*100th Episode*Celebrating Resilience, Persistence and Joy!
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100 Episodes of Sip With Nikki: Love, Laughter, and a Grenache Toast
I truly can’t believe I’m typing this… Sip With Nikki just hit 100 episodes.
This milestone feels equal parts surreal and deeply emotional, because this podcast has been a constant through so much — busy seasons at the winery, building our wine brand, and even the hardest chapter of my life: my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. And somehow, I never stopped recording.
For episode 100, I’m joined by my other half Michael (yes, we met on Tinder — more on that in a second), and our original producer Katherine (Katy), who has been with us since the beginning. We recorded this one in our living room — our “foyer/wine room,” depending on who you ask — and we made it a celebration: favorite memories, bloopers, listener love, and a hilarious speed round that proves we derail conversations even when we’re told not to talk.
And of course… we had to sip something worthy of the moment.
Sip Spotlight: The Wine We Poured for Episode 100:
We kicked off the episode with a toast and a bottle that feels like a full-circle moment: our 2023 Sollevato Grenache from Dry Creek.
Sollevato is our wine brand we started in 2019 (with Sangiovese first, of course), and Grenache is the newest addition to our portfolio — with Petite Syrah joining the party next.
This Grenache is also incredibly special because we chose a pink label as a nod to breast cancer awareness, and we’re partnering with The V Foundation so that a portion of proceeds supports victory over cancer.
It’s joyful, meaningful, and honestly… delicious.
What 100 Episodes Actually Feels Like
Hitting 100 feels… incredulous. Like, did that really happen?
We started as a tiny team — it was mostly me and Katy — and for a long stretch I was doing weekly episodes. Eventually we moved to every other week, because the workload is real: booking guests, writing outlines, recording, editing, publishing, promoting… and doing it alongside a full-time job, life, and building a wine business.
And during treatment — chemo and radiation included — the podcast became something even bigger than a creative project.
It became therapy.
A way to keep my mind focused on joy, curiosity, connection, and community.
Why You Love the Episodes With Michael
One of the most consistent pieces of feedback I get is: “We love when it’s you and Michael.”
Michael will tell you it’s because listeners love waiting to see what he’s going to say… or how he might mess up on the mic.
But what I think is really happening is that it feels like real life. We’re honest, we tease each other, we learn in real time, and we keep it upbeat — even when we’re talking about hard things.
Plus, watching Michael go from “nervous on a microphone” to confidently showing up on video? That’s growth. That’s love. That’s us.
The Episodes That Still Give Us Chills
When Katy asked us which episode evokes emotion, we each went somewhere different.
Michael talked about our “Drinking Around the World” episode at Epcot — mostly because he was worried about recording in public and not getting too tipsy halfway through the countries. (You can definitely hear us getting sillier around countries 7, 8, and 9.)
For me, it’s an early episode with Dr. Hoby Wedler — our dear friend, a sensory expert, and a PhD organic chemist who was born without sight. He described how wine is the closest thing he’ll ever experience to seeing art on a wall. Even remembering that makes me emotional.
Hoby has a way of making you pause, reflect, and experience the world more fully — and those episodes remain some of my proudest.
Listener Love That Keeps Me Going
I shared one of my favorite messages from a listener named Michelle Reynolds, who wrote after our episode supporting those impacted by the LA fires. That episode was especially personal because my sister Amanda was evacuated, and our own neighborhood lived through devastating wildfires in 2017.
Messages like that remind me why this matters.
When I’m overwhelmed, I think about the community this show has created — and how sharing resources, stories, and joy can actually make a difference.
Our Origin Story: Yes, We Met on Tinder
We also celebrated another milestone: our 12-year anniversary is coming up on St. Patrick’s Day.
And yes… we met on Tinder. We both swiped right. We would’ve never met otherwise.
So: thanks, Tinder.
A Food Celebration: Dungeness Crab, Viognier, and a Smoked Feast
Because we don’t do anything halfway, we also planned a full-on celebratory meal.
We drove out to Bodega Bay and bought 10 live Dungeness crabs, brought them home in the Tesla frunk (very classy), and Michael went deep into YouTube University to plan the prep: steaming, cleaning, crab cakes, garlic-butter shallot sauce, and a quick warm-up in the smoker.
We paired it with Pride Viognier — because Viognier and crab is one of those pairings that just makes sense.
And of course, Michael added sirloins for a little surf-and-turf moment because… protein.
The Speed Round That Proved We’re Exactly Who You Think We Are
We wrapped with a rapid-fire couples game: point to whoever fits the question.
Who derails the conversation?
Who talks more?
Who is always late?
Who’s more dramatic?
And somehow, even during the “don’t talk” portion, we still managed to derail the speed round. Very on brand.
Cheers to the Next 100
Episode 100 was everything I wanted it to be: celebratory, funny, meaningful, and full of heart.
If you’ve been with me since episode one — thank you.
If you’re brand new — welcome, and dive into the catalog.
And if you have thoughts on what you want to see in the next 100 (especially as we do more video), I truly want to hear from you.
Whatever you do between now and the next episode… I hope you sip well.