This week we sit down with Dan Petroski, former journalist turned winemaker. He is an interesting, thoughtful and very talented person who has created a niche in culinary, digital media, art, and wine. His past has shaped his future, and his Mediterranean white wines are “off the charts” delicious. We only scratched the surface on his endeavors. Buy the wines, check out his Instagram page, and enjoy the ride. [Ep288] Massican.com @massicanwinery
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Nicole Rolet is one of our favorite people in the wine world. After converting a ninth century priory in Ventoux, France into a model of regenerative farming and world class wine production facility, she continues to travel the globe and spread the word about climate change. Chene Bleu’s unique position in the region allow them to produce some of the best wines in France, without the constraints of the AOC. Grenache is definitely the grape of choice and Nicole is a champion of this noble variety...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Hardy Wallace is always thinking outside the box, actually he smashes the box and burns it, then does his own thing. He is moving into Sonoma with a new tasting space downtown and we are excited. His experiences with sight, sound and smell drive his passion. Hardy will be curating a new tasting experience that you must hear about to believe. His wines are mind-blowingly good, and he is one of our favorite people on the planet. Plus Phil Coturri joins us for a heartfelt tribute to organic viticul...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 20 min
When we heard about this think tank meeting in Sonoma about the future of wine we went to a very dark place. Then we heard that our friend Nicole Rolet her husband from Chêne Bleu were the founders. We thought there might be something good going on here. The week of June 19th there were a series of meetings and discussions about the future of the wine industry. Since we couldn't be there to report directly we had Xavier give us an overview of what's going on. It's a really great discussion about...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 13 min
George Walker lll is a trailblazer in the food and wine world. His passion drove him to cultivate a unique dining series that incorporated food, wine, art and music before being featured on the Somm TV show Sparklers. George was offered the position of Brand Ambassador for NBA star Dwyane Wade’s wine label in Napa and has been spreading the message of inclusivity all over the world. His energy is infectious and the stories are inspiring. Oh yeah, the wines are amazing too. Enjoy [Ep284] dwadecel...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Glenn Proctor - Puccioni Vineyards & Ciatti Company Glenn’s family immigrated to Dry Creek Valley in 1889 knowing they knew they wanted to invest in property. This led them to purchase Puccioni Ranch in 1904, the family has continuously farmed grapes on the property, and in the early 1920’s and 30’s operated Puccioni Winery. Today, Glenn is one of the proud owners of Puccioni Ranch and serves as the General Manager. In 2002 Glenn started Puccioni Vineyards, a small handcrafted Old Vine Zinfa...
Jun 12, 2023•2 hr 16 min
Hilary was raised in the wine industry, daughter of Fred and Nancy Cline from Cline Cellars. The family history dates back to Jacuzzi, yes that tub with the jets that has provided so much pleasure to most of us. We talk about the history of new generation of wine makers. The Cline’s will be hosting the upcoming Rhone Rangers event on June 24th at their beautiful property, wines will be offered from 30 different wineries. Hope to see you there. Listen to the show for special promo codes. [EP282] ...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Now Chris knows how to show up for a podcast, just check the photo's... Born in New York and raised in Texas, Chris started to discover wine working in restaurants. Tynan decided that he wanted to learn more so he moved to Napa Valley enrolled in some classes and started with a vineyard management company doing irrigation management for vineyards across Napa and Sonoma counties. Following a harvest at Cain Vineyard & Winery in 2004, followed up with a harvest with the renowned winemaking and...
