Ep. 2402 Margherita Andrenacci interviews Erin Kirschenmann of Wine Business Monthly | Next Generation

Wine is a part of life. It is not the end all be all, and I know that's gonna break some hearts when I say it too. But one of the reasons that I started novel pairings was to bring wine to a group who hadn't really been marketed to who hadn't had the chance to explore this absolutely incredible beverage. And so reminding people that there are people behind these brands, that there are moments behind these brands that there are experiences and vibes and just fun behind the brands. Right? And so maybe it's helpful to somebody else to hear. Welcome to the Italian One Pop the next generation series. My name is Marguerite Andrenacci, and I would love to take you on a journey with me to find out new ways to pair wine, whether with music and activity and experience or your feelings. Let's dive into it. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast, the next generation series. Today, I'm joined by Erin Kircherman, wine editor, educator, reader, and the founder of Noble Perings. A book club where bottles and stories meet with intention, ease, and a lot of heart. Whether she's pairing a skin contact pin agree with a bold, literal thriller, or hosting a mindful session to help people slow down and connect, Erin is creating a space for joy, curiosity, and true community. So welcome, Erin. Thank you for being here. Let's start with a big picture question. How do you describe what you do? Tell us as if you're telling there to someone outside the wine industry or outside of any book club, just tell us what you do and who you are. Yeah. Hi. My name is Erin Perschman. And as you said, I'm the founder of whole pairings, a book and wine club that brings together women to just talk about the things they've read, the wines they've drunk, and, you know, just life in general. My job is as the facilitator of this book club. My whole goal with this is to bring people together who would not normally have had a chance to meet and then spark curiosity and fun between them. My entire goal is to have two people who have never met each other before, walk away as brand new book besties. I'm here really just to bring more joy into life. And, you know, we get so tied up in the day to day. And, like, I know I get lost in emails and in the shuffle, and The thing that has always helped me escape are books and wine and my best friends. And so now I've brought all three together into novel pairings. Wow. That is amazing. That is a space that I already wanna be part of and, you know, wine books and besties I'm in. So tell us how it works. So tell us about it. Absolutely. So as a member of novel pairings, each month, you receive a book selection, a wine selection, and a curated playlist. I wanna be clear, I'm not shipping you the book or the wine because I do want to be more approachable. Some people are audio readers. Some people prefer their kindle, others borrow from the library or buy a brand new book. If they're lucky enough, if I could buy every book on the planet, I would. I would do that in a heartbeat. And the same kind of goes for wine. Right? As you know, as many of the listeners know, shipping wine within the United States is a real challenge. And while I would love to just throw out all of my favorite producers in the wine business, I do focus on women and smaller producers in my pairings. You know, sometimes their wines just are not going to make it to readers in Utah. So I pair that with a more grocery store level wine or something that you can purchase on, say, wine dot com. Right? Still get the vibe, but you know, just trying to make it a little bit more approachable and accessible. So each month, yes, you get the book, you get the wine, you get the playlist, you can listen to the playlist while you're reading, kinda set the vibe, set the mood. And then at the end of the month, we get together to discuss it. And we're still working out the little tweaks right now. I'm doing the founding numbers launch. It's only nine ninety nine a month because you're helping me shape how these meetings run. And so for our next one, we're pairing yellow face with an orange one, which I'm super excited about. But we're gonna be doing more small group discussion and getting the chance to get to know each other just a little bit better. And so we're gonna keep playing with how these meetings works. We're doing it all online because we have readers from Georgia to California to New York and I want everybody to get the chance to meet each other. And then just throughout the month, I provide journaling prompts, creative workshops, you know, things like a meditation session we just did last weekend, how to upcycle your used wine bottles, fun little creative tasks like that. There's a whole bunch of other features, but those are the main ones that I'm just absolutely thrilled to be providing. So is the wine that you suggest with the book to be enjoyed while reading or also during the session, at the end of the month? Ideally, both. But, really, I want you to enjoy it yourself first. Right? This is I'm ninety nine percent of the time pairing the wine to the book so that as you're reading