Legends Behind the Craft

Danielle and Derek Busch are the Founders of Batch Mead, a family-owned meadery in Temecula, California. Under their leadership, the meadery specializes in locally sourced, small batches of mead and hard cider.  Batch Mead consecutively won "Best in Show" from the San Diego International Beer Festival from 2020 to 2022 and was also named "Best Mead" during the San Diego International Beer Competit...

Alie Shaper is the Co-founder and Winemaker at Chronicle Wines, which produces wines of character and purpose from the North Fork of Long Island. As an experienced wine and spirits professional, Alie has established an urban winery brand as an impactful marketing angle for the New York wine industry. Aside from leading Chronicle Wines, she runs a private label development and wine consulting busin...

Maria Rivero González is the CEO of RGNY Wine in the North Fork of Long Island. She's bringing a new winery steeped in her family's Mexican roots to the North Fork.  The Rivero González family opened a wine store in Mexico City in 2013 and additional stores in Monterrey and Parras two years later, before expanding their business to the North Fork with the purchase of Martha Clara Vineyards. In 201...

Andrew Quady is the Co-founder and CEO of Quady Winery. His path into the wine world started when he and his wife, Laurel, moved to the San Joaquin Valley to pursue a rural lifestyle. While there, Andrew discovered an unused patch of the rare Orange Muscat grape varietal, known in Italy as Moscato Fior d'Arancio. These grapes became Quady Winery's first full-bodied sweet wine, Essensia, and marked...

Nancie Oxley is the Vice President of Winemaking at St. Julian Winery. She proudly holds the title of Michigan's first female winemaker and has piloted the Michigan wine industry.  Nancie has been involved in the wine industry for the past 20 years and gained knowledge primarily through hands-on experience. She leads St. Julian's winemaking team, which has created hundreds of award-winning wines a...

Michael Fairbrother started Moonlight Meadery in 2010 to bring ultra-premium meads and ciders to the market. He previously worked at Fairbrother Software Consulting LLC as a Co-founder and CTO and was the President of Brew Free or Die, New Hampshire's first homebrew club.  For Michael and the rest of the Moonlight Meadery team, it is more than just a product and a process — it's an obsession. With...

Ryan Lang is the Co-founder, CEO, and Master Distiller of Middle West Spirits, an Ohio-based craft distillery. He is a fourth-generation distiller, going back to the early 1900s when distilling was a way for farms to bring in extra money. As a believer in vodka with character, Ryan is also a contributor to the four-part blend of American Liquor Co. In this episode with Ryan Lang Wineries and disti...

Jeff Herbert is the Co-founder of Superstition Meadery in Prescott, Arizona. He and his wife, Jennifer, built the meadery from scratch into one of the highest-rated beverage producers in the country. Jeff earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Arizona State University and spent most of his career as a firefighter for the Phoenix Fire Department. When he was still years from retirement and...

Clay Mauritson is the sixth generation in a family of grape growers and is the Owner and Founder of Mauritson Wines. Born and raised in the Dry Creek Valley, Clay was destined for the wine business. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1997 with a degree in business administration, focusing on marketing with a minor in economics. Equipped with his degree, Clay came back to Sonoma County t...

Howard Marx is the Founder and CEO of Vinvinea. He founded this global B2B business to disrupt the wine industry by enabling wineries, distributors, and retailers to generate greater profits through innovative digital solutions, empowering firms on their product's positioning and sales. In these roles, Howard leads global and cross-functional teams focused on customer sales growth, leverages digit...

Kim Roberts is the Co-owner of Westport Winery Garden Resort, which she founded in 2008 with her husband, Blain. The business is home to Ocean's Daughter Distillery, the Sea Glass Grill, the International Mermaid Museum, and resort lodging. The resort's guests travel from across the US — and the world — to experience everything Westport Winery has to offer.  The Westport Winery team is dedicated t...

Craig Camp is the General Manager of Troon Vineyard, fomenting another revolution in the beautiful Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. Surrounded by the Siskiyou Mountains, Craig and the whole Troon Vineyard team make natural wines now Demeter Biodynamic® and organic-certified both in the vineyard and the cellar. Aside from managing Troon Vineyard, Craig is currently President of the Applegate Va...

