Grape Encounters Wine Radio

On this installment of Grape Encounters, David will be talking about something that has been on his “to-do” list for a super long time. Over the years, Grape Encounters has done a number of shows for listeners who may be interested in making their own wine; how you go about doing it without planting any grapes or building a winery. To be sure, many people do get into the business by jumping in head-first. Perhaps you’ve made some big bucks in high-tech or you won the lottery and have decided you want to go out and buy or build a winery… or maybe you're a person that's just dreaming that way. Whatever the case may be, on this episode, you’ll hear from the consummate professional when it comes to purchasing vineyard land, owning a winery, getting into the business, and the best part, even managing the business.

If you're feeling uncomfortable about taking this giant plunge, you’ll definitely want to hear David’s discussion with Jenny Heinzen, owner of Jenny Heinzen Real Estate, located in Paso Robles, in the world-renowned California Central Coast wine country. Jenny’s real estate firm is a division of Vineyard Professional Services, which provides support in a multitude of ways to would-be and existing wine producers who can’t or don’t want to take on all the responsibilities themselves.

How many vineyard properties currently have a house on them where you can actually live among the grapes? How many properties have a winemaking facility on them as well as a vineyard? You might be surprised to learn that you can buy a pretty awesome property and get into the business for a price that is not much different than buying a really nice home on a small lot in one of America’s finer communities.

On today’s show, Jenny shares important information about different business models. Some people may want to limit themselves to growing and selling grapes. Others may buy their grapes elsewhere but produce wine in their own winery. Others will elect to take on all aspects of winemaking. One thing is certain, before you take the plunge, you need to spend some quality time with a pro like Jenny Heinzen, because mistakes are costly but doing it right can be life-changing in the most positive ways!

Today’s edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll find thousands of wines produced by folks who started with a dream and never looked back. Be sure to spend a little time online at TotalWine.com. You’ll be very glad you did!

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Plus, the Remarkable Connection Between Football and Wine!

Host David Wilson has a great big soft spot in his heart for the winemakers of Bordeaux, France. He says it’s mostly because much of the wine-loving world just assumes that, with all the prestige attached to the Bordeaux label, you might expect it to be a stuffy place, steeped in pretentiousness. Well, not so fast! Bordeaux is actually an incredibly welcoming place where you can meet winemakers who have been carrying on centuries of family tradition. As for the wines, it’s just imperative for lovers of Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and others to enjoy a full-immersion Bordeaux tasting experience, if for no other reason, to better understand the roots of our favorite wines and how they differ across the pond.

And so, it was off to the Washington D.C. area for the Tour de Bordeaux, an absolutely extraordinary event featuring wines from legendary Bordeaux producers who gathered at the lovely Fairmont Hotel in Georgetown. This event is just one of the topics you’ll hear about on this edition of Grape Encounters Radio.

Also on Episode 549 of Grape Encounters, learn about the growing connection between football and wine. How many players, coaches and team owners are taking their game from the gridiron to the vineyard? You’re likely to be very surprised. In fact, the number of players, coaches and owners who are tackling a second career in winemaking is staggering! (Metaphorically speaking, that is!)

Also, there’s another big game that takes place just after football’s finale. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is upon us, so we’ll share some important advice about how to avoid not making a romantic mistake on the day that is all about love. And remember, love means never having to say you’re sorry for choosing the wrong bottle for your big night!

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Plus, some "just for fun" wine wisdom that isn't snobbery!

Show Announcer, wine enthusiast and award-winning winemaker, Brent Keast joins David in a discussion of social media as it relates to wine. David says that over the holidays, he had some spare time to spend on Facebook, Instagram and other places where wine fans tend to congregate in the digital world. Unfortunately, David also says that after hours and hours of taking a look at what everybody's been doing, he was left with kind of a sick feeling in his stomach because of how serious so many wine enthusiasts often get about their favorite adult beverage.