the book, you're creating an experience, an immersive experience that brings the wine to life and the story. To life because both wine and books are stories. Right? Yeah. You and I know this. And and that's one of the things that I'm trying to do is just explain how much what we drink affects how we feel and how we experience a story or a book. And so I'd love it if everybody drank it while they're reading the book. And if they bought two bottles, then, hey, yeah, absolutely. Bring it to the club with us. I fully admit that at our last book club meeting, I totally drank my last bottle of One stone Rosay, and I didn't have one for the club meetings. So I'm like, sorry everyone, but here's another Rosay of Piena noir. You know? Let's try this one too. I love that. I really truly believe in pairing your wine or whatever you're enjoying, drinking with something else that you're enjoying, because, you know, at the end of the day, if two things make us happy, then why not having them together? And, also, I love what you said about wine and books. They're both stories. And I feel like bringing again the story part into wine nowadays is very important because wine sometimes brings just a heavy story of tradition and rules and how it should be drunk and show how it should be, you know, you should know all these things about wine and wine is expensive. So let's make it more accessible again, and let's remind everyone what is it about, which is just enjoying something together. Wine is a part of life. It is not the end all be all, and I know that's gonna break some hearts when I say it too. But one of the reasons that I started novel pairings was to bring wine to a group who hadn't really been marketed to, who hadn't had the chance to explore this absolutely incredible beverage. And so reminding people that there are people behind these brands, that there are moments behind these brands, that there are experiences and vibes and just fun behind the brands. Right? And so maybe it's helpful to somebody else to hear. You know, Sarah is a little bit like resand in a court of Florence and roses, peppery, a little spicy, you know, but very smooth and velvety. Like, if anybody who's read a court of Lawrence and roses knows exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe wine isn't so scary. It's just a nice thing to read outside on a summer's day. And so, you know, I I hate saying demystifying wine, but it's really more about making wine part of more occasions. Right? Yes. So, solitary while you're reading, camaraderie, while you're in a book club setting. And I'm also going to be offering short wine one zero one courses. So the versus well. So I'll be answering things like, what is a tannin and what do they mean by soft and velvety tannins? Or why is it so expensive to buy wine in the United States? Why are our bottles twenty five dollars when Italy's are five dollars? Yeah. And and it's like, I teach wine courses so often and I see the light bulb just kinda click. And so I wanna be taking some of those click moments, those light bulb moments, and bring them to readers and relate them back to the stories. Yeah. That is great and amazing, and I love that it's spreading information and education and just community. And I always say wine, bringing a bottle of wine somewhere, it's for sharing. You never, you know, if I order a cocktail for myself. I'm just gonna drink it. If I order a bottle of wine, it's for sharing, and I love the same concept. It can be sad for a book. You can, for sure, totally enjoy your book, get yourself a moment to read, and it's your, you know, end of the day ritual, maybe. But then a book club allows you to share that intimate moment yet that you have and you enjoy with someone else. So I really love this concept. And Thank you. So was there a point that this idea just clicked, or did you slowly get to it with some other projects? So yes and no. The idea for novel pairings started during COVID because I had a a moment where I realized I was pairing my wines or my beverages to what I was reading. And there was a moment I received an email, and I thought it was a huge missed opportunity by a very large book brand. And I just went, there is I mean, like, there is an overlap between reading and wine, right, both fun, both community, both solitary, what if I did this myself? What if I created a subscription box that sent everybody once a month, a book with a bottle of wine to pair? And I'll call it novel pairings. And it was just like one of those brainwave moments where everything clicked. And I'm like, god, I'm good. Yeah. It's empowering. I love it. And then and then I sat on it for four years. I was a great, creative person. Oh, I was scared. Right? You know, I didn't know what it took to start a business. I mean, I knew it took a lot, but I didn't honestly believe in myself and whether I could do it or not. And one day, I just I finally was doing my vision board with some friends, which will be another workshop that we're going to wait to do, by the way, I'm super excited for that one. You know, we I got together with my friends and did this vision board. And I've said, make novel pairings happen, and I kept staring at it. And I said, you