Podcast appearances and mentions of santa rita hills

In this episode of The Vint Wine Podcast, we sit down with Julien Howsepian, lead winemaker at Kosta Browne, one of California's most acclaimed producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Julien shares how his path led from UC Davis to becoming a key figure in American fine wine and explains what makes the Kosta Browne portfolio so distinct—from Russian River to Santa Rita Hills, and even Burgundy.

I dagens afsnit skal vi finde “Verdens bedste chardonnay”. Vi har ikke alle vinlande med i konkurrencen ej heller alle verdens dyreste vine.   Afsnittet er optaget med 50 medsmagende gæster hos Bech/Bruun advokater i Aarhus d. 14. november 2024.   Benspændet er vine og lande som René har udvalgt i et prisleje på omkring 300 kr flasken.   Vi smager chardonnay fra Australien, Frankrig, New Zealand, Sydafrika og USA.     Vi skal selvfølgelig også i dybden med druesorten - hvad er chardonnay, hvordan smager den og hvorfor er den så anerkendt i den brede befolkning og hos vinmageren?   Vi snakker også om chardonnays udtryk i de forskellige lande samt produktionsmetoder og stilarter.   Hvilke to ord vil René sætte på chardonnay-stilen fra hvert af de deltagende lande?     Vinderlandet kan vi ikke afsløre her, der må man lytte med.     Vi smager på følgende vine. NB! Rækkefølgen her er alfabetisk efter land vi og altså ikke resultatet af smagningen eller rækkefølgen vi smager dem i i udsendelsen.     - Giant Steps, Yarra Valley, 2022, Australien   - Saint-Véran, Bourgogne, 2022, Frankrig   - Kumeu River, Kumeu, 2023, New Zealand   - Hamilton Russel Vineyard, Walker Bay, 2023,  Sydafrika   - Sandhi, Santa Rita Hills, 2022, USA         ..................... Køb vores nye bog "Bobler for begyndere og øvede" her: https://www.saxo.com/dk/bobler-for-begyndere_bog_9788773396568 Eller vores bog om vin her: https://www.saxo.com/dk/vin-for-begyndere_bog_9788773391303 Støt Vin for begyndere podcast her https://vinforbegyndere.10er.app/ Besøg os på Facebook og Instagram, hvor man kan se billeder af vinene og få tips til vin og mad sammensætning. https://www.facebook.com/vinforbegyndere https://www.instagram.com/vinforbegyndere Web: https://www.radioteket.dk/ Kontakt: radioteket@radioteket.dk Musik: Jonas Landin Lyt vores bog som lydbog her: Køb den her https://www.saxo.com/dk/vin-for-begyndere-og-oevede_lydbog_9788773397374

A Pioneer, Santa Rita Hills, dream job and interview with Ken Brown, Ken Brown Wines in the Santa Rita Hills. ON THE ROAD with MR CA WINE is about California's cool, aspirational lifestyle and awesome wines hosted by Chuck Cramer, a California native, living in London and is the Director of European & Asian sales & marketing, Terlato Wines. This is a wine journey covering the hottest topics in the world of California wine, chatting along the way with the key influencers in the industry who make it all happen. This week's episode includes an interview with Ken Brown of Ken Brown Wines.

