IWP Ep29 Mission San Jose and Fremont Wine History Today we’ll be looking at the history of grape growing and winemaking in the Mission San Jose and Fremont area of California. We are going further back and following this area beginning with the Pre Mission Period, the Missions then the Rancho Period, the Gold Rush and the American Period. Vineyards were planted early here and the area was a powerhouse of agriculture for a time. We’ll revisit some of the names from the other episodes on early Ca...
Oct 20, 2023•47 min
IWP Ep28 The Life and Writings of Angelo Pellegrini. Today we are talking about Angelo Pellegrini, the great Italian American author. If you aren’t familiar with the name, his books to me are classics of food and wine based literature. If you enjoy the writings of MFK Fisher, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, James Beard etc. then his books are right up your alley and have more of a wine tilt to them also. He captures the immigrant experience and a changing world and the books are wonderful to read. S...
Oct 06, 2023•23 min•Ep. 28
IWP Ep27 Ed Kurtzman - Sandler, August West, Mansfield-Dunne. I recently sat down with Ed Kurtzman of Sandler wines, August West and Mansfield- Dunne wines to talk about his long and distinguished career in California wine. Besides the 3 wineries I already named he’s made wine for Roar, Testarossa, Freeman and Fort Ross. He produces much of his wine out of the August West facility in San Francisco which also hosts other labels and winemakers working out of the facility. Ed is super knowledgeable...
Sep 22, 2023•48 min•Ep. 27
IWP Ep26 Hilgard and the Experiment Stations part 2- The Other Stations. This is Episode 2 of a 2 part series about Professor Eugene Hilgard from the University of California and the Experimental Stations that he spearheaded in the late 1800’s. This episode will be concentrated on the other stations of note that the university worked with at the time. The Southern Coast Station near Paso Robles, the San Joaquin Station near Tulare, The Berkeley Central Station, and the Western and Eastern Santa ...
Sep 15, 2023•30 min•Ep. 26
IWP Ep25 Kevin Ferguson - "Rain on the Montebello Ridge" and Gemello Winery History. Kevin is the grandson of Mario Gemello, the late winemaker of the Gemello Winery, which produced great Cabernets and Zins in Mountain View for a half of century - well before the tech boom of the past 40 years, back when this area was still the Valley of the Hearts Delight and Silicon Valley was a glimmer in the eye. Ferguson is writing a book about the winery and his bond with his grandparents. It’s called Rain...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 25
IWP Ep24 Hilgard and the Experiment Stations Ep 1 - Jackson. This is Episode 1 of a 2 part series about Professor Eugene Hilgard from the University of California and the Experimental Stations that he spearheaded in the late 1800’s. Today we will be focussing on the background of the stations, how they came to be, what they hoped to accomplish and dive in deeper to the Foothills Experimental Station near Jackson in Amador County. When the next part is published we will discuss the other stations...
Sep 01, 2023•49 min•Ep. 24
IWP Ep23 Terah Bajjalieh - Terah Wine Co. I recently connected with Terah Bajjaliejh of Terah Wine Co. We discussed her worldwide education both in schools such as Montpellier in France and the harvests she's done including Australia, New Zealand, France and Oregon. Starting a winery during the pandemic and being a mentee for other women in the industry through working with Batonnage and other organizations. She also gives us some info on her vineyards and wine making style. I hope you enjoy. Yo...
Aug 25, 2023•49 min•Ep. 23
IWP Ep22 Sabrina Tamayo - Ruby Blanca Wines. I recently sat down to talk with Sabrina Tamayo of Ruby Blanca wines in Oakland. Sabrina is now on the 3rd vintage of Ruby Blanca, making wine in Richmond and working with mostly Italian varieties including Ribolla Gialla, Barbera and Nero D'Avola. Sourcing grapes from Lodi, Sonoma and Mendocino these are great food wines. We discuss Sabrina growing up in Miami and Colombia, bouncing back and forth from New York and California to work harvests, workin...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 22
IWP Ep21 Daniel Callan - Slamdance Koöperatieve Wine. Today We’ll be talking to Daniel Callan of Slamdance Koöperatieve wines based in Paso Robles. Daniel along with his partner Anna and Freddie they dog stopped by on a recent trip to Northern California. We talked about Daniels experience working harvests in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as in Paso Robles. One of the larger influences on Daniel is old California and more specifically Pre Prohibition and the blended wines many ...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 21
Indie Wine Podcast episode 20 - Shaunt Oungoulian - Les Lunes and Populis Wines. Shaunt and Diego Roig started Les Lunes and Populis in the tradition of the french vignerons with who they trained. Leasing and farming many of their vineyard sources and using a very light touch in the winery, only adding some sulfer. Both graduated from UC Davis and we talk about that as well as how they find vineyards, working in France, some unusual techniques for less extracted wines, their new winery and how t...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 20
Indie Wine Podcast episode 19 - Sebastian Erggelet - Erggelet Brothers. Sebastian Erggelet along with his brother Julian, make up Erggelet Brothers. They recently built a new winery in Brentwood, in the heart of Contra Costa County and are making really balanced, classically styled, lower intervention wines from Mataro, Carignane, Zinfandel and Malvasia. Everything coming from within a few minutes of the winery. They have also been planting a new vineyard at the farm the winery sits on, concentr...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 19
Indie Wine Podcast episode 18 - Chik Brenneman - Baker Family Wines. Chik has had a varied and successful career since making the move to wine. From working at smaller family run wineries in the Sierra Foothills to working at the giant Woodbridge production facility and managing wine making at UC Davis to now partnering with Dusty Baker at Baker Family Wines in West Sacramento. We hear Chik discuss all these moments in his career as well as what he looks for in a vineyard, how he goes about maki...