May 26, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Charles Bieler was racing down ski slopes and lobbying to save owls when he got the call from his Father to help sell the family Rose. “Just give me one year” his Father said. Charles sold wine out of his pink Cadillac when nobody was drinking Rose, he had to literally charm his way onto their shelves. Now decades later, he has partnered with some of the biggest names in the wine industry to bring delicious, affordable wines to the masses, both here in the states and in France. @bielerwines biel...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 42 min
This week the guys deep dive into the Moon Mountain District with three luminaries of the AVA, Chris Cottrell, Robert Kamen and Phil Coturri ahead of next month’s Reach for the Moon! Master Class and Grand Tasting of Moon Mountain District wines in the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard. We cover the what makes this appellation so unique, it’s rich history, it’s present as one of the great Cabernet growing regions in the world and the future. In between, we opened some great wines and had great fun. ...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 23 min
The name Andy Beckstoffer is immediately associated with the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in America. He drove the changes in Napa Co. grape growing until the farmers became an integral part of the wine making process and finally benefited financially from their labor. But it certainly wasn't always like that in Napa. Hear everything Napa Cab from past to future on this episode of The Wine Makers. An excellent interview with the most famous farmer in the U.S. [EP277]
May 05, 2023•1 hr 25 min
This week on the show we are talking about Lodi!! Randy Caparoso is a full-time wine journalist who lives in Lodi, California, and author of Lodi! The definitive guide and history of America's largest winegrowing region. Greg La Folette is the winemaker at Marchelle Wines and it would be easier to list the things he hasn’t done in the wine industry. [EP277] Marchellewines.com @marchellewines
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 50 min
This show is hot! This show is smoking! This show is all about...prescribed burns? This week the guys are joined by Dr. Sasha Berleman, Director of Fire Forward, an organization spearheading efforts to bring "Good Fire" back to the wildlands of Northern California. The wIne industry continues to face an existential threat from smoke and fire but for Berleman one of the best ways to counter bad fire and bad smoke is good fire and good smoke. By conducting prescribed burns and building a community...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 35 min
Joel Gott was definitely raised in a wine family. The fourth-generation California vintner, and wine and food entrepreneur was born in Napa Valley and raised in the Sierra Foothills where his parents started Montevina Winery. Joel later moved to Carmel and upon graduating high school went to work for Kenwood Winery in Sonoma County. But his first dive into business wasn't just to start making wine, in fact he and his brother Duncan purchased a small market in Calistoga called Palisades Market. I...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min
This week we sit down with vintner Dan Kosta, who has built wine lists at high-end restaurants, developed cult wine brands like Kosta Browne and collaborated with celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse. His new project, Convene Wine, is a study in Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wines are elegant and expressive, the conversation is lively, grab a glass and check it out. [EP274] Website - www.dk-convene.com Instagram - @dk_convene
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 28 min
This week we have a special show for an event called Napa R.I.S.E. This three-week series of events is designed to accelerate meaningful sustainability and climate action transformation across the entire industry and culture of wine. The events are organized around the Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership: ENERGY EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS WATER EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS WASTE PREVENTION & SUPPLY CHAIN PROACTIVE FARMING, SOIL HEALTH & BIODIVERSITY SOCIAL JUSTICE, DIVERSITY &...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Patrick Cappiello is a distinguished winemaker and sommelier with over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He is the owner and winemaker of Monte Rio Cellars, a Food & Wine host for Playboy, and a founding member of Winemakers & Sommeliers for California Wildfire Relief. Cappiello's wine career started in 2001 at TriBeCa Grill, and he has since been associated with four prestigious wine cellars, all recipients of Wine Spectator's "Grand Award." He has received multiple acc...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Ren Harris is the “unofficial” Mayor of Napa. This year will be his 60th harvest and his accomplishments read like a novel about the history of Napa Valley. He is soft spoken but seems to get his way more often than not, and we all owe him for paving the wine road in California. You can still find him at the table in the back of the winery, looking out at his beautiful vineyard, sharing his stories and wines, still made by Heidi Barrett. Grab a glass and listen in, this one goes deep. [EP271] pa...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 47 min
Jack Sporer is a leader in the new school of Natural Wine, experimental and adventurous, but also pragmatic and reasonable. He has made wine all over the world, from Bordeaux to Bedrock, and brings a fresh perspective to his own wine making for Fresh Wine Co. From style, to varietal choices to bottles and corks the wines are thoughtful, delicious and yes, fresh! Listen in as we go through the latest releases of Fresh Wines and learn all about Jack's travels and experiences in wine. [EP270]
