The Connected Table Live

The Connected Table Live

Food and beverage industry insiders Melanie Young and David Ransom connect you to leaders and legends in wine, spirits, food and hospitality as they travel the world. Hear from vintners, restaurateurs, chefs, distillers, educators, authors, farmers and more. Melanie and David are the insatiably curious culinary couple who are always in search of a great story to share with their listeners. They bring a fresh approach to spotlighting industry movers and shakers and exploring the pleasures of the palate. Connect and visit www.theconnectedtable.com Instagram@theconnectedtable Like on Facebook@connectedtable The Connected Table is among Feedspot’s top 20 food and beverage podcasts https://podcast.feedspot.com/food_and_beverage_podcasts/ The Connected Table is broadcast live Wednesdays at 2PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). The Connected Table Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-connected-table-live--1277037/support.

Episodes

Eat, Drink, Explore Fredericksburg, Texas- A Small Town with Big Charm

May 20, 2026 • 50 mins
Texas wines, seasonal peaches, fields of wildflowers and authentic Hill Country cooking are among the many delights to experience on a visit to Fredericksburg, Texas. Settled by German immigrants in 1846, you’ll find history, foodways and other traditions from the old country blended with a chic, contemporary among Fredericksburg’s many hotels, inns, restaurants, biergartens and cocktail bars. Fredericksburg is also a great base fo...
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Café Reconcile, New Orleans, Transforms the Lives of At-Risk Youths

May 13, 2026 • 48 mins
In New Orleans, Café Reconcile serves more than soulful Louisiana cooking. Founded in 1996 by Rev. Harry Tompson, Café Reconcile transforms the lives of at-risk youths ages 16 to 24 through workforce development and job training, giving them skills and confidence to carry into their futures. Café Reconcile Chief Culinary Officer and Executive Chef Martha Wiggins discusses how the program works. The New York Times named Café Reconci...
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Lively, Crisp & Refreshing: Rosés for Every Day

May 6, 2026 • 44 mins
Lively, crisp and refreshing, rosé wines continue to gain momentum with more quality and variety than ever. Rosé is a large category of wines with few rules, two key methods of production and many styles, from bone dry to fruity, pale pink to deep strawberry in hue. While French rosés remain a benchmark, especially from the south, premium rosé wines are made throughout the world, with styles for every palate preference. This episod...
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Victor Owen Schwartz, VOS Selections, Takes Action To Protect Free Trade

April 29, 2026 • 45 mins
Victor Owen Schwartz founded family-run VOS Selections in 1987 to bring artisanal wines from around world to the U.S.A. Passion for fine wines fueled his business success. Purpose to protect free trade and advocate for businesses impacted by the 2025 Trump administration tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act took Schwartz to the Supreme Couty as a lead plaintiff in a case against the tariffs. In Febr...
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Explore the Diverse, Unique Wines of France's Loire Valley

April 22, 2026 • 44 mins
The Loire Valley is the third largest wine region in France, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that extends west to east from the Atlantic Ocean to the peaks of the Massif Central. This diverse landscape along France's longest river produces many world-class wines, including whites Muscadet, Vouvray, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Savennières, Rosé d'Anjou, Chinon and Saumur-Champigny reds, Crémant de Loire sparkling wines and Quarts de Cha...
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Dr. Liz Thach MW: Bringing Data and Direction to the Wine Industry

April 15, 2026 • 52 mins
The 7th woman in the USA, and first in California, to become a Master of Wine (MW), Dr. Liz Thach serves as President of the nonprofit Wine Market Council (WMC) which produces heavy hitting research data of interest to anyone in the role of producing, buying and selling wine and building and retaining wine customers. Dr. Thach keeps her finger on the pulse of the wine industry and her eye on consumer trends and habits and other dev...
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New Orleans' P&J Oyster Co. Celebrates 150 Years in 2026

April 8, 2026 • 44 mins
New Orleans is renowned for its oysters and signature dishes like Oysters Rockefeller and Oyster Po-Boys. Established in 1876 in the historic French Quarter, P&J Oyster Co. is the nation's oldest oyster processor, cultivating the finest oysters throughout Louisiana. P&J Oyster Co was started by two immigrant families from Austria and Italy. Fifth generation family proprietor, Sal Sunseri, discusses P&J Oyster Co.’s hist...
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Spanish Red Grapes Beyond Tempranillo- Five to Know

April 1, 2026 • 40 mins
Spain is the world's third largest wine producer after Italy and France. With more than 100 wine appellations and over 200 grape varieties, Spain offers a diverse range of wines to taste. Tempranillo is Spain’s most renowned red grape, widely planted in Rioja, Ribera Del Duero and other areas. But how familiar are you with Spain’s other major red grapes such as Bobal, Garnacha, Mencía, Carignan (Mazuelo) and Monastrell (Mourvèdre)?...
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Virginia’s Barboursville Vineyards Celebrates Fifty Years in 2026

March 25, 2026 • 45 mins
Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia was the 18th century estate of statesman, James Barbour. In 1976 Italian vintner, Gianni Zonin, acquired the estate to establish Barboursville Vineyards, the Zonin family's only winery outside Italy. Barboursville celebrates 50 years in 2026, now with new owners. Luca Paschina, Barboursville's winemaker and general manager since 1990, now serves as CEO and President. Barboursville remains a popul...
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Tuscan Wine Regions to Explore Close to Florence- Anteprime Toscana Edition

