The TallMikeWine Podcast

In 2008 Jay Nunez watched a movie on a flight to Spain. The movie turned out to be Bottle Shock, and Jay's pivotal "ah ha" wine moment. Jay now owns his own small wine label, No Love Lost, based in Napa. But Jay makes wine from small family-owned vineyards all over the Bay Area. Hear the whole story, of Jay's upbringing in Florida with his Cuban immigrant parents, his first ins...

Another year nears its end and Mike's feeling nostalgic for year-end countdowns of the past, with Casey Kasem. Hear a rare "unguarded moment" from the King of the Countdowns (NSFW) and then hear Mike count down the top wines he drank this year. Also, the "rest of the story" from the recent Washington vacation, wherein some ribs were fractured. Comments? Questions? Send an...

We pick up right where part 1 left off! Mike tastes and tastes and tastes through another 3 days in Walla Walla, talking to everyone, and getting the scoop! More great stories of people moving their lives to experience the magic in the southeastern corner of the Evergreen State. Also, restaurants, and why it is that part of the Walla Walla region is in Oregon? Oh, and sadly Cara Almberg (the Wine...

Mike packed up the mic and went on vacation again to Walla Walla Washington. Lots of driving, then lots of wine, wine, and more wine. And conversation with the Winos of Walla Walla. It would seem people move there to pursue their Wine Dreams, and actually achieve them! You may decide to pack your bags after listening to this episode. However if you just want to SEE what Mike's talking about,...

Fourteen years ago, Shelbi Herring started a wine importing company - buying wine from very small wineries in Argentina and selling them to restaurants, wine shops, etc. all over the San Francisco Bay Area. She was only 26! Now the business has grown to include more wine from more countries, a winery of it's own, and Copa Fina now sells wine all over California and Arizona. It's a great...

Mike's back in the Vintner's Room at Nicholson Ranch, chatting with Taylor Derenzo, who works in marketing at Saintsbury Winery just a few miles away. The two of them totally "geek out" on a couple of wines and also discuss the not uncommon path Taylor took to wine country from her upbringing in Massachusetts, Florida and Kentucky, the difference between "wine geeks"...

Mike's been working towards getting some new guests, but in the meantime he wants to tell you about something he's sort of fixated on. For no good reason. ALSO, plans are coming together for another vacation to Walla Walla Washington, which of course means another visit with Cara Almberg, the Wine Woman of Walla, and all the great people of the Walla Walla Wine community. Oh and a couple...

A quick update on Mike's wine drinking, and weekend activity, plus a conversation with Amy in Costa Rica (or Coaster Rica). Mike sent a stack of the "official" Podcast Coasters to her and it was a bit of an adventure. What's Amy up to down there??? It's a fun conversation. Enjoy! Help Support the Podcast with $$$ - and thank you! Would you like your OWN set of coasters???...

Mike is BACK after a somewhat unintended break, which he explains before getting into a great conversation with best-selling author Boo Walker. Boo is from South Carolina, and now lives in Maine. Somewhere in between he lived on Red Mountain in Washington State and embeded himself into the wine community. This inspired his book series "The Red Mountain Chronicles". Hear how an aspiring b...

In between guests again, and wrapping up his own "weekend" away from the winery (his days off are currently Thursday and Friday), Mike shares the wines he drank as you head into YOUR weekend (unless you're listening on some other day - it's complicated). Also, who's getting coasters lately? The plight of mailing things to Costa Rica, a couple of new podcast recommendations...

Adam started off as a food blogger while finishing up Law School in the early 2000s. Then he worked for Food Network! Then he wrote a cookbook (he has another one coming out)! Now his blog is a twice weekly email , AND he has a Podcast! On this episode we find out WHY he was in law school to begin with; why his podcast changed names a few months back; how he seemingly eats amazing meals all the ti...

Another "from the road" episode, as Mike travels north into Sonoma County in search of new wines, unfamiliar wineries and people with good stories to tell. He finds all of it! It turns out a lot of people come to wine country to live the good life, leaving former lives behind. Also, we get to experience the real and dramatic micro-climate differences in various parts of Sonoma County. Fo...

