The TallMikeWine Podcast

Award winning bartender Jeff "the Barfly" Burkhart joins Mike in the "studio" (his condo) in Novato California, for a chat about The Bizz of restaurants, bartending and Jeff de-mystifies vermouth. Jeff has also written books and is a columnist for various publications, we'll dig deep into all of it! Check out Mike's Instagram for pictures from behind the scenes! Email...

Mike takes his microphone to work at Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma to capture the "behind the scenes" of a day during harvest season. He talks to the wine-making crew and to Deepak, the Big Boss about the 2024 vintage. He also talks about what's "in his glass". This episode is great with headphones on! $ponsor The Podcast HERE (Many thanks!) Have you emailed Mike for Coasters?...

Mike chats with Dr. Elizabeth Smith...a conversation that had to be rerecorded, and rescheduled twice! Long story, listen to hear it all. Also hear about the travels of Dr. Smith from her Carolinas upbringing to the halls of accademia to the vineyards in California, and on to Croatia. It's quite a journey. Also Nikola Tesla and Dalmatians, and tasting notes on a handful of wines and more. How...

Back from and unplanned hiatus, Mike chats with his pal Alex, who works with vineyards in the Napa Valley. How's the 2024 vintage looking? Alex will tell us. Also tennis, the "last meal" before the Covid shutdown, the "songs of the summer" and notes on a couple of delicious wines as they swirl, sniff and sip. It's a fun chat! Support the show financially HERE (many th...

Nora T. Murphy works down the road at Gundlach-Bundschu (GunBun) and she's been there for seven years. She also hosts a Punk Rock radio show at the community radio station KSVY. Hear the tale of the long and winding road Nora took from suburban Chicago to wine country AND musings about winery life, the decline of the Great American Department Store as well as details on the wines Mike and Nor...

One of Mike's faves returns to the Podcast - Cara Almberg, the *former* Wine Woman of Walla Walla Washington. Cara talks about both a change of location AND change of career, she's moved out of the wine business. They also discuss the Stanley Cup playoffs, dogs, and Mike's fascination with Instagram Reels. Oh, and Mike talks in a goofy Australian accent! Don't miss it! Chip in...

Mike's pal, and fellow podcast host, Amy Mair checks in with some good summer reads! The two of them also sip some good wines, and get into a serious debate about "listening" to books vs actually reading them the old fashioned way. This is really THE wine podcast that's NOT "all about wine" - but there's plenty of wine, don't worry. And to see the wines bein...

Alissa Limbocker, from Pangloss Cellars who have a tasting room in downtown Sonoma, started her life in the suburbs of Sacramento and eventually attended college and got on "the path" to what she was raised to believe was a good life. But at some point she realized something was missing. That something turned out to be wine. Hear about her "ah ha!" moment while watching a docum...

Another visit with the Wizard of Northwest Wine, Sean P. Sullivan! The latest news from the world of Northwest wine plus an update on Sean's website northwestwinereport.com as a subscription-based news outlet. Why is more and more journalism switching to indepedant platforms? Also, baseball season! Oh, and a couple of delicious wines are tasted...it's a good chat! Support the Podcast Fin...

Mike's pal Walter Hamlin was raised in the 7th Day Adventist Church, so there was NO alcohol. Surprisingly Walter has made a career for himself in the wine business. Funny how life happens. Mike and Walter chat in the Vintner's Room at Nicholson Ranch about their time working for a small wine wholesaler in San Francisco; Walter's first gig in the bizz at one of Napa's most well...

Mike is back in the Vintner's Room, for a chat with Kyle Stoner, wine tour bus driver and stage actor! The conversation covers such diverse topics as bachelorette parties in wine country and puppet sex(!), show tunes and karaoke. The guys also taste a couple of delicious wines, and as usual have plenty of laughs. To get on Kyle's bus, check out Platypus To urs Support the show finnancial...

More driving, more great wine (and food!) and fun chats with the local wine geeks of Paso Robles. You'll feel as though you are in the passenger's seat on this road trip. Support the podcast financially click here (many thanks!!) Wanna see what it all looks like? Follow Mike on Instagram ! To check in via EMAIL write to Mike on Gmail . Wineries on this episode: Nicora Winery, Hubba Wines...

Mike packed up the microphones and headed south! His first visit to the exploding Paso Robles wine region. He talks to his fellow wine enthusiasts about the "Paso Scene" (also how to properly pronounce things), and tells you about the also very hot restaurant scene. To support the show financially CLICK HERE (thanks a lot!!) Email Mike HERE!! Look at it ALL HERE!! Wineries visited: Tabla...