know what? Twenty twenty four is going to be the year that I start this. So I hired a business coach, and she lit a fire under my butt and made me do it. And I very quickly realized a subscription box was never going to happen. So I did a hundred and fifty customer interviews. I interviewed a ton of people who liked wine, didn't like wine, liked to read, didn't like read, and found that it was all about the pairing and community. And so that's how I ended up coming up with the membership of novel pairings, I'm gonna create the book and wine club that I wish I had, that my friends wish they had. And so we can start to meet other readers because I've found so many friends just because I've read the Accord of Thorns and roses series. Like, that is an instant best friend connection moment. And so now I'm creating those connections for other people. Wow. That's very inspiring hearing you say that you had this idea you sat on it for a bit, and that's totally fine. You know, creative people are are in my opinion also the biggest procrastinators and also enemies of themselves, because you procrastinate not because you don't believe in the idea. It's just because you kinda know it's, like, if you go for it, it's all or nothing, and it's scary. Cause if the old that you think you have doesn't work, then it is very scary. So that is a beautiful story. I really love it. I'm inspired already. I'm sitting on so many, so much music. I should just go and work work for it. But, I also love that you just hired a professional, you know, you were like, okay. Let's take it seriously. Let's get every step that I need to do. It's a beautiful process. And I'm really glad you did it because it's a space that I didn't know that I needed. And I I'm really excited to learn about it, and I want people to learn about it. Oh, I'm so excited to hear you say that. Yeah. It's beautiful. So your monthly selections, they are very well matched, and I wanna know if you can tell us a little bit about the process that takes you to do these pairings. If they come to you, if there's any idea and Yeah. How do you do your pairings? So there are three sort of ways that I pair them. The first is the vibe. Right? For one of our pairings, we read, say you'll remember me by Abby Jimenez, and it's a very light, beachy romance story. So the vibe that I was looking for was romantic, lovely, simple, no offense to Abby Humenez, but it is, you know, a a romance. Right? It's a a light lighter hearted book. So I paired it with a Rosay of Pino no more because that was the vibe that matched. For the second way I do it is really about the character and how they go about the world. So for yellow face, I'm pairing it with an orange wine because it's completely unconventional. In some ways, it's not the way that we do things now. Traditionally, yes, that's always how it's been done, but it causes a conversation. And that's very much what's been happening in yellow face I don't know if you've read it yet, but it is a little bit of a literary satire thriller, and you never really know she ever gonna get caught. That's kind of the question that keeps ask keeps getting asked. And then lastly, is matching to the winemaker. So in October, we read the X hex and very witchy. It's about a couple of witches who accidentally, put a hex on the town at this one which is ex boyfriend. And just very friendly witchy vibes. And so I paired that with Uyoa sellers because Nancy is very much witchy woman. She uses crystals as part of her winemaking process. And so, right, that that fits. Right? It it matches kind of the story of the book. That was actually one of our very few in person meetings, when we read the x x and paired it with, Oio sellers' wines. That was a really fun meeting too because we I had them make sage sticks. So or smudge sticks. Right? So you could light the sage and clear all of the negative energy out of your house. So we had this very witchy experience. It was so I'm I'm a witchy woman myself. I I fully admit, so I was really excited by this one. Wow. That is beautiful. And, I mean, it's great. I didn't even think about going beyond what's in the bottle. Like, yes, the winemaker, of course. Like, it makes total sense. This is something that, you know, when sometimes you have those ideas where you put one and one together, and it's like, wow. Yeah. This is a great thing. Yeah. I love that because I usually pair my wine with music, and I go with a lot of feelings, because music to me is feelings. And sometimes I struggle because, you know, it's kinda hard. But now giving a winemaker. Like, yeah, it makes total sense. Oh my god. Why haven't, like, what am I doing? This is great. I have now a whole new way of reading the wine. And also, I really loved the you know, wine and and books can have the same lingo. Like, the character. There's so much, about this. There's development. There's maturity. I mean, like, we could go on that might be a one one one series. Like, what words do we use when we talk about reading and writing that we also use in winemaking? I am signed up already. I wanna be there and wanna be part of that conversation. Yeah. Definitely. So whenever that happens, call me in. Perfect. So I wanted to