Wined Up

What happens when a somm and a wine critic butt heads? I grab my popcorn and watch the fireworks! Someone call BravoTV, I have a pitch to make. 4:37 - Wine Critic vs Marketing Agent. 13:01 - Relinquishing Your Marketing Power. 24:33 - Being mad about someone's subjective opinion. The Rating System No One Asked For - https://youtu.be/vtZ780EvBjg (3rd Episode Ever in 2023) The Great Ratings Debate -...

00:45 2024 Vintage Recap, here is the gist. 21:22 The Puzzle that Blending provides. 2024 NVV Harvest Recap https://harvestnapa.com/vintages/2024-napa-valley-vintage/ Watch blending happen! https://youtu.be/jS8N8AXBavo Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawine...

2:23 Hospitality Rising Costs and how the wine industry is adapting (less production more margin?) 22:28 At what point did the performance of wellness replace the experience of being well? Social isolation is worsening for many. How Hospitality Can Beat a Decade of Rising Costs - https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/how-hospitality-can-beat-a-decade-of-rising-costs/?utm_source=The+Drinks+Busi...

Let's do it! It has been far too long my friends. 00:45 - The Harvest Season, rain, heat and all the things. 20:45 - Blending and Bottling Preparations. 28:45 - Auction Napa Valley. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blaire...

Appointments vs Walk-ins. Making Napa more approachable. Napa County's 1:10 Anti-Winery Anti-Tourism Stance ($50 million settlement for wineries in the Peninsula Township MI). 18:03 Volume, not pricing, has its own effect (offiste events and how much wine is ordered). 23:13 Replanting for diversity. Michigan Lawsuit: https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2025-08-10/a-northern-mi-towns...

5:23 "Sea of Sameness" - back to the Karen McNeil's comments on the 2025 PNV Melka Tasting. 16:30 Follow the new money: proprietors vs owner operators. Pricing Structures that are earned, not anticipated. 27:40 The impact on family growers. Sea of Sameness: https://ted241.substack.com/p/napa-valleys-sea-of-sameness Napa's Luxury Squeeze - https://ted241.substack.com/p/napas-luxury-squeeze Robb Rep...

2:01 M&A Continues - (MUMM, Kenwood, Four Roses). 7:00 Introspection. 15:05 Making Wine Affordable Again. 22:28 No Winemaker Cares About Ratings. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

While it might still be chilly in other parts of the country our growing season is off and to the races. 2:50 And so it begins. 8:23 What we still don't know (red blotch discussion). 16:10 Gift and Curse of a Long Season. 23:34 Community and Camaraderie. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known...

It is blending time! With just a few short months before our summer bottling run it is time for a change of pace at the winery. Less talking, more doing. Let's walk through four of our flagship wines and see what makes them tick. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: w...

SF Chronicle - https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/wine-grocery-bribery-scheme-21958081.php Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

1:44 - Michelin guide rating wineries. 18:48 "Mad Lib" wine programs. Food & Wine Article - https://www.foodandwine.com/michelin-guide-grapes-ratings-wineries-11862198 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwine...

1:20 Wait, alcohol may not be as bad as you think? insert caveat here . 20:13 Hiding smoke taint, the view from a winemaker roundtable. The HUNT Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41366185/ Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines...

We are BACK! It was a much needed hiatus but we are refreshed and ready to go. 0:00 The Show Must Go On. 12:33 Premiere Napa Valley Was Vibe. 24:27 Red Friday. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

5:50 Current state of the wine business. 19:00 Tangent #1. 20:50 Why are some suffering? 31:58 Why are some succeeding? 35:22 What does 2026 hold. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

1:59.00 This harvest in a nutshell (question mark?). 14:45.00 The best kind of year for white wines! 20:40.00 Is Napa in a weird situationship with replanting, grape growers and wine production volume? 30:02.00 What to expect as a wine consumer. 35:05.00 The silver lining. Newsletter Link: https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/25-holidays-10150287 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @...

1:34 Challenges Accepted. 7:42 What is next for the 2025 Harvest Season. 14:25 That reminds me... are my analogies getting old?. 19:59 Grower Relations and Logistics. 39:47 Surprise guest?! Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitte...

6:01 My Pre-Harvest Getaways. 10:01 Our 2025 Harvest Outlook. 22:33 Are additives actually okay?? Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

2:55 Growing Season. 13:59 DtC's Golden Handcuffs. 22:24 My Annoying Story of Distro. 29:23 Finding the middle ground. 33:52 Be Solution Oriented. Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Pay...

3:04 State of the Industry. 8:48 Reducing prices & Labor Costs. 21:23 False Facts of Napa County https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/305447 24:02 Distributor Relationship. 32:13 "Your boos mean nothing I've seen what you people cheer for." 36:05 "If you're going to conduct the orchestra you need to turn you back on the audience." Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be...

2:40 - Bottling the 2023s 11:43 - The Winery "Experience" Continued - Insider Thoughts 22:45 - Napa has no added value? 33:51 - What's the Problem/Rolland Interview - Do we need entry level wines? Quality is no longer the issue. Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the...

The title is the TLDL (too long didn't listen). But you should listen in anyway. Health Influencers can be the WORST. 5:52 Guess who's back Sulfites and Additives. 22:30 Winery Marketing is TRASH. 37:15 Who is f%$king up the (grape) market? Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of F...

0:00.0 - Happy Summer! 8:36.00 - Winery "Experience" Woes. 19:21.00 - Tomnotory. 28:10.00 - Reworking a Wine Portfolio. 33:15.00 - The tariffs are working?? Newsletter Link - https://mailchi.mp/mtgawines/summer25 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com...

The light at the end of the tunnel might not be a train after all but there still might be a long road ahead. Boisset Announces Complimentary Tastings at DeLoach Vineyards and Raymond Vineyards, Declaring the Wine World is Open to All to Learn, Discover and Enjoy - https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/304260 SVB DTC Report - https://eml.svb.com/NjEwLUtBSy0yNjYAAAGbHS8k2O5shVlrQLV8syhnOED5F6kY...

Let's set the doom and gloom of the last year aside. How is the world of wine moving forward and meeting consumers where they are? CNN & Tim Dillon Interview - https://youtu.be/-OwDAxrAL0I?si=R6WzpNE97aDBK9_3 Tim Dillon Podcast - https://youtu.be/IjYNk6BrHqw?si=xZQJ0TTKdsedF4iM Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the So...

2:22.00 - When blending how do you distinguish a "normal" Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, versus the "reserve" bottling? 16:55.00 - What "large" producers are doing it right in terms of offering good quality? 25:26.00 - How can producers entice people to seek out "better" wine on a more regular basis? 35:10.00 - Can more premium wineries offer second or third labels? Why aren't they doing it now?...