Wine Spectator's Straight Talk

Very few chefs have shaped Napa Valley dining quite like Cindy Pawlcyn. Over a career spanning more than four decades, the chef and restaurateur behind Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and numerous other Bay Area restaurants has helped define what wine country cuisine is today. Pawlcyn joins Wine Spectator Napa Bureau Chief MaryAnn Worobiec to discuss her Midwestern upbringing, launching...

Napa Valley-based winemaker Sam Kaplan might just be having a moment these days as his Memento Mori, Vida Valiente, Arkenstone and Maxem projects are enjoying notable success despite the wine world’s current headwinds. And that’s not all he’s up to. Kaplan joined host James Molesworth in Wine Spectator's Napa studio to talk about his path to wine, including a childhood spent with some grapevines p...

Drops of God , the Apple TV series about a quest to identify some of the world’s rarest wines, won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series this past year, and season 2 debuts Jan. 21. One of the show’s biggest stars, French actress Fleur Geffrier, joined host James Molesworth in Wine Spectator's New York studio to talk about the show and how it has impacted her personal relationship wit...

It's time to count down Wine Spectator' s Top 10 Wines of 2025 ! And we're talking to the man behind our 2025 Wine of the Year—both before and after he heard the big news. Join host James Molesworth and director Rob Taylor as they reveal the most exciting wines of 2025, and then Château Giscoirs' Alexander Van Beek joins the program to talk about his life in wine, and then tell us what it was like...

Few California wineries can match Opus One for global prestige. A famous partnership between Napa's Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux's Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the winery is still making elite Cabernets long after its founders' passing, thanks in large part to one man whose name you might not know: Michael Silacci. Silacci has guided Opus One for more than two decades, and his résumé lists a Who's...

He's the man behind some of the most prestigious names in wine, including Bordeaux's Pichon Baron and Portugal's Quinta do Noval, and now AXA Millésimes managing director Christian Seely is behind the mic on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.   "People do not drink Château Pichon because they're trying to get the alcohol content," Seely tells Straight Talk host Jame...

Occidental winemaker Catherine Kistler grew up with an in-house wine legend: California Chardonnay icon, and also her dad, Steve. But Catherine came home to make Pinot Noir in 2017, and they landed at No. 2 on Wine Spectator ’s 2023 Top 10 Wines of the Year.   “In California we’re always self-conscious of being young compared to the Old World,” she tells host James Molesworth. “And to have th...

It's our season 2 finale and we're counting down Wine Spectator' s Top 10 Wines of 2024! But before James reveals this year's 10 most exciting wines, including Wine Spectator 's 2024 Wine of the Year, we're taking a look at the economic state of the U.S. wine market with longtime industry insider Rocco Lombardo, president of Wilson Daniels, and our very own senior editor for news Mitch Frank. And...

Napa Valley is in the thick of harvest 2024, the busiest time of year in wine country, and Napa Cabernet superstar Thomas Rivers Brown took a break to tell us about the realities of harvest season—hope you like cleaning!—as well as his “Ziploc baggy mini-maceration method” for deciding when a vineyard is ready to be picked. Plus, Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny joins the program for a “sweet” harvest v...

When it comes to California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, few names command as much respect as Sonoma's Kistler Vineyards. Kistler president and winemaker Jason Kesner joined Straight Talk host James Molesworth to tell us about growing up in the Napa wine industry—including where Robert Mondavi bought the weekly staff donuts—and how he strives to do a little bit less in the vineyard and winery with e...

Straight from the cover of Wine Spectator and the season 3 premiere of hit TV series The Bear , legendary chef Daniel Boulud invites us into the Daniel dining room for an exclusive interview about what it means to be a chef today, his legacy of mentorship and why his next restaurant will reflect a shift in allegiance since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021: "I finally became American. I always felt...

A few days after winemaker Meghan Zobeck started her new job at Napa's historic Burgess Cellars, the winery burned down in the 2020 wildfires. With the help of owner Gaylon Lawrence and CEO Carlton McCoy, not only did Burgess bounce back, but Zobeck's followup 2021 Cabernets are outstanding. She tells us about her journey from the NFL to Chile's Clos Apalta to Michel Rolland's team in France to Ca...

