The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

This week, Jan Krupp from Krupp Brothers Winery joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Forging Eden, out Oct. 27. The book offers a front-row seat to the evolution of Napa Valley over the past 4 decades and Jan’s thoughts on where the region, and the wine industry as a whole, are headed next. It also tells the remarkable story of how he walked away from a successful medical career to chase an “impossible” dream: turning 750 acres of volcanic rock and barren mountainside into Stagecoach Vineyard. Experts told him the land would never produce world-class grapes. They were wrong. Stagecoach became one of Napa’s most influential vineyards, supplying fruit to Caymus, Duckhorn, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Spottswoode, Pahlmeyer, Hall, and many others, while Jan and his brother also built Krupp Brothers Winery. Forging Eden is the story of the enormous risks, crazy engineering challenges, and sheer persistence it took to build a vineyard that plenty of people believed could never survive. [Ep 428] kruppbrothers.com

This week, we’re joined by “Rainbow Valentine” and her father, “Walter Lemur,” of the wildly popular podcast Disorganized Crime: Smuggler’s Daughter. Over the span of 10 episodes, Rainbow’s podcast tells the story of growing up in the drug-smuggling hippie counterculture of 1970s and ’80s Marin County. Walter was a particularly successful smuggler, and like many of his counterparts, he needed ways to launder all those ill-gotten gains. Some people bought vintage cars, art and antique jewelry, or made cash deals that skirted tax and banking laws. Walter did some of that, but early in his smuggling career he discovered a much more enjoyable way to invest his cash: fine wine. Shockingly, Sam grew up with Rainbow, only he knew her as Thesaly… Once he connected all the dots, we invited Thesaly and her dad to come on the show and tell some of his stories of wine “collecting.” We get into how “Walter” got into the business in the first place, some of the many dangers and complications along the way, and plenty of other meandering rambles. Most importantly, we dig into the wines he was investing in and what the world of fine wine was like in that heady era. “Rainbow” and “Walter” also brought a surprising treat: the last of six magnums Walter bought of 1952 Krug Champagne, supposedly from Rémi Krug’s personal cellar. The wine, like the stories, defied all logic and took us on a journey we could not possibly have predicted. Buckle up, open one up, roll one up and get ready for one of the wildest episodes of The Wine Makers Podcast yet! [Ep 427] Listen to Disorganized Crime and other great Rainbow Valentine podcasts here -> https://rainbowvalentine.com/ (we highly recommend Psychadelic Women) Listen to the specific episode about wine buying and other cash cleaning tactics here -> https://bit.ly/4crw8HU Follow Rainbow/Thesaly on Instagram- @rainbowvalentinelemur @theukulady

This week we talked about nothing… And everything. Harvest is upon us, so we are a bit tired, and punchy, which is evident in our dialogue. One of our favorite wine club members and his wife joined the chaos. RIP Dolly Parton & Tim Curry Follow @trickingoffainteasy thewinemakerspodcast.com

Monica Riebli has spent her career working in fundraising for nonprofits and through the years has popped a lot of corks of Champagne celebrating the success of those nonprofits. Monica believes that sparkling wine should be thought of as an everyday beverage, not just for special occasions. So she decided to do something about that by starting a Champagne Club. It might sound like a good excuse to travel to France and meet some of the 15,000 growers/producers, and find some of those that have the same passion and excitement that she has for Champagne and bring those wines to the states. For the launch of Champagne Cowgirl, Monica brought two producers to meet some of her members and we are lucky enough to have them on the podcast this week. [Ep 425] Clara Lete – Champagne A.Lété @champagnealete Tom Lempereur Champagne Harlin Père et Fils @champagneharlin champagnecowgirl.com @ChampsCowgirl

