To me a Journeyman is someone who has spent their career learning from those around them, expanding their knowledge and then sharing with their peers. If we agree on that then Mike Drash is truly a Journeyman since his first position at DeLoach Winery then on to J winery in the Russian River Valley. Next moving to the Napa Valley working at Far Niente and as Winemaker at Luna Vineyard and his own brand Tallulah. But not until taking a winemaking position in Southern Minnesota that he had to take...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 35 min
This week we virtually visit Anderson Valley and chat with the owners of Bee Hunter Wine. This region is typically known for Pinot Noir and racy whites but there is a lot more going on up there. One of our listeners turned us on to this "dynamic duo" and their funny way of talking up there. If you have never heard of Boontling, we will translate some of their favorite sayings. Super cool humans and talented winemakers. Do you know anyone that was born in a "fairy ring" ?? You will if you listen ...
Oct 23, 2020•1 hr 31 min
This week we wish John Myers a Happy Birthday and talk about female wine influencers, UV light for grapes and smoke taint. [EP166]
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Rosalind Reynolds started her journey into wine at a young age, working on experimental techniques in the lab for Gallo. Her passion for making wine pushed her to "harvest hop" around the world, finally settling in as assistant winemaker to Pax Mahle in Sebastopol. Rosalind then started her own label, Emme Wines, making small batches with unique varietals in a crushpad that can only be described as an incubator for young, talented winemakers. Sam and Brian were literally left speechless when she...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 15 min
This week we sit down with Jen Reichardt, owner-winemaker at Raft Wines. Jennifer was raised in Petaluma, born into a family of duck farmers. In 2016 she started her own wine label, focusing on unique varietals from interesting vineyards, maintaining a price point that was accessible to everyday wine drinkers. Her wines have also given her a platform to raise awareness about voting issues, supporting restaurant workers and obviously delicious duck consumption. In the midst of our current round o...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min
With the sale of the Benziger Family Winery to The Wine Group in 2015, Joe and Mike Benziger have left as well as Tim Wallace. So who stepped up to continue in the family tradition? Jill Benziger took over Consumer, Trade and outreach Liaison and her sister Jamie, named Wine Enthusiast Magazines 40 under 40 tastemakers in 2019, took over as winemaker at Imagery. We sit down with the new generation to see how the transfer of power is going. The commitment to Biodynamic farming and the passion for...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 12 min
This week we celebrate one of our favorite holidays by sitting down with the two biggest champions of Grenache. The Haas & the Perrin Family changed the focus of the wine industry in California by introducing Rhone varietals to the New World. Sondra Bernstein from the girl & the fig forced wine lovers to step out of their comfort zones by only offering these wines at her hugely successful restaurant in Sonoma. These were not seen as smart business decisions at the time, but passion and f...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 12 min
We are in the middle of Harvest and still dealing with fires, smoke and heat. This show was sort of a break from reality for us, some meat but also a lot of fat. Ramblin on. [EP161]
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 23 min
This week we have a little fun and taste through the new releases from Sixteen600 and Bart offers a special vertical Zinfandel promo. If you happen to listen to the entire show you will be rewarded with some stupid ramblings from the Wine Makers. You can tell we are suffering from PTSD. Sonoma Strong has become Sonoma Tired. Enjoy everyone... Cheers! [EP160]
Sep 04, 2020•56 min
We are experiencing fires in a large portion of our wine growing regions due to a lightning storm that brought over 11,000 strikes in a 72 hour period. The smell of smoke has become a part of our daily lives for the past two weeks. First and foremost our hearts go out to all the families that have lost loved ones and their homes. Being that the fires have started so early in the picking season, we have a new challenge this year, smoke. Vineyards that have prolonged exposure to smoke risk being "...
