Obsessed with Wine

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, host Wesley S Cable Sr. sits down with Aaron Benson, a certified sommelier, to explore the world of wine. Aaron starts by discussing wines that resemble those encountered during their sommelier exam, speculating that the wine in question could be a Beaujolais or a malbec, among other possibilities. They delve into their personal journey in the wine industry, from growing up in Texas and attending college to working at prestigious establishments like the Ritz Carlton and participating in the Dal Sommelier Society. Aaron also provides insights into the process of preparing for the sommelier exam, dealing with challenges, and the importance of having a support system. The conversation delves into the intricacies of wine tasting, discussing the aromas and factors that can affect them. Aaron shares their experiences in connecting with people from different backgrounds through wine and how it can reveal insights into their values and desires in life. They highlight the power of experience over materialism and the gratification they've received from helping others understand wine better. As they discuss their journey, Aaron reflects on their struggles with mental health in the restaurant industry and the decision to move to California. They emphasize the importance of patience, finding like-minded individuals, and utilizing online resources to enrich the wine journey. Throughout the episode, listeners gain valuable insights into the world of wine, from the intricacies of tasting to the personal growth and connections fostered in the industry. Join Wesley S Cable Sr. and Aaron Benson on this captivating episode of Obsessed with Wine."Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, our host Wesley S Cable Sr is joined by special guest Luke Trainum, a passionate winemaker. Luke shares his journey in winemaking and discusses the process behind creating his wines.Luke's biggest passion project is Cab Franc, which he grows on two properties spanning a total of 16 acres. The vineyard sites and harvested fruit play a crucial role in determining the style of the wine. Luke employs various techniques, such as a cold soak on the fruit and gentle destemming with a delicate distemmer called Mccube, to ensure the grapes remain delicate throughout the winemaking process.Fermentation and maceration on the skins last about a month, with a gradual increase in temperature. Luke utilizes a combination of punch downs and pump overs during fermentation. The aging process takes place in predominantly neutral French oak punches, resulting in a unique flavor profile.Luke also discusses a popular wine that was initially released in 2019 as a wine club exclusive but is now available to everyone. He emphasizes the purpose of holding back wines to assess how they age, rather than increasing their price upon re-release. The 2019 vintage has now entered a new stage with more structure and softened tannins, and there is high demand for it.In addition to winemaking, Luke sheds light on the challenges of producing Pinot Noir in Virginia and the smaller scale of wineries compared to California. He explores the different wine regions in Virginia, including the Shenandoah Valley with its unique terroir and Central Virginia where Monticello is located. Luke mentions the next generation of winemakers focusing on hillside vineyard sites in the mountains.Not only is Luke dedicated to winemaking, but he also raises heritage breed pigs and distributes the meat to restaurants. He shares his background growing up on a farm and how his family's traditional values shaped his journey into winemaking. Luke's experiences working in restaurants and a winery in California further fueled his passion for the craft.Throughout the episode, Luke delves into the winemaking process, discussing topics such as filtering, bottling, different barrel types, and the importance of stability in white wines. He emphasizes the sensitivity and potential mistakes in the winemaking process while emphasizing the importance of learning from past industry mistakes.Luke's vineyard in a cold area presents unique challenges, leading him to focus on Austrian German varieties, cold-hardy French grapes, and classic Bordeaux varietals. He provides insights into the specific grape varieties grown and their suitability for his climate.Join us on this engaging episode of Obsessed with Wine as we delve into Luke Trainum's fascinating journey in winemaking and explore the intricacies of crafting exceptional wines.Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, I sit down with Christopher and Elisa Jones, founders of the San Francisco Chronicle award-winning winery Elisa Christopher Wines in Texas. They take us behind the scenes of their thriving wine production program, which includes a still program and wine production facility. We delve into the details of their current expansion and the ongoing process of getting their production facility ready for the first harvest. The discussion takes a deep dive into the Texas wine industry, covering topics such as the unpredictability of wine harvests, the state's potential for diverse wine production, and the couple's passion for sparkling wine. We also learn about the growth of their vineyard and how they experiment with various grapes, including the successful Aligonico, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet, and Sangiovese, and even new ones. Tune in to discover the secret of the award-winning Vermentino, Aliganico, and the upcoming release of sparkling wine that will blow your mind."wine production, still program, wine production facility, expansion, square feet, storage, production, timeline, start, property, build, equipment, harvest, Vermentino, Canted County Vineyards, Lamesa, Texas, white wine, green apple, lime zest, Italy, France, pairing, grilled halibut, shrimp, Aliganico, Uplift Vineyard, Burnett, Italian varietals, Merlot, grapes, yields, weather, crop estimations, storms, San Francisco Chronicle, awards, reds, whites, Malbec, marketing, winery growth, wine club, good wine-tasting experience, Texas wine industry, diverse wine production, elevation, quality, natural wine, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet, Leonico, sparkling wine, Schwab's Sparkling Wine Club, fermentation, grape varietals, soil, terroir, Chardonnay.Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, we delve into the art of toasting barrels for wine with Coby Jamieson. We learn about how oak is toasted to bring out different aromas while keeping the consistency of the wine in check. We explore the recent trends in the spirits industry and the diversity it brings. We also take a tour of the Demptos Cooperage in Napa and learn about the types of wood used to make wine barrels and the process of barrel making. Lastly, we discuss the impact of air drying on the wood, different oak species, and the ideal drying time for wood. Don't forget to check out the website for pictures and videos of the barrel-making process. Join us every other Tuesday for more wine-related contenttoasting barrels, oak wood, wine aromas, wine body, wine consistency, customizable toasting, barrel making process, wine fundraising event, Napa Valley, children's healthcare, wine types, sparkling wine, restaurants, spirits industry, bourbon, whiskey, gin, tequila, air-dried barrels, climate change, diversity, spirit seminar, blind tastings, French oak, American oak, Hungarian oak, grain tightness, technical difficulties, cooperage, wood drying, rosette shaping, hoop changing, Wesley Sr., Demptos cooperage, campfire smell, wine guests, website pictures, podcast review.Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, we delve into the complexities of winemaking with Laura Barrett, a fermentation scientist turned winemaker. Laura takes us on a journey through her experiences, from her first harvest at Napa Wine Company to her current role as a winemaker at Clif Family Winery. She shares her winemaking philosophy, which emphasizes maintaining fruit characteristics and food-friendliness. We also learn about Clif Family's vineyards in Oak Knoll District and Howell Mountain, each with its unique growing conditions and challenges.Finally, Laura discusses her approach to crafting each varietal, from un-oaked Chardonnay to site-specific harvested Cabernet. Buckle up and get ready for a deep dive into the world of winemaking on this episode of Obsessed with Wine.Grenache grapes, organic farm, Sonoma Valley, red varietals, white varietals, cooler ferment, gentle pump overs, neutral barrels, fruit-forward, medium-weight tannins, earthy characteristics, medium fat content, grilled chicken, smoked pimento almonds, Cliff Family Winery, executive chef, pantry items, wine blending, single vineyard expressions, long process, Chima, highest price point, winemaking science, community involvement, Vionier wine, Rhone example, food-friendly, triple cream cheese pairing, New Zealand, harvest, fermentation science, viticulture, enology, snow event, rainfall, vineyard maintenance, fermentation scientist, Napa Valley, master's degree, Oak Knoll District AVA, Howell Mountain, vine vigor, growing season, elevated vineyards, volcanic soil, lower yields, fruit-forward white wines, un-oaked Chardonnay, site-specific harvesting, ultimate wine goal.Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, host Wesley is joined by Alex Reynolds, a winemaker from Kansas who is revolutionizing winemaking in the Midwest. Reynolds shares how his background in California and the Midwest has influenced his winemaking philosophy, emphasizing the importance of allowing Midwest wines to speak for themselves. He also discusses the challenges of gaining recognition for Midwest wines in a saturated market, as well as the unique growing patterns and varietals used in the region. Wesley tries some of Reynolds' wines and is blown away by the value for price. They also discuss Chamberson, a standout varietal that has the potential to make an exceptional dry red wine and allow Midwest winemakers to compete in producing big, bold reds. Tune in to this episode to learn more about Midwest winemaking and the unique varietals produced in the region.California, Midwest, winemaking philosophy, Midwest wines, bigger, riper styles, delicate fermentation, reductive, oxygen-excluding style, higher acid, aromatically driven, wine market, producers, Chardonnays, shelf space, varietals, familiarity, war of attrition, wine awareness, Kansas wineries, La Crescent, white grape variety, Riesling, high acidity, stone fruit flavors, Germanic style grapevines, vertical shoot positioning, high wire system, pruning, UC Davis, Somerset Ridge Vineyard, hybrid grapes, Vinifera grapes, Chardonnay, Traminette, Chamberson, Norton, climate, viticulture, weather factors, wine styles, dry, sweet, dessert wines, Ambrosia, late-harvest traminette grape, fortified wine, Citron, port wines, Cabernet Franc, varietals, ripeness, tannin, color, bricks range, wine club, value, variety, big 4 wines, semi-sweet platforms, Aphrodite, Gamay, dry red wine, signature wine.Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

On this episode of Obsessed with Wine, Wesley Cable sits down with special guest John Duckett from Trioni Winery and Vineyards in Geyserville, California. They discuss the Trioni family's journey from mortgage banking to owning a winery, the vineyards that produce some of their best grapes, and their commitment to producing high-quality wines. They also delve into the hiring process for a new winemaker, the hectic but beloved daily schedule during harvest season, and the importance of a winemaker's style and attitude. Additionally, they talk about John's experience making wine in New Zealand and the improvements being made to Trioni's barrel aging system to enhance wine quality. Tune in to learn more about the fascinating world of winemaking!Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwithwine/ https://www.facebook.com/obsessedwithwine https://twitter.com/obsessedwine For more wine content go to obsessedwithwine.com Listen to past episodes of the podcast here: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1610813329 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GUNTZsivMlyTySnSbDwfT?si=3c1df2968aba4338 Email the show @ obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com #obsessedwithwine #winepodcast #winelovers #winetasting #winetrends #winestories #winerylife #winetime #winenews #wineeducation #wineculture #winemakers #wineindustry #wineinfluencers #podcastannouncement #season2 #newepisodes #uncorked #cheers

Welcome to Season 2 of the Obsessed with Wine Podcast.  This week I interview Lorenzo Muslia, Partner and National Sales Manager for Andis Wines and Painted Fields in Plymouth, CA.  Lorenzo talks about how he grew up in Italy and how one glass of wine from the Sierra Foothills in CA changed his life forever.  

