Don Chigazola is back with Chigazola Merchants French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The last time Don Chigazola was on CWC was this episode last January , with a selection of wines he imports from Italy. Today, we will taste Chigazola Merchants French wines, which Don has just begun to import. These wines come from a vineyard and winery...
May 15, 2026•44 min
We have a selection of Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new direction. Dan Berger is our weekly co-host and has also been featured on the show, such as this episode about Gamay Beaujolais. Many younger consumers are looking for something different. Instead of dwelling on doom and gloom because of low sal...
May 08, 2026•36 min
Sal de la Cruz from Ludor Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. They begin by tasting a red wine blend called Yuma , named after their beloved nine-year-old dog , who is on the label. It’s a very casual wine, delicious and fruity. Dan says that this is the modern era of red wine. “Drink it...
May 01, 2026•38 min
Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label, Carol Shelton Wines . She has been on the show several times and her very first episode was this one in December of 2017 . Dan explains that Carol always does extremely well in wine competitions. “Gold medal, gold medal…” says Dan, and he says it’s because she uses fruit that she knows and elevates it every single vinta...
Apr 24, 2026•46 min
Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at Martinelli Winery . Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners Pour and Explore event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. He has been in the wine business locally since the 1970s and has seen its growth. Courtney Wagner is the winemaker for Martinelli Winery. They specialize in wines from the old vines on their property. Giuseppe and Luisa Martinell...
Apr 17, 2026•43 min
Erica Stancliff, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was this episode on February 20, 2019 and her last time was May 23, 2025 with Doug Mryglod and Judy Phillips , the owners of Deodora Estate Vineyards. The Artemis II crew just splashed down off the coast of San Diego just this minute, as the show is being recorded live, so we toast with some great Riesling. The wi...
Apr 10, 2026•47 min
This episode marks another Clark Smith Double Gold win, on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is also Clark’s 12th time as a guest on the show. Clark Smith’s first CWC episode was this one in 2017 . It was one of our very first shows! Today we can say he has filled the case, with his 12th guest appearance. No other guest has been on the show as often as Clark Smith, and few of them have won as many awards. One of the wines they will taste today is a recent Double-G...
Apr 03, 2026•37 min
Dan and Darryl. Darryl Miller is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, with wines from two Sonoma County wineries, Dehlinger Winery in the west county and Peterson Winery in Dry Creek Valley. He has been on CWC a few times, the most recent is this episode on July 18, 2025 . Darryl Miller is retired from the wholesale wine business. He works with the Dehlinger winery, assisting and advising them with their sales and marketing. He even used to live on that property i...
Mar 27, 2026•43 min
Dan and Ross. Winemaker Ross Cobb is our guest again today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He is the founder of Cobb Wines . Ross was on the show once before, on this episode in January of 2025 . Daedalus Howell remembers meeting Ross Cobb maybe 30 years ago, when they were both at the beginning of their careers. They begin by tasting a Chardonnay from 2023, which Dan describes as a nice cool vintage. The vineyard is in the eastern Sonoma County in the Sebastopol ...
Mar 20, 2026•40 min
Dan, Daedalus and Bob. Our guest is Bob Cabral again, on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, with four of his wines to taste and describe. He was one of our very first guests on this episode of June 21, 2017 , a couple of years after he launched his own label, Bob Cabral Wines . Since that first podcast appearance in 2017, Bob has been on California Wine Country many more times. His last time on CWC was June 14, 2024, with a double episode. In the first part of that show...
Mar 13, 2026•48 min
Daedalu, Drew, Daisy and Dan. Our guests today are Drew and Daisy Damskey, who join Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Drew’s father and Daisy’s husband Kerry Damskey has been on this show several times, most recently on this episode of March 1, 2023 . The first wine in our glasses is a 2023 Semillon, made by Drew Damskey for Palmieri Wines . This white wine grape is relatively common in Hunter Valley in Australia. It is also the grape used for white Bordeaux and is a com...
