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Videos

March 30, 2023

She will create thoughts. Kira Ballotta is brilliant in her approach to wine.

Wine is really about history. What other product do you deliberately wit 20 years to explore, what other product can you take half way around the world and say “This is who we are and when we are” I was thinking about the phrase after my conversation with Kira and…

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March 28, 2023

Fruili is one crazy place for vineyards. Massimo Furlan will tell you why.

All of a sudden there are have been two Friulian wine houses in studio when for years there had only been on in here prior. Why? The world of Italian wine is complicated and can take years to understand. And as one studies this world, the region of Friuli will…

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March 23, 2023

Piemonte is Italian wine history. Emiliano explains why.

What is fascinating about the Italian wine scene is the variety and distinct differences between their primary wine regions. And don’t look over the fact there are over 2000 wine varieties in Italy, some still being discovered today. Emiliano Morando visited Wine Talks to walk us through the history of…

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March 21, 2023

Latina Wine Girl is in the house. Meet Elle Rodriguez

The minute she walked into the studio, the crew knew this conversation was going to have little restraint. A practice communicator of not only all things wine, but all things wine with the latin market. Her tag is themodernpour and she is dynamic and funny. Her tag line is “not…

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March 16, 2023

The Mayor of Montefalco is in the house. Meet the incredible winemaker, Valentino Valentini

country, it is hard to sort them out. When you break down the country, there is a bit more clarity with grape varieties but little local varieties will confuse you. Umbria, just south of Tuscany, follows suit. Unlike its northern neighbor, it does not grow Sangiovese as the mainstay red…

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March 14, 2023

From the north of the north island, meet Simone Kelly of Seresin Winery

There is so much to know and understand with the wine diversity just between the two islands, let alone the wine diversity among each island, that New Zealand is recognized with exemplary wines. Simone Kelly stopped in for a conversation and helps us get the lay of the land as…

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March 9, 2023

Wine is life here in Friuli. Meet Luca Tomasig

This is where wine is so interesting. When you find regions of the world where wine is life and the passion of the people who make these wines transcends the business of wine, things start to get interesting. Up in the north east of Italy as it borders Slovenia is…

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March 7, 2023

These guys are funny. And know wine. Meet Michael Pinkus and André Proulx

Hard to imagine the Canadian wine scene actually parallels the American wine scene. But maybe not so hard to imagine. Wine has been known to man for over 8000 years and despite the technologies and méthodes, it is essentially the same as it was. So why would the issues we…

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March 2, 2023

Truly a non-alcoholic wine that has character. Meet the co-inventor Marco Mariano.

Walking the aisles of the Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, a gentleman stuck a sparkling wine glass in my face and said “Do you like wine?” I responded, “Is this a joke?” He went on to tell me that this was an Italian non-alcoholic sparkling wine…

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Feb. 28, 2023

The author of Sideways is up to his old shenanigans. Hear what Rex Pickett is doing.

Wine Talks first sat with Rex in 2021 as he was pondering a Sideways musical. In just a few years, the musical is touring Spain to sold-out crowds and he is holding Sideways concerts in Napa Valley. We caught up with Rex in Napa Valley recently to find out what…

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Feb. 23, 2023

This is one motivated woman in wine. Jessica Kogan is hell-bent on her agenda.

Once in a while, you run into someone who is a force of nature and come away with “I want her on my team.” This is Jessica Kogan. You must realize that sometimes there are people smarter than you and that there are people that have landed in their rightful…

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Feb. 21, 2023

It takes humility to be a proper winemaker. Jon Priest is the definition.

Etude is exemplary in its approach to sustainability. When Jon told me during our interview that the sheep were out on the south 40 aerating and churning the soil and mulching the vegetation, it conjured up a vision of old. This type of farming and wine production is a discipline…

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Feb. 16, 2023

Katrina Frey is the real deal. Try to keep up with her.

The concept of organic wine farming is really quite old. If you think about it, vineyards were organic for thousands of years before the invention and use of pesticides. Katrina and her husband were the first certified organic vineyards in California and if that wasn’t enough, they became the first…

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Feb. 14, 2023

There are the greats and then the greats. Meet one of the latter.

The study of wine will take you all over the world. It is fascinating and intoxicating (pun intended). It is said that all roads of wine curiosity lead to Burgundy. The history, the lifestyle, the wines, and the people. Meet one of the most influential people who help shape not…

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Feb. 9, 2023

I can't take it anymore. Just hear me out. I tell it like it is.

The formidable Winc is in bankruptcy under the rules of Chapter 11. They were one of the largest Direct To Consumer wine companies in America and they failed. The business failing is one thing, and that happens all the time for various reasons. I am speaking of the failure to…

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Feb. 7, 2023

They saw the story. They tell the story. Meet Don and Petie Kladstrup

Wine and war is a subject close to my heart. I had been studying it when I stumbled across the book of the same name. What a story about the Nazis and the French sparring during the Nazi occupation during World War II. The detail that Don and Petie were…

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Feb. 2, 2023

This guy gets wine. Because it is about the soul. Meet Keith Saarloos

After Mathew Kaner was on the show, we received a call from Keith stating he needed to come on and talk all things wine. After 30 seconds of our initial call, I said “when can you come on?”. This guy got it. Wine really is about the soul. It is…

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Jan. 31, 2023

Get Educated Here. Maryam Ahmed Waxes Poetic On Wine.

From the Cornel School of Hospitality to entrepreneur stopping on the way for an Enology degree, Maryam Ahmed is learned and articulate. Engaging in conversation with a point of view is how the needle moves. We moved the needle today with an invigorating conversation on diversity, wine, and marketing in…

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Jan. 26, 2023

Who plants a vineyard in Virginia? Carolyn Covington does.

The enthralling Carolyn Covington, aka The American Wine Girl, had her aha wine moment on a trip to Florence, Italy where she learned that wine was an art form. This revelation took her to learn the industry and become WSET 3 certified; taking this knowledge to teach wine and to…

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Jan. 24, 2023

Bad Ass Wine Witch? I agree! Meet Justin Trabue

She drives back and forth between Paso Robles and Napa Valley to hone her craft. Between learning the value of each district, she is also working towards raising the people of color coefficient in the wine industry; an important objective industry side. It takes the Justin Trabue’s of the world…

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Jan. 19, 2023

Meet your new “bougie” wine cousin, Chasity Cooper.

She wants wine to be an approachable beverage to all. Passionate about removing barriers for women and people of color into the wine industry, Chasity has covered the gamut of places to create the force. She enjoys the camaraderie of the trade and likes speaking wine-geek, but throttles herself when…

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Jan. 17, 2023

Try and stump Mathew Kaner on all things wine. Can’t do it.

When he landed his first job at the iconic Wine Cask in Santa Barbara, he was asked to stock the fine Burgundy section in order of vineyards from north to south; this is a tough task for an experienced wine academic, let alone a “first day on the job” kinda…

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Jan. 5, 2023

Season 13 Recap: A Look Back, and a Glimpse of What's to Come...

Season 13 has come to a close and we could not be more excited for our upcoming 14th season! This past season, we had the privilege of hearing from a variety of guests; Liam D'Arcy, who effectively calls himself the wine "idiot"; Kira Ballotta, a learned woman and her wines…

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Dec. 27, 2022

Wine writing comes easy to Jess Lander. Her San Francisco Chronicle articles quickly gain attention.

Sitting with Jess Landers is like sitting with your best friend. She is open, fun and interesting while at the same time, informative, cautious, and inspiring. You will learn that wine writing doesn’t come easy for most. Even the most experienced writers sometimes feel like they have run out of…

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