Get ready, wine lovers!

For the final episode of season #1 of the Obsessed with Wine podcast, I welcome Quixote Winemaker Robert Smith to the show to talk about the history behind this unique winery and his amazing journey from working as a cellar intern and then going right into winemaking.  Robert and I also discuss the amazing wines they are making at Quixote including their signature Petite Sirah.   Enjoy this interview with Robert Smith!  He is an entertaining guest!  

The Prisoner Wine Company was founded in 2000 with a mission to create a bold, modern wine that breaks the rules. The Prisoner Red Blend, a mix of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petite Sirah, was the first wine produced by the Prisoner Wine Company. This California-style red blend quickly became popular for its fruit-forward taste and unconventional label design. The Prisoner Wine Company was purchased by Constellation Brands in 2016 and continues to produce high-quality wines that are enjoyed by wine lovers around the world. Prisoner Wine Company's Commitment to the guest experience has earned them a reputation as one of the top producers of California wines. I sat down with Andrew Schneider, Assistant Tasting Lounge manager at Prisoner Wine Company, to learn more about the history of this iconic wine brand.So grab a glass of your favorite wine, it's time for Obsessed with Wine!

Sterling Vineyards: Spotlight on Napa Valley's Premier WineryNapa Valley is world-renowned for its wine, and Sterling Vineyards is one of the most iconic wineries in the area. I had the opportunity to interview Lauren Kopit, winemaker at Sterling Vineyards, for the Obsessed with Wine podcast this week. In this post, I want to share some of the insights she shared with me about the winery and Napa Valley's wine industry. Stay tuned for my podcast episode featuring Lauren which is available Saturday, July 9th!Sterling Vineyards - Napa ValleyPanoramic ViewsSterling Vineyards is a historic hilltop winery in the town of Calistoga, CA. Sterling separates itself from wineries on the valley floor with its brilliant white stucco and aerial tram.  The aerial tram carries visitors from the parking lot to the entrance of the winery that sits atop a volcanic hill 300 feet above the Napa Valley.  This elevation offers visitors stunning panoramic views of the Napa Valley making it one of the most visited wineries in the Napa Valley wine country.  Change of ownershipSterling founder Peter Newton produced the first vintage in 1969 after establishing the winery in 1964.  Peter Newton designed the winery to resemble a place originating from the Greek island Mykonos.  The winery's towers house eight bells that came from London's church where Perter Newton was born.  The winery was eventually purchased in 1977 by The Coca-Cola Company and then it was sold again in 1982 to Seagram before it was purchased by Diageo in 2001.  Finally, Sterling Vineyards was purchased by the Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates in 2016.  The Glass Fire Unfortunately, the aerial tram and parts of the winery were damaged in the Glass fire.  The Glass Fire started on September 27, 2020, and damaged many wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area including the Sterling Vineyards winemaking facilities.  Sterling is currently undergoing needed renovations including a new state-of-the-art winery that will be one of the most technologically advanced and sustainable wineries in California once it is completed. The new winery will use 50% less water than traditional winemaking practices and will generate its own energy using solar panels.   Construction has been slow due to the availability of materials as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but the winery plans to re-open by the Summer of 2023.  In the meantime, the wine is being made at Berringer, another winery owned by Treasury.  Lauren Kopit - WinemakerSterling Vineyards' winemaking is in the capable hands of Senior Winemaker Harry Hansen and winemaker Lauren Kopit.  I had the opportunity to interview Lauren for my podcast Obsessed with Wine and she was very complimentary of her time at Sterling Vineyards where she has worked for over seven years.  Lauren was quoted as saying “I was at Sterling one week and I knew I wanted to work here forever”.  I asked her about that comment and she noted that she gets to work with some of the smartest minds in wine and she really feels like the winemaking team is a family.  Right now she can't imagine working anywhere else.   Like many people working in wine in the Napa Valley, Lauren went to college at UC Davis where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in microbiology before returning for her master's degree in Viticulture & Enology.  She says her first wine job was as a Harvest Lab Intern at Franciscan Estates where she worked with V. Sattui winemaker Jason Moravec when they were both interns.  Lauren's wine journey took her to Matchbook Wine Company as a Lab Technician and then to Turkovich Family Wines as a tasting room associate while she finished college.  She then moved

You may not have heard of Dr. Robert Hollander or his winery 2 Red Wines but in this episode, I am going to introduce you to Robert who has one of the most inspiring wine stories I have ever heard.  Robert Hollander, a medical doctor, and teacher always had a passion for wine and food pairing.   In 2007 he established 2 Red Winery and set out to make Two Red Wines, A Zinfandel he calls Zinpiphany, and a red blend he calls #2 Red.  Since he started making wine, Robert Hollander has been winning awards for his wines at major international wine Competitions in San Francisco and New York.  At that time Robert didn't have a purpose for his wines and just collected them and drank them with friends and family.  Something changed in 2009 when Robert was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.  Suddenly, his wines had a very important purpose.  Robert and his wife established the Robert and Susan Hollander Foundation and each year the foundation makes a donation to support Prostate Cancer Research.  In this interview, Robert and I discuss how he started making wine without any formal winemaking education, the story surrounding his cancer diagnosis, and how he uses his award-winning wines to help fund Prostate Cancer Research.   So grab a glass of your favorite wine, it's time for Obsessed with Wine!  Robert has an amazing story and since I heard his story for the first time, I have wanted to help him raise as much money as I can for the Hollander Foundation and Prostate Cancer Research.  I will leave the link to his campaign in the show notes so you can participate if you wish.  Remember, your tax-deductible donation to the foundation comes with the reward of award-winning wines.    Thank you so much for listening!  I will see you next week for another episode of the Obsessed with Wine podcast, until then, Cheers!  Please go to this link to support Robert and his mission: tinyurl.com/winewithapurpose 

This week I go through some of my favorite moments from the first few episodes of the podcast.  The podcast has grown a lot since I released the first episode on March 12th, 2022, so I wanted to highlight some great clips from some of the early episodes that a lot of people haven't heard.  If you hear a clip that sounds interesting and want to listen to the full episode, just go to obsessedwithwine.net where I keep all of the past episodes.  

Last week I shared part one of my interview with Richie Allen, the talented VP of Winemaking and Viticulture at Rombauer Vineyards.  We discussed the story of how Koerner and Joan Rombauer came to Napa Valley and established Rombauer Vineyards, made wine in their garage before the winery was built, and about what makes Rombauer such a special place for Richie.  This week I am sharing part 2 of my interview with Richie.  In this part of the interview we focus on Rombauer's winemaking philosophy, why their wines are always sold out, and we talk in detail about some of their most popular wines, the Carneros Chardonnay, their wonderful lineup of Zinfandels made in the Sierra Foothills, and their award-winning Cabernet Sauvignons.  So, grab a glass of your favorite wine, it's time for Obsessed with Wine I want to thank Richie Allen for dedicating so much time to this interview and giving us such great insight into what makes Rombauer wines so great!  If you haven't experienced some of the great Zinfandels or Cabernet Sauvignons, we talked about tonight, I encourage you to go to Rombauer.com or visit one of their beautiful tasting rooms.  You better hurry though, the wine does sell out. As most of you know, I had the opportunity to work with Richie and the Rombauer team for harvest 2021 and it was awesome!  If you love wine, I encourage you to try to get involved with a winery during harvest, it's something you will never forget!  Finally, tonight, I want to encourage you to visit the all-new show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net for everything related to the show.  Also, don't forget to sign up for the Obsessed with Wine Newsletter.  Please join me next week for another new episode of Obsessed with Wine podcast, thank you for listening, cheers!  

Those of you who listen to my podcast know that I am always looking for great wine stories to share the listeners. As I have said numerous times, one of the biggest perks to working in a winery is the great people you get to meet and the amazing stories you get to hear.  Last week I had the opportunity to interview Richie Allen, Australian native, and current Vice President of Winemaking and Viticulture at Rombauer Vineyards.  Richie and I discussed many things but I wanted to share this awesome story with you.  Being from Australia and studying wine there, Richie talks about his experience working for Penfolds, Australia's most famous winery.  Richie's Interview Clip If you love Rombauer wines like I do, I encourage you to listen to part 1 of my interview with Richie on Saturday, June 11th As Father's Day approaches, I will be creating a page on the show website called Father's Day, there I will post great wine gift ideas for all of the wine loving dads out there.  I encourage you to go to www.obsessedwithwine.net if you need a good idea for a special wine gift for Father's Day.  Finally, I will be out of the country for the rest of this week and next week so I will not be posting Daily Taste Segments while I am gone.  You can hear the next Daily Taste segment on June 20th when I return.   Thank you very much, I will see you June 20th for another Daily Taste.  Cheers!

Working in a winery is one of the most fulfilling jobs for people who are passionate about wine.  It's not just the beauty of the vineyards or the satisfaction of working with your hands to make something that people love.  One of my favorite aspects of working in a winery is all the great people you get to meet and all the great stories you hear.  This reminds me of Mary Ann Turrentine, the Director of Sales and Hospitality at the great Paradigm Winery in Oakville.  I interviewed Mary Ann for episode #3 of the Obsessed with Wine Podcast and she told her story of pursuing a job and getting hired at Paradigm.  It's a great story so I figured this would be perfect to share on a Friday.   Mary Ann Turrentine Interview clip here:Those who are fortunate to work in wine and make a living all have great stories like this.  If you want to hear my great interview with the talented Mary Ann Turrentine, listen to episode #3 of the podcast on the show website or anywhere you get your podcasts.   Don't forget to Listen to episode #15 of the Obsessed with Wine Podcast this Saturday June 4th when I interview Kim Myers, owner of the NW Wine Shuttle in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  She was fantastic!   Thank you very much!  I'll see you Monday for another Daily Taste, Have a great weekend. Cheers! 

