Wine Talks with Paul K.

Sometimes it is just obvious why someone is successful. Certainly, your personal definition of success comes into play but if you define "success" as getting what you want out of life and never letting moss grow under your feet...you and Katies Hamilton Schaffer are from the some cloth.  Katie's energy is infectious which turns to inspiring the more you peel her back. Soccer, wine, charity, and fi...

His LinkedIn profile calls Marc out as "Noted Celebrity Sommelier" and I couldn't agree more. When you have been around the industry in the various capacities as Marc, you can call yourself whatever you want...but it does help that it is an accurate description...and his is accurate. We go deep into consumerism, bulk wine manufacturing, and general wine insider discussion. He agrees that wine is a...

Romik Arconian bit at the dream.  He was in the wine trade working in Paris. He loved what he was doing. As with most of us in this industry, the idea of owning a Chateau swirled around in his head. Seeming like an unattainable dream, he left it on the back burner. As fate would have it, Chateau Canon Chaingneau become available and a the idea of owning a Chateau in the Lalande de Pommerol appelat...

Opus One is not only iconic in the world of Napa Valley wine, it is iconic throughout the world in the world of wine.  As a joint develpment between the French and the Americans, it represents so much more than just fine wine. Consider the preeminant French Bordeaux family, the Mouton Rothschilds and the preeminant Napa Valley family, the Mondavis, joining forces to create a winery of iconic quali...

WIne is a tough racquet. You have heard this before. Sometimes we all learn through trial and error, our failures and sometimes our successes. But as Calvin Coolidge says "perserverence is omnipotent." Nothing could be more true for Austin Hope. The Hope family farms have been a staple in Paso Robles for 50 years and they are still adapting to the not only the changes in climate, but the wine indu...

There is no standard path to get into the wine busines. Ask 100 people and you will get 100 answers on landing on the passioln it takes to make, market or sell wine. Garys story is one for the books.  When you have seen as many changes in the wine business as Gary has, you learn a 6th sense about people, wine, business and life. Gary might have a 7th sense.  Wisdom doesnt come cheap and innovation...

It takes inspiration to make wine. It takes a dream. It takes ambition. It takes hard work. Jay Nunez has all these traits and more.  But the most important trait it takes to make honest wine is philosophy. Wine is part science but mostly art. We might find AI in the winemaking game one day (don't ask me how) it might make solid wine every time...but it won't make passionate wine. It won't make th...

GiniFest is a Los Angeles bred wine festival that features the wine making skills of both indigenous Armenian winemakers but Armenian winemakers in the diaspora as well. A very professionally done show and an opportunity to showcase incredible wines of great distinction. Wine Talks played host to (3) of the wine families who attended this years GiniFest and Stepan Bagdassarian of Wines of Armenia...

  Celebrating Judgement of Paris month. When Mike Grgich came to America, he had sewn $32 into the sole of his shoe, that's all he had to his name. He arrived in Saint Helena without a plan or a job but became one of the most influential winemakers in California's history. In May of 1976 when the California wines beat the French wines in a French-judged tasting, the wine world was changed forever,...

The holy grail of the restauranteur is to be recognized by the Michelin Guide. Though the guide has various levels of accolades for the restaurants it reviews, the best restaurants are awarded stars; 1,2 or 3. These stars are coveted and suggest the Chef has mastered his craft from the cuisine to the hospitality. The pandemic caught Chef Dave at a disadvantage and he lost his star at Pasjoli...and...

The anniversary month of the Judgement of Paris Is May. The Judgement of Paris is considered one of the single most influential even for American wine….ever. Meet the only journalist to bother showing up.   George Tabor was with Time magazine at the time. Living a dream in Paris, he decided to attend a wine judging event. He was the only journalist who showed and that became his fame. Meet George...

Influencers are a new marketing tool. Some have more influence than others. Jamie, as part of corporate retirement, decided to TikTok some wine information videos...and voila, influencer. What started as a hobby turned to a commitment. As a collector he learned about wine but turning influencer he really learned about wine.  This influencer journey took him to a place he never expected and ultimat...