Det er sannsynligvis ikke et sjakktrekk å starte en vingård hvor alle lurer på hvordan du uttaler det, forteller Tim Wanner fra Presqu'ile Winery i podcasten. For ordens skyld uttales det: press-KEEL. Lytt på den upolerte gode samtalen Svein hadde for kort tid siden. Tim Wanner er på sitt første, men ikke siste norgesbesøk. Tim Wanner jobber tett på familien Murphy som måtte starte på nytt etter at den voldsomme orkanen Katrina i 2005 pulveriserte deres sted på en halvøy i Mississippi-gulfkysten. Halvøyen er opphavet til navnet på vingården i dag. Presqu'ile er et fransk/kreolsk ord som betyr halvøy, eller bokstavelig oversatt, "Nesten en øy". Deres leting etter et nytt sted førte dem til California. Men det tok tid før de fant det rette stedet. Vingården Presqu'ile sto ferdig i 2007. Eiendommen ligger på en åskam med utsikt over Stillehavet. Den kjølige nattbrisen fra havet bidrar til et perfekt klima for deres søken etter elegante viner. Selv om ikke alt har gått på skinner, har retningen familien gått mot hva drømmen var i begynnelsen.- Familien Murphy har skapt en flott vingård, nesten som en forlengelse av deres egen stue. Ordet gjestfrihet er en rød tråd i hele konseptet, så skal vi lage kjempegod vin underveis, forteller Tim Wanner entusiastisk. Fra vårt syn er vinene enn så lenge er godt priset og er av svært god kvalitet. Ingen utpreget fatbruk og alkoholnivåene er balanserte. Fruktkvaliteten og den leskende syrligheten fremstår som ren og elegant, noe som gjør at glass nummer to eller tre frister fort. Eller sagt med andre ord, veldig drikkbare viner. Presqu'ile henter hovedsaklig druer fra egen eiendom, men også fra langsiktige avtaler fra andre vingårder i Santa Maria Valley og Santa Rita Hills. Presqu'ile er et navn du må merke deg, gjerne besøke. Det er ikke uten grunn at de beste polene i Norge har de i sine hyller allerede. Har du lyst å tilbringe noen dager i California, ta turen innomPresqu'ile Winery 5391 Presquile DriveSanta Maria, CA 93455Presqu'ile Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2020Varenummer: 13161001 (bestilling)Pris: 339,90 krPoeng: 88Presqu'ile Sandford & Benedict Pinot Noir 2020Varenummer: 16362201 (bestilling)Pris: 799,90 krPoeng: 92Presqu'ile Sandford & Benedict Chardonnay 2020Varenummer: 16362101 (bestilling)Pris: 699,90 krPoeng: 91Presqu'ile Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2022Varenummer: 13161101 (bestilling)Pris: 329,90 krPoeng: 88 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1880s, Pierce's disease caused a devastating, total collapse of the Southern California grapevine industry. Today, growers have hope for the future thanks to new varieties. Adam Tolmach, owner of Ojai Vineyard, planted four of these new varieties as a field trial on a plot of land where Pierce's disease wiped out his grapes in 1995.  Pierce's disease is a bacterium spread by insects, typically a sharpshooter. One bite and the vine dies within two to three years. To develop resistant varieties, Andy Walker of the University of California at Davis crossed the European grape Vitis vinifera with Vitis arizonica. 20 years later, commercial growers have access to three red and two white varieties. Listen in to learn how Tolmach's experiment is a success both in the vineyard and with customers. Plus get tasting notes for the new varieties. Resources:         REGISTER: The Ins & Outs of Developing a New Vineyard Site 89: New Pierce's Disease Vaccine (podcast) 137: The Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board 2021 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium session recordings Anita Oberholster, UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Webpage Office Hours with Dave and Anita, Episode 11: Pierce's Disease Resistant Winegrape Varieties Ojai Vineyard Pierce's Disease resistant winegrape varieties overview UC breeds wine vines resistant to Pierce's disease UC Davis releases 5 grape varieties resistant to Pierce's disease Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet   Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.   Transcript Craig Macmillan  0:00  Our guest today is Adam Tolmach owner and winemaker of Ojai vineyard. Thanks for being on the podcast, Adam.   Adam Tolmach  0:06  It's my pleasure, Creg. Great to be here.   Craig Macmillan  0:09  I want to give a little background. Before we get into our main topic. We're gonna be talking about Pierce disease resistant grape vines today, but I think your location has a lot to do with how this came about. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that you are a pioneer and innovator and quite frankly, legend in the history of the Central Coast. And one of the pioneering things that you did was you planted a vineyard in Ojai, California, why Ojai? And what is the what's the environment, like, you know, hi.   Adam Tolmach  0:33  Ojai because in 1933, my grandfather bought a piece of property in Ojai while I grew up in Oxnard, we, you know, on weekends, we'd come up here and chase lizards and snakes and stuff like that. And so I'm pretty familiar with the area and then I lived in Ohio for a few years after I finished studying at UC Davis getting a basically a viticulture degree. I came down here and and ran a truck farming operation, we grew vegetables and sold sold them in a roadside stand. And after doing that for two years, I made $4,500 After two years of worth worth of work. So I had said well maybe I should try to get a job in my my field. So my second job in the field was was working at at Zaca Mesa, 79 and 80. And then so as far as the place to plant grapes, you know, that's the reason we're in Ojai because we the family owns property.   Craig Macmillan  1:30  What is the environment like in Ojai? Because I think it's a little bit different than many grape growing regions.   Adam Tolmach  1:34  Yeah, you know, it's actually not that different than I would say the east side of the Santa Ynez Valley like the happy Canyon area or you know, or Paso Robles. Really as far as climatic goes. thing that's a little bit different about Ojai is the wintertime lows aren't as low as they are up in the Santa Ynez Valley or up in Paso. And that's that's a big deal, especially when it comes to Pierce's disease.   Craig Macmillan  2:01  That's where we're gonna go next. When you planted, were there things that you were expecting? And then were there things that came out that were unexpected? And then thinking maybe Pierce's disease is one of those?   Adam Tolmach  2:11  Well, yeah, certainly was, you know, as I've started, you know, pretty ignorant. As young people tend to be, I knew that there was a history of winemaking and grape growing in Ojai, which pretty much died off with prohibition. Actually, after Prohibition, there was a good sized Zinfandel vineyard that ended up being buried in the bottom of Lake Casitas. That sort of what I knew a little bit about grapes. And I didn't really realize it. Pierce's disease also worked into all that that, you know, you plant a vineyard around here, and it's pretty difficult to keep them alive  for the long term.   Craig Macmillan  2:48  Just cover the bases. What is Pearson's disease?   Adam Tolmach  2:51  It was originally discovered in Anaheim, California, you know, back in the I believe it's 1880s or so there were 10s of 1000s of acres of grapes in that area 10 or 20 or 30 years out. In fact, it was a much bigger growing area than, than say Napa, up north was for for grapes. And those vines all died. And at the time, it was called Anaheim's disease. Yeah. And so later on, Mr. Pierce, I think, discovered a little bit about the disease. And what we know today is that it's a bacterium that is spread by an insect, typically from a sharpshooter. But there are other insects that also spread this disease. In our case, we're not too far from a river habitat, a riparian habitat, these bugs like lush, green growing areas, and they live in the river bottom, all they have to do is get blown by the wind up to our place. If the insect is carrying this bacterium, it just takes one bite. And then within two or three years, the vine dies because basically the bacteria clog up the water conductive tissues.   Craig Macmillan  3:59  Exactly. When you were first addressing this problem. What kinds of management things did you do to try to manage this?   Adam Tolmach  4:06  Well, we didn't back then. And as we are now we're reasonably committed organic growers. So you know, we don't use herbicides, we don't use insecticides. And you know, I learned as the vineyard died, basically what was going on? So we didn't really do anything, preventative wise. And so the vineyard just slowly declined, right, which is pretty sad thing to see that really considering that I planted you know, every one of the vines in the beginning back in 1981.   Craig Macmillan  4:37  Yeah, yeah, exactly.   Adam Tolmach  4:39  And then so we went on, after that, and for years, you know, so the vineyard grew from planted in 81. And then in 1995, after the harvest, we pulled the vineyard because it's so much of it was gone from the disease and then and then there are many years where we you know, didn't grow any grapes on our property. We purchase grapes from mostly, you know, I'm from the Ohio area a little bit, but also mostly from the Northern Santa Barbara County. That area from Santa Maria to Lompoc is really where ideal grapes grow. But I'd always have a hankering to have, you know, to continue to have a vineyard here because we do have the winery right on site here. Close friends and family knew Andy Walker, who was the one who was developing these grapes that were at UC Davis that were resistant to Pierce's disease. You know, I kept kind of pushing the friends to see you if I could get some of these cuttings or plants. And then finally, really just a year or two before they were actually officially released to the public for sale. I was able to get enough to plant a very small vineyard here which is just 1.2 acres, and it's planted to four different varietals. All four of them were developed by by Dr. Walker that He basically took Vitus vinifera the European grape variety and crossed it with Vitis Arizonica in Arizona is a native of the southwest and there are some plant breeding advantages to using Arizonica, it carries the resistance, they can somehow see that really well in my days of knowing how all this stuff works is a little bit past but but there were there are certain advantages that Arizonica provided a one of which was it's a pretty neutral tasting grape. And then also the the second thing was, they were able to pick out right away if they did a cross whether they can tell whether it had the resistance or not. So they did worked on that he's worked on it for about 25 years. And in the end, he had these varietals that were that are 97% vinifera. And only 3% of the American stock, which is pretty important for the flavor profile. They taste very much like the different wines, not like you know, the native wines.   Craig Macmillan  6:53  And then you've expanded that vineyard, I'm assuming you had your trial vineyard and expanded it.   Adam Tolmach  6:57  No, no, no, it's all it's all we have is this 1.2 acres. Yeah. And so you know, we mostly make conventional grapes. So you know, we make Pinot Noir Syrah Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc and a few other things. And we get some of those grapes from the Ojai area and in spots where they're when they're where there's less Pierce's Disease pressures. And then also up in Northern Santa Barbara County, as I said before, and so yeah, we're just we're still working with, with what we have, we found that the vines are very productive. And we are currently making really just the right amount that we need to provide our direct customers with the wines. It's been a fabulous experiment and great fun, because basically knew, but nobody knew how to grow these grapes. And each grape variety grows a little differently. And so then that was that was a real challenge there. Because I had grown grapes in the same spot before I knew some of the problems and challenges and they had a real strong sense of how I wanted to grow them a second time around. And so that was super helpful. But it's still they still were unknowns for for us, you know, the bigger the crop level, all that stuff, the taste. And then so that was great fun. And then in winemaking wise, Andy Walker had done a number of public tastings of these experimental varieties, I think I went to four of them, where they're mostly were three gallon lots that were fermented by the university. And so it's a little hard to tell from that, but they just seem like there was some potential there. Interestingly, Camus vineyard early on, got some of the vines have this one variety paseante noir. And so they made a really almost commercial size lot of that one, and I was able to taste that before I planted it. And while their winemaking style is a little different than mine, there was it was clear that there was like lovely potential in those grapes. So that was encouraging. But still, we knew nothing, we had no idea. It's still a work in progress it. You know, after five years of producing wine, there's a lot more to learn about how to best make these works. But so anyway, we planted four varietals one is passeante noir, which I think is sort of the best of the ones that I've I've tried. We also had a red, that is really it was never released to the public. So it's a you know, it's our own little thing. We have a small amount of that we call it Walker red. And then we have two whites caminante blanc and ambulo blanc and they're both to go back. Well to go on, I guess is the ambulo blanc and the caminante blanc are distinctively different. They're a bit on the Sofia and blanc side of life, I suppose. But not exactly. And then going back to the passeante noir that's I feel like it sort of tastes like a cross between between syray and maybe cab franc And then possibly some mouved you know, it's a little hard to, to read exactly what's there, but they're unique and different. And you know, in a world from 30 years ago, people wouldn't have known what to do with them. But these days, there's a lot of interest in unique grape varieties, you know, all over Europe, people are, are reviving ancient varietals that nobody's ever heard of, and they all have unique flavors and unique characters. Here are some newly bred ones that that are available now.   Craig Macmillan  10:27  What is the response from consumers have been like?   Adam Tolmach  10:29  Well, that's, that's been super encouraging. Because so you know, we're selling almost exclusively directly to our, our consumers, we have a tasting room, and we have, we do mailorder as well. And but I mean, it's been very positive, we've been able to sell out the wines, people seem to really enjoy them. So it that's been a thrill to, you know, have that consumer acceptance, I think it would be much more difficult if it was, you know, in a grocery store, for instance, but because nobody would know what the name meant. When we're able to hand sell it, it has not been difficult to sell. So that's, that's been super fun. Now, Dr. Walker, also, he had the idea that these varieties, you could grow them and use them as blending material, you know, like if you're making Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley. It's well known that in the Napa Valley near the Napa River, there's huge Pierce's disease problems. And so is one of his ideas is well you could you know, plant strips of of these varietals be able to have at use the ground productively and then blend them with Cabernet Sauvignon as long as you're over 75% You could call it Cabernet. But what's amazing to me is that the this Passeante Noir is really it's it's it works pretty well as a standalone varietal.   Craig Macmillan  11:41  Were you tempted to to blend we attempted to use these as blenders? Or were you committed to single varietal all along?   Adam Tolmach  11:48  I was much more interested in what they had to say. Yeah, so there wasn't very much interest in my part of of using them to stretch of wine or whatever to you know, to add to something else. It was an option I you know, if they weren't as good as they are, I would definitely could put them into you know, inexpensive bland we make it Ojai read or Ojai white. And so that was definitely an option. But I'm kind of thrilled that they you know, they're interesting enough, they can stand alone.   Craig Macmillan  12:13  Do you think that you'll expand your planting?   Adam Tolmach  12:15  Possibly right now, No, I've got too many things going on. And in this little vineyard year, being small as I do, I do all the pruning, and do some of the work out there. And so it's kind of a family affair. I'm not sure if I want to overwhelm my family with more. For our needs, we don't need too much more. As as things stand. We're we're pretty small size operation. And this is pretty much, well takes care of it. Interestingly, in the same vein, I own a small vineyard, up in the Lompoc area in Santa Rita Hills called Vaciega that's planted to Pinot Noir. And there's one area of the vineyard is kind of up on a little bit of up on a, a mesa or something in between, you know, above quite a bit above the river. The Santa Ynez river. But there's one small section of the property. That's right, basically, in the river bottom, it had been planted to Chardonnay and died of pierces within eight years of its planting. So it was pretty, pretty devastated. And so we actually planted the passeante noir down there and got our first crop this year into that world last year in 2013. And we're pretty excited by that. So really different climate to grow in. So you know, cool climate versus pretty warm climate. It seems pretty, pretty fascinating right now, I'm pretty excited by that. So we do you know, we do have more just not here in Ojai.   Craig Macmillan  13:43  Would you commit like, what are you going to cultural notes on each variety? And then also what are your like winemaking notes on each variety because this podcast is growers and winemakers and we can get a little bit more technical if you like.   Adam Tolmach  13:54  Oh, sure. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So Andy Walker released five different varietals, three red, and two whites. I have the two whites and I have only one of the Reds that are commercially released. And that one is paseante noir and paseante Noir is a very vigorous grower. We're on pretty rich soil, I mean, richer than you need for grapes, mostly eluvial stuff. You go down three and a half, four feet, and it's, you know, it's river rocks, and then there are shaley areas, but it's rather richer than you need. We haven't planted on one 114 rootstock which is quite deinvigorating. But in our site, it's still exhibits lots of vigor. And so the paseoante noir grows like crazy. We have planted pretty close together. So our rows are five and a half feet apart, rather than, you know, six or eight or 10. And I did that specifically, for climatic reasons, you know, you get these rows a little bit closer together. You get a fairly tall vertical trellis. And what you end up with is, is a little more shading. And we have this really narrow canopy, the grapes all get some direct sun, but just not for very long, a little bit in the morning a little bit in the afternoon, the rest of the time, they're shaded, also the ground is shaded a lot, because they are so close together. And I think that keeps the temperature down. And I think that's really better for quality. And that's, you know, my personal view on it. And, and that's worked really well we've never, we've never had a situation yet where, you know, it's gotten so hot that the grapes have rasined up, you know, just like overnight, it's not just not happened. So yeah, so here we have the paseante noir it's you know, it's a real vigorous grower, I have a quote on pruned it's incredibly productive. We've been dropping, you know, 50% or more of the grapes as a as a green drop every year and I think I need to double down and drop even more as it turns out, they really want to produce in part of its, you know, part of it is our rich soil, but I think they're also bred to be quite productive. So that's, that's really nice. You know, better than too little, which is, you know, kind of Pinot Noir is problem, generally speaking, the walker red is this one that nobody really knows about, but it's, it's a little more like if the paseante is is a cross between, in my mind a cross between Syrah and cab franc and the walker read is a little more Zin and Grenache kind of character grows a little more upright and with less vigor, a lot more like how Grenache grows. And then the two whites the caminante blanc produces these little tiny clusters that somehow end up always produced, you know, the yields are still high, even with the small berries, small clusters, they give a little bit of a blush to them almost, they're not completely green when they're fully ripe. And they have a really distinctive spicy character, they're quite interesting. And that one is the weakest growing, there's no bigger problem there, it grows along fine with it, it fills up the canopy, but just barely every year, because of the size of the clusters, you just don't expect there to be much crop, but it always turns out to be very generous. And then the other varietals is called ambulo blanc. And it's a little, maybe has a bit of Sauvignon Blanc, spiciness to it. But it also is it's got a much more sort of Chardonnay ish, like, produces large clusters. And it also grows vigorously. So it requires a lot of the trellising is really, really important. And so we spend a lot of time in the ambulo blanc and paseante noir, you know, weaving weaving the canes up, right.   Craig Macmillan  14:06  Based on your experience, would you say, Hey, this is a great idea. If you live in a Pierce's disease area, you should definitely try this out.   Adam Tolmach  17:55  Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah. Because I mean, if the if Pierce's Disease is pretty strong, you're you know, you're left with, you know, having to use a lot of insecticides, and they're very bee unfriendly insecticides. And so, you know, we're able to grow here completely organically. That's worked out really well. So that's, that's, there's a great advantage there. I noticed in your questions at the you had to get sent me a list of questions. And one of them is like, what else should they be working on at the university? And definitely, my opinion is, you know, the biggest disease problem of grapevines in California is called powdery mildew. Everybody knows about it, why there aren't more powdery mildew resistant vines out out here yet is, is is interesting, you and every other trade, people that are kind of, you know, they, they praise, the new things that are coming along, the progress has been made in the wine business, everybody wants to just the old thing, just the way it's always been, that's a little bit of a stumbling block in a world where the climate is changing. So that's what that's why I really recommend that's what should be worked on is is resistance to powdery mildew, because it's not going to get better with climate warming. And also, it's it's the reason that we drive through our vineyards, you know, five or 10 times in a season just for powdery mildew control, it would be an incredibly great environmental thing if we could grow great tasting grapes and make great wine out of powdery mildew resistant varietals.   Craig Macmillan  19:27  And I think people are starting to move that direction.   Adam Tolmach  19:30  Oh, yeah.   Craig Macmillan  19:31  But you're right, bring it on. You know, let's, let's try where can people find out more about you?   Adam Tolmach  19:36  You can go to our website, you know, Ohiovineyard.com. And there's, there's lots there's tons of information about about us and me and what we're doing and we have, there's a whole article on on the site about the Pierce's resistant vines that we're growing.   Craig Macmillan  19:52  Very cool. Well, um, so our guest today has been Adam Tolmach owner, winemaker. Oh, hi, vineyard. Thanks so much for being on the podcast. This is great. Right   Adam Tolmach  20:00  Yeah my pleasure I've been listening to your show now for quite some time I really enjoy it   Craig Macmillan  20:04  oh good fantastic thank you and for all of our listeners out there thank you for listening to sustainable winegrowing with vineyard team   Nearly perfect transcription by https://otter.ai

