After an extensive string of internships spanning New Zealand, Napa, and Australia, Laura Barrett made a list of her top ten women winemakers that she hoped to work with and landed herself a job with a superstar, Mia Klein. After working with Mia at Fisher Vineyards, Laura was the winemaker at Casey Flat Ranch before taking on her current winemaking post at Clif Family Winery. Based in Napa, Clif Family gained notoriety for their line of snack bars popular with endurance athletics before branchi...
Apr 07, 2016•1 hr 20 min
After a three week garage sale in Dallas, Texas, Jason sold everything thing he owned in order to move to Napa and tread his own path that involved learning how to make wine and creating Modus Operandi, the project that arose from this quest. Jason recalls the efforts that were involved and the way he chose the mentorships over technical studies. If you like stories of hustle, networking, and the passion to pursuit new ideas, this podcast with Jason will be a hit. Make sure and catch the tale of...
Mar 30, 2016•1 hr 42 min
I sat down with Dave, explained what a podcast was, he took off his worn John Deere hat, I hit record, and 70 minutes later I left grinning with the anticipation of sharing this episode with the Inside Winemaking listeners. Dave recounts the experiences that brought him into winemaking and the early days of the Orin Swift wines, while working at Robert Mondavi and Whitehall Lane, including the lessons learned from the difficult 1998 vintage. Our conversation leads from assessing vineyards to ble...
Mar 14, 2016•1 hr 14 min
Overlooking Howell Mountain and some of the greatest vineyards in Napa, Kent and DJ Nielsen operate a unique culinary experience for those interested in not just a great meal, but being a part of its creation. Cooks, Books, and Corks is a dining experience that they operate out of their home, a home complete with a near-commercial kitchen. In this episode of The Inside Winemaking Podcast Kent and DJ describe the fates that brought them to food, to cooking, to wine, and to their version of a cook...
Mar 01, 2016•1 hr 6 min
This episode is focused completely on Riesling. Scott Sisemore, who is the man behind Waxwing Wine Cellars, began making only Pinot noir and Syrah, then when the time came to add a white wine to his portfolio made a very deliberate decision to make Riesling. Unlike many other white wines, Riesling requires a vintner to strategize a intentional style of final wine, and then a plan for its vinification. After tasting through the full range of styles of Riesling, particularly focusing on the level ...
Feb 10, 2016•53 min
You'll never mindlessly pop a cork out of a bottle of wine after hearing this podcast. Greg Hirson, who is the Technical Services Manager for Cork Supply USA, takes me in depth through the meticulous processing from tree bark to wine stopper. Its Greg's job to educate wineries on best practices for selecting appropriate closures and implementing sound bottling practices. He describes how it is not until the third harvest of tree, after almost 60 years of growth, that the bark is of a quality sui...
Jan 13, 2016•1 hr 33 min
As winemaker for Silver Oak, Nate Weis is the steward for one of the most prominent and recognized brands of Cabernet in the US. In this episode of the Inside Winemaking Podcast Nate shares how what may be considered an old-guard brand of California winemaking, Silver Oak, is actually on the cutting edge of innovation and is now the first wine producer to have taken an oak barrel cooperage in-house. After rebuilding the Napa winery due to a fire in 2006, Silver Oak has drawn from its experience ...
Dec 24, 2015•1 hr 36 min
Four winemaker friends came together and created The Living Wines Collective. This conversation begins with Shaunt Oungoulian, in whose parents' basement is the winery where all wines are produced, and then Sam Baron joins us midway to hear help explain the Reverse Rose. Shaunt, Sam, and their other partners met at UCDavis while studying viticulture and enology, went off to work at some impressive estates across the globe, and then returned to California and launched the Populis, Les Lunes, and ...
Dec 01, 2015•1 hr 56 min
In this podcast Legendary winemaker, Dick Peterson, describes his recently released book as, "A history book of California winemaking as told by me." "The Winemaker" is a must read for any wine geek or fan of California winemaking. Dick began making wines with Ernesto and Julio Gallo in the 50's, took over at Beaulieu Vineyard after being chosen by Andre Tchelistcheff in the 60's, developed The Monterey Vineyard and the original Taylor California Cellars in the 70's, then dynamited and drilled c...
