Podcast

Ren Harris is the owner and operator of Paradigm Winery along with his wife Marilyn. He and his family have a long and storied history in the Napa Valley, starting long before the first vintage in 1991.

https://paradigmwinery.com/

https://paradigmwinery.com/collection/wine

We Talk About:

His family and the long history in growing grapes in Napa Valley

The first vintage of Paradigm in 1991 and winemaker Heidi Barrett

What makes the Oakville AVA so special

Some details on the Paradigm Cab Sav: 11 blocks; the rootstocks and clones vary to give complexity

The grape you may be surprised to know was planted on the property in Oakville in 1976 

Story of how he held a contest to choose the name for the winery

A sign off Hwy 29 that says: “No Wineries This Road”

A horse that was named after the winery, which is still alive to this day

The inside story on his "business card wine" produced with Jean Phillips in 1992 that's half Screaming Eagle and half Paradigm

Why they extended the length of the cork

Sarah Klearman is a reporter at the Napa Valley Register where she covers the business of wine in Napa, including vintners, growers, wineries and all things wine-related. She graduated from Santa Clara University and has lived in California for the last five years.

https://twitter.com/SarahKlearman

https://napawinetaste.com/wine/article_7849ee70-b033-11ea-8e7a-bf536dd28c51.html

https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/meet-the-entrepreneur-making-tours-of-napa-valley-wineries-a-virtual-reality/article_30667668-2433-5242-8013-88308d3a9ec8.html

We Talk About:

Sarah's background and how she got into journalism

Thoughts on journalism, PR, and covering the wine space in particular

Her recent transition to the Napa Valley Register

Her previous reporting on beer

The impact of technology & social media in the wine industry

Millennials and wine: are more cans and screw caps in our future?

This year’s upcoming harvest and the past fire season

The future of tasting rooms in the wake of covid-19

State of the bulk wine and grape market: Two Buck Chuck and Cameron Hughes

Jim Duane is the winemaker at Seavy Vineyards. Before that, worked at Robert Mondavi and Stags Leap Wine Cellars. He’s the host of The Inside Winemaking Podcast and holds a Master’s Degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis.

https://www.seaveyvineyard.com/about

https://www.insidewinemaking.com/

We Talk About:

Before wine, his love of plants and botany and his BS in Biology from Gonzaga.

Working in vineyards down-under in New Zealand

Getting his Masters in Viticulture and Oenology at UC Davis. 

Alan Tenscher had been long gone from Franciscan by the time I met him

His internship at Robert Mondavi and then a lengthy apprenticeship at Stags Leap Cellars

All about Seavy, the winemaking style, wines, and much more

Why he doesn't like the phrase "natural wine"

Alcohol levels in wine, a discussion about "balance" and his strong views here

His podcast, Inside Winemaking and why he enjoys doing it

The most important decision when it comes to winemaking

The future of Napa Valley and some wines he's been drinking lately

Suphada Rom is a private chef and sommelier with a decade of food, wine, and hospitality experience. She received her MA in Nutrition + Food Studies from New York University and has a BS in Biology. She worked in the wine industry for over six years, and between working harvests in California and managing wine sales in New York City, she passed the Level-II Exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers, earning her Certified Sommelier credentials. Suphada is well-versed in meal planning, exploring flavors from global cuisines, sourcing quality produce and minimizing food waste, while seeking out wines from around the world.

https://suphadarom.com/about

https://www.instagram.com/suphada_rom/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-cooking-class-in-your-kitchen-cambodian-cuisine-beef-stir-fry-tickets-111647017234

https://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/eat-drink-tablas-with-suphada-rom/

https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2020/01/cambodian-cuisine-and-elephant-walk-cookbook

We Talk About: 

Growing up in Vermont and how she got into wine after a trip to Italy

Studying at NYU and the jump to become a Sommelier

One type of wine she really enjoys (Hint: it's not the same old Bordeaux blends!)

Her work at Tablas Creek and the connection to both Vermont and France

Her interest in dry farmed, organic and biodynamic vineyards

A job as a food runner, her love of cooking, and being an entrepreneur

The services she offers as a private chef

Some basic and surprising advice for pairing food and wine

Dr. Elina L. Niño is the Assistant Specialist in CE - Apiculture at the University of California Cooperative Extension

Her research interests are fluid and designed to address immediate needs of various agriculture stakeholder groups. Her primary responsibilities are in providing professional support and education to California's beekeepers, growers, pesticide  applicators, and other stakeholder groups. She teaches numerous beginner,  intermediate and advanced beekeeping workshops, the culmination of which has resulted in the establishment of the first ever California Master  Beekeeper Program serving beekeepers of California and neighboring  states. She is also currently working on the development of apiculture  education for veterinarians in collaboration with the Western Institute of Food Safety and Security (WIFFS). In  addition to teaching formal workshops I serve on various commodity  boards as a research liaison and adviser allowing me to directly impact  California Agriculture.

We Talk About:

How there's more than 20,000 species of bees!

Workers, drones, queen and how the colony works

What are the misnomers about bees?

Beekeeping and how to get started

The other pollinators and what they do

Are bees disappearing? What does this mean for us?

Sage Honey, Buckweat Honey, and Meadowfoam Honey

https://elninobeelab.ucdavis.edu/people/elina-nino

https://www.projectapism.org/

https://elninobeelab.ucdavis.edu/extension

https://cambp.ucdavis.edu/

Diana Snowden Seysses is a Napa Valley native and the eldest of the four, third-generation of Snowdens active in the family’s vineyard and wine enterprise. She's currently the winemaker at Snowden, oenologist at Domain Dujac in Burgundy, and consulting winemaker at Ashes & Diamonds.

