The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

A laid-back journey into the heart of wine culture Every week, hosts Sam Coturri, Bart Hansen, and Brian Casey pull the cork on real conversations with winemakers, growers, sommeliers, and industry trailblazers from Sonoma and beyond. The Wine Makers blends deep knowledge with a relaxed, no-snobbery approach to everything from biodynamic farming to rebellious cider makers and sake artisans. These are not dry lectures or polished promos—just passionate people talking shop over a glass (or three). The hosts’ decades of hands-on experience in vineyards, cellars, and tasting rooms fuel lively discussions about sustainability, storytelling, and the changing world of wine. Whether you’re just starting to explore wine or already know your skin-contact from your carbonic maceration, this show delivers honest insight, practical advice, and plenty of personality. Pour a glass and press play.

Episodes

The Wine Makers – Will Gondak, Gondak Cellars

October 17, 2025 • 91 mins
Will Gondak has been chasing the dream. Experiences making wine in Napa, Sonoma, Australia, New Zealand, France, Santa Cruz, and South Africa have broadened his view into what is possible. The wide array of hands-on experience accompanied by the study of winemaking and viticulture at both Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Napa Valley College has yielded one curious wine nerd. Will has been calling Sonoma County home since 2015 and is l...
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The Wine Makers – Matt McDermaid, Staysail Wines

October 10, 2025 • 74 mins
This week the guys sit down with Matt McDermaid, owner and winemaker at Staysail Wines, a small-lot Sonoma County winery inspired by his background in sailing. The name “Staysail” refers to a sail used to adjust for shifting conditions—much like how Matt adapts to each unique vintage. With deep family roots in the wine world (his aunt and uncle run GlenLyon Vineyards & Winery in Glen Ellen), Matt built his own path, earning an MBA...
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The Wine Makers – Brandon Conley, Head Distiller at Brucato Amaro

October 3, 2025 • 90 mins
This week, the crew sits down with Brandon Conley, head distiller at Brucato Amaro in San Francisco, for what could be called an Amaro 101—or maybe an Amaro Study. Amaros have a long, fascinating history, evolving from regional tonics and medicinal tinctures into spirits that connect cultures. Before large-scale production, these bitter liqueurs were hyper-local, crafted from whatever produce and native plants grew nearby. Brucato...
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The Wine Makers – Welcome Back Brian

September 26, 2025 • 56 mins
The crew is back together again, and this week they’re catching up after International Grenache Day. They share memories from the celebration, dig into the challenges of this year’s harvest, and get Brian’s perspective on the London wine scene. Bart also offers a heartfelt and important PSA about his recent health scare. It’s a mix of stories, insights, and reflections that remind us why wine is about more than just what’s in the g...
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The Wine Makers – Justin Harmon, Argot Wines

September 5, 2025 • 115 mins
Justin Harmon didn’t set out to be a winemaker, but the journey found him anyway. After studying in Philadelphia and working as a chemical engineer, he returned to Chicago in his mid-20s to pursue software engineering. Somewhere in between coding and commuting, his love for wine began to take over. What started as the occasional bottle at dinner soon filled his apartment closets, and weekends were spent roaming Chicago wine shops, ...
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The Wine Makers – Crux Winery, Brian Callahan & Steve Gower

August 29, 2025 • 105 mins
We love stories like this. Two neighbors bond over their shared love of wine, make some in their garage, then decide to put in a vineyard. With no formal training but a passion for Rhone varietals, they pushed ahead. While walking their dogs, they “spied” on their neighbors’ vineyards and gleaned information from friends and local wineries. The wines have purity and clarity to them, no over extraction or excessive oak treatment. “...
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The Wine Makers – S.O.R.B.E.T Recap & Listener Questions

August 22, 2025 • 82 mins
The team looks back at the recent S.O.R.B.E.T. tasting at Fort Mason, sharing highlights and feedback from the event. They also tackle listener questions ranging from winemaking to cellar tips, and reveal their favorite wines tasted so far this year. A lively mix of reflection, advice, and personal picks straight from the vineyard to your glass. [Ep 382]
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The Wine Makers – Chris Renfro

August 15, 2025 • 72 mins
This week Bart, Sam, and Danielle sit down for a long-awaited conversation with Chris Renfro, the visionary behind The Two Eighty Project and much more. The project began in 2020, when a neglected vineyard along San Francisco’s 280 freeway more or less fell into his lap. Amid the trials and turmoil of that year, Chris took it upon himself to revive roughly 65 vines that had been left for dead. As the vineyard grew, so did The Two ...
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The Wine Makers – Chateau Montelena, Matt Crafton

August 8, 2025 • 88 mins
Matt Crafton took over the white wine program at Chateau Montelena in 2010, then became head winemaker in 2014. The rich history of the Chateau and the part it played in the "Judgement of Paris", cementing the New World's place on the wine map is discussed, but we went deeper in this conversation. Spend five minutes with Matt and you can tell why Bo Barrett put him in charge, with very little oversight. Matt understands the history...
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The Wine Makers – Alycia Mondavi – CK Mondavi, Aloft, Dark Matter

