Cru Podcast | Stories From The People Behind Wine

Amanda Brackett (@soconnwineco) is a winemaker and owner of Southern Connecticut Wine Co. in Wallingford, Connecticut. So Conn Wine Co. is the first urban winery in the entire state. Learn more about Amanda with the show notes here. In this episode Amanda and I converse about her passion for winemaking and how she became a winemaker in Connecticut to how she is working to teach more and more people about wine. She also shares the challenges she has had to overcome not only with government regulation, but the simple fact of her being a female business owner and winemaker. Before we get into the episode, I want to let you know that there is some background noise that you’ll hear. From ringing phones to the sound of glasses clinking and bottles being moved, they all come with owning a small winery. I wanted to let you know so you aren’t taken by surprise.

Jeannie Cho Lee (@jeanniecholee) is a Master of Wine, a wine writer, critic, professor at the Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management in Hong Kong, television host, speaker, wine consultant, and designer! Learn more about Jeannie in the show notes here. She was so gracious in speaking with me for over an hour about everything from her upbringing and how she got into wine to how to become a hedonist and experience what she calls palate orgasms. We also dig into how she takes wine notes and the value of the 100-point system to her personally to words of advice from Jancis Robinson herself. Before we get into the show, I want to thank you for listening. You are the reason why I’m able to continue to have influential people like Jeannie come on the show. I’m glad that I’m able to continue to provide you value through this podcast. If you are enjoying the show, but haven’t yet subscribed and left us a review, please do so with the podcast layer on your phone, or on iTunes here. Doing so he

Christina Pickard (@winewchristina) is a wine writer, educator, and social media consultant. She has lived and worked from London to Perth, Australia, and now in the Hudson Valley of New York writing about wine and educating people about wine on places like the BBC and her own wine school. Learn more about Christina with the show notes here. In this episode, we dig into her story and how she got into wine while working as an actress. We then talk about how she learned more and more while tasting with some formative mentors. Christina also tells us about writing for publications like Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, and James Halliday. Before we get into the show, I want to invite you to subscribe to the show on iTunes. You can do so with the podcast player on your phone, or on iTunes itself here. Doing so helps others find the show and you will always be the first to hear each episode.

Hillary Zio (@hillaryzio) is a certified sommelier, wine industry consultant, wine writer, educator, and author of The Unfiltered Guide to Working in Wine, her book that works as a career guide for those who have questions about being anything in the wine world from a sommelier to a distributor. You can buy it here on Amazon. You can learn more about Hillary with the show notes here. In this episode we dig into a lot from Hillary’s story and how her career progressed to now being able to have learned from mentors like Laura Maniec and Dustin Wilson and being able to create content for wine companies in order to help them grow. We also dig into using Instagram to help grow your business and her tips for doing so. Before we get into the show, I have a question for you. Would you like to save money on wine? Pretty sure that answer is, YES! Well, if you do love to get more bang for your buck, try world-class wines without paying a premium, I invite you to signup for Cru Mail here. Every Friday I send you a shot e

  Marissa A. Ross (@marissaaross) is a leisure enthusiast, writer, and wine drinker. She’s also the author of the new book, Wine. All The Time.: The Casual Guide to Confident Drinking, writer of the wine blog WINE. All The Time, and is the wine editor for Bon Appétit. Learn more about Marissa here with the show notes. In this episode, Marissa and I dig into a lot from her story and background and how she got into wine to becoming Bon Appétit’s wine editor. We also talk a lot about wine descriptions and how her’s work to describe an experience that the wine fits into rather than simply what she tastes. We get into the coverage of wine in Bon Appétit, her love and passion for the magazine, and the wise words that Adam Rapoport continuously bestows upon her. Before we get into the episode, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here, and leave a review. Our goal is to grow a community of people passionate about wine in which we all can share and learn more. You subscribing and leaving a revi

Dalia Ceja (@daliaceja), a Latina in love with sharing lifestyle tips and trends focused on fashion, travel, food, drinks, and fiestas. She’s also the sales and marketing director for her family’s vineyard and winery, Ceja Vineyards. Dalia also has her own wine label called La Tapatia, which she created as a consulting winemaker with Naked Wines. You can learn more about Dalia here. Dalia and I dig into a lot in this episode from how her grandparents and parents worked in the vineyards with Robert Mondavi and tended the vineyard of the famous To Kalon vineyard to the challenges that she and her mother, the matriarch of the business, have overcome as two Latina women in an industry that is traditionally dominated by European and American males. We also chat about some of the best wine and Mexican food parings, which I made her stop talking about because she was making me too hungry! Before we get into the show, I invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and leave a review. Doing so helps to further gro

