Wine Situation Final Five

The Wine Situation hosts everyone from winemakers to writers to find out what a person’s situation is…with wine. At the end of each episode, host Ellen Clifford phones a friend to ask them The Final Five. This time it’s Kristen Barnhisel, the winemaker of J. Lohr's white wines! Check out the full episode here QUESTION ONE Ellen: Question one, whatcha drinking? What are you into these days? Kristen: Arroyo Vista Chardonnay ! NOTE: Ellen and Kristen were drinking the J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chard during the interview. Like, for dinner tonight with a moules frites dish or a little bit of lobster or something like that with drawn butter. QUESTION TWO Ellen: Question number two, do you have a favorite or unusual pairing you enjoy? Kristen: Nothing too strange, you know? Sometimes just a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and some cheese and crackers are my usual thing. QUESTION THREE Ellen: Question number three is, do you drink red wine, and when you do, what do you like? Kristen: Occasionally, I drink red wine. I drink a glass of Pinot every now and again. I really love that really Burgundian style, roses, floral and strawberry, and nice acidity that goes with some nice earthy foods. On occasion! QUESTION FOUR Ellen: Question number four: is there an area of the world you would want to make wine in if you had the opportunity to explore? Kristen: I’d probably go back to Italy. As much for the culture, and I have good friends over there and speak the language. That would be kind of a natural fit. Last year I got the chance to go to [Piedmont](https://delectable.com/categories/piedmont%2C-italy ) —I did get to try some Arneis over there that was fun. And then this grape called Timorasso . Just delightful, just so bright and with floral characters and really great texture. That would be really fun to try there. QUESTION FIVE Ellen: The last question is, what’s bringing you joy these days? Kristen: I think for sure cooking. I’m looking forward to cooking more from Stanley Tucci’s cookbook, and Sundays, trying some recipes, seeing what works well with the wines. And, you know, simple things. I’m looking forward, for instance, to the Oscars on Sunday. I like looking at the red carpet, it’s just fun to watch, and I love watching movies, so I’m interested to see what wins. I really appreciated “The Woman King” and “Wakanda Forever”—those are my two favorites for the year. *** Find Kristen’s wines and information about the #JLohrwomen on www.jlohr.com ! Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with Bella Crimson here .