Finding safe transportation is one of the most important aspects of planning a trip to your favorite wine country.  Recently I interviewed Kim Myers, owner of NW Wine Shuttle and I asked her what the advantages are of using a shuttle service like hers when visiting your favorite wine country.  Here is what she had to say:  Kim Myers interview clip here:I don't think you can put a price on having safe transportation when wine tasting, and it really helps to have someone as passionate as Kim and NW Wine Shuttle to help you organize your itinerary because selecting a few wineries out of hundreds can be overwhelming.  If you want to hear the rest of my interview with Kim Myers, please listen to episode #15 of Obsessed with Wine Podcast available Saturday June 4th at midnight pacific time anywhere you get your podcasts.   Thank you very much, I will see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste.  Cheers!

I have heard a lot of wine enthusiasts lately talk about how they no longer go to Napa because they believe its overpriced and can be too snobbish.  Some people don't like the fact that the tasting fees can be $75 to $100 per person or more and once you buy a few bottles of wine, you have spent a small fortune at only one place.  I presented this question last week to the Brianna Pickins, Assistant Tasting Room Manager at Frog's Leap Winery and here is what she said about visiting Napa and the cost involved with tasting there:  Brianna's interview clip........Thank you, Brianna, for that answer!   It sounds like people should give Napa and Sonoma another chance as many changes have been made due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  And I agree with her, there is a winery for everyone so do a little homework and find the right winery for you.  If you want to hear Brianna answer some common winery and tasting room etiquette questions, I encourage you to listen to Episode #14 of the Obsessed with Wine Podcast.  She was great!   As Father's Day approaches, I will be creating a page on the show website called Father's Day, there I will post great wine gift ideas for all of the wine loving dads out there.  I encourage you to go to www.obsessedwithwine.net if you need a good idea for a special wine gift for Father's Day.  Thank you very much, I will see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste.  Cheers!

Yesterday I went through the process of settling and racking white wine and how temperature is crucial for white wine fermentation.  Unlike our delicate white wine, red wine is allowed to ferment fast and hot.  A typical red wine fermentation can get between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit and can be completed in less than two weeks.  Once the red wine fermentation has completed the real hard labor starts.  Now the tank or barrel is full of grapes, skins, seeds, and the newly fermented wine.  The next step in the process is to drain the wine from the tank and press the grapes to get the remaining wine out of them.  This process is called drain and press.  The wine is drained from the bottom of the tank through a screen and into a stainless-steel sump.  From there it's pumped into a tank or barrel.  The wine comes out fast during draining so you must control the opening in the tank with a valve, so you don't overfill the sump and lose gallons of wine.  Once the wine has been drained from the tank, the main door is opened, and the fermented grapes and skins are manually pulled out of the front of the tank with a specially designed plastic pitchfork.  The goal is to make enough room in the opening of the tank to allow someone to crawl in and dig out the rest of the grapes.  Depending on the size of the tank and how many tons of grapes are inside, this process can take a long time and its exhausting.  Ask anyone who has worked in a winery during harvest, and they will tell you that digging out a tank after a red wine fermentation is by far the hardest job in the winery.  Not only is digging out the tank a lot of work, but it's also dangerous due to the levels of carbon dioxide. Safety precautions are in place to make sure nobody breathes in too much carbon dioxide and dies.  Carbon dioxide is created as a biproduct of fermentation and is released through the top of the tank but sometimes there can be pockets of carbon dioxide that get trapped in the pile of grapes.  A special portable carbon dioxide meter is worn by anyone entering the tank to make sure the levels of carbon dioxide are not too high.  If the carbon dioxide meter starts to beep, you will need to get out of the tank immediately.  As an emergency precaution, everyone entering a tank must wear a harness with a rope attached so they can be pulled to safety if they pass out due to the carbon dioxide. Once the grapes have been dug out of the tank, it's time to put them in the press.  The wineries I worked at used basket presses for pressing their red grapes.  These giant presses get their names from basket looking containers the grapes are dumped in to be pressed.  Just like with our white wine presses, the winemaker uses a touch screen to tell the press how much pressure to use and how long to press.  These press cycles can take three hours each or longer.  The pressed wine is pumped from the press into a tank or barrel or both, depending on the preference of the winemaker.  One of the most amazing things to see after red grapes have been pressed in a basket press, is the cake that is left over. As the press, presses the wine out of the grapes, it compacts the skins and seeds into a big mass that looks like a huge birthday cake.  This cake is removed with a forklift and used for compost.  I will post pictures of these cakes to the show website if you want to see what they look like.  Just look for this segment under the daily taste link at the top of the page. As Father's Day approaches, I will be creating a page on the show website called Father's Day, there I will post great wine gift ideas for all of the wine loving dads out there.  I encourage you to go to www.obsessedwithwine.net if you need a good idea for a special wine gift for Father's Day

Last week we started going through the process of making both red and white wines in a commercial winery.  For white wines we got through receiving the fruit, pressing, and preparing for fermentation.  White wines are fermented much differently than red wines because they have delicate aromas and flavors that the winemaker wants to make sure end up in the finished wine.  This is done by controlling the temperature of white wine ferments, so they don't ferment too fast. A fast white wine ferment causes the wine to lose those delicate characteristics.  Before white wines can be inoculated, the juice is pumped into a tank to allow it to settle.  This allows the solid particles in the juice to settle to the bottom of the tank.  In white wine, clarity is very important, so this is one step that helps clarify the wine.  To understand the next step of the process of making white wine, you need to understand the anatomy of a stainless-steel tank.  I will post a few pictures of these tanks to the show website so you can see what I'm talking about.  A stainless-steel tank has multiple openings and all of them have a specific purpose.  There is typically an opening at the top of the tank that is used to add additions to the fermenting wine and to check the aromas being produced by the fermentation.  There is a large door toward the bottom of the tank that opens to allow the winemaking team entry so they can clean the tank properly before any juice or wine are added.  There are also three small openings in the tank.  The smallest of openings is called a sample valve.  The sample valve is located to the right of the tank's main door and allows the winemaking team to walk up to the tank and get a sample of juice or wine for analysis.  The second of the small openings is at the very bottom of the tank which allows pumps to be connected to move wine in and out.  It can also be used to mix the tank contents by adding an air hose and fitting to the opening and forcing nitrogen into the tank.  Finally, there is a small opening offset to the right and below the tank entrance called the racking valve.  Racking is the winery term for moving the clean juice located above any settled solids in the bottom of the tank into another tank.  In our white wine, after 24 hours of settlement, a sample is taken from the racking valve to see how clear the juice is at that level.  The sample is then taken to a machine called a turbidity meter which checks the samples turbidity in NTUs or how much solids remain in the juice.  If there are too many solids still suspended in the juice at the racking valve, the winemaker will typically allow the juice to settle another day before testing a sample again.  If the turbidity is within the desired level, the juice is ready to be racked off the sediment and into a fresh tank for fermentation.  The wineries I worked at in the past, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon were ready to be racked at 125 – 127 NTUs, Pinot Grigio was racked between 200-250 NTUs and all other whites were ready at between 250-300 NTUs.  Racking really is an art and can be stressful because if you accidentally transfer some of the sediment to the fresh tank, the settlement process will need to be started over again.  During the peak of harvest, tank space is very important so the winemaker will not be happy if there is a setback due to a racking error.  Once the wine is racked off the sediment into a fresh tank, the white juice is then inoculated with yeast that has been re-hydrated the same way we rehydrated the red wine yeasts.  The tank temperature is set at 55 degrees at the start of fermentation.  Every day the winemaking team will check the temperature of the fermentation and the BRIX, or sugar level of the juice.  In white wine, the winemaker wants a slow fermentation and only wants 1

I try to have different types of guests on this podcast because I am fascinated with all aspects of wine and winemaking.  This week I am so excited to share my interview with Brianna Pickens, the assistant tasting room manager at Frog's Leap Winery in Rutherford, CA.  Brianna was nice enough to talk about the 40-year history of the great Frog's Leap and the great wines they produce, but she also answered some of the most common questions about hospitality, and wine tasting etiquette that many wine enthusiasts like me think about.   Grab a glass of your favorite wine, it's time for obsessed with wine  This might be one of my favorite interviews I have done for this show!  Brianna was so good and honest with her answers that I think anyone who goes winetasting will get a lot out of this interview.  It is so obvious that Brianna is passionate about what she does that I think she found the perfect career in wine.  I look forward to visiting Frog's Leap soon!  

This week I have been taking an in-depth look at the process of making wine in a commercial winery.  Today I was going to talk about the importance of temperature in fermentation especially in white wines, racking, and settling, but since Thursday May 26th is International Chardonnay Day, I decided to celebrate Chardonnay instead.  Monday I will discuss the rest of the aspects of fermentation especially for white wines.  I first want to say Happy International Chardonnay Day to all the Chardonnay lovers out there.  There are few things better than a good Chardonnay with friends and family.  Chardonnay continues to be the most popular white wine variety in the US by a mile.  According to Wine-Searcher's 2021 California Wine Grape Crush Report, Chardonnay, despite a 16% smaller crop statewide, remained the most crushed grape in CA just beating Cabernet Sauvignon by making up 15.2% of the 2021 crop.  This is no surprise since it seems like every winery in CA has more than one Chardonnay offering.  To celebrate International Chardonnay Day, I have decided to share with you The Obsessed with Wine top 5 Chardonnays.  Now, I haven't tried every Chardonnay out there so these are all wines that I personally have experienced and enjoyed.  Tis list will not include any Chardonnays from Aubert or Kistler because I am still on the waiting list for these wines.  Someday they may be on this list!  #5 – Bogle Chardonnay – This Chardonnay is one of the best values in Chardonnay and it comes from the little-known Clarksburg AVA near the Sacramento Delta.  This Chardonnay is 50% Barrel Fermented and aged 9 months in New American Oak Barrels.  You can find this wine in most grocery stores for less that $9.00.  If you haven't tried this Chardonnay and are looking for a great every night Chardonnay, this one is for you.  #4 – Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay – This Chardonnay is made from grapes grown in Carneros, one of the best sites for growing Chardonnay due to the warm days and the cool evenings provided by the San Pablo Bay.  This Chardonnay is barrel fermented in French Oak Barrels and aged on the lees for 8 months before bottling.  This Chardonnay can be purchased for $40.00.  #3 – Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay – This is one of the most historically significant Chardonnays you will ever have due to its showing in the 1976 Judgment of Paris and what it did for California wines.  This Chardonnay is made form grapes all over the Napa Valley and does not go through Malolactic Fermentation.  It does see some oak but it has a nice balanced fruity flavor.  This wine can be purchased for around $60.00.  #2 – Berringer Private Reserve Chardonnay – This Napa Valley Chardonnay is made from grapes all over Napa Valley.  Its full bodied with light toffee and cream notes.  This Chardonnay is a good value for $36.95 at Wine.com.  And finally, the Obsessed with Wine #1 Chardonnay is #1 – Rombauer Chardonnay – This is one of the most recognized Chardonnays in the US and wins awards every year for its popularity and quality.  You ask any Chardonnay lover for their top 5 Chardonnays, and I guarantee you Rombauer will be on their list.  This wine is made from grapes grown in Carneros, is barrel fermented, and sur lees aged.  It has a beautiful, lush palette and a creamy round mouthfeel.  This wine is a bargain at only $39.99 at Wine.com.  I will post my top 5 Chardonnay list on the Obsessed with Wine Website.  Just click on the link for the Daily Taste Segments and click the link called Happy International Chardonnay Day!  I will also place links for some of these wines and a code from wine.com if you want to buy them at a discount.  Don't forget to listen to an all-new episode of Obsessed with Wine podcast on Saturday May

