Wine for Normal People

We cover Barolo and Barbaresco -- the two greats of Piedmont, Italy. These two wines are both 100% Nebbiolo, and are fragrant, tannic, acidic, and outstanding. We tell you the key differences between these greats and why each is a force in its own right.

Wine and cheese are perfect partners and knowing more about each will help you go from good to great with pairings! Cheese Master Jill Davis of Murray's Cheese tells us all about cheese and we discuss how best to pair certain types of cheese with wine!

It's a small part of the wine world but one you should know: the Central Vineyards of the Loire Valley, which include Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon & others. Great Sauvignon Blanc, up and coming Pinot Noir, and fantastic rosé. History, soils and dorkiness abound in this podcast, which will make your mouth water and have you running out to get these wines ASAP! 

Wine notes run the gamut--from detailed and esoteric (meat blood? Madagascar vanilla?), to cute-sy and dumb (like sunshine and puppies!)--but are they useful to us as wine drinkers? What's the goal of a note? What SHOULD it say for it to be meaningful? Ian and I discuss the state of notes and what we think could make them better. You'll let us know if we're on to something...

In a roundtable with Oded Shakked, winemaker and owner of Longboard Vineyards, and Jim Morris, Sonoma small winery veteran, we discuss the business side of small wineries, why they matter, and why they are an endangered breed (and what we can do to help).

A grape that MUST be in your arsenal, especially if you like Italian food, Barbera is diverse, food friendly, and darn tasty. The trick to the grape is to figure out the style you like and the place it's made. In this podcast we cover it all!

We begin a new series on the great wines of the world. Every so often we will profile one of the greatest wines on earth, talking about the history, the terroir, and why these wines are so special. We begin with the Southern Rhône gem: Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Famous CNN weatherman and meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, comes on to school us about how weather and climate work and we discuss their effects on vineyards and regions the world 'round. A fun, lively show on weather and wine with a great friend and smart guy!

John & Diane Bucher farm & operate Bucher Vineyards, a fantastic Pinot Noir & Chard producer in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma, CA. Passion, dedication, & a love of land define Bucher. If you want to hear about viticulture from a true farmer, listen!

Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines joins. She started with the 2000 planting of an estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma with Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris, and she makes phenomenal Chardonnay, rosé, and sparkling too. Kathleen farms with as little impact as possible to the planet. She is a great woman and a great representative for #womenshistorymonth, as she is a woman who does it all!

Continuing the Women in Wine series for Women's History Month 2018, I speak to Ana Keller of Keller Estate. She helped establish the Petaluma Gap American Viticultural Area (AVA), which is Sonoma's newest cool climate appellation making excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Ana is one of the only women of Mexican heritage running a wine estate, and she is simply amazing.

Fresh off an amazing trip to the North Canterbury region, just north of Christchurch on the South Island of her homeland, New Zealand, Simone Madden-Grey lets us in on a little known place we all need to try (and visit). Focusing on aromatic whites like Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir, this may be the next great New Zealand region! For Women's History Month, we talk about our experiences as women in wine.

This week, Lucas Meeker of Meeker Wine -- a Millennial winemaker who has taken the helm of winemaking and operations at this Sonoma favorite. In his philosophical, intellectual way, Lucas recounts stories of the winery's early days and then discusses everything from additives in wine, to how wine is like vocal range.

Steve and Sher Bell of Campana Ranch discuss Steve's storied past, which included working for the Mondavis during their family split, early days in Napa & what brought him and Sher to craft the beautiful wines they make in Sonoma today.

Crux Winery owners Brian Callahan and Steven Gower (some of the nicest dudes you ever want to meet) craft small lots of Rhône varietals that capture the unique characteristics of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Their wines are rich, complex and balanced, without excessive alcohol levels or overripe fruit flavors. The amazing thing about these guys (there are a few): They each hold down big corporate jobs and have given up all spare time to dedicate their lives to making insanely good wine.