We could have spoken for hours. In fact, after I turned off the recording system, he stayed for another 20 minutes wrapping up the previous hour.

With a Ph.D. in history, Cristian is able to add a level of depth to the conversation about wine and its history. Wine is everywhere throughout history and as a matter of academia, represents so much about history, that it is hard to separate one from the other.

When you consider the wine to be a sense of time and place, a background in history would set you apart in the discussion about wine....and you will see...this idea is entirely real.

I know that we will sit again one day and continue where we left off, but as a listener to the podcast, you will find Cristians insight into the origins and story of wine fresh and inspiring.

There can only be one explanation (maybe two) for someone to want, study, test and pass both the Master of Wine curriculm and the Master Sommelier curriculm. So rare it is that there are only 3 people in the world that have done it. One reason could be the pure academia of them; the study, the knowledge, the challenge to learn more. And another reason is the passion for wine. For David, it is a lot of both.

He is clear, articulate and funny...and maybe a little crazy; after all this study and understanding of the wine industry, he goes off and starts a winery in Walla Walla Washington. Who does this?

But you will here the commitment and passion it takes to do this very thing. Wine Talks is proud to have tracked him down in Washington as they are preparing for harvest.

Have a listen....you will be inspired

Reading Kenny's website www.bluerockvineyard.com, you will learn that the night he met his wife it was love ar first sight...for him. Tongue tied the rest of the night, the story ends well with solid marriage; let's face it, it would have to be if she stuck around through the creation of a winery.

The story behind Blue Rock winery is storied. You don't just buy a dilapidated farmhouse with a collapsed roof on land that many might have said will never work..but sometimes ignorance is bliss and the Kahn's bought it regardless.

You might think that Kenny and his wife were Californians who had anticipated this lifestyle all along, no, they are from memphis (the hotbed of the American wine trade) and knew little more that barbecue...but had a hankering of fine food.

Have a listen and you too will be mesmerized and inspired by the story.

 

 

Once in a while in this crazy business, you stumble across passion that has no bounds. Certainly, even to engage in the wine trade it takes passion, but there is typically an end to it. I am not sure it is fair to say the passion has an end, but there are many who might give up in an idea before its time

Not Max Mussio. He is so committed that it took exactly 2 days for him to indoctrinate his then-new wife into the trade. Max and his wife represent an area of Italian wine that is growing in popularity and fascinating to discover: Friuli.

That arching piece of land that connects Italy with Slovenia and sits at the base of the Dolomites, produces an amazing array of wines without deference to their original origin. 

You can taste light-hearted Pinot Grigio with character or a robust Cabernet Franc in the same sitting.

Have a listen to Max, hear his passion and join him on a trip through Friuli.

It just doesn't happen like this. All the headwinds were there. It most likely cannot be repeated, so don't get any bright ideas. 

Americans don't just pick up and move to Burgundy, buy land, produce wine, become indoctrinated to the region and leave (to live in Idaho).

It just doesn't happen like that, unless you are Alex Gambal. The path to Burgundy starts in Washington DC while in the real estate sector and frequenting wine shops and tastings.

A seredipitous meeting with known negociant Becky Wasserman and Alex uproots his family, moves to Burgundy, goes to wine school, hangs with some of the best known producers, buys vineyard land and begins making wine. Truly a test of self realization and risk.

Listen through this amazing story and play close attention; ask yourself "could I have done this?" 

Sometimes you just come across a story that makes you realize that you haven't had is so tough. You haven't had to start from scratch...ever. You haven't had to leave your life behind in your home country to start a new. You haven't had to learn a new career in short order to get financial footing. Well, I haven't but Laura Donadoni and her husband have. The tone of this podcast defines humility and requires one to reflect on his or her own trials and tribulations. At least to take inventory against the story of Laura and her husband.. She landed on her feet as the Italian Wine Girl; more than an influencer but an educator, organizer and Italian wine flag waver as well. Indugle yourself in a story or pure humility and gut checks.

Melvyn and Janie Master were my heroes. Their life together was a pure love affair. In recent years, when they would come to LA to hang, Melvyn would insist on dinner together and each of these encounters sollidified this magical relationship. And why shouldn't be that way, their story together covers all the gamets of life; start out with nothing, take a few risks, end up with nothing and go again. And as they navigated two of the most difficult of industries (restaurants and wine), they became synonomous with both.  Always giving of his contacts and friends, I will always charish these two with fond recollection.

 

 

Experience is everything in most industries. Coming back from rock bottom is a critically important experience… as is garnering understanding of the industries that surround your particular industry. It all comes together to create “educated guesses” when trying to determine your next step. Meet Melvin Masters who is all that and more.

We all know the story of Rudy Kurniawan, the famed subject of the movie "Sour Grapes" and the most publicized of wine counterfeiters. When the FBI needed help in understanding what otherwise was, according to the FBI, "non-consequential", they turned to Maureen for counsel.

Maureen Downey has carved a niche around what is now a growing industry of counterfeit wine. The stories are endless and the creativity of the people who counterfeit wine can only be out played by the people who sleuth them. Maureen is the best sleuth in the business.

If you can believe it, the problem has been exacerbated to the point where they are counterfeiting Yellow Tail, a $7.99 retail wine. This seems to be an unlikely target, but who is going to notice that a below average, sugared-up wine is going to be counterfeit?

This is part one to the series with Maureen...we didnt even get to our solution section of the problem.

 

Have a listen.

 

 

Wine is ethereal. It literally binds people together. It brings something to the table that should and does transcend race, gender, lifestyle and generations. Isis Daniel is a testimony to that very bind.

She coined "The Millennial Somm" as her calling card to help the industry and the consumer alike to comprehend the generational changes that wine could and must transcend. Throw in that she is a woman of color and you have got a force of nature.

Her insights are thoughtful and complex. She sees wine and life from a positive perspective with a bit of social (wine social) justice mixed in. Her persuit of wine knowledge is not for self-edification, it is for real knowledge that she can take to the streets to enlighten all in her race, generation and gender. 

Have a listen and wish her "bon voyage" on her new venture in Paris.

PK

The Master of Wine Diploma out of London is probably the most rigorous of certifications to acquire. It took Nova 8 years of study, frustration and tasting to get it done; and that was only after she failed out the first time around. Yes, you can spend 6 years going through the program and if you don't hit certain milestones during the final testing, it is like the kids board game Shoots and Ladders...back to the beginning. 

An MW that saw the potential in Noca Cadamarte, pulled her aside to inspire and console her at the same time. This time she passed.

There are fewer that 250 female MW's and fewer than 10 that actually make wine....but Nova is the only MW who makes wine in Napa, the Fingerlakes and Ohio (that is correct, Ohio).

You will find her entertaining, funny, charming and intelligent. 

 

Have a listen.