Blair Guthrie showed up to an idyllic fundraiser dinner in the middle of a historic vineyard, pulled out a glass sake jar of white wine and said in his disarming Kiwi twang, “Bra, you gotta try this!” This episode was born out of Blair, friend of the pod, bringing a couple of four-packs of Bronco 1973 California White Wine to the SORBET dinner at Rossi Ranch. Questions abounded. What’s the blend? Where did the fruit come from? Wait, I thought Blair was an El Camino guy, not a Bronco guy? How come he didn’t bring more? Blair and Bronco Wine Co. CEO Dom Engels sat down with the crew and brought more Bronco 1973 (thank God), along with a bunch of other projects Blair is working on. We dig into the storied history of Bronco Wine Co. and the Franzia family. Record scratch: Yes, that Franzia family, the original owners of the ubiquitous boxed wine brand and purveyors of Charles Shaw. But there were some real questions to answer. How did Blair find himself working with Bronco? What does a guy like Dom, with a background in beer and food, know about winemaking? And how are these seemingly disparate parts actually a strength? We answer those questions and more. More importantly, we explore what happens when you combine the winemaking ethos Blair brings to Guthrie Family Wines and Stewart Cellars, Dom’s perspective from outside the wine industry, and Bronco’s production power. Could this unlikely combination actually help drive some of the changes the wine industry desperately needs? So fire up the El Camino and burn out into episode 424 of The Wine Makers Podcast. [Ep 424]

Hayden Stewart is a wine director, sommelier, and food & beverage consultant based in San Diego, California, with extensive experience across the wine industry — from vineyards and tasting rooms to large-scale events and private club beverage programs. He holds a WSET Level 3 certification and has worked in sales, distribution, fine dining, and education. Stewart created the @the_angry_somm Instagram account as a satirical, snarky take on the wine world. The persona is designed to highlight what he sees as pretentiousness, hollow buzzwords, and overhyped marketing in the industry. Through humor, irony, and sarcasm, he critiques trends like chasing “rarity, prestige, and heritage” without substance, and argues that popularity doesn’t equal quality. Hayden and his colleague Joe LoBue have started a new distribution company, Paragon Pacific Imports, to create a better way to communicate with small producers and buyers, reaching younger wine drinkers by meeting them where they are, and speaking to them in a way they understand. paragonpacificimports.com [Ep 423] Why He’s “Angry” His “anger” stems from: Industry pretension — Stewart believes wine culture has become overly elitist and disconnected from everyday enjoyment. Misuse of expertise — He criticizes sommeliers and marketers who focus on serving the same “five wines” without expanding their horizons. Disconnect from younger drinkers — He argues the industry’s approach alienates the next generation, and that the true value of a sommelier is in meaningful, educational recommendations. Pushing authenticity — He turns down most paid partnerships to focus on “subliminal education” that encourages people to care about the why behind a bottle. @the_angry_somm thewinemakerspodcast.com acorkintheroad.com

Stacy Buchanan is the founder of Blood of Gods, the cult biannual publication that explores the unlikely intersection of heavy metal and wine. Based in Walla Walla, Washington, Buchanan is also the force behind The Annual Merrymaking, a festival of wine, art, and music that draws industry professionals and metalheads alike. We were invited to come join the fun. Brooke Delmas Robertson from Delmas Wines was the moderator for the event that included Super Somm André Mack, Tyler Balliet from the Rebel School of Wine and Tegan Passalacqua of Turley and Sandlands. Brooke sat down with us and Stacy in her newly opened tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. We were also hangin out with Kelly Cornett, wine educator from Atlanta, who was in town for the festivities, and is also a writer for the zine’s wine reviews. She has her own podcast, A Cork in the Road, so we decided to join forces and get some interviews. [Ep 422] delmaswines.com @delmaswines @bloodofgodszine @acorkintheroad thewinemakerspodcast.com

Tim Milos is a highly respected winemaker and consultant working across Napa and Sonoma, with current winemaking roles at Immortal Estate, Hidden Ridge Vineyard, and RD Winery, and as proprietor of Vino di Milos LLC. He is a Napa and Sonoma-based winemaker with over 20 years of experience in wine production, vineyard management, and consulting. He is known for crafting terroir-driven wines using traditional winemaking techniques and a minimalist approach to highlight the unique characteristics of each vineyard block. Tim has had multiple 95+ point ratings from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, was included in the Top 100 Wines of the World by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast and has had 100-point wines from Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck for his Impassable Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons RD Winery. Milos began his career in the Finger Lakes before moving to Napa Valley, where he has worked with notable wineries such as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Opus One, S. Anderson, and Cliff Lede RD Winery. He studied cell biology and biochemistry at Sonoma State University, enology and viticulture at UC Davis, and has experience in plant genome mapping at the USDA RD Winery. His take on the chemistry of wine as it pertains to smoke taint is eye opening. [Ep 421] @timothymilos thewinemakerspodcast.com