Patz & Hall co-founder James Hall is still pinching himself: After selling the iconic California Chardonnay brand in 2016, Hall was able to buy it back earlier this year. He tells us how he did it, and then takes us all the way back to landing his first winery gig in Napa … by pretending he could speak Italian?! Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes Wine Spectator senior editors Ma...

Salvestrin Family winemaker Natalie Winkler struck a chord when the 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon earned a spot among  Wine Spectator 's Top 10 Wines of 2021 . But it all started with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir … Winkler represents a new breed of California wine pros specializing not just in winemaking  or  vineyard management, but in  both , and...

Winemaker Dan Petroski made news when he sold his boutique California white wine brand Massican to Gallo late last year. But that was just the latest step on a wine journey that started ignominiously as a Columbia University football player and began in earnest a decade later after an eye-opening dinner at Le Bernardin in New York. Petroski went on to become cellarmaster at Larkmead , where he wor...

From his teetotaling childhood home to Opus One's debut vintage to putting Argentine Malbec on the map, winemaker Paul Hobbs opens up to host James Molesworth about his career-defining moments with candid humor and insightful analysis in the season 2 premiere of Wine Spectator 's Straight Talk podcast! Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us about a government study that recent...

It's our season 1 finale and our year-end roundup of the most exciting wines of the year! In this episode, host James Molesworth is joined by senior editor Bruce Sanderson , counting down our Top 10 Wines of the Year, including an exclusive interview with the man behind our 2023 Wine of the Year! Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us about the biggest stories of the year, we remem...

What's in the cellar of the world's second-richest man? Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us all about LVMH founder, chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault , the man behind not just fashion house Louis Vuitton and the Möet & Chandon Champagne house (including Dom Pérignon), but also brands like Dior, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Hublot, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and many more...

We're live at Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience in this special episode of Straight Talk with host James Molesworth.  He's joined by senior editor for news Mitch Frank , podcast director Rob Taylor and a cast of wine and restaurant industry all-stars that includes chefs José Andrés , Emeril Lagasse and Eric Ripert , Hollywood legend Rich Frank , Tribeca Grill wine director D...

What wine pairs best with turkey and sides? Straight Talk podcast director Rob Taylor made an emergency appointment with Wine Spectator advice columnist Dr. Vinny (aka senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec ) for some tips on Thanksgiving wine pairing, including pumpkin pie! And don't miss Episode 16: Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience with Chefs José Andrés , Emeril Lagasse and Eric Ripe...

Episode 15 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast is all about California Cabernet, and host James Molesworth 's interview with Napa winemaker Maya Dalla Valle was too fun not to share the whole thing. Enjoy the full, uncut  Dalla Valle interview, and don't forget to listen to Episode 15 of Straight Talk for our exclusive interview between Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marv...

Don't miss this Straight Talk podcast exclusive: Never-before-heard highlights from Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken 's one-on-one interview with Napa Cabernet legend Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards. Host James Molesworth also welcomes Napa winemaker Maya Dalla Valle to the studio. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnist Dr. Vinny addresses the old adage tha...

We're welcoming the one and only Sarah Jessica Parker in this episode of  Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. If you only know her as an award-winning actress and producer, let us show you her winemaking side! Host James Molesworth   welcomes back senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec for a look at the New Zealand wine scene, and senior editor Bruce Sanderson tells us what to look for from...

We're detouring to Scotland for a look at our Oct. 15 issue cover story: Whisky for Wine Lovers. In episode 13 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast, host James Molesworth   welcomes back Wine Spectator executive editor Jeffery Lindenmuth , along with Whisky Advocate senior taster Jonny McCormick , for a lively discussion on how and why whisky holds such a strong appeal for wine love...

California Pinot Noir is the star of the show in episode 12 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. Host James Molesworth   welcomes Sonoma winemaking legend Mark Aubert and Santa Barbara Pinot Noir star Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnist Dr. Vinny explains vine clones, and stay tuned til the end for James'  sneak peek wine pick! Thirsty for...