California Wine Country

Matt Duffy from Vaughn Duffy Wines joins Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country today. Daedalus Howell is also in. He is doing an hour every weekday from 2 to 3 PM on Wine Country Radio. Vaughn Duffy specializes in Pinot Noir. They make 8 or 10 Pinot Noir wines from Russian River Valley and Petaluma Gap. Their tasting room is on Sonoma Highway next to Palooza Restau...

David Hejl from Domaine Della is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Blair Hardman is also in the studio today. The Domaine Della winery is named after David’s mother, Della. David used to be the CEO and general manager for Kosta Browne. He worked for Kosta Browne winery after they were sold to new owners. He was entrusted with managing the staff through a t...

Dan, Melissa and Deadalus. Melissa Galliani and Daedalus Howell are our guests on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. Melissa Galliani is the GM of Wine Country Radio.  Deadalus Howell is the editor of the North Bay Bohemian and some other local publications. He is also a frequent guest on The Drive with the Boho Buzz, a regular feature of what’s currently in the p...

Wine importer Don Chigazola is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, with newly arrived wines from Alto Adige.  His company Chigazola Merchants brings small lots of carefully selected wines from small family producers in many different regions of Italy. Steve Jaxon describes what he does as “…the coolest job in the world.” Melissa Galliani is also with...

Leah Scurto and Chris Puppione. Chris Puppione from Puppione Family Wines joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country today. Leah Scurto from PizzaLeah is also here, and she brought several different pizzas. We will try some pizza and wine pairings. Chris Puppione starts telling the story of the family winery. He had worked in wine and thought of bottles of wine as time capsules. S...

Dan and Paul from Small Vines. Paul Sloan from Small Vines Wines joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Daedalus Howell also joins us today. Small Vines Wines makes “world class wines of distinction.” Paul grew up in Sonoma County on a 250-acre horse and cattle ranch, on the eastern side of Santa Rosa. He worked in restaurants and ended up at John Ash & Co. , known as one...

Erica, Judy & Doug. Doug Mryglod, Judy Phillips and Erica Stancliff from Deodora Estate Vineyards  are our guests with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Daedalus Howell is also in the studio today. This is the first time that Doug and Judy have been on the show for Deodora Estate Vineyards . Erica Stancliff has been on CWC before on this episode of June 24, 2020 . Dan Berg...

Steve, Ben, Yolanda and Olli. Ben Papapietro and his wife Yolanda join Steve Jaxon on California Wine Country. Dan Berger is away today, visiting the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival, which we talked about on this episode two weeks ago. Ben is a co-founder of the Papapietr0-Perry winery. This is Ben and Yolanda’s first time on CWC. Ben Papapietro started in his basement in San Francisco a...

Bettina from Laurel Glen Vineyard is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Bettina’s father Peter M. F. Sichel recently passed away at 102. He was an old friend of Dan Berger who credits him with great contributions to winemaking, in Germany and in the US. Dan wrote a review of Peter’s book called “The Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Soldier, Prisoner, Spy.” He was ins...

Barbara Barrielle Barbara Barrielle calls in to California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger to talk about the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival 2025 coming May 16-18. She was a guest on CWC last January on this episode when the Anderson Valley Winegrowers were promoting the International White Wine Festival in February. The Pinot Noir Festival has been going on for 26 years. Anderson...

Joy Sterling from Iron Horse Vineyards is our guest today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Joy has been on California Wine Country before, on this episode of Sept. 27, 2017 . Clark Wolf is sticking around from the previous segment to talk about the Northern California Public Media Awards that are coming back on May 10. This year’s honorees are Joy Sterling and her...

Nolan Jones, winemaker at Lava Cap Winery , is our guest today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Lava Cap Winery is located in the Sierra Foothills, in Placerville. It is two hours due east of Napa and Sonoma. Dan Berger says that Sierra Foothills makes great wines but there are differences between the different regions. The Sierra Nevada Foothills is one of the biggest A...