Whitney Adams (The Whitney A. Channel) is a sommelier turned YouTuber, on-camera host, and writer living in LA. We had a great conversation about everything from her background and how she got into the wine industry to her decision to start a YouTube channel which now has over 30,000 subscribers. Then reflecting on how she got to where she is by creating her own path in the industry and her goals for the future. Whitney also gives practical tips and strategies for growing a personal brand, like she has done. Learn more about Whitney in the show notes here. Before we get into the episode, I have one ask of you. I'm sure that you are on Instagram. I'm always posting gorgeous pictures from our guests, pictures I take myself, and beautiful shots from the people in this community like yourself. So, my ask is for you to follow us on Instagram here, and when you're posting wine pictures to your profile use #crupodcast and I'll repost your pictures on our feed! It's a win-win for everyone. And if you want, while you'

Ryan Harms (@harmsryan) is the founder, owner, and winemaker of Union Wine Company based just outside ofPortland, Oregon. They can be considered pioneers in the canned wine space with their brand Underwood. Learn more about Ryan here. Ryan and I had a fantastic conversation talking about his story and how he started in the wine industry, how union first started as a virtual winery and now it can be considered an industrial chateau. We really dig into the mission and purpose behind Union, which can be summed up by saying that wine doesn’t have to be this hard. We then get into Union’s marketing, how it has been so successful and what Ryan attributes that to. Before we get into the show, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here and leave a review. Doing so helps other wine lovers like yourself find the show. You can subscribe and review the show with your podcast player app on your phone, or here on iTunes.  

Chad Melville (@melville_winery) is the head winegrower at his family’s winery, Melville Winery in the Santa Rita Hills of California producing Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay. In this episode, Chad tells us his story of growing up in a grape growing family and eventually starting Melville from its first plantings of their vineyard. We get into the viticulture behind the wines he grows, why he considers their wines to be made once the grapes are harvested, and how having control from vine to bottle helps to create an amazing product. Before we get into the show, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here, or whatever podcast player you are using to listen to the show. Doing so helps more people find the show while growing this community around our common passion of wine. Learn more about Chad here.

André Hueston Mack (@youknowmouton) is a Sommelier-at-Large, maker of Mouton Noir Wines, designer behind Get Fraiche Cru, and author of Small Thyme Cooks: coloring & activity book. The over arching theme in this episode is how to be successful in the wine world. For André, it comes down to two things; showing up and working hard. André has an amazing story of growing up as an Army brat, moving from place to place every few years to being inspired by the show Frazer to start exploring wine. Yes, the pompousness of Frazer and Niles describing wine lit a curiosity about wine in André’s mind He tells us the stories behind working in restaurants since he was sixteen to being hired on at The French Laundry and helping to open Per Se in New York while being a minority in the high-end NYC restaurant scene. Learn more about André here and buy his wines here.

Christina Musto (@threadsandvino) is the 4th generation of a family wine business, Musto Wine Grape Company, based in Connecticut where she works with commercial and home winemakers to provide them with the tools and grapes they need to make great wine. She is a long-time member of the American Wine Society, has studied at UC Davis, and has her Wine Business MBA from Sonoma State University, and on top of all of that is a founding member of Women Winemakers of Connecticut. Learn more about Christina here! We invite you to subscribe and review the podcast on iTunes here!

Julian Lewis (@julianlewis4) is the co-founder of Bybo Wines, an online wine shop and wine club that sells “Wines with Soul.” They believe that some wines have soul and others don’t. They also believe that value and price are distinctly different things. If you feel this too, then join them at bybo.co.uk. Julian is the buyer for Bybo, but he’s also a surfer, father, husband, veteran of two Master of Wine exams, and an IWC judge. He lives in Bristol, England with his wife and children. Julian was gracious enough to chat at 6pm on a Friday night, under the stipulation that wines was involved! We get into a lot in the conversation from his formative years working in vineyards in France to the ethos that he lives by which are reflected in the wines that Bybo offers. Learn more about Julian here! Want to get wine videos, articles, podcasts, and other ways to learn more about wine every Friday? Subcribe to Cru Mail here!