Nov 23, 2015•2 hr 7 min
Soil science is a difficult subject to get your head around. Years of making "housecalls" to visit with farmers throughout California has honed Kyle Truesdell's ability to translate complex topics of soil science and vine interactions in a manner that anyone can understand. As an agronomist with Certified Crop Advisor and Pest Control Advisor licenses, Kyle runs the Wilbur-Ellis offices in Napa and Sonoma. He still makes time to get out and visit vineyards, and that is how I met him this past Oc...
Nov 09, 2015•1 hr 21 min
A summary of my winemaking through the 2015 harvest season in Napa. Heat, fire, and rain drove a fast and furious harvest in the vineyards and winery. This episode of the Inside Winemaking Podcast includes a special interview with Rob Taylor, who tells of his experience living through the Valley Fire that erupted on Sept 12th and wreaked havoc through Lake County, north of Napa in California.
Oct 29, 2015•38 min
After reading an article summarizing the 2015 vintage (up to September) that Matt Reid wrote for the Napa Register, I scrapped my own attempt and invited him to deliver that on a solo podcast episode on the Inside Winemaking Podcast. Matt is the proprietor of PWR Wines, winemaker at Benessere Vineyards, and consulting winemaker at Burgess Cellars. In case you missed it, Matt Reid was the first interview for Inside Winemaking back in August 2014.
Sep 06, 2015•16 min
With his father's suburban loaded up with Petit Sirah and layered with dry ice, David Grega, nearly asphyxiated on the highway before he got his grapes to the crusher on his very first day of winemaking. As someone who has no interest in saying "no" to opportunity, David has taken a novel approach to his career with wines. An Army combat veteran of Iraq, cigar enthusiast, self-made Tea sensory instructor, and now Cab winemaker by day and Rhone wine guy by night, it became clear during our podcas...
Aug 09, 2015•1 hr 32 min
Up in the Tahoe forest I had a chance to catch up with the woman behind the gas mask. A winemaker who omits the easy details in an effort to draw you in. Enter, Sabrine Rodems, winemaker for Wrath Wines , Scratch Wines , and the woman behind the curtains of Wines of Danger . With two feet in the winery and the phone on speaker, Sabrine is not interested in conventional winemaking. The word "experimentation" came up constantly during our conversation about her endeavors to dial-in the vineyards t...
Jul 15, 2015•1 hr 20 min
In perhaps the most entertaining interview I've ever had in a vineyard, Jake Terrell from St Francis Winery and Vineyard , takes me through his experiences throughout California's prime vineyards. This interview has it all: earthquakes, historic vineyards, old-vine Zinfandel, Cabernet from Russian River Valley in Sonoma, strategies for reducing vineyard irrigation, and an epic Cannibas plantation. I was particularly interested in having Jake share his expertise in caring for old vines, something...
May 22, 2015•54 min
Having never set foot in a vineyard before packing her Subaru with orchids and all other possessions Ashley Anderson set out across US for Napa and didn't look back. Now, 16 years later Ashley is the vineyard manager at Cain Vineyard and Winery up 1,700 feet on Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. She knows intimately the 87 acres that she farms for the Cain wines, especially Cain Five. During this episode of the podcast Ashley tells how she is adjusting her farming for the current drought condit...
May 06, 2015•54 min
Master of bubbles, Tom Tiburzi, spares no effort to explain the intracacies of making spectacular sparkling wines in California. The 2015 vintage will be Tom's 26th with Domaine Chandon , yet the excitement he brings to this episode of Inside Winemaking leaves no doubt that he is more passionate than ever. Our conversation explores what normal red-wine traits are "evil for sparkling wines," how to keep Pinot noir fermenting slowly, the characteristics of a great sparkling base, why the visitor's...
Apr 10, 2015•1 hr 11 min
At my request Zeke Neeley, who you may remember from Episode 2: Champagne, Cucumbers, and Estate Winemaking... , to come back and record a solo post about something he is well-versed, the use of Sulfur in winemaking. In 15 minutes Zeke lays out the historical use of sulfur, specifically sulfur-dioxide (SO2), some of the common misconceptions it has had publicly, it's role with bacteria and yeast, the paradox of not using it, and his own personal opinions on the best use of SO2 for commercial win...
Mar 20, 2015•17 min
The first three years of Douglas Rennie's apprenticeship involved learning to make oak barrels using only hand tools. These hand tools were treated with great respect, never placed on the ground, as they had been passed down from the men in his family. Douglas is the fourth generation to become a master cooper in his family. After making barrels for Black and White Whiskey in Scotland Douglas made his way to California and began a new career making wine barrels for the French cooperage, Seguin M...
