The Taste with Doug Shafer – a Podcast About Wine, Food, and Friends

In college Dave Ramey initially pursued an interest in literature before realizing his passion for wine. He earned a degree in enology in the late 1970s and sought out jobs in France and Australia. Back in the U.S. he worked at Simi, then Matanzas Creek, and later at Dominus before creating his own brand, Ramey Wine Cellars., one of California’s most respected wineries. Enjoy!

For more visit: RameyWine.com

Tim Mondavi spent more than 30 years working with his father at Robert Mondavi Winery until the family lost control of winery in 2004. Undaunted he started over with a new winery aptly named Continuum. Today Tim and his family are celebrating 100 years in the wine industry and he is more passionate than ever about producing world-class wine. For more visit: ContinuumEstate.com

At UC Davis Tony Biagi discovered the enology program and wine became his overriding passion. He first worked for Duckhorn and went on to launch the winemaking programs at wineries including Paraduxx, Cade, Odette, and Hourglass. Today he consults with clients, including Amici and Lasseter, and has started his own brand, Patria. Enjoy!

For more visit: PatriaWines.com

Helen Keplinger grew up envisioning a future in medical science, however, wine offered greater adventure – taking her to work with winemakers in Napa Valley, Santa Barbara, Australia, Spain, and South Africa. Today she has her own wine brand while making wine with golfer Cristie Kerr and for iconic winery Grace Family. Enjoy!

For more visit: keplingerwines.com

In this classic episode Paula Kornell takes us on an exceptional journey spanning two continents, one war, and more than 60 years of winemaking.

Her father, Hanns Kornell, a third gen winemaker in Germany managed to escape a Nazi concentration camp, make his way to America, and found a winery near Calistoga specializing in sparkling wine.

Paula was born the year after the winery launched and grew up in the Napa Valley of the ’60s and ’70s. She later worked with top wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps. When we first posted this episode in 2019, she had come full circle, debuting her own sparkling wine brand—which is going stronger than ever today.

Learn more: paulakornell.com

Shafer winemaker Elias Fernandez grew up in Napa Valley, attending school with the kids of prominent winery families. Meanwhile he got a taste of agriculture working in vineyards and orchards alongside his parents and later during summers at Louis Martini Winery. He was the first in his family to attend college, where he discovered a love of winemaking – a passion he’s pursued ever since. Enjoy!

For more visit: shafervineyards.com & eightyfourwines.com

Beth and Lindy Novak have lots of great memories of growing up in Napa Valley including hanging out with the Shafer kids. But things got tough when their father died unexpectedly and their mother, Mary Novak, had to figure out her next steps. Fortunately Mary and her daughters created Spottswoode Estate, turning it into one of the top wineries in Napa Valley.  Enjoy!

For more visit: spottswoode.com

As a teenager Mia Klein wanted to be a chef. In her first job as a cook, however, she discovered wine and a whole new path opened up for her. In 1984 she landed her first job at Chappellet. Eventually Klein became one of the busiest consulting winemakers in Napa Valley, producing wines for Spottswoode, Araujo, Viader, Dalla Valle, and others, including her own brand, Selene. Enjoy!

For more visit: SeleneWines.com

Few people can tell the story of California wine from the 1950s to today with the flair and authenticity of Richard Peterson. Hired by Gallo in 1958, later by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff at Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyard, and eventually striking out on his own, Peterson lived the highs and lows of American wine during these crucial years. He’s captured it all in his outstanding memoir The Winemaker.

For more visit: richardgpeterson.com