Grape Encounters Wine Radio

Sara Schneider, Sunset Magazine Wine Editor David Wilson hosts Sara Schneider, Wine Editor of Sunset Magazine, to endeavor to answer the impossible question, “What Makes a Wine Good?” There are so many factors that determine what an individual’s perception of wine enjoyment vs. assigning a quality assessment, that it really IS an impossible question. David and Sara do their best to debunk pretenti...

David Wilson hosts journalist, television personality, and cookbook author David Rosengarten, who has covered great food products, restaurants, wines, gastronomic travel destinations, and related subjects for over 25 years. He has written hundreds of articles and contributed hundreds of original recipes to publications such as Gourmet (where he was Restaurant Critic from 1996 to 2000), The New Yor...

Ryan Render, Rendarrio Vineyards and Tonnellerie CADUS David talks with Ryan Render, Director of Sales for Tonnellerie CADUS North America, as well as founder and winemaker at Rendarrio Vineyards. Ryan consults with wineries about choosing suitable barrels for their wines. Tonnellerie means barrel-making, or copperage, and is one of the least understood aspects of winemaking. Ryan has a keen appre...

Dwight and Jean Anne Crevelt of 7Cs Winery David talks with Dwight Crevelt, 7Cs Winery in Walnut Grove, Missouri, about the upcoming 7th Annual Mead Fest happening there Sept 25, 2016. 7Cs makes both wine and meads, and participate in many unusual food & wine events. Mead is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The al...

Answering that question with the help of KingsBottle Wine Refrigeration It’s a question that David gets asked nearly everyday… “What is the best and most inexpensive way to protect my wine collection?" Now for a long while, David had an extensive—or should we say expensive—wine cellar to protect his liquid assets. But after moving to a home that did not have a cellar, it became important to find o...

David talks with Kim Stemler, Executive Director, Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association, about the Sobranes fire burning in the wild country between Big Sur and the Monterey wine growing areas, affecting the Carmel Valley AVA. Even if the 47,000 acre fire doesn’t reach the vineyards, the smoke taint could ruin the entire grape crop in the area. Find out more about Monterey Wine Country at...

Keith Sarloos of Sarloos & Sons To commemorate the 7th Anniversary of the first Grape Encounters Radio episode, David has on Keith Saarloos of Saarloos and Sons from Los Olivos, CA. Keith was a frequent guest in the first years and they talk about the way the wine industry has changed over these years. Randy Arold, Barefoot Wine Brand Ambassador Next, it’s Randy Arnold, the Brand Ambassador from B...

The Unlikely Tale of a Student and Professor Reunited Through the Grapevine! Alexa Chappellet A few decades ago, a professor in his early 20s teaching at Pepperdine University’s breathtaking campus in Malibu California had a student in his speech and debate class who was the daughter of one of the Napa Valley’s pioneering winemakers. The instructor, whose infatuation with fine wine was in its infa...

David meets with top executives of Justin Winery concerning the oak deforestation that has fueled outrage at the multi-billion dollar parent company, The Wonderful Co., headed by Stewart and Lynda Resnick. David meets with David Ricanati, Justin’s president, Steven Clark, Wonderful Co. Vice President of Communications and Justin Baldwin, original founder of Justin Winery and asks how this could ha...

Tom Acitelli, author This week, David welcomes Tom Acitelli, author of the newly-released book, “AMERICAN WINE: A Coming of Age Story.” This episode is a major wow packed with little-know insight into how America rose to a position of prominence and downright leadership on the worldwide wine stage. Tom Acitelli shares with color and accuracy the amazing story of how American wine after WWII became...

Stephen McConnell, food and wine blogger of SOIF and eatdrinkca.com Stephen McConnell Wine and Food Blogger Stephen McConnell is never at a loss for words.  And while you may not always understand his quips about Cabernet, Granache grandiosity or muses about Merlot, one thing is certain; there’s a madness to his method. To understand his verbal gymnastics, you must first understand a little bit ab...

Sharon Sevrens of Amanti Vino David talks dogs and wine with Sharon Sevrens of Amanti Vino, a cutting-edge wine, spirits, and specialty microbrew shop located in the heart of Montclair, NJ that is helping to promote Take Your Dog to Work Day. Sarah Johnson of Manadalay Bay Next, Sarah Johnson, Director of Food and Beverage at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, talks about the challenges...

