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Mass produced. Industrially farmed. Corporate owned. Ordinary. To Food & Wine editor Ray Isle, those words describe much of today's wine. He says the way that a wine is made, and who made it, can make a huge difference when you drink it—and that information matters much more than knowing it scored 90 points in some competition. Or that it tastes like blueberries. Or it has "hints of violets and black pepper." Isle aims to help readers choose more delicious, interesting and environmentally friendly wines without breaking the bank. He examined several hundred independently owned wineries around the world, from France to Oregon to southern Chile, and says that a glass of wine can express the place it comes from and capture the essence of the person who made it. He focuses on wines people can afford, rather than $500 rarities, and he'll help you learn where and how to find the most interesting bottles available today. In this special December program, join us for a discussion with Isle followed by a delicious—and interesting—wine tasting. Wine tasting featuring: Cruse Wine Co. Hirsch Vineyards Massican Matthiasson Ridge Vineyards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michael Cruse has amassed a passionate following of wine lovers since he first launched Ultramarine, a wine light ruby in color and full of fine bubbles, in 2008. So much so that you now have to join a waitlist to get a bottle. Using sparkling wine to examine uniquely Californian soils, in 2013 Michael opened Cruse Wine Co. based in Petaluma, California.In 2016 he was named the San Francisco Chronicle's Winemaker of the Year. He also happens to be one of Stephen's favorite winemakers in the world.On this episode, Michael shares the realities of running a successful craft wine business and what it takes to run an enduring company year after year. If you want to try Cruse Wine yourself you can find them at https://www.crusewineco.com/ Follow us on IG and Threads @whetstonemedia. Learn more about Whetstone Media at https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/Produced by Whetstone Radio Collective
Damn, here come those Santa Ana winds again. Recorded in East Oakland, CA, an intimate discussion with Michael Cruse of Cruse wine Co and Jenny Eagleton, the inventor of modern snacks. We discussed sparkling California wine. Duck didn't take off his sunglasses all episode. ////LIST////Emme Wines, Sonoma County Cider, 'Monday's Child,' 2022//Martin Pohl Wines, Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, 'Orange Hue Pet-Nat,' 2021//Ruth Lewandowski, Lost hills Ranch Muscat, 'Tasteful in Nature,' 2019//Cruse Wine Co, Napa Valley, 'Sparkling Rancho Chimiles Validiguie,' 2022//Cruse Wine Co, Napa Valley, 'Tradition,' NV, 2019 base//Ultramarine Wines, Sonoma, 'Ultramarine,' 2016 ////Support the show
MJ's guest in this episode is Michael Cruse, winemaker and owner of Cruse Wine Co. and Ultramarine Wines. Michael is a renowned winemaker passionate about crafting artisanal wines using traditional techniques and modern technology. In this episode, MJ and Michael discuss his journey From Biology to Winemaking. Michael shares his journey from studying molecular biology to becoming a winemaker. He talks about his passion for wine and how he learned the craft by working with renowned winemakers in California and France. Michael also discusses his challenges when starting his winery and how he overcame them. He talks about his winemaking philosophy and how he strives to make wines that express the unique characteristics of the vineyard and the grapes. He shares his blending approach and techniques to achieve balance and complexity in his wines. Michael also discusses the importance of sustainability in winemaking and how he incorporates sustainable practices in his vineyards.Michael talks about his two wineries, Cruse Wine Co. and Ultramarine Wines. He shares the story behind each winery and the different wines they produce. Michael also discusses the challenges and rewards of running two wineries and the unique opportunities it provides.Michael shares his thoughts on the future of winemaking and the trends he sees in the industry. He talks about the increasing interest in natural and organic wines, the importance of sustainability, and the role of technology in winemaking. He also discusses the industry's challenges, such as climate change and changing consumer preferences, and how winemakers can adapt.A massive Thank You to Michael Cruse!For information about Cruse Wine Co., click the link.For details about Ultramarine Wines, click the link.Follow Michael on IGFollow Cruse Wine Co. on IGThis episode in-studio wines: 2016 Ultramarine Blanc de BlancsNV Cruse Wine Co. Reserve Cask Sparkling Wine ____________________________________________________________Until next time, cheers to the mavericks, philosophers, deep thinkers, and wine drinkers! Subscribe and give The Black Wine Guy Experience a five-star review on whichever platform you listen to.For insider info from MJ and exclusive content from the show, sign up at Blackwineguy.comFollow MJ @blackwineguyThank you to our sponsor: Rare Liquid. Rare