Yesterday we talked about receiving red wine grapes and color extraction, today we are going to discuss preparing for fermentation.  Must is the name for the combination of skins and juice in a tank or barrel ready to be fermented.  To start the fermentation of both red and white wines, the winemaker has two choices.  The first choice is to allow the wild yeast cells that are already present on the grapes and in the winery on the equipment to do the fermentation.  This is called a native fermentation or spontaneous fermentation.  Native fermentations can add dynamic flavor to wines but are unpredictable which some winemakers don't like.  They are unpredictable because winemakers don't know which strain of yeast are doing the fermenting, there is no guarantee when the fermentation will start, and the native yeast are not guaranteed to finish the ferment in a reasonable amount of time.  The second choice for winemakers is inoculating the must with a specific yeast strain that provides a more predictable fermentation.  When inoculating a must with yeast, there is a special process called re-hydrating that must be done before the yeast can be added to the tank with the must.  If the yeast is added directly to the tank without re-hydration, the change in temperature will shock and kill them.  Here are the typical steps of re-hydrating yeast prior to adding them to the must.  First you get a bucket and add water at 104 degrees and pour in the dry yeast.  At this time, you can also add any yeast food that you want to add and allow the yeast to wake up.  Then a small amount of cold juice from the tank is added to the mixture.  The yeast starts to ferment the sugar in the inoculation sample as they wake up.  The winemaking team then waits 15-20 before measuring the temperature of the inoculation.  The goal is to get the inoculation temperature within 15 degrees of the temperature of must in the tank.  The wineries I worked in typically started inoculations when the tank must be at 55 degrees, so our yeast mixture must be around 70 degrees for it to be safe to add to the tank.  The winemaking team will continue to add juice from the tank every 15 to 20 minutes until the yeast mixture has reached the desired temperature.  Then the yeast mixture is poured into the tank with the must and the tank is mixed to ensure an even mixture of yeast and must.  I will add some pictures to the show website of the yeast re-hydration so you can see what it looks like.  After the must has been inoculated, the winemaking team keeps track of the progress of fermentation by taking a daily sample from the tank or barrel and testing the BRIX.  BRIX is basically the sugar level in the fermenting must. This can be done using a hydrometer or a cool little machine called a DMA.  For dry wines, the goal is to get the brix to as close to zero as possible.  The fermentation for red wines can be complete in just a few days while white wine ferments need to be done much slower.  I will put a picture of a DMA on the show website for you to see.  Tomorrow we will discuss the impact of temperature on fermentation of both white and red wines, and we will discuss settling and racking.  Don't forget to go to the show website to see videos and pictures regarding today's topic!  Thank you very much for listening!  I'll see you tomorrow for another daily taste.  Cheers!   

Yesterday we talked about white wine grape pressing because it's the first step in making most white wines once the grapes arrive from the vineyard.  Red wine, as you can imagine has an entirely different process. Since red wine color comes from the grape skins, the grapes need to spend time with the skins to get the color desired for the wine.  Typically, red wine grapes arrive at the winery and first go through a destemming process.  This is done by a machine called a destemmer which we talked about in an earlier segment.  The destemmer gently separates the grapes from the stems and leaves and sends them down a conveyer belt to be sorted.  I will post a video to the show website of the destemmer in action.  Sorting is important because it allows for stems and leaves that made it through the destemmer to be removed prior to getting into the tank.  It's also a good opportunity to remove any green berries that can impact the finished wine.  Some wineries prefer to do their sorting by hand using a team of people to manually sort their grapes.  Other wineries use a fabulous machine called an optical sorter.  If you want to hear more about the optical sorter, please listen to the Daily Taste Segment from May 6th.  I will post a video to the show website with an optical sorter in action if I can find a good one.  Once the grapes are sorted, they are pumped into a fermentation vessel which is typically a stainless-steel tank or oak barrel.  Of course, there are many other fermentation vessels that are used but these two are the most common for red wine making.  The next step in red wine making is to employ a color extraction strategy to make sure the finished wine will have the desired color.  The wineries I worked for in the past do pump overs for the first few days before fermentation.  A pump over is a gentle extraction method that uses a pump that is hooked up to the bottom of the tank with one hose and another hose is placed over the opening in the top of the tank.  The pump then pumps the grapes and juice out of the bottom of the tank and back into the tank through the top.  This process allows for the grapes, skins, and juice to be mixed and ensure good color extraction.  I will post a video of a pump over in process to the show website.  I encourage you watch the video.  There are few things as beautiful as a pump over.  After a few days of pump overs, the wine is ready to be inoculated with yeast for fermentation.  During fermentation, the winemaking team will continue to do pump overs once or twice per day to ensure a good mix and continued color extraction.  Tomorrow we will discuss inoculation and fermentation of both white and red wines. Don't forget that today is National Wine Day here in the US. So do yourself a fav or and pull out a special bottle to celebrate.  You deserve it!   Don't forget to go to the show website to see videos and pictures regarding today's topic, you'll be happy you did!  Thank you very much for listening!  I'll see you tomorrow for another daily taste.  Cheers!   

Once white wine grapes have reached the winery, they are usually pressed right away to extract the juice to prepare for fermentation.  The juice is then pumped into the fermentation vessel of choice (usually a stainless-steel tank) This is a pretty awesome experience. The type of press we used for white wines was a pneumatic bladder press.  These presses get their name from the balloon like apparatus inside the press that inflates to put pressure on the grapes and help extract the juice.  The bladder press is a long steel tube looking machine with two doors on top that slide open and closed.  This press has a touch screen panel that allows the winemaking team to control how long they want to press the grapes and with how much force.  The winemaker decides on the sweet spot of enough pressure to extract most of the juice but not too much pressure that the stems and seeds get squeezed and release unwanted bitterness to the juice.  The first step of pressing is loading the press with grapes from the MACRO bins delivered that morning from the vineyard. For especially thick-skinned grapes, the winemaking team may add dried rice hulls to the macro bins prior to dumping them into the press to help with the extraction.  Loading the press takes a skilled forklift driver to pick up the bins full of grapes and dump them into the press. It is important that the grapes get into the press and not all over the ground as grapes on the ground are rarely put into the press to avoid contamination.  Once the press is full, the winemaker selects a press cycle and inputs it into the touch screen telling the press how long to press the grapes and how much pressure to use.  The press starts by rotating a few times and allowing the pre-pressed juice called the free run to pour into a sump where it is transferred to the fermentation vessel using a special pump.  Once the free run has been drained, the press inflates the inner bladder delicately pressing the fruit against the inner walls of the tank, extracting the juice.  These pressings are meant to be gentle, so our press cycles were three hours each.  During pressing the extracted juice flows into a sump where it is pumped into a tank for fermentation.  Free run and pressed juice are not always fermented together as the winemaker may want to do something special with the free run like make a reserve wine. After the press cycle is done, the winemaker looks inside the press to see if he got all of the juice he wanted or if he wants to run another cycle.  If there are a lot of uncrushed berries the winemaker will press again so no juice is wasted.  Once it has been determined that pressing has completed, the press rotates allowing the stems, seeds, and grape skins to fall into Macro Bins where they are loaded onto a truck and used for composting.  The final step of the process is cleaning the press!  This is the worst part of pressing because someone must climb into the press with a hose and spray the inside to make sure that all seeds, skins, and stems are removed.  This process can easily take an hour to do and its hard work.  Periodically the press must be sanitized which is another arduous task but is crucial for keeping unwanted bacteria from getting into the wine.  I will post some pictures of the press and some videos of the press in action on the show website so you can see what it looks like!  It's really a cool thing to see, not to mention the amazing smells that come from the pressed juice!  Tomorrow I will talk about red wine pressing as it is done totally different and requires a lot more steps.  Thank you very much, I see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste.  

This week I've decided to take you through the process of making wine start to finish.  This will give you an in depth look at what commercial wineries do to produce the beautiful wines we get to drink every day.    When you visit your favorite winery during harvest time you likely see large white plastic bins stacked up all over the winery.   These square white bins are known as Macro Bins.  They get their name from the company who produces them, Macro Plastics.  Each bin is made of a special food grade plastic with smooth porous-free surfaces and fruit-friendly rounded corners.  The bins we used held 1 half ton of grapes each.   During harvest, a flatbed truck comes to the winery in the afternoon and picks up the number of empty macro bins that the picking crew will need that night to pick and transport the grapes.    Macro bins are typically set at the end of the vineyard rows.  While picking grapes each member of the picking crew carries their own basket as they hustle through the vineyard harvesting the grapes from the vines with a special picking knife.  When their basket gets full, they carry it over and dump them into the Macro bin.  The full Macro bins are then loaded on to the flatbed truck and delivered to the winery early in the morning before the grapes have a chance to warm up.  The macro bins have specially designed bottoms that allow them to be easily lifted by the forks of a forklift and easily stacked when empty.  Once at the winery, the grapes are unloaded from the truck by a forklift and prepared for pressing.  White wine grapes are taken by forklift and dumped into the press and pressed to make wine.  I have posted some pictures on my website of what these macro bins look like full of fruit and a video of the bins being loaded into a press by a forklift. Please go to the show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net and click the link at the top for the daily taste segments.  There you will find this episode and can see the pictures and the videos.  