Nobody hide! It's going to be alright as we dive into a the divisive world of Chardonnay! Our brave hereos boldly divide the room as they delve into the controversies of Chardonnay. Fear not thee who hateth the oak...  we're talking styles, places, and favorites. Along the way the dynamic duo, Alejandro and Julie, talk what to pair with Korean food; what to bring to a party when no one cares about wine; and we'll see if the chump is finally stumped! Pour yourself a glass and settle in, because Normal School of Wine: The Podcast is here to sprinkle some Wine Wisdom for Everyday Life!OUR (CHARDONNAY) PICKS FOR THIS EPISODEMÂCON-VILLAGES by Domaine Merlin, Burgundy - FR  @domainemerlinImported by Grand Cru Selections  @grandcruselectionsCHARDONNAY "Estate"  by Levendi, Napa Valley, Ca. - USA  @levendiwineryhttps://www.levendiwinery.com/CHARDONNAY "White Hill Vineyards" by Liquid Farms, Santa Rita Hills, Ca. - USA  @liquidfarmhttps://www.liquidfarm.com/MANY THANKS TO:J's Bottle Shop, Athens Ga.Origen Selections @origenselectionsRive Gauche Wines of Georgia   @rivegauchewineco    www.rivegauche.com SUPPORT THE PODCAST! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/normalschoolofwine WE NEED YOUR Questions! Send us your questions for Season 3 to wine@normalschoolofwine.com

This episode features Amy Whiteford and Dave Phinney in a conversation about the development of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Barbara County AVA. Both Amy and Dave have independently been on the podcast before Amy back in 2014 and 2016. Our conversation ranges from their shared work background, the reasons for developing a vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, the characteristics of the site, the diversity of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay selections, challenges of hillside plantings, avocado trees in the vineyard, straddling the AVA line, the name Our Lady of Guadalupe, the wine I get to make using fruit from this vineyard for Naked Wines, and the launch of the new wine brand Our Lady of Guadalupe Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Ryan Deovlet is the winemaker behind Deovlet Wines, based out of San Luis Obispo, but with wines from the Santa Rita Hills, Happy Canyon, and other Santa Barbara County regions and vineyards. Perhaps most exciting right now is Ryan's purchase of property off Los Osos Valley Road, formerly owned by grain farmer Larry Kandarian, who has been featured on this podcast, too. Ryan speaks about pioneering a new region, his Armenian roots, and his connection to the late, great Kobe Bryant. He also shared a bottle of his first wine, a 2008 Pinot Noir from La Encantada Vineyard. And yes, it was GORGEOUS. I don't get to taste wines like that very often. Anyway, we spoke for about half the episode indoors, but we had to move outdoors because someone had to get into the house. No biggie, but you'll notice a few leaf-blowers going when we move outside. Such is life.    Website: deovletwines.com Instagram: @deovlet_wines

Listen to this episode to hear: • Why Jill has chosen to work for a winery vs. start her own • How you can still live in alignment and do what you love while working for someone else • The strengths of a female-founded, female-led team • Why Jill didn't enjoy being labeled a “female winemaker” for a long time • How Jill has navigated working in a male-dominated industry • Why being a sustainable winery is so much more than the environment (but why that's important too) • The skills Jill fostered that helped her land her dream job as head winemaker at Cambria Wines About Jill: Jill Russell grew up with a love of food and wine while living in the Bay Area and working as a server at a winery in Livermore Valley. She developed a love for the Central Coast where she attended Cal Poly, SanLuis Obispo in their new Wine & Viticulture program. Interested in experiencing winemaking abroad, Jill spent a quarter studying in Adelaide,Australia. After college she had the dream opportunity to make wine in Menetou-Salon, Loire Valley France. With all of her connections and work during college at Tolosa, StephenRoss & Phase 2 Cellars, Jill was drawn back to Santa Barbara County and established her reputation there. She was introduced to Paul Lato, who believed she not only had the skills, but the right energy to help make some of the best wines that the Central Coast had to offer. At Paul Lato Wines, she specialized in wines sourced from prestigious vineyards of the Santa Maria and Santa Rita Hills regions but found herself particularly drawn to the uniquely characteristic vines of Santa Maria Valley. Years later, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself, and Jill knew it was her destiny to take on the role of winemaker at Cambria Winery, one of the quintessential wineries of Santa Maria Valley. Jill is thrilled to work alongside former Cambria Winemaker and General Manager Denise Shurtleff. Jill lived in San Luis Obispo for more than ten years, and shares a love of the Central Coast with her husband Torrey. They now live in the quaint winemaking town of Los Alamos. Use code SIPCAMBRIA for a complimentary tasting BOOK YOUR RESERVATION HERE: CAMBRIAWINES.COM/EXPERIENCE/VISIT NOT ABLE TO STOP? SHOP CAMBRIA WINES NEAR YOU: WWW.CAMBRIAWINES.COM/CAMBRIA-LOCATOR About our Partnership with Pepperdine University: Our partnership with Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) makes you eligible for tuition discounts, application opportunities, and application fee waivers to many programs, including the top-ranked MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change program. The first in the country, it is perfect for working professionals or full-time students and gives you the perspectives and tools to create sustainable change in the world. Focus on solving real-world problems without the requirements of a traditional business program. The MA in Social Entrepreneurship is a hybrid with bi-coastal on-campus experiences in LA and DC. Completed in 20 months, the program provides students a two-week global immersion opportunity, a two-term capstone project, and a fast-pitch competition. No GRE is required. Apply for Fall 2024 at gsep.pepperdine.edu/apply. Use code YELLOWCO23 to waive your app fee on the last page. Call 310-258-2850 if you have any questions.Join us at the Yellow Conference Oct. 6-8th at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo: yellow2023.com Are you a woman or non-binary leader creating meaningful work? Join our membership community! yellowco.co/membership Follow, subscribe and leave a review! Find out more about Yellow Co.'s community of women creaeting meaningful work: yellowco.co | @yellowco.co • Connect with Joanna at joannawaterfall.com and on IG @joannawaterfall :) Music Written by Jonny Pickett (check out his music on spotify) Thanks for listening!

