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 ...
Jun 09, 2026•5 min•Ep. 320
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 custo...
Jun 04, 2026•6 min•Ep. 318
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...
Jun 02, 2026•5 min•Ep. 327
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 All...
May 29, 2026•6 min
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...
May 28, 2026•27 min•Ep. 316
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 la...
May 27, 2026•5 min•Ep. 328
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 primar...
May 26, 2026•5 min•Ep. 304
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 5...
May 21, 2026•4 min•Ep. 314
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 Viney...
May 20, 2026•3 min•Ep. 326
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 conn...
May 19, 2026•24 min•Ep. 306
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...
May 14, 2026•5 min•Ep. 313
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 l...
May 13, 2026•3 min•Ep. 324
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 Viogni...
May 12, 2026•5 min•Ep. 305
What you’ll learn: How Nashville’s bachelorette scene inspired the “Party Pack” model Why Shared Spirits struggled pre‑COVID — and why everything changed afterward How QR codes, Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats trained customers for mobile transactions Why people now trust text‑based drink gifting How the app notifies recipients, customizes messages, and handles number masking Why mobile‑first behavior made “buying someone a drink” digitally feel normal How the backend logistics evolved to sup...
May 07, 2026•5 min•Ep. 312
Thomas Jefferson didn't just like wine — he was consumed by it. He walked the vineyards of Bordeaux, shipped Sauternes to George Washington, advised four presidents on what to pour at state dinners, and kept obsessive records of every single bottle he ever purchased. Over three decades, that total reached 20,000 bottles. So in 1985, when a German wine dealer named Hardy Rodenstock surfaced with bottles of 18th-century wine etched with the initials "T.J." — allegedly discovered behind a bricked-u...
May 06, 2026•6 min•Ep. 319
Maba designed the bottle immediately after his first winemaker meeting in August — the creative energy was instant. The bottle's medallion design was intentional: he wanted it to feel like a collector's coin , something giftable and meaningful The label tells the story of the Dogon people — an ancient West African cosmology involving beings who traveled to Earth in a whale-like vessel through the ocean. Design philosophy: "striking simplicity" — influenced by his storytelling and film background...
May 05, 2026•5 min•Ep. 304
What you’ll learn: Why restaurant experiences are built on more than just food How Shared Spirits works from login to drink redemption Why it’s essentially “Venmo for cocktails” How drink gifting creates new marketing opportunities for bars and brands The power of real‑time redemption data How restaurants can see pending drink credits and market to those customers How unused drinks can be forwarded to someone else How brands deploy 100–200 drink campaigns through ambassadors, reps, and influence...
Apr 30, 2026•6 min•Ep. 311
In 1805, a 27-year-old French widow was handed a struggling wine business, a mountain of debt, and a legal system that said she had no right to run either. Her name was Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin. You know her today as Veuve Clicquot. What she built in the decades that followed didn't just save a family business — it changed how every bottle of champagne on earth is made. In this episode of The Back Label, we follow the widow's journey from a stone house in Reims to the Russian Imperial Cou...
Apr 29, 2026•5 min•Ep. 317
Flying Whale Wine - Maba Ba The Gold: This wine boasts a beautiful color, with a deep garnet hue. Its complex bouquet reveals ripe fruits, particularly cherry, complemented by subtle notes of vanilla-spiced aromas. Rich and well-structured, this cuvée, with its silky tannins, offers a pleasingly long finish. 60% Grenache Noir | 40% Syrah THE ROSE GOLD: This wine boasts a beautiful color, with a deep garnet hue. Its complex bouquet reveals ripe fruits, particularly cherry, complemented by subtle ...
Apr 28, 2026•5 min•Ep. 303
Topics covered: Why restaurants are still the #1 place where wine brands are built How distributors and suppliers decide which wines get shelf space The role of brand ambassadors and in‑store “activations” Real‑time POS data and how close the industry is to instant analytics Why sampling is expensive — especially when the bottle retails for $80 The difference between impulse‑buy wines and high‑end decision‑tree wines How store expertise varies wildly from state to state and shop to shop Key insi...