Hello fellow Wine Enthusiasts, my name is Wesley Cable.  Welcome to another episode of Obsessed with Wine.   Natalie Ellis was born in the UK where her experience with wine at a young age included watching her parents drink wine with meals and share it with friends and family in social settings.  Natalie's family moved to the United States when she was younger for her father's job and settled in Illinois.  There Natalie would go to the University of Illinois in pursuit of a degree in food science.  Like many people who work in the wine business, Natalie realized while she was in college that her science knowledge would make her a perfect candidate to pursue winemaking.  With her newly found direction, Natalie traveled all over the world in pursuit of her degree in Viticulture and Enology and eventually received a degree from the Vinifera Euromaster program at the Bordeaux Sciences Agro in France.  This week, I sit down with Natalie, and we discuss her amazing travels all over the world including stops in some of the most famous wine regions in the world.  We also talk about her current position as Enologist for La Crema Winery in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and the great wines being produced in that area.   

Hello wine enthusiasts, welcome to The Daily Taste for Friday May 20th, 2022. This time of year, people start planning for their summer parties with friends and family.  Summertime fun usually means graduation celebrations, BBQs, and pool parties which means for some people, transitioning from the cold weather wines to wines that go better with warm weather and food off the BBQ.   Some people are really good at pairing their wines with food but for those who aren't, I reached out to certified sommelier and Texas Wine school manager Walden Pemantle and asked him to help us with our summer wine and food pairings.  Here are Walden's recommendations for five summer wines and the foods they pair well with.  1 – Tavel Rose – Tavel Rose is a deep colored rose from France that's super refreshing and stands up to all the red meats. Rose is a popular wine for summertime drinking so if you haven't experienced this style, I would recommend it.  2 - Grenache – A Peppery Grenache with bright red fruits, pairs excellent with summer staples like burgers and ribs. 3 - Zinfandel – Zinfandel is great with anything slightly sweet.  Zinfandel's ripe fruit plays well off of BBQ sauce so pair it with meats that have been smothered in your favorite sauce.  4 - Pinot Grigio from Italy.   (Ideally from Alto Adige, Friuli or Trentino, not Veneto) – These Pinot Grigios are super refreshing & crisp, and great with fresher sides like coleslaw and potato salad.  5 - Franciacorta This Italian sparkling wine is toasty & rich while also refreshing. Its great by itself or paired with potato chips.  For those sparkling wine lovers in attendance, this is a nice treat.  I hope this list helps you with selecting the perfect wines for your summer BBQ cuisine. I will post this list in the show notes for you to reference as well as links to some of these wines that you can purchase from our friends at wine.com.  Just go to www.obsessedwithwine.net and click the Daily Taste Segment link at the top to find this episode.This weeks Obsessed with Wine podcast features the amazing Natalie Ellis, enologist from La Crema Winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon.  Please look for the episode on Saturday, May 21st on the show website or anywhere you get your podcasts.   Thank you very much!  I will see you Monday for another daily taste!  Cheers! 

Hello wine enthusiasts, welcome to The Daily Taste for Thursday May 19th, 2022.  I saw an interesting article the other day that talked about the increased popularity of boxed wine, so I decided to do this segment on boxed wine. I was surprised when the article said boxed wine is increasing in popularity especially among the environmentally conscious and the young consumer.  Experts say that there has been tremendous growth in boxed wine, and I honestly couldn't believe it!  If you've read the section on the show website called about the host, you know that my first experience with wine was a boxed wine but since falling in love with wine, I haven't considered buying wine from a box.    The article is critical of what they refer to as “traditional wine enthusiasts” saying that they are used to the heavy glass bottle and the cork or screw cap closure and think of boxed wine as something to hold cheap, low-quality wine.  Apparently, this is no longer true.  I have to admit, I was fascinated…..According to sommilierbusiness.com, boxed wine was originally preferred by producers of less expensive wines because as mentioned before, the box is cheaper to produce compared to glass bottles.  According to the site, everything changed in 2003 when Black Box Wines introduced premium wines in box packages which was then followed by many other premium wine brands.  The article goes on to say that boxed wine is becoming more of a norm and is only looked down upon by the "average wine consumer" who believes the old stereotype that boxed wine is for cheap, low-quality wine.  The article makes its case for wine in a box by listing the following pros of drinking boxed wine: 1 - More bang for your buck.  A box of wine holds at least twice the amount of wine held in a standard 750ml glass bottle with the most popular size box being 3 liters.   2 - It's a plus for the environment. A box takes less energy to produce than a bottle. It's also recycled easier and produced and shipped for a cheaper price than bottled wine, making is much easier on the environment.  3 - Boxed wine lasts longer than wine held in a glass bottle after opening (4-6 WEEKS) because there is no way for oxygen to get through the tap and into the plastic bag that holds the wine preventing the immediate oxidizing of the wine that happens when a glass bottle is opened. 4 - Boxed wine is easier to transport because it doesn't slide around like a bottle, and you have zero risk of breaking any glass.  Of course, they also list 3 negatives regarding boxed wine:  Cons of Boxed wine: 1 - No aging potential.  Boxed wine is meant for quick easy consumption.  If you are a consumer who loves aged wines, then a boxed wine is not for you. 2 - Lack of selection.  Since a lot of wineries are not on board with wine in a box, it limits your choices. 3 - They are not wine cooler compatible and have to be placed in a refrigerator.   I don't consider myself a wine snob at all and love to try new things so I am going to go out and get myself some boxed wine and see what all the fuss is about.  If you drink boxed wine, please email the show at obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com or go to the beautiful new website at www.obsessedwithwine.com and tell me your boxed wine stories.  I would love to share them with the other listeners on a future show!  Thank you very much!  Ill see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste, Cheers!  

DO:1 - Show up on time! We realize most people are on vacation and relaxing, but Napa Valley sees a lot of people. If you know you're going to be late, call and see if accommodations can be made but know that everyone operates on a tight schedule and reservations are there for a reason. Wine countries are pretty spread out so understand how long it will take to get from point A to point B.2 - Ask questions! Don't be afraid to learn!  The staff at the winery is there to make sure you have a great experience, and they are very knowledgeable so if you are curious about a wine or a winemaking technique, please ask.  This is one thing I don't have a problem with.  My wife hates it because I like to ask a ton of questions but in return, I get a lot of great information.  3 - Understand that you are at a tasting not a bar. If you want to be loud and drink a lot, there are plenty of wonderful bars and restaurants that would cater to you. When you are at a winery you are there to taste and learn, so be kind to your host and be mindful of those around you!4 - Drink lots of water and make sure your eating!  Studies show that consuming food before drinking alcohol can help prevent you from getting too intoxicated too soon.  A lot of people underestimate how much wine you will be consuming while wine tasting. In the summer Northern California can push 100 degrees so make sure you are taking care of yourself and staying hydrated! No one wants to faint at a winery! 5 - Have fun! Explore! Take lots of pictures! The Wine country is a breath taking and exciting place! Enjoy your time with friend and family to take advantage of what the wine country has to offer.   Don't1 - Make too many plans. Can you do 5 wineries in a day? Yes. Should you? No. I understand a lot of people aren't sure if/when they will be back to the wine country, so they want to make the most of their time but trust me 5 wineries is a lot. Stick to 2-3 a day. Your liver and friends will thank you! 2 - Just drink wine. Get out and try something that's not wine! Mad Fritz for example, is a killer brewery up in St. Helena and there are numerous olive oil tastings available in Sonoma that also appeal to the younger members of your party. 3 - Just stay in one area. For example, there are so many beautiful towns in Northern California so don't just limit yourself to one. Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, Sonoma, Sebastopol, and Bodega Bay just to name a few are all places that have their own stories and unique culture. Go out and explore! 4 - Just limit yourself to big wineries or wineries that you've heard of. Do some research! Ask the locals and friends what they suggest. There are close to 500 different tasting rooms in Napa alone. Try to have a good mix of places you are familiar with and new names you have not experienced. Not only will you get a better view of the wine country and how different sized wineries operate, but you may discover your new favorite wine!5 - Forget that the most important part of your wine tasting trip is the memories and the experience! The wine, the food, and the views are all there to be had but who you're with and the memories you are making are the most important. All that matters at the end of the day is “do you like this wine or not”. So, find a wine you enjoy and drink it with the people that you like! Finally, please visit the brand new show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net and take a look around.  Make sure to click on the section at the top called wine discounts.  There you can find discounts on your favorite wines and accessories from wine.com and One Stop Wine Shop Thank you very much!  I'll see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste. Cheers! 

Hello wine enthusiasts, welcome to The Daily Taste for Tuesday May 17th, 2022.Winemakers, today have lots of options when it comes to selecting vessels they use for fermentation.  Typically, white wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks where the temperature of the fermentation can be controlled with cooling jackets cooled with glycol.  A lot of red wines are also fermented in stainless steel tanks before being moved to oak barrels for aging.  The decision which vessel to use usually depends on the style of wine being made.  For example, some grapes and juice that are used to make high end red wines can be fermented in a stainless-steel tank or can be pumped directly from the destemmer into an oak barrel for fermentation.  Using stainless steal tanks to ferment wine is more economical and requires much less labor while fermenting in oak barrels is the opposite.  Using oak barrels for fermentation is expensive as a new French Oak barrel can cost up to $3000 a piece.  Its also much more labor intensive and requires a lot more space in the winery.  The barrels containing the fermenting red wine have to be moved to special racks that allow the winemaking team to rotate them back and forth everyday.  This ensures the oak is introduced evenly to the must and juice.  The benefits to fermenting in oak barrels includes adding silkiness to the tannins and a rounder more lush mouthfeel. Sometimes white wines like Chardonnay are also fermented in oak barrels when the winemaker desires oak influence or wants to age the wine on the lees. Aging white wine on the lees is called sur lees aging. The lees are all of the dead yeast cells that are a byproduct of fermentation that sink to the bottom of the barrel.  The lees release sugars and proteins into the wine that combine with tannins to soften the mouthfeel.  Sur lees aging also requires regular stirring of the barrels which may be the worst job in the cellar, especially if there are a lot of barrels to stir. Fermentation is not limited to oak or stainless steel.  Some winemakers are experimenting with the benefits of other fermenting vessels like concrete eggs.  Here is a clip from an interview I did with V. Sattui winemaker, Jason Moravec who talks about the impact of fermenting wine in a concrete egg. One of my favorite experiences working at V. Sattui was working with the Reisling we fermented in the concrete egg. I have uploaded some videos to the show website that I took of active fermentations of a red wine in a stainless-steel tank and of the Reisling in the concrete egg.  Go to www.obsessedwithwine.net and click The Daily Taste Segments button at the top of the home page.  Then click the link for this segment to see the videos. Finally, The beautiful new show website is finally up and running! Go to www.obsessedwithwine.net where you will find links to all episodes and some links for some wine discounts available to my listeners from wine.com and one stop wine shop. Thank you very much!  I'll see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste, Cheers!