Brendan Quigley is the Co-owner and President of Quigley Fine Wines. Together with his wife, Christina, they are passionate oenophiles with a combined 30 years in the wine industry. They are supported and surrounded by great friends and family who share their wine obsession. Quigley Fine Wines' portfolio is continuously growing, and it offers an array of wonderfully delicious wines that are some o...

Alex Andrawes is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Personal Wine. He founded this wine-based technology company to focus on mass customization of wine and liquor for gifting and branding. Aside from Personal Wine, Alex is also the Founder of Chem ID and Estate Wine Brokers and is the author of the book Investing In Fine Wine . In this episode with Alex Andrawes What challenges do companies fac...

Diana Hawkins is the Owner and General Manager of Pope Valley Winery. She earned her agricultural business degree from CSU, Chico and moved back to Pope Valley, where she started as an Office Assistant at Pope Valley Winery. Today, Diana handles all of the winery's day-to-day management. Aside from leading the team, she also serves as a member of Eakle Vineyard Management and General Manager for E...

Angelica O'Reilly is the Owner of Distaff Wine Co. in Newberg, Oregon. Angelica and her daughters felt dictated about how and why people should enjoy certain wines. They noticed that the industry focused less on creating a conversation and learning and more on rigid rules and tradition. This led to them creating Distaff to make unique, fun wines, share their stories, and hear what loyal customers...

Dustin Mowe, is the President and CEO of Portocork, a premier supplier of natural cork closures to the North American wine industry. He has been in the cork business for more than 22 years and started a sales career at Sabaté Cork Company, which took him to every major wine-producing state in America. He then joined Portocork in 2001 and was promoted to President in 2006. A native of Burney, Calif...

Steve Fredricks is the President of Turrentine Brokerage, a company dedicated to helping California wine businesses by supplying accurate information about supply trends, providing win-win negotiations, and assisting many of the state's leading grape growers in marketing. Steve began working as a wholesale wine dealer for Turrentine Brokerage in 1991. Over the years, he has distinguished himself a...

Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf is the CEO of Picayune Cellars. She started the business with her good friend Jennifer Roberts because they shared the same love for drinking quality wines and the drive to search for a great value. The two started rescuing distinctive lots from prestigious wineries to make their blend in 2011.  Inspired by the power of a Mouton Rothschild, Claire earned a wine degree in Ch...

Erik Miller is the Owner and Winemaker of Kokomo Winery. He started the winery in 2004, naming it after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. Kokomo Winery currently produces over a dozen different varietals and several single-vineyard designates farmed by Erik's partner in the winery, grower Randy Peters. Erik started in the wine industry after he was offered an opportunity to work as a seasonal harve...

Paul Bonarrigo is the CEO of Messina Hof, a family-owned business built on the three cornerstones of family, tradition, and romance. Since its founding in 1977, it has become the most award-winning winery in the Lone Star State and one of the largest producers of 100% Texas wine. Paul's passion is wine, and his goal is to provide premium quality Texas Wine, an excellent hospitality experience, and...

Bill Wilson is the CEO of Wilson Creek Winery, located in the heart of Temecula Wine Country. The family business started in 1996 and now owns 90 acres and sells over 75,000 cases of wine each year. It also welcomes more than 1,500 visitors every weekend. Aside from leading Wilson Creek Winery, Bill serves on several Temecula Valley boards sharing his experiences, such as the 20/20 vision, the Tem...

Matthew Murphy is the President of Murphy Distributors. Murphy Distributors' vision is to become the Connecticut beverage supplier that retailers and restaurants choose to enhance their business success and brand image. Matthew has a demonstrated history of working in the wine and spirits industry. Since its inception, the company has been building brands in an exclusive franchise state while prov...

James Phillips is the Winemaker at the Madrigal Family Winery. He started in the filmmaking industry but eventually gravitated towards winemaking. While in film school, James took a part-time job at a small winery. This experience sparked his interest in and love for winemaking. Aside from bringing his expertise to the Madrigal Family Winery, James is also a consulting winemaker for seven differen...

Chris Brundrett is the Co-founder of William Chris Vineyards, leading the team with his good friend, Bill Blackmon. Chris acquired experience in the winery and the vineyard while earning a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University. Aside from managing his winery, Chris is the Co-founder of Texas Winegrowers, a former board member of Texas Hill Country Wineries Association, and a...