We’ll be diving deep into a specific grape once a month. If you have a grape you want featured in this series, leave a comment and let me know, or argue in the comments with someone else about why your grape is better than their grape. Go crazy!

The grape of the month is: Syrah

TLDR on Syrah:

• Syrah is a red grape that produces dry and full-bodied wines with high acidity and medium tannins.

• It can taste like blue and black fruits, like dark cherries and currants, plus savory and umami things like black olives, caper brine, pickle juice, black peppercorns, and smoked meats.

• Most Syrah is aged at least a little bit before release, in barrel or in bottle, with some bottles showing best 5-10 years old, and some showing their best well beyond that.

Syrah can taste distinctively of black pepper because of a chemical compound called “rotundone”. Just like we see the chemical compound of pyrazines in Sauvignon Blanc, we see rotundone in Syrah. Just like how Sauvignon Blanc can smell like jalapenos because pyrazines are literally present in both the grape and in jalapenos, rotundone is found in both the Syrah grape and in black peppercorns. It’s found mostly in the skins, and it is spicy!

Describing these wines as “spicy” or “peppery” is absolutely accurate.

There are exceptions to every wine rule, but these are my general Syrah rules, that are meant to be broken and proven wrong and are totally open to interpretation.

1. Serve it just below room temperature if possible. Room temp is OK, just below room temp is optimal.

2. Drink it from a wide wine glass if possible. At The Modern, I serve Syrah in a Burgundy glass. If you don’t have those (I, personally, do not), any wine glass will do.

3. You might want to decant it! Giving Syrah some air is often a good idea. For your extremely special ultra old bottles, maybe don’t. They’re too delicate and a lot of the nuance can be lost. But anything under 30 years of age, you probably won’t ruin by decanting.

4. You might want to age it! Syrah is a grape that produces wines with strong bones: high acidity and high tannin. For that reason, it can age a long time in bottle.

The Northern Rhone

The Northern Rhone valley is a largely considered the birthplace and homeland of our beloved Syrah grape. The region is defined by granite soils and steep slopes along the banks of the Rhone River, in Southeastern France.

There are some important producers in this part of France, that sort of define the style of the whole region. Lots of winemakers in the region have studied from them, are literal descendants of them, and their influence is massive on Syrah here and around the world.

The big producers here are Guigal, Jaboulet, Jamet, Chave, and Clape.

A lot of producers here make wines across a wide range of price points. They make their top bottlings ($$$) age worthy and wildly complex. But they also make entry-level wines from purchased fruit, negociant style! Wines made in fruitier and less complex styles but still made with the same care and intention as their top wines. Such a good hack for finding value here.

Eric Texier Cotes Du Rhone Brezeme 2023 $37.97- Cotes du Rhone are tricky because most come from the Southern part of the Rhone valley, and they’re often not Syrah-based, but rather Grenache! This producer, Texier, however, is in the North and it’s 100% Syrah, and there isn’t really a way for you to know that other than research or me telling you.

Domaine des Lises Crozes-Hermitage 2017 $37.99 Maxime Graillot is the son of famous Rhone winemaker Alain Graillot and that’s exactly the sort of family business we love to support. Syrah runs through his veins. The estate was established in 2004, it’s relatively young, it’s all organic, and the wines are extraordinary, especially for the price.

South Australia

They call Syrah “Shiraz” down here. Genetically, it’s the exact same grape. Stylistically, it’s often really different. People love to describe Shiraz as “jammy” and sometimes that is true. Shiraz often has slightly higher alcohol than Syrah from France, a more fruity and less savory profile, and an herbaceousness that feels like mint or eucalyptus, proof of their terroir.

Maybe, if you were like me in college, you remember going to liquor stores and looking for the ultimate combo of lowest price bottle with highest alcohol content. This bottle was probably Shiraz from Australia. But trust me when I say there is so much more to this vast and diverse continent and this wildly delicious grape.

Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2019 $229 What’s really cool about Australia, is they have some of the oldest vines on the planet. Their isolation and specific soil types make this possible. When you can find extremely old vine Syrah/Shiraz examples, like this one, I urge you to try them if possible. Their concentration is unmatched and there is a polish to them that is just so delicious.

