It’s a bit of a therapy session for the pastry-phobic when I sat down with Kate Lebo to talk about her book, Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour, and Butter on my Wine Without Worry podcast. Not that people are afraid of pastry, but rather making it themselves from scratch. Then filling, topping with crust, and baking. For many, this experience is not “as easy as pie”.

It’s a lot like wine. We enjoy it. And love when someone shows up at our home with it. But when it comes to being confident in our ability to learn about it and share that knowledge, that’s when the anxiety kicks in. Fortunately, Kate is a thoughtful, engaging, and encouraging instructor. Our discussion about pie, wine, and life covers these topics:

• Pie: The Original Tupperware
• Cream Pies: Dare I Speak Their Name?
• Barometric Pressure And You
• Faith and Dough
• How to Freak People Out at a Party
• Dessert Wines and Unctuous Viscosity
• What Wines Pair With Pie?

The episode was recorded at the charming wine bar in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood: Bottlehouse. I enjoyed a cool glass of bubbles from Oregon’s experimental and creative Minimus Wines (read my take on their Vermentino) while Kate had a white Rioja. The latter being one of the most underrated regions for high quality, reasonably priced white wines. The Tempranillo-based red wines from Rioja get  the lion’s share of attention, so be sure to ask for one the next time you’re at a wine bar and/or shop. Like Bottlehouse.

Here’s the show and don’t forget to listen the end of the for my pie-friendly (and life-friendly) wine pick of the week. It’s indestructible!

Tags: best wine with pie, dessert wine, kate lebo, pie school, Wine Without Worry