Aug 28, 2020•57 min
This week we sit down with MJ Towler. MJ is a wine professional with over 20 years of experience in all aspects of the wine business, Towler has worked retail, wholesale, auctions and also as a sommelier. On May 5, 2000, he became the first-ever African American fine and rare wine auctioneer. We had been following his Instagram account for a while and were intrigued by his choice of unique wines, especially his love of Rhone varietals. MJ will soon be starting a new project that includes a podca...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 28 min
To say Artie has spent a career working with the best in the food & wine industry is a laughable understatement. From Nobu in New York to the Versace Mansion in Florida, from Harlan Estates to Mayacamas in California, this guy has seen it all. Now producing his own wine brand using top growers like Phil Coturri, who makes a brief appearance on the show, Artie is making a name for himself among wine drinkers who appreciate his passion and attention to quality. These wines are not easy to get ...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 23 min
This week we talk about Cameron Diaz and her new venture into "clean wine". We might be a bit late to the conversation but felt we had to weigh in. What the Fuck is "Clean Wine"? The Wine Industry is in an uproar over labeling concerns but what is the real issue, and are we at fault for not addressing this and making it clear? You decide.
Aug 07, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Left a good job in the City, working for the Man every night and day. In 2016, Todd Cavallo and his wife Crystal left their jobs in finance and bought a farm in upstate New York. The plan was to grow vegetables, make wine, raise chickens, and collaborate with like-minded people to create a biodynamic farm. They have gotten a lot of attention for their Piquette, a wine based beverage made by using the once used grape skins, fermenting them again and doing a dosage before bottling or canning. It's...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 18 min
This week we travel to Israel, virtually, to chat with Guy Eshel from Dalton Winery in the area of Galilee. We heard about Guy through a mutual friend in Mexico City, the Taco Mensch. Guy Eshel grew up in Cali and Israel and has worked at wineries in France, Australia and California, including Broc Cellars in Berkley. We knew almost nothing about the wine culture in Israel so we cover a lot of topics, including terroir, climate, and the kosher certification. The wines Guy sent us were amazing, w...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr 27 min
So, at first glance you might ask why we are sitting down and talking with someone who works at a bank. Let me take an excerpt from Rob's own "Professional Summary" to give you an idea, Rob McMillan is one of the top wine-business analysts in the United States and the author of Silicon Valley Bank’s highly regarded annual State of the Wine Industry Report. With decades of experience researching the wine business, his views are sought after and trusted by winery owners, journalists, entrepreneurs...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 28 min
The guys cover a wide variety of topics this week including social media influencers, organic sprays, drought, cannabis farming and bottling lines. [EP152]
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley region of Southern Oregon was originally planted by Dick Troon back in 1972. The property was conventionally farmed for over 40 years and was in need of some love. Craig Camp was brought on in 2016 to focus on organic, bio-dynamic and regenerative farming, bringing the land back to its original state, suitable for farming high quality grapes to make world-class wines. Their unique climate is very similar to Southern France and therefore perfectly suited to ...
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 18 min
This show was our third and maybe the last virtual tasting of this series. Bart sent out a 2012 Chenin Blanc from the cellar and a 2017 Zinfandel just out of the barrel. Once again we were truly grateful for the support of our listeners and the incredible community they have created. We hope to be returning soon to our regular shows without the use of Zoom. Thank you all for the support over the last few months. Stay safe, tune in, drink more wine. danecellars.com winerysixteen600.com
Jun 26, 2020•1 hr 45 min
Mayacamas Olds was recently named as the new General Manager of Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma. Her journey in the wine business started at a very young age with her parents owning Sky Vineyards on Cavedale Rd. between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Maya has a Bachelor of Science in fermentation from UC Davis and has worked on multiple continents with large and small companies in the wine industry. She has known Sam since they were in diapers and used to work with Bart at Lasseter Winery when she ...