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Monday May 16th 2022Before I started to get serious about wine, I could drink wine out of anything.  A paper cup, a red solo cup, a water glass, only on special occasions would I get out the wine glasses. It was like the occasion called for the wine glasses and not the wine itself.  Now that I take my wine more seriously, I like to be able to get the best that the wine has to offer so I found myself wondering if the wine glass really matters.  Not only the wine glass but the shapes of the wine glass.  Does the shape of the wine glass matter in how the wine presents itself?  To get the answers to these questions, I contacted Matt Brain, the winemaker at Alpha Omega in ST. Helena, CA.  As a winemaker, one of the most important skills is to have a refined pallet which Matt has.  Here is what Matt had to say about the importance of the wine glass in getting the best expression of our wine.  Does the wine glass make a difference? Well, there you have it!  The shape of the wine glass matters when trying to experience the best the wine can offer!  Now that we all know wine glasses are important, please stop serving good wine in fake plastic wine glasses or plastic cups!  Your doing the wine a disservice!  If you don't have a nice set of wine glasses yet, go to the show website www.obsessedwithwine.net and click on the link at the top for The Daily Taste.  Then find this segment and click on the link. There I will post a link for some nice wine glass sets that I purchased recently and really like.  Thank you very much!  Ill see you tomorrow for another Daily Taste. Cheers! 

I had the opportunity to interview Carlos DeJesus, Marketing Director for Amorim Cork based in Portugal.  Amorim is the #1 Producer of cork in the world and produces over 50% of the worlds cork stoppers.  As a wine enthusiast, I was blown away by how much I didn't know about cork and how fascinating a material it is.  You may not realize that cork comes from the bark of a cork oak, an evergreen tree that's native to southwest Europe.  The cork oak tree is the only tree whose bark regenerates and each tree has a life span of around 200 years.  Each freshly planted cork oak tree takes 25 years to grow and produce mature bark that can be harvested and used to make cork.  The initial cork bark known as the “virgin” cork isn't useable for wine stoppers, so it's harvested and used to make other cork products including flooring, shoes, insulation, energy production, and it's used in the aerospace industry.  After the first harvest, you have to wait another 9 years for the bark to regenerate and be able to harvest the bark again.  The second bark growth known as the “seconderia” is also not mature enough to use for wine corks so again it is harvested and used for other products.  Finally, after another 9 years, the cork oak bark is mature enough to use to make wine cork closures. Meaning it takes a new cork oak tree 43 years to be able to produce cork bark that can be used to make wine stoppers. Thats incredible! The production of cork is a highly regulated industry so it's illegal to cut down a cork oak tree and producers aren't able to harvest cork oak bark from a tree earlier than every 9 years.  According to Amorim, harvesting cork oak bark is done between May and August and has to be done with precision to prevent from damaging the tree trunk.  Cork oak harvesters are highly compensated workers because of the amount of skill and attention to detail that's required.  Cork makes the perfect wine closures because it's practically impermeable to liquids and gases and its elasticity makes it perfect for sealing a bottle of wine.  It's also 100% natural and 100% reusable.  Not to mention its CO2 retainability which helps the environment.  In this interview we talk about how cork interacts with a bottle of wine, the importance of sustainability to Amorim, and we discuss the battle against TCA or cork taint.  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Friday May 13th, 2022As wine grapes mature during the growing season, there acid levels drop while they accumulate sugar.  That's why if you taste a green berry early in the growing season, it tastes very tart and astringent. As harvest approaches, acidity is lower in the grapes and sugar is high which gives the grapes their sweetness.  Wine grapes contain many acids, but the two most prominent acids are Tartaric Acid and Malic Acid.    Tartaric acid is a fairly strong acid (among wine acids) while Malic acid, which is found in many fruits and vegetables is the acid responsible for the sour taste in fruits.  Acidity is an important component in a finished wine because not enough acid makes the wine taste flat, while too much acid can accentuate astringency.  This is where the process of malolactic fermentation comes in to play.  Malolactic fermentation is done by the presence of special bacteria called malolactic bacteria. The main purpose of malolactic fermentation or sometimes called secondary fermentation is to convert the harsh-tasting malic acid into the much softer, smoother lactic acid.  It can also increase a wines stability before bottling to prevent the malolactic fermentation from occurring naturally in the bottle.  When malolactic fermentation occurs in the bottle, the wine looks cloudy and can be fizzy.  These are faults in a finished wine that winemakers want to avoid.    Most red wines go through malolactic fermentation to make them smoother and to accentuate fruity and berry characteristics.  Red wines that have gone through malolactic fermentation are softer with a full, smooth mouthfeel.    Only some white wines go through malolactic fermentation like Chardonnay and Viognier.  Malolactic bacteria can release a byproduct called Diacetyl which is responsible for the creamy, buttery taste found in some Chardonnays. Chardonnays that don't go through malolactic fermentation are usually more fruity, crisp wines.  Malolactic bacteria can be present already in the winery on the equipment so a spontaneous malolactic fermentation can occur.   Otherwise, the winemaker can inoculate the wine with a specific malolactic culture.   Malolactic fermentation can be done simultaneously with the alcoholic fermentation, but the most common practice is to encourage the malolactic fermentation after the alcoholic fermentation when the wine has been transferred to barrel where the temperatures are perfect for the bacteria to thrive.  Finally If you enjoy the content of this podcast, I encourage you to go to the show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net and click on the link at the top of the page called “Buy me a glass of wine”  Unfortunately it doesn't buy me any wine but it does give you the opportunity to donate to the show which helps me offset some of the costs of production.  Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated!  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Thursday May 12th, 2022Yesterday we talked about residual sugar in wine which got me thinking of some of my favorite dessert wines.  Some people dismiss dessert wines automatically because they're sweet but don't let that deter you from trying some of the amazing dessert wines being made all over the world.  One of my favorite dessert wines are Sauternes.   Sauternes are full bodied, French sweet wines made from grapes grown in the Graves section of Bordeaux.  These wines are made from a combination of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. The Semillon produces a broad, well-structured base, while the Sauvignon Blanc brings sufficient acidity to keep the resulting wine fresh. These grapes are preferred in production of Sauternes because they are thin skinned which makes them susceptible to a particular type of fungus called Botrytis cinerea which is a crucial component of most late - harvest wines.  According to Wine-Searcher, When Botrytis spores land on healthy grapes in favorable weather conditions they develop into what is referred to as Noble Rot.  Noble Rot, develops most reliably in areas where morning mists form which allow the fungus to thrive.  When repeated over a number of weeks, this process gradually dries the grapes, reducing their water content, and naturally concentrating their sugars and flavor compounds.  Since the sugar level directly impacts the alcohol content in a wine, when these concentrated grapes are fermented they will reach up to 15 to 16% alcohol which is too toxic for the yeast to continue so the fermentation stops naturally leaving a lot of residual sugar characteristic of these dessert wines.  Sauternes are expensive to make partly because they are hand picked by professionals who only pick grapes that have been infected with Botrytis.  According to wine searcher, a half bottle of top-quality, aged Sauternes wine from a good vintage can command prices in excess of $1000.00.  The most prestigious of all Sauternes is made by Chateau d'Yquem which is considered the worlds most famous dessert wine.  Sauternes are known to age for decades which adds to their allure.  Sauternes are fabulous when sipped all by themselves but pair wonderfully with cheesecake, herb-roasted poultry or spicy Asian cuisine.  I encourage you to look for Sauternes at your local wine shop or on a dessert menu at a nice restaurant.  You wont be disappointed.  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Wednesday May 11th, 2022I saw an ad online the other day advertising low sugar wines.  The picture shows a wine glass full of granular sugar and its heading reads, “How much sugar does your wine contain?” Most people probably can't definitively answer this question and may assume that there is some sugar in their wine based on this add. The advertisement is supposed to get you to consider buying their low sugar wines as a healthy alternative to the wines you already drink.   Since wine labels don't have to report on the sweetness level of their wines, it makes sense that most people don't know.  So how much sugar is in our wines?  If we are looking to cut sugar out of our diets, does it mean we have to give up wine too?  These are questions I wanted to answer so here is what I learned.  All Wine grapes contain the fruit sugars fructose and glucose.  During alcoholic fermentation, the yeast eat the sugars and produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. Any sugar that is left by the yeast after fermentation is called residual sugar or RS. The level of RS desired in the wine is determined by the winemaker depending on the type of wine he or she wants to make. The winemaking team keeps a very close eye on their fermentations and runs analysis on wine samples everyday in the lab.  The sugar level of the fermenting juice is one of the most important analysis done.  This tells the winemaking team how the fermentation is progressing.  If the winemaker wants to make a sweet wine, they will typically arrest the fermentation at the desired sugar level by dropping the temperature of the tank to stop the yeast activity.  If a dry wine is desired, the winemaking team will let the fermentation go until all of the detectible sugar has been consumed.  It's difficult to get a wine to bone dry which means there is absolutely no residual sugar.  Therefore, most wines that are considered Dry still contain between 0 and 10 g/l RS.  For comparison, a can of regular Coke has 108 g/l of sugar.  Off-dry wines such as some Rieslings contain 10-35 g/l RS, Sweet wines like Moscato and sweet Riesling contain 35-120 g/l RS, and very sweet wines including Tawney Ports, Ice Wines, and Sauternes contain 120 – 220 g/l Rs.  So, what does this mean?  It means that if you are drinking a dry wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, or a Viognier for example, you are getting a wine that has very low sugar.  You would have to drink almost 11 glasses of your favorite Zinfandel to get the amount of sugar in a can of coke.  That's assuming the wine has 10 g/l of RS and most dry wines have much less.  One more thing to consider, there is a correlation between cheap wines and residual sugar levels.  Cheap wines typically mask the taste of lower quality grapes by leaving additional residual sugar. Finally, if you enjoy the content of this podcast, I encourage you to go to the show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net and click on the link at the top of the page called “Buy me a glass of wine” Unfortunately it doesn't buy me any wine, but it does give you the opportunity to donate to the show which helps me offset some of the costs of production.  Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated!  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Tuesday May 10th, 2022If you listen to this podcast, you know that I am passionate about wine that's made all over the world.  I have spent the past two weeks talking about the great wines being made in Texas so I thought I would shift gears and talk about the emerging wine county in the state of AZ.  Living here in CA, I always picture AZ as a dessert with extremely hot temperatures and a lot of cacti.  What I didn't realize is that Arizona is home to more than 110 wineries, vineyards, and cellars. Arizona is home to three American Viticulture Areas or AVAs including Sonoita, Willcox, and the newest AVA The Verde Valley.  The Sonoita AVA sits at 4500 to 5200 feet elevation and was the first AVA in the state of AZ.  The Willcox AVA which produces the majority of wine grapes in AZ is located at 4000 – 5000 feet where the diurnal temperatures during the growing season can experience 50-degree fluctuations between day and night.  The Verde Valley AVA is the newest of AZ's AVAs, located in the center of the state.  The Verde Valley encompasses 219 square miles and includes 19 commercial vineyards farming more than 136 acres of wine grapes, and 25 tasting rooms.  You can find more than 40 wine grape varieties in the Verde Valley including white varieties Malvasia Bianca, Seyval Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc.  You can also see red varieties like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tannat, and Barbera.  The AZ wine country has its own set of challenges including monsoon season.  I did an interview with Adam Gingrich, winemaker at Oak Creek Winery located in the Verde Valley, and here is what he had to say about the challenges of Monsoon season.If you want to visit the AZ wine country, Adam recommends visits to the Verde Valley in Northern AZ where you can taste wines from all over the state and dine at some of the best restaurants in AZ.    Adam recommends you taste at places like Oak Creek Winery, Merkin Vineyards, Caduceus, Pillsbury, and Page Springs. Next time you are looking for a new wine to try, I recommend you go online and buy some of the great wines being made in AZ.      Finally, if you enjoy the content of this podcast, I encourage you to go to the show website at www.obsessedwithwine.net and click on the link at the top of the page called “Buy me a glass of wine”  Unfortunately it doesn't buy me any wine but it does give you the opportunity to donate to the show which helps me offset some of the costs of production.  Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated!  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Monday May 9th, 2022One of my favorite things about being a wine fanatic is all the fun gadgets out there that are meant to help enhance your wine experience.  Admittedly, I am a sucker for those things and have tried many of them over the years. One of my favorite wine gadgets is the Coravin wine preserver.  I remember when I first saw the Coravin being used at a winery, I had never seen anything like it and I had to ask about it.  For those who don't know what a Coravin is, it's a device that allows you to take wine out of a bottle without removing the cork.  This is accomplished with a special needle called a Coravin Needle.    According to Coravin, the Coravin Needle gently passes through corks without displacing cork material.  Once the needle is removed, the cork simply expands back to its normal shape.  As wine is extracted out of the bottle with the needle, it is replaced with pure Argon gas, ensuring oxygen never touches the remaining wine.   According to Coravin, other wine preservation systems only delay oxidation of the wine but with the Coravin, every glass you pour tastes as good as the first, weeks, months, or even years later.  Being the only red wine drinker in my house, I use my Coravin anytime I feel like a glass from a special bottle of wine to treat myself and don't want to open the entire bottle.  I have friends with large wine collections and sometimes they want to track the aging of a special wine over a few years to see hoe it evolves.  They use the Coravin to take out a sample over time to follow its evolution.  I am not a scientist, so I wanted to get the opinion of someone I respect on the use of the Coravin and how it impacts the wine.  I asked Alpha Omega Winemaker and scientist Matt Brain about it and here is what he had to say:  If you want to learn more about the Coravin Wine Preservation systems, I encourage you to go to their website at www.coravin.com and check out the section on the technology of their products.  They even have new products on the market for preserving sparkling wine and wine that is closed with a screw cap.  I don't get paid to talk about Coravin but I would love the opportunity to interview someone from Coravin on the show one of these days but I haven't been able to make contact with anyone from the company.  If you know of someone who works for Coravin and would be willing to do an episode with me, please give them the show email obsessedwithwine@yahoo.com.  Finally, remember to go to www.obsessedwithwine.net and sign up for the email mailing list.  I am going to be releasing my first bonus episode exclusively for mailing list subscribers in the near future.  

