Wine Situation Final Five! With Adam Roberts

This week on The Wine Situation, hosts Ellen Clifford and Shaughn Buchholz welcome Adam Roberts. He’s the author of the Amateur Gourmet blog and host of the Lunch Therapy podcast. Ellen and Shaughn are here to find out his situation…with wine. As always they close with a final five questions. Click HERE for the full episode. THE FINAL FIVE (edited for length): QUESTION ONE Ellen: What is the best pairing you ever had? Shaughn: Of any sort of beverage, of any sort of food item…like orange and marshmallows… Ellen: We’re here for it. Adam: I think honestly the most satisfying pairing I ever had was…I wrote a cookbook called “Secrets of the Best Chefs” where I traveled the country and I cooked with all these different chefs and learned their recipes, so when I was on tour to promote the book, I had to drive from San Francisco to the Napa Valley to do a cooking demonstration at a Whole Foods, but I got stuck in traffic on the way there, like a six hour slog and I’d been to this place called Christy’s Backstreet Kitchen—and when I showed up there I was so famished and so hungry. It’s a place that was known for its wine and food, but it was also a diner, so I sat at the counter and ordered shortribs and polenta and I got…I think it was a Zinfandel , something really bold and it was so soul-satisfying, I just felt cleansed. QUESTION TWO Ellen: What is your favorite, alcoholic or not, non-wine beverage? Adam: I’m really into Amaro lately. I love Cynar . It’s made from artichokes. I put it on ice with a little soda, or just on ice. Its deep and challenging but not as bitter as Fernet. BRIEF INTERLUDE AS PEOPLE POP IN AND SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELLEN QUESTION THREE Ellen: Where do you want to visit? Adam: I’m dying to go to Italy . All the food that I love to cook is Italian. I make pasta like three times a week –I’m obsessed with traveling through Tuscany, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna I want to do that but for some reason I haven’t gotten it together, I haven’t figured out where to start, when to go, where to stay… Shaughn: I want to do the wine version of that! QUESTION FOUR Ellen: If you made a wine, what would you want to make and what would you want to call it? Adam: Do I want to make a delicate wine or a big bold brash one? I think I’d go for a big bold red, almost like a Zinfandel and I would call it…my dogs name is Winston, so can I name it that? Shaughn: Winston Zinfandel. David: Win’s zin? Adam: That was a great “Yes and”! QUESTION FIVE Ellen: Since episode one we’ve been asking… Shaughn: …what’s bringing you joy? Adam: I’m so much better at whining but…honestly this store in Echo Park called Cookbook. They have relationships with all the farmers, and have the most beautiful peaches, cheese, everything. I’m like why don’t I just live in this store? Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with J Ryan Stradal here .