Episodes
March 13, 2024
George Mardikians Legend Should Never Be Forgotten. Hear From His Son Haig.
I sat with a great philanthropist and wine guy. Haig Mardikian tells all.
March 5, 2024
She is a force of nature for African American Vintners. Try and keep up with Angela McCrae.
The Association of African American Vintners started in 2002 with 4 vintners; now there are over 200 members. Thanks largely to the efforts of Angela McCrae and her associates. Diversity is an important subject in the wine trade. The industry is...
Feb. 29, 2024
Farmer, winemaker, philosopher; Meet Wine Brian Talley
I belong to his fresh farm subscription box...oh, and drink his wine.
Feb. 27, 2024
Wine In Romania? Meet The Expert And Wine Comtessse, Marinela Ardelean.
In 1988, Paul K Sr. featured a Romanian wine in the Original Wine of the Month Club. The wine was Premiat Sauvignon Blanc and was $2.50/bottle on reorder. It was a very nice wine. Turns out, according to Marinela, that wine was purchased from...
Feb. 22, 2024
Wine makers are philosophers, the good wine makers that is. Meet a good one, Chris Phelps.
Off the main highway that runs through Napa Valley and specifically through Saint Helena, one can make a hard left turn after passing the cute gas station that doubles as a coffee shop (yes, new meaning to the question "leaded?". Make the next right...
Feb. 20, 2024
Dream Job In Bordeaux And The Passion To Do It. Meet Matthieu Bordes of Cht. Lagrange.
Chateau Lagrange was in Los Angeles. Matthieu Bordes presiding. On a recent visit to the WIne Talks studios, we caught up with all things Bordeaux. Matthieu considers it a dream job. Maybe "job" isn't the best adjective. When...
Feb. 15, 2024
From Grandma's Kitchen to Working the Line. A book from Chef Frederic Castan.
In his new book "Facing the Heat; From my grand mother's kitchen to cooking on the line." Chef Castan has peeks around just about every corner of the chef business. After all, he has worked for some of what would be considered the best restaurants in...
Feb. 13, 2024
Fine Wine Defined. Pauline Is On A Mission. Pauline Vicard of Areni Global.
The Areni Global group is on a mission. They want to protect the flanks of fine wine. What is fine wine? Pauline Vicard defines it here. Areni Global was named after the famed Areni-1 cave found in Aremia; the oldest known in-tact winery ever...
Feb. 6, 2024
Have camera and plane, will travel. Meet Dr. Higgins I presume.
Michael Higgins is quite unique in the world of wine. He has published three photo journals on three popular wine-growing regions of the world. Starting in Argentina, he sets out to bring to the readers a comprehensive view of the region, people and...
Feb. 1, 2024
This is the story. Hear exactly what he was thinking when he created Direct to Consumer wines...Paul K. Sr one on one
He sat on vacation and crafted his wine club in 1972.
Jan. 30, 2024
Jean-Charles Boisset Is All About Vision. Hear Him Speak On Napa.
A new vision for Napa is on the horizon. Jean Charles Boissets vision.
Jan. 24, 2024
Paul McSharry Can Make Your Winemaking Dreams Come True. Osiris Wine Club Is Open
Paul McSharry wasn't originally destined for the wine business, he had other plans. Let's face it, Ireland is not necessarily the hotbed of the wine culture. Life has a way of redirecting our focus and Paul has bitten off an idea that...
Jan. 18, 2024
His quest is to show the world American wine grapes. Meet Jerry Eisterhold in TerraVox (Missouri).
The Smithsonian Institute wanted to know about Jerry Eisterhold. So much so, the featured an article on what one might say is a long shot at best. The idea to repropagate vines of yesteryear in America would be fruitless (pun intended). But it is...
Jan. 16, 2024
Married and selling wine together? Ouch. Meet Jeff and Kathy of Uncorked.
Of all the sectors of wine, retail has to be the toughest. Tough meaning you need to understand not only wine, but POS systems, merchandising, event planning, inventory systems, the gift of gab, employee relations, internet marketing, subscription...
Jan. 11, 2024
She watched the Nazi's destroy her mothers Chateau. Literally. Meet the elegant May-Elaine Lencquesaing
The Nazis destroyed her parent's Chateau, and she was there to witness. You just know it. Humans have a sense about who and what they are. and when you sit in the presence of pure elegance, pure knowledge, and pure humility, you just know it. ...
Jan. 9, 2024
I'm telling you like it is in the wine trade. A trailer as it were.
Time to set the record straight. Because I have just about had enough. On this episode, I try to lay it all out....get to the root and wax poetic a bit. Wine has a special place in me heart and that didn't happen overnight. It took 35 years for me to...
Dec. 26, 2023
Could a genetically engineered probiotic prevent a hangover? And is GMO really a bad thing? Meet Zack Abbott of ZBiotics and find out here!
Would you like to end your hangover before it even starts? Would you like to mitigate any symptoms of excessive drinking? Certainly, we have all thought at some point, "I wish there was something to help keep away a hangover!" Have a listen to this. ...
Dec. 21, 2023
First a PhD, then wine influencer. Meet Dr. Nia Ruth and all her energy.
Despite we might be competitors in the wine club space, Nia brings a bubbly outlook to the world of wine influencers. She has two important features that bring the spotlight to her efforts; she is a woman, and a woman of color; both attributes the...
Dec. 19, 2023
With (3) substantial wine and business degrees, Julien takes on Napa with Maison Fayard..
As much as we aspire for wine to be a romantic beverage that tells a story...and it is, we have to acknowledge that is it business. So you must meet Julien Fayard of Fayard Wines. And there is really good chance you will meet him if you swing...
Dec. 16, 2023
With a Master of Wine and a WSET Diploma and the French language well in hand, she became a wine educator.. Meet Anne McHale.
Anne McHale is well accomplished in the academia of wine. She has a Master of Wine (incredible study required to earn) and a WSET Diploma (the highest accolade for the Wine and Spirits Education Trust)...neither an easy feat by any stretch. But what...
Dec. 15, 2023
Whitehall Lane is a staple in the Napa Valley wine scene. Hear from the Leonardini brother/sister act.
One thing about this episode, you get the straight scoop. Wine is about history. It is about the story. All to often in many of life's endeavors, we forget the story, we forget the history. That is the reason history repeats itself. In Europe, a...
Dec. 12, 2023
He has made wine all over the world and has settled at Stags Leap in the Napa Valley. Meet Ludovic Dervin.
Ludovic Devrin was born in Champagne...so the question has to be asked...why did you land in the Napa Valley. Seems the romance of the famed bubbly beverage would keep pon close to home but Ludovic wanted to see the world. Though he did get his degree...
Dec. 6, 2023
Modeling, hospitality then winemaking. Meet talented Stephanie Cook
Wine Talks believes in the story of wine. There is a colloquialism in the wine trade "Every bottle tells a story" which on the surface is correct....but sometime seems too trite. What is in the bottle is not just an expression of terroir (soil,...
Nov. 30, 2023
She is preparing the wine industry for what is coming. Change. Meet Priscilla Hennekam.
The wine industry is wrought with tradition. It certainly can be said that this industry at its core, is not much different than it was 100 years ago. Certainly technology has helped in all aspects; vineyard, biology, processing, equipment,...