Vint Wine Podcast

In this episode of Five Questions, Billy sits down with John Szabo, Master Sommelier, author, and volcanic wine expert, to discuss his journey from restaurant kitchens to becoming one of Canada’s most respected wine writers and educators.

John shares insights from his decades exploring global wine culture, from his work co-founding Volcanic Wines International to his advocacy for sustainability and regenerative farming. He highlight...

Cork Supply founder & CEO Jochen Michalski joins Billy Galanko to unpack 40+ years of cork innovation, how the industry tackled TCA (cork taint), why oxygen transmission matters, and when to choose natural, technical, synthetic, or screwcap. Jochen explains Legacy (Cork Supply’s premium natural cork) and its X100 imaging, AI-assisted electromagnetic scanning that screens individual corks for TCA and internal structural risks to...

In this episode of Five Questions, Billy sits down with Jochen Michalski, Founder and CEO of Cork Supply, one of the world’s leading suppliers of premium natural corks, barrels, and closures to wineries around the globe.

From founding the company in California in 1981 to expanding across Europe, Australia, and South Africa, Jochen shares insights from over four decades at the intersection of craftsmanship, sustainability, and innova...

Renowned Champagne expert Peter Liem returns to the Vint Wine Podcast for a deep dive into the evolution of Champagne, its changing climate, the role of dosage and lees aging, and what defines true quality today. Peter shares decades of insight from living and tasting in Champagne, exploring how styles, vintages, and viticulture have evolved in real time. Along the way, he also offers a glimpse into La Fête du Champagne 2025, the U...

In this episode of Five Questions, Billy speaks with Peter Liem, James Beard Award-winning writer and one of the world’s foremost Champagne experts. Peter discusses how climate change is reshaping the region, the rise of new subregions, his balanced take on natural wine, and even shares details from a remarkable deep-sea dive to recover 19th-century Champagne.

Episode highlights:
• The biggest issue facing the wine world today

Winemaker Alban Debeaulieu of Abbott Claim joins Billy to share how a historic 1855 Oregon land claim became one of the Willamette Valley’s most distinctive estates. Alban details his path from France’s Rhône Valley and Burgundy to Oregon, the marine-sandstone soils of Yamhill-Carlton, and how his team farms organically and ages wines 18 months on gross lees for depth and longevity.
He explains his low-intervention philosophy, ...

In this episode, host Billy Galanko talks with Alban Debeaulieu, head winemaker at Abbott Claim, about crafting site-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs. Alban shares how his Burgundian training informs his approach to expressing terroir, why 2019 and 2024 stand out as benchmark vintages, and what early signs suggest about the 2025 growing season. He also previews new high-elevat...

In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko sits down with Brenna Quigley, geologist and terroir specialist, to explore how what lies beneath the vines shapes what’s in your glass.

Brenna shares her path from UC Santa Barbara to working with mentors like Raj Parr and Seth Kunin, and with producers such as Quintessa, Flowers, and Hirsch. She explains how geology helps wineries understand vineyard character, canopy ch...

In this episode of Five Questions, host Billy Galanko sits down with Brenna Quigley, terroir specialist and host of Roadside Terroir. Brenna brings a unique perspective to the wine world, mapping vineyards through geology, soils, and climate, and connecting those details to the deeper story of wine. In this conversation, she shares her thoughts on farming, natural wine, overlooked California regions, and a personal story that broug...

Napa Valley icon Tor Kenward joins host Billy for a wide ranging conversation spanning five decades of wine, food, and culture in the Valley. Tor traces his journey from a 1970s arrival when Napa had fewer than 50 wineries through the post Judgment of Paris boom, his culinary collaborations with Julia Child, Thomas Keller, and the American Institute of Wine & Food, the founding of the School for American Chefs with Madeleine Ka...

In this of episode of Five Questions, Tor Kenward of Tor Wines reflects on nearly 50 years in Napa Valley. From Oakville’s Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Vine Hill Ranch to Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Tor shares his philosophy on single-vineyard Cabernet, the vintages that have defined his career, and the global producers who continue to inspire his palate.

For those who live and breathe wine, this conversation offers a concise yet insight...

Host Billy Galanko sits down with Matthieu Bordes, Managing Director and Head Winemaker at Château Lagrange, to trace the evolution of this Saint-Julien estate, from its 118-hectare contiguous vineyard and meticulous plot-by-plot vinification to four decades of stewardship under Suntory. The conversation highlights vineyard management in the face of climate change, cellar innovations such as conical tanks and rack-and-return, the p...

Host Billy Galanko shares an important update about the future of the Vint Wine Podcast. After four and a half years with Vint, he is moving to a new role at Wine.com. This transition means the Weekly Wine Report will pause for now, but interviews and Five Questions episodes will continue as usual. Billy also explains potential rebranding plans and what listeners can expect in the months ahead.

Key Topics

• Final Weekly Wine Report...

In this episode of Five Questions, we sit down with Matthieu Bordes, Managing Director and Winemaker at Château LaGrange in Saint-Julien. Château LaGrange is one of Bordeaux’s most historic Left Bank estates, with a vineyard history dating back to 1607 and one of the largest contiguous blocks of vines in the Médoc.

Bordes shares insights into:

• The vineyard location and grape varieties of Château LaGrange
• The estate’s four pillars:...

In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko sits down with Erica Crawford, CEO and co-founder of Loveblock Wines in Marlborough, New Zealand. Wine lovers may recognize her name as the co-founder of Kim Crawford Wines, but with Loveblock she has taken a completely different approach - 100% estate, organically farmed, and crafted for depth, texture, and ageability.

Erica shares her remarkable journey from a background...

In this episode of the Weekly Wine Report on the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko takes listeners from the vineyards of France to the green hills of Galicia. The 2025 French harvest volumes are taking shape, showing a modest recovery compared to last year but still trailing the five-year average. Some regions like Burgundy, Jura, and the Loire are bouncing back strongly, while others, including Alsace and Languedoc, remain und...

In this episode of Five Questions on the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko sits down with Erica Crawford, co-founder of the famed New Zealand brand Kim Crawford and now the driving force behind Loveblock Wines in Marlborough. Known for its certified organic vineyards and holistic farming philosophy, Loveblock Wines has become one of the country’s most respected estate producers.

Erica shares her perspective on:

• The vineyards ...

In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko sits down with Krister Bengtsson, founder of Star Wine List, the global guide to great wine bars and restaurants. What began in Stockholm in 2017 has since grown into a worldwide network covering more than 45 countries, connecting wine lovers, sommeliers, and professionals to the restaurants and wine bars with the best wine lists.

Krister shares his journey from journalism...

In this episode of the Weekly Wine Report on the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko blends current events with wine history to give listeners both context and discovery. From La Place de Bordeaux’s unique distribution system to the famous wines of Ancient Rome, you’ll come away with new insights into how wine connects the present with the past.

Highlights:

• A quick update on the Napa Valley Picket Fire and its impact on the 202...