Mar 09, 2015•54 min
This short podcast is a teaser episode for the interview with Douglas Rennie, Master Cooper from Seguin Moreau in Napa, California. Listen as Douglas tells two short stories from his early days of apprenticeship in Scotland and then another about some "dodgy fishcakes" in Beverley Hills. The entire interview podcast should be live by Monday March 9th.
Mar 06, 2015•6 min
"God and the devil are in the details." In this episode Cameron Parry, who is taking over the winemaking reigns at Groth Vineyards and Winery explains which details he views are most critical to ensure that each vintage of Groth wines are exceptional. A highlight from our conversation include Cameron's description of the flavor and texture qualities that result from Sauvignon blanc's fermentation in neutral oak barrels vs. stainless steel tanks. Cameron does a great job in dispelling the myth th...
Mar 02, 2015•1 hr 1 min
In this episode vineyardist, David Bos, brings a lot of enthusiasm for organic and biodynamic farming. David learned farming on the ground while working for Grgich Hills Estate in the Napa Valley, which is known for their commitment to natural winegrowing and sustainability. These days David runs his own small farming Company, Harvest Bos, and is known as a specialist vineyard consultant for those who have an interest in employing organic and biodynamic farming. That said, David doesn't smell li...
Feb 23, 2015•1 hr 13 min
Art Seavey is a man who slips comfortably between his water-based business Monterey Abalone Company and his family's devotion to farming grapes on steep hillsides for Seavey Vineyard . Much more than just my boss, Art is the general manager at Seavey Vineyard, a small estate vineyard and winery in the eastern hills of Napa's Conn Valley. In this episode Art discusses the path that led him to found the Monterey Abalone Company, which sustainably farms abalone on the commercial wharf in Monterey o...
Feb 16, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Everyday on my commute to work I pass Miner Family Wines in the Oakville District of Napa. I was quite fortunate to stop on my way home recently and have a conversation with my friend, and Miner winemaker, Stacy Vogel . Before we got talking about her post at Miner, Stacy detailed her experiences traveling and working France and Australia. Given how much time I spend cleaning and sanitizing the winery where I spend my days, I was a bit envious when Stacy described the benign neglect that was par...
Jan 27, 2015•1 hr 3 min
I had a great time recording this podcast with my friend and consultant viticulturist, Garrett Buckland. Our conversation gets deep into the technical weeds right off the bat, and thus I've split the podcast into two episodes. Get your coffee, turn on your brain, and get ready to get schooled on what is involved in growing grapes for some of California's top wineries. Garrett gives insight into: Bringing grapevines into the US and what it takes to clean up the virus and certify new clones. How g...
Jan 07, 2015•39 min
I had a great time recording this podcast with my friend and consultant viticulturist, Garrett Buckland. Our conversation gets deep into the technical weeds right off the bat, and thus I've split the podcast into two episodes. Get your coffee, turn on your brain, and get ready to get schooled on what is involved in growing grapes for some of California's top wineries. Garrett gives insight into: Bringing grapevines into the US and what it takes to clean up the virus and certify new clones. How g...
Jan 07, 2015•46 min
Recorded just prior to the harvest season in August, 2014, this interview with Amy Warnock takes us through her journey to becoming a viticulturist (viticulturalist, for some), up to her current work with Orin Swift Cellars based out of Napa. Amy is a technical specialist when it comes to growing grapes destined for high-end wines. In our conversation Amy does a wonderful job of painting a picture in broad strokes to elaborate how wine styles are created by vineyard site and how, as a viticultur...
Dec 29, 2014•45 min
A look back at the highlights from the 2014 harvest. We knew it was going to be an early harvest this year. We didn't know that things were going to kick off with an earthquake. Our magnitude 6 shaking on Aug 24th took us by surprise, but didn't thwart the fast and furious harvest pace that characterized this season. This podcast covers the earthquake, surprise of supple tannins, and healthy yields that will characterize our memory of the 2014 wines.
Dec 21, 2014•19 min
Sep 09, 2014•1 hr
I met Russell Bevan last year as we had both done our time with the Jesuits at Gonzaga University. Russell is a big guy with an even larger personality, which is only superseded by some of the critical review his wines have received. He is a man to pull no punches. That is what most excited me to bring him onto the Inside Winemaking Podcast. Russell founded Bevan Cellars with his partner, Victoria De Crescenzo, in 2004 and in less than ten years has rocketed to the top of luxury wine lovers' mos...
Aug 28, 2014•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 5