California

Pax North Coast Syrah 2023 $33.99 This has to be at least my third or fourth time writing about the genius that is Pax Mahle, this winemaker out of California. He makes wines that, to me, taste like the absolute pure essence of Syrah: purple and jammy, with acidity and saltiness. They are lifted and aromatic and surprising every time.

Peay Vineyards Les Titans Estate Syrah 2021 $79.99 I feel like I also write about Vanessa Wong’s remarkable Sonoma Coast wines all the time. Her Syrahs, however, are really unique. She somehow turns this savory and deep red wine into something that feels light on its feet and refreshing, without compromising its structure. I’m not sure that makes any sense, but it is how the wines feel and I adore them.

If you love Syrah, drink Syrah. It’s singular and special. That being said, I often confuse it with Malbec in blind tastings. Both lean into black and blue fruit flavors, and are deep inky purple in the glass.

What else do you want featured on Crush Course? Maybe I’ll do one wonky grape you guys haven’t drank much of… maybe Assyrtiko? Nerello Mascalese? Merlot! Give me suggestions in the comments.

Your greatest sales tool is listening. Listening is so much more important than speaking.

Everyone needs a side hustle, no matter your main hustle. Not always to profit, but to expand ourselves intellectually and creatively. Start a TikTok, pick up pottery, start a book club. You need it.

Nothing beats a handwritten card.

Thank you for supporting me through this incredible 5-year Modern era. I am so grateful for these years, these relationships, and the growth that this job allowed me. I went from 25 to 30 walking in circles in that dining room and I am so proud.

Cheers to the next adventure.

We’ll be diving deep into a specific grape once a month. If you have a grape you want featured in this series, leave a comment and let me know, or argue in the comments with someone else about why your grape is better than their grape. Go crazy!

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Nine out of ten “serious” wine drinkers at The Modern fit this archetype.

All of my regulars are men.

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I want to hear about your preferences, your needs, and your budget, and curate you a case of 12 wines so that you have a bottle on hand for any occasion.

Every shipment includes:
• 12 hand-selected wines tailored to your preferences and budget
• Tasting no…

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TLDR on Cabernet Sauvignon:

• Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape that produces dry and full-bodied wi…

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This contrast makes me laugh, though I don’t think anyone else even notices.

At 9:30 am I’m on my mat, surrounded by the other Lulu-clad Equinox girlies, “engaging my core” and by 10:30 I’ve tasted 6 wines from 6 different countries, sorted through their similarities, their differences, and described them all to a T. I think I’m the only person on the planet who can say they did all this before 10:30am.

I find myself straddling both worlds here: creatine supplements and Champagne, 20,000 steps a day and Haagen Daaz out of the carton after service.

I am (and you are too, probably) currently being flooded with headlines about the end of the alcohol industry as we know it. Alcohol causes cancer, Ozempic curbs your desire to drink, sober-curious is so hot right now, the cultural pressure to optimize everything deprioritizes life’s pleasures! The list goes on. (Meanwhile, cigarettes are hot again. Make that make sense!)

To most, it appears that the wellness industry is fighting (and beating) the wine industry in an ugly, bloody massacre.

I’ve started to wonder whether wine and wellness are actually fighting at all, or whether we’ve flattened both into caricatures of themselves.

To me, wine culture prioritizes ritual, pleasure, slowness, and community.

To me, those things are wellness.

These are the kinds of buzzwords the wellness industry has co-opted into selling us tonics and supplements and serums and memberships, a multi-billion dollar industry!

The wine industry is the OG, rooted in centuries of tradition. Wine culture predates wellness culture by centuries and Gen Z health trends aren’t about to destroy this ancient and beautiful cultural practice.

Some things transcend modern culture: marriage, religion, dance, fermenting grape juice. These are old enough practices to be considered human truths. Trends come and go, people support or don’t support these institutions, but they’re not going anywhere. For better or for worse, humanity needs them.

Ritual, pleasure, slowness, and community define my personal wellness in many ways that my hours on the Pilates reformer could never do.

