SOMMTALKS

Join us today in Healdsburg California, on the northern end of Sonoma County at Healdsburg Shed, with founder Cindy Daniel. Daniel and her husband opened the stunning Shed to highlight agriculture in the area, aiming “to promote good food, farming, cooking and good eating”— and help people make the links between all of those.

The majority of items at Shed, both in the restaurant and in the produce section, are hyper local, with many farmers within ten miles. There are also tools for gardeners and for cooks, including a small selection of cookware.

Culinary Director and Chef Perry Hoffman prepares the fresh dishes on the menu here. He’s an enthusiastic forager, as well, often bringing in mustard flowers or garlic sprouts on his journey into the kitchen.

The Larder section of Shed is where cool products from pickled vegetables and fruits to kimchi and marinated mushrooms are stored in jars. There’s also a gorgeous array of prepared foods for a picnic out front or at your own home.

The top floor, The Grange, pays homage to the past. It’s reserved for gatherings and classes on cooking and gardening, with speakers and authors on farming and food. There are also private events. It’s the ultimate gathering place for the local community to share information and knowledge.

Listen to our conversation with Cindy to hear more about Shed and join in the fun by signing up for their monthly wine dinner series called Taste of Place.

 

Don’t forget to get your copy of our new audio book Wine Talks right here. 

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Karl Wente of Livermore Valley Talks Family History, Wente Family Wines

Jon Emmerich of Silverado Vineyards Tastes Wine with Us

Tasting Wine with Brooks Painter at Castello Di Amorosa

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master S...

What a conversation with Karl Wente, who hails from the oldest continuously operating family-owned winery in California; Wente Vineyards.   Hear 5th generation Karl (who towers tall at 6’7″ by the way) talk about his passion for wine, his family heritage and the Wente Chardonnay clone, which makes close to 80% of all Chardonnay grown in California

The winery was founded in 1883 by Karl’s great great grandfather and Karl now runs the winery with his Uncle Phil, Father Eric, Aunt Carolyn (CEO) and sister Christine. After his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford, the young Wente found his love for wine and attended UC Davis where he earned two masters degrees: in Horticulture and Viticulture/Enology. He has boundless energy, some of which he releases through music.

In fact, Karl came to Chicago for his fundraising efforts through the family foundation project called “Make Time for Music” (#mtfm) He performed, along with his band,Wolf Hamlin & The Front Porch Drifters, at City Winery Chicago (and there’s another show coming up later in June so get your tics now.). The road show also includes tastings of the family single vineyard wines.

The lively discussion will be followed by a tasting of several of the Wente wines, on our next episode. Thanks for joining and please share this episode with all of your wine loving friends.

Don’t forget to get your copy of our new audio book Wine Talks right here. 

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Jon Emmerich of Silverado Vineyards Tastes Wine with Us

Tasting Wine with Brooks Painter at Castello Di Amorosa

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Today, we’re back at Silverado Vineyard tasting wine with Winemaker Jon Emmerich. You’ll learn more about the Stags Leap District here in Napa Valley and taste through the following wines with him:

2013 Silverado Vineyards Geo Cabernet Sauvignon, Coombsville

2013 Silverado Vineyards Solo Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District

Check out their video on the property here, as well.

In case you missed our last episode with Jon, please listen here to our discussion about the Silverado vineyards and his history. 

Don’t forget to get your copy of our new audio book Wine Talks right here. 

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Tasting Wine with Brooks Painter at Castello Di Amorosa

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.

Tune in for Top Winemaker and 28-year veteran Jon Emmerich as he discusses his many harvests at Silverado Vineyards.  Watch a captivating video on the history of the property, the owner’s– The Millers– and their philosophy of winemaking.

Wine Talks: 23 Conversation to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur : our New Audio Book

Don’t forget to get your copy of our new audio book Wine Talks right here. 

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Tasting Wine with Brooks Painter at Castello Di Amorosa

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.

 

Please remember that our first audio book launched this week!

Download the book: Wine Talks; 23 Conversations to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur

And Now, for this week’s show: Director of Winemaking Brooks Painter Taste with Us

Tune in this week for a comprehensive tasting of the wines of Castello di Amorosa with Director of Winemaking Brooks Painter. Learn about the range of wines and the over arching winemaking philosophy and techniques here in last week’s episode. Today, we taste:

Chardonnay, Napa Valley Reserve

2013 Sangiovese, Voyage Vineyard

2012 La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Melanson Vineyard

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Don Thomas Vineyard

2014 Il Barone, Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Il Passito, Late Harvest Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc

Listen to last week’s episode with Painter here.