Dan Barwick joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country this week to talk about his impending return to England. He has been on CWC several times in recent years, the last time was this episode last August . He is one of the founders and the winemaker for Trecini Winery . They made their first Sauvignon Blanc in 1999. Dan has brought a New Zealand wine, a 2022 Babich Sauvignon Blan...

Dan Berger, Alan Baker. Cartograph Wines co-founder Alan Baker is back with us on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. His last time on the show was this episode in April of 2024 , almost one year ago. Cartograph is a label known for small-lot elegant Pinot Noir, Rieslings and sparkling wines as well, from Russian River Valley and Mendocino Ridge. Dan Berger says that if you ar...

Dan Berger. California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today includes Dan’s thoughts about tariffs and wine sales. This continues some of the subject matter he discussed on this episode of CWC three weeks ago . Dan Berger begins by describing an online newsletter and Substack called Fermentations , written by Tom Wark. Dan says it has the most interesting perspective on the business....

Dan Berger and Rick Davis. Rick Davis, winemaker and owner Cal Star Cellars , joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. This is Rick’s first time on CWC although we have taked about his wines before. Dan Berger says that Rick is not personally well-known because he does not promote himself. He is too busy in the winery. Rick tells his story of starting in the industry on t...

Evan Damiano, Marchelle Wines winemaker, is back on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. His last time on CWC was this episode on May 31, 2024 . Evan started in January 2021 volunteering with Greg La Follette and has risen all the way to the rank of winemaker now. Greg is one of the most famous winemakers around. He has worked in all the most famous wineries in Sonoma County an...

Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Steve Jaxon talks about wine news with Dan Berger on California Wine Country today, since our expected guest was a last-minute scratch. Dan has brought a Tendu from Matthaisson in Napa Valley, made from Cortese grapes. It is a common wine in Piedmont, the province of north-western Italy, whose capital is Torino. American wine consumption is down in every category , exce...

Tom Gendall, winemaker at Cline Family Cellars is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Cline Family Cellars has been featured on this show before, most recently when Fred Cline and his daughter Hillary Cline were on this episode on January 4, 2023 . Tom Gendall from Cline Family Cellars is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. The Cl...

Dan and Dennis Dennis Hill, co-founder of Langhart & Hill Wines joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country today. The last time he was on California Wine Country was this episode in September of 2023 . The first tasting is a 2023 Chardonnay. While a lot of California Chards are the heavy oaky buttery ML style, this is different. It is more in the European style, higher acidity...

Dan Berger and Garry Brooks. Garry Brooks, owner of Brooks Note Wines , is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today. This is his first time on CWC. Garry grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. As he grew up the family had wine on the table. He served in the US Navy and got sent to France and Spain where he had a chance to learn about wine all over the world. After the Na...

Steven Kent Steven Kent, owner of The Steven Kent Winery in Livermore Valley, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Dan Berger recently visited Livermore with his friend, winemaker Clark Smith, to investigate Cabernet Franc. Steven given Cabernet Franc a privileged position in his portfolio. For centuries, Cabernet Franc has been used as a blending grape, but Steven says it...

Barbara Barrielle Barbara Barrielle , publicist, writer, actress and producer, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. She writes about travel, wine, food and entertainment and she also works for Anderson Valley Winegrowers, promoting the International White Wine Festival . Her documentary film about Anderson Valley wines features Dan Berger. The Anderson Valley Winegrowers As...

Henry Belmonte and Madisyn Goerlitz Henry Belmonte and Madisyn Goerlitz are here from VJB Cellars and Wellington Cellars, on a special podcast-only edition of California Wine Country, recorded last week on Jan. 20 on The Drive with Steve Jaxon, on Wine Country Radio. Henry Belmonte and Steve Jaxon go way back together. Steve used to say he lived at Portofino on 4th Street. VJB Cellars in Kenwood i...

Courtney DeGraff, Executive Director of Anderson Valley Winegrowers , is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. They are putting on the International White Wine Festival , for the fifteenth year, on February 15 and 16 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. It used to be called the Alsatian White Wine Festival. The name change opens the festival to feature a wider varie...