Recently, David discovered a winery that he truly believes will take the wine industry by storm. He was so excited about Cardella Winery that he took his microphones out into the boonies so that he could share the discovery with wine journalists, renowned sommeliers and, of course, wine enthusiasts! David says, “Cardella Winery will be the Cult Winery of the Year!” The wines are from the beautiful...

David Wilson hosts journalist, television personality, and cookbook author David Rosengarten, who has covered great food products, restaurants, wines, gastronomic travel destinations, and related subjects for over 25 years. He has written hundreds of articles and contributed hundreds of original recipes to publications such as Gourmet (where he was Restaurant Critic from 1996 to 2000), The New Yor...

Vince Ferragamo’s Wines and Ayesha Curry’s New Cookbook Jodi and Vince Ferragamo of Tenuta Di Ferrgamo Winery David Wilson hosts football star quarterback, and gold-medal winemaker Vince Ferragamo, talking sports and winemaking at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition. Coming from Italian heritage, Vince had a natural love for food and wine. He began to study wine, and an idea was born. T...

Babak Motamedi of Kazzit.com As strange as it may seem, until now, there has never been a comprehensive worldwide winery guide where you can quickly learn just about everything there is to know about any given winery; large or small. Now there’s Kazzit.com… a website that covers a truly remarkable winery database that will rock your world. Join David and his guest, Kazzit co-founder Babak Motamedi...

Kim Bardakian, Director of PR and Community Relations for the City of Oakland David talks with Kim Bardakian, Director of PR and Community Relations for the City of Oakland, about the renaissance of Oakland and their fascinating and unexpected Oakland Urban Wine Trail. A trip to Oakland isn’t complete without tasting a little local flavor. Like everything else in Oakland, the wine scene is a littl...

David Wilson and Sara Schneider discuss the upcoming Sunset Celebration Weekend, May 14 & 15 where Sunset fans will join editors, celebrity chefs, vintners, craft beer brewers and renowned lifestyle experts at Cornerstone in Sonoma, CA, for this two-day series of culinary, wine, garden and lifestyle events. Enjoy fine food, wine and shopping while touring the grounds, which include the grand openi...

This may be the single most mesmerizing episode of Grape Encounters Radio ever, and we think you will probably agree with us. This week, Grape Encounters Host David Wilson takes you to the home of legendary winemaker Michael Mondavi, cofounder of the world’s most recognizable family brand. When Michael teamed up with his father Robert and brother Tim, the California wine industry was forever chang...

Chris Sawyer, internationally-renowned sommelier, wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker David Wilson hosts Christopher Sawyer, an internationally-renowned sommelier, wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker: he travels the world following trends in wine and participating as a VIP judge in the world’s top wine competitions, and has been featured in...

Kris Beal of The Vineyard Team Beth Vukmanic Lopez of The Vineyard Team David Wilson hosts Kris Beal and Beth Vukmanic Lopez of The Vineyard Team, a non-profit grower-group dedicated to sustainable winegrowing since 1994, and innovated SIP Certification, which is about great wines, healthy vineyards, and the well-being of workers. April is Down To Earth Month in CA, so it's a perfect time to talk...

Wes Hagen, Winemaker, Historian and Philosopher In this political circus, it makes a lot of sense to Make America Grape Again. Host David Wilson and renowned winemaker, wine historian and philosopher Wes Hagen, pair wines with the 2016 Presidential Candidates. Then on Sipping with Sara, David blind-tastes with Sara and Ian Cauble, bringing them a solid, crowd-pleasing (and gold medal-winning) Barb...

Gil Gagnon, founder of Gagnon Cellars What happens when a top movie exec takes a recommendation from Grape Encounters to heart and starts making wine? Former Disney Films Executive Gil Gagnon figures he spent 6 years of his life driving to and from the epicenter of California filmmaking. Then one day, an episode of Grape Encounters Radio gave him an idea that eventually led to his departure from t...

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, my first guest is to wine drinkers what Edison was to people who didn’t like being left in the dark. Greg Lambrecht is responsible for the Coravin Wine Access System, the most significant contribution to wine collecting, fine wine consumption and wine preservation in decades, and perhaps ever. Greg Lambrecht, Inventor of the Coravin Wine Ac...

Ian Cauble and Brandon Carneiro, Founders of SommSelect This week on Grape Encounters, David talks with Ian Cauble, star of the movie SOMM, and  Brandon Carneiro, co-founders of SommSelect , along with Sunset Magazine Wine Editor Sara Schneider, while they do some blind tasting. Sara Schneider, Wine Editor, Sunset Magazine They talk about the importance of enjoying wine vs. just identifying the ch...