know about your thought on kind of the wine industry or what you have observed, I would say, through your through your wine club or through through your novel pairing. So have you learned or noticed something different when people are suggested to enjoy the wine in a, in a way that it's not the typical way that one would have a glass of wine. So when the focus is not anymore about the wine, because sometimes, you know, when people do drink wine, there's always a small conversation on how is it? Do you like it? Is is it this? Is it that? And it's the wine centered? So if we dissenter the wine a little bit. Have you noticed? Is it different or what? Yeah. What have you noticed? Yeah. I've noticed a lot of is this the right wine? Am I drinking the right thing? And I'm we within the wine industry, we know this is a problem. I mean, my day job, I'm an editor for wine business monthly. We know that wine is confusing and complicated and unapproachable in a lot of ways. And, you know, I think specifically to one member that I have. She and I have had a long conversation about this because I've I'm kinda using her as my guinea pig, for the wine one zero one series. And she likes sweeter wines. But she knows she's not supposed to say I like sweet wines. So when we did the sale, remember me, and she brought out, you know, a sweeter, Rosay, she messaged me and said, is this an okay wine? And I just I just wanna say, like, yes. Do you enjoy it? Yes. That's all. That's all that matters. And we're we're simply using wine as, like, a conversation starter in a way as a social lubricant. And that's not to say we're all getting completely trashed on these zooms. That's absolutely not the case at all. I mean, everybody was kinda so busy talking. They only had, like, a few subs they're wanting throughout. It was really good to see. They gained confidence by seeing other people drink something. So she saw that somebody else had a sweeter, Rosay, and that was good. She saw somebody had another supermarket wine, and that was good. And that that said to her, you know what? As long as I'm enjoying the wine I'm drinking, I'm okay. Maybe that one, I'll try that one instead. It it's it's a internal validation and confidence building. Because the wine wine isn't the focus. Right? I'm not sitting there judging you going, you know, that's only a good wine, not a very good wine, or, you know, talking about it in fruits and mouthfeel, in in terms that she doesn't understand. So it's very liberating to have wine be something that we're all connected by, but not immersed and held accountable for. It's just something what we love. Yes. Definitely. And to that, I would add that I always they're gonna remove my Italian citizenship only because I'm gonna say it, but, you know, do it. I don't care. I always encourage people to drink wine out, like, in any other container, but a wine glass. Because also the way you're supposed to hold the wine glass, which is totally I mean, yes. Your hand is gonna warm up the wine. But, like, to be honest, do you enjoy your thing. However, you enjoy it. Enjoy your glass in a jar that contained marinara sauce two days ago. And now it it has wine, the wine that you like, or your favorite mug, or whatever. You know, it's I love just bringing it back to just giving the power to whoever is enjoying it, and not just for wine, but for everything. But I feel like with wine, it's harder to do. So I love what you said, and I love that what you're doing is giving confidence to people. Like, yes, I see someone else is doing the same thing that I'm doing or enjoying the same wine, or just a different wine, but my wine is good too. And I love that. That's exactly the goal. It we are doing a great job building a community, but I wanted to know more about what community is to you and, yeah, what community is to you? Oh, community is the feeling I get when somebody sees me. When somebody and and I see I see them back that we have a connection that transcends blood or work, and it is about finding the fun and the joy community is the place that I go to when I'm feeling sad, when I'm feeling hurt, when I'm unsure or insecure, and they boost you up. And that is one hundred percent what I'm trying to build here. Whether it's the the book that you're reading or the wine, there is no wrong answer. There is no bad opinion. We just support each other and love each other and want to get to know each other. And, you know, we all got so isolated during COVID. Mhmm. But I met one of my best friends in the entire world who will be eighty eight years old and sitting on a porch swing with me yelling at kids to get off the lawn through a Zoom meeting during COVID. And I know virtual stuff has gotten really oversaturated and cookie cutter. I wanna shake that up, and I wanna make Zoom and this virtual space a place where you can find your new best friend. You are Carol, the one who I'm gonna go have drinks with after this and just talk about life with. So that's a really long way of saying that's what community is to me. Yeah. And this is a thing that I've noticed since I moved to the US that these virtual spaces are very much still alive in a community building manner. There are a lot of people