Mar 06, 2026•50 min
David and Dan David Ramey, founder of Ramey Wine Cellars , joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. He has been on CWC before, but it was a while ago, on this episode in 2018 and again here in 2019 . The weather today is unseasonably warm, but it doesn’t affect Dan’s work. People tell him it seems he has the greatest job in the world. They think he just has to drink wine and write about it. But Dan actually drinks very little, when tasting and evaluating wine. The better ...
Feb 27, 2026•49 min
Dan and Matt Matt Duffy from Vaughn Duffy Wines is back on California Wine Country. Matt has been on the show before, on this episode last summer . Dan Berger is back after taking last week off to attend the Anderson Valley White Wine festival, which we previewed on a few recent CWC episodes. He was in charge of the Riesling table with 12 different ones. They will hold a Pinot Noir festival in about five weeks, which we will hear about too. Matt Duffy was on CWC once before, last summer. Vaughn ...
Feb 20, 2026•52 min
Miro Tcholakov is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, and Melissa Galliani is also in the studio today. He operates Miro Cellars and is also winemaker for Trentadue Wines. Miro has been on CWC before, on this episode back on September 9, 2020 . and his last appearance was this episode on April 5, 2024 . Miro has brought a Chardonnay, the only Chardonnay he makes now. The vineyard belongs to the De Loach family. It was given “incomplete” malolactic fermentation, s...
Feb 13, 2026•45 min
Dan Berger, Chris O’Gorman and Daedalus Howell. Chris O’Gorman and Chris Sawyer are our guests on California Wine Country, to present Pour and Explore at Rodney Strong Vineyards on Feb. 12. Chris O’Gorman is in the studio and Chris Sawyer joins us on the phone. Chris O’Gorman has been on CWC before, his last appearance was this episode last August . It was actually Daedalus Howell’s first CWC episode as full time host of the Drive. Dan has brought one of the wines he will be pouring at the Riesl...
Feb 06, 2026•51 min
Chris Puppione from Puppione Family Wines is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. The last time Chris was on the show was this episode last summer, on June 6 , when he spoke to Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Chris has brought four wines that Dan describes as “fabulous” and they are low-alcohol wines. Dan says Chris has had an opportunity to explore the lower-alcohol market. Chris says that people are just looking for flavor and “what’s old is new” and Dan notes that ...
Jan 30, 2026•52 min
Dan, Daedalus and Julie Julie Pedroncelli from Pedroncelli Winery is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She has been on the show before, the last time was this episode of last January . Dan describes the current slowdown in the wine business. The other times that the wine market went soft, there were one or two causes, but today there are several causes. But the benefit to the consumer is, the longer it takes to sell the wine, the more the wine improves. The Ped...
Jan 23, 2026•38 min
The book that Dan and Don agree is the best one on this subject. Don Chigazola has brought Colle Ciocco wines to taste and review with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Don’s company Chigazola Merchants imports selected small lots of Italian wines made by small family-owned wineries. He travels to Italy regularly to find wines and to meet everyone involved. Don Chigazola has been on California Wine Country several times, the last time was this episode on June 13, 2025 , ...
Jan 16, 2026•37 min
Dan, Daedalus & Courtney Courtney De Graff, from the Anderson Valley International White Wine Festival joins Dan Berger & Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. She is the executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. The International White Wine Festival is coming this February 14th through 16th. Courtney was on California Wine Country at this same time last year , for the previous annual festival. Courtney De Graff, of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Associati...
Jan 16, 2026•12 min
Dan, Daedalus and Casey Graybehl. Casey Graybehl from Grenachista Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country today. This is Casey’s first time on the show, although we mentioned Grenache as recently as last September on this episode with Oded Shakked of Longboard Vineyards . Grenachista Wines specializes in Grenache, and makes several types and styles of this one varietal. Before getting to Casey Graybehl’s Grenache wines, Dan Berger has brought another cellar dweller ...
Jan 09, 2026•51 min
Barry Herbst is here to talk about sparkling wines for the holidays on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Barry has been on CWC many times before. For the comparison, here is a show where he brought sparkling wines, recorded on Dec. 29, 2023. He is the wine buyer at Bottle Barn . First, Dan recaps part one, which is here on its own podcast episode page , a detailed talk about Gamay Beaujolais. Then, right here, Dan and Barry conduct a tasting and discussion of four very...
