Grape Encounters Wine Radio

This may be the single most mesmerizing episode of Grape Encounters Radio ever, and we think you will probably agree with us. This week, Grape Encounters Host David Wilson takes you to the home of legendary winemaker Michael Mondavi, cofounder of the world’s most recognizable family brand. When Michael teamed up with his father Robert and brother Tim, the California wine industry was forever changed. The Mondavi family not only took the lead role in making the Napa Valley a household word, they also proved to the world that California could deliver quality second to none. The Mondavi family’s story is legendary… and most wine aficionados know much of the story quite well. In this interview, Michael Mondavi candidly fields many questions that he has never been asked before and, upon hearing the interview from start to finish, your perspective on wine will never be the same again. From tinkering with your wine to some very eye-opening thoughts on why restaurants don’t want you to suffer through a bottle that doesn’t please you, Michael tells it like it is with unparalleled insight and a perspective that is truly inspiring and purely delightful. This one-on-one conversation will draw you in instantly and have you begging for more. It’s a conversation you’ll want to listen to more than once. If you want to be liberated from conventional wine-drinking wisdom by one of the greatest winemaking masters of all time, let this episode of Grape Encounters whisk you away to where you’ve never been before.

This may be the single most mesmerizing episode of Grape Encounters Radio ever, and we think you will probably agree with us. This week, Grape Encounters Host David Wilson takes you to the home of legendary winemaker Michael Mondavi, cofounder of the world’s most recognizable family brand. When Michael teamed up with his father Robert and brother Tim, the California wine industry was forever changed. The Mondavi family not only took the lead role in making the Napa Valley a household word, they also proved to the world that California could deliver quality second to none. The Mondavi family’s story is legendary… and most wine aficionados know much of the story quite well. In this interview, Michael Mondavi candidly fields many questions that he has never been asked before and, upon hearing the interview from start to finish, your perspective on wine will never be the same again. From tinkering with your wine to some very eye-opening thoughts on why restaurants don’t want you to suffer through a bottle that doesn’t please you, Michael tells it like it is with unparalleled insight and a perspective that is truly inspiring and purely delightful. This one-on-one conversation will draw you in instantly and have you begging for more. It’s a conversation you’ll want to listen to more than once. If you want to be liberated from conventional wine-drinking wisdom by one of the greatest winemaking masters of all time, let this episode of Grape Encounters whisk you away to where you’ve never been before.

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David Wilson hosts Christopher Sawyer, an internationally-renowned sommelier, wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker: he travels the world following trends in wine and participating as a VIP judge in the world’s top wine competitions, and has been featured in a wide range of national media, including USA Today, SMN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Redbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Maxim, National Geographic Traveler, CNN and Esquire. Already legendary in the industry for his encyclopedic knowledge and rich wine industry relationships around the globe, Sawyer has been a personal sommelier for an array of luminaries and aficionados, from the Getty family to the Gorbachevs, as well as for Oscar-winning director and chief creative officer of Pixar-Disney Animation Studios, John Lasseter.

David Wilson hosts Christopher Sawyer, an internationally-renowned sommelier, wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker: he travels the world following trends in wine and participating as a VIP judge in the world’s top wine competitions, and has been featured in a wide range of national media, including USA Today, SMN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Redbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Maxim, National Geographic Traveler, CNN and Esquire. Already legendary in the industry for his encyclopedic knowledge and rich wine industry relationships around the globe, Sawyer has been a personal sommelier for an array of luminaries and aficionados, from the Getty family to the Gorbachevs, as well as for Oscar-winning director and chief creative officer of Pixar-Disney Animation Studios, John Lasseter.

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David Wilson hosts Kris Beal and Beth Vukmanic Lopez of The Vineyard Team, a non-profit grower-group dedicated to sustainable winegrowing since 1994, and innovated SIP Certification, which is about great wines, healthy vineyards, and the well-being of workers. When you find the SIP Certified seal, you can be assured that growers are preserving and protecting the natural envirnment, treating their employees and community with care, and have sound business practices with a long-term view that protects both the present and the future. Find out more at: www.sipcertified.org/. Next, David talks with Cheryl Murphy Durzy of the Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin, CA about sustainability, marketing to women and raising children in a winemaking family. Find out more at: www.clos.com and www.DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com.

David Wilson hosts Kris Beal and Beth Vukmanic Lopez of The Vineyard Team, a non-profit grower-group dedicated to sustainable winegrowing since 1994, and innovated SIP Certification, which is about great wines, healthy vineyards, and the well-being of workers. April is Down To Earth Month in CA, so it's a perfect time to talk sustainability.

When you find the SIP Certified seal, you can be assured that growers are preserving and protecting the natural environment, treating their employees and community with care, and have sound business practices with a long-term view that protects both the present and the future. Find out more at: www.sipcertified.org/

Next, David talks with Cheryl Murphy Durzy of the Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin, CA about sustainability, marketing to women and raising children in a winemaking family. Find out more at: www.clos.com and www.DiscoverCaliforniaWines.co

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Host David Wilson and renowned winemaker, wine historian and philosopher Wes Hagen, pair wines with the 2016 Presidential Candidates. Then on Sipping with Sara, David blind-tastes with Sara and Ian Cauble.

In this political circus, it makes a lot of sense to Make America Grape Again. Host David Wilson and renowned winemaker, wine historian and philosopher Wes Hagen, pair wines with the 2016 Presidential Candidates.

Then on Sipping with Sara, David blind-tastes with Sara and Ian Cauble, bringing them a solid, crowd-pleasing (and gold medal-winning) Barbera from a very unexpected location – Cardella Winery in California's Central Valley!

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What happens when a top movie exec takes a recommendation from Grape Encounters to heart? Former Disney Films Executive Gil Gagnon figures he spent 6 years of his life driving to and from the epicenter of California filmmaking. Then one day, an episode of Grape Encounters Radio gave him an idea that eventually led to his departure from the movie business and entre into winemaking. How did his lengthy career in show biz prepare him to make the extraordinary wines that are now getting rave reviews from people like Grape Encounters Host David Wilson? Learn that answer and hear how Gil got into winemaking without planting a vineyard or building a winery. If he can do it, so can you. But it will take patience and a true passion for wine to be successful. Then, join David and Wine Editor Sara Schneider as they talk about Sara’s ambitious list of wine events and stories coming up in the next few days and weeks. It’s an episode that will likely inspire you like no prior episode of Grape Encounters!

What happens when a top movie exec takes a recommendation from Grape Encounters to heart and starts making wine?

Former Disney Films Executive Gil Gagnon figures he spent 6 years of his life driving to and from the epicenter of California filmmaking. Then one day, an episode of Grape Encounters Radio gave him an idea that eventually led to his departure from the movie business and entre into winemaking. How did his lengthy career in show biz prepare him to make the extraordinary wines that are now getting rave reviews from people like Grape Encounters Host David Wilson? Learn that answer and hear how Gil got into winemaking without planting a vineyard or building a winery. If he can do it, so can you. But it will take patience and a true passion for wine to be successful. It’s an episode that will likely inspire you like no prior episode of Grape Encounters!

Download this episode