that meet virtually on a weekly basis just to talk about what is happening in the world or How can we be more conscious about our decisions? How can we be more intentional? How can we support just, you know, local business? He's here's what you should do. Here's what you shouldn't do. It it's there's a lot of spaces that people have created. I think probably it began during COVID, and they are still doing it now. And those are beautiful spaces where you can decide to participate, but even just list sitting from the comfort of your house just brings up so much thoughts that then you are left with, and you are kinda, you know, forced to to think about. And it's beautiful. I'm really enjoying this. And this is something that Hopefully, it will pick up also in Italy or everywhere else. But I've it's something I've noticed here, and I'm very, very appreciated of all these spaces. Yeah. And you know, the fun thing about virtual is you know, my girl, my consumer is a reader, and most readers are introvert. So I'm not gonna say they aren't because I'm a reader who is an extrovert. But so many of them, you know, are shy or, you know, don't necessarily love new spaces or hate networking events. So, you know, throwing them into a room with, you know, thirty other readers and they're expected to interact, that's a terrifying proposition for so many. And and that's part of the reason why I wanted to keep it virtual was because you can be in your own comfort zone. If you're feeling overwhelmed, you can just turn off the camera, turn off the microphone, and have a moment to just listen, like you said, or, you know, raise your hand if somebody else is kinda dominating the conversation. And I, the host will be like, oh, wait a minute. Hey, Margarita's trying to say something. Let me let me let her get in there. And so as a facilitator, it's meeting people where they are. And letting them be comfortable. And if that means sweat pants and sauvignon blanc, I am here for it. Yeah. And that sounds amazing. You mentioned that you held a mindfulness last and last weekend, and I participated to it, and it was amazing. I just wanted to ask you, what did you decide to bring meditation into into your space? Yeah. It's not just meditation, but, you know, when I was doing these customer interviews, the thing I kept hearing was I don't have time for me. I'm taking care of the family. I'm working. I'm trying to stay, you know, with my friends and and stay up there, but I'm trying to eat healthy. I'm trying to work out. You know, I just have a lot on my plate. And so I wanted to make sure that there was a piece of novel pairings that had just or, that worked for the me time. Reading is so easily forgotten because you have so many other obligations. But if you're in this club, you're being not forced to, but it it's a fantastic excuse to just sit down and read. Oh, there's a meditation session on a Saturday morning. You know what? Like, there's a I'm gonna put this in my calendar. I'm going to make the time for me. We'll be doing yoga classes soon. Like, we'll make much sticks again. I I loved doing that. We'll be doing vision boarding because your story matters too. Right? Who you are as a person matters. And I see that only as the minimum that I can do to help somebody feel more at ease, feel more fun, feel more joy in their life. If they just take an hour in the morning to meditate, to have somebody, like, the brilliant Kathy Hoya come through and just force you to slow down and speak through a meditation so that you don't have to worry about whether you're doing it right or wrong. Yeah. You're just doing it. I love it. I love this best. Saturday as exactly as you said. I put it in my calendar a few days before it happened, and I knew already my Saturday was gonna be packed, but I was like, I'm gonna put it there as a reminder, and I'm gonna try my best to keep this promise to myself, to take a moment for me, and I did. And I was so grateful that I did that. I think I bragged about it for the whole weekend with everyone I met. I loved it. Good. And that's the whole point. Right? You felt happiness afterward. Whether that's because you did the thing that you were worried you weren't going to be able to do or because the meditation was just, like, a good mind clear for you or both. Whatever the reason was, you felt happier walking away, and that is Yes. Absolutely amazing. Definitely. Do you have some favorite rituals when reading. So do you have any music playing, some sense, some moment to help you drop in? My favorite place to read is outside. Inside, I can get distracted by so many things. Oh, the house isn't clean, which I'm moving right now, so it's definitely not. So I cannot read in here. It has not happened. My real ritual is walking the dogs. Coming back, pouring myself a glass of wine, going outside, lighting the mosquito repellent, and then just listening to the birds, to be entirely honest. There's something about the smell of the mosquito repellent that is just so, like, second home to me now that when when I smell that, it just it's like, oh, this is my reading time. And it's such a silly thing, but for me, that that's what does it. I'm not a huge music listener believe