Dec 19, 2025•51 min
Melissa Galliani and Dan Berger. Dan Berger takes some time to explain Gamay Beaujolais today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Later in the show, Barry Herbst from Bottle Barn will be in, to talk about sparkling wines they have in the store for the holidays. That portion of the show has its own podcast episode, right here . Dan has brought a Beaujolais from 2023 from a California winemaker who moved to France. He got tired of trying to make European style wines in ...
Dec 19, 2025•17 min
Garry Brooks from Brooks Note Winery in the Petaluma Gap is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He has been on the show before, the last time was this episode in February of this year. They begin by tasting the 2023 Chardonnay. It started five weeks late and they didn’t think anything was going to ripen. These grapes are usually picked mid to late September but this time, it was mid October. “This is a brilliant wine, it has so much personality. It’s crisp and de...
Dec 12, 2025•44 min
Bettina Sichel, the owner of Laurel Glen Vineyard is back in the studio as our guest on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She was on the show once before, on this episode last May . Bettina has brought a new wine that Dan is tasting for the first time. This is a 2025 Gruner Veltliner from a historic vineyard on Sonoma Mountain, an unusual grape from a historic vineyard. It is most associated with Austria, usually made dry and has a natural richness. It is not as auster...
Dec 05, 2025•45 min
Bibiana Ravé Bibiana Ravé, winemaker and co-owner of Shared Notes, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Bibana has been on CWC twice, first on this episode of August 29, 2019 , to talk about her own wine brand Alma de Cattleya. Then, on April 5, 2023, Bibiana and her husband Jeff Pisoni were on this episode, to talk about Shared Notes . Bibiana grew up in Medellin, Colombia and studied enology in France. They are tasting a wine from Shared Notes, a winemaking project ...
Nov 21, 2025•40 min
Peg Champion and Brad Whitworth from the Sonoma County Wine Library join Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. The Sonoma County Wine Library is reopening and the wine community is celebrating the rebirth of this great resource. They even have an Instagram page, here. The library holdings document the history of wine in Sonoma County, as well as all over. The renovation of the Healdsburg regional library has been a benefit to the wine library too. There is more space for mee...
Nov 21, 2025•19 min
James MacPhail James MacPhail is our in-studio guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is his first time on the show. James MacPhail tells about how he was able to buy back the rights to his brand in July of 2024, so his business is undergoing a rebirth. He has just finished his thirtieth harvest. He and his wife started a brand in 2012 called Tongue Dancer Wines and he has four other collaborations where he is the winemaker. He works with some of the bes...
Nov 21, 2025•30 min
Winemaker Adam Lee is our in-studio guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He has enjoyed a distinguished career as a winemaker and winery owner and now he runs Clarice Wine Co . The last time Adam was on the show was this episode of July 14, 2021 . “If Adam Lee’s in the room, it’s gotta be Pinot Noir,” says Dan Berger, right at first. They are tasting a wine called Dial Tone, which has a picture of an old telephone dial on the label. For Adam Lee, Clarice sh...
Nov 14, 2025•48 min
Jake Lachowitzer from Banshee Wines is our guest on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Banshee Wines was last on this show on this episode of June 1, 2022 which featured their winemaker at the time, Alicia Sylvester. Banshee wines stand out because they “…are so good and so reasonably priced…” says Dan Berger. They have broad distribution and are available “everywhere.” They begin tasting their Sauvignon Blanc. SV has become an important grape in Sonoma County, especial...
Nov 07, 2025•50 min
Elaine, the owner of Elaine Wines is our guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She started her winery after a career as an biotech intellectual property attorney. Dan Berger discovered these wines just by tasting them at an event. He was excited to find a Chardonnay that was not overdone and that smelled and tasted like Chardonnay. It is an older style of making Chardonnay that appeals to people like Dan who remember when that style was prevalent. Elaine Win...
Oct 31, 2025•49 min
