Voices of the Vine: Episode 18

Cultivating Wine Cocktails with Jayme Henderson

Release Date: June 20, 2025

Today’s interview with Jayme Henderson, co-owner of The Storm Cellar, shows that the road to the wine industry can be a winding one. Jayme shares with us her journey from Lakeland, FL to Hotchkiss, CO, where she and her husband Steve, produce Colorado wine. Jayme is incredibly creative, regularly creating and sharing her cocktail recipes on her website “Jayme Grows Drinks.” In this episode, Jayme provides us with this refreshing reminder: wine is not dying. The proof through her integration of plants, cocktail equipment, and recipe formation is all packed into today’s episode. Jayme’s discussion brings the energy we live for on “Voices of the Vine” in making wine fun, elevating it into a space where people can simply enjoy wine in many different ways.

This episode is packed with links to Jayme’s information, wine cocktail recipes, and much more.

Links for things mentioned in this episode:

• Jayme’s Social Media Connections:
  • Jayme Grows Drinks:
    • Instagram: @JaymeGrowsDrinks
    • Pinterest: Jayme Grows Drinks
    • TikTok: Jayme Grows Drinks
  • Substack: Garden Party
  • The Storm Cellar (Hotchkiss, CO) Winery
    • Facebook: The Storm Cellar
    • Instagram: @stormcellarwine
    • Twitter / X: The Storm Cellar
    • Pinterest: The Storm Cellar
    • TikTok: Storm Cellar Wine
    • YouTube: The Storm Cellar
• Holly & Flora / Jayme Grows Drinks Blog
• Florida Southern College
• Classic Wine Cocktails:
  • Mimosa
  • Sangria
    • Denise can make some good Sangria’s… here’s some of her past recipes:
      • Summer (White Wine) Sangria (Scroll down for the recipe)
      • Concord Sangria
    • Jayme Grows Drinks Blog Link to “Spring Berry + Gin + Rosé Sangria”
    • Jayme Grows Drinks Blog Link to “Cucumber + Melon + White Grape Sangria”
  • French 75
• Freezer Pop Wine Cocktails
  • Blended Peach Puree, Lavendar Simple Syrup, and Riesling à frozen
  • “We feast and take things in with our eyes first.” – Jayme Henderson
  • Instagram Link to a recent batch
  • “Jayme Grows Drinks” Link to a previous batch
• Tips for Making Wine Cocktails:
  • Start with a good, base wine. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive, but it should be good quality and well-balanced (acid, sugar, and tannins should be cohesive).
  • Use quality ingredients.
  • If you are using spirits, pay attention to what they provide to the drink as these can really influence the flavor of the cocktail.
  • Start with simple wine cocktails or with classic cocktails to get a better idea on the fundamentals behind crafting cocktails.
    • Don’t start by making your own recipes.
    • Branch out after you have practice.
• Wine Spritz:
  • Taste the wine first before you make the drink. This should help guide you with what to follow in a recipe. (Sometimes you may not need a sugar addition if the wine is sweet.)
  • Wine Spritzer by The Spruce Eats
  • White Wine Spritzer by The Food Network
  • Wine Spritzers by Wine Enthusiast
• Port and Tonic: Taylor Fladgate Port and Tonic Recipe
• Equipment for Making Wine Cocktails
  • Shaker (in a pinch, use a Mason jar or salad dressing shaker)
    • Fill in ingredients first before adding your ice to avoid diluting the cocktail.
    • Keep in mind that glass + stainless may get stuck while making a cocktail.
  • Strainer (OXO Brand)
  • Jigger (great if you can see the fill lines inside it)
  • Citrus Squeezer
• Garden Must-Haves
  • Edible Flowers
  • Basil
  • Dill
  • Pansies
  • Violas
  • Herbs
  • Fennel (Licorice, Anise Component)
  • Melons (Honeydew, Cantaloupe)
  • Vegetables
  • Cucumbers
  • Apple Trees
  • Caligula
  • Roses
  • Chamomile
• Picking things to mix with wine cocktails:
  • Taste the wine first and list out the descriptors. Wine can be the anchor or base for the cocktail.
  • Layer with matching flavors or complementary flavors. You don’t want to overpower the wine.
    • Some wines are very delicate with finesse (e.g., High Acid Riesling). May need to balance with a little sweetness or fruit flavors.
    • Others are the loud noise in the room (e.g., Malbec, Grenache).
• Flavor Notes:
  • Citrus is often an acid adjustment, but can also be used as a flavor enhancer ingredient.
  • Heavier flavors include things like berry flavors or anything that is often associated with ice cream flavors.
• The Flavor Bible is a great resource for finding complementary flavors.
• Jayme discussed how she may prefer different types of fruits/vegetables for her cocktails. Below is a list of science-based and food safety driven directions for food preservation:
  • Let’s Preserve: Freezing Fruits by Penn State Extension
  • Let’s Preserve: Freezing Vegetables by Penn State Extension
  • Let’s Preserve: The Basics of Home Canning by Penn State Extension
  • The Let’s Preserve series by Penn State Extension has science-driven information on the proper ways to preserve foods in your home.

Thank you for listening to another delicious episode of Voices of the Vine. You can find show notes for our episodes by subscribing to the DGW Sip & Swirl, or by visiting the Sip & Swirl Archive, both available at dgwinemaking.com/winelovers. That’s dgwinemaking.com/winelovers with an “s” at the end.

We love to talk about tasting wine on this podcast. Please remember that our podcast is about wine appreciation and education, but that we both support and encourage responsible alcohol consumption. Additionally, both of us are winemaking professionals, so we do not get paid for tasting wine. All opinions expressed here on our podcast are those of ours alone.

Today’s episode is produced, researched, and hosted by both Denise Gardner and myself, Virginia Mitchell. If you enjoyed today’s episode, we’d love for you to subscribe to Voices of the Vine on your favorite podcast platform. Plus, listener reviews go a long way for podcasters. If you could leave us a review on your platform of choice, we’d truly appreciate it.

Thanks for listening.