Straight outta Poughkeepsie, Lee Campbell did it all, from restaurants, to retail, to wine importing, wine festivals, Sommelier, and Wine Director. Lee is also kind of an OG in natural wine. She now works as a consultant and recently helped open Victoria Blamey’s new restaurant Mena in NYC. So, the question is, what’s left to do, how about putting Virginia wines and Early Mountain Vineyards on the map?

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Guillaume Bott and Tomoko Kuriyama are the magical duo behind Chantereves in Savigny-les-Beaune in Burgundy. As a couple in both life and the vineyard, they started their winery in 2011. A true Burgundian, Guillaume studied wine in Beaune, earned a degree in oenology, worked with Gerard Boudot at Etienne Sauzet and Simon Bize. Originally from Japan, Tomoko, headed to Germany where she also received a degree in Oenology and worked at Weingut Altenkirch among others. Her love of Burgundy brought her to France and by fate met Guillaume. Their wines are refined, aromatic and energetic with finesse and subtlety. 

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Elaine Chukan Brown is recognized as one of the world’s top wine communicators and wine educators. As a writer, Elaine contributes to an impressive list of publications including the current 8th edition of the “World Atlas of Wine,” the 4th edition of the “Oxford Wine Companion” and “On California”. You also may know Elaine as wine reviewer Hawk Wakawaka. Elaine is a prolific speaker, and was recently appointed US Executive Editor of JancisRobinson.com, bringing expertise on sustainability, diversity and equity, climate action, and social responsibility to the platform. Elaine Chukan Brown is Inupiaq, and Unangan-Sugpiaq, that is Indigenous, from what is now known as Alaska. Elaine has been cited as “One of the Most Inspiring People in Wine.” Much of Elaine’s work and writing in wine has shed light on the lack of diversity and inclusion that’s long plagued the industry. 

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Born in LA, David Choi grew up in DC and eventually set roots again, literally, in California. David is proprietor at Magna Carta Cellars and Angel Falls Wines. He came through the ranks in wine retail, import and distribution before making wines. Savvy in social media, David found his way onto TikTok and has now become one of the early wine sensations on the platform with “Wine with David”. 

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New Yorker Daniel Eddy jumped into the food scene in 2004. He bolted NYC after 4 years, and hooked up with Daniel Rose at critically acclaimed Spring Restaurant in Paris. He eventually headed back to the States to become the opening Chef at wine-centric Rebelle on the Bowery, where he earned a Michelin star; Walnut St Café in Philly followed. This baguette obsessed Brooklynite opened his own restaurant, Winner, in Park Slope about a week before the Pandemic; yes, he’s still going strong and has also opened wine bar Runner Up. 

Photo Courtesy of Clay Williams.

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Peter Liem is an award-winning author, wine critic, educator and truly one of the world’s great Champagne experts. Peter is the author of “Champagne: The Essential Guide to the Wines, Producers, and Terroirs of the Iconic Region.” Peter oversees Champagneguide.net, an online comprehensive guide to the wines and producers of Champagne. He is the co-founder of La Fete du Champagne and is a prolific deep-sea diver. Peter has brought himself closer to the region he loves and lives in Champagne and the United States. 

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I caught up with Raj Parr at his Phelan Farm in Cambria, CA., where he has devoted his time to preserving and expressing the farm's unique natural slate and growing his favorite varietals. Next we speak with Tom and Peter Stolpman from Stolpman Vineyards in Los Olivos, dedicated to preserving the natural environment via conscious farming and sustainable employment. Finally we talk with Mike Roth and Craig Winchester from Lo-Fi Wines in Santa Maria, embracing the nothing added, nothing taken away philosophy with their wide range of varietals.

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Josh Greene is the Editor and Publisher of Wine and Spirits Magazine since 1986; the magazine was founded in 1982, and Josh eventually purchased it in 1989. Josh also serves as wine critic at Wine and Spirits for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Portugal, Italy, and Napa Valley to name a few. You can find Josh’s commentary and long form stories in every issue. Josh and his staff taste over 15,000 bottles annually, and Wine and Spirits Magazine is the only recipient of five James Beard awards for excellence in wine writing. 

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Christophe Baron’s family dates back to the mid 17th Century in Charly sur Marne in Champagne. He studied viticulture in Champagne and Burgundy. After meeting an American in Burgundy, Christophe was convinced to head west to Oregon and Washington and discovered their stony vineyards. He bought his first vineyard, Cayuse in 1997, now farming biodynamically. Christophe has unstoppable energy, ambition, curiosity, and a respect for the land. His Bionic Wine’s portfolio is mind-boggling including Champagne Christophe Baron, Cayuse, Hors Categorie, Horsepower, and No Girls. Christophe’s wines have reached cult status along with critical acclaim. The question to Christophe— is all that enough and what’s next?

Photo Courtesy of Christophe Baron.

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Gary Vaynerchuk is the Chairman and CEO of Vayner X, overseeing companies including VaynerMedia, VaynerSports, VaynerNFT, Tracer, Gallery Media Group, to name a few. He is a prolific angel investor with ties to Facebook, Twitter, Uber and Snapchat among others. He is co-founder of Resy, Empathy Wines, VCR Group, and his latest passion VeeFriends. A true entrepreneur at heart, Gary can’t pass a garage sale without stopping and picking up a 15-year-old-Furby. Gary is a five-time NY Times best-selling author, his sixth book “12 and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success”, is coming out this month. GaryVee is a dear friend and truly the sharpest dude I know. 

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