Georgian Royal Wine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgian.royal.wine/ To see some images of Irma's cooking, watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast    SPANISH LEARNERS NEEDED! This episode is brought to you by Culture Without Borders Language Collective, our exclusive sponsor for the month of October 2025. If you've been wishing for real people to practice your Spanish with, CWB is looking for more English-speaking Spanish learners to join their monthly language exchange.These online meetups are completely FREE for participants. Visit cwbcollective.com and subscribe to their newsletter to get the dates for the next meetup.   If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

David Kong loved drinking wine out of expensive handblown glasses but hated the sinking feeling every time one got broken. He wanted a handblown wine glass at a more accessible price, so started his own company to make it exist! David is a lifelong foodie and classical music fan who always wanted to start his own business. Now he sells his Glasvin wine glass line to restaurants and wine lovers all over the world. Rose Thomas identifies wine glass shape as a hot button for consumer anxiety as well as an opportunity for personal expression. David and RT talk about how much you should spend on a wine glass, how wine glasses are made, the purpose for different wine glass shapes, and how swirling just hits different in a light-as-a-feather handblown glass. Check out David's glasses at glas.vinFollow Glasvin on Instagram instagram.com/glas.vinThey also discuss how blind tasting can be a great opportunity to learn from people who have a different culinary and agricultural background, and make plans to host a dinner party where people blind taste wine AND classical music (identifying the composer and piece). What do you think, should we have that party? Do you know anyone who could blind taste wine and classical music? Let us know who's got that skill set in New York!  RT's glass tastevin is by glass artist Marc Kornbluh: Instagram.com/kornbluhglassThe book that we reference around 38 minutes is Wine Girl by Victoria James. To get the full benefit of our swirling tutorial, watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

William Cisilino is the director of ARLeF, an organization that promotes the Friulian language. He is a leading expert and advocate for linguistic diversity. Dr Cisilino and Rose Thomas discuss the health of the Friulano language today, both in northeastern Italy and around the world. He teaches Rose Thomas a Friulian saying and poem. They discuss intergenerational transmission, the connection between biodiversity and linguistic variation, the cultural functions of idioms, and who gets to decide if there's a difference between a language and a dialect.  Learn more about Friulano at the ARLeF website: https://arlef.it/ Follow ARLef on Instagram and YouTube @AgjenzieARLeF Two notes: 1. Pope Francis was still living at the time of this recording. 2. The story that US President Kennedy accidentally called himself a donut while visiting Berlin is a widespread misconception, one that Rose Thomas learned had been debunked after recording this episode. If you accidentally refer to yourself as a pastry while practicing a new language, we encourage you to embrace mistakes as part of the language-learning process! Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

When Tatjana Devetak's grandfather said he wanted to carve a world-class wine cellar out of the solid rock of the Karst plateau, everyone said he was crazy. "Who will come to see it?" people said, as he carved each stone by hand. Then the excavation uncovered a trench from World War I, buried below this family's extraordinary restaurant and inn, where travelers and locals alike have enjoyed the hospitality of the Devetak family since 1870. The extra space enabled the Devetak family to realize their dreams of a program where the local wines, which grow up from the same harsh rock, are showcased with the same pride as the family's Slovenian mother tongue.   This episode was recorded onsite with sounds of kitchen, refrigerator and telephone. Tatjana translates for her father, Avguštin Devetak, and also speaks for herself. A visit to Lokanda Devetak in San Michele del Carso—in northeast Italy not far from the Slovenian border—is highly recommended. A note from Rose Thomas: "As I sat down beside the lace-curtained window and got to know the Devetak family through a dinner that expressed the culture of the Karst with love and pride, I thought, 'Oh my god, this restaurant has terroir.' The Devetak family reminded me why we all do what we do in the world of restaurants, winemakers, sommeliers and writers. After six generations of hospitality, Lokanda Devetak is the height of locavore culinary tradition. The meals I enjoyed there were among the best of my life."www.devetak.comFollow Lokanda Devetak on Instagram: @lokandadevetak Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

Rose Thomas Bannister, who was just honored as one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's 2025 Future Forty tastemakers, reads "Raw Shrimp in Venice," the second part of her travel story about her first trip to Venice. A pretty but lonely afternoon gives way to a seafood adventure and a midnight boat ride around the lagoon with new friends made through the magic of local slang and Select spritz. Read the profile about Rose Thomas in Wine Enthusiast magazine Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

