Sip Sip Hooray Podcast

Buckle up for the newest Sip Sip Hooray! podcast episode! When you think of wine in Carmel Valley, the first label that comes to mind is Bernardus. This Monterey County winery led the way in establishing the Carmel Valley AVA as a world class wine region. The Marys are excited to be back at Bernardus Winery & Vineyards in beautiful Carmel Valley Village! We filmed several episodes of our NBC TV sh...

Climate change is on eveyone's mind, especially when it comes to the world's grape growers and winemakers. Wildfires, drought, water scarcity, hail, floods, extreme weather, oh my! While there's much reason for concern, our guest today says there is hope. It is not all gloom and doom, but we must be mindful. Let's be clear, climate change is happeing now. The Marys welcome Brian Freedman, author o...

We're celebrating bubbles and California's Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County on Sip Sip Hooray! with Scott Caraccioli of Caraccioli Cellars. Of course the holidays are sparkling wine season, but we believe bubbles are for year round -- and yes, daily sipping 🥂 But there is much more to Caraccioli Cellars than sparkling wine! Scott makes terrific still wines too - Pinot Noir, Syrah, and eve...

The Marys are honored to have wine writer extraordinare Alice Feiring on our pod! Acclaimed wine writer Alice Feiring has been in love with wine for decades. She started her sensory training at very young age, sniffing everything along with her grandfather. Little could she have imagined then growing up to be the OG natural wine movement writer, or the person to take down the homogenous ”Parkeriza...

If you don't know the wines of Lepe Cellars in Monterey County, you're in for a treat! The Marys continue their Monterey County wine tour, where we met up with Miguel Lepe, founding winemaker of Lepe Cellars. Miguel is an up and coming winemaker, who, as the county's first Mexican American winery owner, has a great story that you need to know! Thanks to one college course, Miguel's life path was f...

Creating opportunity. That’s how our guest, winemaker Denis Hoey, has been living his life. He pursued a dream of making wine, and now that he’s established his own winery, Odonata Wines in the Monterey County AVA, he’s dedicated to bringing others along in the wine industry. The Marys visit Denis at his Salinas Valley winery - one of seven on the River Road Wine Trail - and we are blown away by h...

The Marys have a new friend in wine! Join us for an engaging conversation with the woman who just doesn't know how to stop! Sip Sip Hooray to that! Are you ready to meet the tour de force that is Iris Rideau? From a young age she always had the determination to make hers and the lives of others better. Iris' life is one of many first and of breaking multiple glass ceilings. Her illustrious career...

We are excited to introduce you to this wine dynamo! Heidi Scheid does it all, from transforming her family's business as grape growers to winemakers, overseeing Scheid Family Wines business operations, developing new brands - including a low ABV wine - to raising a family and summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.  Whew! The Marys traveled to the Salinas Valley in the Monterey County AVA to me...

The Marys are thrilled to welcome a true wine dynamo and new friend to the pod! Meet Philana Bouvier. She's the President of Napa Valley-based Demeine Estates , whose impressive portfolio includes Heitz Cellar, Burgess, Stony Hill, as well as international wineries Champagne Legras & Haas, Domaine de Montille, Racine, La Chablisienne, Ca Rome, and more across France and Italy. At Demeine Estat...

For this episode of Sip Sip Hooray! we are in Hopland in California's Mendocino County at the beautiful, picturesque winery, Saracina Vineyards. Tucked into the rolling hills, the mantra at this wine ranch is biodiversity and sustainability. Since its founding by John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has been on the leading edge of a holistic approach to grape growing and winemaking. Vineya...

Can you have a healthy and balanced life with wine? Our guest today says yes! Wine is plentiful in so many professional and personal situations and it can be challenging to navigate, especially if you feel like pulling back. Rebecca Hopkins created A Balanced Glass , an online community of winegrowers, winemakers, cellar workers, winery management and ownership, folks in sales and marketing, PR, m...

From behind the scenes of the theater and opera stage to behind the wine label, Sabrine Rodems gave up the bright lights of theater and film production for producing bold wines.  Sabrine hones her craft daily at Wrath Wines in the picturesque Santa Lucia Highlands of California's Monterey County. This region is known for world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thanks to the sun and wind that de...