Walden Pemantle, grew up in Philadelphia wanting to be a chef.  He started out working in different restaurants in his hometown as a line cook.  You will hear in this interview, how he wanted to be a chef so badly that he would save his money just to be able to experience the food at some of the most exclusive restaurants in New York and Chicago. During his cooking adventures he developed a passion for wine and a curiosity for the sommeliers who worked with in the restaurants.   His passion for wine drove him to becoming a certified sommelier with the distinguished Master Court of Sommeliers.  There he received a scholarship for passing the exam with the highest score in his class. He has now turned his passion for wine into managing the great Texas Wine School.  His story is exciting and inspirational at the same time.      

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Friday May 6th, 2022When red wine grapes are harvested, they're brought inro the winery and most of the time they are put through a machine called a destemmer.  The de-stemmer removes the grapes from the stems and separates the grapes from the material other than grapes called MOG for short.  In some wineries, the grapes then pass over a conveyer belt where people standing on either side can pick out any remaining stems and leaves and take out any berries that are too green or just don't look right, this process is called sorting.  For some wineries, the grapes may pass through this sorting process more than once to make sure only the best grapes make it into the wine.  The sorting process can be an arduous task and is subject to human error.  Its inevitable that some green grapes, leaves, and some stems will get past the sorters and into the wine.  Companies that make winery equipment were determined to find a better, more efficient way to sort grapes, and they did.  One of the most impressive machines I have ever seen in action in a winery is the optical sorter.  The optical sorter, is the best and most accurate grape sorting equipment on the market.  The optical sorter employs high speed camaras and image processing software to quickly scan and sort destemmed grapes.  The high speed cameras shoot at 1000 frames per second with 10 billion pixel resolution and LED lights to illuminate the grapes without heating them up.  The biggest of these optical sorters can process up to 15 tons of grapes per hour at a cost of up to $200,000.  The optical sorter is so accurate that it eliminates grapes that are underripe, bird pecked, dehydrated, or have other flaws.  It also makes sure that MOG such as leaves and stems are removed to reduce astringency and bitterness.  These sorting machines make it possible to make sure that only the best grapes make it into the wine. At this price point, it isn't realistic for all wineries to have this technology but this is another way that wineries can improve efficiency and the quality of their wines.  Some wineries I have worked in are willing to spare no expense to make the best wine they possible can so this machine is a must.  Next time you are in a tasting room, aske them if their grapes are sorted with an optical sorter.  I also encourage you to visit your favorite winery during the harvest season to see this machine in action.  It is very impressive!  Please listen to episode #11 of the obsessed with wine podcast on Saturday May 7th as I talk with certified sommelier and wine school manager Walden Pemantle about falling in love with wine and getting the highest score in his class at the Court of Master Sommelier certified sommelier exam.  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Thursday May 5th, 2022Today is Cinco De Mayo which is the anniversary of the day the Mexican Army defeated the French Legions in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  People in the US like to take the opportunity to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with friends and family and typically enjoy traditional Mexican dishes.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some wines that pair perfectly with all the Mexican cuisine being served today.  I found a great article written on a blog called From the Vine that outlines five wines and the Mexican dishes they pair really well with.  The first wine is Malbec.  Malbec, a bolder wine, brings out flavors and seasonings that you may have not noticed before making it perfect with Mexican dishes.  Malbec pares best with bolder and meatier dishes so it's the perfect pairing with Carnitas Tacos.  The second wine on the list is Viognier.  The citrusy undertone in the Viognier goes perfectly with dishes with citrus and cuts through crazy spicy dishes but also compliments the rice and beans.  Try a Viognier with your Chicken Mole for a real treat.  The third wine on the list of wines to pair with Cinco DE Mayo is Pinot Noir.  Pinot Noir is a lighter bodied red wine that is perfect for spring and summer.  Pinot Noir is not too overbearing and goes well with spicier dishes, especially a cool climate, fruit forward Pinot.  Pair your Pinot Noir with dishes that are more earthy than spicy like Enchiladas Rojas.  The next wine on the list is a crisp Sparkling Rose.  There are few things that don't go well with the refreshing fizz of a sparkling rose and Cinco De Mayo is not different.  The sparkling rose is a perfect match with the freshness of avocado and the power of cilantro.  Because of the fruit forward nature of the Sparkling Rose, it also pares well with some of the milder dishes being served.  Try the Sparkling Rose with your Guacamole and Tacos Campechanos.  The 5th and final wine on this list is Sauvignon Blanc. According to the author, the lime, cilantro, and jalapenos found in Mexican Cuisine goes perfect with the crisp acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc.  A perfect pairing for the Sauvignon Blanc is Chile Rellenos. I definitely plan on using some of these tips with my Cinco De Mayo celebration and I hope these wine and food pairings make your Cinco De Mayo even more special.  Make sure to join me every Saturday for full episodes of Obsessed with Wine Podcast.   