Apr 23, 2026•6 min•Ep. 310
It's one of the most dramatic moments in wine history — and it almost didn't happen. Steven Spurrier, an Englishman running a small wine shop and the first independent wine school in Paris, organized what was supposed to be a friendly Franco-American comparison in honor of the U.S. bicentennial. His colleague Patricia Gallagher had visited Napa, tasted the wines, and believed. The California winemakers themselves had no idea their bottles were even entered. Getting the wine to Paris was its own ...
Apr 22, 2026•5 min•Ep. 315
The Documentary That Sparked a Wine Empire Maba Ba traveled to Senegal to produce a documentary about Mbeubeuss, a massive wasteland outside Dakar where entire families live and work among the trash. As the transcript states: “It’s literally a city of trash… there are people who live in that city.” The film aimed to highlight how global environmental reforms ignore the people whose livelihoods depend on this ecosystem. The Unexpected Path to Flying Whale Wine Before leaving for Senegal, a woman ...
Apr 21, 2026•7 min•Ep. 302
Sherman Mohr has been navigating pivots his entire career — and he's gotten very good at it. In this episode, Forrest sits down with the co-founder and COO of Shared Spirits (sharedspirits.com), a mobile app that lets you buy, share, and redeem wine, beer, and cocktails directly through participating restaurants. Sherman's road to the wine world wound through the mortgage industry, a move to Nashville in 1990, and eventually a leap into marketing and technology. Shared Spirits was born in the mi...
Apr 16, 2026•5 min•Ep. 309
Episode Highlights: The origin of Flying Whale Wine The influence of the Dogon people and the Sirius star system Growing up in Dakar, Senegal A chance meeting that led to winemaking in France Why wine is more than a drink—it’s culture and connection @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 advertisin...
Apr 14, 2026•6 min•Ep. 301
Key Topics: The legend of the “wine song” and its rumored composer How music influences wine tasting experiences Behind‑the‑scenes insights from winemakers and musicians Forrest’s reflections on storytelling through sound and sip Subscribe for more short, flavorful stories about wine, culture, and creativity. Share this episode with a friend who loves both music and merlot. @thebestwinepod Discover More from The Best 5 Minute Podcast Network: Wine Podcast Music Podcast Travel Podcast Hosted by S...
Apr 09, 2026•4 min•Ep. 308
What We Cover What “low ABV” wine actually means How winemakers reduce alcohol (early harvest, cool climates, spinning cone tech) Why younger drinkers are driving the trend. Whether low‑alcohol wines can still taste great. The surprising region producing naturally delicious low‑ABV bottles. What to avoid when shopping. @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 i...
Apr 09, 2026•3 min•Ep. 307
The Premise: You’ve heard the episodes featuring Master Sommelier Ian Cauble… Now it’s time to see what actually stuck. What You’re Being Tested On: Ian’s background and origin story His path into wine Key wine insights and preferences Industry facts (including the brutal MS exam) Personal quirks and memorable moments @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 in...
Apr 07, 2026•7 min•Ep. 300
In this extended interview, Forrest Kelly talks with Master Sommelier Ian Cauble about the passion, discipline, and sensory skill required to become one of the world’s top wine experts. Becoming a Master Sommelier Why only about 3% of candidates pass the Master Sommelier exam The three components of the exam: ,Theory, Blind tasting, Service Why sommeliers must master wine, spirits, geography, culture, and hospitality Discovering Wine The meal that changed Cauble’s life: Sauvignon Blanc, goat che...
Mar 31, 2026•34 min•Ep. 297
In the final segment of Forrest Kelly’s interview with Master Sommelier Ian Cauble , the conversation turns to the remarkable sensory abilities that make great sommeliers stand out. The “superpower” of a sommelier’s taste memory How Cauble can recognize wines he tasted months or years earlier Why palate sensitivity plays a role in wine expertise Why wine appreciation is subjective and personal Surprising food pairings, including Spam musubi and sushi combinations Key Insight Ian Cauble explains ...
Mar 24, 2026•3 min•Ep. 296
Is corked wine actually better than screw cap? Mark from New Jersey — who calls himself "Cheap Drunk" — phones in with a question his lady has been giving him grief about, and Forrest Kelly along with Sour Grapes sets the record straight. The truth is, screw caps aren't a sign of a cheap wine — they're a sign of a smart winery. From the history of cork to the very real problem of cork taint, this episode breaks down one of wine's most persistent myths in classic Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast fashio...
Mar 19, 2026•4 min•Ep. 299
