Grape Encounters Wine Radio

We’re happy to help! Listener Joe Walker from Michigan wrote us and asked for advise about his upcoming honeymoon in the Napa Valley. We were all too happy to chime in and enlist the help of some very in-the-know friends. Joining Host David Wilson and Joe are Tom Silberkleit, the publisher of the California Directory of Fine Wineries, Kat Kaiser, the Hospitality Director at the very romantic Ledson Winery Castle in Sonoma County and Gadget Guru Matt Dubow who has a lot to share about wine and romance! So grab the one you love, fill up your glasses and snuggle up together as you tune in to this very romantic edition of Grape Encounters Radio!

Have you ever looked fondly at a bottle of wine and said to yourself, “I can do that!”? For everyone who ever dreamed of building their own winery, this episode is for you. Join us as we visit with Corbett Wulfing of Design and Build Collaborative. Corbett has been intimately involved with numerous winery building projects that include everything from elaborate, state-of-the-art facilities to temperature-perfect wine caves. But be forewarned… chances are you may find the whole process more daunting than you imagined. Then, smile and say “cheese,” as we have plenty of laughs with Gadget Guru Matt Dubow. It’s another Grape Encounters quiz… “What kind of milk do they make that cheese out of?” Do you know?

We can’t call it a Bordeaux Blend so winemakers in the US came up with their own name. That was 25 years ago and a lot has happened since. In the meantime, some interesting wine trends are making headlines in Arkansas and we want to tell you all about it. Joining us this week on Grape Encounters Radio is Mitch Cosentino, who created the first Meritage wine and was at the forefront of the Meritage movement. Then, it’s off to Arkansas where there are plenty of surprises about what’s hot and what’s not. Joining us is James Cripps of Custom Beverage, a free-spirited, fun-loving distributor who has plenty to share about what folks are drinking. In Arkansas, folks aren’t necessarily following nation trends… makes sense in a state where the motto is, “The People Rule!” Also on this week’s show, Gadget Guru Matt Dubow adds some important tips for people who may decide to create their own blends at home. C’mon, live on the edge!

A few weeks ago, we aired our 200th Episode of Grape Encounters Radio. It was an important milestone. The problem is, we completely overlooked this very important anniversary. So, as they say, “Better late than never.” This week, we go back to our very first episode of Grape Encounters and give a quick listen to our first interview with our first guest, Keith Saarloos of Saarloos and Sons. Then we get Keith on the line to see how things have changed in the past 4 years. Also on this week’s show, we take you back to the very best of the best wine quizzes with Gadget Guru Matt Dubow of EpicStyle.com. It’s a barrel of laughs and you might even learn a thing or two. Finally, there are lots of entrepreneurs in the wine business and we thought it might be nice to share the story of three female friends that have decided to change careers and do something fun and innovative in the wine business. Meet this delightful trio this week on Grape Encounters Radio!

This week, we’re taking wine lovers to the SHOW ME state of Missouri… where wine makers are showing off some irresistible gold medal wines! Join us as we visit with the CEO of Missouri’s largest winery and the former Director of Agriculture for the state, Peter Hofherr. Then, which do you love more? Wine, or Rock and Roll? Well, how would you like to make music with some of the hottest rockers AND make wine with world class wine makers, as your ultimate fantasy is make a reality? Musician and winemaker Michael Martini is with us to tell you all about the opportunity of a lifetime. Continuing on that theme, it’s the ultimate Rock and Roll Wine Quiz with Gadget Guru Matt Dubow. Which rockers have a wine connection? Fill up your glass, tune up your guitar, and play along with us on this week’s Grape Encounters!

This week, it’s a crash course in wine blending with a lot of help from Winemaker Mike Sinor who once served under legendary Robert Mondavi and now is getting a lot of attention at Ancient Peaks, just outside of Paso Robles. Learn how winemakers approach the challenge of making amazing blends and why blended wines are so hot these days. Then, as long as we were out at Ancient Peaks, it only made sense to go from blending wine to buzzin’ down one of the only vineyard zip-lines in the world… and this one’s a doozie! Co-owner Karl Wittstrom is our personal guide on this adventure. Finally, it’s a blending blind tasting with Gadget Guru Matt Dubow--but the stuff we’re pouring was intended to stump this Wizard of Wine Goodies and you’ve got to tune in for this unusual little contest!

Matilde Parente is both a wine expert and a Pathologist. Dr. Parente frequently speaks on the relationship between wine and good health. From the French Paradox to improving heart health to the latest revelation about wine’s apparent ability to ward off kidney stones; this week’s show gets into a lot of detail about research that will likely make you feel even better (literally) about that glass of wine you enjoy on a regular basis! This is an amazingly interesting show you won’t want to miss. Plus, do you know how to make a great margarita out of Chardonnay wine? You can and Gadget Guru Matt Dubow joins us as we share our very secret recipe! Got any limes?

Oh, so very much to ponder on this week’s edition of Grape Encounters Radio. First, David gives listeners an exclusive bird’s eye view of a major wine competition and tells you what you may not know about the process of choosing medal winners… Then meet the wine judge who also serves as Executive Chef at the Playboy Mansion. William S. Bloxsom Carter talks rabbit food and Bunny Bordeaux with David. Gadget Guru Matt Dubow shares his thoughts about being label conscious when buying wine and then we sneak into the massive wine cellar at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition to eavesdrop on a panel of judges wrangling over wine label and package design. Great stuff!

This week’s show begins at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition where Host David Wilson is serving on the judging panel. We’ll visit with the Chairman of the competition, renowned sommelier Michael Jordan, who will share a ton of insight about wine competitions and how medals are awarded. Then it’s off to Vina Robles Winery in Paso Robles, California to visit with Simone Michel, Director of Customer Relations and Marketing, along with Tim Reed, the Winery’s General Manager. Vina Robles is about to open a 3300-seat amphitheater that will feature some of the hottest musical acts in the world. It’s a trend that is very hot in the wine business and we couldn’t be happier! We wrap things up with Matt Dubow, our Gadget Guru from Epic Style with some thoughts of bode bags and flasks!

This week, it’s our long anticipated cruise from Venice to Istanbul with dozens of listeners aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner. Not sure how we could have more fun! If only you were there! Meet the Mariner’s delightful Sommiler, Daniela Ovesea, radiant Assistant Cruise Director Stacey Huston and ultra-charming Social Director Terese Basket. Come with us to a wine tasting on Rhodes in Greece. Visit with listeners who savored this amazing Grape Encounter and be a part of the fun. Next time, we know you’ll want to come along! That is, unless you have an aversion to laughter, decadence and great food and wine! Gadget Guru Matt couldn’t make the trip, but he sure helped us pack in Epic Style!