March 08, 2025

Ep 123: From Pre-Med to Paso: Following Science, Finding Soul – Featuring MCV Wines

1 hour 11 minutes

🍇 Where Wine Takes You – Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, we sit down with Matt Villard, owner and winemaker at MCV Wines, to explore his unexpected journey from pre-med at UC Davis to crafting bold, Petite Sirah-driven wines in Paso Robles. Sometimes, the best path is the one you never planned for, and Matt’s story proves that following your passion can lead to extraordinary places.

We dive into:

How a single UC Davis class changed everything

The origin of MCV Wines and Matt’s obsession with Petite Sirah

How family, loss, and perseverance continue to shape his winemaking philosophy

Later, in our Travel Paso Spotlight, we celebrate Women’s Week in Paso! We chat with Joeli Yaguda, co-owner of General Store Paso Robles, about the incredible impact of women-led businesses in Paso and how At Her Table is shining a spotlight on the women shaping the region’s food, wine, and hospitality scene.

And of course, we run down the latest in Paso Wine Wire, including:

Parchetto Bistro’s Park Street Jazz Night – A one-night-only New York-style jazz & WhistlePig whiskey dinner (March 20)

CabFrancMasters Returns to Paso – A deep dive into Paso’s role as a Cabernet Franc powerhouse (March 16-17)

Paso Tourism’s $20.9M Economic Impact – Wine country’s boom is fueling local businesses, public services, and job creation

Links from the Show:

MCV Wines: mcvwines.com

General Store Paso Robles: generalstorepr.com

At Her Table: athertable.com

Travel Paso: travelpaso.com

For planning your next adventure in Paso Robles, check out TravelPaso.com.

Before we wrap up, don’t miss Adam’s insider info: Tickets are now on sale for Paso Wine Fest (May 15–18, 2025). Head to pasowine.com for details and tickets.

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Where Wine Takes You (WWTY) is Executive Produced by Paso Wine.

Associate Producer: Krista Smith

If you love Where Wine Takes You, subscribe, please leave a review, and share it! Thank you!

WWTY is recorded, edited, produced, and hosted by Adam Montiel. Follow Adam on Instagram @AdamOnTheAir and check out his daily podcast Up + Adam as well as The Pour with Adam Montiel. He recently dropped an episode from World of Pinot Noir with Louis Latour and Dan Kosta of Kosta Browne fame. More content from WOPN coming soon including a chat with Paso Wine’s Joel Peterson!

To connect with Adam, ask a question, or learn more how you or your business can reach our audience on WWTY visit AdamMontiel.com

For the latest in Paso Robles Wine Country, check out PasoWine.com and follow on

Instagram @PasoWine. Download the free Paso Wine App as your guide to all things

wine country.

Original music on WWTY, “Good Company,” performed by Moonshiner Collective.

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By Adam Montiel

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