Grape Encounters Wine Radio

It’s hard to find a winemaker who doesn’t have an interesting back story; and you’ll certainly meet the most interesting of the lot on Grape Encounters.  This week’s story is no exception and David’s guests can only be described as “exceptional” for plenty of reasons.

This week’s show features John Munch, founder of Le Cuvier Winery in California’s extraordinary Paso Robles wine region.  John’s life and career has had more twist and turns than a balloon animal convention.  Raised in Central America, John has experienced a multitude of cultures and gigs around the globe before permanently landing on the Central Coast of California.  Musician.  Author.  Olde English scholar. Philosopher.  Innovator.  Winemaker. Though John’s life experiences may seem loosely connected, you need only listen to his stories and it will all make sense.

There’s a lot to know about John’s Le Cuvier wines… and we’ll let him tell you that story.  Without a doubt, these exceptional wines deserve a resounding “wow” and we’ll ask John to explain the “how.”  

Sharing the stage with John is his Winemaker & All-Around Cowboy (Their words not ours) Clay Selkirk.  Apart from making a wide array of world-class wines, Clay keeps the ship sailing.  In terms of this conversation, Clay fills in the blanks, bringing light and clarity to the larger-than-life Le Cuvier story.

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts.  You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59!  Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too.  Pick a plan that’s just right for you!

Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirits, too!

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David is starting to become very encouraged about where the world is headed after 12 months of 19; Covid-19 that is.  He doesn’t want to jinx things but it certainly looks like the restrictions that we’ve all had to deal with for a very long time are starting to ease.  Yes, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. At least it looks like a light, but who can be sure of anything these days?  

2020 (and at least the first quarter of 2021) will be remembered as a master’s course in “Agony.”  Thank goodness that there are those among us who manage to make lemon méringue pie out of lemons.  This week’s guest, Allison Levine, is one of those alchemists.  She’s someone that David has been wanting to get on the show for quite a while because, if there was ever a person skilled at keeping the proverbial fires burning in a metaphorical downpour, it’s Allison.  In her capacity as a wine and food event planner, writer, consultant and podcaster, Allison can make ordinary extraordinary.  Her company, “Please the Palate” has an outstanding reputation for pleasing her peeps, which ensures that it’s never a dull moment with Allison is in the house. 

Now, even though Allison has taken “shelter in place” very seriously, she’s managed to multi-process her way through 12 months of pandemic with the precision and grace of a Cirque du Soliel performance.  Yes indeed, while many continue to wait out Covid, Allison keeps the communication and content coming… virtually and vigorously.  On this week’s show, she’ll explain why adaptation is essential when your regular gig requires you to be in all four corners of the globe simultaneously. Wait!  Do globes even have corners?

Nearing her 10th anniversary as a food, wine and lifestyle marketing consultant and event planner, Allison shares tales from her travels to wine regions around the world; filling the calendar with industry events where every teaching and tasting moment must be memorable.  Without further ado, let’s spend more than a moment with the inimitable Allison Levine.

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts. You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59! Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too. Pick a plan that’s just right for you!

Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirits, too!

Download this episode

When it comes to wine, temperature matters tremendously. Serving wine at a cool temperature is a game-changer and can show off characteristics of the wine that are hidden when served at room temperature. But what about the temperature of the food itself? How does serving "cool food" impact the wine and food pairing experience? Well, these and other questions are brilliantly answered by Vanessa Seder, whose new cookbook, "Eat Cool" is already getting a lot of attention. And you're sure to give your undivided attention to one of the years most delightful and palate-pleasing Grape Encounters conversation.

A California transplant now deeply imbedded in the Portland Maine culinary world, Vanessa has made quite a name for herself as a frequent foodie guest on national television, a food columnist, author and also as an accomplished food stylist. If you don't fall head-over-heels in love with Vanessa during this interview, then you're probably looking for love in all the wrong places! Vanessa's latest book presents high flavors, bright colors and great food for hot days. There's nothing uncool about this mouthwatering masterpiece; featuring more than 100 for exactly what you want to eat when its blazing hot outside.