Our good friend Artie Johnson returned for his third appearance on the show with one request: let’s talk about solutions instead of spending another hour dwelling on everything that’s wrong with the wine industry. As regular listeners know, we’ve always believed one of the best solutions is taking ourselves a little less seriously. So what better episode for that conversation than our milestone 420th episode of The Wine Makers Podcast? We sat down with Artie and fired up a doobie… er, doozie of a show. Along with an impressive lineup of Le Artishasic wines—including some fascinating new bottlings from the Rocks District on the Oregon side of Walla Walla—Artie brought notes, receipts, and a clear vision for breaking out of the industry’s doom-and-gloom cycle. Better yet, he’s already putting that vision into practice with his own brand. The real question is: will anyone else be bold enough to follow his lead? Especially his neighbors in Napa Valley? You’ll have to listen to find out. As for reaching 420 episodes, it’s entirely on brand that we somehow blew right past Episode 400 without so much as a mention. So instead, we decided to celebrate a number we know would have made John Myers smile. More importantly, it’s a chance to say thank you. To the hundreds of guests who’ve subjected themselves to our interrogation. To our spouses, who somehow tolerate our love of hearing ourselves talk. To the entire Sixteen 600 team for everything they do behind the scenes. To Danielle Langlois for bringing a new voice to the show after we lost John. And, of course, to John Myers himself, who made this whole thing possible in the first place. Most of all, thank you to the thousands of you who keep listening. You put up with the rambling, the occasional technical challenge, and all our nonsense. You buy the wines, visit the wineries, subscribe, leave reviews, and tell your friends (but only the cool ones). Without you, we’d have spent the last nine-plus years just talking to ourselves. So pour yourself a glass (or roll yourself something)and settle in for Episode 420: The Gospel of Artie Johnson, Part III. [Ep 420]

This week we invited Lee Hodo, a veteran in marketing and promotion of wine and destination brands, who is leading the charge to showcase the amazing wines from this historical yet lesser-known AVA. Lee brought winemakers from three of the top Wineries in the area; Lava Cap, Edio from Delfino Farms and Starfield Vineyards. At between 1,200ft-3,500ft, elevation is one of the defining features of the region. As air hits the Sierra Nevada Mountains it is forced to rise through orographic uplift. As the air rises, the adiabatic process causes cooling at a rate of around 4 degrees Fahrenheit per 1000ft of elevation gain. As a result, ambient air temperatures in the region are between 10-15 degrees cooler than the Central Valley below. The complex topography of El Dorado further distinguishes the region as a location for a diversity of premium grapes. As the sun sets, cool air from the Sierra Nevada settles in low lying pockets, creating areas of cold night-time air surrounded by relatively warmer hillside and hilltop sites. Lastly, the diverse soils offer a panoply of geologic and geographic settings that ensure maximum flavors will be concentrated within the grapes. Primary attributes of soils that are important to growers include, among others: mineral composition, soil texture, soil thickness, depth of root penetration, water retention properties, and resistance to erosion. The bulk of the vineyards in El Dorado are planted in young volcanic, granitic, and slate soils. www.lavacap.com www.starfieldvineyards.com www.delfinofarms.com lee@leehodo.com www.thewinemakerspodcast.com