Ou has a new album, Uranio! Amy Denio translates for composer Ersilia Prosperi, and speaks for herself as Ersilia's producer and bandmate in the dynamic, multilingual band Ou. The theme music of the Modo di Bere podcast comes from Ou's album Pisces Crisis. You can purchase Ou's first two albums at oumusic.bandcamp.com, and grab the new album at folderolrecords.bandcamp.com. Uranio is the perfect album to investigate the connections between biodiversity and linguistic diversity. The title comes from the uranium from NATO's wargames that is affecting wildlife populations in Ersilia's ancestral home, Sardinia. Visit aforas.noblogs.org to learn about this issue. To hear the story of this multilingual band, and to hear some music from Ou's first two albums, listen to our first interview with Ersilia and Amy, Season 1 Episode 11 of this podcast. Ersilia's website: www.ersiliaprosperi.com/en Amy's website: amydenio.me Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  Listen to the Modo di Bere Podcast in Italian / Ascolta Modo di Bere Italiano: mododibere.com/podcast-italiano If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian! Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

For the Boot in 20 series, an expert brings an Italian wine region to life, talking grapes, wines, climate and tradition–and advice for planning a visit! For the Marche, Rose Thomas interviews Tiziana Forni, a native of Ancona and a wine professional who specializes in Italian wines. Tiziana explains the etymology of the plural region name "Le Marche." She shares sayings about and from Marche, and goes over the major and minor grapes and wines in this region, from white to red, to sparkling red, to co-fermented with local cherries and served over gelato. Every Marchigiana we spoke to maintains that the Marche is a hidden gem that produces wines of excellent quality and value. Happy sheep wander the hilly countryside, (anecdotally) snacking on wine grapes, but only from certain vines. Studded with walled medieval towns and home to one of Italy's most gorgeous piazzas, Marche deserves consideration for your next wine trip. Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

Deep cuts from Modo di Bere's interview with novelist, food writer and videomaker Giulia Álvarez-Katz. To hear the full episode, go to patreon.com/mododibere and become a supporter at the Podcast Lover level.    Longtime fans of the podcast will remember Giulia's interview from Season 2 Episode 10. During the Italian interview, RT and Giulia took a meal break, pairing an Italian Aglianico with New York bodega classic, the chopped cheese sandwich. This is what they talked about:   Italian accents. The wonders of American cheese (yes, even with fish). Diasporic variations of backhome dishes. Including the unexpected combination that approximates Bhutanese yak cheese. The italian phrase "ci sta." Cat divas. The Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned. Who looks at their face on zoom. Who gets to write about New York City.   Modo di Bere is a multiplatform publication by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

Angela and Marianna Velenosi discuss the local wine grapes of Marche and Abruzzo, describing the history, flavors and names of white grapes like Verdicchio, Pecorino, and Trebbiano, and red grapes like Montepulciano and Lacrima. Hear some local sayings from Abruzzo, where Angela is from, and Marche, where her daughter Marianna grew up, and learn why Marianna describes the Marche region as “a gem that has not been discovered yet" in terms of tourism.  Angela struck out on her own to build her wine company in the 1980’s, despite her family not understanding her aims at the time. She and her daughter Marianna tell the story about how they have decided to work together, along with Marianna’s brother, in order to continue representing the territories of Marche and Abruzzo with their family’s wines. Learn more about the Velenosi family's wines at https://velenosivini.com/ Follow them on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/velenosivini/ Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

Travel creator Penelope aka The Flyaway Girl shares the romantic story of how she came home to Gibraltar. From the sound of Llanito, the local language, to the flavor of frozen Sun Cola in a sawed-off carton, Penelope paints a delicious picture of the territory built on a historic rock. This is especially impressive given that Penelope is a photographer with aphantasia, the inability to visualize images in her mind. Penelope didn't learn to take photos to supplement her travel writing; she came into travel creation from photography, her urgent passion from a young age. Penelope shares her philosophy of sustainable travel and her love of languages and explains how Brexit has affected every day life for the residents and workers on this 6.8-kilometer peninsula.  This is an episode for people who love history, linguistics, mythology, geography and adorable baby monkeys. It will make you want to visit Gibraltar. To plan your trip, you can refer to Penelope's one-day itinerary for visiting Gibraltar, alongside her travel content from all over the world, at her website: The Flyaway Girl Follow Penelope on Instagram Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