Of course, in classic Grape Encounters style, the conversation takes more twists and turns than a sightseeing trip on the Amalfi Coast! You'll never look at cool cuisine the same way again and you'll learn plenty of tips where pairing with cool foods and serving wine at lower temperatures is concerned. OK, so toss a bottle in the freezer for turbo-chilling and pour a glass to compliment this anything-but-usual interview. Vanessa will be sipping Lambrusco. David will be enjoying a glass of Rose´Prosecco and what you put in your glass will determine just how COOL you are!

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More.  Grape Encounters is delighted to introduce you to Total Wine Membership, where you can have two bottle of new wine discoveries delivered each month. What's you pleasure? All red? All white? How about both? There's so much to discover at Total Wine! Consider this: A couple of generations ago, you could have set ALL of the major wine choices available to you on a small table.  Today, if you want to truly do justice to the world of wine, it takes several thousand square feet to properly showcase what’s available.  With more than 8000 wines in stock at every store, nobody showcases the astounding world of wine today better than Total Wine & More!  To check out their mind-boggling selection or simply get inspired, click here and we’ll show you something truly amazing!

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Whether it’s a tour of the vines on horseback, a litter of kittens entertaining cellar visitors, sheep, ducks and chickens controlling vineyard weeds and pest, or a golden retriever named Buck warmly welcoming you to the tasting room, animals large and small, feathered and four-legged are always eager to lend a helping hand in wine country. So it’s easy to understand why the wine community has such a big heart for animals of all kinds who need our help. That’s why you’re invited to join forces with legendary Napa wine producers at WINEAPAWLOOZA!

Named one of America’s top ten wine auctions by Wine Spectator, this year’s WINEAPAWLOOZA will take place virtually on Saturday, June 18th. The money raised provides the critical funds necessary for Jameson Humane in Napa to improve the state of animal welfare and save the lives of animals large and small from all walks of life, especially in times of a disaster.

Joining David on today’s episode of Grape Encounters is Monica Stevens who. along with her husband David Stevens co-founded both Jameson Humane and WINEAPAWLOOZA. It’s hard to imagine a more delightful and insightful guest. As most listeners know, even though David loves people, his passion for animals is second to none, so listen in and join the fun!

June 18th’s fast-paced, virtual event will feature rare, handcrafted wines from a “who's who” of Napa Valley glitterati. Bid live on 15 sensational  lots, featuring  wine and sports celebs and hosted by Master of Wine, Vanessa Conlin. World-renowned wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton will do the bidding and Monica and David Stevens will help present once in a lifetime experiences, wines from the most coveted cult brands, including Scarecrow, Screaming Eagle, Opus One,  Silver Oak, and Bevan Cellars, plus weekend wine extravaganzas;  Off the chart dinners cooked by celebrity chefs and socializing with wine and animals loving sports greats like baseball’s Nomar Garciaparra, Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm, New Your Giant, Logan Ryan,  Laker star Kyle Kuzma and more.  By the way, the Stevens’ are the owners of a highly-acclaimed wine bar called 750; named after the number of milliliters in a normal bottle of wine. All proceeds will support the humble 24/7 work of Jameson Humane. For tickets and information visit jamesonhumane.org and click the WINEAPAWLOOZA link.

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More.  You absolutely MUST check out Total Wine Membership! It's the perfect way to experience some incredible offerings each month for a very small price indeed! Just a couple of generations ago, you could have set ALL of the major wine choices available to you on a small table.  Today, if you want to truly do justice to the world of wine, it takes several thousand square feet to properly showcase what’s available.  With more than 8000 wines in stock at every store, nobody showcases the astounding world of wine today better than Total Wine & More!  To check out their mind-boggling selection or simply get inspired, click here and we’ll show you something truly amazing!

Download this episode

It’s a wine-themed benefit like no other, so who better to walk us through it than Italian-born Sommelier Ferdinando Mucerino; a true original. Named 2019 Best Wine Director by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Ferdinando could make watching paint peel a really great time.

So imagine being one of the hosts of this virtual superstar-studded benefit for Teen Cancer America. Ferdinando will walk participants through a world-class tasting integrated into a Broadway production like no other!

Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, is partnering with Wine Insiders to host “Uncorked with Broadway,” a virtual wine tasting and music showcase on Friday, May 21. Benefitting TCA’s mission to support teens and young adults with cancer, the live video event will feature appearances and performances by more than a dozen of Broadway’s biggest stars, along with top sommeliers presenting four wines that are currently available for order.

