Bri Books

Welcome back to Bri Books 'BriCember' as we explore Switzerland's secretive yet spectacular wine scene. From the herbaceous Chasselas grape to elegant Pinot Noir blends, discover the best Swiss wines, top wine regions, and NYC hotspots like The Lavaux Wine Bar for tasting Swiss wine. In this episode: Why 98% of Swiss wine stays in the country The six major Swiss wine regions: Geneva, Three Lakes, German Switzerland, Ticino, Vaud, Valais Spotlight on the Chasselas grape and why it pairs perfectly with raclette and fondue Swiss wines worth tasting: Robin de Vignes, Vilette 2022 (Chasselas, Lavaux AOC) Dôle des Monts Red, Gilliard 2020 (Valais AOC, Pinot Noir/Gamay) Weingut Fromm 2018 Pinot Noir Village (Graubunden) Caves du Paradis, Avalanche Fendant 2022 (Valais) My NYC favorite: Lavaux Wine Bar, home of Swiss wine flights and artisanal cheese Links & Resources: Lavaux Wine Bar NYC: 630 Hudson Street Swiss Wine Swiss Wine Week: Official website Subscribe to Bri Books on Appl

Welcome back to Bri Books! In this episode, we're diving deep into the world of orange wine,  one of the oldest and most misunderstood wine styles in the world. Discover what orange wine really is, how it's made, how it tastes, and why Austrian and Georgian producers excel at this method. I also share highlights from the Orange Glou Wine Fair, including some of my favorite importers and bottles: D-I Wine (Alsace, France): Domaine Brand's Tout Terriblement (100% Gewurztraminer) Donkey and Goat Winery (California): Elen Ridge Vineyard Stone Crusher (Roussanne) 8000 Vintage Selections (Georgia): Nikalas Marani Rkatsiteli 2020 and Vellino Wines Kisi 2020 Plus, we explore standout Austrian orange wines: Heinrich Graue Freyheit (Burgenland) Weingut Pittnauer Perfect Day (Burgenland) from Savio Soares Selections Fidesser Orbis (Weinviertel) Weingut Schmelzer Sämling Orange 2017 Learn practical tips on how to taste, serve, and enjoy orange wine, and why it's so food-friendly. Whether you're new t

Welcome back to Wine Week on Bri Books: BriCember! In this episode, we dive into Austrian wine — one of Europe's most exciting and under-discussed wine regions. From Burgenland's signature red grape Blaufränkisch to the steep hillside vineyards of Steiermark, this episode explores what makes Austrian wine so distinctive, sustainable, and food-friendly. I shares firsthand experiences from a Wein Burgenland seminar, break down key regions, and highlight my favorite Austrian red and orange wines to know right now. We cover: Why Austria is one of Europe's best-kept wine secrets Austria's commitment to organic and environmentally conscious viticulture The role of the Austrian Winegrowers' Association and the DAC system What makes Blaufränkisch Austria's most important red grape Why Burgenland is the heart of Austrian red wine Steiermark wines: hillside vineyards, limestone soils, and hand-harvested precision Austrian orange wines and why Austria excels at skin-contact whites Wines mentioned: Blaufr

Welcome back to Bri Books! When you're hosting, choosing wine can feel daunting. Whether it's a dinner party, work event, last-minute gathering, or impromptu holiday shenanigans, here's the simple framework I rely on that never fails. In this episode, we'll cover: The three-bottle wine buying formula (red, white, wildcard) How to taste wine at home: My 4 Pillars of Place: Temperature, Terrain, Soil, and Touch How to build a wine list for parties or dinner How to Build a Wine Menu: Bri's 3-Bottle Formula To avoid overwhelm at the wine shop, use this formula: One white wine One red wine One wildcard. That's it. Simple, flexible, and stress free. Let's dig in: Crisp white as the Opener. This white wine is your opener—the bottle people drink while they arrive, settle in, chat, and snack. White wins are crisp, flexible, and food-friendly. I look for wines with high acidity and good minimality, the kind that leave you gently puckering and refreshed. A crisp white wine creates an immediate sense of

