374: What Makes a Wine Feel Soulful? Jordan Salcito Shares the Secret in Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know
Release Date: 01/28/2026
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info_outlineWhat makes a wine feel soulful, transporting you beyond taste into a deeper emotional connection? What does experiencing harvest firsthand reveal about winemaking that never show up in books? What makes Northern Rhône Syrah come across as black peppery, smoky, and reminiscent of pastrami?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Jordan Salcito who has published Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know, which was just selected as one of the best wine books of the year by the New York Times.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Jordan Salcito's terrific new book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!
Highlights
How did Jordan’s father shape her earliest understanding of wine as family and connection?
How did working at Restaurant Daniel shift how Jordan understands wine, fine dining, and food and wine pairing?
What does Jordan mean when she describes certain wines as soulful?
What’s the difference between the old world approach focused on place and the new world approach focused on control and construction?
Why did working harvests in Burgundy teach Jordan that could never be learned from books?
How did molecular gastronomy pioneer Wylie Dufresne help her see restaurants as a legitimate intellectual and creative path?
How did an early rejection from The New York Times become a signal to redirect her goals?
Why did failing the advanced sommelier tasting exam become the foundation for eventually passing the Master Sommelier tasting on her first attempt?
About Jordan Salcito
Jordan Salcito is an award-winning sommelier, author, and entrepreneur. A wine industry veteran, she has over a decade of experience as a sommelier at restaurants including Momofuku, Restaurant Daniel, and Eleven Madison Park (where she was part of the team to win the award for Outstanding Wine Service from the James Beard Foundation). Her wine programs at Momofuku were regularly recognized in The New York Times, Eater, and Food & Wine, and were named “Most Creative Wine List in the World” by the World of Fine Wine magazine.
Long a student of wine, Salcito passed the tasting portion of the Master Sommelier exam on her first attempt and feels fortunate to have learned so much though working harvests at world-renowned wineries in Burgundy, Tuscany, California and Patagonia. A pioneer of the ready-to-drink beverage category with her organic Italian spritz company, Drink RAMONA, Salcito will also publish her first book, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, & Everyone We Know, with Penguin Random House’s Ten Speed Press this October. Jordan lives in Paris with her family.
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/374.