In the past, worked at various properties including Robert Mondavi Winery, Mumm Napa, the Araujo Estate, Château La Fleur de Boüard, Domaine Leflaive and Ramey Wine Cellars. She graduated from the Viticulture and Enology program at UC Davis in 2001.

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/snowden-napa-cabernet-with-a-burgundy-mindset

http://www.triennes.com/en/about/

http://www.dujac.com/en

https://www.snowdenvineyards.com/Our-Wines-and-Winemaking

https://ashesdiamonds.com/community/people/diana-snowden-seysses

https://ashesdiamonds.com/shop/grand-vin-2016-3-oak-knoll-district

https://ashesdiamonds.com/shop/cabernet-sauvignon-2016-2-oakville-No2

We Talk About:

Working as a sampler at Robert Mondavi and school at UC Davis

Advancing her way through the business at Mumm, Ramey, Araujo, and more

How to think about terroir, picking, organic farming, and more

The emotional state of people in the vineyards

How cheesemaking is like winemaking

The Brother's Vineyard Snowden Cab Sav wine an the label art

Her husband, Domaine Dujac, and her "commute" from France to the U.S.

How she came to work on Ashes & Diamonds wines

Climate change and what can be done to slow it down

Dr. Ben Hunt is the Chief Investment Officer at Second Foundation Partners, a consultant for large institutional investors. He’s the author of Epsilon Theory, a newsletter and website that examines markets through the lenses of game theory, history and nature. Over 100,000 professional investors and allocators across 200 countries read Epsilon Theory for its fresh perspective and novel insights into market dynamics. In prior positions, Ben has managed a billion dollar hedge fund and served as Chief Strategist for a $13 billion dollar asset manager. He has a Ph.D. from Harvard University, was a tenured Political Science professor, and has co-founded three technology companies.

https://twitter.com/EpsilonTheory

https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/adoptions-and-sales

https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a12798341/sotol-mexican-liquor-spirit/

https://www.epsilontheory.com/too-clever-by-half/

Join the Pack: https://www.epsilontheory.com/the-pack/

We Talk About:

Little River Farm, where Ben lives, and what brought him there

The BLM Mustang Rescue Program

How to find your pack while living in a small town, home schooling, and working from home

Industrialized food and why eggs shouldn't need to be cleaned or refrigerated

Comparing market cycles to seasons and how narratives shape markets

Ben's recommendation on something to drink

Anne Vawter is currently the winemaker at Hoopes Family Vineyard & Winery and co-founder and winemaker at Red Mare Wines, a brand she co-founded in 2010. She was formerly the consulting winemaker at Oakville Ranch Vineyards, Teaderman Vineyards, Ziata Wines, and Varozza Vineyards and spent four years with Paradigm Winery under Heidi Barrett. She graduated with a B.S. in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis.

https://napavintners.com/vintners/Anne-Vawter.asp?qid=3622038

https://www.redmarewines.com/Who-We-Are/Our-People

Wine Club: https://www.redmarewines.com/Wine-Club

We Talk About:

Growing up in Walla Walla, Washington

Her journey into wine and eventually, UC Davis

Her experience working at Paradigm under Heidi Barrett

What a "consulting" winemaker actually does

Her label, Red Mare Wines and the style she's trying to produce

Her journey around the world at www.vawtersonthewater.com

Jamie Kutch left a Wall Street job for the chance to chase a dream out West.  After apprenticing at Kosta Browne, he launched Kutch Wines in 2005. Kutch Wines strives to use well-positioned, cold climate sites with appropriate soils, producing balanced and restrained Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

https://kutchwines.com/

https://kutchwines.com/store

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAz6_8xNgc0

https://www.vinography.com/2020/05/evolving-from-strength-to-confidence-the-wines-of-jamie-kutch

https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/thirst/article/Winemakers-to-Watch-2015-Meet-our-10-rising-star-6049791.php

We Talk About:

How Jamie got interested in wine

The journey from tasting a Kanzler Vineyard Kosta Brown to Kuch Wines

Trips to Burgundy and why he's not trying to make that, but rather, respect the style

His first couple vintages and how things changed going forward

Natural wine, balanced & restrained styles, and IPOB

The importance of fruit, vineyard selection, and dry farming for whole-cluster Pinot Noir

Decanting and serving temperature for his wines

Thoughts on the current state of financial markets

Ramey Wine Cellars was founded in 1996 by David Ramey and his wife Carla. After sixteen years making wine in Sonoma County, and firmly establishing Matanzas Creek and Chalk Hill wineries in the marketplace, David crossed the Mayacamas to spend six years in the Napa Valley–first as winemaker for Dominus Estate and project manager for the construction of their new winery; then helping Leslie Rudd reshape the Girard Winery into Rudd Oakville.

David’s groundbreaking work with indigenous yeasts, sur lies aging and malolactic and barrel fermentation yielded a new California style that was richer, more lush and silky smooth than previously known. As a result, he created a benchmark style now emulated by many.

David earned a graduate degree from the University of California at Davis, where his 1979 thesis on volatile ester hydrolysis (translation: how aromas evolve in wine) is still used today to understand how wine ages. 

https://www.rameywine.com/story/david-ramey/

https://www.sidebarcellars.com/

https://twitter.com/ramey_david

We Talk About:

A random trip to Los Angeles with a future well-known winemaker from Santa Cruz

His involvement in many brands and projects including Simi, Dominus, Rudd, Matanzas Creek, and more.

How Ramey Wine Cellars started: 260 cases of Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay in 1996

Robert Parker Jr., IPOB, and how to look at "balance" in wine

His thoughts on the "natural wine" movement and sulphur dioxide

The Ramey Cab Sav from Oakville AVA that you'll want to taste!

One varietal that ripens late; could it be part of Napa's future?

Story behind the Sidebar brand: the Kerner grape, Lodi Zin, and more