March 18, 2026 • 49 mins
The fifth largest region in Italy, Tuscany is renowned for its wines, notably its Sangiovese-based reds, including Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Melanie and David explore a few wine production subzones close enough to Florence for either a day trip or an overnight, including DOCG Carmignano, DOCG Chianti Rufina, DOCG Chianti Classico, and DOC Valdarno di Sopra. They report on th...
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Sette Ponte in Valdarno di Sopra DOC- Home To Some of Italy’s First Super Tuscans

March 9, 2026 • 42 mins
The Moretti Cuseri family achieved success producing luxury goods in Italy. Hand-crafted luxury is also their approach to making wines at their five wine estates in Tuscany and Sicily. Export director and third generation, Alberto Moretti Cuseri, discusses each estate and wines starting with flagship Sette Ponti in Valdarno di Sopra DOC near Arezzo, which his grandfather acquired in 1951 and where his father, Antonio, planted inter...
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Tujague's New Orleans Celebrates 170 Years

March 4, 2026 • 49 mins
Tujague's in the French Quarter was established 1856 by French immigrants, Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague, making it New Orleans' second oldest restaurant. Tujague’s is where the iconic Grasshopper cocktail and Bourbon Milk Punch were created. It also conceived the first "brunch," originally a generous late breakfast for French Market workers. Mark Latter's family has owned Tujague's since 1982. He discusses Tujague's history a...
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Francesco Ricasoli, owner, Barone Ricasoli, Chianti Classico- Italy's Oldest Winery

February 25, 2026 • 49 mins
Castello Brolio in the hills of Chianti Classico's Gaiole subzone, is home to Barone Ricasoli, documented as the oldest winery in Italy (est 1141) and the fourth oldest family business in the world. Francesco Ricasoli, family steward and company president since 1993, discusses the Ricasoli family's role in originating the formula for what is now Chianti Classico wine. He highlights the microclimates of Brolio’s vineyards and its wi...
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A Visit with Carla Tiago, Winemaker, Kopke, Portugal’s Oldest Port House

February 18, 2026 • 52 mins
A trip to Portugal would not be complete without a visit to Porto and the Douro Valle, home to the world’s production of Port wines and the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. Kopke, established in 1638, is Portugal’s oldest Port houses and now has a stunning, art-filled hotel in Villa Nova de Gaia across the Douro River in Porto. Carla Tiago, longtime winemaker at Kopke, discusses the time-honored process of making Port an...
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At Penner-Ash, Winemaker Kate Ayres Embraces Her Oregon Roots

February 11, 2026 • 47 mins
At Penner-Ash located in the Northern Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Winemaker Kate Ayres crafts several expressions of single estate Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling. Penner Ash was established in 1998 by Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash with a vision to producer lush, layered Pinot Noir. In 2016, the winery joined the Jackson Family Wines portfolio. The same year, Oregon native Kate Ayres joined the winema...
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Yannick Benjamin, Co-Founder, Wine on Wheels, Keeps Moving Forward

February 4, 2026 • 45 mins
Working in wine and traveling the world to visit wine regions and producers can be invigorating and exhausting. But that doesn’t Yannick Benjamin, a respected New York-based sommelier and co-founder of Beaupierre Wines & Spirits. What sets him apart is that manages this all from a wheelchair- with no limits. Paralyzed from a car accident in 2003, Benjamin advocates for individuals living with disabilities. He the cofounder of n...
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Stefano Chiarlo, Winemaker & Family Owner, Michele Chiarlo Winery in Piemonte

January 28, 2026 • 13 mins
Michele Chiarlo in Italy’s Piedmont region is a world-class producer of single vineyard wines. The family-run winery has vineyards in the Langhe, Monferrato and Gavi. Patriarch Michele Chiarlo helped to establish standards of quality for DOC Piedmont and was among the first to introduce green harvest practices in Italy in 1984. His winemaker son, Stefano, continues his father's legacy and discusses the family’s commitment to sustai...
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Chef Peter Merriman, a Pioneer of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Is Still Making Waves

January 21, 2026 • 52 mins
Peter Merriman is one of 12 chef-pioneers of Hawaii regional cuisine, a movement which emphasizes locally sourced ingredients from farmers and fisherman throughout the islands and elevated the local dining scene. In 1988 he opened his signature restaurant, Merriman’s, in Waimea (Big Island). This acclaimed restaurant now has locations in Maui (Kapalua), Oahu and Kauai (Poipu). Merriman’s casual concepts include Monkeypod Kitchen, U...
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Bon Apetite! Eat, Drink, Explore Lisbon, Portugal with The Connected Table

January 14, 2026 • 50 mins
Lisbon, Portugal, is a feast for palate. Portuguese cuisine brings flavors of Africa, Brazil, Iberia and the Far East to its dishes. Examples include piri piri chicken, roast pork in red wine, sopa de mariscos, grilled sardines, Bacalhau (dried salted cod) with potatoes and Lisbon’s sweet gift to the world, Pastel de Nata. Portugal produces a range of outstanding wines, from crisp Vinhos Verde to velvety Alentejo reds to sweet Port...
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Bon Apetite! Eat, Drink, Explore Lisbon, Portugal with The Connected Table

January 14, 2026 • 50 mins
Lisbon, Portugal, is a feast for palate. Portuguese cuisine brings flavors of Africa, Brazil, Iberia and the Far East to its dishes. Examples include piri piri chicken, roast pork in red wine, sopa de mariscos, grilled sardines, Bacalhau (dried salted cod) with potatoes and Lisbon’s sweet gift to the world, Pastel de Nata. Portugal produces a range of outstanding wines, from crisp Vinhos Verde to velvety Alentejo reds to sweet Port...
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