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 Mike Stone, tasting room manager at Nicholson Ranch and host of the TallMike Wine Podcast. Check out the full episode here QUESTION ONE Ellen: I hear tell you just had COVID, and there are often taste problems associated with it. When you were on the mend, what was your first wine back? Mike: I had this great Chilean wine. It was delicious. It was a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend called Don Maximiano from a winery called Errazuriz . This one knocked it out of the park. The first smell was like “oh wow, did I just get into my grandfather’s shoe closet? Because it smells like leather”. Good leather, tobacco, super-extracted dark fruit. It was a 2007, and it was ready. The good news is I have another bottle. QUESTION TWO Ellen: Next question is, what is either a favorite pairing or unusual pairing that you’ve enjoyed? Mike: I’m gonna keep it simple. This is something that surprises people at the winery I work at, Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma, where we make primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay —and they always ask about pairing for Pinot. People are afraid to pair it with big meats. I always say I like to pair it with salmon. Pinot is a little different than a lot of reds, and salmon is a little different that a lot of fish. Pinot is lighter than most reds, and salmon is a little darker and fattier than most fish, so they both come across a line in each direction and pow! You get this amazing matchup. QUESTION THREE Ellen: Question number three is what kind of beverages do you fancy when not drinking wine? Mike: You know what I had to drink last night, after I’d had a lot of wine and it was bedtime? I had some Bailey’s on the rocks and some Oreo cookies. Now that’s a nice pairing! I really am an equal opportunity imbiber though. You probably would find me most often, when I’m not drinking wine, having a cocktail made with either bourbon or tequila . QUESTION FOUR Ellen: Question number four, if you were to make a wine, what would you make and what would you name your winery? Mike: I would have to call it Tall Mike Wine. It would have to be one of the heavier darker reds. Maybe a Bordeaux blend or maybe a Rhone blend . Something dark and bold and heavily extracted with lots of new French oak. QUESTION FIVE Ellen: The last question is just what is bringing you joy these days? Mike: A couple of things. It’s the time of spring where all the planting I did in my flowerpot plant garden outside—I live in a condo so I have this outdoor space that every summer I try to create my little sanctuary so—all the stuff I started planting a month ago is really starting to bloom. I go outside, and the garden looks amazing. So that’s bringing me joy; and of course, my little kitty kat Olive, who is five years old and is my companion and always nearby. There’s three people that live here, and I’m really the only one she gives the time of day. She gives me great joy forever and always. *** You can find the TallMikeWine Podcast wherever podcasts are found, and follow him on Instagram @TallMikeWine and on twitter @TallMikeWine69 Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with Kathleen Willcox here .