Tira Johnson migrated east a decade ago to work in wine and hospitality at some of NY’s best, including Beauty & Essex, Crown Shy, Terroir, and Crown Club at Barclays, to name a few. Along the way she received her Somm certification. Tira is now the Wine Director at Ilis, from Mads Refslund, a Co-Founder of Noma. Ilis’ much anticipated opening in Brooklyn is truly one of the most fascinating and unique dining experiences today. Tira’s love for wine is only superseded by her true love for dogs!

Tira Johnson, Ilis

The world of wine doesn't have to be intimidating. Wine-afficionado Sam Benrubi invites you on a weekly wine journey with The Grape Nation. No snobbery here, just a palatable trip through the world's vineyards, their keepers, journalists, authors, importers and more. Try some great wine with Sam and his guests and get tips for enjoying the best wines from the weekly "Wine List" and "Wine Sip." The Grape Nation...We Bring Wine to the People.

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Pax Mahle is an old soul in the new California wine establishment. 

He made his way to wine country in 1997, launching his own winery in 2000, and has been making wine for over 25 years. Pax has changed the way we think about California Syrah and has shown us Chenin Blanc, Trousseau Gris, Gamay Noir, and Vermentino, among others can flourish in California. 

He has mentored and influenced a generation of winemakers and is now working on Halcon, his new estate grown Syrah project.

Pax Mahle

For Part 2 of our visit to Blackberry Farm, we check out sister property Blackberry Mountain, a 5200 acre haven nestled in the Smoky Mountains. We speak with Logan Griffin, Director of Food and Beverage at BBM, along with Andy Chabot, to discuss the vast wine program, mixology, and one of the best spirits collection in the country. We further pursue our "Feast for the Ears" wine and food pairing session with Chefs Joey Edwards, PM Exec.Chef at Three Sisters and Joel Werner, Exec. Chef at the Firetower. Logan and Andy selected six wines to pair with our chefs creations.

Blackberry Mountain, Part 2

New Englander and wannabe chef, Andy Chabot attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in NY. His love for food turned into a passion for wine. After CIA, Andy headed west to work at wine mecca Little Nell in Aspen, eventually heading back east to settle in at BlackBerry Farm with second generation owners Sam and Mary Celeste Beall. Sam, along with Andy wanted to transform Blackberry Farm into a true wine destination…mission accomplished, two decades later, Blackberry Farm has over 150K bottles in their cellars, is the recipient of the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine Program” along with two “Best Chef” awards, and numerous Wine Spectator Grand Awards. Andy Chabot is the SVP of Food and Beverage at BBF and BlackBerry Mtn. We tour the wine cellars with Andy, Asst. Bev. Dir, Kelly Schmidt, and Somm John Schlichting and select wines to pair with our dishes from Exec. Chef Cassidee Dabney, The Barn, and Trevor Iaconis, The Dogwood at BBF.

Blackberry Farm, Part 1

Growing up in Angola, Luis Seabra returned to Portugal in the 1970’s. He studied viticulture at Vila Real and his obsession with terroir led him to work in soil research in Vinho Verde. He launched a revolutionary still wine program while working at Nierpoort, eventually starting his own small winery in 2013, Luis Seabra Vinhos. To Luis, it is all about making wines he enjoys drinking: elegant, fresh, terroir-driven wines that are also age-worthy. Luis Seabra is the most exciting winemaker in Portugal today.

Luis Seabra

How the hell does a guy who was a Big Ten defensive lineman, still plays the trombone, loves jazz, got an MBA in Business at Univ. of Chicago, another one at U Cal Davis in Viticulture and Enology, and sometimes bartends during the week…make some of the best wines in the world? That’s Chris Carpenter and he’ll tell us. He is The Drinks Business Master Winemaker of the Year for 2024. He has been working with Jackson Family Wines for decades as the winemaker for Cardinale, Lokoya, La Jota, and Mt. Brave in Napa and Hickinbotham in Australia. Chris is in that rare air of high altitude and highly regarded wines.

Tira Johnson, Ilis

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