When Abe Zarate chose sobriety during the pandemic, he returned to his restaurant career with a new reality. Abe shares the logistics of working around alcohol without consuming it. This episode is a frank discussion about what it's like for wine professionals who decide to consume less alcohol.  Is Dry January a threat to the industry? Does neo-prohibition truly loom? The two sommeliers discuss recent news around alcohol and health and how the industry has responded so far. (RT is not impressed.) Rose Thomas opens up about the moment she considered walking away from wine and her wine career how a trip to Italy with temporary dietary restrictions helped her find a new path. (In case you meet in person, RT does drink and she does eat bread!) Abe teaches RT a hilarious drinking term from his youth in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Laredo, Texas. He describes his volunteer work with his sister's non-profit, Corporate Pero Latinos, and how he helps hospitality workers gain access to career choice through language education.  Abe shares his thoughts on the "rock  bottom" trope and the economics of restaurants providing accommodations for teetotalers. Abe's recent experience working in a restaurant that prioritized the disability community expanded his vision of inclusive hospitality. Whatever your job sector or your stance on alcohol, you can follow Abe Zarate aka The Sober Somm for down-to-earth advice on finding clarity in your career and confidence in your own skin.  Find Abe on Instagram @sober_sommCheck out his work with Corporate Pero Latinos and Wine on Wheels:www.corporateperolatinos.org/wineonwheels.org/Note: a CBS news story on Dry January that featured interviews with both Abe and Rose Thomas was delayed to the morning of January 18. That means if you're listening to this episode at publication time, you haven't missed the segment yet!  Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano  

Brian Gelletly is a barista trainer with a sensitivity to caffeine. Brian and Rose Thomas share the secrets of beverage professionals who spend their days spitting out their favorite drinks In Modo di Bere's first episode about coffee. They divulge specific spitting techniques, from spittoon styles to mustache technique, along with general advice for avoiding machismo and protecting your health as a student of liquids. Brian and RT consider parallels between coffee and wine in terms of biodiversity, climate change and sense of place. Brian spills the beans (or the seeds, actually) on what a coffee cherry tastes like and his one piece of advice for improving the espresso you brew at home. For local language, we're in Philadelphia. What's a "jawn," how to order a beer in Philly, and why do residents refer to the water as "Schuylkill punch"? Brian is an educator and he beautifully explains the answers to these burning questions, along with coffee basics such as the difference between "coffee" and "espresso," why Italian and American coffee taste so different, and how to evaluate a well-pulled shot. Come for the information and stay for the joy as Brian and RT talk about the wines and coffees that gave them shivers and inspired their devotion.  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Rose Thomas BannisterVideo version by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano    

When the waiter pours a taste of wine for you and it's your job to inspect that wine for flaws, while the sommelier and your fellow dinner guests look on, this episode is your guide to how to taste that wine with confidence. Wine flavor scientist Dr. Rachel B. Allison and Rose Thomas go over the different smells and tastes that answer the question "How do you know if a wine has gone off?" once and for all. Even better, Dr. Allison tells us exactly how those rotten egg and wet cardboard smells (to name a few) got into the wine in the first place. (What is "barnyard" in a wine, anyway?) If you enjoyed the first part of RT's interview with Dr. Allison in S3E5, you'll surely enjoy another deep dive into the science of wine. Let the technical information empower you as a diner, wherever you are in your journey in wine. You'll never unlearn one funny fact about baby carrots.  Dr. Rachel B. Allison, a wine flavor scientist, educator, and competitive blind tasting champion who grew up bilingual in Canada. Dr. Allison has a Ph.D. in wine flavor chemistry from Cornell University, and an Undergraduate degree in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University. Her paper with Austin Montgomery on hydrogen sulfide formation in canned wines was selected as the Best Enology Paper of 2023 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. Alongside many previous accolades, Dr. Allison was just named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Future Forty in 2024. Learn more about Dr. Allison's work at www.rachelballison.com. Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

Blind tasting—deducing the grape, age and geographic origin of a wine based on sensory analysis alone—can seem like the wine world’s most mystical practice. Wine flavor scientist Dr. Rachel B. Allison came on the Modo di Bere podcast to break down exactly how it’s done. You can watch Dr. Allison blind taste a wine in the video version of the podcast, and maybe even start to learn how to blind taste wine yourself. Dr. Allison chats with RT about how she grew up bilingual, thinking in a language the rest of her family didn’t understand. They contemplate whether Montreal’s favorite swear word is actually a wine term, and they discuss how getting in better touch with your own sense of smell is a lot like learning a language. Dr. Rachel B. Allison, a wine flavor scientist, educator, and competitive blind tasting champion who grew up bilingual in Canada. Dr. Allison has a Ph.D. in wine flavor chemistry from Cornell University, and an Undergraduate degree in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University. Her paper with Austin Montgomery on hydrogen sulfide formation in canned wines was selected as the Best Enology Paper of 2023 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. Alongside many previous accolades, Dr. Allison was just named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Future Forty in 2024. Learn more about Dr. Allison's work at www.rachelballison.com. Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

