ROCKnVINO: A Pairing of Music & Wine

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Ned Lawton, Founder and Cidermaker at Ethic Ciders. Ned and his family decided to buy property in Sebastopol about 10 years ago, that had an apple orchard. They had children from their preschool in San Francisco come to the property to learn about farms. They decided to make cider with the juice, and have been making it for about...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Judd Wallenbrock, CEO of Priest Ranch Winery . Judd talks about working in the wine industry, learning about the synergy of wine, food and the arts from his time as global vice president of marketing at Robert Mondavi, president of Michel-Schlumberger, and president and CEO of C. Mondavi & Family. He founded his own label, Hum...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, host Michelle talks with Josh Windmiller, co-founder and director of the Railroad Square Music Festival , coming up on Sunday, September 22nd. This free event features a wide variety of Bay Area musicians on multiple stages, as well as food, beverages, a kids area, and more. While it is free to attend, it takes work and funds to produce, so sponsors and donations...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Bryce Dow-Williamson, Art & Event Consultant, Planning and Economic Department for the City of Santa Rosa. What does that title mean? It means that Bryce makes cool things happen in Santa Rosa, like the Live at Juilliard  concert series. There is one more free show left this season, on Sunday, August 18th from 5pm to 7pm. The...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Chef Itamar Abramovitch of Blossom Catering  and  (M)Eat Carnival . Chef Itamar is focused on crafting experiences with his food, so he is always thinking about how to enhance a wine and food pairing to really make it pop and complement the wine. That passion extends to Meat Carnival, which was born in Israel, and Chef Itamar brou...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Robert Young, Hospitality Manager at Robert Young Estate Winery . Robert is part of the 5th generation of family members working at this historic vineyard and winery. His ancestors moved to Sonoma County from New York during the gold rush and bought the ranch property in Alexander Valley, originally growing prunes. A suggestion ca...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Art Murray, owner of Flambeaux Wine  and Cory Schisler, co-owner of  The Madrona  about a great summer film series called Movies on the Lawn at The Madrona. Cory and his business partner took ownership of The Madrona during the pandemic and opened the doors in the Spring of 2022, giving the space new life and creativity. He is dir...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, host Michelle talks with Nate Prowse, organizer of the Fridays at the Hood  summer concert series. This is the second year for this fun concert series at Hood Mountain Regional Park. From June through August, enjoy a live concert from a local band every Friday evening, in an absolutely gorgeous spot to watch the sun set and shake your booty. This family friendly e...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Noah and Kelly Dorrance of Reeve Wines ,  BloodRoot Wines  and  The Ramble , a homegrown music and wine festival in Healdsburg on June 7th and 8th. Noah and Kelly moved to Sonoma County from Missouri after falling in love with each other and with wine.   Reeve Wines in Dry Creek Valley is known for small lot, delicious wines and a...

Grammy-winning blues musician Christone "Kingfish" Ingram performs as part of the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience on Friday, May 17th at Rodney Strong Vineyards. ROCKnVINO co-host Michelle Marques had a chance to chat with Christone about his hometown, his mentor Buddy Guy, what it was like to meet Michelle Obama, and his experience in the wine world. Get tickets to see him perform at healdsbu...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Steve Dveris, CEO of SD Media and Founder of the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience. Steve talks about the upcoming series of events from May 16th through May 19th, that focus on the makers behind the magic. At the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience you can dive into events that are delicious, fun, educational, inspirational, an...

