On The Wine Road Podcast

For today's episode, I'm reaching back to August of 2020. Clément Pierlot is the chef de cave (winemaker) of historic Champagne Pommery in France. I found it interesting that the Champagne house known for creating the Brut style of bubbly is now making a sparkling wine from California grapes. It turns out, Louis Pommery California Sparkling is harvested and made just up the freeway from me in Sonoma County. It was a topic worth pur...

Patrick Davis is returning to Northern California for SIP - Songwriters in Paradise 2024. You may have caught him on my podcast last year, and it’s a real pleasure to catch up with him again to chat about Songwriters in Paradise 2024 in Napa, very soon April 18^th-21^st, then Healdsburg, Sonoma County  July 23^rd – 28 at special wineries in each region.

Patrick Davis is a talented performer. He's a pro...

This month we celebrated Women’s History, Intern...

In my 11 years in and around the wine industry, people have often asked me about barrels, yet related to the surface details, like whether a winery uses French oak, or 100% new oak, how many months does the wine age in oak, etcetera. Well, there are so many other details involved with barrel selection and how they can be used, it wi...

This brand is what you get when you combine the 4^th generation of a historic wine brand (Charles Krug Winery, first established in 1862), with an off-shoot winery that is predominantly owned by women who exhibit the courage and grace of the family’s immigrant matriarch (C Mondavi & Family), and a passion to support nonp...

As we find ourselves in the period of holiday parties you may be considering how much alcohol you’re consuming. We’re also approaching a month that can be referred to as Dry January, which is supported by an international campaign that promotes a self-imposed break from alcohol. Does that mean wine lovers have to put aside their beloved nectar of the Gods? No...

This Classic episode was recorded in September of 2021 for my radio show, then uploaded as a podcast a year later. If you missed it the first time around, I know you'll enjoy it this time.

The Kingdom of Bhutan has been referred to as "magical" for quite some time. So I suppose it should come as no surprise that the introduction of vineyards, while in the shadow of the Himalayas, occurred unexpectedly. And like a centuries-old fabl...

In this episode you’ll meet Jennifer Brown of Napa Valley’s Hall Family. They are more or less based in three counties, they source from a good number of appellations across California, and they have three brands that I’ll touch upon, but we’ll focus on BACA Wines.
BACA only produces Zinfandel, which I found interesting knowing that Jennifer’s family has gained notoriety for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Jennifer...

On this episode, you’ll hear about wine that has been nurtured by Mother Nature for over 100 years. Winemaker and ampelographer Greg La Follette has been crafting wine from old vines for so long that he knows of their place in history and other names they’ve had throughout the centuries.  

His latest wine project is Marchelle Wines. I’ll chat with Gr...

This episode was originally posted in 2019 -

Now a guy who calls himself John Fucking Caldwell is likely to be brash...probably a risk taker, and likely one of a kind. In John's case, yes, he could be described by each of those descriptors, as well as pleasant, inventive, philanthropic, and one who can make the best of a situation. So it may come as no surprise that he's the kind of person who would consider, and accomplish, smuggl...

Like many people in Northern California, Tony Lombardi's ancestors emigrated from Italy. He grew up in the area and his friends are the Who's Who of the wine industry. His background in PR and marketing led him to join his pals who founded one of the coveted cult brands of the early 2000s, Kosta Browne. That position paid off in spades as you'll hear in this interview, ultimately leading KB winemaker, Cabell Coursey to join Tony at...

My guest is Jessica Venezia, the Director of Administration and Marketing for FWC.

Not only does Family Winemakers of California hold tasting events to highlight and support their member wineries, but the organization also lobbies for legislative action on behalf of the wine industry, focusing on the smaller production facilities. Jessica delves deeper into the details. This podcast is for wine lovers and fledgling wineries who are...

Originally posted in December 2020, I thought I'd share this story of Frog's Leap Winery once again in case you missed it.

John Williams has had quite a career. The story of Frog's Leap didn't begin until after John worked with Napa Valley icon Warren Winiarski at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. He helped launch Glenora Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes region. Afterward, he returned to Napa Valley as a winemaker for the esteemed Spring M...

Today's story features a fantasy come true story that follows the "rags to riches" life of an American with an Italian heritage. My guest is Gudrun Cuillo, an Austrian woman who was working for an opera company when she met Robert, the American. The incredible part of the story is not that they ended up in Tuscany, but had the good fortune to turn their newly purchased property into a winery that sits near a long abandoned medieval...

If you’re Paul Sloan, a restaurant sommelier and wine enthusiast, and you get so blown away by a 17-year-old world-renowned Burgundy Pinot Noir ...

My destination on the wine road today is Sojourn Cellars in the town of Sonoma, CA. My guest is the Director of Winemaking Erich Bradley, who has the opportunity to source grapes f...

Vineyard manager and owner of Enterprise Vineyards, Phil Coturri has spent nearly his entire life as a mountain man, of sorts. He grew up on Sonoma Mountain, then started working on Moon Mountain in the 1970s. Between the two prominent ranges is the world-class wine-producing region of Son...