I'll Drink to That! Wine Talk

Jason Lett is the co-owner of The Eyrie Vineyards, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Jason discusses how his father, David Lett, helped transform the Willamette Valley into a growing region for Pinot Noir, acheiving worldwide acclaim for his efforts. Jason, who was born shortly after his father arrived in Oregon, retraces in this conversation the path that led his father there. He also talks abo...

Mary Ewing-Mulligan is the President of International Wine Center, located in New York City, and a co-author of the "Wine For Dummies" books. Mary discusses her introduction to working with wine, employed by an Italian government agency responsible for promoting Italian wine. She explains the situation for Italian wines in the United States at the time, the 1970s, and how the Italian wines in the...

Christophe Roumier and his family run Domaine Georges Roumier, located in the Burgundy village of Chambolle-Musigny in France. Christophe discusses the arrival of his grandfather in Chambolle-Musigny, and the beginning of the Roumier family history with wine. He talks about his family's work for the Comtes Georges de Vogüé domaine, also in Chambolle-Musigny, and then explains the timeline for esta...

Giacomo Oddero and his family operate Poderi e Cantine Oddero, in the La Morra area of the Barolo appellation in Piemonte, Italy. Giacomo, who was born in the mid-1920s, remembers the difficulties encountered in the Barolo region in the aftermath of World War II, as well as the specific changes that helped set the Barolo area on a path to prosperity. He recalls the challenges posed by families lea...

Rod Berglund and his family own Joseph Swan Vineyards in Sonoma County, California, where Rod is also the winemaker. Rod explains how he first became interested in wine, and what led him to found his own winery in the late 1970s. He also discusses how he met winemaker Joe Swan, who would eventually become his father-in-law. Rod conveys how Joe in many ways stood apart from his California winermaki...

Tomoko Kuriyama is a partner in Chanterêves, a micro-négociant based in Burgundy, which she runs with her husband Guillaume Bott. Tomoko spent over a decade working in wineries in Germany, then moved to Burgundy in France and started Chanterêves. She explains in this interview the differences between Germany and Burgundy in terms of the winemaking and vineyard work. She also discusses the outlook...

Anthony Hanson wrote the book "Burgundy," which was originally published in 1982, and then subsequently revised by him for another edition published in 1995. He is today a consultant for Haynes Hanson & Clark, as well as The Fine Wine Experience in Hong Kong. Anthony describes his entry into Beaune (via bulldozer) in the 1960s, and his first tasting at the Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy. He di...

Jeff Kellogg is the co-founder of Kellogg Selections, a wine distributor in North Carolina. Jeff is a former sommelier, who previously appeared in I'll Drink to That! episode 230. Jeff discusses his decision to start a wine distribution business, and the financial and personal realities around launching such a business. He also describes a changing demographic in North Carolina, and what that mean...

Jacques Seysses is the founder of Domaine Dujac, based in the Burgundy village of Morey-Saint-Denis in France. Jacques recounts how he became interested in wine, and what led him to purchase a domaine in Burgundy in the late 1960s. He describes working with Gérard Potel at Domaine de la Pousse d'Or, as well as some of his visits to other Burgundy vigneron, like Henri Gouges, Charles Rousseau, and...

Mimi Casteel is the owner of the Hope Well Vineyard, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Her family owns the Bethel Heights Vineyard, also in Oregon. Mimi takes on issues like land use, agricultural practice, and vineyard work in this interview, stressing the importance of a connection with nature. She argues against reductionist approaches in the vineyard, and against a goal of species eliminatio...

David Ramey is the founder and co-owner of Ramey Wine Cellars and Sidebar Cellars, both based in Sonoma County, California. David shares his career path in California wineries from Simi, to Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus Estate, Rudd Estate, and starting wine labels of his own. While discussing those various work experiences, David also shares what he learned at each point, and how this would...

Benjamin Leroux is the proprietor of the Benjamin Leroux winery located in the town of Beaune, in the Burgundy region of France. Benjamin explains how although his family was not in the wine business, he found himself working in a winery at a young age. He discusses his internships outside of Burgundy, at wineries in Oregon and Bordeaux, before talking about his start as the head winemaker at Comt...