Purchase of one of the wine package options includes registration for Uncorked with Broadway, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on May 21. All wines are specially discounted and proceeds from the event go directly to Teen Cancer America. 

Performers scheduled to participate include Tony Award winners Alfie Boe (La bohème), Laura Benanti (Gypsy), Michael Cerveris (Assassins) and Christian Hoff (Jersey Boys), Tony nominees Laura Dreyfuss (Dear Evan Hansen), Megan Hilty (Noises Off), Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge!) and Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages), and Broadway veterans Elaine Paige (Follies), Erich Bergen (Waitress), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton), Gabrielle McClinton (Pippin), Donnie Kehr (The Who's Tommy), Telly Leung (Aladdin) and others.

Boe, a longtime friend and supporter of TCA, became an official ambassador for the charity earlier this year. Best known for his performances in Les Misérables, La bohème and Finding Neverland on Broadway and London’s West End, the British tenor connected with Pete Townshend in 2017 when he performed with Billy Idol as part of Townshend’s “Classic Quadrophenia” tour series, featuring orchestral productions of The Who’s iconic rock opera.

but even if you can’t make the benefit, listening to Ferdinando’s performance on Grape Encounters is a guaranteed delight. The conversation goes far beyond the fundraiser; showcasing Ferdinando’s insights about wine drinking in America and the rest of the world. His Italian charm is so contagious every sentence is a pure delight! Tune into the show and definitely get your wine and ticket to UNCORKED WITH BROADWAY! For more information or to sign-up, visit www.explore.wineinsiders.com.

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts. You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59! Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too. Pick a plan that’s just right for you!

Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirits, too!

Download this episode

There are few things in life that are more delightful than an hour-long conversation with winemaking icon Jean-Charles Boisset. Apart from being one of the most innovative wine producers and marketers of our time, Jean-Charles is arguably the most colorful character in the world of wine, bar none. His flair, his showmanship, his joie de vivre, envelopes you like diving into a swimming pool filled with whipped cream and chocolate fudge sauce. No, that’s not an exaggeration!

Jean-Charles operates an ensemble of wineries and ancillary businesses that make him the envy of just about anybody who's ever set foot in the winemaking arena. His determination to incorporate style, fashion and even the performing arts into his winemaking juggernaut make him a true one of a kind. That’s why Host David Wilson relishes every opportunity to have Jean-Charles on the show..

Affectionately known as JCB, you might expect Jean-Charles to lean toward the stuffy side. After all, 50+ years ago, he was born into a Burgundian winemaking family. But don't let his passion for fashion fool you; JCB is as down to earth as his organic and sustainable vineyards. And if you ever get the opportunity to attend one of his legendary gatherings, it will quickly occur to you that he knows the name of every person in the room, even if he's only ever met them just once. Oh, and he can casually rattle off all kinds of details about their lives as well. Certainly, Jean-Charles is a showman. He loves to talk. He loves to entertain… but he also listens with a skill level that few people can match.

On today's episode of Grape Encounters, David and JCB engage in an A to Z discussion of all things wine, especially as they relate to the Boisset Collection, as it is called. Since JCB is anything but ordinary, David fires off a wide range of colorful questions that Jean-Charles has loads of fun answering. Wait until you hear his thoughts about whether there’s a silver lining to the Covid crisis! This and many more questions will be answered with a level of enthusiasm that will leave you smiling from ear to ear and put a spring in your step as you try to keep pace with the most energetic man in the wine business. It's an incredible installment of Grape Encounters Radio featuring Jean-Charles Boisset.

By the way, what makes this a particularly interesting show is the fact that Jean-Charles began producing his own video and audio channel called JCB Live. This intimate glimpse into the world of JCB and his renowned guests has already rocketed him into the top 10 list of must-watch online wine program. To subscribe, just google it!

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts.  You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59!  Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too.  Pick a plan that’s just right for you!

Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirits, too!

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts. You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59! Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too. Pick a plan that’s just right for you!

Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirit...

She’s a Grape Encounters’ favorite and for good reason! Allison Jordan is Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President of Environmental Affairs for the Wine Institute where she is responsible for oversight of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing. While those are lofty titles to be sure, no one brings sustainability and environmental initiatives down to Earth better than Allison Jordan.