David explains, “Okay. I don't know how many friends I have in total that are in the wine business, but oftentimes when somebody friends me on Facebook or LinkedIn, we may have three, four and even 500 friends in common because wine is a small world, but the one thing that I just get more and more annoyed about as time goes on is the kinds of pictures we post on social media. If you're a wine enthusiast, it seems like it's mandatory that you post a picture of yourself sniffing a glass of wine, looking at the color of the wine or just looking so intense about that glass. I don't know what they're doing, but it's like if you’re into wine, there seems to be some unwritten rule that you’re required to post a picture of yourself with a glass looking wildly pretentious!”

That’s just the beginning of David’s rant. He also takes on the often silly ways we try to describe wine and encourages listeners to take a step back and make the conversation about something other than the wine. David argues that “wine should be a catalyst to stimulate conversations about everything except the wine.” David admits after producing the show that he really doesn’t want to offend anyone. Rather, he’d just like to see us all be more lighthearted in the way we enjoy our vino!

Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More. If you really want accurate descriptions of what you taste in your wine, go see the awesome people at Total Wine because they're not going to Buffalo you. They're going to give you information that you really can use because they're with these wines every day, all day, and they truly understand them. It's just a beautiful thing. For a Total Wine & More near you, go to totalwine.com!

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Stories concerning what some say is an eminent 100% tariff on imported wines have been dominating a large swath of newsprint and digital news acreage virtually every day for months now and for those who truly enjoy the finer things in life, this news has been especially disconcerting. As unimaginable as it might have seemed a few years ago, tariffs of 100% and even more on wines from France and other parts of the EU appear to be a very serious prospect on the horizon.

On this week’s show David checks in with Gladys Horiuchi, the Communications Director of The Wine Institute, one of the most powerful organizations in the wine world. They're an advocacy group for California wine, but do a lot for wine all over the world. In recent months, Gladys’ office has been all ablaze with a lot of discussion and questions and information dissemination about the tariffs so, on this episode of Grape Encounters, David asks Gladys to drill down to the details about what’s really going on and what it means to the everyday wine consumer.

EU tariffs have currently been levied on a number of different European products and wine happens to be one of them. The Wine Institute has always taken the position that they don't want wine pulled into trade disputes that don't involve wine. In this particular case, an aircraft subsidy dispute last October and now a digital services tax are fueling fear that wine drinking consumers will bear the brunt of retaliatory disruption of wine trade around the world.

Some experts believe that if you can't import as many wines into the country or it costs more for the importer to do so, then it will hurt American distributors and importers. And that, in turn, will trickle down to the consumer.

Also joining David on the show from the Wine Institute is Nancy Light, the organizations Vice President. On this part of the show, David and Nancy will take on some decidedly lighter topics to end the discussion on a very positive note.

This week’s edition of Grape Encounters is sponsored by Total Wine & More where you’ll find a nearly endless selection of wine, beer and spirits that pair perfectly will everything you’ll be doing to make the most of winter 2020!

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Featuring Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis

She was the 5th woman to earn the title Master Sommelier and she has earned a lot more titles, honors and certifications than that in her extensive wine career. Catherine Fallis is the proprietor of Planet Grape, LLC, a wine consulting firm providing content, reviews, corporate & private tastings, restaurant wine program development, and speaking services. She created her alter-ego, Grape Goddess, to help bring wine down to earth for consumers as well as those entering the wine industry. She is one of a handful of female professional sabreurs in the world, opening a bottle of Champagne with a sword in a dazzling theatrical performance. Catherine was recently inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier and is a Board Member of The American Institute of Wine & Food.

Her diverse wine background as a salesperson, sommelier, distributor, and supplier helped Catherine become the well-rounded and thorough expert she is today. She understands all facets of the wine business, and is a frequent speaker, event host, educator, and consultant for corporations, consumers and the wine trade. She is a highly sought after wine expert and spokesperson for the wine industry.

On today’s episode of Grape Encounters, Catherine tackles a couple of very important topics. First, for those who desire to become a certified wine expert, there are many routes that can be taken. Catherine helps listeners sort out the differences and offers expert advise on which direction to go.