Welcome back to Bri Books BriCember, and welcome to Wine Week! I'll be breaking down the age-old question: "What makes wine good?," and sharing my 'four pillars of place' to help you start to build your good wine vocabulary.  0:39: Breaking down 'good wine.' REmember, wine is an agricultural product. Let's set the stage for practical, place-based approach to wine. 1:12: Why 'terroir' matters + the 'pillars of place.'  1:51: Pillar 1: Soil type. Soil determines minerality, texture, and structural feel. 2:31: Pillar 2: Climate. Climate influences fruit ripeness, acidity, and aromatic profile. Cool climate = fresh, high acid; warm climate = ripe, fruity, plush. 3:23: Pillar 3: Elevation and aspect. Elevation affects temperature swings (diurnal shifts). Sunlight, rainfall, and altitude shape ripeness and freshness. 4:33: Pillar 4: Vine health and farming. Farming practices (organic, biodynamic, low-intervention) matter. Yield, canopy management, and vine age influence quality. Winemakers' traditions are the key

Welcome back to Bri Books podcast! If this is your first time, WELCOME! And if you're a return listener from the last 6 (!!!!!!) years, welcome back. Bri Books is now also on YouTube: watch here. Today is November 30th, marking not just the beginning of Advent season, but the beginning of BriCember! What is BriCember? BriCember is a personal project wherein I challenge myself to produce and publish a podcast episode a day in the month of December. Not only is December my birth month, it's also the perfect time of the year to catch up on where you've been and where you're going. What's Coming Up This BriCember? In 2025, I'll be approaching BriCember through the lens of literature, with lots of recommendations of what to read. But I'm also aligning it not just with the month, but with how we think of time. This BriCember will be aligned with the moon phases. But Wait, Where Have You Been, Bri?I've spent most of 2025 in flux, in the most beautiful way. Last year, in 2024, I began a new career at JPMorganChase. I

Welcome to Bri Books, and Happy Mother's Day to the matriarchs out there. I'm excited to share this episode because I want to honor my own mother, Michele Jimerson, who passed away February 13, 2024. I have so much gratitude and humility for my mother, her story and her life. I spent Mother's Day Weekend, the second since my mother's death, at a retreat in Morristown, NJ hosted by Arthouse2b, a multidisciplinary group of artists cultivating Catholic arts renewal in NYC. Their aim is to restore culture through restoring the heart of the artist.. The retreat was centered on the hart of christ, and it came down to: God is made to endure your suffering. He specializes in broken hearts. that’s where He shines. One poignant point that struck me during the retreat, was then when I’m rebellious in my thoughts and not using my creative energy the way God has set aside for me to use it, it grieves Him. i think of all the times as a kid when I’d grieve my mother over silly things—but she never stopped loving me. Why wou

The Garden in Every Sense and Season Today’s “Bri Books”  is a conversation with ABeautifulNestTV creator Sandria Kendrick, inspired by the book “The Garden in Every Sense and Season” by Tovah Martin. Sandria is the creator behind the “ABeautifulNestTV” platform on YouTube, and on social media. In this episode, Sandria shares her story of homesteading with her family in Georgia, and how her love for the soil runs through her veins. In this episode, we’re discussing our garden struggles, how you can inject green into your life this year.  Show Notes 3:30: Sandria's gardening story, and how she built a small homestead garden for her family + Brionna recommends “The Market Gardener” by Jean-Martin Fortier.  5:00: Sandria's gardening challenges and how she overcame them. 9:00 – How book is divided: Each of the four seasons are represented, with each individual season’s different sensational gifts–sights, sounds, touches, tastes, scents– woven into a story that explores the ever-evolving garden 12:15: How ci

Welcome to Bri Books! On today’s episode, we’re talking about falling in love with the garden this spring, first-time gardening secrets, and how to get kids excited about gardening. Almost everyday, Carla of @gardenplot.57 treats us to vibrant photos of her cut flower garden, homemade skincare products, and dozens of veggies she’s growing in her backyard garden in Cornwall, England. In this episode, Carla gives tips on how to start (and maintain) a garden in a small space, and shares tips on DIY gardening projects we can do right now to get a jump on the season. Carla and I bonded over the amazing book “Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season” by Erin Benzakein, an amazing resource that’ll inspire you to step up your flower arranging (and flower growing) game. Carla also shares the secret to getting kids interested in gardening and how to lure them away from the XBox and towards the garden box.   Carla’s guide to gardening in a small space:  1. Utilize your patio by p

How to Get Started in the Garden Feat. Misilla + How to Engage Kids in Gardening Welcome back to Bri Books! If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're growing by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets. In today's episode, we're talking about all things organic gardening, and how to grow your own food with Misilla of 'Learn to Grow.' Whether you're starting your own garden or you haven't given it much thought, after this episode you'll be yearning to get your hands on some seeds. Misilla is the host of 'Learn to Grow,' a channel on YouTube with over 114,000 subscribers. She's a crafty mom of 4 living and working in the Pacific Northwest. Her videos and social posts consist of garden how-to's, growing hacks,  healthy living ideas, scienc

