On The Wine Road Podcast

This is the second of three harvest I'll be participating in this season. This time I join winemaker Ashley Herzberg of Amista Vineyards as they pick Syrah for sparkling wine in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. You'll learn how picking for sparkling differs from still wine. After harvest we head to the crush facility for the second segment where you'll hear how the juice gets it's red color. It's a specifically timed process. Tag along with me, won't you?

Last year I had the pleasure to work a bit during harvest. This year I've chosen to work and record during three harvests. The first one was at Bucher Vineyards in Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. The Buchers are wine grape growers but have been bottling their own wine the last few years. I've heard their wines compared to Kistler, a highly respected ultra premium producer! In this podcast I talk with John, his wife Diane, and their winemaker Adam Lee about this year's harvest and their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (Did I mention they also run a dairy farm?) There's not much sleeping going on this time of year.  

If you're sticking around Labor Day weekend through the 11th, or if you're visiting our beautiful wine country, consider attending the 2nd Annual Vineyards to Villages' Wine Safari. During the week 11 boutique wineries in Russian River and Dry Creek Valley are participating in this fundraiser to bring clean water infrastructure to schools and communities in Kenya. Listen to hear how you can turn Sonoma County wine into water. You out-of-towners can help too. See photos and read about their successes at www.gpfd.org. 

There is so much to do when you visit San Francisco you may not consider the fact that there are wineries and tasting rooms in the bay area. In this podcast I'll focus on Treasure Island Wines and Winery SF (part of the Winemakers Studio group) on Treasure Island, and Bluxome Street Winery in San Francisco. Their offerings are on par with the wines you'll find in wine country to the north as they all source their grapes from Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties. Listen in as I talk with those in the bay area. 

You don't meet many Scotsmen in Northern California. There aren't many Scottish winemakers in the U.S., especially those who focus almost exclusively on Syrah but Steve Law of MacLaren Wine embodies all of those characteristics. He's doing it well having been lauded by Sonoma Magazine and Wine and Spirits magazine. This inspired me to join him in his tasting room after hours to learn about his passion and wine making.

We've been fans of Seghesio Family Vineyards for a number of years now. A recent article in Wine Spectator gave me the impetus to reach out to Ted Seghesio to discuss the exceptional vintages of Zinfandel we're experiencing. If you love Zinfandel, or would enjoy learning to, now is a good time to put Northern California Zins on your list. Also, I couldn't pass up the chance to talk with Ted about his family's 121 year grape growing and wine making history. They're one of only a few who made it through Prohibition and are still in business today.

This episode is my full radio show from our recent trip to Lake County, Napa Valley's more peaceful neighbor to the north. You'll hear my conversations with Six Sigma Ranch, Hawk and Horse Vineyards, Steele Wines, and Shannon Ridge Family of Wines. It's a rural area with many wineries near one another yet the region is quite spread out from Lower Clear Lake to Upper Lake. The warm days and cool nights lend to exceptional wines in the hands of the area's experienced wine makers. This episode may, and should, inspire you to visit.

In wine country they say it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine. So it should come as no surprise when I venture off the Wine Road to talk beer, especially when it's with a guy who's been at it as long as Colin Kaminski. I had one of his hand-crafted beers one late morning in May as we talked about Downtown Joe's, the history of that location and his tenure there. 

If you remember Pat Paulsen's Presidential campaigns then you probably agree with me that this year would have been ideal to have him as a candidate. We could use his satirical commentary. I talk with his son Monty about his father's legacy and the wine they make at Pat Paulsen Vineyards. They're serious wines for fun times!

May 24th, 2016 is the 40th Anniversary of the blind tasting heard 'round the world. In 1976, Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' Cabernet Sauvignon beat the best the French had to offer; a shocking result at the time. Yet it almost wasn't publicized. Hear how the historic Paris Tasting came together, where the winning Chardonnay grapes were from and how the word spread across the world. Guests include tasting organizer Steven Spurrier, Time Magazine journalist George M. Taber, winemaker Mike Grgich and winegrower Helen Bacigalupi. Fill a glass and enjoy the tale of a significant moment in wine making history.

Owner Frankie Williams of the nationally distributed wine Toad Hollow Vineyards joins me to tell her story and to make a proclamation for May. They are proud of their lighthearted approach to wine and celebrate the Fine Art of Fun.

I’m just south of St. Helena in Napa Valley at V. Sattui Winery. As they celebrate their 40 anniversary I talk with owner Dario Sattui about his early challenges, his determination, and how he successfully fulfilled a desire to continue his family’s wine making legacy.

Last fall I had the chance to chat with Rick Steves prior to his talk Lessons from a Lifetime of Travel, the content of which seemed to rely on his books, The Value of Thoughtful Travel and Travel as a Political Act. Why feature him on a show about wine? He’s enjoyed wine in the world’s most beautiful places. Plus, why not take advantage of the opportunity to talk with this travel guru? It’s a short conversation but well worth it.

Winemaker Clay Mauritson is part of a six generation winegrowing family, however he's the first to try his hand at winemaking. His experience in the vineyard has led him to an enlightening project that shows how much the soil has an impact on the flavor and mouthfeel of the wine. In this case he bottled Cabernet Sauvignon grown and managed identically in three different vineyards to express the variances the loam soil can impart on the finished product. Each are uniquely fantastic. In this segment you'll learn about his Loam Wines project and a bit of the family's history.

Learn how a successful newspaper woman and activist unwittingly kicked off a renaissance in California's olive oil industry. Nan Tucker McEvoy's ranch also makes fantastic wine. A Tuscan agronomist and winemaker has been instrumental in their success. Blake Yarger fills us in on the details.

I talk with winemaker Sandy Walheim about Francis Ford Coppola's new winery, Virginia Dare. The brands and tasting room pay homage to two events in American history. Virginia Dare is known as the first English child born in the New World to colonists in 1587. It was also the name of an early winery which operated in North Carolina beginning in 1835. You'll hear about the wine and how they tie-in to these historical events.