Greg Brewer - Brewer-Clifton, Datom, and Ex Post facto This episode features Greg Brewer, founder and winemaker at Brewer-Clifton, which is a winery in Santa Barbara producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Our conversation runs the gamut from Greg's background, his experience working with grapes from Santa Rita Hills, harvest and processing logistics, my jealousy for Santa Rita's huge picking window, DIAM corks, Greg's stainless bin fermentors, his philosophy in sourcing a block for vineyard designated wines before planting vines, how little analytical data plays into his winemaking, the stainless Chardonnay brand Diatom, and Syrah for Ex Post Facto. Brewer-Clifton - Santa Rita Hills Diatom Chardonnay - Santa Barbara County Ex Post Facto - Santa Barbara County   This podcast is sponsored by Flextank For nearly 20 years, winemakers in the United States and Europe have used Flextanks to make world-class wines. Flextanks have many uses in a winery including the maturation of wines. They breathe like a barrel with precise and consistent linear micro-oxygenation to your wines. The Flextank system uses its proprietary Flexstaves line of staves which are sourced from premier French and American cooperages to age both red and white wines. Today's technologies are playing a bigger and bigger role in wineries these days. Flextanks have a long track record of replacing traditional wood oak barrels with a revolutionary breathable polymer that is scientifically engineered to achieve Oxygen Transfer Rates similar to your choice of either a 2-year or neutral barrel. Independent scientific studies and trials have validated this technology. Unlike a barrel, however, the molecules you want to retain- like ethanol and water- do not escape the Flextank wall, which means these tanks do not lose the Angel's share as with barrels…this means less topping is needed. Not only do Flextanks breathe like a barrel, but they are also unbelievably simple to clean- reducing water and labor costs- and are designed in a variety of sizes and profiles to make more efficient space use in any cellar. Flextanks are built here in the United States and come with a free lifetime warranty. To learn more about how you can modernize your winery and lower your barreling costs, simply go to Flextank.com. Discover how the Flextank system with Flexstaves is today's new way to make award-winning wines.   Check out the Fundamentals of Winemaking Made Easy video course   The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes Now on Spotify And Stitcher Radio Too

