Grape Encounters Wine Radio

Veteran Burgundian winemaker Christian Roguenant perfected his craft making bubbly in the Champagne Region of his native France. Today he oversees winemaking at the Niven Family Wine Estates, which produce several premium labels, including Baileyana, Tangent, Trenza, Cadre and Zocker. On this edition of Grape Encounters, Christian joins host David Wilson and explains the difference between a wide variety of sparkling wines with enlightening facts and down-to-earth language and a delightful disposition that will have you wanting more! (More bubbly and conversation!) If you’re not totally sure about the difference between American sparkling wines, Cava, Champagne and other fizzy fare, this is a must listen-to episode. Christian is followed by his good friend Sara Schneider, Wine Editor of Sunset Magazine, who is feeling a bit miffed about the number of “corked” wines she has recently encountered. What does it mean? How does it happen… and how can you fix it? David and Sara can tell you how!

Everyone who collects wine, whether it’s just a few bottles in a wine rack, or a basement wine cellar, or a professional storage facility, takes a certain amount of risk. In this episode, David talks with Cindy Lewis and James Nunno of Nunno Wine Storage and Services in Paso Robles, about both safety and innovative temperature controls they employ. Next, David and Sara Schneider, the Wine Editor of Sunset Magazine, test some very old wines recently gifted to Grape Encounters. They are joined by special guest Annie Wilson, and experiment using the Coravin Wine Access System to extract tastes through the cork without affecting the integrity (or not) of the wine inside the bottle. Lesson learned: if you are storing wine for long periods of time, don’t leave them in a closet in the desert. Also David sneaks in a very informative account of the origins of Madeira. Next David and Wine Guru Wilfred Wong talk about the difference between estate grown and sourced grapes. What exactly are the pros and cons? As always, Wilfred has plenty of juicy tidbits of information to share.

On Sunday, August 24th at 3:20 AM, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the northern San Francisco Bay area, and the hardest-hit city was Napa, about 6 miles northwest of the quake's epicenter in American Canyon. The quake, the largest in the Bay Area since the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, was felt as far away as Chico and Fresno, the USGS said. In Napa, 172 people were wounded and numerous significant historic stone buildings were damaged, with at least 116 buildings being red-tagged, resulting in an estimate of over $500 million dollars in damage. And, of course, how did this affect the region’s wineries, and how will it affect future prices and availability of Napa wine? To find out more, David talks with Nancy Light, VP of Communications for the Wine Institute and Patsy McGaughy, Communications Director of Napa Valley Vintners to get their views on how this earthquake has affected wineries and the possible business implications resulting from the damage. Then, David finishes up with a riveting first-hand account of the quake from our cub reporter Tom Silberkleit, publisher of The California Directory of Fine Wineries, who has gotten many direct reports of damage (or not) from wineries in the area. Next week, our regulars Sara Schneider, wine editor of Sunset Magazine, and Wilfred Wong of Wine.com, will return and everything will get back to normal. Until the next earthquake, that is.

Nick Lazaris is the CEO of Coravin, the company that manufactures the Coravin Wine Access System. This remarkable technology gives wine collectors, wine bars and consumers who can't stomach the idea of a great bottle of wine going to waste, the unprecedented ability to extract a taste or a glass of wine from a bottle without removing the cork; leaving what remains inside perfectly pristine. The system puts enormous power into the hands of the owner of this very sexy and revolutionary device. But when you consider Lazaris' 11 years with Kuerig as the CEO of the company that changed our coffee drinking routine almost as much as Starbucks, it is not surprising that the brain trust behind Coravin would want him on their team. On this episode of Grape Encounters, David spends some quality time with the consumer products marketing wizard who led Kuerig to a position of home and office coffee brewing domination. Success always has at least two components... a great product and a deep understanding of what consumers really want and how to get that product in front of them. Later on the show, David and Sunset Magazine Editor Sara Schneider will continue their in-depth discussion about "America's Wine" then we wrap things up with some wisdom from Wine.com Guru Wilfred Wong that will give you plenty to think about before your next wine purchase!

A favorite subject on Grape Encounters is the relationship between music and wine and how well they complement each other. On past shows, David has talked about pairing rock, pop and even classical music with wine. But Reggae? Well, it was only a matter of time. And this week we’re talking wine and Reggae in a very big way as David welcomes Carlos Daley, founder and producer of the International Reggae Wine Festival which will take place on October 18th in Montego Bay, Jamaica. So just what kind of wines do Jamaicans drink, and will wine ever be as popular in Jamaica as Red Stripe Beer? Next David and Wine Guru Wilfred Wong talk about the difference between estate grown and sourced grapes. What exactly are the pros and cons? As always, Wilfred has plenty of juicy tidbits of information to share. The show wraps up with the first of a two-part conversation with Sunset Magazine Wine Editor Sara Schneider about the changing face and taste of Zinfandel. There’s a lot to know about this distinctly California Wine and if anyone has the skinny on Zinny, it’s Sara!

