What does it feel like to ride through a vineyard and actually understand what’s in the glass waiting at the end? That’s the thread running through this conversation—and two guests who live at the crossroads of cycling and wine are the perfect people to pull it off.
Episode six: Cycling, Wine & the Art of Paying Attention: Aldo Sohm & Brian NygaardCycling, Wine & the Art of Paying Attention with Aldo Sohm & Brian Nygaard
Host Molly Hurford and inGamba creative director James Startt sit down with Aldo Sohm, multi-time North America’s Sommelier of the Year, wine director at Le Bernardin, and author of Wine Simple and Perfect Pairings, and Brian Nygaard, cycling journalist, former press officer and then team manager at Leopard-Trekpress officer and then team manager at Leopard-Trek, philosophy graduate, and winemaker behind his own California label, Oceanic.
The conversation covers why the bike is one of the best tools for understanding terroir (feeling the temperature drop as you climb from Lecchi toward Radda is worth more than any textbook), how running a World Tour cycling team and running a winery share more DNA than you’d expect, and why our Chianti Classico cycling trip keeps earning its way back onto both their tables.
We are pleased to announce that Aldo himself will be hosting a Chianti Classico trip with us next April. Interested? Reach out at ingamba.pro/contact to learn more.
- Why cycling and wine culture keep finding each other — generosity, slowness, attention
- Riding as a way to understand microclimate and terroir firsthand
- Brian on how cycling team and vineyards have similar management needs, his cycling journalism career and launching his Oceanic wine
- Aldo on why AI will never replace a good sommelier
- Champagne with steak? Aldo makes the case!
- Emerging wine regions worth paying attention to right now
- Rapid-fire pairings for every cycling moment
Find Aldo at @AldoSohm on Instagram and at the Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in New York. Find Brian and his wines at @OceanicWine on Instagram.
Interested in pairing your inGamba trip with a specific wine region, or in joining Aldo himself in Tuscany on a trip with us next April? Reach out at ingamba.pro/contact and we’ll help you plan your perfect trip!
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