Ritual:

We are sold 12-step skin care routines as ritual. We are sold a 5am morning routine, featuring journaling, breathwork, meditation, and circadian rhythm regulation as ritual. I even take a daily vitamin from a brand called Ritual.

Rarely are we sold wine drinking as ritual, but it is! For me, it’s the ritual of pulling a bottle from the fridge before Friday night dinner, the wine upon which we will do our Shabbat blessing. It’s the ritual of tasting and spitting every bottle I open at work. It’s the ritual of pouring for friends before I pour for myself. It’s the ritual of polishing “the nice glasses” before and after use. It’s the ritual of opening the wine list and your sommelier magically appears tableside, ready to chat. It takes forethought and time and care and patience and that is where the magic is.

Pleasure:

The online discourse of how we can best optimize, I believe, is a net negative on society. Optimization can only be the goal up until a certain point. I believe pleasure must be at least part of the ultimate goal. Humans are capable of pleasure and deserving of pleasure. We don’t need protein in our coffee, we do not need to track our sleep scores, and we don’t need shoes that help us burn more calories. We need to feel good.

Time does not demand to be spent productively. What even is productivity anyway?

We need to feel good, we need to see beauty, we need to smell everything, and we need to taste deliciousness. That’s a level of optimization we’re not talking about.

I love how Scott Galloway put it recently on Notes, “The more data we collect on ourselves, supposedly the better able we are to improve our lives. But metrics aren’t the arbiters of living well, nor is optimization life’s highest achievement. I believe this trend isn’t about optimizing life, but a growing obsession consuming life’s purpose and meaning.”

If life’s purpose and meaning is being reduced to productivity, then, yes, absolutely the robots will take over. They are better than we are at it anyway. But, humans are capable of so much more than productivity: feeling and communicating and emoting and loving and feeling some more!

Slowness:

The art of blind tasting emphasizes the power of slowing down and tapping into your senses. When was the last time you thought about the way something made your mouth feel? How much your mouth watered? How long the flavors lingered after you swallowed? It’s about presence and that is so beautiful.

You can shovel a chia pudding in your mouth, chase it with a green juice while you run to the train, and call yourself healthy. Or you can sit with a glass of wine, meditate on it, consider its origins, contemplate its character, and call yourself healthy.

These aren’t mutually exclusive. I, of course, shovel my chia pudding on my way from Pilates to tasting group. I see the irony, and I love it.

Community:

Only twice have I made a friend at Equinox. One was a man I thought was asking me on a date (he wasn’t) and the other was a woman who is now my hairdresser (Hi Laurie!) I’m at the gym 5 days a week, every week, for the last 5 years, and I’ve only made 2 friends. I know other fitness places are different, like my family’s squash club where my mother is the mayor, but this is my experience.

At tasting group, on the other hand, a real community is formed. Everyone is rooting for each other, fully embodying how a rising tide lifts all boats. It requires active participation from all people, from all skill levels, and that is what builds active and additive community.

The community that’s built at tasting group is healthy by every definition. It’s your peers holding you accountable for your goals. It’s a group study environment where we all cheer each other on. We practice patience with and gratitude for one another. The format only works in a group setting. You cannot do it alone. It makes us each better as individuals and so much better as a community.

Conscious consumption is a key part of my ideal life of balance. For me, wine is an integral part of that. It inspires it, it invites it, and it allows me to feel like a conscious consumer of all things.

I have felt, in some moments, that my career and my health goals are at odds with each other. Even I am susceptible to such marketing from wellness culture!

Will my abs ever look as defined as I want if I taste wine every night? Would my relationship with my friends be compromised if I didn’t want to drink with them on weekends? Do I feel shame that I’m not at the 6 am hot yoga class because I worked until midnight the night before? Am I choosing to surround myself with people with “unhealthy” habits by spending time in the wine industry?

My answers here are yes and no to all of the above. Life and work and health are complicated when they overlap like this.

I think we’re beyond the medical arguments for wine.

I cannot argue that red wine is good for you heart health. I think we’re beyond this. The trace amounts of antioxidants present in wine are meaningless in comparison to a simple multi-vitamin.