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.

 

Happy Easter, Listeners!

This week, we had the honor of a lunch and 10-year anniversary retrospective tasting of the wines of Castello di Amorosa. Tune in here to listen to veteran winemaker and Director of Winemaking Brooks Painter discuss the painstaking details of this 13th century castle, built over 14 years in Calistoga by Dario Sattui

and the history of the Il Barone red wines.

Tune in next week for a thorough tasting of the range of Castello di Amorosa wine, including their Italian varietals, Chardonnay and dessert wine.

Please remember that our first audio book launched this week!

Download the book: Wine Talks; 23 Conversations to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur

Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.

Wine Talks Book Soon to be Released by SommTalks

Tune in here to listen to the audio overview of our soon-to-be-released :

Wine Talks: 23 Conversations to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur

Wine Talks is one of the first all-audio wine books available online.  An extension of the veteran journalist’s popular podcast SommTalks on iTunes, the audio book covers every aspect of wine through conversations with winemakers Blair and Caroline Guthrie of Guthrie Family Wines and Stewart Cellars, along with special expert-guests Redd Restaurant Master Sommelier William Sherer and K. Laz Wine Collections Founder Kerrin Laz. The audio book has 13 conversations that average 35-40 minutes each, along with 10 wine tasting interviews from SommTalks podcast. This ultimate guide to wine can be accessed anywhere and anytime through mobile device earbuds. Click here for an audio overview of Wine Talks.

“We feel the best way to educate consumers on wine today is through live conversations around a table full of wine glasses,” Ms Shatkin says.  “The growth and popularity of podcasts and widespread use of mobile devices motivated us to deliver this engaging wine resource in this audio format,” she adds. Wine Talks makes an ideal companion for a long flight, daily commute or active work out.

“Our  audio book makes you feel like you’re part of the conversation, making it much more approachable and relatable than a written book, just like wine should be,” says contributor and winemaker Blair Guthrie.

The chapters cover issues of great interest for all consumers, including:  

How to buy wine you like, in store or online wine clubs;

Ways to serve and store wine;

Best stemware to use;

Handling and storing for aging or just for tomorrow;

Debunking wine myths;

Styles of wine, distinguished by body and flavor, not just by color white or red

Fundamentals of food and wine pairing.

The book is sold at Downpour,  Amazon, Blackstone Library.   It costs approximately $29.95.

About the Authors: Laura Levy Shatkin, a veteran multimedia journalist and host of SommTalks podcast, has spent eighteen years crafting well-researched wine and food content for Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Napa/Sonoma Magazine and on broadcast TV show Taste on NBC5 Chicago. Her never-ending passion for wine and food led her to Blair and Caroline Guthrie, who established their own wine label Guthrie Family Wines in 2013 and also make wine for their family winery Stewart Cellars in Yountville, California. The book was recorded in the Napa Valley, during the monsoon rainstorms in winter of 2017.

And of course, if you’ve missed any past Somm Talks episodes, here are those included in the book :

Wine Talks Audio Book:  SommTalks Wine Tastings with the Pros

Napa Valley Wine Harvest with Opus One Winemaker Michael Silacci

 

Andrew Algren, Chicago Athletic Association Wine Director

Wines Tasted: Bourgeois-Diaz Brut Trois Cepages

2008 Nervi Gattinara, Piedmont, Italy

Tasting Kieran Robinson Wines

We’re back here in Healdsburg area at Kieran Robinson Wines tasting  a few of Robinson’s limited production wines. Both of these wines pay homage to his home town of Philadelphia.

The first, a magenta-colored sparkling wine has a sense of whimsy: it’s his pét-nat (pétillant naturel) called Kieran Robinson Sparkling Brigade. It’s made in the most natural way, with wild yeasts , whole cluster pressing and the fermentation occurring right in the bottle. Pét-nat originated in France’s Loire Valley, but now it can be found everywhere from Sonoma to Spain. This is unlike the classic méthode champenoise which goes through  a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

The next wine is Robinson’s 2013 The Jaun Bennett Valley Syrah, a reference to the Philadelphia slang word for “anything.” Robinson says: “If you can’t think of the name of something, you call it the Jaun.” It’s a most regional term for a most unique wine.

The wine’s fermented with native yeast, 100% whole cluster fermented with 100% Syrah grapes. Fermenting with stems, pips and seeds yields a wine with higher tannin levels and a savory aromatic lift, with hints of olives and saltiness. It’s Rhone-like but yet very California in its strength and power. Best with duck, pork or meat off the grill , this wine is powerful and bold.