Erin Kirschenmann’s day job is managing editor of *Wine Business Monthly*. After spending her days immersed in the intricacies and moving targets that make up the wine business, she spends her nights curled up with a book and a glass of wine (or two). As both a writer and a wine lover, she naturally began pairing her reading with wines—a moody Pinot with a twisty thriller, for example. A couple of years ago, it occurred to her that there were other bibliophile-oenophiles out there who would love to do the exact same thing, so she founded Novel Pairings. Novel Pairings exists at the confluence of a book club and a wine club, where quarterly wine shipments align with book selections and monthly gatherings. We sat down with Erin to learn more, find out how she chooses the wines and books, and see if we can do what Petaluma’s finest educators couldn’t: get Brian to read a book. We’re always looking for new ways to bring wine into people’s lives, and people are always looking for more ways to be in community. Novel Pairings lands at just the right time. Whether it’s the monthly virtual meetups, the growing calendar of live events, the online quizzes, or now a SommSocial wine club, Erin has created an innovative platform—something the wine business needs more of. When she’s not reading and sipping, Erin is closely tracking the business of wine from her desk at *Wine Business Monthly*. And if you’re not signed up for the DNE, how do you know what’s going on? Given that this is the Year of Zinfandel, if we were going to pair a wine with this show, we’d suggest popping open a bold, bright Zin and enjoying it. Novel Pairings Wine Business Monthly Daily News Email (DNE) Instagram: @erinakirsch Instagram: @novel_pairings

The whole thing started because we couldn’t remember the name of the Executive Chef at Wing & Barrel in Sonoma. One of our listeners that happened to work for Charlie Palmer reached out and suggested that we come for a visit to Appellation Healdsburg and meet the legend in person. We will never forget his name again. Charlie Palmer is an acclaimed American chef, restaurateur, and hotelier, renowned for pioneering Progressive American cuisine and owning multiple Michelin-starred restaurants. Charlie Palmer began his professional career at The River Café in 1983, where he became executive chef at age 23 and earned three stars from The New York Times. He trained notable chefs including Michael Mina and George Morrone. In 1988, he opened his flagship restaurant, Aureole, in Manhattan, showcasing regional American ingredients and his signature Progressive American cuisine, which reinterprets classic European techniques using American artisanal products . Over the years, Palmer expanded his restaurant empire to include Charlie Palmer Steak locations in New York, Las Vegas, Reno, and Washington, D.C., as well as boutique hotels and other dining concepts such as Dry Creek Kitchen, AperiBar, and St. Cloud Rooftop Bar. His restaurants have collectively earned over 20 Michelin stars and multiple James Beard awards. In addition to his restaurants, Palmer co-founded Appellation Hotels, a culinary-first hotel brand, with properties in Healdsburg, Lodi, and planned locations in California and Utah. Each hotel features Charlie Palmer restaurants and interactive culinary experiences. His new cookbook, Wineland, that features many of our friends in wine country, is available now. [Ep 417] www.charliepalmer.com/books/wineland/ Tess Housholder — Sommelier, Appellation Healdsburg Tess Housholder is a Sommelier and hospitality professional based in Geyserville, California, with a background in wine education, hospitality management, and event operations. She was recently featured in Vogue Magazine as a Gen Z Somm to watch. We were excited at the opportunity to speak with a young Somm running a high-profile project in wine country. @tesshousholder

Winemaker Justin Ennis crafts Freestone wines with a deep attention to detail, capturing the distinct character of each vineyard while balancing the vibrancy of the terroir with a refined, elegant structure. Now, that deep-rooted vision comes to market, as Justin and the winery introduce these vineyard-driven wines to a broader audience for the first time. “Everything begins in the vineyard. Through hands-on farming and careful attention, we work to bring in fruit that’s expressive and healthy. In the cellar, I practice minimal intervention winemaking so that the site, the varietal, the clone, and the vintage can speak for themselves,” said Ennis. “The wine is already in the vineyard; my job is simply not to get in its way.” In the 1990s, Joseph Phelps and his son Bill set out to find a place in California’s wine country where they could produce superlative Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The search led him to a place no one suspected – a tiny, unincorporated town called Freestone, tucked away off a quiet highway heading toward the Sonoma Coast. Joe’s peers and friends deemed it too cold, too rugged, too remote for serious winemaking. Starting May 1, these limited production wines became available in select restaurants and fine wine retailers across the U.S. freestonevineyards.com @freestonevineyards @norcal_wino