I can, however, easily argue that wine promotes spontaneity, socializing, risk-taking, and experimentation: values I (we!) want to promote in all people, and especially young people!

At a moment when so much of young adulthood happens online, I wonder if there’s something valuable about the delightfully messy spontaneity wine culture still encourages: lingering dinners, flirting at bars, conversations that stretch longer than intended, and nights that don’t feel optimized.

Reflecting on my last decade of wine drinking, so many of the lessons learned, the relationships formed, the mistakes made, and the solutions found, were because of wine. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Maybe wine is here to give young people the opportunity to make mistakes. It’s a right of passage and it’s a key learning moment of growing up for so many, or at least me. Maybe that’s actually a really healthy thing.

Maybe balance is different for everyone.

Maybe wellness without joy is useless.

Maybe the goal isn’t optimization, but consciousness.

I’m not seeking any answers.

I am certainly not anti-sobriety.

I am asking each of us to question what balance looks like for us.

I am asking each of us to question our relationship to alcohol, our relationship to our bodies, and our relationship to community.

Put those relationships next to each other, not in a battle, but on a team, and let us each figure out where they can stand together to work with us and for us.

Your first assignment is To Fall in Love, Drink This by Alice Feiring, journalist, author, and devout natural wine advocate.

We’re going to read this book together over the next few months, then in August, Alice will join me (and all of you, hopefully!) for a Substack Live book club meeting to answer our questions.

How is this a book…

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We’ll be diving deep into a specific grape once a month. If you have a grape you want featured in this series, leave a comment and let me know, or argue in the comments with someone else about why your grape is better than their grape. Go crazy!

TLDR on Riesling:

• It ta…

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They don’t say that anymore! Now, I have a husband, “smile lines,” a few dozen grey hairs, and references to my youth are few and far between. That’s okay.

Just like wine, I’m changing as I get older!

Not all of those changes are necessarily good (my left knee pops all the time now? what is that?) or bad (I’m less impulsive, more kind) but I am certainly and unequivocally different from how I was before.

I feel less beholden to the expectations of others, and more aligned with my own personal values, and generally happier with myself, my choices, actions, and relationships.

All things change with time. People love to have opinions about how, why, and when things change. Especially how women change, and especially how wine changes.

For example, I love award show season. I love the clothes and the meaningless red carpet interviews. It is so frivolous and self-righteous and I love that designers and especially otherwise-anonymous stylists get their moment of fame while dressing A-lister nominees.

Every year I age, however, the way our red carpet women are criticized for aging hurts more and more. This is not a unique take: It’s impossible for women to age without criticism. Either you get too much work done to look fantastic or you don’t get enough work done and you don’t look fantastic enough. Everyone seems to have an opinion and it’s extremely hard for women to satisfy both sides of the aisle.

Women who are so spectacularly gorgeous are suddenly subject to the scrutiny of everybody with eyeballs. It’s unfair AND it’s not going anywhere.

Women age and people are immediately judgemental.

Wines age and people are immediately impressed.

Neither of these things are optimal.

Here are my answers to your wine aging FAQs along with lessons I’ve learned about personal aging.

How do wines change as they age?

White wines gain color as they age, transitioning from a straw or water white color to a deeper, more amber golden color. The fresh fruit flavors transition to more savory ones: bright lemon peel makes way for toasted nuts, for example. Acidity softens with time, making for a rounder, often creamier and weightier mouthfeel. We gain complexity and we lose freshness.

Red wines fade in color as they age, transitioning from bright ruby to brick. The fresh fruit flavors transition to more savory ones: fresh cherry makes way for decaying autumn leaves, for example. Tannins soften with time, making for a softer and less abrasive mouthfeel.

Most wines, both white and red, become less fresh and fruity, and more dried and earthy.

How have I changed? Besides my sprouting greys and popping knees? I understand now more than ever what is actually important to me. I’ve learned how to live in a way that keeps those important factors at the forefront. I understand time and peace and privacy to be the greatest luxuries. I get to make my own decisions now and stand by them.

I am less gullible, less influenceable, less angry. I am more nurturing, more creative, more patient, more observant, and more sustainable in every sense of the word.

Do all wines get better as they age? NO!