Garden-Fresh Cooking: How Infuse Healthy Harvest Foods Into Your Daily Diet Welcome back to Bri Books! Today, we’re talking all things garden-fresh cooking with one of my favorite gardening creators, Sandria Kendrick of ‘A Beautiful Nest TV’ on YouTube and Instagram. Sandria’s content is all about growing confidence in the garden, building strong relationships, growing as a family, and teaching people to love the soil. In this episode, we dig into the cookbook ‘Rodale’s Gaden Fresh Cooking’ by Judith Benn Hurley and how to choose the best crops to grow in your garden. Sandria reveals what she’s learned about herself by getting ‘in the weeds,’ and she shares the recipes she finds herself returning to again and again. 1:40 - All about @abeautifulnestTV and how Sandria infuses love, authenticity and beauty into everything she does. 9:18 - Sandria’s soil story and her family's long lineage of farming and gardening, why Sandria decided to set down roots in the Georgia countryside, and Sandria and her husband p

Welcome to Bri Books! Getting started in the garden can be tough, but there's one thing that'll make your gardening journey more productive: companion planting!  In this episode, I'm sharing 6 companion planting hacks you need to know if you want to grow strong. Companion Planting for Beginners 1:11: What is companion planting? Companion planting is when two or more plants are grown near each other to benefit one or both of the plants. It's a tried-and-tested, ancient way to reduce pests, attract pollinators, and boost growth. I'm sharing a few common examples, although there are dozens.  2:00 - Basil and tomatoes: Basil plants deter moths which lay tomato hornworms, while simultaneously attracting bees (which help improve tomato polination.) 3:00 - Peppers: Peppers are excellent companions to carrots, tomatoes, and onions.  3:30 - Tomatoes: Tomatoes love peppers, bush beans, and basil 5:15 - Dill and flowers: Dill attracts ladybugs, which eat small garden pests like aphids and spider mites, while

Welcome to Bri Books! Embarking on the journey of creating your garden is thrilling, but can also be filled with challenges. In this episode, I'm revealing the 10 most beginner-friendly garden fruits and veggies to grow, along with 3 garden-starting basics you need to know.  3 Garden-Starting Basics 1:20 - Don’t try to grow the grocery store! It’s easy to overwhelm yourself when you're beginning your garden journey. Instead, focus on growing the herbs, veggies, and fruits that you enjoy. Grow your garden through the lens of the crops you look forward to eating and cooking with.  2:45 - Keep pollinators top of mind! Growing a mix of flowers, herbs, and veggies helps the overall pollinator ecosystem. When in doubt, throw some flower seeds out!  3:20 - Get to know your land! Monitor and notice the amount of light your garden gets throughout the day, and keep track of soil conditions--what happens to the area during heavy rains? Intense heat? Does it have any shade. cover? You want your garden to be built i

Welcome to Bri Books, and Happy Earth Week! Today, I'm sharing the tips first-time gardeners need to know: how to start a vegetable garden, raised bed garden, herb garden, or kitchen garden without breaking the bank. These easy gardening tips and gardening hacks that'll make your life easier. Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.   1:30 - #1: Identify your USDA hardiness zone. The Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. It's divided into 10-degree zones based on the average annual minimum winter temperature. According to the stats for Bri Books and the top markets that listen to the podcast, here's a cheat sheet for hardiness zones: NYC is zone 7, Chicago is zones 5 and 6, OKC is zone 7a, Philadelphia is 7a and 7b, LA is zone 9 and zone 10, Detroit is zone 6, and Houston is zone 9.  3:10 - #2: Find your sunspots.