Lulie Halstead is a globally recognized expert in wine business strategy, consumer insights, and marketing, with over two decades of experience shaping the wine industry’s research and advisory landscape. We first met Lulie at the Direct-to-Consumer Wine Symposium a few years ago and frequently listen to her podcast, “A Question of Drinks” that she does with her friend Felicity Carter, available on all platforms. She was nice enough to stop by on her way back to London to discuss the top 10 challenges in the wine industry and offer some simple solutions. Lulie is a globally recognized expert in wine business strategy, consumer behavior, and drinks industry marketing but is best known as the co‑founder and former CEO of Wine Intelligence, a leading research and insights provider to the global wine industry, which she established in 2002 and later became part of the IWSR Group. Wine Intelligence is widely regarded as the foremost wine‑focused consumer behavior insights organization, with coverage in over 160 markets. Over the past two decades, Halstead has advised the leadership teams of some of the world’s leading wine businesses, combining academic research with practical industry application. She has been a regular keynote speaker at high‑profile international wine conferences and continues to teach and supervise on Masters and MBA programs in countries including Italy, France, Australia, Chile, and the USA. Her expertise spans marketing, branding, consumer behavior, research methods, and strategy, with a strong wine sector focus. [Ep 415] Lulie Halstead – A Question of Drinks Podcast | LinkedIn www.thewinemakerspodcast.com

On this week’s episode of The Wine Makers, we speak to Vine Pair’s Winemaker of the year Katy Wilson. Katy is a certified bad ass in the wine industry making wine for Anaba, Reeve, Bloodroot, and her own brand LaRue Wines. Katy grew up with agriculture in her blood, farming walnuts on her family’s farm. After double majoring in Wine & Viticulture and Agricultural Business at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Katy got the winemaking bug traveling the world to make wines with some of the greats. Today we talk about all things carbonic maceration. Katy has been using carbonic maceration to make fresh delicious wines for her clients for years and advised our very own Danielle Langlois with her 2025 Gamay. Katy brought some really cool carbonically made Pinot, Grenache, and Sangiovese wines for us to try, some young, and spicy, and some fresh but subdued with a bit of age. Katy also brought some bottles from her personal label LaRue. We tasted a coastal, mouth watering, acid-driven 2021 Chardonnay from H. Klopp Vineyards and an elegant and aromatically expressive 2023 Cabernet from Bedrock Vineyards. The Cabernet is from her Charlie LeRue series, a project with her Sommelier husband, David Meneses, and named for her daughter. Katy’s wines are elegant and nuanced, expressing a sense of place. If you have the opportunity to taste any of her wines, you won’t be disappointed. One of those opportunities will be at her yearly LaRue Summer BBQ, where you can taste through her current releases and some special library wines. Get the last few tickets for Katy’s Larue Summer BBQ on 8/1 at the link below. https://www.laruewines.com/product/2026-larue-summer-bbq-at-the-farmhouse Find Katy’s wines at https://www.laruewines.com , anabawines.com , https://www.reevewines.com and https://www.bloodrootwines.com . Follow her on Instagram at @laruewines. And don’t miss The Ramble, a charity event put on by Bloodroot Wines happening tonight and tomorrow 6/5-6/6. Tickets available at https://www.bloodrootramble.com

This week we sat down with Letizia Gini from Azienda Agricola Gini, one of Italy’s most historic family wineries. Founded in 1570, the Gini family has been making wine for 15 generations from the volcanic hills of Soave to the sun-drenched valleys of Valpolicella; their wines capture the rich diversity of the Veneto. The wines are distributed by Skurnik here in the U.S., we were joined by Omar Caruso and Joan Stagnaro, two of the reps for the wines in America. The Gini family has roots in the Soave Classico region dating from the seventh century and owns 25 hectares of vineyards situated on the very best hillside position of the appellation. Extremely low yields, low-interference viticulture, and devoted attention to expressing the unique character of each cru results in wines that are not only among the greatest Soaves but also among the great white wines of Italy. Both tradition and the modern are reflected at Gini. The hand-harvested Soave Classicos is 100% Garganega. Both the Soave Classico and the single vineyard “La Frosca” are vinified in stainless steel. The family’s prized “Salvarenza” bottling, from a tiny plot of centenarian vines within the La Froscà vineyard, is matured in barrel. The Re Nobilis is a rare representative of a botrytized style Recioto, northern Italy’s version of a German TBA, while the Recioto Col Foscarin is a delightful dessert wine, also great with cheese. www.skurnik.com/producer/gini/ www.ginivini.com/en @letiziaginiii

