Inside the Bunghole...A Journey through Wine

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Meet Matthew Villard, the passionate owner and winemaker behind MCV. He is on a mission to create a name for Petite Sirah wines, and doing a great job at it!  His love for wine blossomed around the family dinner table, fostered by his European-minded parents' perspective on alcohol. Matt pursued his wine education at the University of California, Davis.

This is truly a family affair, Mathew, along with his wife, Teresa and his sons, are often times found in the tasting room in Paso.  Make sure to check in to their wine club as they host some great events, with pairing unusual menus with his unique wines.  His passion for the Petite Sirah grape is evident, infusing each bottle with his unwavering commitment to quality.

From vine to glass, Matt's dedication shines through in every sip of MCV wine.

www.mcvwines.com
Insta:  @mcv_wines

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At some point, serious wine lovers will have the same thought..."What if I quit my job and start a winery"?  Some will dwell on it for years, some for only a few seconds, and then there are those like Michael and Charlie Havill who actually do it.

Still committed to growing and providing grapes to award-winning wineries, Bella Grace now has a fully-operation winemaking facility, including a custom-designed and engineered wine cave, built-in 2011, that houses the handcrafted current vintage – all aged in oak barrels. The wine cave serves as a focal point of the property with its 12-feet high wide barrel storage design.

Pam and James spend an afternoon with Jess Havill talking about the history of Bella Grace and Amador county, which is one of the oldest AVAs in California, and tasting his amazing wines.  Find out about Big Bertha and her unique features in making a great Barbera wine!

Don’t miss the egg  story sure to crack you up. Cheers  

www.bellagracevineyards.com

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Wow!  What a legend!  Gary Eberle not only shares his great wines, he also shares his rich history from Pennsylvania to Paso, and his part in making Paso Robles a destination wine region in California!

Gary released his first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1979, depicting the now iconic boar logo, which pays homage to the German origin of the name Eberle, which means "small boar".  

If you are lucky enough to visit this mainstay winery in Paso, you will likely find Gary sitting at his Mondavi inspired table, decked out in casual shorts and enjoying a bottle of his Reserve Cab.  He's happy to chat and regale the visitor in the history of his winemaking and of the Paso Robles region!

Another amazing tribute to Mondavi is that Eberle doesn't charge for his tastings or tours of the vineyard, which makes THIS stop on your Paso wine tour certainly a best buy in our books!

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Pam, James and (introducing for the 1st time as a host) German , who has been a guest, fan and supporter of Inside the Bunghole since the very beginning, are off to Paso Robles.  Our first stop is Tooth & Nail.  

Join us as we sit down with Jeremy Leffert, Director of Winemaking.  We find out how Jeremy got in to wine making and about his history with Tooth & Nail.  We also talk about the history of Paso Robles as a leading AVA ( JARGON ALERT 🛎️ ding ding ding...AVA is American Viticultural Area, also known as a  grape growing region).  

FUN FACT:  There are some very cool things that Tooth & Nail is doing with their wine labels, just download the Tooth & Nail AR app in the App Store or in Google Play, shoot your camera at the label to watch them come to life!

Tooth & Nail has some pretty impressive distribution, so you should be able to find their wines on a shelf near you, but if you haven't been able to find it, join the wine club and have them shipped to you!

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Welcome to our 4th season!  This year we kick it off with a field trip to Grape Expectations, where James and I and a few other bungholers took the winemaking class and ended up with a lot of knowledge and a few cases of our very own, and if I do say so myself, very delicious wine!  We made a Super Tuscan made with grapes sourced just outside of Napa; 67% Sangiovese, 14% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Syrah.  WOW is all I can say!  The wine was fantastic, and the experience was just as special!

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James and I are on a field trip to Stockton and caught up with Astronaut  turned wine maker, Jose Hernandez.  We first tried his wines at a wine tasting at La Fe, our regular haunt in Palm Desert, and decided we needed a re-visit.  His story is fascinating...so fascinating that Amazon decided to produce a feature film on his life.  Just released on Amazon Prime, titled A Million Miles Away, is his out of this world journey.

We talk to Jose about his journey and how he ended up coming full circle back to "the earth",  growing and making Tierra Luna wines!  Its a fun, inspirational podcast that will launch your motivation, and the power of the mantra "never give up"!!

www.tierralunacellars.com
@astronautjosehernandez
@tierralunacellars
#amillionmilesaway

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If you are around the Palm Springs area on Veteran's Day come join Pam, James, Don, German, Lisa Wherry and Jeff Hocker at Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival – Saturday, Nov 11!

Explore the finest international cuisine from world renown food purveyors and award-winning chef owned restaurants, watch LIVE celebrity and emerging chef and mixology demonstrations, experience elevated wine and spirits tastings, talented musicians throughout the Pavilion amid a breathtaking backdrop.

Must be 21+ to attend

In this episode of Inside the Bunghole find out about this great event and how you can get tickets!  Also, what it takes to put on an event of this caliber.  Jeff Hocker is well versed in putting on amazing events and Lisa Wherry has amazing connections in the wine industry to make this event one NOT TO BE MISSED!!  You know we'll be there and we hope to see YOU!!

For more information on which high profile chefs, wines, and restaurants will be serving and demonstrating visit palmspringsfoodandwine.org

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Oh BOY!  What happens when 3 great friends, and several bottles of wine meet in one crazy evening?  Well, this episode of Inside the Bunghole is what happens!

Don gifted Pam a bottle of wine with the explicit instructions NOT TO DRINK for 5 years, and Pam actually listened!  Listen, if you dare, as they uncork a 2011 French Bordeaux  to see if this bottle of wine aged well, and if these clowns are even sober enough to judge it!  It was a fun filled evening, culminating in frivolity, laughter and maybe a little bit of wine knowledge...but we promise, not much!

This is not our usual, but it was a fun experiment, that went off the rails before we even began our journey Inside the Bunghole!

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Today we interview Sandra Gomes-Rocha of Diniz Cellars,  whose missions is to bring wines from her homeland of Portugal to the US.  Diniz Cellars is a passion project as Sandra's goal is to expose the talent and history of Portuguese winemaking to the palates of Americans!  In Portugal, wine is part of the family, part of everyday life, and something always to be shared.  They are beautiful and unusual wines from an undiscovered, but up and coming wine region.  The weather and the terroir is very conducive to growing great grapes for delicious wines, and Sandra has quite a portfolio of amazing wines from all over Portugal.

And let's talk about VALUE!  You really can't beat these wines especially for the price.  Some amazing wines you simply must try.  It will make you curious for more!  

www.dinizcellars.com
#portuguesewinegirl

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WOW!!  What an interview with the incomparable Jon Simmons of Hugo's Cellar restaurant in the 4 Queens, downtown Freemont Street in Las Vegas.  Jon shares not only his knowledge and approach to wine, but boy, oh boy, does he have some amazing stories of Las Vegas, the mob, Sinatra...just to name drop a few!  This episode is longer than most, but you will be captivated by his amazing career, and his no-nonsense, down to earth approach on wine!  I just wish we could keep on going.  We definitely left the door open for another visit...plus we LOVE going to Hugo's Cellar, so any excuse is a good excuse, but this is the BEST excuse ever!

From great historical perspective, to sensible advice on ordering the "right" wine, this is a don't miss episode.

www.fourqueens.com/dining
FB/Insta: @hugoscellar
@4queenshotelandcasino

Cheers!  Please like, follow, subscribe and rate us!  We LOVE to hear your comments!  Reach out to us on our social media: 
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