Episode 168 – The Culinary Stone Wine Buyer, Ethan Lillis: His Wine Story Starting From Square Zero

In today’s episode, Shelley and Phil sit down with the wine buyer at our long time sponsor, The Culinary Stone, Ethan Lillis. Ethan’s wine journey has been a dead sprint from square zero to his current position. However, in this episode, Ethan drops a bombshell that nearly knocks Shelley and Phil off their stool!  Phil throws in a dad joke that Ethan ranks 8 out of 10 AND we have a big announcement at the end of this episode! It is that time of week where we get to say, #HappyFriday! #ItsWineTime! #Cheersing #PorchPounder

Wine Time Fridays Rating System: 

Phenomenal ???? Practically Perfect ???? Pretty Damn Good! ???? Pleasant ???? Problematic ????

Pleagth (Pitiful/Pathetic) ????

Wines this episode:   

• 2017 Marqués de Gelida Cava Gran Reserva Brut ($25 at The Culinary Stone) ????
• 2021Txomin Etxaniz Getaria Geariako Txakolina ($30 at The Culinary Stone) ????
  • Grape is Hondarrabi Zuri
• 2019 Cellers Can Blau ($20 at The Culinary Stone) ????

For more information about the Wine Club at The Culinary Stone, please visit https://culinarystone.com/wine-club

A HUGE thanks to our sponsors: Naked Wines and J. Bookwalter Winery!

Naked Wines: Straight from the winemaker right to your door, premium wine without the premium pricing is what Naked Wines is all about. Save big on wines from the world’s best winemakers! Visit https://us.nakedwines.com/winetimefridays to get $100 off your first 12 pack case. With Naked Wines, discovering new wines is truly risk-free!

J. Bookwalter Winery: Celebrating their 40th year of producing award-winning wines crafted from the finest Columbia Valley vineyards, J. Bookwalter wines bring excellence and quality to every glass. Visit https://www.bookwalterwines.com for more information or simply call or 509-627-5000.

And of course, a HUGE thank you to Tod Hornby who wrote and recorded our official Wine Time Fridays theme music, which is ANYthing but average.  Please visit https://todhornby.com or contact him at veryaveragemusic@gmail.com

The Social Web Wine Word of the Week – Batonnage

Batonnage is the process of stirring the lees, or dead yeast cells, back into the wine. This is typically done with a long, wooden rod called a bâton.

The Social Web is helping small businesses untangle the web of social media marketing. For more information, please visit https://thesocialweb.news  

Wines we enjoyed this week: 2008 Vidau Rioja, Scott Kelley Pinot Noir, 7 Cellars The Farm Collection Chardonnay, Sofia Rosé, Mercer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and a Ecolosi Nero d’ Avola.

Mentions: Jackson Volker, Abeja Winery and Inn, Forgeron Cellars Winery, Northstar Winery, Erin Rutherford, Hat Ranch Winery, Jake Weigand, Tastevin, Kelly Bussard, Idaho Wine Merchants, Kevin Olsenberg, Odom Distributing, Saviah Cellars, Trevor Treller, Terroir Fine Wine, Seven Hills Vineyard, The Buckley Storms, Lesa Le Beau, Laureen Betts AND….Bruce.

Thank you for visiting! Be sure to continue the conversation by checking us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our new YouTube Channel! You can also “Follow” Phil on Vivino and he will probably “Follow” you back! Check out all of our current sponsors by visiting our Wine Time Fridays Resource Page by visiting https://winetimefridays.com/wine-time-fridays-resources/

And check out our new Wine Days page on our website by visiting https://winetimefridays.com/wine-days/

If you want to watch this episode on YouTube, come back in a few days! We’re a little behind. 😉

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