Welcome back to Bri Books. In this episode, I’m sharing my garden starter hacks, including a gardening method I created myself! This method has taken my gardening and succession planting to the next level when it comes to growing my own food. I call this my "theBriGarden Breakfast Gardening Method." I created and coined it myself for @theBriGarden. It revolves around repurposing food waste to create a food bounty. Who would've thought breakfast is so ripe for gardening!? Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets. If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're sipping by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets. 8 Garden-Starting Hacks to Get You Growing in 2024 1:45 - Hack #1: Reuse egg water! H

Welcome to Bri Books! Today, we’re dissecting 5 ingenious wedding trends of 2024 that you’re bound to see everywhere. Listen to the most recent episode, “Top 5 Bridal Trends of 2024: Part One” for even more inspiration. This episode is about wedding industry-wide trends, and what you can expect in 2024. Whether you’re the guest, the host, or one of the intended, these wedding trends will get your juices flowing. We did all the things for the bride last time, so now let’s take it to everyone else. Here are a few quick trends that are taking over the wedding industry.  Micro-weddings: This trend has been years in the making (predated the pandemic), and it’s only going stronger in 2024. Some folks pack out cathedrals, others love a chic, curated courthouse affair. Micro-weddings often look like elopement or private civil ceremonies, followed by modest dinners.  Micro-weddings are growing not just as a result of rising prices of weddings, but as a throwback to more intimate nuptial affairs. Long cakes: Viva l

Welcome to Bri Books and happy Valentine’s Day. In honor of the day of love (self love, familial love, etc), I want to bring a quick beauty-focused episode about my favorite skincare, makeup and beauty picks to help you practice the art of self-love 24/7. I’ll jump right in. Lush Valentine’s Day Collection. Once again, as always, Lush has pulled out the stops when it comes to Valentine's Day. I think Lush is the perfect 'To me, from me' gift. Love can be friendship and laughter and wild nights and quiet mornings. Lush is all about celebrating all the loves in your life and finding ways to celebrate them. The brand has several V-Day specific gifts, but I want to talk about my favorites: The Flower Bombshell, Love Letter Bath Bomb, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb gift set, and the Strawberry Heart soap. If you want something luxe feeling and special, Lush is the way. The flower bombshell gives the most romantic rose scented soak ever. Flower petals float atop shimmering pink waters, and rose absolute and lemon oil crea

Welcome to Bri Books! This week is all about trends. We’re a few weeks into 2024 and I’m getting cozy in the new year. This week, we’ll be discussing trends of all kinds: from bridal and wedding to Pinterest Predictions, Beauty trends, fashion trends, and tech/ media trends.  I attended the Anthropologie Weddings x Pinterest Trends pop-up last week in NYC to explore the future of bridal. The pop-up was in partnership with AnthroLiving and Terrain, and they leveraged Pinterest Predicts trends to highlight the best of 2024 wedding trends. I left feeling very inspired about the emerging bridal trends on Pinterest, and enjoyed getting a glimpse into the future of bridal design, decor, and lifestyle.  The Anthropologie Weddings team revealed three major trends that are predicted to dominate the wedding world in 2024--Groovy Nuptuals, Bow Stacking, and Western Gothic--complete with interactive sessions and consultations. Each trend included a deep dive into the world of retro-inspired wedding, the art of bow-stack

Welcome back to Glow Up Goals Week on Bri Books! Today we’re doing a deep dive into the world of bullet journaling: What it is, what it solves, and how to get started. I’ll be sharing the steps you want to follow in order to turn any notebook into a bullet journal, and how to optimize your life using bullet journal strategies like daily and weekly logs.   What is Bullet Journaling? What’s the Difference Between a Bullet Journal and a Regular Notebook? A bullet journal, in essence, is a notebook with bulleted on-page dots and an accompanying system of organizing your world. Your bullet journal index, weekly spread, and daily logs are the foundations of a successful bullet journaling strategy.  Your bullet journal weekly spread is where you map out your week ahead, and supplement with categories you want to focus on. Often, when you search bullet journaling on YouTube and Instagram, you’re met with highly-designed, washi-tape wrapped notebooks. What’s important to remember is that you want your bullet journ

Welcome to Bri Books! Today, I’m sharing the 6 steps to more intentional goal-setting (and goal-keeping!) Consider this your guide to healthy and effective goals. Goalsetting is a healthy practice, but it can be hard to find the best strategy that empowers you to execute your goals. 6 Steps to More Intentional Goals Be compassionately realistic about where you are. Be specific about your “why'“: Drill down on precisely what you want to achieve. When you spend time understanding the “why” that drives your actions, it’s easier to avoid distractions and focus on pursuing your goal. Remember, you don’t have to achieve all of your goals at once. You can always iterate as you accomplish. Be intentional about how you’re going to get there: Break your goals down into smaller goals you can accomplish daily. Focus on continuation and consistency, and remember, getting to your destination will require several steps steps. You don’t simply arrive at a destination immediately—you get their mile by mile. Be SMART i