The health of a grapevine starts at ground level – literally in the soil. The California Department of Food and Agriculture is helping farmers improve the quality of their soils through the Healthy Soils Initiative. Taylor Jones, Ph.D., Director of Viticulture at Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards used his funding as an opportunity to study the effects of compost. After completing two three-year trials in six different soil types in two American Viticulture Areas, Taylor found that compost additions significantly increased organic matter, Reduced Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium usage by 35 percent, and decreased water use dramatically. Listen in to hear the only downside to increasing the use of compost on your vineyard. References: 149: Fair Market Trade: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Grapevines 151: The Role of the Soil Microbiome in Soil Health 163: Onsite Compost Production Using Vineyard Waste   165: Become a Microbe Farmer: Make Compost   167: Use Biochar to Combat Climate Change California Department of Food and Agriculture's Healthy Soils Initiative Compost Benefits and Quality for Viticultural Soils Compost use in premium vineyard development Dierberg Vineyard Taylor Jones LinkedIn  Tyler Jones: taylor@dierbergvineyard.com Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - DONATE SIP Certified Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.   Transcript Craig Macmillan  0:00  Here with me today is Taylor Jones. He's Director of Viticulture at Star Lane in Dierberg Vineyards. And we're gonna talk about some soil health projects that he's got going. Thanks for being on the podcast.   Taylor Jones  0:10  Yeah. Thanks for having me.   Craig Macmillan  0:12  I just learned about this recently, and you talked about a little bit in the vineyard team tailgate meeting that got me interested, you have more than one thing going on? Is that right? Yeah, yeah, we do. And these projects are funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture Healthy Soils program. Is that right?   Taylor Jones  0:25  Yes, that's correct.   Craig Macmillan  0:27  We'd love to chat about that part of it a little bit later. But right now, I really want to know what you're doing. How many projects, what are they about? What are you trying to find out?   Taylor Jones  0:33  We have two projects, we were awarded two different grants, one for each of our vineyard properties that we have. So we have one healthy soils project over in Santa Rita Hills that started in 2018. And it's a three year program. And then we have another project that's healthy soils program at our Star Lane Vineyard in Happy Canyon, AVA and over their three year project also. And that one started in 2020, I believe. So we just hit our final year, this this last year. So yeah, to two different projects. And essentially, we're the states paying us to put compost down and improve our soil health. So we're jumping on that and trying to see what actually happens in the vineyard after compost has been applied. Since we're getting all of this compost from CDFA. It's we're going to use the money that we're saving on the compost to kind of do some some studies and see what's actually being impacted in our vineyard soils.   Craig Macmillan  1:30  So talking about the Star Rita AVA, project.   Taylor Jones  1:33  Over at Santa Rita hills, we have Drum Canyon vineyard, and over there we were awarded, it was 35 acres of compost applications, we had six tons per acre. For three years, over the three year span, we had 18 tons per acre put down down over there what we did, we tried to, as best we could make an experiment, you know, it's kind of hard to make a proper randomized trial. In a field when you're doing compost applications with your normal operations, we try to apply compost in all the areas that we could in our vineyard and while leaving a few barrier rows that we could do tests. And so we had, for example, we'd have 10 rows applied with compost, and then a few rows, no compost so that we could test those rows separately see what's going on. Are there changes in organic matter? Are we seeing changes in compaction, all the good stuff that comes with soil, so testing soils for nutrition, microbial populations, and then also water, I think water is the big thing. So that's how we set everything up on the property, we have five or six different soil types that we apply conference to and in each soil type, we did our own measurements there. And we were able to have soil moisture probes in most areas so that we could utilize those to help with some data. We really saw a lot of benefits from putting the compost down. I mean, we're in you're entering our sixth year after application, the state's requiring us to send a final numbers and we have to do one more test of organic matter. So that's coming up soon for our final dataset. Overall, we saw some great really good impacts from from the healthy soil program at that site.   Craig Macmillan  3:11  Before we go farther, are we talking about banding under the vine we're talking about broadcasting?   Taylor Jones  3:14  Whenever you do your grant, you have to specify what you're going to do. And in our case, we went with banding the spreader that we have is a bander you know we'd have six foot rows and we have a ag soil works hydraulic gripper, the wings move. So we're in an area where we have a lot of compaction. Typically we like to rip every three years every other row. And so that kind of led to the decision of banding. We're getting the compost close to the vine. Since we're in a six foot row, our rippers going right down the vine row right next to the root zone. So we're trying to get everything incorporated and move down lower in the soil profile. That was our target what we did we since we had three different years, and we didn't want to rip every single year, we did well alternating rows. One year we did every other row with a compost band and rip. The following year we did the even numbered rows with the compost band and rip and then the final year, our desire was to go no till so at the final year, we banded and we just did a light disk and seed on top of that, that we didn't unnecessarily rip over again. So it was technically a combo of riping and broadcast.   Craig Macmillan  4:22  Unrelated just further conversation that I've had weed control under the vine using some kind of cold federal weed knife or using herbicides?   Taylor Jones  4:31  For the extent of this trial. We use it herbicides, trying to keep all the weeds down as much as possible so that we're not seeing any funky results coming from having weeds all over the place. So we try to keep the berms clean as possible.   Craig Macmillan  4:42  And this one has been going for a little while now. What kind of preliminary results do you think you're seeing?   Taylor Jones  4:47  We're seeing some some great preliminary results. The most impactful result that we're seeing is water. Our water usage has declined dramatically. I mean, we went from irrigating every two weeks historically, this will be my eighth vintage here at the company, we used to always pretty religiously we'd water every two weeks, if not more over on that property. And every year, we were kind of able to spread that out, we were seeing water holding capacity almost increase. So last year, we ended up waiting 79 days from basically from bloom until we harvested, we were able to not water at all. Pretty amazing, we were able to heat stress, we have totally sensors in the field that help us tailor our irrigation strategies, but that 79 days of no water being used was significant for our operation in terms of water savings, you know, propane costs, even the irrigator had more time to do other things besides troubleshoot the irrigation system. I think all of that kind of stemmed from the organic matter increase. We saw, on average over a three year timespan, the average was about point 2% increase in organic matter per year for those three years. And you know, 1% organic matter is more or less 20,000 gallons of water per acre that you can hold. That's our goal. Let's try to increase organic matter by 1% and try to achieve that extra water holding capacity. Let's see how high we can get and so we had different different soil types reacted differently in terms of how well they held water.   What kind of soils do you have out there? We're talking about the Santa Ynez River Valley, we're talking about being relatively close to Lompoc, for those of you who are interested, there is tremendous will type variability all through that area. And Drum Canyon is relatively on the west side of that area. I would describe it as that what kind of sils do you have out there?   So we have top of the hill pure sandbox, as you go down the hill, we have some nice Shaylee loans. As we continue down, we get more and more loamy but a little bit more clay and silt as you kind of go to the flats. We're getting a lot more water holding capacity there in the flat zone. And then we have another corner of the vineyard that is the lowest coldest spot and that's mostly sand like a kind of like a sandy clay. So huge variability in soils, we kind of have almost all the types on our property, which is well fun for me.   Craig Macmillan  7:12  Fun for you. Tremendous variation in water holding capacity.   Taylor Jones  7:15  Oh yeah, we had a block we tried to establish our sandy soils, and that was watering twice a week with four gallons per vine, like just trying to get those vines. I mean, it's windy there, we have a lot of struggles and sand is sands an issue trying to get vines established. And to get that taproot down, otherwise, our loams on the hillsides, they tend to have good drainage, they're maybe two feet deep before you hit a layer of sandstone. So our soils are fairly shallow. So we get good water infiltration and penetration, good ability to stress the vines out quickly, but not really holding water. Well, as you get to the flood zone, we've always been able to irrigate a little bit less often those soils kind of have more of clay particles, they're holding on to water a little bit more, until you hit the sandy zone and there are definitely watering twice as much as we do in other areas.   Craig Macmillan  8:02  But you're seeing improvement in all these areas?   Taylor Jones  8:05  Definitely every single area of all in line with each other and what what we're seeing in in our sandy soil series, we saw the higher increase in organic matter than the other soil series. And we were able to irrigate slightly less in those zones than the other ones, which then in previous years percentage wise, which was surprising, but also I'm so glad water is the same you know, in our sandy soils, we saw almost it was point eight 5% organic matter increase total over a final timespan. So that's the equivalent of 16,600 gallons per acre that of water that was used, On the lower end some of the, our loamy silty soils, we ended up getting about a point seven 2.45% increase over five years. So a little bit different there. But you know, we didn't need as much help with holding water in those soils of the sandy soils. So it kind of balanced out percentage wise in terms of how much water we were using.   Craig Macmillan  9:06  What about above ground? Did you see changes in the vines, the fruit crop load, wine quality?   Taylor Jones  9:11  Not so much crop load tons tons per acre, we're pretty spot on throughout the vineyard with seasonal variability. For better or for worse. Some areas we had too much vigor, some areas are vigor was improved overall vigor was higher than than previous years, even with reduced water and reduced and reduced fertilizer inputs as well. So yeah, above ground pruning weights increased a little bit. But that was that was kind of expected. We're having a lot more vigor. But yeah, fruit load was not impacted, which is fine. We're not like trying to pump out as much fruit as possible.   Craig Macmillan  9:43  We've made wines out of these?   Taylor Jones  9:45  Yes. So why is not really a lot of changes in wine. Our winemaking team. They make a couple different wines. A lot of its blended from different areas of our flat zones. And in our other ranch we saw some Yans increasing Other than Yans, that's about it in terms of wine quality was still on point with with every previous year, so no changes in wine quality and no changes in Brix or pH, anything like that phenologically ripening, everything seemed to be pretty, pretty standard for our ranch.   Craig Macmillan  10:18  And that's a good transition. So what about the Happy Canyon?   Taylor Jones  10:21  We're just getting some, I'm finally organizing some data for Happy Canyon. And they're we're seeing similar results. And if anything this year more so or we have had some pretty significant rains. But our cover crop took off a lot quicker than any previous year, this last November, November, December is when we put our final load of compost in from healthy soils. So we were in year three, and we're finally seeing cover crops just taking off. Unfortunately, I think the only downside of these projects has been a lot of increase in in inter row weeds, we've had a lot more weeds creeping up. And that's just I think, some of the compost we're getting this now the seed beds in there just stuck there. And you can see the Malvo just coming up right where we planted and ripped, which is frustrating, but I'll take the soil benefits and deal with the weeds later, you know. Happy Canyon, we're seeing very similar results, we're starting to be able to use less water on a per annual basis, we have a little bit less soil diversity over at Happy Canyon a lot more silty clay silty on the hillsides, clays towards the bottom and the flats. That grant there was 95 acres of compost and give that reference over over a three year timespan that ends up being it was 58 $59,000 worth of compost that we got to not to have from the state which which was phenomenal. And then at the Star Lane project, we're only doing four times an acre, not six tons an acre, the grants kind of based off of what compost you're buying and your carbon nitrogen ratio of your compost, so four tons an acre and Happy Canyon still with the goal of trying to go no till over there. And we're seeing similar increases in organic matter where we're getting that point 2.25% increase year after a year. So there were targeting hopefully, my goal is to find one block, maybe that we can get a full 1% increase in that would be amazing. But it's good to see similarity over two different ADAs two different ranches. It's nice to see the similarities kind of confirming what we're seeing at one ranch versus the other ranch.   Craig Macmillan  12:24  And I want to come back to that. But before I forget, again, we're talking about this is four tons per acre banded, you are not tilling the middle right now.   Taylor Jones  12:32  Correct.   Craig Macmillan  12:33  But you are tilling with that piece of equipment over at the Santa Rita ranch when you have to occasionally yes in terms of no tilled you for see Star Lane being able to farm with a no till system indefinitely? Or do you have plans that you'll have to reset the system every so often? And if so, how would you go about it?   Taylor Jones  12:53  That's that's a good question. I think that I would love to go no tilling indefinitely, unfortunately, with the rate of compaction all of our soils have and then the heavy equipment we're using it's it's inevitable that we're going to have to rip and till but I don't think that we'll ever have to do like every single year full plowed down kind of stuff. I'm totally fine with instead of ripping every three years, let's double that to rip every six years or even further down the road, see how far we can push it. I think with our compaction results that we're seeing in both ranches, our rate of compaction has reduced by about 80% We should be able to go for about five and a half years without ripping instead of every three years. So we can probably push that to six years and rip and then you know, maybe future copost applications will help reduce that even more. We're doing some no till trials where we planted a vineyard and started it no till and comparing it to the same block that's being tilled annually every year. And so far, we're five or six years in now and seeing no differences in yield or plant growth which is promising because I think that for our soil future we kind of need to go the the no till route and you know show that it can be done. And let's see what happens.   Craig Macmillan  14:06  Something that we didn't touch on that. I think if our listeners are not familiar, this is in Santa Barbara County, Santa Yenz Valley. Happy Canyon and the Star Rita AVAs are about as different as you could possibly get in my opinion. So fill us in a little bit about what's going on soil and climate between those two branches.   Taylor Jones  14:24  Both are similar in terms of frost. I mean we had we always have the same amount of frost days I feel like but yeah, so So Santa Rita hills a lot closer to the ocean. You've got the Santa Ynez mountain range, they're going east to west kind of funneling in all the morning fog so we get Santa Rita Hills morning fog usually burning out towards the end of the day, high winds and that that kind of leads to some nice distressed plants are really big fluxes in temperatures with daytime highs versus nighttime colds very similar toHappy Canyon Aava like stuff over there, we get a lot warmer during the day, we're seeing a lot more 90 degree plus days than what we would see in Santa Rita Hills. And with with the way the climates moving, both ranches seem to be trending towards more and more and more high heat days. And we're seeing more cold days as well. And out at Happy Canyon, we're kind of on the far edge of Happy Canyon where Star Lane is and we have morning fog kind of creeps in and it will kind of tickle the edge of our ranch almost kind of recedes a lot more back into Santa Ynez. So at Star Lane, we get a lot more a lot less foggy mornings, kind of ocean mist, and we have a lot more beautiful sunny mornings out. But over there, we also have a lot of wind as well, the significant amount of wind. So AVA wise, they are, you know, they're fairly, fairly similar, I would say only because you have some of that marine influence. High winds with soil types are completely different. And just like the amount of the day that you're getting sunlight in different areas, and wind is fairly different as well.   Craig Macmillan  16:05  Tell me a little bit about the Healthy Soils program. I think this is a really fascinating thing. I remember when it started, and how did you find out about it? How did you get led to it? What was the process like for getting into it?   Taylor Jones  16:17  Trying to think I found it, I really liked looking for grant money, I came from an academic background. And if there's free money to be had, why not apply for it, we use all the tractor replacement grants, we're trying to get electrification grants, you know, find money where we can find it to help our help our company out. Pretty sure we just stumbled upon this program being available. And we basically talked to CDFA. And we're like, Hey, we're interested in applying and said, Here's the process. And it ended up being kind of ridiculously easy. I'm surprised that more people don't apply for Healthy Soils programs, there's just an an online application that you fill out, not only while you're filling out this application, they make you use the Comet Planner tool online, which is a really fun tool, if nobody's used it before, just to estimate greenhouse gas emission reductions based on you know, that's, that's kind of the core of the program is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing organic matter in your soils. And comet planner can kind of help you look at that. So there's some criteria you have to meet, you cannot have applied compost on these fields within I forget what it was in the last five years or something like that. If you've been applying compost, you can't get the Healthy Soils program. So we used some areas, we had put compost down so we couldn't use those zones, which is why in our Drum Canyon Ranch is 69 acres, but we could only put compost down on 35 of that. So that's one One limitation of the program. But overall, you pick your blocks that you want to do you set out a sampling protocol for them. And they'll usually accept it. And it's essentially you sample your soils every year during the program prior to compost application. And they'll reimburse you for those soil samples as well. So that you can track your organic matter. That's that's all they require. We submit our soils for more testing than just organic matter. Yeah, overall, it's a really simple end of the year, you have to send them proof of your project. And that's generally photos of the compost arriving pictures of the team implementing the compost, actually putting it into the ground, receipts, invoices that you had for just everything to prove that you've done what you do. And then yeah, it's three years. And then in year five, you have one last soil sample to send to the state. So overall, it's a simple application process. I found it one of the easier grants to actually apply for.   Craig Macmillan  18:38  You mentioned that you were doing soil analysis beyond just the soil organic matter what what variables are you looking at?   Taylor Jones  18:44  We just submitted for a full a full soil health panel looking back on it, I wish I would have added bulk density on that, because I think that would have been interesting to see how it changed. But you know, hindsight is 2020 but we looked at you know, NPK, calcium, magnesium cation exchange capacity. Any differences in pH, soil moisture, sodium, just kind of the whatever you send to us soil lab, whatever they'll give you for those tests. I think the biggest thing was we reduced our NPK usage by about 35%. At both ranches after this soil results showed you know we had some NPK increases, but not really as much. I think what we're seeing more so is our vines, roots, finding new areas where they haven't been before. And they're kind of being able to utilize resources that previously weren't available to them. So that's leading to our decrease in fertilizer usage, which is great. We're trying to go towards organic and getting away from a lot of inorganic fertilizer usages would be spectacular.   Craig Macmillan  19:47  That reminds me of something so have you been applying either synthetic organic NPK formulations on top of the compost as the compost been it for the fertility program?   Taylor Jones  19:56  We still do add a little bit, a little bit of NPK but more so calcium, we will have more calcium applications. Especially out in Happy Canyon, we have really high serpentine soils and really bad magnesium problems. So we're always trying to add in gypsum and calcium whenever we can. The Drum Canyon Ranch, not too much of a problem over there we have a problem with potassium uptake. Um, so we do increase our potassium usage they're coming into this year, I think we're really going to reduce based on what we saw last year in terms of vigor and vine health. I mean, our nitrogen applications are going to be really low. Phosphorus, we're always pretty fine on we don't need to use much will probably continue with potassium, but we'll see what petioles looked like this year.   Craig Macmillan  20:40  Well, we're running out of time. Is there one thing that you would tell a grower one piece of advice you'd give to a grower regarding what you've learned from this project?   Taylor Jones  20:49  I mean, the advice is use compost, I think we're we're seeing root zones reaching areas they haven't before where we're using significantly less water, which is just key to farming in California and really in the world going forward. You know, you're you're increasing your CEC or your cation exchange capacity so less nutrients down I mean, you're getting compost is kind of like a win win scenario. The only downside is weeds. Our soils are seem to be returned to normal. We had earthworms returned for the first time since I've been at this ranch. Five different soil pits we found earthworms in which they've never been in before. They're kind of creeping in from the edges, which is awesome. I think we're gonna maybe transition to worm farming.   Craig Macmillan  21:33  (laughs). Where can people find out more about you and what you do?   Speaker 2  21:39  you could always find out. Dierberg and  Star Lane Vineyards, we have Dierbergvineyard.com. Starlanevineyard.com. Otherwise, I kind of just bounced around the Santa Barbara County. I think it always...   Craig Macmillan  21:50  Just like if you're looking if you're looking for him. Just go to Santa Barbara County and drive around a little bit. Yeah. Probably near a vineyard.   Taylor Jones  21:58  Yeah, exactly.   Craig Macmillan  22:00  He has a lot of friends.   Taylor Jones  22:02  But no, yeah, you know, I'm happy if people want to reach out to me. You know, my emails, Taylor taylor@Dierbervineyard.com. Yeah, happy to help people out with applying for grants or if they want to chat or look at some data. I'm always down to see what other people are seeing and compare what we're seeing in our AVA versus another AVA or different grower strategies for compost applications. You know, I think information sharing is the way to go.   Craig Macmillan  22:28  Yeah, totally. Fantastic. Well, Taylor, I just am so happy you could be on the on the podcast, this has really been fun for me.   Taylor Jones  22:35  Thanks for having me.   Craig Macmillan  22:36  This is a topic. It's obviously a hot topic, continuing topic. And I think that the longer that we as an industry have been doing this, because this isn't something that people were doing in the 70s for instance, you know, is this you know, we've all had to learn we've had a compost is not just compost, you need look, the analyses and this rate is not the same as that rate and on the soil does that and the fact that you guys are doing that work along with everybody else and that you're sharing information. I think it's really fantastic. So, thank you so much for your contribution.   Taylor Jones  23:03  Yeah. Thank you.   Craig Macmillan  23:04  So our guest has been Taylor Jones. He is director of viticulture at Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards in Santa Barbara County.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Svein har besøk av den dyktige eieren og vinmakeren Justin Tyler Willett i studio. Han er født og oppvokst i Santa Barbara i California. Som 22 åring etablerte han Tyler Winery i 2005. Justin er en av få vinmakere som har utviklet sin egen vingård med tilhørende økologiske vinmarker rundt. Til stor suksess. Hans nyeste prosjekt ble til i 2015. Mae Estate i Santa Rita Hills. I ukens podcast smaker Svein og Justin på 2019 årgangen. Den første årgangen fra denne eiendommen. Og det er stor grunn til å melde at vinene er svært gode. Svein faktisk ber lytterne kjenne sin besøkelsestid å skaffe seg flaskene. Mea Estate Pinot Noir 2020 kr 880Mae Estate Chardonnay 2019 kr 880 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this next installment of the Ted in Your Head Interview Series, Ted interviews Bruno D'Alfonso, winemaker in the Santa Rita Hills of California. Considered “legendary” be fellow winemakers in the regions, Bruno along with his wife Chris Curran, are dedicated to creating wines with passion, purpose and precision. If you are someone searching for your path, passion and place, listen to Bruno's story and wisdom of what it means to cultivate a craft with commitment, vision and purpose. TedinYourHead.com.