Mike's been away for a few weeks, with Covid 19! Find out the surprising way he contracted the virus, and what he missed most while he was sick. Also, the wines he enjoyed as he came out of it all! For pictures of those wines, and to follow Mike's every move, follow him on Instagram AT TallMikeWine. Wines discussed this episode: 2021 Underground Wine Project "And Why am I Mr Pink&qu...

Ellen Clifford grew up in St Louis, and left after college to pursue acting in Los Angeles. She did some acting, some improv, but she also got bitten by the wine bug! Now she's achieved some wine bona fides and hosts a wine podcast, The Wine Situation. Mike and Ellen talk Italian wine, Mike's career in radio, and Ellen's "special talent" as a contortionist! Find out why Mi...

Mike is again between guests, sipping solo at home, with a few stories to tell. He's recently been a guest on a podcast, Adam Roberts' "Amateur Gourmet" Podcast. Find it where you find podcasts. And now Adam's been the guest on a very entertaining episode of THIS podcast. Also, what's been happening at Nicholson Ranch lately may disturb you! Oh, and wines Mike is sipp...

In between guests for the podcast again, Mike is puttering in the garden at home, cooking, and of course sipping wine! Hear all about the change of the seasons in Northern California, tasting notes on two VERY different Cabernets, plus a few other things. Don't forget to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Write a review if you're moved to do so. Want to communicate a little m...

When he was young, Curtis Stigers was kept out of a youth quire by a woman who said he was "not a singer!" She sent him to play in band, where he learned clarinet and sax. He's been playing sax and fronting bands (as a vocalist!) for over 30 years now. Along the way he's sold a few million records, opened for people like Elton John and Eric Clapton and had a song on the 45-mill...

Back in the early 2000's Mike was living in Spokane Washington, just out of radio and into restaurant/wine work. Aditi Roy was there too, a TV News reporter who later would work for ABC News and CNBC. They knew some of the same people and hung out once in a while. A lot of years have passed but NOW they both live in the Bay Area, and they've recently both started hosting podcasts! Of cou...

Mike chats again with his pal Kerry Shiels, winemaker at Cote Bonneville in Washington State. Kerry's family planted the DuBrul Vineyard -  one of Washington's premiere vineyards 30 years ago this year. The two of them really geek out about things like soil, how the vines age (and what's behind the term "old vines"), micro-climates and more science stuff! They also sip a f...

Kicking off the new year AND the second year of the Podcast, Mike chats with Amy Reiley, an expert in "Aphrodisiac Foods". And what better aphrodisiac is there than wine, right? Amy has written books on the topic - Fork Me, Spoon Me is one of the titles. She also maintains a website eatsomethingsexy.com where you can follow along with her research into foods and wine that will "get...

Not a lot of people listening to Podcasts over Christmas, but that's okay! It's given Mike time to compile his list of the Top Wines He Drank in 2021! Also, time to plan for the Podcast Anniversary which was in January. Mike hosted a Zoom call on January 11th. Some of the guests from podcasts past showed up, as well as a few listeners. Sorry you missed it. Maybe we'll do another Zoo...

A chat with fellow podcaster Ashley Davis, from Swipe East Swipe West, a podcast that compares the differing dating cultures from different regions of the country and other parts of the world. Mike met Ashley when she visited Nicholson Ranch last summer with friends, and he's been a guest on HER podcast (he talked about "dating in the dark ages" before the internet). On this episode...

Back from vacation and back in the Bombay Room at Nicholson Ranch Winery in Sonoma -  Mike chats with Larry "Sharpie" Sharp! Larry worked at such iconic Seattle radio stations as KISW and KZOK, and programmed stations all over the west coast! Now He makes his home in Napa, so it was obvious for him to show up in the Bombay room at Nicholson Ranch and sit for a podcast session. The guys c...

A very unique episode! Mike packed up his microphone and went on vacation to Walla Walla Washington! Of course to taste wine, but also to talk to the people (he wanted to sing Karaoke but that didn't happen). Hear the people Mike met (he comes face-to-face with the Wine Woman of Walla Walla, Cara Almberg!) and his thoughts on all the driving he did - it's like being in the passenger&apos...

Stacy Brsiscoe didn't set out to be a wine journalist when she got out of college with a degree in American Literature, but as often happens, wine found her! She tells Mike about slowly building a wine writing career on multiple platforms; the first time she really "got it" when drinking wine - there were lots of people around; about how she takes the sometimes "dry" busin...