Beats Vines and Life

Two Hosts - One Podcast! On this special bonus episode MJ joins host Adam Montiel live from Paso Robles! Coming straight from the airport MJ and Adam meet up at Josh Klapper's winery,Timbre for a lively discussion covering the beginnings of MJ's IG feed, then the podcast, his early days of working wine auctions and so much more! Adam even manages to coax Lani, MJ's producer on the mic for even mor...

Enjoy a special episode as MJ joins the Wine Makers podcast live! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ There was a lot of energy going into this show, not only were we all excited to be back in Paso Robles for Hospice du Rhone but we were also getting to meet our friend M.J. Towler "The Black Wine Guy Experienc...

MJ’s Guest today comes from a family of winemakers, the President of the Long Island Wine Country, and the man you want to know at Paumanok Vineyards, Kareem Massoud. Paumanok has been recognized with numerous accolades over the years including Wine Spectator's Critic's Choice Award, NY Wine & Food Classic's "Winery of the Year" Award and "outstanding" reviews in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate....

MJ’s Guest today is owner and founder of Adrian Chalk Selections, NY-based purveyor of fine wines, Adrian Chalk. 30 years ago, Adrian helped build a new winery in Provence as a sweat-equity partner of Chateau Routas. He went on to work for Lauber Imports for 17 years, a job which took him around the globe visiting wine-growing regions. In 2015, he launched his own portfolio, Adrian Chalk Selection...

Super Somm! Bobby Stuckey IS a Hospitality Superhero. MJ’s Guest today is award-winning Master Sommelier, co-founder of Frasca Food and Wine Group, Pizzeria Locale, and Scarpetta Wine Company, and leader in the hospitality industry: Bobby Stuckey. In 2000, Bobby worked with world-renowned chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in California, and led the restaurant’s team to earn the James Beard...

MJ’s guest today has been named by The New York Times as the “foremost authority on hamburgers,” and “America’s biggest burger name,” by Eater LA; he’s a well-traveled Emmy Award-winning freelance filmmaker, author, and photographer - George Motz. George shot, produced, edited, and directed his documentary, Hamburger America which was nominated for a James Beard Award and recognized by the US Nati...

MJ’s guest today is Founder and President of Fass Selections, Lyle Fass. Lyle has over 25 years of experience in the wine business, and has served as the founding wine buyer at Crush in New York City, as well as the German wine buyer at Chambers Street. He founded Fass selections in 2013 and has grown it to be one of the leading importer retailers in the United States. Fass Selections specializes...

MJ’s guest today is owner of Ross Knoll Vineyard , Co-founder and Board Member for SommTV , and executive producer for SOMM Films , Diane Carpenter. In 2017 Diane and her husband David of 34 years cultivated their own vineyard in Sonoma County, California and planted 3000 Calera Clone Pinot Noir vines. Two years later, Diane and her colleagues created SommTV , where Diane has been an Executive Pro...

MJ’s guest today is radio and music industry powerhouse, Sharon Dastur. Sharon served as SVP of Programming for the World Famous iHeartRadio’s Z100 New York radio station for 20 years. She is 1 of 5 people that have held this position in the history of the station, and the only woman. She has transformed brands, created popular culture, and has helped guide the careers of some of the biggest artis...

MJ’s Guest today is a serial entrepreneur, wine critic, author, social media mogul, the Chairman of VaynerX, the CEO of VaynerMedia and the Creator & CEO of VeeFriends, and self-proclaimed future owner of the NY Jets, Gary Vaynerchuk. Known as “Gary Vee,” he is considered one of the leading global minds on what’s next in culture,relevance and the internet. He is a prolific angel investor...

MJ’s Guest today is the Owner-Manager of Domaine Bertagna, in Nuit-Saints-Georges, France, Eva Reh. Coming from a family of winegrowers in the Moselle valley in Germany, Eva Reh grew up in the vineyards discovering a love for the land and a passion for wine passed down from one generation to another.    Her family’s wine love story began after World War II with Eva's grandfather who boug...

MJ’s Guest today is Joe Bembry, Owner of 56 Degree Wine. Joe came to the wine biz from a deep love of all things vinous. He graduated from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust’s Advanced Certificate with Distinction in 2003 and subsequently began his wine career as the opening Wine Director of 56 Degree Wine in 2004. Joe has also worked on the wholesale side of the business, when in 2012 he left...