Next on to today’s main subject. As the seasons change, so do our desires for different wines. In the same way that we change our wardrobe throughout the year, we also pay closer attention to wines that suit the season. David and Catherine take a deep dive into this subject and much more!

This week’s episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! For years, David has been raving about Total Wine, now they're helping us spread our unpretentious messaging further than ever before. That's a really good thing!

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From preserving history to defining Napa Style, Jean-Charles Boisset is truly a living legend in the worldwide wine industry. On today’s Grape Encounters, it’s a whirlwind conversation with Jean-Charles about everything under the sun! As perhaps the world’s most colorful and flamboyant wine personality, Jean-Charles always has countless projects underway and every last one of them is fuel for endless discussion.

Good grief! It’s been nearly two years since Jean-Charles Boisset has graced the airwaves of Grape Encounters Radio… but this episode was probably well worth the wait as Jean-Charles and David take on a broad range of topics; from climate change to Jean-Charles’ determination to document and preserve American wine history. And it’s not just about putting it into words. Jean-Charles has been busily creating brick and mortar places where we can all gain a better understanding of how America became a force to be reckoned with on the world wine stage. And yes, all this from a Frenchman! Here’s to you, Jean-Charles!

Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More. David says, “There’s simply no better place to experience the endless world of wines around the globe than Total Wine & More!” With more than 8000 wines available under one roof, Total Wine is an unparalleled portal to discovery of nearly endless wines, beers and spirits from every corner of the planet. For the location of a Total Wine & More store, or to make purchases online, visit TotalWine.com!

This week’s episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! For years, David has been raving about Total Wine, now they're helping us spread our unpretentious messaging further than ever before. That's a really good thing!

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It's the most popular adult beverage in the world, so it opens up a plethora of possibilities when it comes to gift giving. At this time of year, host David Wilson is bombarded with questions about what to buy the wine lovers in our lives.  "Hey, what would be a great gift for my husband or my brother or my sister or whomever?  Well, the fact is, there are some really cool and creative gifts ideas out there for anybody that enjoys wine. And that person doesn’t have to be a wine aficionado nor they don't have to be obsessed with wine. It’s just nice to have certain things in your house if you drink wine or serve it to guests. 

Think back a bit, like about 20 years, or even just 10 years, and about the only thing that you'd see in that kitchen accessory drawer that might have anything to do with wine would be some kind of a very boring corkscrew. Even then, it may well have been one that you picked up at a hotel room. You know, it's got that little plastic cover on it and you pull that off and the cover becomes the handle. No, it doesn't work very well, but it does work just the same. In those days, you were lucky if you had what we call a winged corkscrew. You know the one we’re talking about… If you lift its arms up and down, it looks like a little man doing jumping jacks. Perhaps you also had a few bottle stoppers hanging around, but that was about it, right? These things were about all there was in terms of wine accessories. But let's also remember that just a few years back, there weren't very many wines out there either. If you go back to the time when your parents were your age, they only had maybe 10 wines to choose from. 

It goes without being said that times have definitely changed. Today, wine is an obsession for many people and a critical cultural component for most of us. That being said, wine-related gifts are always in good taste and, boy oh boy, are there ever plenty of super-cool items to chose from. To learn more, just listen!

This week’s episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! For years, David has been raving about Total Wine, now they're helping us spread our unpretentious messaging further than ever before. That's a really good thing!

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On this week’s episode of Grape Encounters Radio, David and our trusty announcer review some of the many resources available that will hopefully prevent you from making a wine-buying mistake that is both disappointing and costly. Some of the best sure-fire cures to making decisions in the dark are the yearly “best of” lists published by some of the most reputable wine consumer publications like Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator. You have to be very, very good to get on those lists and, one thing is certain, if a wine gets a nod from either or both publications, you’re almost guaranteed to love it.

But it’s not just the consumer publications that are offering free and reliable information about wines you should really consider buying. Top wine retailers definitely have the 411 on great wines available across the country. Top retailers like Total Wine & More know exactly what consumers are drawn to based on sales figures encompassing literally millions and millions of purchases. Hence, if you want to know what’s hot, why not look to retailers whose success depends upon pairing the right wines with public preferences.