Maria Valetta, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas visit Giada's Restaurant. Maria spots a few fabulous finds, offers pairing suggestions, and dives deep into the tasting notes and mouthfeel to help you find a wine you'll love.  Wines reviewed include: 2018 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Sonoma, California  2013 Three Sticks, The James, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2017 Herman Story, Nuts and Bolts, Paso Robles  For more information on today's episode, and the wines you love to love, visit www.corkrules.com.

Santa Rita Hills, Sanford & Benedict, a magical place, two pieces of the puzzle, and interview with John Terlato of Terlato Wines. ON THE ROAD with MR CA WINE is about California's cool, aspirational lifestyle and awesome wines hosted by Chuck Cramer, a California native, living in London and is the Director of European sales & marketing, Terlato Wines. This is a wine journey covering the hottest topics in the world of California wine, chatting along the way with the key influencers in the industry who make it all happen. This week's episode includes an interview with John Terlato of Terlato Wines. 

My guests for this episode are Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribó of Camins 2 Dreams winery in Lompoc, California. In some partnerships one person will have the greater passion for or experience with wine, while business or marketing savvy may be the forte of the other partner. In Tara and Mireia's case there are two partners who caught the winemaking bug early in life and have spent their entire lives, both apart and together, learning about and gaining experience in winemaking… and both contribute their depth of knowledge to the wines of Camins 2 Dreams. What I'm trying to say is that it just isn't fair how delicious their wines are! Mireia is from Barcelona and grew up steeped in Spanish wine culture. She has multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees in Chemistry, Enology, Viticulture and all things wine. She met Tara while the two of them were working at J Lohr in Paso Robles. Mireia then hired Tara to help her when she got a job making wine in the Pyrennee Mountains for several years. Tara and Mireia are two of my local heroes, based in Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, sourcing grapes from some of the same Santa Rita Hills vineyards that I've used for Centralas wines. But it's important for those of you who aren't locals to understand that these areas – now part of the Santa Barbara wine country – are the traditional lands of the Chumash tribe, which included much of the central and southern California coast from Mailbu to Paso Robles. Camins 2 Dreams is actually the label for Kalawashaq' Wine Cellars (named for the village where Tara's Chumash ancestors once lived) After J. Lohr, Tara started and made wine for her Chumash tribe under Kita Wines. She is the first recognized Native American winemaker, and made Kita the first winery to be run solely by its Native American tribe with fruit from their own lands. Tara was VinePair's winemaker of the year in 2021. Tara and Mireia started Camins 2 Dreams out of their shared love for wine, winemaking and each other, and I'm honored to share their story with you. https://camins2dreams.com/ If you'd like to support this podcast, please subscribe on the Organic Wine Podcast Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/organicwinepodcast Thank you! Sponsor: https://www.centralaswine.com/

CA here I come, hopped on a motorbike, talking over the farm fence, breaking up with a girlfriend and interview with Ben Van Antwerp, winemaker, Ken Brown Wines in the Santa Rita Hills. ON THE ROAD with MR CA WINE is about California's cool, aspirational lifestyle and awesome wines hosted by Chuck Cramer, a California native, living in London and is the Director of European sales & marketing, Terlato Wines. This is a wine journey covering the hottest topics in the world of California wine, chatting along the way with the key influencers in the industry who make it all happen. This week's episode includes an interview with Ben Antwerp, winemaker, Ken Brown Wines.

Hvad skal vi drikke til juleanden i år? Søren og Søren har kigget på et par klassiske og et par mere utraditionelle bud på vinen til juleaften. Vi smager følgende vine:  2021 La Bruja, Comando G (199 kr., Laudrup Vin) 2019 Chorey les Beaune, Antoine Petitprez (380 kr., Lieu-dit) 2020 Pinot noir, Santa Rita Hills, Sandhi (349 kr., Laudrup Vin) 2021 Ombre et Lumière, Slope  (240 kr., Lieu-dit) 2019 Gigondas “Clos Derriere Vieille”, Rhône, Santa Duc (425 kr., Bichel Vine) 2019 Cornas, Verset  (395 kr., Bichel Vine) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Afsnittet er sponseret af Gastrotools https://www.gastrotools.dk/ Mandag d. 21. november begynder Black Week hos Gastrotools og der er gode besparelser at hente.  Op til 40% rabat Min. 15% rabat på alt Unikke bonusser til de hurtigste Starter mandag d. 21 nov. kl. 09 - søndag d. 27 nov. Kl. 23.59 …………………. Vi skal igen hylde danske vinmagere i det store udland og denne gang kommer vi til Californien og Sydrhône og smager vin fra de danske vinmagere Peter Work og Rune Elkjær.   Hvordan er de to kommet ind i vinbranchen - hvad er deres historier?   Hvordan smager deres vine, hvad er særligt ved dem og hvilke problematikker kan man løbe ind i som vinmager?   Vi smager på   Amplelos Cellars, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, 2020 https://ottosuenson.dk/ampelos-cellars-pinot-noir-santa-rita-hills-2020-3225820   Carignan, Elkjær-Amiel, 2019 https://www.nichevine.dk/produkt/2019-carignan-elkjaer-amiel/

While neither of us actually got pied in our asses, we did drink some delicious 2018 Piedrasassi Syrah from the Santa Rita Hills. Tune in and enjooyyyyy