With Pride Month just around the corner, we invited two leaders from Sonoma’s LGBTQ+ community to give us the rundown on the events, celebrations, and activities happening throughout the summer. Gary Saperstein, owner and co-founder of Out In The Vineyard, joins us to talk about creating LGBTQ+ travel and wine country experiences, including winery tours, special events, and the nationally recognized Gay Wine Weekend. The three-day festival brings together visitors from across North America for wine, food, entertainment, and community in Sonoma Valley. We’re also joined by Lisa Storment, president of Wake UP Sonoma, who discusses her advocacy work and the organization’s efforts to support LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, promote civic engagement, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout Sonoma County. Together, they share what’s ahead for Pride season and why these events continue to matter to the community. [Ep 412] outinthevineyard.com sonomacountypride.com wakeupsonoma.org @wake.up.sonoma

BXT kept coming up in conversations over the last month. Casual conversations about bubbles always led back to one name, Tom Sherwood. Even friends who don’t live in California were talking about BXT and drinking the wines in their Instagram feeds. Who was this guy ? We reached out through Insta on direct message; he was willing to come. Even Todd Jolly, our friend from Sonma’s Best Wine Shop, wanted in on the action. The show was set, and finally we will meet this mysterious figure who is opening everyone’s eyes to grower sparkling wine in California. BXT is an exploration of Californian viticulture through the lens of traditionally made sparkling wine. BXT Vines are personally hand farmed with additional grapes being sourced from talented, passionate growers across unique sites in California. Grapes are hand-picked, gently whole cluster pressed and fermented in new and used French oak. The wine ages 6-9 months in barrel prior to being bottled with yeast and sugar. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, and the wine is then left undisturbed until ready. Bottles are then hand riddled and disgorged. Small Batch. Traditionally made. Sparkling wines of California. [Ep 411] @bxtwines bxtwines.com

Brazilian-born and now based in the Bay Area, Ana Carolina Quintela joins us to talk about her path from journalism to wine. She earned her degree in journalism and began her career as a daily business reporter for Diário do Nordeste, the largest newspaper in Northeastern Brazil. After moving to San Francisco, she continued her work as a journalist with the bilingual paper El Tecolote. Today, Ana is a wine journalist and critic covering Sonoma County for Decanter’s global audience, producing bi-weekly reports that focus on vineyard practices, regional trends, and the people behind the wines. She is also a certified sommelier, with experience in both wine and fine dining in San Francisco, and has come full circle by returning to her roots as a writer in the wine world. [Ep 410]

On this week’s episode of The Wine Makers, we sit down with Japanese winemaker Sonoe Hirabayashi of Six Cloves Wines. She talks about her roots in Nagano, her family’s long history of fermenting miso and sake, and how she found her way into wine, along with her connection to the art of Taiko drumming. Sonoe originally moved to New York to work as a corporate accountant, but after getting hooked on wine, she realized that path was not for her. She headed to UC Davis to study winemaking, later returned to Japan to help her family make sake, and has since worked around the world. Today, she produces balanced, elegant, acid-driven wines under her Six Cloves label. She shares her Chardonnay from Linda Vista Vineyard in Oak Knoll and her Alder Springs Pinot Noir, both showing a strong sense of place and her light touch in the cellar. She also makes Cabernet, Zinfandel, and a Grenache Pinot blend worth seeking out. [Ep 409] Wines – sixcloveswines.com Instagram – sixcloveswines Hear Sonoe talk fermentation and play Tokai drums in San Francisco on Sunday April 26th at Sequoia Sake Company. bit.ly/3QftzQZ