Jun 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Today we officially reopen the tasting rooms here in Sonoma. But what exactly does that mean ?? We discuss the challenges of opening up for hospitality in Sonoma. Stay safe. Drink more wine. Cheers !! [EP149] danecellars.com winerysixteen600.com
Jun 12, 2020•1 hr 11 min
This week we decided to "honor" one of our favorite grapes. Grenache doesn't get as much attention as some of the other varietals despite being THE most widely planted grape in the world. We invited on four of the local Grenache Masters; Casey Graybehl, the Grenachista, Peter Mathis from Mathis Wines, Jeff Cohn from Jeff Cohn Cellars and Dave Mounts from Mounts Winery. [EP148] Sondra Bernstein from The Girl & The Fig joined the podcast as well, her love of this amazing grape has fueled the c...
May 29, 2020•1 hr 14 min
This week we are not talking about Covid-19, Corona Virus, PPP, PPE, SIP, N95, DTC, EDD, Ventilators, Curb-Side Pick Up, Social Distancing, etc. We needed a break. We thought you might need one too. We had an idea, let’s just talk about wine with interesting people and wines we love. Bart, Sam and Brian decided to each invite two guests, and not reveal our choices until we started recording the show. The result was the ultimate “blind date” [EP147]
May 22, 2020•1 hr 26 min
This week we are joined by wine professionals on the retail side of the business to talk about how they are dealing with an increased direct to consumer demand. Todd Jolly from Sonoma's Best, Donald Moffat from Zachys and Alvaro Cardenas from Wine Stop give us the lowdown on sales, tariffs, pricing and market trends. After you listen to the show, reach out and buy some wine. Cheers... [EP146] mywinestop.com zachys.com sonomas-best.com
May 15, 2020•1 hr 17 min
We had another great virtual wine tasting with Dane Cellars & Sixteen600. This is just some "bonus" content if anyone would like to hear it. danecellars.com winerysixteen600.com
May 11, 2020•1 hr 58 min
This week on the podcast we invited some of our friends from different wine making regions in the world to discuss the challenges of selling wine in our current environment. We were joined by Anne Charlotte from Chateau Font du Loup in France, Elyse Perry from Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, Dusty Nabor from Dusty Nabor Wines & NSO Wines in Southern California and Melani Harding from Bon Niche Cellars in Paso Robles. dustynaborwines.com nsowines.com @dustynabor bonniche.com @barleyvondoodle @mela...
May 08, 2020•1 hr
Cathy is the co-founder and CEO of Enolytics, a big data startup providing business intelligence for the wine industry. She also currently writes for Forbes.com about the business and politics of the wine industry, and for Inc.com about entrepreneurs with a special focus on women. She is the author of the award-winning book Hungry for Wine: Seeing the World through the Lens of a Wine Glass. Cathy's writing has appeared in print and online for both general-interest and wine industry publications ...
May 01, 2020•1 hr 21 min
This week we finally sit down with Esther Mobley, former editor at Wine Spectator in New York and current wine, beer and spirits writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. What we have loved most about Esther since joining the Chronicle in 2015 is her ability to use wine as a backdrop to get at the really interesting stories about the people and issues behind the wine. Iconic wine makers and wineries are sometimes used as a backdrop to cover deeper stories of immigration, climate change and social i...
Apr 24, 2020•1 hr 25 min
This week the guys were supposed to have Esther Mobley on, wine writer for the S.F. Chronicle. Our Zoom invite somehow made it into her "junk" file but we decided to do the show anyway. Don't worry, we got her back for next weeks show. We discuss the origins of the podcast and how it has changed in the last few weeks. Stay safe, order wine, tune in and guzzle down. [EP142]
Apr 17, 2020•1 hr 2 min
BONUS CONTENT! - On Friday the 10th of April 2020 The Wine Makers Podcast did their first Virtual Wine Tasting with Dane Cellars & Sixteen600. They recorded it and decided to release it as a "bonus" show for anyone that wanted to hear it. Thank you to everyone that signed up and joined us, it was nice to see all of your faces and we truly appreciate the support. Cheers! The next virtual tasting is scheduled for Friday May 1st. Stay tuned for details. winerysixteen600.com danecellars.com theg...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 21 min