Liquid is setting a new provenance standard for the rare wine & spirits industry. Utilizing the untapped potential of Web 3.0, Rare Liquid is building a community of artisan producers, technology, and logistics professionals to serve the needs of next-generation wine collectors.Learn more at Rare LiquidFollow Rare Liquid on IG @rareliquidclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sparkling wine is trending at the moment and no brand best embodies the trend more than cult California sparkling wine producer Ultramarine. Michael Cruse, the founder of Ultramarine and Cruse Wine Co, explains how he developed a passion for sparkling wine that led to his accidental success. He covers how Ultramarine took off, techniques and production practices that have business implications he took from Champagne, pricing, and his view on sales channels. Detailed Show Notes: UltramarineStarted in 2008, 1st real vintage was 2010Sparkling wine in CA that focuses on coastal single vineyards, high acid, single vintagePrecise production style - not copying Champagne, but taking some techniques and applying them to CAHarvest ~1,000 cases/year, ~500-750 cases make the cut for releaseLimited ability to grow (due to lack of suitable fruit sources), target ~1,200-1,500 case rangeCruse Wine CoStarted in 2013, supposed to be a custom crush facilityInitially not for sparkling wine, an interest in ValdiguieLater realized his passion was in sparkling wine - does pet nats, more experimental, more oxidative stylesFocus on CA as a whole vs. coastal vineyards of Ultramarine~7,000 cases/year (2018 was peak ~8,500 cases)The capital intensity of producing sparklingCruse Tradition takes ~40 months to make which means 3 vintages must be paid for before selling any wine (e.g. - fruit, glass ($2+/bottle), etc…) - this limits growthUltramarine spends 38-48 months en tirage, found this to be its sweet spotSparkling wine equipmentBought own equipment vs. doing custom crush at Rack & Riddle - partially due to using a bottle that they would not takeFollows many Champagne producers - they may use co-op press, but do own elevage and disgorgementUses a gyropalette, which requires some bentonite (riddling aid)Long term relationship with growers is important -> growing sparkling is different than still wine grapesVarietal impact on winemakingChardonnay - less fruit, more minerality - be more reductive to preserve fruitPinot Noir - more fruit, less minerality - be more oxidative to get more mineralityPricingValue spaces (~$20-25/bottle), e.g. - Gloria Ferrer, Roederer Estate, Cruse doesn't have the scale or capital to compete hereDoesn't think he can sell 10,000 cases @ $70/bottleBelieves he can sell 5-10,000 cases @ $45-55/bottleUnclear how Champagne price inflation will impact market opportunity for domestic sparklingUltramarine secondary pricing - goes for 3x release price; believes it's only ~30 bottles/year @ $200/bottle, could not sell entire production at that price pointSales channelsCruse - ⅓ DTC, ⅓ domestic wholesale, ⅓ export (Asia - Japan, Singapore strong)Ultramarine - 90-95% DTC - believes sweet spot is ~80% DTC to get more into restaurantsUltramarine mailing listBig supporters early on propelled the brand (e.g. - the NYC crew of Patrick Cappiello, Levi Dalton, and Pascaline Lepeltier)Instagram helped to fuel growthTook 3 releases (2012 release) to get a waiting listWine Berserkers also helpedCruse launch planNo real plan initially focused on friends & familyHardy Wallace helped get wines in front of distributorsRelationships with certain wine critics helpThe website is unintentionally sparse but does longer allocation emails Get access to library episodes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The Epic Conclusion of JAMIE'S HISTORY OF AMERICAN WINE Jamie swears the name* ‘Monkey Jacket' has a connection to sea shanties, but his co-host is skeptical. Scott promised himself he wouldn't go off about Marvel movies when discussing Chloe Zhao's ethos, style, and filmography on an episode that just so happens to be dropping the day Zhao's latest, MARVEL'S ETERNALS, hits theaters; Jamie's got $20 says otherwise. This California red blend and this quiet, contemplative Western are both supposedly sunny; will our hosts adequately defend their pretenses, or is disorder and disarray a foregone conclusion? And just what exactly is “Jamie's Terroir”? Smash that play button for all this and way too much more! *Calling anything ‘Monkey Jacket' is objectively hilarious and we'll hear nothing to the contrary, thank you very much. THE RIDER (2018) was directed by Chloé Zhao and is available wherever you rent VOD movies. (Please don't watch it on Starz, they cropped that shit, yo.) The 2018 Cruse Wine Co. ‘Monkey Jacket' is available at Astor Wine and Spirits for $25 plus tax and shipping. Follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @BiggerBottlePod Music is selected from Camille Saint-Saëns' ‘The Carnival of the Animals - XII. Fossils' as performed by the Seattle Youth Symphony, licensed under Creative Commons (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode)
Chris sits down with Michael Cruse, Owner/Winemaker of Cruse Wine Co and Ultramarine.