Matt Dees is the winemaker for three Santa Barbara County wine labels: the luxury brand Jonata, based in Ballard Canyon; The Hilt, based in the Santa Rita Hills; and The Paring, which blends juice not otherwise used for the other two brands. Matt is also a self-professed “plant person,” and he has the resume to prove it. Born in Kansas City, Matt attended the University of Vermont to study soil science, and has worked harvests in New Zealand's Hawkes Bay and Staglin in Napa. But despite having spent nearly two decades in the Santa Barbara County wine industry, and having devoted his career to winemaking, Matt Dees is no one-trick pony. He can talk about Bach, Grace Slick, and Kansas City barbecue in the same breath, and seems like he might be happy to do so anytime. We talked about his life and career while sharing a table at the new restaurant Highwater in San Luis Obispo.   Website: jonata.com; thehiltestate.com;.theparing.com  Instagram: @jonataestate @thehiltestate @theparing

Vinene i dette afsnit er skænket af http://americanwine.dk/ HJ Hansen Vin https://www.hjhansen-vin.dk/ https://www.finewines.dk/ ........................... Hens and chicks… Hva'beha'r? Lyt med og få et svar. Vi skal i dette afsnit besøge Santa Maria Valley og Santa Rita Hills. Hvilke tre kategorier kan man inddele Chardonnay under? Hvordan smager Chardonnay fra vestkysten i Califoniren og hvilken stil vil de gerne ramme med druen? Hvordan udmærker landskabet sig i Santa Barabara og hvilken betydning har det for klimaet? I hvilke zoner skal de amerikanske områder ligge for at kunne betegnes som cool climate og er der egentlig koldt i Californien? Vi kommer ikke uden om at snakke kloner, men det bliver uden Star Wars i denne omgang… Hvilken særlig jordbund findes i Santa Rita og hvor finder man den bedste mad i Santa Barbara? Til slut quizzer vi en smule og bliver klogere på hvor meget vin vi egentig drikker i Danmark og hvorfor der i visse områder er regler for hvilke druer, man må benytte. Vi smager på 1) Dierberg Chardonnay, 2016 keld@americanwine.dk 2) Fess Parker Chardonnay, Ashley Vineyard, 2017 https://www.hjhansen-vin.dk/hvidvin/usa/californien/santa-barbara/2017-chardonnay-ashleys-vineyard 3) Chanin Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Chardonnay 2018 https://www.finewines.dk/chanin-wine-company-sanford-benedict-vineyard-chardonnay-2018-75cl ………………………….. Besøg os på Facebook og Instagram, hvor man kan vinde vin og se billeder og andet godt. https://www.facebook.com/vinforbegyndere https://www.instagram.com/vinforbegyndere Web: https://www.radioteket.dk/ Kontakt: radioteket@radioteket.dk Musik: Jonas Landin

I denne uge går Søren & Søren Miles og Jack fra filmen Sideways i bedene og smager på pinot noir fra de mest kystnære distrikter i Californien. Konklusionen er klar: Kølig californisk pinot bliver bare bedre og bedre. Vi smager følgende vine: 2018 Highliner, Santa Barbara County, Hitching Post (399 kr. Husted Vin) 2018 Santa Rita Hills, Sandhi (249 kr. Laudrup Vin) 2018 Legan Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, Arnot-Roberts (495 kr . Fine Wines) 2017 Reserve, Sonoma Coast, Hirsch Vineyards (675 kr., Sigurd Müller) 2016 Cuvée de Trois, Russian River Valley, Joseph Swan Vineyards (300 kr., KK Wine) Alle anmeldelser af mad og vin findes på https://www.berlingske.dk/aok/gourmetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samra Morris is the winemaker at Alma Rosa Winery in Santa Barbara. We Talk About: -Her journey from Bosnia to the US -How she ended up in Napa -Her first few harvests and wine jobs -Working alongside Thomas Rivers Brown at Mending Wall -Becoming winemaker at Alma Rosa, the Santa Rita Hills area, and much more -Thanks to our newest sponsor First Bottle Wines. Visit https://www.firstbottlewines.com/ and use code GOLDENWEST to get 10% off your first order https://almarosawinery.com/about/our-people/

Meet Me At The ClubAre you a Wine Insiders club member? Have you already received an introductory box and are now exploring your Winter assortment? If so, we have a very special unboxing review of your wines to help you get the most out of every sip.In this episode, we walk through each bottle to offer you flavor notes, regional insights, behind-the-bottle stories, and, of course, perfect pairings.To find out why each bottle was selected we went straight to the source to speak with Tyson Koster, a winemaker and now Director of Wine Strategy, who is the tastemaker behind each Wine Insiders box. Tyson is always on a mission to find amazing wineries and undiscovered gems. As winemaker at Hilliard Bruce Vineyards in California's Santa Rita Hills, Tyson helped create 95-point Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that combine the elegance of France's famed Burgundies with the swagger of California's fruit-driven flavor profile.In this episode we review:White Wines2020 Bericanto Pinot Grigio2019 Fat Baron White Blend Reserva2018 Radford Dale Chenin Blanc2020 Baron Lafontine Viognier2020 Pajarito Gran Reserva Chardonnay2020 Castelli 1530 Prosecco Rosé Red Wines2020 Los Discípulos Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Pajarito Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2019 Ca' Gregorie Valpolicella D.O.C. 2018 Chocolate Moose Red BlendLanguedoc-Roussillon2018 Redland Ranch Reserve ZinfandelCentral Coast2018 Fat Baron Red Blend ReservaSniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com 

Meet Me At The ClubAre you a Wine Insiders club member? Have you already received an introductory box and are now exploring your Winter assortment? If so, we have a very special unboxing review of your wines to help you get the most out of every sip. In this episode, we chat for a few minutes about wine clubs in general and what inspires our curations. At 6:05 we will begin walking through each bottle to offer you flavor notes, regional insights, behind-the-bottle stories, and, of course, perfect pairings. To find out why each bottle was selected we went straight to the source to speak with Tyson Koster, a winemaker and now Director of Wine Strategy, who is the tastemaker behind each Wine Insiders box. Tyson is always on a mission to find amazing wineries and undiscovered gems. As winemaker at Hilliard Bruce Vineyards in California's Santa Rita Hills, Tyson helped create 95-point Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that combine the elegance of France's famed Burgundies with the swagger of California's fruit-driven flavor profile.In this episode we review:White WinesGoldridge Reserve Pinot GrisFinca Los Olmos TorrontesRobert Sarrau Côtes du Rhône Blanc O.V. Mar Azul Vinho VerdeSenorio De Fenojal Viura D.O.P.Las Falleras Cava Brut Red WinesFlor de Sara Vendimia Seleccionada Tempranillo DOCVilla Rosa Baga Reserva Bairrada D.O.C. Finca Los Olmos Selección Especial Red BlendChâteau Haut Boilon Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux RougeL'arca Negroamaro I.G.TFree Flight Cabernet SauvignonSniff Sip Repeat is brought to you by Wine Insiders, leaders in online wine. Wine Insiders makes buying great wine easy. Founded in 1982 as a club for California wine enthusiasts, Wine Insiders now offers high-quality wines from around the world for the best value and conveniently shipped to your door in just days. The collection is curated by a host of food and wine industry and lifestyle experts, such as Martha Stewart, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Learn more about the wines or shop now to taste alongside our podcast guests.Visit http://www.wineinsiders.com to learn more.Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Not 2019 Lot #96The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive from vineyard(s) in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Which is found inside the Santa Barbara County AVA in the southern section of California's Central Coast AVA.Santa Barbara County is situated one hundred miles north of Los Angeles in Southern California. It would be too hot for premium grape production, except the section where the vineyards are located jute out into the Pacific Ocean. There is an ocean to the north, south, and west, and those cool to cold ocean breezes allow Sanat Barbara to be a cooler growing region than much of Northern California.Santa Rita Hills is about 12 miles inland from the water near the coastal mountains and has very chalky soil that is unique to the region. This is a top-notch Pinot Noir AVA. I do not know if you keep up with the current hot, trends expensive wines, but Sea Smoke is from the Santa Rita Hills.So, the grapes seem to have impeccable credentials, so what is this Platinum Reserve wine all about. It is made by Bozzano and Company who make custom wine, lots of store brands, here is a link. It is a good business model if you are looking to start a wine business.There is a trend for wine shops, supermarkets, and restaurant chains to have their own unique wine produced especially for their business. These companies contract for a certain type of wine, in a set quantity, and at a particular price range. They pay upfront, the selling of the wine is solely up to the purchasing company. The deal is neat and clean and as long as the wine company delivers a good product the relationship can last for years.The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is another entry in Trader Joe's current push to promote their wines in the $14.99 price range. The Fearless Flyer says the Platinum wines are equal to wine selling for twice and much and beyond.A quick check of Santa Rita Hills prices shows wines from twenty five dollars to over one hundred bucks. But is $14.99 a good price for a sort of young (2019 vintage) no-name Pinot Noir? There are $50 2019 Santa Rita Hills Pinots on the market, but most current vintages have a year or two more bottle age.A $14.99 wine is a fairly typical price in your local wine shop or even supermarket, but to is pushing the price envelope for Trader Joe's wine. That is why I think this Pinot Noir may well be a legitimate bargain. If TJ's is trying to get it's customers acclimated to going above the $9.99 price level they need to make it worth our while.They have gotten so good at offering fun, highly drinkable wines for bargain prices it will take some incentive to jump up in class. The Fearless Flyer mentions that this Pinot Noir has Cabernet Sauvignon-like qualities. The alcohol content is 14.4% which is stiff for a Pinot, so this Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 may be on the ripe side.The bolder style of California Pinot Noir is popular and while I prefer the more classic style, I am always up for a wine that tastes good, so on to the tasting portion.Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, clean, see-thru garnet red. The nose is ripe cherry and spice, along with a touch of vanilla, light molasses, and a floral edge. Not exactly classic Pinot Noir, but pleasing.I am not sure I get what the Fearless Flyer was talking about with a Cabernet-like Pinot Noir, but I do notice the 14.4% alcohol content. A higher alcohol rating does not bother me, but there is more body than a classic California Pinot Noir.It tastes of black cherry, black pepper, sharp spice. and ripe plum. The mid-palate brings on a touch of cream, tart cranberry, and a little Dr. Pepper (not sweet).The Tannins are sweet, but part of the flavor profile. In value-price wine the tannins are often reduced,