During this episode of  ROCKnVINO , hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Lauren Fremont, Executive Director of  Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley  about the upcoming  Passport to Dry Creek Valley , Friday, April 26th through Sunday, April 28th.   This event has expanded to include a more intimate experience with boutique wineries on Friday, as well as a la carte luncheons and dinners on Friday as part...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle welcome back Patrick Davis, Founder of Songwriters in Paradise , a series of intimate songwriter showcases in the round where each songwriter shares the stories behind the songs, all paired with delicious food and wine. This year, the series returns to both Napa County and Sonoma County.    SIP Napa  is happening April 18th through April 21...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Erica J. Simpson, General Manager for the Uptown Theatre  in downtown Napa. Erica dishes on her time working for the Rolling Stones, how she acts around performers when she is star-struck, how she got her current job, the perks (and occasional downsides) of working at a concert venue, the best moment of a live show, the bar progra...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Art Murray, co-founder of T.O.W.N.  – a dinner series created to highlight all the beauty Sonoma County has to offer during months not traditionally visited. Short for “Traveling Off-Season for Wine Night”, TOWN features a uniquely themed dinner once a month, concluding the first season in March 2024. Art and Alex Harris have put...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Jason Lefler, owner of Stereophonic Wine . Jason describes his wines as the beginning of a journey, not the conclusion of one. With more than two decades of wine industry work under his belt, Jason decided he wanted to make a wine with a grape variety from his wife’s ancestral home in Italy, near Mt. Vesuvius. This Aglianico was p...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk about the just announced lineup for Bottlerock Napa Valley, May 24th through May 26th, 2024. Headliners include Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, Stevie Nicks, and Maná. Pearl Jam is working on a follow up album to 2020's Gigaton, and this is their only U.S. date so far. Ed Sheeran has been selling out massive shows in 2023, and this is also his...

During this episode of ROCKnVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Mark Hanson, co-founder and CEO of Bricoleur Vineyards. Mark is a Santa Rosa native and his wife Beth is the great granddaughter of Pietro Carlo Rossi, the original oenologist at Sonoma County’s historic Italian Swiss Colony. As such, both had a strong connection to Sonoma County, and after "retiring" they decided to start their o...

Hosts Michelle and Coco talk with Jay Nunez, founder and winemaker at No Love Lost Wine Co. Jay makes sustainable, natural wines, and is inspired by the unknown, challenging himself to make wines with intrigue and a unique spirit. He also wants to make approachable wines that can be enjoyed by anyone, not just the high end cab connoisseur. We chat with Jay about his tasting room in downtown Napa,...

During this episode of ROCK’nVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with The Wine Guy, Tom Simoneau! KSRO listeners are quite familiar with Tom’s voice, since he started his radio career as The Wine Guy on KSRO back in the 90s. Tom is uniquely suited for our show, since he started out as a musician and ended up a winemaker! Tom learned to play guitar with his college friends and decided to make a go o...

During this episode of ROCK’nVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Beth Costa, Executive Director of  Wine Road  about the upcoming  Wine & Food Affair , November 4th and 5th. More than 40 wineries are participating, each with a delicious wine pairing and great  recipes  you can try at home! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about pairing wine and food, and take those tips back to you...

  During this episode of ROCK’nVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle talk with Ian Devereux White and Jefferson Lee Rhodes of the band Rhodes Devereux . Ian is also the vintner and founder of  Smith Devereux Wines . Ian and Jeff have recently reunited to form their new band after years spent pursuing different passions. The two met while teens and formed a band called Standing Room Only. Now their life pa...

During this episode of ROCK'nVINO, hosts Coco and Michelle head into the moshpit with our guest Alec Graham, Executive Chef of Northern California for Foley Family Wines as we preview AFTERSHOCK 2023! Since the Aftershock Festival began in 2012, it has become THE destination for fans of metal, hard rock and punk, bringing massive headliners as well as up and coming bands to Discovery Park in Sacra...

During this episode of ROCK’nVINO hosts Michelle and Coco chat with Rene Byck, Vice President and Co-Owner of  Paradise Ridge Winery  in Santa Rosa. Paradise Ridge really has it all! Perched above Santa Rosa in Fountaingrove with some of the most spectacular views in all of Sonoma County, the winery also boasts a beautiful sculpture garden; a museum dedicated to Nagasawa Kanaye, one of the earlies...

During this episode of ROCK’nVINO hosts Michelle and Coco chat with Jeremy Carter, winemaker and founding partner of  Tarpon Cellars . Jeremy shares his background growing up in Georgia and fishing for tarpon (a kind of sport fish) in Florida. That is where the winery got its name! After thinking that he might want to work in the hospitality side of wineries, an internship in Rutherford changed hi...