The Vine Guy

Old Town Cellars on Main Street in Park City is changing the wine culture in Utah, one glass at a time. Former ski-jumper-turned-sommelier Stephen MacKay and business-savvy Jason Morgan were childhood friends who reconnected to start the first on-site wine production facility in Park City. The result is an avalanche of great wine. Drink in this interview with two very cool – and talented – skiers-turned-winemakers on this episode of The Vine Guy.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 OTC Mountain Town White

Multi-Vintage OTC Mt. Superior Tempranillo (aged 9 months in Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Wild Turkey barrels)

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Nate and Lauren Belden came from very different upbrings as well as opposite ends of the country. Yet somehow the cowboy and the Manhattanite met, married and together have grown a thriving wine following at Belden Barnes in Sonoma County. Drink in this episode to find out how this “Green Acres” couple has developed a vineyard, a farm, and a very productive wishing tree (over 300 wishes granted – and growing!).

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 Belden Farms Estate Grüner Veltliner

2018 Belden Farms Estate “Epiphany” Grenache 

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Steve Dutton is a fifth generation Californian and together with his brother, they farm over 1,200 acres of land in Sonoma County. He is joined on the podcast by his fiancé, Karissa Kruse, President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. Together, they talk about the history of Dutton Ranch, Sonoma County, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, wine bras, and love. Drink in the entertaining episode with Steve and Karissa.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2014 Kistler "Dutton Ranch" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

2014 Dutton-Goldfield Freestone Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

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In this special episode, Scott Greenberg, the Vine Guy, shares his personal recommendations for affordable and delicious Champagnes and Sparkling Wines to ring in the New Year. 

Wines Reviewed Include:

Non-vintage Gervais Gobillard Brut Authentique Champagne

Non-vintage Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Non-vintage Montaudon Grande Rose Brut Champagne

2011 Bertrand-Delespierre Origines Croisees Champagne

Non-vintage La Tordera Prosecco Brunei Brut Italy

Non-vintage Jean-Marc Gilet Vouvray France

Non-vintage J Vineyards Cuvee 200 Brut California

Non-vintage Bagrationi 1882 Reserve Brut Georgia

Non-vintage Schramsberg Brut Rose California

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Christi Coors Ficeli’s husband, Dave Ficeli, joins the podcast for this part-two interview where they discuss making micro-lot wines from a tiny rock-hard vineyard. Their extensive American oak barrel program is just one of the many nuanced changes that Dave and Christi have taken on with their passion project, C Elizabeth, honoring four generations of strong women. Best of all, some of the proceeds from the sale of this tiny production are going to first responders in the Napa Valley region. Drink in the heart-warming episode with the charitably minded Dave and Christi Ficeli.

 Wines Tasted In This Episode:2014 C. Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 C. Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon 

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Christi Coors Ficeli always thought she’d follow in her great great grandfather’s famous beer brewing shoes. As a descendent of Adolf Coors, she knew that beer flowed through her veins, but so too did her family’s entrepreneurial spirit. Christi’s first taste of the wine business came shortly after college working for Galo, where she learned the basics of production, distribution, promotion and sales in a family business environment. It was also where she met her future husband Dave Ficeli. Dave’s job took them to Napa Valley were they both fell in love with wine, food and the sense of family that is at the heart of Napa’s agricultural community. In 2012 Christi applied her entrepreneurial spirit when she purchased and revitalized Napa Valley’s Goosecross Cellars. Drink in part one of a two-part episode with the delightful Christi Coors Ficeli.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2016 Goosecross Cabernet Sauvignon Estate $80

2016 Goosecross Holly’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon $180

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Cyrus Hazzard is the senior director of Total Wine’s concierge sales department. Wait… what? Total Wine has concierge sales department? Yup, and Cyrus joins the Vine Guy podcast to talk about his career, Total Wine’s dedication to the high-end wine market, and most importantly, his wine picks for Thanksgiving. One of them just might surprise you. Drink in this episode with the oh-so-conversant Cyrus Hazzard.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2015 Au Pied du Mont Chauve St Aubin Charmois from Burgundy, France

2015 Amadieu Gigondas Pas de L’Aigle from Rhone Valley, France

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Merry Edwards is a pioneer in Sonoma County, and for the first time, she has chosen another winemaker to carry on her legacy. Heidi von der Mehden was a well-established winemaker who knew her way around Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay production, but she really wanted to make Pinot Noir. Now the head winemaker at Merry Edwards, Heidi has her wish fulfilled and her Pinot cup is overflowing! Drink in this delightful episode with the charming and talented Heidi von der Mehden.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 Merry Edwards Winery Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

2017 Merry Edwards Winery Meredith Vineyard Pinot Noir

2018 Merry Edwards Winery Sauvignon Blanc

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Michael David Winery has a long history in Lodi, California. The family has been farming the land since the 1860’s and growing wine grapes since the early 20th century. Founders, brothers Michael and David Phillips, are fifth generation grape growers who sold their wines at the family’s fruit stands… until their Seven Deadly Zins exploded onto the market and moved them from roadside sales to a national brand and now a household name. David Phillips joins the Vine Guy podcast to share their remarkable story and the wild ride of Michael~David wines. 

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 Michael David Freakshow Zinfandel

2017 Michael David Inkblot Cabernet Franc

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With fewer trick-or-treaters knocking on doors, it’s quite possible that you could very well be left holding you own bag… of candy this year. Don’t let the stockpile of sugary sweetness languish in your plastic pumpkin on the counter all by itself. In this episode, Scott Greenberg, AKA The Vine Guy, shares his annual picks for pairing Halloween candy favorites with wine. Trust me, this is no trick, but a genuine treat that you’ll have fun experimenting with long after the doorbell stops ringing.

Wines Tasted In This Episode:

1996 Broadbent Colheita Madeira

2017 Hirsch “San Andreas Fault” Pinot Noir

2016 Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Red Label

2017 Michael David Six Sense Syrah

Non-vintage Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne

Alvear “1927” Pedro Ximenez Solera Sherry

2016 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz

2016 Fonseca Vintage Port

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