August 1, 2025 • 96 mins
Alycia Mondavi grew up with a front row seat on the California wine stage. Growing up with that name gives you access but also may draw unwanted attention. Part of the deal is you must leave for five years before coming to work in the family business, something that we’ve seen in other family run wine operations. Alycia took the break, focused on law, then came back to join her sisters. She now heads brands that do 400 cases to 8...
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The Wine Makers – Brian Hurley of Coteau Pavot

July 18, 2025 • 76 mins
Brian Hurley isn’t trying to sell you a polished narrative. The winemaker behind Coteau Pavot tells it like it is, from getting his start in the wine world before he was even legal to drink, to listing every ingredient on his bottles. That includes tartaric acid and malolactic bacteria, the kinds of details that big brands tend to avoid but that spark some surprisingly candid conversations. His wines speak just as clearly. Made fr...
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The Wine Makers – Lyndsay Hoopes, Hoopes Vineyard

July 11, 2025 • 120 mins
Lyndsay Hoopes has a lot on her plate—and it’s not just wine. Napa County has hit Hoopes Vineyard with a public nuisance complaint over everything from tastings and visitation to a small animal sanctuary on the property. Now, they’re demanding nearly $8.7 million, a figure the family simply doesn’t have. In this conversation, Lyndsay breaks down the murky regulations at the heart of the dispute and shares her frustration over what...
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The Wine Makers – Lost Draw. Andrew Sides, Brad Buckelew

July 4, 2025 • 78 mins
At a relaxed get-together of Rhône producers in Sonoma, a couple of unfamiliar faces caught my attention. They turned out to be Andrew Sides and Brad Buckelew from Lost Draw, winemakers out of Texas who were in town for the Rhone Rangers event at Cline Cellars. One conversation led to another, and soon we were setting up a proper sit-down to get their story on the record. They brought more than just stories. The wines were strong,...
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The Wine Makers – Danielle Langlois, Jambe Des Bois

June 20, 2025 • 82 mins
Danielle Langlois joins the guys to talk about her new solo venture, Jambe Des Bois—a deeply personal label focused on small-lot, handcrafted wines. After years as the winemaker at Lasseter Family Winery, Danielle stepped away to pursue her own vision, working with fruit farmed by legendary grower Phil Coturri and a bit of Syrah from a Carneros vineyard her husband Dan tends himself. The conversation covers everything from Daniell...
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The Wine Makers – Carlton McCoy

June 6, 2025 • 93 mins
Carlton McCoy’s journey from a DC kitchen to the pinnacle of the wine world is anything but ordinary. Bart and Sam sit down with the Master Sommelier and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates to unpack the milestones and mindset that got him there. Carlton opens up about the moment wine first lit a fire in him, what it took to pass the notoriously grueling MS exam at just 28, and how that early obsession evolved into something far bigger. A...
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The Wine Makers – Amie Fields & Lyndon Smith, Botanist and Barrel

May 30, 2025 • 81 mins
A chance meeting led to a very cool show that turned us into total cider freaks. Amie and Lyndon happened to come in for a tasting at Winery Sixteen 600 on their way to a site visit at the local Sonoma Cider Shop, Pomme. They are based in Cedar Grove and Asheville North Carolina and make cider, pet-nat, piquette and wines from local sources. Their energy, enthusiasm and creativity were truly inspiring and everything we tried was am...
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The Wine Makers – Jamie Araujo, Trois Noix

May 23, 2025 • 72 mins
Though she carries one of the most prominent last names in modern Napa Valley history, Jamie Araujo didn’t grow up a wine brat or even a Napa kid at all. By the time the Araujos purchased the iconic Eisele Vineyard and launched their wine brand, Jamie was already in college on the East Coast. And she kept going east—eventually all the way to London’s West End, where she built a career as a professional actor. We sat down with Jamie...
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The Wine Makers – The Sake Show!

May 17, 2025 • 83 mins
What happens when the world’s leading non-Japanese Master of Sake Tasting joins forces with three sake brewery presidents and one of the most enthusiastic wine reps in the business? You get a deep, delicious dive into sake that’s equal parts educational and intoxicating—in the best way. In this highly anticipated installment, Bella Pearson returns with “the Godfather of Sake” himself, John Gauntner, to walk us through the fascinati...
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The Wine Makers – Bruce Devlin, Ballentine Vineyards

May 9, 2025 • 70 mins
Ballentine Vineyards, a Napa Valley staple since 1905, isn’t just a winery—it’s a living legacy. We dive into the story of a winemaker whose path to the vineyard wasn’t exactly a straight line. He started out aiming to be a brewmaster, dabbled in forestry and photography, but ultimately found his groove in Fermentation Science at UC Davis. A globe-spanning exchange program took him to Germany, South Africa, and Australia, shaping h...
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The Wine Makers – On the Road in New Brunswick with Francis Schott & Mark Pascal

May 2, 2025 • 79 mins
This week, Sam hits the road with MJ Towler—The Black Wine Guy—for a special crossover episode recorded live in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They sit down with legendary restaurateurs and OG podcasters Francis Schott and Mark Pascal, the co-owners of Stage Left Steak and Catherine Lombardi, and hosts of The Restaurant Guys podcast. Long before podcasts went mainstream, Francis and Mark were pioneering thoughtful, unpretentious conver...
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