Chris sits down with Michael Cruse, Owner/Winemaker of Cruse Wine Co and Ultramarine.
In the final episode of this bonus mini-season, Joe talks to Michael Cruse of Cruse Wine Co and Ultramarine. Michael discusses how his science background informs his winemaking, how he makes sparkling wines that reflect their Californian terroir, and why he's resisted raising the price of his super sought after Ultramarine wines.
We sit down to chat w/ Michael Cruse for this open episode. Chat about Ultramarine, the Covid situation, and how he got started as a winemaker.
Kathryn and Tug discuss one of wine's most polarizing varietals: Chardonnay. They talk about the different styles of this wine, the regions where it's grown, and why it's loved by so many winemakers. The couple recounts another rough bedtime with the kids. Tug is excited to be an uncle again! Kathryn receives an unexpected gift from a friend/coworker. The wine of the night is Cruse Wine Co., Rorick Vineyard Chardonnay, Sierra Foothills, California 2017. Help Tug fulfill his parents' dream of having this podcast go "nationwide!" So please rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Thank you for listening... www.thelongfinish.com www.esterswineshop.com Follow us on Instagram: www.instagam.com/thelongfinish Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelongfinish Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tlfpod Follow Kathryn on Instagram: www.instagram/kathrynweil Follow Tug on Instagram: www.instagram/tugcoker Follow Tug on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tugcoker
This week we are talking about the Sierra Foothills The Sierra Foothills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The total area of the appellation is 2.6 million acres within eight counties, making it one of the largest AVAs in the state of California. Cruse Wine Co. Rorick Vineyard Chardonnay 2016 This wine has aromas of melon, pineapple, nectarine, white flowers, beeswax and a hint of toasted nuts It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium body and flavors of lemon, white flowers and stone fruit It a well crafted and balance Chardonnay, it’s crisp, fruity with a really lovely texture Priced around $3 Forlorn Hope Heinzelmann Picpoul 2015 This wine gave us aromas of green apple, pear, yeast and a hint of white flowers It’s dry with high acidity and flavors of lemon rind and pith, white flowers and yeast Very tart, too acidic on it’s own - most people probably need to pair this with food But we thought it was delicious, crisp, fruity with a hint of those yeasty flavors - a great sparkler fifty cases produced Priced around $45
Michael Cruse (@crusewine) is the winemaker and owner of Ultramarine Wines and Cruse Wine Co. based in Petaluma, California. Learn more about Michael with the show notes here. In this episode, Michael and I dig into his background and how he got into the wine world, the terroir of California and how Michael is working to share that through his wines, and where his love of sparkling wines come from. Before we get into the show, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and leave us a review. You can do so on iTunes itself, or with the podcast player on your phone. By subscribing and reviewing the show, you’re helping others discover the show and working to grow this community of people who are also passionate about wine. And if you’re interested, subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, Cru Mail. We send you one email every Monday with the latest podcast episode, so you’ll be the first to hear it, and we send another email on Friday with anything from other podcasts we’re enjoying, wine videos, articles, books, events, and even offers from great wine companies that give you a discount when buying their wines online and in their shops. You can subscribe to Cru Mail here.
In this Episode of The Honest Pour John interviews one of America's most exciting winemakers, Michael Cruse of Cruse Wine Co., and Ultramarine.
Michael Cruse is the winemaker of Cruse Wine Co. and Ultramarine, both in California. Also in this episode, Erin Scala talks St. Laurent.