Jul 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 18
Indie Wine Podcast episode 17 - Hank Beckmeyer - La Clarine Farm and Ecstatic Truth Wines. Hank has been making natural wines longer than most in California. Based in El Dorado County, his wines are as good as ever. Hear about how Hank's interest in wine started in Germany, making wine and farming in El Dorado, moving from Biodynamics to Fukuoka farming and dealing with climate issues the last couple harvests. You can follow Hank on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/LaClarineFarm and https:...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 17
Indie Wine Podcast episode 16 - Knights of the Vine - Chik Brenneman and Gordon MacKay. We sit and talk with Chik Brenneman of Baker Family wines in West Sacramento and Commander of the Chancellory Chapter in Sacramento and Gordon MacKay, commander of the Lodi Chapter - at the Baker Family winery. Knights of the vine has chapters all over the US promoting the love of wine and although the roots of it in the US go back to the 60’s, its parent organization - the FICB goes back to 1300’s France. We...
Jun 23, 2023•41 min•Ep. 16
Indie Wine Podcast episode 15 - David Teixeira - Lusu Cellars. David brings his Portuguese heritage to the way he thinks about and makes wines. He makes California versions of traditional Portuguese styles like Vinho Verde or a Sercial like "Mad-Era" as well as California heritage styled Zins, Mouvedre and Carignane. Lusu Cellars is located on Camelia St. In Berkeley California, this winery location has been home to many important wineries over the years from Fretter Wine Cellars to Edmunds St. ...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 15
Indie Wine Podcast episode 14 - Adam Saake - Perch Wine Company. Adam is a native of Sacramento who has worked harvests in Chile and New Zealand as well as Amador and El Dorado counties in the Sierra Foothills of California for wineries like Skinner and Turley. Perch is a relatively new winery, but already gaining a following for its wines. Syrah and Zin from Amador have been mainstays and Sauvignon Blanc, Cinsault and a white blend have been added to the lineup too. We discuss Adams travels in ...
May 26, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 14
Indie Wine Podcast episode 13 - Ann-Marie Koth, Brett Koth, Phil Silver. Mokelumne Glen Vineyards is located along the banks of the Mokelumne River in the Victor Triangle area of Lodi. Originally planted by Ann-Marie and Brett's parents - Bob and Mary Lou, it boasts one of the largest collections of Germanic varietals anywhere. Riesling, Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, Kerner, Bacchus and many more grow in the sandy soil here. The grapes are going to amazing wineries like Markus Wine Co., Haarmeyer, ...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 13
Indie Wine Podcast episode 12 - Contra Costa AVA with Becky Bloomfield and Patrick Shabram. There is a new proposed AVA in California, the Contra Costa AVA would be an addition to the Central Coast AVA , adding some of Northern and Eastern Contra Costa County land and expanding the AVA. I give a short history of the area and some of the vineyards and wineries before we hear from Patrick Shabram who is a geographer specializing in vineyards and AVA's discuss some of what merits the inclusion of t...
May 05, 2023•52 min•Ep. 12
Indie Wine Podcast episode 11 - Randy Caparoso - Wine Journalist, Photographer, Sommelier etc etc etc. Part 2. Randy discusses some of Lodi's vineyard history as well as white wines and white grapes in Lodi and the Lodi Rules farming practices amongst other topics. This is Part 2 of a 2 part episode. You can learn more about Randy or purchase his book at https://www.lodiwine.com/Blog or https://kitchencincopress.com and follow him https://www.instagram.com/randycaparoso.wineauthor and the podcas...
