Wine Talks with Paul K.

We could have spoken for hours. In fact, after I turned off the recording system, he stayed for another 20 minutes wrapping up the previous hour. With a Ph. D. in history, Cristian is able to add a level of depth to the conversation about wine and its history. Wine is everywhere throughout history and as a matter of academia, represents so much about history, that it is hard to separate one from t...

There can only be one explanation (maybe two) for someone to want, study, test and pass both the Master of Wine curriculm and the Master Sommelier curriculm. So rare it is that there are only 3 people in the world that have done it. One reason could be the pure academia of them; the study, the knowledge, the challenge to learn more. And another reason is the passion for wine. For David, it is a lo...

Reading Kenny's website www.bluerockvineyard.com , you will learn that the night he met his wife it was love ar first sight...for him. Tongue tied the rest of the night, the story ends well with solid marriage; let's face it, it would have to be if she stuck around through the creation of a winery. The story behind Blue Rock winery is storied. You don't just buy a dilapidated farmhouse with a coll...

Once in a while in this crazy business, you stumble across passion that has no bounds. Certainly, even to engage in the wine trade it takes passion, but there is typically an end to it. I am not sure it is fair to say the passion has an end, but there are many who might give up in an idea before its time Not Max Mussio. He is so committed that it took exactly 2 days for him to indoctrinate his the...

It just doesn't happen like this. All the headwinds were there. It most likely cannot be repeated, so don't get any bright ideas.  Americans don't just pick up and move to Burgundy, buy land, produce wine, become indoctrinated to the region and leave (to live in Idaho). It just doesn't happen like that, unless you are Alex Gambal. The path to Burgundy starts in Washington DC while in the real esta...

Sometimes you just come across a story that makes you realize that you haven't had is so tough. You haven't had to start from scratch...ever. You haven't had to leave your life behind in your home country to start a new. You haven't had to learn a new career in short order to get financial footing. Well, I haven't but Laura Donadoni and her husband have. The tone of this podcast defines humility a...

Melvyn and Janie Master were my heroes. Their life together was a pure love affair. In recent years, when they would come to LA to hang, Melvyn would insist on dinner together and each of these encounters sollidified this magical relationship. And why shouldn't be that way, their story together covers all the gamets of life; start out with nothing, take a few risks, end up with nothing and go agai...

We all know the story of Rudy Kurniawan, the famed subject of the movie "Sour Grapes" and the most publicized of wine counterfeiters. When the FBI needed help in understanding what otherwise was, according to the FBI, "non-consequential", they turned to Maureen for counsel. Maureen Downey has carved a niche around what is now a growing industry of counterfeit wine. The stories are endless and the...

Wine is ethereal. It literally binds people together. It brings something to the table that should and does transcend race, gender, lifestyle and generations. Isis Daniel is a testimony to that very bind. She coined "The Millennial Somm" as her calling card to help the industry and the consumer alike to comprehend the generational changes that wine could and must transcend. Throw in that she is a...

The Master of Wine Diploma out of London is probably the most rigorous of certifications to acquire. It took Nova 8 years of study, frustration and tasting to get it done; and that was only after she failed out the first time around. Yes, you can spend 6 years going through the program and if you don't hit certain milestones during the final testing, it is like the kids board game Shoots and Ladde...

John Wilkinson was making wine at home. Afterall, he was living in the Napa Valley but felt disconnected not having any relationship with the most public of industries.  As he sought advice from his friends to figure how to get his wine right, he stumbled across a complete void in the wine sector; a properly management wine facility that could be used by others to make their deream come true. He w...

When one stumbles across a strong will in the wine industry, one has to take notice. A strong will will necessarily show through in the resulting wines. It takes an opinion, it takes a will to create the finest example of wine a vineyard can produce.  If one is "laissez faire" about what is in the bottle, one will cut a corner or shortcut a process or leave out a process that would not necessarily...

The path to being intoxicated with wine (I do not mean with alcohol) comes in many fashions. Virtually everyone that is consumed with wine has a story to tell. Some left the family wine business to become lawyers or even doctors but the allure brought them back to their roots (full of puns today).  There are not many careers that would align themselves for a switch to wine as does Katarinas first...

