Famed Chef Jonathan Waxman came to Wine Talks through a mutual friend who we lost last year to cancer; Melvin Masters was a one-of-a-kind character in the wine trade and Jonathan's partner in the famed Jams Restaurant. On a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee, I insisted that the group I…
Wine Talks is deeply connected to the Judgement of Paris. Not only were the Barretts good customers of our wine shop, Warren Winiarski stayed in our home on a trip to Los Angeles. The industry was completely different then. California wine had always been a thing, particularly before prohibition. It…
Reaching out to Polly to have a chat about coming on Wine Talks, was like a breath of fresh air. Podcasting takes great effort and a conscious effort to be better and to look for guests that can add to the entertainment and education value of the show. I could…
You can't speak of trends in the wine trends in the wine trade without mentioning Felicity Carter. You can't talk data mining in the wine trade without mentioning Felicity Carter...in fact, I can't think of many surrounding the wine trade that you could speak of without mentioning Felicity Carter. She…
Not of all wine news is about a drop in sales or activity...wine tourism is up. On Wine Talks I regularly discuss the idea that wine is headed back in time to the days where the experience of wine is driving the interest in wine. Winery tastings, wine pairing dinners,…
Once I was asked to meet a vendor at a local diner...a diner like the one at the end of the movies Sideways. Complete with amber plastic tumblers. IN walked one of the old time great wine slaesman with his wares in tow. I must have looked cross-eyed because I…
When people enter a room, you instantly get a sense of their disposition in life. Are they smiley? Frowning? friendly? Gregarious? and you instantly if this is going to work. I knew instantly that this was going to work when Cecilia Guzman walked into the studio. Sitting down in the…
The wines of the Monterey Peninsula, and particularly those of the Carmel Valley, are exquisite. It is always just so interesting to have the some grape grown in different parts of the world and be so different...soely on the location and environmental influences of the vineyard. When tasting Bernardus wines,…
Famed celebrity chef was in the house! She speaks of the entire culture of cuisine and hospitality and Chef stardom. I was enamoured with her new date based Amaro and distiliate. Realizing that California has a corner on America's date supply, she set out to bring this California flavor to…
Frances Dinkelspiel hardly seems the type to expose the underbelly of California’s wine country, but you’ll be glued to your headphones as she uncorks the sordid, surprising, and criminal history behind some of America’s most beloved vineyards. You’ll emerge from this episode with a new appreciation for the untamed spirit…
Wisdom comes from experience (I would like to say age...just because of my personal situation), and 11 generations of experience would constitute much wisdom. And there lies what I think is one of the greatest values of an honest wine: The wisdom of the winemaker based on his/her experience that…
A few years ago, a young woman was interning at the Original Wine of the Month Club. Her internship revolved around social networking, office duties, and one particular job that may have set her career path. Lisa Kassabian was to write the talking points for all my podcasts that featured…
AI in the wine trade. Without a doubt. I am not an expert in AI, but I do use it daily. I am not Nostradamus on what it will do to the wine trade, but it will do something...and quite a bit. And I will pat myself on my back,…
I have been hanging around the South Bay beaches since my youth. Maybe you caught my Instagram posts about how that happened. As a family, we spent much of our time in Hermosa Beach; I love the SoCal beach culture. There is an established group of restaurants under the moniker…
You know the Kladstrups. Frankly, anyone interested in wine, whether through in the trade or as a consumer, should/must read their first book on wine: Wine and War. Since they have published 3 more books and just releasing the latest: Eugenie; The Last Empress of France. I was honored to…
Wine needs a fresh face. Well, that is if you ask the pundits in the industry. I am not sure I agree. Certainly, any industry needs to keep up with the times, I suppose marketing ideas and packaging ideas would follow. I am not sure I even agree with that...…
Enotoursim has been a staple in the tourism trade. One of my favorite podcast was with XXX Duput, the woman who delivered the wines from Napa to Steven Spurrier in Paris for the Judgement In Paris. She was the leading Enotourist company in America. As time would have it, Enotourism…
You know the Kladstrups. Frankly, anyone interested in wine, whether through in the trade or as a consumer, should/must read their first book on wine: Wine and War. Since they have published 3 more books and just releasing the latest: Eugenie; The Last Empress of France. I was honored to…
eronique Sanders knows how to take you behind the centuries-old gates of Bordeaux—not as a tourist, but as a true insider. On this episode of Wine Talks, listeners will come away with far more than just the names and dates of Château Haut Bailly’s storied past. You’ll get a rare,…
Prepare to be captivated! In this episode of Wine Talks, host Paul Kalemkiarian takes us on a truly fascinating journey into the heart of Bordeaux’s Graves region with none other than Veronique Sanders, the President and Director of the legendary Château Haut-Bailly. This conversation isn’t just about wine – it’s…
Lisa Kay, Enology Student and Future Winemaker: Lisa Kay began as a talking points writer for Wine Talks, then pursued enology at Cornell after being inspired by the show’s women winemakers. Her journey led her to a six-week internship at Chateau Aubay in Bordeaux, highlighting wine’s power to foster personal…
Once I was asked to meet a vendor at a local diner...a diner like the one at the end of the movie Sideways. Complete with amber plastic tumblers. IN walked one of the old-time great wine salesmen with his wares in tow. I must have looked cross-eyed because I was…
This is absolutely incredible. During this conversation with Master of Wine Tim Hanni, I had to step back and take a breather. He speaks on such a level about wine and the errors of the industry and packs so much into a single sentence, one must just ask him to…
As someone who has spent decades walking among vines, talking with winemakers, and tasting bottles that hold centuries of tradition, I’ve always believed that wine is about so much more than just what’s in your glass. This philosophy is at the heart of our latest Wine Talks episode, ‘Wine Terroir:…