A great friend and wine mentor of mine, Brittany Galbraith, says “wines are like people. In order to grow old they need really strong bones. The bones of the wine are found in the structure: the sweetness, the acidity, the alcohol, and the tannins.”

If a wine doesn’t have at least one of those strong bones, it most likely will not get better as it ages.

“Better,” however, is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I have a hard time understanding most wines 50 years and older. Some people love them! Just not me. When the freshness fades away and gets replaced with hard-to-understand complexity, I find deliciousness decreases. Does that mean the wine is “worse”? Depends on you and how you like your wine!

Unless your wine has strong bones (acidity, sweetness, alcohol, or tannin), your wine might fall flat as it ages.

I think I am getting better with age. I have strong bones upon which I can grow strong. My metaphorical tannins have softened in a way that I like and I have a long runway ahead of me.

Should all expensive wines be aged? NO!

Only strong-boned wines should be aged.

Classically, the red wines of Bordeaux, Piedmont, Northern Rhone, and Napa age extremely well. Sweet or oaked white wines age better than their dry and steely counterparts. Think Sauternes, white Burgundy, or German Riesling. Fortified wines like Port and Madeira age beautifully because they have higher alcohol as that strong bone.

Value only exists if it’s valuable to you.

Expensive doesn’t mean better. Expensive doesn’t mean it’s inherently higher quality. Expensive doesn’t mean it will work better for you. I think Birkins are ugly. They offer me no value. The vintage bag I got at the flea market in Chiang Mai for 200 baht is gorgeous and offers me endless value.

Aging asks the question, “what do you value? what are you willing to pay for it?” I love pondering this.

Are older wines automatically better? NO!

Some wines actively get worse as they get older. Wines like Provençal rosé, Beaujolais, or Vinho Verde are made with the intention of being drunk young. If you age them, they’ll lose their verve. Their charm is in their youth! That is worth celebrating, and it doesn’t mean their quality is inherently lower.

Older women are jealous of younger women. I know this because I am suddenly jealous of younger women. I think it’s biological. Their skin is tight and they are full of naivety and they understand social media in a way that I do not. It’s precious and I can feel my envy AND ALSO not want to swap places with them for even a second.

Older people are not automatically better because they are older. They are automatically better because of the invisible battles they have fought and the hills they have climbed. The human experience is a roller coaster and it keeps going until you die. The longer you last on that roller coaster, presumably, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better.

Do I need a cellar to age my wine? NO!

You do need, however, a way to store wines in a temperature controlled place, where bottles can lay on their sides undisturbed (wish I could lay on my side undisturbed while I age). I have a 14-bottle mini wine fridge that I got on Facebook Marketplace. It’s broken and stuck at 64 degrees Fahrenheit which is hardly below room temperature, but it does the trick. Avoid temperature fluctuations and light to successfully age bottles.

Eurocave is the industry standard for professional wine storage. You probably don’t need that. Something like this one is more at-home friendly and does the job perfectly.

The power of a safe, calm, and beautiful home is immense.

A partner certainly makes this easier, but it’s not necessary to have one in order to accomplish this. You may not need a cellar to age your wine, but you do need a home that feels like a retreat in order to properly rest and recharge. In my experience, this only gets more important as we age. I, like wine, need a dark and cold place for me to rest horizontally, in order for me to have any hope of aging beautifully.

How do I know if my wine is “ready to drink”?

This is complicated as so much depends on personal taste. Some people like old wine and some people like young wine! Getting any wine in its objective sweet spot is more challenging than we’d all like.

My general rule for my paid subscribers, is text me about it. My rule for unpaid subscribers, is upgrade to paid and text me about it.

I want to give you bespoke wine advice catered to your taste exactly when you need it. Your paid subscription gives you that.

You are ready today.

We cannot wait until we think we deserve the job to apply for it. We cannot wait until our body is perfect to wear the outfit. Apply before you think you’re ready. Put on the outfit. Aging means coming to understand everyone is faking it until they make it. Take the leap today. Start your Substack today. Ask him out today. Get bangs today, I do not care. Open the wine today. It’s a beautiful day to be ready.