Her family is California's First Family of Chardonnay. Most Chardonnay vines planted in the state are from the Wente clone, developed in Livermore Valley at Wente Vineyards by Niki Wente's family. So you can imagine Niki has big shoes to fill. But as a 5th generation winegrower, she's stepping up to the challenge in her role as Viticultural Manager, overseeing vineyards operations and grape growin...

Are you watching OWN's The Kings of Napa? We are, and we're loving the bingeworthy show about a powerful African-American family in Napa Valley with secrets and scandals that are juicier than the grapes! Joining us for this special Sip Sip Hooray episode is creator and showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois. She's the award-winning writer and executive producer behind many of TV's top shows, including...

Meet Mark Pisoni. He's a 3rd generation farmer and son of legendary winemaker Gary Pisoni of Pisoni Vineyards. While Gary is larger-than-life, Mark is quietly building his own legacy, as grape grower extraordinare, managing what some call Grand Cru vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands: Pisoni, Garys' and Sobranes. For Mark, it all comes down to farming, nature, wine and family. He farms sustaina...

We strike a harmonious cord in the wine world with this episode! Say hello to winemaker Shalini Sekhar. She wears many hats in her role as winemaker for Neely Wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Waits-Mast Family Cellars in Mendocino County, among others. She also finds time to make wine under her own label, Ottovino Wines . Our setting for this (socially distanced) episode, just before harvest 2...

Why should California try to be Champagne? That's the question Napa winemaker Jon Person posed to himself and his wife Jacqueline. When it comes to bubbly, Champagne‘s allure is clear. But thanks to folks like Dan and Jacqueline, there’s a new style of California bubbly. Think sunshine in a glass, and breaking all the traditional rules. Dan says sparkling wine is an every occassion wine - and we a...

If you think tech and wine don't go together, you haven't met our guest, tech entrepreneur T.J. Rodgers. We all know stories about tech world titans who buy - or launch - their own winery, which often becomes a vanity project. But that's not the case for T.J. Rodgers. The man who created Cypress Semiconductor Corporation is the mastermind behind Clos de la Tech winery in California's Santa Cruz Mo...

Have we got an Olympic-sized episode for you! We are thrilled to welcome 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin to Sip Sip Hooray! She won gold in the pool, now she’s winning gold in the vineyard. Join us, the Marys, As we dive deep into what drives Natalie, her Olympic career and her new wine label Gaderian Wines. Natalie says yes to opportunity when it presents itself to her. That’s l...

This episode is a Sip Sip Hooray! podcast exclusive! What does lineage mean when it comes to wine? For our guest today lineage means everything. Steven Kent Mirassou’s family is America’s oldest winemaking family - older than the Mondavi’s, the Sebastianis and the Gallos. He’s now working side-by-side with the seventh generation. If you are a Pinot Noir lover, you can thank Mirassou’s ancesto...

This Sip Sip Hooray! episode is all about courage! As a child growing up in Bosnia, Samra Morris dodged incoming fire just trying to go to school. This brave woman survived her war-torn country, studying winemaking in her native Sarajevo. Now Samra’s following in the footsteps of a wine world legend - Richard Sanford at Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara wine...

She's bubbly, effervesecent, elegant and ebullent. We're thrilled to have Champagne Laurent-Perrier's Michelle DeFeo join us for a great conversation about one of our favorite beverages, French Champagne. Michelle DeFeo is the President of Laurent-Perrier U.S. The winery, dating back to 1812, is the largest family-owned and female-led Champagne house. Join us, the Marys, as we get the inside...

Resilience. Determination. Perseverance. These three words describe our guest, Alan Viader o f Viader Vineyards & Winery . Resilience to continue in the face of wildfire devastation. Determination to grow grapes on the steepest, rockiest slopes of Napa Valley's Howell Mountain, and perseverance to survive not one but two major fire events. Join the Marys as we get right into a story so relevan...

Julia Coney is a powerhouse in the wine world. This wine journalist and entrepreneur, a former beauty writer, who loves perfume and Champagne, is changing how the world views the wine industry. She founded Black Wine Professionals in the wake of the George Floyd shooting to recognize black people working in all aspects of wine, offering visibility, support and guidance. Tune in as the Marys get to...

When documentary director Jason Wise premiered SOMM at the Napa Valley Film Festival in 2012, he didn't imagine the runaway success of the film. In our far ranging interview, Jason gives the Marys the behind the scenes scoop and previews the many (and we mean many) new video and movie projects coming soon to your home computer and smartphone. You won't want to miss this lively chat! Nearly 20 year...