That being said, it was simply imperative to have Allison on this month, given the fact that this is the 10th anniversary of Down to Earth Month; a time when California wineries celebrate global wine sustainability leadership with fun, virtual tastings, behind-the-scenes tours, cooking/pairing demos, as well as onsite outdoor tastings and vineyard hikes.

But there’s more! 2021 is also the 20th anniversary of California’s Sustainable Winegrowing Program. Under this umbrella, California winemakers have proactively been addressing climate change for decades, including; energy efficiency air quality and best management practices to help reduce GHGs and other air emissions as well as dependence on fossil fuels.

On this episode of Grape Encounters, Allison explains how winegrowers in California and around the world respond to climate and weather issues on a daily basis. The diversity of California’s growing regions, skill and experience of its vintners and growers—and their commitment to sustainable winegrowing-- have put the state in a leadership position and inspired fellow winegrowers throughout the world. Now granted, there’s some very serious stuff to tackle here, but when Allison and David bounce ideas back and forth, fun always ensues!

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you can get 12 awesome wines hand-picked by Total Wine’s friendly experts. You’ll receive 2 wines that wow per month, all for a one time fee as low as $59! Best of all, you get to mix and match real gems… Red, white, rosé and sparkling, too. Pick a plan that’s just right for you! Click here and we’ll take you to the Membership page at TotalWine.com. While you’re there, spend a little time checking out their mind-boggling selection of more than 8000 wines and an equally impressive selection of beer and spirits, too!

Download this episode

Featuring Benchmark Wine Group CEO David Parker

This was such a fascinating concept, we wanted to give it a second chance to air!  Over the past year, so much of our conversation has been about coping with COVID-19 and how to continue to enjoy our wine lifestyles while many of our favorite activities remain on hold. While creative new activities like Virtual Tastings serve as somewhat satisfying substitutes for the real thing, many of us are eager to find other creative ways to stay engaged. If you’re looking for something fresh and new to do, we’ve got a heck of an idea to share with on this week’s show.

Did you know that investing in fine wine can help you keep your cellar full to the brim with the good stuff AND can generate a tidy profit, too? David Parker of Benchmark Wine Group is one of the world’s leading experts on fine wine investing. Benchmark Wine Group is the leading source of fine and rare wine for wine retailers, restaurants and collectors around the world. It is the largest online seller of rare wines and is also one of the few California companies to hold auction, retail, wholesale and import licenses. David also heads up the NAWR- National Association of Wine Retailers and owns The Wine Market Journal; an essential tool for fine wine investor around the world.

On this edition of Grape Encounters, David Parker gives listeners a comprehensive understanding of how to buy fine, rare wine online and what to look for if you are interested in buying wine as an investment.   With tasting rooms and restaurants closed or restricted, David also talks about Benchmark's efforts to bring the experience to a virtual setting.  If this show doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, nothing will!

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More. Just a couple of generations ago, you could have set ALL of the major wine choices available to you on a small table. Today, if you want to truly do justice to the world of wine, it takes several thousand square feet to properly showcase what’s available. With more than 8000 wines in stock at every store, nobody showcases the astounding world of wine today better than Total Wine & More! To check out their mind-boggling selection or simply get inspired, click here and we’ll show you something truly amazing!

Download this episode

Wine is a great conversation starter, but that’s just a drop in the barrel! What you're really after are wine adventures!

Wine wants to show us a great time, take us to places we’ve never been before and ignite our imagination. It’s what we call a Grape Encounter and it’ll completely change the way you think and drink.

Today’s edition of Grape Encounters Radio is for every wine enthusiast who is eager to let wine be their tour guide to places and adventures that make life so much more meaningful. For the past year, most of us have found our lives on hold for an unpredictable period of time. The truth is, few of us ever expected to find ourselves on the sideline for such a painfully long length of time. Thankfully, it looks like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is white-hot and poised to illuminate any adventures we’re daring enough to imagine.

So, what are you waiting for. You’ve done everything you were asked to do to safely get past the trials and tribulations of the pandemic. No, it’s not over quite yet, but it now seems safe to start blocking out quality time on your calendar. Before you know it, you’ll be able to board a plane or train to who knows where and there’s little doubt that what awaits you will be more exciting and fulfilling than what’s in your rear view mirror!

