The best food and wine pairings have something called "muscle." Modo di Bere host Rose Thomas Bannister illuminates the Italian gems that will take your holiday wine pairings from the usual suspects to the sweet spot amid the tannin, acid, fruit and fat. Please enjoy the audio version of Modo di Bere Magazine's Fall & Winter Holiday Wine Pairing Guide. To read and refer to the written guide, visit mododibere.com/magazine, and don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter.

For a review of the basic principles of food and wine pairing, revisit RT's interview with pairing expert Joyce Lin from Season 2, Episode 5.

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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Rose Thomas Bannister.

NYC bartender and brand ambassador Felipe Muñoz illuminates mezcal’s sense of place. Unlike crops that mature in a single growing season, agave plants grow for years or decades before being harvested for mezcal. Felipe shares what it’s like to work as a brand ambassador for the community-centered, woman-forward mezcal brand Yola, and teaches us some juicy drinking sayings from his native Colombia.

Rose Thomas and Felipe do an in-depth tasting of Yola mezcal. They sip on a mezcal cocktail and share advice for beginning bartenders and anyone learning to make cocktails at home.

Find a bottle of Yola Mezcal near you: yolamezcal.com/ Follow Felipe on Instagram: instagram.com/anfemu Follow Yola on Instagram: instagram.com/yolamezcal

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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio assistance by Steve Silverstein

The Hagiographer is a historical fiction novel about the 9th century philosopher who invented the Glagolitic alphabet and his rogue biographer. I was riding the New York City subway when I ran into my friend Vlada Tomova, who runs a Bulgarian woman's choir. She was with the Bulgarian writer Stefan Kisyov and his family, on the way back from an event at the Bulgarian embassy that celebrated the publication of his book The Hagiographer.

To give family a little taste of New York, Vlada was taking them to Caffe Reggio in the West Village. I ended up tagging along so that I could hear more about Stefan's novel, a historical fiction story, set partly in Rome, about the person who created the Glagolitic alphabet, the first Slavonic alphabet.

Even though The Hagiographer is not yet available in English, I encouraged Stefan to sit down for an interview so that I could learn more about what drew him to write a book about the birth of an alphabet. He graciously agreed to give his first ever interview in English.

I also went shopping for at a mall in Brooklyn with Stefan and his daughter Maria so she could buy some Converse sneakers. Maria taught me a Bulgarian saying that will be available on Modo di Bere's social media pages.

Stefan Kisyov was born in 1963 in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, where he completed his secondary education at the local French high school. He worked as an electrician, administrator in a hotel on the Black Sea coast, stage worker at the Stara Zagora Opera. He studied at the Plovdiv and Sofia Universities and the Sorbonne in Paris, and was a freelance journalist in several capital newspapers. He is the author of 50-60 stories, the novels "Jukebox", "Nothing Anywhere", "Don't Be a Somnambulist". For "The Executioner", in 2004, he received the grand prize of the "VIK" Foundation for Bulgarian Novel of the Year.

Order the English translation of Stefan’s book The Executioner directly from the author: kissiov@abv.bg

Stefan Kisyov's facebook page: facebook.com/stefan.kisyov Stefan's publisher: erabooks.net (use your browser's translate function as needed) Hear some Bulgarian folk music from Vlada Tomova's Yasna Voices Women's Choir: instagram.com/yasnavoices

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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio assistance by Steve Silverstein

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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio 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.com Follow 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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio 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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Special 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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio 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.vin Follow Glasvin on Instagram instagram.com/glas.vin They 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/kornbluhglass The 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.com A travel show! Subscribe to Modo di Bere TV youtube.com/@mododibere Many friends! Meet them when you follow @mododibere on Instagram and TikTok Music composed by Ersilia Prosperi for the band Ou: www.oumusic.bandcamp.com Buy their latest album at https://folderol.it/ou/

This episode was produced and recorded by Rose Thomas Bannister Edited by Giulia Àlvarez-Katz Audio assistance by Steve Silverstein

Ascolta il podcast in Italiano / Listen to the podcast in Italian! Cerca / Search: Modo di Bere Italiano