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 33 min
We all agree that wine is about the stories that are associated with them. Kira Ballotta began working in wine in 2011 helping a winemaker on her days off. Then while working in the field of Valuation she had the opportunity to analyze vineyard projects and felt drawn to the “going-ons” behind her spreadsheets. She was hooked Kira then made her way around Napa and Australia learning the craft of winemaking and engendering a true reverence and love for winemaking. She spent four years at Alpha Om...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 51 min
Tor Kenward has been a part of Napa’s growth from the beginning, seeking advice from Robert Mondavi, getting tips from André Tchelistcheff, and collaborating with Julia Child. We share a couple bottles of wine with him at his house in Napa Valley to discuss his start at Beringer, his current label Tor, and his new book “Reflections of a Vintner”. There is a lot of history here. Enjoy [EP268] Torwines.com @torwines
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 40 min
By day, Kelly Cornett is an accomplished public health scientist, by night she is a wine educator, host of A Cork in the Road wine podcast, all around enthusiast and a ringleader in Atlanta’s wine community. She was in town to lead a wine class in between visiting some of her favorite wineries and seeking new exciting producers she learned about listening to our shows! We learn all about Kelly’s journey into wine, from her family dinner table growing up on Minnesota, to the burgeoning Virginia w...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min
David Morell, Ph.D., Sonoma Ecology Center & Doug Beck, Science Officer at Monterey Pacific Vineyards. David and Doug give us a good introduction to BioChar and its use with compost in wine grape growing. David gives us some background on BioChar and all the work that the Sonoma Ecology Center is doing here in Sonoma County and beyond. Doug shares his experiences and findings from a recently conducted four-year trial to test the impacts of biochar and compost as soil amendments on wine grape...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Brenae Royal runs Monte Rosso, one of the most historic vineyards in California, growing Cabernet, Zinfandel and Semillon since 1886. Brenae grew up in the Central Valley of California and was originally interested in animals, in part due to her exposure to F.F.A., future farmers of America. Weeks into college she decided to pivot, focusing on vines and taking a job with Gallo right out of school. [EP265] Website
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 32 min
António Amorim - Amorim Corks Corticeira Amorim is the world’s largest cork processing company and makes an unparalleled contribution to the business, market, economy, innovation and the sustainability of the entire cork industry. Founded in 1870, we are joined this week by its Chairman & CEO António Rios de Amorim. This is a great show, António's knowledge and passion for the cork industry is infectious. You might be amazed to hear what cork is used for beyond the wine industry. The incredi...
Jan 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min
This week we attended the Direct to Consumer Symposium which is a benefit for the Free the Grapes Campaign. [EP263] Our good friend M.J. Towler the Black Wine Guy was also in attendance so we decided to do some joint interviews. We hope you enjoy these conversations. https://freethegrapes.org Hugh Scallon of Vayner Media will give us a look into TV 3.0 and he sees an opportunity for wine advertising. https://vaynermedia.com Steve Gross, VP, State Relations, Wine Institute talks a bit about the i...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Founder Robert (Bob) Craig began his career in wine at The Hess Collection on Mount Veeder in the 1980s. Prior to starting the winery, Bob’s passion for Mountain Cabernet had him spearheading the official recognition of both the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain District AVAs. In 1995 22 acres were purchased at the summit of Howell Mountain – the vineyard property that would become their estate winery. Elton arrived in 2004 and spearheaded the overhaul and reinvestment of the farming, winemaking ...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 50 min
It's warming. It's us. We're sure. It's bad. But we can fix it. We are so excited to have this Sonoma Native on the podcast this week. After speaking to the international public for close to fifteen years about sustainability, climate scientist Dr. Nicholas realized that concerned people were getting the wrong message about the climate crisis. People were focusing on things they couldn't change, hoping for systems to be put in place and for big business to step in and make changes. But what she ...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 41 min
This week we look back at some favorite shows of 2022, and answer more listener questions. Will we ever get to the bottom of where they hide the moguls in the summer? We also raise a glass of wine to Bob Benziger who passed away last week. [EP260]
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 28 min
This week John Myers returns to the show after an extended break, it's great to all be back together again. We talk about a number of subjects, not that we ever get distracted... Bart brings out three wines to taste that he plans to release early next year. Though of course Brian is disappointed to not great a review of the 2022 Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc [EP259] Wines tasted 2020 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Rancho Agua Caliente Vineyard 2019 Valeria Rossi Ranch Blend Sonoma Valley 2020 Sonoma Valley M...
Dec 17, 2022•1 hr 19 min
