Episodes
Oct. 26, 2023
Port wine is history in a bottle. Rupert Symington and family created some of that history.
Port wine is really quite fascinating. It is like history in a bottle. And wine really is about history. This concept all comes together when listening to Rupert Symington of Grahams Port house. The Symington family has not …
Oct. 24, 2023
From fashion to wine, Alberto gets it. Alberto Moretti Cuseri from Sette Ponti on deck.
The world of Tuscan wine is more complicated than it might seem. From a fiasco (straw bottle) of Chianti to the most coveted Brunello Di Montecino's, you can find a diverse and sophisticated genre of wines. As with most of …
Oct. 20, 2023
To learn Italian wine, listen to the pro. I speak with Cristina Mariani-May of Banfi Wines
What you will learn about the wines of Tuscany and Piemonte will only be out down by what you will learn about the wine life. Raising 3 children while becoming a million miler in the air, Cristina Mariani-May keeps it all to…
Oct. 17, 2023
They are Master Somms, married and taking on Aussie wines. Meet Jane Lopes and Jon Ross.
Between the two of them, it took 21 years to earn their Master Sommelier status; obviously, no easy task. Lest we forget, while studying for this accolade, one has to earn a living. They met while working at the 2017 Best Re…
Oct. 16, 2023
The wine history you will hear, cannot be written ever again. Meet Arthur de Lencquesaing.
This was serendipitous. The fact that Mr. Lencquesaing was in Los Angeles at the very time I began reading his grandmothers book (albeit it very slowly, it is written in French) and that the vendor called and mentioned she w…
Oct. 16, 2023
Clear and articulate about the Italian wine trade. Meet Dr. Cristian Maddalena.
We could have spoken for hours. In fact, after I turned off the recording system, he stayed for another 20 minutes wrapping up the previous hour. With a Ph.D. in history, Cristian is able to add a level of depth to the conve…
Oct. 16, 2023
Only 3 people in the wine world like him. David Frost is a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier.
There can only be one explanation (maybe two) for someone to want, study, test and pass both the Master of Wine curriculm and the Master Sommelier curriculm. So rare it is that there are only 3 people in the world that have …
Sept. 26, 2023
Love at first site and other crazy notions about wine. Meet Kenny Kahn.
Reading Kenny's website , you will learn that the night he met his wife it was love ar first sight...for him. Tongue tied the rest of the night, the story ends well with solid marriage; let's face it, it would have to be if …
Sept. 21, 2023
Max Mussio Lewis defines Friuli wine. Meet Max.
Once in a while in this crazy business, you stumble across passion that has no bounds. Certainly, even to engage in the wine trade it takes passion, but there is typically an end to it. I am not sure it is fair to say the pa…
Sept. 15, 2023
A very rare wine story. It doesn't happen like this. Meet Alex Gambal.
It just doesn't happen like this. All the headwinds were there. It most likely cannot be repeated, so don't get any bright ideas. Americans don't just pick up and move to Burgundy, buy land, produce wine, become indoctrinat…
Sept. 12, 2023
Perserverance is the only explanation. Hear the incredible story of Laura Donadoni, Italian wine girl.
Sometimes you just come across a story that makes you realize that you haven't had is so tough. You haven't had to start from scratch...ever. You haven't had to leave your life behind in your home country to start a new. You…
Sept. 9, 2023
They don't make them like Melvyn anymore. Hear Melvyn Master in his own words.
If you want to know ground zero information about this business. Listen to this.
Sept. 7, 2023
Counterfeit wine is real (real fake!). Meet the pre-eminent authority, Maureen Downey.
We all know the story of Rudy Kurniawan, the famed subject of the movie "Sour Grapes" and the most publicized of wine counterfeiters. When the FBI needed help in understanding what otherwise was, according to the FBI, "non-c…
Sept. 5, 2023
As a woman of color, the headwinds in this industry are compounded. Meet the Millennial Somm, Isis Daniel.
Wine is ethereal. It literally binds people together. It brings something to the table that should and does transcend race, gender, lifestyle and generations. Isis Daniel is a testimony to that very bind. She coined "The Mil…
Aug. 31, 2023
Drive would be a word for Nova Cadamarte, but it doesn't tell the real story.
The Master of Wine Diploma out of London is probably the most rigorous of certifications to acquire. It took Nova 8 years of study, frustration and tasting to get it done; and that was only after she failed out the first tim…
Aug. 29, 2023
He found a need in Napa, filled it and expanded it. Meet John Wilkinson of Bin to Bottle.
John Wilkinson was making wine at home. Afterall, he was living in the Napa Valley but felt disconnected not having any relationship with the most public of industries. As he sought advice from his friends to figure how to …
Aug. 23, 2023
She is a true winemaker. Has an opinion and it shows in her incredible wines. Meet Elizabeth Tangney..
When one stumbles across a strong will in the wine industry, one has to take notice. A strong will will necessarily show through in the resulting wines. It takes an opinion, it takes a will to create the finest example of wi…
Aug. 23, 2023
With Phd. and passion, Katarina Andersson shifted gears and fell in love with wine.
The path to being intoxicated with wine (I do not mean with alcohol) comes in many fashions. Virtually everyone that is consumed with wine has a story to tell. Some left the family wine business to become lawyers or even doc…
Aug. 16, 2023
What it is like to be a legacy winemaker. Meet Trevor Durling of Beaulieu Vineyards.
Trevor During has shoes to fill.
Aug. 15, 2023
Valle de Uco is the Napa Valley of Argentina. Stories are real.
Rodrigo Leone tells of the family history and the inspiration of wine.
Aug. 11, 2023
Heritage, hotels, rugs and wine. Meet James Tufenkian
Was there a Bob Hope movie....The Road to Yerevan? Maybe not, but the road to Yerevan for James Tufenkian is fascinating. James is one motivated diasporan. He has created a well-known, world-wide hand woven carpet, planted …
Aug. 8, 2023
The stories are crazy good. Meet the Wine Merchant of Beverly Hills; Mr. Dennis Overstreet
He is mythical in stature in our industry. Meet the Merchant of Beverly Hills Dennis Overstreet.
Aug. 1, 2023
Real talk, real wine, real Washington. Meet John Bookwalter.
It is very often you hear about an American family 10 generations into their contribution to society/ Certainly, you hear of such geneology in Europe; namesake wineries handed down through the generations. In this case, it …
July 25, 2023
Food and wine writer and recipe creator...meet Emily Saladino.
Such a bright light in the world of wine and food; and she can create recipes out of thin air. Emily Saladino has made her way around both the world of culinary arts and wine to create give herself a comprehensive understan…