So you want to own a winery in Italy, Germany, France? you name it....Bettina can fill your needs. Oh, and she will sell you a winery in Napa too!  Listen as we role play as a potential client who wants to buy a winery in Montalcino, Italy. All of us look in on the lifestyle of a vineyard owner and think "this is my dream." And for many, it is a dream that comes true...but then to find out what th...

In 1990 when 60 minutes released the evidence that supported the healthy consumption of wine in the French Paradox, the world learned that wine can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle coaches Gina and Angie took a minute before a conference on the very subject to talk to Wine Talks about including wine in your daily routine. Of course, they were enjoying a glass of Rombauer Chardonnay as the...

You can't help but be in complete aw when speaking with Dan Berger. He has been writing about wine for so many decades that when he writes about wine, he transcends normal conversation. And because of this cast experience, you don't feel intimidated by this knowledge, you leave inspired.  Have a listen as we catch up of Riesling, the industry, wine writing and dozens of more subject...there never...

There is so much "inside baseball" in the wine trade. We all know what each other is doing. There are not many secrets and when one is exposed...well, it is no longer a secret. What is fascinating to me is the consistent attempts to create something new. For 35 years, new ideas have crossed the tasting room here and none of them are really new; just regurgitated ideas from previous generations. Ho...

In 1969, Ed approached Palos Verdes Wines and Spirits to sell my father advertising space in the Peninsula News; thus started a love affair with wine. Ed wrote the book, Shortcuts On Wine as a simple approach to understanding wine and has lectured at UCLA and many adult schools and has made wine and has worked in most facets of the wine industry.  Not only is it educational when he stops by but en...

As your first soirée into wine study, one might say study Bordeaux and particularly the Classification of 1855. Here Napoleon III ordered a ranking of wine of the Medoc for the Paris Exhibition of 1855. Here you will find fascinating wines, fascinating history and fascinating pedigree. And that is what we have here in this podcast with Guillaume-Alexander Marx.   The four first growth Bordeaux (no...

She came home from work and had a hankering for a glass of wine and as she reached to open, her husband made a face. "What?" she inquired. "You are just going to drink one glass and waste the rest!" he replied. Thus was born the idea of Wander and Ivy wines; a single serve flight of wines from all over the wine world served in187ml bottles (a 1/4 of a bottle.) Dana has been featured on many podcas...

Wine is really about history. What other product do you deliberately wit 20 years to explore, what other product can you take half way around the world and say "This is who we are and when we are"   I was thinking about the phrase after my conversation with Kira and with picture perfect recollection of wine history, the saying needs to be "This is who were and when we were before that." Meaning, t...

All of a sudden there are have been two Friulian wine houses in studio when for years there had only been on in here prior.  Why? The world of Italian wine is complicated and can take years to understand. And as one studies this world, the region of Friuli will inevitably become a topic of conversation. It is no wonder that with Tre Bicchieri in town (Italian wine show), that these houses stopped...

What is fascinating about the Italian wine scene is the variety and distinct differences between their primary wine regions. And don't look over the fact there are over 2000 wine varieties in Italy, some still being discovered today. Emiliano Morando visited Wine Talks to walk us through the history of this wine region in the north west of Italy.  the geography of Piemonte hosts many influences to...

The minute she walked into the studio, the crew knew this conversation would have little restraint. A practice communicator of not only all things wine but wine with the Latin market. Her tag is The Modern Pour and she is dynamic and funny. Her tagline is "not a pale male stale giving wine advice" and that she ain't. You will be educated and entertained by Elle and her outlook on wine… and life! H...

Understanding Italian wines takes study and patience. With over 2000 wine grape varieties in the country, it is hard to sort them out. When you break down the country, there is a bit more clarity with grape varieties but little local varieties will confuse you. Umbria, just south of Tuscany, follows suit. Unlike its northern neighbor, it does not grow Sangiovese as the mainstay red grape but grows...

There is so much to know and understand about the wine diversity just between the two islands, let alone the wine diversity among each island, that New Zealand is recognized with exemplary wines. Simone Kelly stopped in for a conversation and helps us get the lay of the land as we start in the North and work our way down. The Seresin wines are firm in structure and give great insight into where th...