You can wash a donkey’s head, but you’ll waste your water, your soap, and your time. If you have a woman, a drum, and a duck, you have a revolution. You’ve got more horns than a chariot full of snails. Do you want to know what these sayings mean? Do you think donkeys are cute? Do you like history, music or Sicily? This episode is for you! The conversation between Modo di Bere host Rose Thomas and Sicilian American singer and folklorist Michela Musolino is centered around two southern Italian folk songs about donkeys: “U sceccu,” and “Lu sciccareddu,” also known as “Sciccareddu lu me cori.” Learn more about the folk poet Salvatore Adelfio and the text he wrote about the donkey as a symbol of the contadino during the 1848 Bread Revolution in Sicily, and purchase the recording of Michela singing Salvatore’s text, which her friend Rocco Pollina set to music in 1979, at the link below.https://michelamusolino.com/track/1413193/u-sceccu  Become a Patreon supporter at any level to hear a bonus recording from Michela of the famous southern Italian tune about a man who loved his donkey just a little more than he loved his wife. (Bonus Post Coming soon!) patreon.com/mododibereThe Italian version of this episode is coming soon.  If you’re in the market for a Christmas album, for yourself or as a gift, I must recommend Michela’s album La Notti Triunfanti: https://michelamusolino.com/store Check out Season 1 Episode 7 of this podcast to hear more about Michela’s musical work. Wine Makes Blood: Sicilian-American Folksinger Michela Musolino https://mododibere.podbean.com/e/michela/ Thank you Carmen for making the donkey sound, thanks to Rocco, Luigi and Raquel for their sayings videos, and a big thanks to Roberto di Filippo (from Season 1 Episode 5) for inspiring this episode with his love and respect for the donkey.Watch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A newsletter! Sign up for Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comA travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian!Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano

This is just a preview of our Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. You can listen to the entire episode, and watch the full video, by becoming a supporter at the Podcast Lover level. Just visit the link patreon.com/mododibere in your web browser to sign up and unlock this bonus content. "Under Construction" is a memoir essay about building a home out of food, in the projects of East New York and at the International Culinary Center. The author, Michele Thomas, is now editor and columnist at Modo di Bere Magazine. Hear Michele's full conversation with host Rose Thomas Bannister on the Modo di Bere Podcast, Season 3 Episode 2. Follow Michele on instagram @bedstuysomm Watch this Bonus Episode Preview on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A travel show! Watch + Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV at youtube.com/@mododibereA newsletter! Grab Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian Cerca Modo di Bere Italiano  

Michele Thomas is a writer, sommelier and the manager and buyer at a neighborhood wine shop in Brooklyn. RT and Michele are old friends from RT's wine rep days. They get together to dish about the purpose of tasting notes, the art of wine writing, and how to welcome new drinkers into the world of wine. Also: pairing Italian wine with jerk chicken, wine as a second or third act career, Cynar and tonic with a lime as the perfect "shift drink" after a day of retail hospitality. In a special segment, Michele reads an excerpt of her creative memoir essay, "Under Construction," bringing together her memories of growing up in East New York and working at the International Culinary Center. Hear Michele read the whole essay in a subscriber-only bonus episode, coming soon to www.patreon.com/mododibere.Recording this episode together helped RT and Michele remember how much they love talking about drinks and language. RT has since launched Modo di Bere Magazine with Michele as the editor! Modo di Bere Magazine is also the home of Michele's new monthly column, Bed Stuy Somm. The magazine is currently published as a newsletter. Visit  www.mododibere.com and sign up to get excellent wine and language writing curated by RT and Michele in your inbox every week.Follow Michele on Instagram @bedstuysommRead her piece in the New Yorker: The Christmas WreathWinemakers mentioned in the episode:Frecciarossa PunsetAndre Mack B Stuyvesant ChampagnePierre RichardWatch this episode on YouTube @mododiberepodcast  If you love this show and want it to continue, support Modo di Bere on Patreon.  www.patreon.com/MododiBere Modo di Bere is an educational media project by Rose Thomas Bannister. In addition to this podcast, Rose Thomas also makes: A travel show! Watch + Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV  youtube.com/@mododibereA newsletter! Grab Modo di Bere Magazine at www.mododibere.comMany friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTokMusic composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.comBuy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/ This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas BannisterEdited by Giulia Àlvarez-KatzAudio assistance by  Steve Silverstein Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian Cerca  Modo di Bere Italiano