Wine Situation Final Five (Now With Drunk Dialing!)

The Wine Situation hosts everyone from winemakers to writers to find out what a person’s situation is…with wine. It’s the solo season with host Ellen Clifford, but listen in with a glass, and nobody is drinking alone! In lieu of guests, at the end of every action packed episode Ellen is phoning a friend with her Final Five questions. This week Ellen talks to Casleah Herwaldt, the blogger behind By the Stem, creator of Casleah wine, wine club owner and more! Check out the full episode here : THE FINAL FIVE (Ever so slightly edited for length!): QUESTION ONE Ellen: Whatcha drinking these days? Casleah: I’m always into bubbles, Champagne , obviously and I’m really into Franciacorta , Limoux …also I’m really into Muscadet right now. It’s like the perfect summer wine—a little bit lower in alcohol, nice and refreshing, high acidity. QUESTION TWO Ellen: Awesome. Question number two, do you have either a best pairing or unusual pairing you’ve enjoyed? Any kind of food, any kind of drink. Casleah: It’s a classic. I’m really into Sauternes and bleu cheese. It’s one of the best pairings in the world. I’m obsessed with it. I love how both the wine and the cheese change so much when they come together. QUESTION THREE Ellen: I absolutely concur. Your blog and Instagram handle are “By the Stem”, so I take it you have a thing for stemware. Do you have a favorite glass? Casleah: I do; yes, I do have a thing for stemware. I think it really enhances the experience. For Champagne, I love the Riedel Performance. I like Champagne glasses that have a little more of a bowl to them and a nice thin stem. For my everyday glass, I use my Schott Zweisel from Crate & Barrel. They have the Bordeaux style and then also Riedel has one—I can’t remember the name—but designed for Pinot Noirs from Oregon, and it has a tulip shape. I really love that. QUESTION FOUR Ellen: Next question! If you could go to any place in the world, where would you want to go? Casleah: Of course Champagne! I’ve never been and I really really want to go and go in the caves. And also I really want to go to German wine country, like in the Mosel . But literally anywhere! Bordeaux , Burgundy , Loire , Italy …anywhere at this point. New Zealand too! Mendoza … QUESTION FIVE Ellen: Question number five is just what’s bringing you joy these days? Casleah: I am really loving going to the beach, to spend time with my husband. I love just going out to a restaurant, having a nice dinner with a nice wine with my husband or with friends. I’m so glad restaurants are back open again. Just quality time with people I love. That’s what’s bringing me joy! *** You can follow Casleah @bythestem on Instagram, check out her blog bythestem.co and look for a link to her wine and wine club in her Instagram bio! Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with Matthew Lindsey here .