Joe Rochioli, Jr. owns the J. Rochioli Vineyards and Winery in California with his son Tom Rochioli and his family. Joe describes the events on the family farm in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County around the middle of the twentieth century, when there was a shift from growing various cash crops to growing more and more wine grapes. He discusses his decision to pursue more plantings of grap...

Ken Wright is the founder and winemaker of Ken Wright Cellars, based in Carlton, Oregon. Ken discusses his work with Dick Graff in the 1970s, and then explains why he decided to move from California to Oregon in the 1980s to pursue winemaking in Oregon. He gives a thorough explanation of the different rock types found in state, and the attributes that different sites bring to a resulting wine. He...

Russell Hone lives and works in Burgundy, France with his wife Becky Wasserman. Russell is one of the wine world's great characters, and this interview follows along with the various curves, shifts, and turns to the side of his life, going from England in the post-war years to Germany, Bordeaux, and then on to Burgundy in the 1980s until today. He recalls several encounters with a broad cast of ch...

Brenna Quigley is a geologist who does wine related consulting as a terroir specialist at brennaquigley.com Brenna describes her unusual family connection to geology, and her entry into the wine world. She goes on to define key concepts in geology, such as what soil is, how it is formed, and the different types of rocks that are found in the world. Brenna describes the key rock formations of Franc...

David Hirsch is the owner of Hirsch Vineyards, located in the Sonoma Coast of California. David opens up about his travels across the United States and across the world in the 1960s and 1970s, and about what led him eventually to the outer reaches of the Sonoma Coast to plant a vineyard. He also reveals what he has learned about the farming of grapevines over the years. And he talks about some of...

Pierre Morey works with his family at Domaine Pierre Morey and Maison Morey-Blanc, both based in the Burgundy village of Meursault, in France. Pierre grew up farming some of the most renowned vineyards of Meursault, as his family worked as sharecroppers for the Lafon family. He discusses his experience working in and vinifying the fruit of vineyards like Le Montrachet, Meursault-Perrieres, Meursau...

Joel Peterson is the Founder and Winemaker of the Ravenswood Winery, and the Founder and Winemaker of Once & Future Wine, both in California. Joel describes his first moments with wine, tasting wine with his father and mother, and how that led later to his work with Joseph Swan. Joel talks at length about Swan and the early days of the Joseph Swan winery. Swan was making exemplary California Z...

Jasper Morris is the author of the book "Inside Burgundy: The Vineyards, the Wine, & the People", as well as the website Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy . Jasper gives both an overview of his own career as a wine importer and Burgundy specialist, and an overview of the vineyards of Burgundy. Jasper goes from north to south along the Côte d'Or, giving his unfiltered opinion about the different co...

Luis Seabra is the proprietor and winemaker at Luis Seabra Vinhos, producing dry wines from the Douro Valley and the Vinho Verde regions of Portugal. Luis discusses his beginnings working as a plant specialist at an university, his work doing vineyard trials for the Portuguese government, the nine years that he made dry wines at the house of Niepoort, and on to the founding of his own winery. Over...

Jeanne-Marie de Champs is the proprietor of Domaines et Saveurs Collection, an exporter of Burgundy and other wines from France. She is based in Beaune. Jeanne-Marie discusses arriving in Burgundy from the Loire Valley, and the situation for Burgundy in the 1970s and 1980s. She explains why she started her own business exporting wines, and the changes in the American wine market that were hap...

Ehren Jordan is the proprietor of the Failla winery, which specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from California and now also Oregon. Ehren is also the owner of the Day wine label, working with Zinfandel. Ehren discusses his decision to work increasingly with fruit from Oregon vineyards, while comparing and contrasting those with the vineyards he is familiar with in California. He also...

Jean-Pierre de Smet was a co-founder and partner in Domaine de l'Arlot, the winery based in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation. Jean-Pierre retired from l'Arlot in 2007, and has since that time been helping his friend Didier Fornerol make the Domaine Didier Fornerol wines, also in France's Burgundy region. Jean-Pierre provides key insights into a number of Burgundy winemaking techniques, and also...

Maggie Harrison is a partner in the Antica Terra winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where she is also the winemaker. Maggie also makes the Lillian wines from California fruit. Maggie discusses her first winery job working at Sine Qua Non, the development of her approach to each step of the winemaking process, and what she sees as the difference between Oregon and California wine areas...