I'll Drink to That! Wine Talk

Totte Steneby is the Beverage Manager of Portal Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. He is also an importer of Burgundy wine into Sweden, and a European brand ambassador for both the Sandhi and Domaine de la Cote wineries of California. A former child actor, Totte Steneby discusses his sommelier career, having worked at a number of top restaurants in Sweden. He shares some of the difficult moments he...

Gianluca Garofoli works with his family at the Garofoli winery, in the Marche region of Italy. Gianluca Garofoli discusses in-depth the wine history of the Marche, as well as the native grape varieties Verdicchio and Montepulciano. This conversation is an insider's guide to the Castelli di Jesi sub-zone of the Marche, and Gianluca provides rich detail about the winemaking there. Vineyard char...

Giampaolo Venica works with his family at the Venica winery, in the Friuli region of Italy. Giampaolo Venica describes the Friuli as a region that has changed significantly in recent decades, and which is still in flux today. He notes the many changes in grape plantings and wine styles within the Collio, and questions what types of wines from the Friuli may find resonance with consumers in the fut...

Marchese Umberto Fracassi Ratti Mentone is the sole producer of a Barolo from the Cherasco sub-zone of Italy's Piemonte region. His family has owned vineyard land in the Cherasco area for centuries, and the Marchese, who is now over 80 years old, tends to the family parcel at the edge of the Barolo zone. This is a rare encounter with the Marchese, who rarely grants interviews. The conversation ran...

Stephen Brook is a prolific author of anthologies, travel books, and a wide range of wine books published over the last thirty years, including "The Complete Bordeaux," "The Wines of Germany," "The Wines of California," "Wine People," "The Wines of Austria," and "Bordeaux: People, Power, and Politics." Stephen has also been a Contributing Editor to Decanter Magazine since 1996. Stephen revisits hi...

Elena Pantaleoni is the proprietor of the La Stoppa winery in Italy's Emilia. Elena Pantaleoni was pulling out international grape varieties from her vineyard in the mid-1990s, just when the acclaim for such wines was highest. And she embraced a Natural wine approach long before it became fashionable in the market. Why did she make those moves? Elena discusses in this interview the decision making...

Christian Moueix is the president of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, based on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, France. He oversees several properties in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, including Chateau La Fleur-Petrus, Chateau Trotanoy, and Chateau Hosanna. Christian is also the owner of the Dominus Estate and Ulysses wineries in the Napa Valley of California. Christian opens up about his family life an...

Victoria James is the Wine Director of Piora restaurant, in New York City's West Village, and the co-author of "Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé." Victoria discusses her shift from diner waitress to fine dining sommelier, and opens up about the process of co-authoring a book with a new boyfriend. This episode will take you to all sorts of unexpected places, including Piemonte's Saluzzo, a lunch t...

Michael Garner co-authored the book "Barolo: Tar and Roses - A Study of the Wines of Alba" and is writing the forthcoming "Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona." Michael Garner helped write one of the classic texts on the Piemonte and Barolo. In this episode Michael narrates a lively journey through his meetings with Giovanni Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, Violante Sobrero, Luciano Sandrone, L...

Beppe Colla, who was born in 1930, literally defined what Barolo is today through his work at the Prunotto winery in the Piemonte of Italy. Beppe Colla was one of the first to introduce single vineyard Barolo to consumers, and he helped lay down the guidelines that shape the wines of the region today. This is a rare interview with Beppe Colla, who is now blind and lives in retirement. See Privacy...

Steven Spurrier is a Consulting Editor for Decanter Magazine. Steven is famed for conducting the "Paris Tasting" of 1976, wherein wines from California bested the French in a blind tasting. He discusses that day in May '76 in this episode, providing a front row seat to what happened. He also shares surprising details from his life before and after. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...

Alessandro Masnaghetti is the editor of Enogea, a wine newsletter that has published several groundbreaking maps of wine regions. Alessandro discusses how he went from nuclear engineer to mapman, and the influence that Italian wine journalist Luigi Veronelli had on his career. He also talks about Beppe Colla, a key figure in the history of the Piemonte, and discusses the rationale for focusing on...

Erin Scala delves into the evolving conversation around whole cluster, one of the biggest questions in winemaking. One hundred percent whole cluster? Not all wines are, but this episode sure is. Why might a winemaker choose to use the stems, as well as the grapes, in their winemaking? Or why might they discard those stems? Erin Scala looks at the reasoning presented by some key...

Frederic Lafarge operates Domaine Michel Lafarge with his family, with cellars located in the Burgundian town of Volnay, in France. Frederic and his wife Chantal also recently began the Lafarge-Vial domaine, with holdings in the Beaujolais crus of Fleurie, Chiroubles, and Cote de Brouilly. In this interview Frederic goes deep into the explanation of his winemaking for the various crus and grape va...

At the time of this interview, Randall Restiano was the Wine Director of the Eli Zabar restaurant group as well as the Eli's List retail shop in Manhattan. Randall Restiano discusses wine buying strategies for restaurants and for retail. He suggests finding out what you don't like, thinking for the long term, being careful about large purchases, and focusing in on no more than two countries o...

Patricio Tapia is the author of the "Descorchados" wine guide to South America. He is also a Senior Correspondent for "Wine & Spirits" Magazine, responsible for covering the wines of Argentina, Chile, and Spain. Patricio Tapia describes both the history and the future for wine in South America, looking at each generation of siginificant winemakers in Argentina and Chile, and discussing the div...

Marika Vida-Arnold is the Wine Director of the Ritz-Carlton Central Park New York City and also has her own consulting business, Vida et Fils. Marika discusses her strategies for balancing sommelier work with her priorities as a mother of two children. How does she find balance with her schedule, commitments, and budgets to best get to the sort of life she wants for herself and her family? Wh...

Arnaud Lambert manages Chateau de Breze and Domaine de Saint-Just in the Loire Valley of France. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Philippe Newlin is Head of Duclot La Vinicole USA, the importer and distributor of Bordeaux wines from France. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erin Scala takes a tour of Syrah and Grenache vineyards throughout California, and talks with winemakers working with Rhone grape varieties in that state. The following winemakers and vineyard professionals are interviewed within this episode: Chris Pittenger (Skinner Vineyards) Gideon Beinstock (Clos Saron) Randall Grahm (Bonny Doon Vineyard) David Gates, Jr. (Ridge Vineyards) Bob Lindquist (Qupe...

Fred Merwarth is the winemaker and vineyard manager at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, a winery and vine nursery in the Finger Lakes of New York State that Fred also co-owns. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Larry Stone returns to the show to speak about his Lingua Franca winery and LS Vineyards, both located in Oregon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stefano Almondo works with his family at Giovanni Almondo, a producer in the Roero zone of Italy's Piemonte. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Frederic Mugnier is the proprietor of Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, located in the Burgundy village of Chambolle-Musigny, in France. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ehren Jordan is the proprietor of the Failla winery, located in St. Helena, California. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.