Welcome to another episode of Major Crush! Meredith and Lou had such a great time down in Santa Barbara County, and the people they interviewed along the way are making some truly crush-worthy wines! So it’s no surprise that our last winemaker interview kind of blew us away. There’s this gorgeous place tucked away in the Santa Rita Hills called Peake Ranch. It’s one of the most beautiful settings we discovered on our road trip, and…the new friends we met at Peake Ranch make this a winery we’re sure to be visiting again! When we recorded this episode, we were still in the days of social distancing and extra acts of mindfulness when gathering with others. And, we also conducted this interview in a room overlooking the stunning Peake Ranch Barrel room — so I guess you could the sound quality reflects a sense of place, albeit not quite as beautifully as Peake Ranch’s owner John Wagner, and winemaker Wynne Solomon do in every bottle of their wine! As you know, Lou insisted that you check out these wines, so here's a link to the Peake Ranch website [https://www.peakeranch.com/]. We can't wait for you to experience what we did during this interview! CONTACT US: If you have questions or comments for Meredith and Lou, and you're listening on the Anchor App, you can send them to us directly. If you're listening to this podcast on any other platform, and you want to reach out, you can email us at majorcrushpodcast@gmail.com  // Follow us on Instagram: @majorcrushwinecast. // Be sure to check out all three seasons of Major Crush on Spotify, or wherever you access your favorite podcasts! Episodes of Season Three drop every Thursday but make sure to subscribe to our show so you never miss a thing!

As the Consulting Winemaker and Brand Ambassador for Miller Family Wines, Wes Hagen talks about wine for a living. And if I had a day to spend tasting and learning about wine, Wes would be the first person I’d choose to join me. He’d wax eloquent about coaxing soil into the deliciousness that is wine and postulate that without wine there would be no democracy. He is perhaps the most articulate and persuasive advocate for the exceptional wines that come out of the Santa Barbara County.A former teacher, Wes loves to share the history of the vineyards and founding winemakers and would be the first to point out the many local heroes in the Santa Barbara County wine industry. He has solidified his own legacy by writing the petitions that created four of the seven American Viticulture Areas recognized by the federal government: Santa Rita Hills, Happy Canyon, Ballard Canyon, and the newly created Alisos Canyon AVA. He is quite literally putting Santa Barbara County wines on the map, and in the process, creating publicity and veneration for the unique wines created in our beautiful community. I first met Wes when my then-husband, Noah Rowles, hired him to write the petition of what would become the Alisos Canyon AVA. Noah had just purchased a ranch in Los Alamos that we would call Dovecote, which was home to the 30-year-old historic Thompson Vineyard. Five years later, the Alisos Canyon AVA makes its debut this week just as Noah is releasing the first wines he made as full-time winemaker at Dovecote.In our wide-ranging conversation, Wes and I reflect on the process of creating the AVA. We also discuss how Wes became the winemaker and vineyard manager at Clos Pepe, how he shaped Santa Barbara county’s maps as its most prolific AVA petition writer, how the wine industry benefits our community and how it can co-exist with the cannabis industry, and why wines from this region stand up to any on the world’s stage. His passion for wine is contagious and I have no doubt our conversation will leave you yearning for a glass of crisp pinot blanc on this hot summer day. Dovecote Estate is featured in Small Business Spotlight. Mention this podcast to receive 20% off your tasting fee. Tasting is available by appointment only.Also mentioned in this episode: Day Drinking with Wes Hagen YouTube show, Miller Family Wines, J. Wilkes Wines, The Wine Bible, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Richard Sanford, Clos Pepe, Adam Tolmac of Ojai Vineyard, Tom Wark’s Fermentation blog, Arthur George on The Myth of Wine, Will Castello’s Somm School.

Peake Ranch in the Santa Rita Hills of California’s Central Coast has quite a story... The post Episode #577 – Take a PEAKE at One of America’s Hottest Fledgling Wineries! appeared first on .

FOUNDER'S STATEMENT My passion for wine had its roots in my art school years when I worked in the vineyards of New York's Hudson Valley. Years later, after a three year tenure working as a taster for a national magazine,... Read More ›

Randy and Carrie celebrate a friend’s birthday with fancy burgers and wine, and they finally share the Game of Thrones Finale menu!

I kick off 2019 with two interviews from the Santa Rita Hills. You'll meet Chad of Melville Vineyards and Bryan of Babcock Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley of California's central coast. This trip to Santa Barbara offered plenty of wine and craft beer options, blue skies, palm trees and the Funk Zone. The distinctive pleasures tied in well with Chad's unconventional winemaking style and Bryan's innovative vineyard management. Both are gaining high praise and deserve your attention. 

Hollywood isn’t exactly teeming with Chinese-American writers. So Jessica Gao makes up for it by doing the work of several people: writing on shows like HBO’s Silicon Valley and Comedy Central’s new sitcom Corporate, doing feature rewrite work, and co-hosting the Whiting Wongs podcast alongside Community creator Dan Harmon. While helping us drink Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Jessica talks about the time her parents sent her back to China on a plane by herself as a child to learn the language, when she quit her job as a marketing temp because they offered her a full-time job with benefits, and the inside-the-room genesis of Silicon Valley’s infamous “middle-out compression” joke.

Nick Ramkowsky and Ed Lehrman are co-founders of Vine Connections, a wine import company that was the first company to import Argentine wines to the US. Learn more about Vine Connections with the show notes here. In this episode with Nick and Ed, we dig into the story of Vine Connections, how it got started with a trip to Argentina, and they paint a picture of what they found down there in the early '90's. We then get into the business side of things, like what is their process of selecting wineries to work with in their portfolio, which is very small consisting of wines and sake from Argentina, Chile, Japan, and California. Then how do they approach marketing a new wine or sake to the market, what the pillars are that set the standard of how they do business, and how they work with producers like Chad Melville, who is relatively well known in the industry, but outside of the industry, many people have never heard of him and the Santa Rita Hills. I really enjoyed chatting with Nick & Ed. I learned so much about importing wine, marketing a new product, and gained insight to the culture of a great wine company.

Chad Melville (@melville_winery) is the head winegrower at his family’s winery, Melville Winery in the Santa Rita Hills of California producing Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay. In this episode, Chad tells us his story of growing up in a grape growing family and eventually starting Melville from its first plantings of their vineyard. We get into the viticulture behind the wines he grows, why he considers their wines to be made once the grapes are harvested, and how having control from vine to bottle helps to create an amazing product. Before we get into the show, I want to invite you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here, or whatever podcast player you are using to listen to the show. Doing so helps more people find the show while growing this community around our common passion of wine. Learn more about Chad here.

Rajat Parr made a name for himself as Wine Director at Michael Mina Group in San Francisco including Fifth Floor Restaurant and RN74. He's added "vintner" to his resume as an owner in Seven Springs Vineyard in Oregon and Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte, both in Santa Rita Hills. Baking expert, Washington Post food columnist and award winning cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan, discusses her passion for cookies and her 12th book, "Dorie's Cookies," with more than 175 original cookie recipes.This show is broadcast live on Wednesday's at 2PM ET on W4CY Radio – (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a discussion with figurative sculptor Wesley Anderegg. Based in the Santa Rita Hills of northern Santa Barbara County, Anderegg uses ceramic figures to weaves narratives that are both primal and complex in their approach to emotion. His simplified ceramic forms are placed in tableaus that range from the mythical to the mundane in order to show the full range of the human experience. In the interview we talk about using humor to address the dark side of life, being creative in lean financial times, and the art of making wine. To see examples of his work please visit http://www.wesleyanderegg.com.   This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Sierra Nevada College. Come be inspired by the gorgeous, natural setting of Lake Tahoe, while studying with nationally known artists in a variety of art mediums. This summer continues a tradition of excellence in art education that has been going strong for 32 years. This year’s line up includes Adam Field, Ronan Kyle Peterson, John Toki, Nancy Servis, and many more. I’m also excited to announce that I will be teaching a hands on workshop on Perfect Pouring Pots July 23rd and 24th. To see SNC Tahoe’s full summer schedule please visit www.sierranevada.edu and search for summer workshops.

How do the ladies from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills treat the crew on the show? How do the show's camera folks sniff out when a dinner fight might be coming? These questions and more are answered as television director of photography Beth Kochendorfer drops by the podcast to dish on her career and rip through four bottles of Santa Rita Hills pinot noir with the guys. Learn about this southernmost region of West Coast pinots and that Tom apparently knows way too much about Lisa, Kyle and the RHOBH ladies.

He started out in finance, and worked as a master gardener and full-time painter before opening his own winery in California’s Santa Rita Hills. She was a professional musician, had her own biscotti business and trained Arabian horses. Mark traces the remarkable journeys of John Hilliard and Christine Bruce in a conversation with John, and explores the impact their personal … Read more about this episode...

Conversation with exceptional Winemaker, Bryan Babcock, Santa Rita Hills, CA. Washington D.C. travel options.

On today’s episode of In the Drink, host Joe Campanale welcomes sommelier Rajat Parr, wine director of the Mina Group. Born in Calcutta, Rajat credits his uncle in London for first introducing him to great wines. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration, Rajat entered the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. In 2003, Parr was named Wine Director for the Mina Group, where he develops and manages the wine programs at numerous restaurants. In 2011, Rajat launched Sandhi, which produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay produced from select vineyards of Santa Rita Hills in partnership with Charles Banks and Sashi Moorman. In 2013, Rajat released wines from his new estate vineyard, Domaine de la Cote. Tune-in to today’s episode of In the Drink and learn more about Rajat’s wine experience today! This program has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com. “If you really want it, you have to own it. Eventually you want to be totally involved.” — Rajat Parr on In the Drink