To help you get your own personal show on the road, David is joined by the oozing-with-enthusiasm Sommelier to the Stars, Christoper Sawyer. If there’s an adventure out there that even remotely involves wine, Christopher can flush it out, help you pack, and point you to the embarkation gateway! Heck, if he likes you, he might even stuff some spending money in your pocket. (That’s a big “might!”)

The whole point of this episode is to get you thinking about and planning new discoveries; especially those that are off the beaten path and ripe for the picking! From new wines you should be trying to destination you may not have heard of, we’re here to inspire you and help you let go of the constraints that have grounded us for more than a year.

Since you’ve had to give up so much, doesn’t it make sense to set your sights higher and fill your wine lifestyle with the very best experiences and opportunities? We’re glad you agree and look forward to celebrating with you on the other side of tomorrow!

Today’s edition of Grape Encounters Radio is brought to you by Total Wine & More. When it comes to new discoveries, the opportunities are nearly endless at your local Total Wine & More store, where you’ll find extraordinary savings and incomparable service and expertise. Check out everything that Total Wine & More has waiting for you online at TotalWine.com!

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It’s one of the most common conversation starters, “Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?” Well, in the 13 years that we’ve been doing Grape Encounters, we’ve tried to keep our focus on the good news. We figure you can get all the bad news you can stomach elsewhere. Today, we’re full of good news, and only good news. More specifically, we’ve got terrific news if you’re a wine drinker in our Covid-centric world and, if for any reason you can’t or shouldn’t drink wine, we’ve got great news for you, too.

The first part of our good news/good news story has to do with wine and your health. Now, you’d have to be living under a rock if you’re unaware of the many benefits associated with drinking wine. It’s a pretty lengthy list that ranges from heart health to warding off dementia. Today, we’ve got a new health benefit to add to the list that you probably never expected… and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We don’t want to be spoilers before you hear even one minute of the show, so we’re going to simply tease you by suggesting that your consumption of wine while sheltering at home may be doing more than taking the edge off during a difficult time. Of course, we have to remind you that we’re not able to offer medical advise and wouldn’t if we could. However, when we hear news that has the potential to be beneficial, we’re always eager to pass it along. You can do your own research and decide whether or not the information provided has merit. Nonetheless, this latest medical revelation has some pretty positive implications at a time when all news seems to be decidedly negative. Anyway, David will kick things off in this episode of Grape Encounters by sharing a very interesting revelation about Covid and Cabernet, or any other red wine you may fancy!

Our second good news story is for anyone who loves the flavor profile of wine but has to abstain for any number of reasons. Maybe you have to fly your private jet in a few hours or, perhaps, you have any number of reasons for not consuming alcohol. Regardless of why you have to decline the fruit of the vine, we’ve got a brand new product that is taking the beverage world by storm. It’s not one of those less-than-tasty wine substitutes that leave a bad taste in your mouth and beg the question, “Why didn’t I just have a diet soda instead?” Nope. Rather than trying to be a wine copy-cat, this terrific new entry into the refreshment world brings all the things you love about wine (except the alcohol and high calories) to your glass in a very novel way. Think seltzer. Think crisp. Think natural and refreshing. It’s the brainchild of a team of Sonoma-based wine pros, and one of the clever co-creators and his marketing assistant are here to explain how and why H2O’s Sonoma Soft Seltzer is a long-overdue innovation.

Georgos Zanganas has never worried about how other folks do things. Raised and educated amidst the legendary Greek Wine culture, Georgos has earned a well-deserved reputation as an innovator by importing extraordinary Greek wine in bulk to America where it is married with California’s best to create extraordinary wines that unite two continents. With that same dedication to innovation he brings to Georgo’s Greek Wine, he is now a driving force behind the creation and launch of a brand new product catagory he calls “Soft Seltzer.” David had his doubts when offered the opportunity to sample the product. Those doubts evaporated after the first taste and we thought you’d enjoy learning about H2O’s unique fusion of your favorite wine grapes with the best in seltzer.

This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More.  Just a couple of generations ago, you could have set ALL of the major wine choices available to you on a small table.  Today, if you want to truly do justice to the world of wine, it takes several thousand square feet to properly showcase what’s av...