Hello wine enthusiasts, welcome to The Daily Taste for Wednesday March 4th, 2022 On Monday, May 2nd, I had the opportunity to interview Carlos DeJesus Marketing Director for Amorim Cork based in Portugal.  Amorim is the #1 Producer of cork in the world and produces over 50% of the worlds cork stoppers.  As a wine enthusiast, I was blown away by how much I didn't know about cork and how fascinating a material it is.  You may not realize that cork comes from the bark of a cork oak, an evergreen tree that's native to southwest Europe.  The cork oak tree is the only tree whose bark regenerates and each tree has a life span of around 200 years.  Each freshly planted cork oak tree takes 25 years to grow and produce mature bark that can be harvested and used to make cork.  The initial cork bark known as the "virgin" cork isn't useable for wine stoppers, so it's harvested and used to make other cork products including flooring, shoes, insulation, energy production, and it's used in the aerospace industry.  After the first harvest, you have to wait another 9 years for the bark to regenerate and be able to harvest the bark again.  The second bark growth known as the "seconderia" is also not mature enough to use for wine corks so again it is harvested and used for other products.  Finally, after another 9 years, the cork oak bark is mature enough to use to make wine cork closures. Meaning it takes a new cork oak tree 43 years to be able to produce cork bark that can be used to make wine stoppers. Thats incredible! The production of cork is a highly regulated industry so it's illegal to cut down a cork oak tree and producers aren't able to harvest cork oak bark from a tree earlier than every 9 years.  According to Amorim, harvesting cork oak bark is done between May and August and has to be done with precision to prevent from damaging the tree trunk.  Cork oak harvesters are highly compensated workers because of the amount of skill and attention to detail that's required.  Cork makes the perfect wine closures because it's practically impermeable to liquids and gases and its elasticity makes it perfect for sealing a bottle of wine.  It's also 100% natural and 100% reusable.  Not to mention its CO2 retainability which helps the environment.   You can hear my full interview with Carlos on episode #11 of the Obsessed with Wine podcast coming Saturday May 14th. In the interview we talk about how cork interacts with a bottle of wine, the importance of sustainability to Amorim, and we discuss the battle against TCA or cork taint.  

Hello Wine Enthusiasts Welcome to the Daily Taste for Tuesday May 3rd 2022Unfortunately, Vineyards all over the Wilmette Valley in Oregon are dealing with the devastation of an early spring frost that has damaged many of the wine region's grape vines.  During winter, grape vines go into a period of dormancy to protect themselves from the harsh winter weather.  Once the weather gets warmer, the vines wake up and use the energy stored in its trunk and roots to produce buds which contain the first green leaves of a new growth cycle.   These buds are so delicate that they can be destroyed by just one cold night with frost.  Chardonnay and pinot noir bud earlier than other varieties, making them particularly vulnerable to early frosts.Temperatures in parts of the Willamette Valley dropped into the mid 20's in late April causing frost damage to open buds and young shoots.  Frost this time of year is uncommon for that region which left a lot of grape growers unprepared.  One grape grower said he hasn't seen anything like this in his 25-year career of growing grapes.  Michael Alberty of the Oregonian, explains, A grape bud comprises three smaller sections known as the primary, secondary and tertiary buds. The primary bud contains a tightly furled shoot with flower clusters that produce grapes during the growing season. The smaller secondary bud will typically develop if there is damage to the primary bud. The secondary bud's biggest drawback is it has fewer flowers per cluster and produces 30-50% less fruit than the primary bud. If the secondary bud is damaged as well, the tertiary bud, which produces little to no fruit, will bloom.  According to some early reports, many vines in the Willamette Valley suffered damage to both the primary and secondary bud meaning they may have to accept what the tertiary bud gives them this year.  The impact of the frost varies from region to region and even vineyard to vineyard depending on elevation and grape variety. It is too soon to tell the extent of the damage, but some are predicting the frost could cost the Willamette Valley 50% of this year's crop.  According to the This is heartbreaking news for people producing wines in that area and for people like me who enjoy the great wines being made in Oregon.  The best thing we can do right now is to go out and buy more Oregon wines to show our support for what they are going through right now.  Specifically, wines made by smaller producers who are going to be hit the hardest.  Thank you very much, Ill see you tomorrow.   

On April 29th Napa Valley lost one of its most famous vintners when Jack Cakebread, Founder of Cakebread Cellars passed away at the age of 92.  Jack's incredible story of becoming a vintner is as famous as the wines that bear his last name.   Jack Cakebread, born in 1929, grew up working on his family's ranch purchased in Contra Costa County    where they grew almonds, walnuts, and stone fruits.  He also worked in his father's auto repair garage in Oakland, CA while studying photography with world famous landscape photographer, Ansel Adams.  It was a specific photography trip to Napa Valley in 1972 that changed Jack Cakebread's life and Napa Valley forever.  He was hired by author Nathan Croman to take pictures for a book he was writing called A Treasury of American Wines.  During that trip, Jack decided to visit a friend of his who happened to own a 22-acre ranch and vineyard in Rutherford.  Before leaving his visit, Jack told his friend that he was interested in buying the ranch and made his friend an offer.   Later that day, Jack heard from his friend that he had accepted Jacks offer for the ranch.  Jack had purchased the 22-acre ranch and vineyard for $2500.  The rest is history!  At first, Jack and Dolores Cakebread and their sons Bruce and Dennis balanced responsibilities at the winery and the car repair business in Oakland that Jack had become a partner in.  In 1973 they produced their first vintage, 157 cases of Chardonnay with fruit they had purchased from another winery.   The Rich, Fruit Centered, style Chardonnay is now the wine most synonymous with Cakebread Cellars.  This style of chardonnay has influenced many of the modern chardonnays.   According to other Napa Vintners, Jack and Dolores Cakebread's impact on Napa Valley is something that will live on forever.  Jack would serve as President of the Napa Valley Vintners association and as President of the Winegrowers of Napa County.  Famous Napa Vintner Warren Winiarski says that the Cakebreads should be remembered for what they did to elevate the food and wine in the Napa Valley.  Jack Cakebread would eventually turn Cakebread Cellars over to the capable hands of his sons Bruce and Dennis.  Bruce Cakebread is now the President and COO while Dennis Cakebread is the acting Chairman of the Board of directors.  Cakebread Cellars now owns 13 vineyards representing nearly 560 acres and besides Chardonnay, they make award winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir.  Friend and family of Jack Cakebread describe him as a man with a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor.  He will be greatly missed.  If you want to pay respects to Jack Cakebread, the family suggests you make a donation to Collabria Care of Napa.  You can find them at give.providence.org/collabricare.  

Hello Wine enthusiasts, this is Wesley Cable, Host of Obsessed with Wine podcast.  Over the past month, I have been trying to find a way to interact with the audience and talk wine between each new episode that I release every Saturday.  I have decided to start a short daily episode called The Daily Taste.  In these segments, typically only a few minutes in length, I will talk about things like current wine events, wine news, wine education, or stories from my experiences working in or visiting wineries.  I promise that these short episodes will be informative and fun.  Join me for a few minutes every weekday for the Daily taste, part of the Obsessed with Wine Podcast.  The Daily Taste segments will be available starting Monday May 2nd and can be found on my website at www.obsessedwithwine.net or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Just look for Obsessed with Wine.  I also encourage you to join me on the Obsessed with Wine Facebook Discussion Group where you can chat with me and other fans of the show.  I also give updates on upcoming episodes and take suggestions on how I can make the show better.  Cheers!  

Like many people, Shelly Wilfong fell in love with wine by visiting Napa and Sonoma in California and drinking California wine.  It was after these trips to California that Shelly found her passion for wine and wanted to learn as much as she could about it.  Living in Dallas, Shelly realized that there were award winning wines being made in her home state of Texas.   Shelly eventually decided to leave a successful career in healthcare, to pursue her passion for wine, and specifically Texas wine.  Shelly is now a successful wine writer, wine judge, and host of the award-winning wine podcast, This is Texas Wine.  Shelly uses her podcast to reach Texas wine lovers all over the world with a focus on promoting Texas wines and travel to the Texas Wine Country.  Shelly recently received the prestigious Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association's (TWIGA) 2022 Wine Press Award given to the wine, food, travel, and agriculture writers for outstanding coverage of the Texas wine industry.  In this interview, Shelly and I discuss the main wine grape growing regions in Texas, the challenges to growing grapes in Texas, the varieties that grow the best in the different Texas climates, and of course we discuss the Texas wines that are winning awards in competitions all over the world.  We also talk about the popular town of Fredericksburg, Tx which is one of the most visited wine regions in the country.   If you want to hear more about Texas wine  I encourage you to find This is Texas Wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  You can also go to Shelly's website www.thisistexaswine.com 

The casual wine drinker may not appreciate the amount of science that is involved in making wine these days.  This is why I have decided to focus this episode on the science of wine and winemaking.  Winemaking has become so scientific that winemakers are required to be well versed in aspects of chemistry and biology.  This is one of the reasons UC Davis' Viticulture and Enology program is so popular among wine professionals.  UC Davis is known for its cutting-edge research in these subjects, so it attracts people from all over the world.  This week's guest, Benjamin Eyer, graduated from the University of Pittsburg with a master's degree in Organic Chemistry.  Instead of going to medical school, he decided to follow his passion for wine.  Benjamin started his wine career by getting his Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis and traveling to Chile to learn how to work in a winery.   Then Benjamin joined Frank Family Vineyards in Napa, CA as an intern before moving to the pacific northwest.  In Oregon, Benjamin joined Trisaetum Winery and A to Z Wineworks as an intern to further his experience and grow as a winemaker.  Finally, Benjamin was named winemaker at Landlines Estates where he made wine for over four years before moving on to Montinore Vineyards in Forest Grove, Oregon.  After making wines for over eight years, Benjamin decided to make a career change and joined Admeo Inc. in Beaverton Oregon.  Admeo Inc. provides wine testing kits and machines that wineries use to analyze their wines starting when the grapes first arrive at the winery after harvest and all the way through fermentation and bottling.  These machines allow the wineries who can afford them, to test their wine samples much more efficiently and accurately which allows them to get the results of the analysis much quicker.  In this episode, Benjamin and I discuss his wine journey that brought him to Admeo Inc, some tests that winemakers do to fermenting juice and why, and we discuss some wines he is especially proud of making when he was at Montinore Vineyards in Oregon.  

Varinder and Anita Sahi recently turned their love of wine and hospitality into the fabulous Copia Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles, CA.  In this episode I sit down with Mr. and Mrs. Sahi and we talk about about their journey from wine enthusiasts to vintners, the process of finding the right land to purchase to grow their grapes, and some exciting new things coming to Copia Vineyards and Winery in the near future.