There are few wineries in California history with the legacy of Beaulieu Vineyards. Just the sheer amount of time the winery has survived (including prohibition) and the lineage of serious and infamous winemakers, makes this story a multi episode of Wine Talks.  Trevor During sat with us to take us through the history of Andre Tchelistcheff (the literal father of California wine) and Beaulieu Vine...

Argentina is considered new world when describing where it fits in the history of wine. The question is....is New World versus Old World a matter of character or oprigin? I think it is a combination of both. Los Noques is a family story of wine and I was intrigued by the passion and desire to let the world know about what pedigree of wines can be created in the Valle de Uco. It is unique in it's p...

Ever industry needs is leaders...the mythical legends that inspire us to do better, to keep your head down and persevere.  Dennis Overstreet is that man and I had the chance to set up the studio in his store in Beverly Hills. Sitting amongst the greatest wines in the world, we laughed, gafawed and got serious about wine.  In the early days of California wine, the path was uncertain and the risks w...

It is very often you hear about an American family 10 generations into their contribution to society/ Certainly, you hear of such geneology in Europe; namesake wineries handed down through the generations.  In this case, it is 10 generations of farmers. Going back to the 1800's, John Bookwalter can tell you of the players and stories that landed him in Washington state's Columbia Valley making win...

Such a bright light in the world of wine and food; and she can create recipes out of thin air.  Emily Saladino has made her way around both the world of culinary arts and wine to create give herself a comprehensive understanding of the marriage between the two. The conversation was so interesting, we never even got to discuss wine and food pairing...seems like it would have been a natural.  There...

It is contended that Prohibition was not really repealled...it was just broken into 50 pieces. Navigating this and becoming the 2nd largest distributor of wine, beer and liquor is a formidable task Meet Tim Moore, he is the VP of wine of RNDC (formerly Youngs Market). Listen on how Youngs, as a family owned business, grew to be the 2nd largest player by joining forces with RNDC.  We discuss the RT...

These days, you cannot miss the canned aisle in your favorite grocery store. It seems to be taking over more real estate of the wine aisle each month. The category is rather cluttered with competitors..that didn't seem to daunt Jessica Hershfield. Jumping in with two feet, Jessica spent time researching the market, making a couple of mistakes but eventually launching her brand of 250ml canned wine...

Wine Talks has has some amazing guests in each of the various disciplines of the wine trade. A few years ago, Vahe was on the show as we mulled over some of the pertinenant issues of the day. This second podcast years later is that much more interesing. Since our first episode together, so much has changed in the Armenian wine world; a proliferation of new wineries, the addition of European and Am...

After we recorded this episode of Wine Talks, Mariam entered and won the very first Sommelier event ever held in Armenia. Congratulations. The fact they even had a sanctioned event such as this in Armenia will tell you how far the Armenian wine culture has progressed.  In this episode, you will hear from one passionate individual who saw a need and was willing to take a risk to find out if it even...

Taking on the gib boys is a war. And even just the idea seems a bit crazy, but WarRoom Cellars was founded on just that principal. How do we get under the skin of the big boys? One idea is to meet the consumer of wine where they live; meaning each of us is on a wine journey and each of us needs to try to get to the next level. Enter the story behind WarRoom Cellars...crafting wines to meet each of...

Nadia Pavlevska drank vodka and coke in Bulgaira. Hardly a precursor to becoming a wine educator and influencer. Now the go to Sommelier for resorts like The Terranea in Palos Verdes, Nadia had taught wine with a logical and pratical outlook.  Her reposnses to wine, politcal and life-style question might suprise you...no, will suprise you. She headed west making stops in Salzburg, Austria, Sacrame...

Her life story takes on many adjectives. Inspring is one. Painful is another. Worldly could say it. But driven would be the word I would use. When you face headwinds, you must put your headdown; Brooke has and continues to do that. A model, a pageant winner, a Catholic, a Muslim, a mother and a wife has prepared her for a career that is completely unique; she motivates the motivators. Working with...