Apr 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 11
Indie Wine Podcast episode 10 - Randy Caparoso - Wine Journalist, Photographer, Sommelier etc etc etc. Part 1. Randy has had a long and distinguished career in the wine industry and has touched many aspects of it from starting as a Sommelier to now writing about wine full time in The Somm Journal and for the Lodi Wine Commission. We discuss how he found his way to Lodi, terroir, old vines, changes in the wine industry, consumer preferences and Zinfandel, Carignane, Cinsault and the Lodi Native p...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 10
Indie Wine Podcast episode 9 - Chuck Mansfield of Goldbud Farms. Chuck and his family have been growing wine grapes and tree fruit in El Dorado county for over 40 years. Their high elevation grapes are prized by some of the most well regarded wineries in California. Chuck talks about many aspects of growing grapes in El Dorado, from the elevation and soils to the difficulties with frosts, fires and freezes. He gives us a lot of great info on how the area has changed since his parents moved there...
Apr 14, 2023•49 min•Ep. 9
Indie Wine Podcast episode 8 - Kristie Tacey of Tessier Winery. We hear Kristie describe how she was able to make a successful transition from microbiologist to winemaker. The differences in working with Anderson Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. What her ideal wine is like and why music is an important part of her life, plus some info about her radio show! You can get some of Kristie's wines, including the new spring releases at https://tessierwinery.com and follow what her and the wi...
Apr 07, 2023•42 min•Ep. 8
Indie Wine podcast episode 7. I recently spoke with Adam Sabelli-Frisch of Sabelli-Frisch Wines. We discussed the Mission grape and the wine it makes, both dry and sweet versions. How Adam was able to find Mission and Flame Tokay grapes in Lodi and some of the challenges of running a small 1 man winery in LA. We also touch on some of the other wines Adam makes from Zinfandel, Riesling and Syrah. You can purchase wines from Adam at https://www.sabelli-frisch.com/ and follow him @sabellifrisch and...
Mar 31, 2023•52 min•Ep. 7
Indie Wine Podcast episode 6. I spoke with longtime wine writer Mike Dunne about his new book "The Signature Wines of Superior California - 50 wines that define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi" Mike was a writer for the Sac Bee newspaper and has covered these regions since the 1970's. His book gives wonderful history and background about the regions and 50 wines that he feels tell the story of this sometimes overlooked area, we also discuss some of the changes he's seen over the y...
Mar 24, 2023•56 min•Ep. 6
Indie Wine Podcast Episode 5. I sit down with Craig Haarmeyer of Haarmeyer Wine Cellars in West Sacramento to discuss Sacramento and Clarksburg, hella Chenin Blanc and Nebbiolo, his lifetime of growing up surrounded by food and wine culture, running a family winery, how climate change is affecting wine making and Craig gives some history of the Harbor Winery whose building he works out of. Follow or contact Craig at https://haarmeyerwinecellars.com @haarmeyerwinecellars and the podcast @indiewin...
Mar 17, 2023•48 min•Ep. 5
Indie Wine Podcast episode 4 with Chad Hinds of Iruai wines. Iruai is the winery formerly know as Methode Sauvage. Chad and his family have moved to the California alps of far northern California and are working with a wide variety of alpine grapes not widely seen in California. You can hear Chad talk about the unique growing season as well as some background on these grapes that not everyone is familiar with and how he's able to apply Fukuoka principles to winemaking. Follow or contact Chad at ...
Mar 10, 2023•41 min•Ep. 4
Interviews with some of the winemakers at the By The Way Festival November 2022. By The Way is a wine festival held regularly in Richmond, CA. Most of the wineries are Zero/Zero natural wineries with bottles available for purchase, a souvenir tasting glass with the ticket money going to great causes. I speak with Adam from Wild Jag, Laura from General Psychotic Activity, Craig from Gearhead Wines and Austin from Everwild Wines. We also pick back up with Noel from Purity on the starting and evolu...
Mar 03, 2023•31 min•Ep. 3
Hear Noel from Purity wines discuss running a natural winery in an urban environment, farming practices and how he collaborates with other winemakers, musicians and artists. https://www.instagram.com/puritywine/ https://www.puritywine.net/ https://linktr.ee/indiewinepodcast
Feb 24, 2023•59 min•Ep. 2
This is the trailer for the Indie Wine Podcast. A new podcast of interviews with small independent winemakers, farmers, authors and more. This episode has snippets of some of the interviews coming soon. Email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, feedback or anything else. Follow on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast
Feb 21, 2023•4 min•Ep. 1