I’d like to shout out some incredible old wines I’ve tasted.

Domaine Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray Moelleux 1924

I opened this bad larry on his 100th birthday back in 2024. This was a bottle that grew old on its strong bones: sweetness and acidity. Incredible mushroom flavors, plus classic honeysuckle, peach candies, white flowers, and spices. On the wine list at The Modern for just over $1200, a total steal for 100 years of history.

Heitz “Martha’s Vineyard” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1974

This wine is widely considered one of the greatest and most monumental California wines ever produced. 1974 was an epic vintage and Martha’s Vineyard (not the island) is an epic site. This wine grew old on its tannins. This bottle was just under $4,500 on the wine list at The Modern.

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Chardonnay 1980

I was doubtful when I opened this wine that it would be as perfect as it was. Nay, I would have bet money that I was going to taste the wine and pour it immediately down the drain. A wine without those aforementioned strong bones had extremely low chances of making it to 20 years old, and certainly not 45 years old! The wine was concentrated: orange in color and sunbaked on the palate. While I couldn’t have enjoyed more than a glass of this wine, it was fascinating, and full of life still, despite my educated guess.

Château Leoville Las Cases Grand Vin de Leoville 1924

At 102 years old, this beauty from Bordeaux was still kicking just last month. It was filled with sediment AND filled with character and depth and complexity. I loved it. Rustic red fruits, tobacco, old leather couch, this was quintessentially old Bordeaux. Classic. Available on Wine Searcher for $1,600 for anyone interested.

I’d also like to shout out some incredible old people I know: my nana (93 years old!), my in-laws in their mid-70s (this is hardly even old), and my niece (coming up on 2 years old and getting more grown and more sophisticated every day). Love you guys.

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If you have questions for the wine professionals of the world, I want to hear them. Send me your questions by emailing me directly, commenting on this post, or writing in our sub…

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If you’ve ever had a table wine at your local Italian joint, you’ve probably tasted Sangiovese. Sangiovese-based wines hardly ever say “Sangiovese” on the label, so I’m here to decode and…

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Wine Ideas offers full-service, guided wine experiences for groups up to 30 people. These interactive tastings blend hospitality, storytelling, and hands on education - no screens and no pressure, just conversation, discovery, and a shared sensory experience.

I bring world-class professional expertise into a relaxed and welcoming environment. This is wine education without intimidation, designed to be fun, inclusive, and memorable.

What’s included?

• 90-minute professionally guided wine tasting experience

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Perfect for

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“Joy and ease — both things Isabel brings to the wine world as she demystifies what intimidates many. She helps people connect not just with the liquid in the glass but the story, innovation, and humans behind it. Always filled with wit and insight, an evening with friends exploring wine with Isabel is remembered and cherished.” - Alana Steinberg, client since 2019

“Isabel created such a fun and memorable experience for our group. In advance of the event, she worked with us to choose a theme, price point, and the types of wines we wanted to explore. On the day of the tasting, she came to our home fully prepared with everything needed. She led us through the tasting in a way that was engaging and approachable, sharing tips and tricks on how to properly taste and evaluate wine. It was such a unique activity to enjoy with friends and elevated what would have otherwise been a typical Saturday night into something really special.” - Leah Goldman, client since 2025

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I believe for just $20 you can drink an interesting wine. I believe for $10 you can drink an interesting beer.

If all you have is $10, drink beer. Wines at this price are bad - artificial, void of character, flavorless, and bad for you and the environment. A $10 beer has the power to blow your mind.

For just $10 more, at the $20 mark, things get interesting, especially if you know where to look. Wine shops often have a “$25 and under” shelf or table and if your shop is good, some great gems can be found there.

How to know you’re spending your money well, how to weigh your values as a consumer, how to know the wine you’re buying offers great value, lots of metaphors and analogies, recommendations, industry hacks, and more, behind the paywall.

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We’ll be diving deep into a specific grape once a month. If you have a grape you want featured in this series, leave a comment and let me know, or argue in the comments with someone else about why your grape is better than their grape. Go crazy!

Today’s grape is Pin…

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Maybe if I say it enough times it’ll really be true.

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