Deirdre Heekin is the co-founder, winegrower, organizer, writer, photographer, flower farmer, and designer behind La Garagista Farm + Winery in Barnard, Vermont. In this episode we get into a lot from where the idea came from to start growing and making wine in Vermont to its challenges as she successful makes amazing natural wines in this environment. We also talk about her love of travel, the biodynamic practices that have been instilled in her, and her new book, An Unlikely Vineyard. We invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here and leave us a review. Our goal is to grow a community of people who are passionate about wine so we can all learn more and connect with each other. If that appeals to you at all, then subscribe. It helps others find the show, which continues to expand this community you’re apart of. Learn more about Deirdre at CruPodcast.com

Brian McClintic (@brianmcclinticms) is a Master Sommelier and founder of the wine company and travel blog, Viticole Wine (@viticolewine). In this episode we get into a lot from why and how he first got into wine to how Viticole is becoming a lifestyle business for him that combines his passions of wine, travel, and writing. Learn more about Brian at https://crupodcast.com/show/brianmcclintic We invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here and leave us a review. Our goal is to grow a community of people who are passionate about wine so we can all learn more and connect with each other. If that appeals to you at all, then subscribe. It helps others find the show, which continues to expand this community you’re apart of.

Robin and Andrea McBride are the sisters, owners, and winemakers behind McBride Sisters Wines. They make fun, playful, and approachable wines in New Zealand and California. In this episode we dig into a lot starting with their incredible story that only God or fate could have made happen to diversity in the wine industry and their experiences as African-American women. They also tell the story of how Oprah, Gayle King, and Common started repping their wines. Robin and Andrea are a powerhouse that taught me a thing or two throughout our conversation. Before we get into the episode, I want to know if you are enjoying the podcast. If you are, I invite you to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Our goal is to help grow the community around wine by connecting others through this podcast. By subscribing to it on iTunes, you are helping others find the show and connect around a common passion.

Bill Bishop is the National Sales Manager for Steele Wines in Northern California. He has a lifetime of experience in the wine world from helping his father deliver wines as a boy in Connecticut and studying enology and viticulture at University of California Davis to working harvest at Far Niente Winery and nearly 20 years of his career at Carneros Creek Winery. Bill has a wealth of knowledge that we dig into in this episode. He has a story for everything about wine and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him. We invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and leave us a review. Our goal is to grow a community of people who are passionate about wine so we can all learn more and connect with each other. If that appeals to you at all, then subscribe. It helps others find the show, which continues to expand this community you’re apart of. Learn more at crupodcast.com

Helen Johannesen (@helenswines) is a sommelier, entrepreneur, wine shop owner, lover of the hustle, and an incredibly thoughtful and kind person. We dive into a lot in this episode from growing up in NYC and moving to Madison, Wisconsin to the challenges she’s overcome in a male dominated industry and how her drive and lack of insecurity has pushed her to accomplish so much at a young age. We also talk about being recognized for your hard work with awards and what effect they have; she’s a 2016 Food & Wine magazine Sommelier of the year. We invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and leave us a review. Our goal is to grow a community of people who are passionate about wine so we can all learn more and connect with each other. If that appeals to you at all, then subscribe. It helps others find the show, which continues to expand this community you’re apart of.​ You can learn more at Crupodcast.com

Chris Strieter (@cstrieter) is an entrepreneur and co founder of Senses Wines (@senseswines), a boutique winery in Sonoma making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and is the co-founder of Duchess in Oakland (@duchessoakland), a gastro pub serving up California pub fare. You can learn more about Chris at http://crupodcast.com/show/chrisstrieter In this episode we dive into a lot of different topics, but the main one being how Chris and his co-founders have worked to build a boutique winery from the ground up and now have their wines in restaurants like The French Laundry. We also talk about starting a restaurant, his advice to entrepreneurs, technology, and his passion for space travel. Would you like to get videos, articles, podcasts, Instagram profiles, photography, and books, that help you learn more about wine and connect with others who are passionate about it too? All for free, every Friday. If that sounds right up your alley subscribe at http://crupodcast.com/cru-mail

Michael Villas is an advanced sommelier and co-founder of the wine labels Penville and Maison d’Amis. Penville makes Rhone style Grenache from the Santa Barbara region in California and Maison d’Amis makes Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You can connect with Michael on Instagram @mcvillas and learn more about him at crupodcast.com Before we get into the episode, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. With your help we can achieve our goal of being on the New & Noteworthy for all of iTunes. It allows other people to find the show and to connect all of us around a common passion.

Giuseppe Cola (@pjritzsomm) is the first Perrier-Jouet sommelier at The Ritz London. He is also the award winner of the Annual Award of Excellence in Service 2016 from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts London, the most prestigious award available to young professionals in the hospitality industry today.  You can learn more about Giuseppe at http://crupodcast.com/show/giuseppecola We invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and leave a review. It helps other people find the show. Follow us on Instagram and hashtag your wine pictures with #crupodcast to be featured on our feed. http://instagram.com/crupodcast