Hear our last talk with Robinson here.

Please Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.

Located just off the square in Healdsburg, California this former bakery transformed into Brothers Aaron Garzini and Dustin Valette Valette Restaurant Healdsburg.  Ninety-five percent of the produce crafted into dishes here isn’t just local from Sonoma, it’s from gardens located less than a single mile from the restaurant. Valette grows his own micrograms right inside the restaurant, and also cures meat, which is visible in a large glass case charcuterie case above the open kitchen.

From the start, the brothers aimed to be an establishment to showcase artisans, from the reclaimed redwood tables to the locally roasted coffee by Taylor Maid to the wine. “We want to get people excited about the “lost arts,” Valette says.

The wine list is about 70% from Sonoma but also spans the globe. Wine pairings are available with Valette’s “Trust Me” menu, one that he freeforms daily based on fresh ingredients. Like an omikase meal in a sushi restaurant, the courses just keep on coming until the diners say “halt.”

“This takes away all of the decision making,” Valette says.” You just come in and you’re in la-la-land.” He wants guest to just walk in , sit down,  say “yo, send me food, send me wine,” Over a decade ago, Valette was inspired by a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. “You just walked in and said “food” and like 20 courses came out,” says Valette.

He highlights the most fresh and exciting ingredients and most importantly, uses predominantly what the local farmers happen to drop off that particular day or a fish caught that day. It’s a constantly changing menu.

Valette calls his gig a “chef’s dream come true.” Rather than sitting down and ordering from a large supplier, Valette simply leaves it open. “We only order the basics— garlic, onions, the base ingredients we need .” But most of it comes in on a whim.

“Thankfully, we have a menu that we print on paper so it can change all the time.”

“They talk about painters and musician who have the muse, the “je ne sais quoi,” Valette says about how he operates creatively. “It has to be exciting and authentic;  it has to just come off the cuff too and not be over planned,” he says.  He doesn’t find inspiration from just ordering ingredients but when a farmer brings in the freshest, sweetest seasonal produce, he is inspired to whirl his cooking craft. “it gets you motivated, excited and fired up.”

Their Charcuterie programs is one of just a few licensed restaurants in the area that cure meat and create hand-crafted charcuterie. They make the meat from local pasteur raised pigs; heritage breed pigs. He feels its a lost art and they wanted to bring back the artistry. All are done the old fashioned way, salt-cured.  The14’x7’x4’ double stainless steel, air-tight charcuterie curing box was custom welded by their brother Les Garzini of Garzini welding.  The meats are aged anywhere from 1 1/2 months to 1 1/2 years, as is the case for Proscuito. Copa Lomo, Lanzo, Salami, to name a few.  “All of this tradition that was lost and we’re trying to bring back,” he says of the meat curing.   

Tune in to hear more about the menu, wine program and wine pairings.

Please Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Kieran of Kieran Robinson Wines Talks About His Technique, Location, Passion

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

Wines of Kieran Robinson

In this episode, we travel to West Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg CA, on the northern end of Sonoma County. We meet with Kieran Robinson of his namesake wines, where he produces Viognier and Syrah, not to mention an intriguing natural sparkling wine (a pétillant naturel), as well. We’ll taste his wines in an upcoming episode.

Robinson hails from Philadelphia and made his way to Sonoma via wine training in the Finger Lakes of New York, the Rhone Valley in France, in Sonoma at Paul Hobbs then onto Napa at Jericho Canyon. His intension is to continue to make great wine here in Sonoma, but make his way back to Philly, where he and his wife will plant their vineyard and operate a winery.

Robinson talks about the Syrah growing in Bennet Valley, where he gets his fruit from, and the difference between this cooler “bowl” and the warmer areas in California.

Tune in to hear the entire story.

Please Listen to Past Episodes and Subscribe

You can check out the past few episodes but if you SUBSCRIBE , you’ll receive each new episode right to your device, whichever one you listen to your podcasts on.  Share episodes across social media channels, as well, to let others discover our wine conversations. A few of the most recent include:

Frank Altamura Tastes His Namesake Italian Varietal Wines

K. Laz Wine Collection Tasting with Kerrin Laz

Wine Tasting with Three Sticks Winemaker Bob Cabral

Kerrin Laz on Collectible Napa Valley Cabernet at K. Laz Wine Collections

Nile Zacherly of Mad Fritz Talks Beer in Napa Valley

Master Sommelier Willi Sherer of Redd Restaurant on Holiday Wine Picks!

Biodynamic DaVero Owner Ridgely Evers Talks Olive Farming and Wine

Catch you next time.