Mike hits the road and heads east to Lodi California, not the *most* well known wine region, but there *is* lots of wine there. A chat with Eliza Hess from Lucas Winery about the 2023 vintage, what Lodi does best, how a farm girl from Illinois ended up out west and (wait for it) the TUBA! A few nice Lucas wines are tasted, too. Help support the show financially - CLICK HERE (many thanks!) For pict...

Mike learns of a new musical genre, Trop Rock! A sort of "beachy" country music (Jimmy Buffett is the bench mark), and Erica Sunshine Lee is one of the leading practitioners, touring 300 dates a year. Hear how this small-town Georgia girl became a sensation, and what type of wine she likes to drink in her down time. She is a WINE lover! Coasters! Official TallMikeWine Podcast Coasters -...

Lately Mike's been pondering a certain wine label from an Italian producer, Tolaini, and their Cabernet Sauvignon "Legit". Find out why, and hear how this wine came to be, from Lia Tolaini herself, who Zooms in from Tuscany. Also, what else has been in Mike's glass of late. To help SUPPORT the show financially click here (thank you!!). How about your own set of Official TallMik...

Zooming in from Mexico City, Javier de La Torre talks to Mike about his early life, in the world of banking, finance, consulting for power plants and oil companies, and a brief foray in the fitness industry. But eventually, upon reflection what he really wanted to do was cook for people, and drink delicious wine, so he created KÜA Kocina Nómada. Then came podcasting! Javier hosts Vino Con Todo in...

Rachel Coe joins Mike in the Vintner's Room at Nicholson Ranch. She's just returned from a trip to France to assist in the opening of Dominique Crenn's newest venture in Paris. Rachel runs the beverage programs for all Crenn Restaurant Group projects, which keeps her super busy....and she loves it! Rachel and Mike talk about her early years, tasting wines at the dinner table with he...

Mike's pal, and host of the Red Fern Book Review Podcast, Amy Mair "zooms in" for a chat about books! Amy recommends some good summer reads, and talks about the genesis of her own podcast. Of course they also sip wine and talk about it, and discuss the similarities of critiquing books and wine. Amy's Summer Book Picks: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang The Villa by Rachel Hawkins Age o...

Mike's longtime friends Karin and Jeff Reed came down from Seattle for a visit. Tag along on a trip up the Napa Valley! They visit 3 wineries, all unique (Mike got to pet a horse at one of them), and taste through too many wines to count. There's also conversation with Podcast Guest #5 Hiro Sogi. See pictures on Mike's Instagram ! To SUPPORT the show financially click here ! Stops a...

A standup comic and his wife walk into a winery.......NO, it's not a setup for a joke, it's a true story. Nathan Owens, rising star comedian from Atlanta visited the winery with his wife back in February. He and Mike hit it off immediately and found they BOTH host podcasts and enjoy laughter (giving and receiving). Now Nathan is ON the podcast, to talk about wine (boxed and non-boxed); b...

The Big Boss at Nicholson Ranch is back for his 5th time on the podcast. Deepak talks to Mike about the BIG Project, replanting a large portion of the estate vineyard. Before that Mike explains where he's been the past few weeks! And what wines he's had in his glass of late. It's a fun peek behind the scenes. You can see pictures on Mike's Instagram - follow along!  Follow Mike...

This episode really should be called "come for the mountains, stay for the wine" - for that is what happened to Sean Sullivan, the founder and editor of Northwest Wine Report . Visiting his brother in college near Seattle, Sean came under the spell of Mount Rainier and actually moved to Seattle from the east coast. He climbed the mountain! Then wine came along, and another spell was cast...

The Wine Woman of Walla Walla Washington, Cara Almberg returns to the podcast for a chat about the Super Bowl, her NEW job - in the Oregon part of Walla Walla, Maui, Russell Crowe, hockey and more! Yes, it's really the Wine Podcast that's NOT "all about wine". Although they do sip a couple of delicious wines, and Mike describes (in detail) what a "corked" wine smells...

Mike talks about his friend and co-worker JC who passed away recently, and plays clips from their July 2021 podcast conversation "JC Brings the Science" Send Mike a TEXT (click here) he may use it on a future episode! Support the show IMPORTANT!! Please "follow" or "subscribe" to the podcast, so you don't miss an episode. If you listen on Apple Podcasts take a mo...