it or not. But I know so many are. I much prefer the quiet when I read so that I can fully just get lost in whatever world they're building, that I can create the sounds. I can create wow. All of that in my head. That's beautiful. Yeah. And I love, actually, the mosquito repellent scent. I mean, yeah, somehow. Yeah. It's, like, it's giving me, when I was a kid, grandparent's house, eating altogether, outside, I love it. Perfect. Yeah. That's a perfect perfect ritual. One last question for you. What are you reading now? And what would you pair it with? And also another question. Actually. What's your favorite book? And what's your well, what's your favorite wine? And what would you pair it with? Oh, okay. So you asked me three questions there. I know of these questions. These are so good. Okay. I am currently reading atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reed, and it's set in the eighties space age. And it follows Joan as she becomes one of the first women to be part of the NASA astronaut program. I would pair that with a white wine spritzer because That was what was popular back then. Yeah. Let me transport to the eighties. Right? Yes. I need to find one. I'm currently just no shame. I am currently just drinking high moons. The moment because they are a little they're at lower ABV. Yeah. I'm, again, moving so all my wine glasses are packed up. So, you know, a nice little can't it's it's similar. It's we're gonna go with it. That's fine. Yeah. My favorite book what is, the historian by Elizabeth Kostava. And it's a modern day woman whose father goes missing after he studied Dracula. And it becomes this thriller action chase throughout Eastern Europe. So I would pair that with Amavrud from Bulgaria. Oh, nice. I have such a huge piece of my heart for Mavroot from Bulgaria. I went there for the Concord Monago de Brazil back in twenty sixteen and just fell in love with Mavroot. And if I see it here in the States, I buy it. No questions asked. And then what is my favorite line oh my god. That is that is the impossible question. That is the one I don't have an answer to because I love so much wine. Oh my god. You've stumped me. Yeah. It's so hard now. I know. You know, I I love everything My house wine is a greener Belt leaner from Trader Joe's. Mhmm. I would pair that with a lighter rom com because it's a simple wine. I am always happy drinking it. And when I read a romance novel, there's always a happy ending or two. Depends on your definition of happy ending. For my more serious mysteries, I would probably do a serah because I love Sarat. I love the layers of it. Mhmm. Oh my god. No. I can't believe I don't have an answer. I can't. Like, if it's in my glass, I'm happy. Yeah. Right. As long as it's not flawed, every wine has something about it that we can come to love. Yeah. And whether it's white Zinfandel, and we love it because it's set the California wine industry a fire, or the, you know, cult Supertuscan or, you know, first growth. Right? Every everything in between has a story to it. And it's just what kind of story are you in the mood for? Yeah. Yeah. Definitely resonate with that. And I know those were hard questions but, you know, I felt like I wanted I wanted to know. I'm curious. Yeah. I I sometimes, you know, you have two things. Oh, think of those things. It's it's it's never, one answer whenever someone asks me what you listen to. I'm like, I don't even know. I have no idea. What what what kind of question is this? So, yeah. I mean, thank you for giving your answer. I know it's complicated. And thank you for the beautiful and inspiring conversation. And I'm inspired, and I am looking forward to joining, novel pairing, the next session that we are gonna have on the two twenty ninth. June twenty ninth June twenty nine. Looking forward to it. And I'll see you there, and I'll see everyone else who is listening maybe. You know? Absolutely. And, just, you know, As a heads up, you can find us at novel pairings dot club. I am still in my founding member's launch. Prices will be nine ninety nine, and you will be locked into that rate, no matter how long, your membership is. I will never raise the rates on you. That pricing won't last forever. But go ahead, come in, sign up, you get a twenty twenty five Bingo challenge. And if you can complete the card, you are in the running to win wine and the book pairing for an upcoming meeting. I raffle off the next month's book and wine at every single meeting because I really do want more people to experience these small producers. And it really I just I just want everybody to come and have have some fun. Yeah. Let's hang out there. I'll be there, and I'm excited about it. And, I mean, I've I'm a new member, but it's already been so much worth it. So thank you again, Erin, for the space you're creating and for this amazing conversation. Thank you. I'm excited to see you at the next meeting. Thank you. Thank you for joining us today. Let us know your thoughts on our social media at Italian Wine Podcast, and follow us to keep up with the next generation of Italian wine people. Make sure to check out my latest article where we dive into music and wine on the Italian wine podcast website. Cheers.