MJ’s Guest today is the President, Owner-Manager of the Mastroberardino winery estate Piero Mastroberardino. Piero is the tenth generation to run the Mastroberardino family winery, the oldest winery in the Campania region. Piero took over the winery after his father Antonio, a leader of modern winemaking in Italy and instrumental in preserving the ancient native varieties of the Campania region, r...

This week’s guests are American journalists, authors, and wine critics, Dorothy J. Gaiter (Dottie) and John Brecher. They are the wife and husband duo who jointly wrote the successful Wall Street Journal wine column "Tastings" and created the beloved “Open That Bottle Night.” Dottie and John both began their careers at the Miami Herald, meeting each other at 9am on their first day there: June 4th,...

This week’s guest was executive producer and writer for the Emmy Award-winning TV series “Cheers,” a published author, co-founder of the podcast network Ricochet and host of the weekly podcast, Martini Shot, Rob Long.  A graduate from Yale University, Rob also spent two years studying at UCLA School of Film, Theater and Television. Rob began his career writing and producing TV's long-running...

This week’s guest is Recently named as one of “the 50 most influential women in the wine trade,” and as “a leading woman in wine,” Lisa Granik MW entered the field following an earlier career as a lawyer and law professor.  Having worked in wine production, retail, import and distribution channels, she has worked with both small and large wholesalers and importers around the United States. He...

MJ’s guest is seasoned sommelier, wine educator and founder of Volcanic Selections, Jeff Porter. Jeff has been featured in numerous major food and wine publications, such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Eater and The Financial Times . Jeff’s sommelier career began in Napa Valley, where he worked at Tra Vigne Ristorante in St. Helena. He joined the Bastianich H...

MJ’s guest is Founder of Booker Vineyards, one of Paso Robles Legendary Artisanal Cult Wineries, Eric Jensen. Eric and his wife Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres of  property in Paso Robles, CA in 2001 with the intent of growing the best fruit for some of the best wineries in the area. After making wine with Justin Smith (of Saxum) for five years and Stephan Asseo (of L'Aventure Wines) for two...

MJ’s guest is JJ Redick, the famous Duke University basketball player, where he still holds several records including “all time leading scorer.” JJ’s professional basketball career began in 2006 when the Orlando Magic selected him with the 11th pick overall. Over the course of his 15 year NBA career he has played with Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Orlea...

MJ’s guest is a cellar’s worth of degrees and experiences in wine, and service, and is currently the wine director of Gary’s Wine and Marketplace, please welcome Brooke Sabel. Brooke has been featured in Real Simple Magazine, Travel + Leisure Magazine, Forbes Magazine, CondeNast Traveler Magazine, SOMM Journal and More! Along with the James Beard Foundation, Brooke has participated in Star Chefs S...

MJ’s Guest today is one of the most influential and widely-read American voices on wine and food and Managing Editor of RESY , acclaimed journalist and author, Jon Bonne. In Jon’s 20 + years as a journalist he has been a Senior Contributing Editor for PUNCH . He spent nearly a decade as the Wine Editor and Chief Wine Critic of The San Francisco Chronicle , where he co-edited its Food & Wine se...

MJ’s guest is writer and research journalist J’nai Gaither. She has worked vintages as a cellar hand at Ferrari-Carano Winery in Geyserville, CA, and Indevin New Zealand Winery in Gisborne, NZ. She has done WSET Level 3 and is currently studying for her Master of Champagne through the Wine Scholar Guild. Additionally, J’nai was one of four research journalists working on Karen MacNeil’s upcoming t...

MJ’s guest is a winemaker and the founder of Massican Wines, Dan Petroski. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY where he went on to play football at Columbia. He went on to work for Time Inc. while also studying for his MBA at NYU, both ingredients for a promising future in magazine publishing. Dan began his wine education literally winning and dining clients around Manhattan’s best restaurants. He set...

MJ’s guest is wine specialist and salesperson, consultant, and educator, Kelly Mitchell. Kelly was named on Wine Enthusiast’s 2021 40 Under 40 Tastemakers list, and named a “Rising Black Voice in Wine” by Wine & Spirits Magazine , appearing on its October 2020 cover. Kelly is a sales representative for Skurnik Wines & Spirits. In 2016, Kelly founded her consulting company, Kelly Mitchell W...

Born and raised in Manhattan, Drew started down his road to restauranteur as a young man in the 1960s. He went on to earn a degree from the School of Hotel Management at Ivy league, Cornell University while working on cruise ships. By 1985 he had opened his first restaurant, Montrachet, which earned three stars from the NYTimes and a coveted Michelin star, keeping its rating for decades. Drew form...