Raise a glass of California sparkling wine!

Fifty years ago, when America was celebrating its Bicentennial, and the famous Judgement of Paris put California wine on the world map, Barry and Audrey Sterling founded Iron Horse Vineyards. At the time, the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley AVA was unknown. But the Sterlings saw potential there, and created a sparkling wine house that would go on to earn worldwide acclaim.

CEO and second generation vintner Joy Sterling is back for an encore appearance on the pod. She shares how a winery stays relevant for half a century and what it means to keep the Iron Horse spirit galloping into the future.

As Joy says, Iron Horse’s 50th anniversary is a toast for the history books. It also coincides with the Chinese lunar year of the horse, Joy’s mother’s Audrey Sterling’s 95th birthday, winemaker David Munksgard’s 30th vintage and America’s 250th anniversary. Iron Horse has played a role in that, with its sparkling being served in seven presidential administrations at America’s table. While looking back is a fitting tribute, Joy says it’s important to look and move forward to the next 50 years.

Two friends are crafting a European tradition with a California vibe.

We’re stepping into that delicious moment before dinner, when the day loosens its tie. We take a breath and we ease into the evening. It’s the perfect time for an apéritif.

Can America have an apéritif or aperitivo culture just as the French and Italians do? Rue de Rêve Apéritifs founders Jennifer Kimpe and Jeanne-Marie Hebert say, pourquoi pas, perché no or why not? You can sip the classic drinks - bitters like Aperol or Campari, bubbles and botanicals, Vermouth, et cetera - but there’s room for a new style of apéritifs, created by our guests today.

Jennifer and Jeanne-Marie always say that apéritif isn’t something you drink, it’s something you do. After three years of research and recipe development, these friends are on their way to realizing their dream of a modern apéritif culture in the U.S.

If you’ve read the wine headlines lately, you’d think wine is over. Younger generations don’t drink it. Wellness concerns have people cutting back. Baby boomers are aging out of the market.

But according to Dr. Liz Thach, President of the Wine Market Council and one of the world’s most respected wine researchers, that story is incomplete. Turns out younger generations ARE drinking wine

On this week’s Sip Sip Hooray podcast, Liz joined us to share brand-new research from the Wine Market Council — and the picture she paints is far more nuanced, and far more hopeful.

Liz is a Master of Wine, an educator, author, and longtime professor who lives at the crossroads of wine, business, and culture. She asks the big questions about how wine is made, sold, and enjoyed, and she has a gift for connecting what’s happening in the vineyards and boardrooms to what ends up in our glasses.

Recent Wine Market Council research finds Millennials are now the largest wine-drinking generation in the U.S., surpassing Boomers faster than expected. Gen X remains steady. And Gen Z? They do like wine — they just drink it differently.

Liz gives us an insight into her organization’s forward-looking research on the U.S. wine consumer buying habits, attitudes, and trends for 2026.