But there are even more places to look for guidance. Around the world, top wine judges frequently assemble at some of the most prestigious wine competitions and judge tens of thousands of wines in the blind. None of us know precisely what we are drinking because judging is done in the blind. However, in the end, the medal-winning wines are nearly always undeniably great choices for your cellar or dinner table. If you don’t want to risk your hard-earned dollars on a wine-buying crap shoot, see what the experts and fellow consumers are raving about and join the crowd!

This week’s episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! For years, David has been raving about Total Wine, now they're helping us spread our unpretentious messaging further than ever before. That's a really good thing!

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This is a time when we are all absolutely immersed in the holiday season. We have a little bit of it behind us and a whole lot more in front of us. This is probably the biggest time when it comes to wine and wine sales because everybody's out buying wine for gifts. They're buying wine for parties and family celebrations, but sometimes you just want to mix it up a little bit and when we say mix it up, that even includes mixing our fruit of the vine with something else. So, speaking of something else, one of David's favorite guests who comes on from time to time, not nearly enough, is Nancy Light. She's the VP at the Wine Institute, which is an incredibly powerful and effective organization--really an advocacy group--for the California wine industry, but they do so much good for wine all over the world. On this episode of Grape Encounters, Nancy joins us to lighten up things with wine cocktails. When David saw a new publication from the Wine Institute, he says he freaked out! "The minute I saw this, like I just freaked out. I was so crazy because it is so up my alley and anybody that's been listening to Grape Encounters for any length of time knows that I love to tinker with wine. And there are a lot of people that think wine is sacred and you can't mess with it and you just gotta drink it the way the winemaker made it and that's it. But you guys come along with a wine cocktail ebook for the holidays."

Listen to the show to learn where you can download a copy of this awesome Wine Cocktail E-Book!

Nancy says, "So I just want to address this idea of messing with wine. Here's where we come out on it. We know you want to have your terrific wine, you love your wine, you want your glass of wine, you're going to have your wine with dinner, you're going to serve wine at your parties. But we all want to have something special. Often if it's a dinner, and when people walk in, you want to have craft cocktails. That's been a movement for a long time and there is no reason in the world that wine should not be a part of that, right? You're making these cocktails, you're using the best ingredients and wine is just perfect."

And so the discussion begins... It turns out that wine isn't as sacred as we might have believed... and even a heavyweight from the esteemed Wine Institute is quick to embrace taking wine well beyond it's traditional role. It's a great addition to any holiday festivities and we've got several awesome recipes ready for you to enjoy!

That's only half of today's Grape Encounters. After his visit with Nancy Light, David shares some very personal thoughts on two additional topics that you'll want to stay tuned for! We won't be spoilers here. Listen in and enjoy this holiday episode of Grape Encounters Radio!

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Join David and winemaker/wine historian Wes Hagen talking about the science and experience of tasting wine... when wine hits your tongue, all five flavor components – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umomi/savory – one of the few beverages that delivers all of them. Trends in food and wine pairing take all these into account, and why wine is the perfect accompaniment to food.

In this episode, David and Wes, who is renowned in the wine business and also the winemaker for J. Wilkes in the Santa Ynez Valley of California’s Central Coast, address some of the major trends taking hold in the wine industry. Chances are, you’ll welcome the trends that are transforming the industry.

This is an eye-opening episode that you won’t want to miss. One of the trends that David and Wes address include the shattering of rules related to wine pairing. Even some of the world’s most renowned Somms are questioning conventional wisdom.

Also, there’s a growing affection toward Riesling that is really taking hold. When was the last time that you had one? Another major trend is the migration of wine drinkers toward rosé wines. If you think they’re strictly sweet wines, you’ve been hanging around White Zinfandel too long. Other topics include Orange Wine, Cabernet Franc and much more! This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine and More.

This week’s episode of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More! For years, David has been raving about Total Wine, now they're helping us spread our unpretentious messaging further than ever before. That's a really good thing!

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