This week, Grape Encounters host David Wilson introduces listeners to Jim Newcomb, whose “Sommelier Update” is now the number 2 wine blog in the world. What’s it going to take to get to number 1? Well, you might just be able to help! In this conversation, David and Jim talk about the different types of wine blogs, how to find a good one and much more.The conversation continues with some words of wisdom about wine tasting room etiquette between David and Sunset Magazine Wine Editor Sara Schneider, who is one very well mannered but unpretentious lady. That conversation ends with some restaurant wine-by-the-glass tips from David that might ruffle the feathers of a few restaurateurs. Wrapping things up is a spirited discussion about putting ice in wine with one of the countries leading wine experts, Wilfred Wong of Wine.com. OK, so who will come out in favor of putting a few cubes in your wine glass—David or Wilfred? You may be surprised!

This week, Grape Encounters host David Wilson has discovered a tasty, healthy cracker called the Drunken Diva. It’s made from grape seed flour that is a byproduct of Chardonnay grape seeds. Rosemary Hawthorne of Bless Your Heart Baking talks about the gluten-free, low-glycemic and addictively delish treat. She also talks about things you may want to put IN your wine to enhance the flavor. Then, we turn our focus to the growing concerns over the impact of drought conditions that are affecting approximately half the states, not the least of which is California where 90-percent of all wine made in the United States is produced. How are growers and winemakers responding and getting the most out of limited H2O? Learn about key programs underway to wisely manage water resources from Fritz Westover, viticulturist and technical program manager at the Vineyard Team organization. And, Merlot has had a tough go since the movie Sideways came out years ago. But, this week, David delves into this variety with Wine.com’s chief storyteller and Grape Encounters contributor Wilfred Wong.

As Grape Encounters kicks off it’s sixth year of episodes with this week’s program, host David Wilson sticks close to home in the Paso Robles Wine Region where he takes you on a visit to two of the area’s leading wineries. Our first stop is at Halter Ranch, where winemaker Kevin Sass is pleasing vino lovers from his state-of-the-art winery. It's an impressive operation both above and below ground. David talks with Kevin and winery construction superintendent Dave Harbison about the facilities, which include an extraordinary wine cave that you'll more than imagine as they take you on a tour. Next, we're off to meet the Godfather of Paso Robles wine. Gary Eberle is a cofounder of the Paso Robles AVA and was one of the first to build a major winery in the Paso region. The namesake for Eberle Winery, Gary also was the first winemaker to plant a particular variety in America. You’ll learn which one! How did he react when Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Paso as Wine Region of the Year last November? It's a high-spirited conversation and a great history lesson as we visit Eberle's tasting room and pioneering cave to talk with the Godfather on this week's edition of Grape Encounters!

This week on Grape Encounters, your easy-going host David Wilson is up in arms over archaic, Prohibition-era laws still on the books in New England that are having a detrimental impact on consumer access to many wines. Tom Wark is the Executive Director of the American Wine Consumer Coalition and explains how you can help to create change. Does it really matter why you like a wine, or that you simply like it? That’s the basis for this week’s installment of Sipping with Sara, featuring Sunset Magazine wine editor Sara Schneider. And, if you like to read about vino in the blogosphere, Wine.com’s Chief Storyteller Wilfred Wong stops by the Grape Encounters studio on his way back from the annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Barbara. Nearly 400 citizen and industry wine bloggers and social media pros from throughout the world convened at last weekend’s event filled with wine tastings and winery visits you’re likely to be reading a lot about.

Kendall Jackson exec and “Ambassador of Flavor” Michael Jordan (no, not the basketball player!) joins host David Wilson from the Aloha State to discuss why juice makes a difference when making wine. Don’t get duped by picking up a bad bottle because it is well disguised by a clever label and made from ‘orphaned juice.’ The ‘Sommelier of the People’ shares his wisdom about vino produced by phantom wineries. Then, you may be surprised to know that spuds aren’t the only flavorful crop growing in Idaho. Moya Schatz Dolsby is executive director of the Idaho Wine Commission and shares her wisdom and sense of humor with your host, who it turns out has a thing for wines from the state that brings you world famous potatoes. Sara Schneider, wine editor of Sunset Magazine, has etiquette in winery tasting rooms on her mind. Learn about the do’s and the don’ts. It’s much more than knowing when to spit when David goes Sipping with Sara!