Interesting topic… I’m working in this industry myself and I don’t agree about this in 100%, but I added your page to my bookmarks and hope to see more interesting articles in the future

I found the conversation so engaging I forgot about the time, an hour and 20 minutes went by before I looked. So for this kind of substantive content, please do it every time.

Thank you very much for doing this. Please continue going forward and expanding.

It has been months since I have been able to listen to a show. I am glad I was able to get back to it.

I hand out discs of your show all of the time to my wine reps, guests of our restaurant, friends and family. My mac broke the disc up, but I would have loved the broadcast to have been two hours to have evenly divided the broadcast up between to discs. However, I am still saving in audio format. Regardless, I love your shows and will continue to promote them. If for nothing else this show was excellent simply because of the great Lane Tanner. SHe is a riot and full of energy all of the time!

Enjoy all of your time,
Chris Armstrong
Marker 32
Jacksonville FL

One might argue that there are some people that would find the multi-part shows irritating.

FWIW, you may have noticed that we have had many sponsors that have supported a show and at a later date, sponsored additional shows. So far, our sponsors seem to feel they are getting a ROI on their investment. The fact that people like yourself has brought new listeners to our show has been the key element to our success.

Jay

Jay

The content was fascinating in a wine-geekish sort of way given its specificity to a single vinyard.

The format, which is what you requested comments on …
There was 15 minutes before the actual seminar started. I understand that Grape Radio is your hobby and it’s your damn show and you want to participate but still I would guess that you get other benefits as the Graperadio bunch such as access to wine makers and events that you could cut down on speaking in some of your shows ?
I was initially initimidated by the length of the podcast so much so I considered not listening and blasting on to other podcasts (I’m happy I didn’t)
The audio quality was excellent given the location.
I think the podcast format should be kept to 30 minutes or less. There are other ways to make this seminar available such as having a show talking about the highlights of the seminar and then directing folks to this web site to link to the full seminar audio, which would then make the website more of an advertising revenue generator.

I suggest asking your sponsors what they think recognizing that there is a relationship between your listenership and your sponsors. It’s just that your sponsors may be a little more open to constructive criticsm because it’s their money while it’s just my time.

ps. This is the first time I’ve visited your web site and it’s great !

Amyway, I thought the format was great. Listening to the winemakers discuss their part of the vineyard and the wine style that they used made me think that there is more to this than just terroir. I am still baffled at whether a winemaker that have that much influence. The only way to find out is to start comparing them, which I plan to do.

As far as length goes, it not always about that and more about what you do with it. I think my wife explained this to me once. I just kept pausing it on my ipod through my commutes until I got through the whole hour and a half. It actually is better than the five part series since you only have to listen to the commercials twice instead of ten times.

All in all, I have found a friend in GrapeRadio. I can’t wait to meet you guys in person so that I can really know who is the tallest.

Thanks again and keep it going.

Wayne

I think these seminars are to normal wine shows for the masses what 8 grade is to graduate school. I like getting deeper insights into how my bottles are produced. Keep up the great work.

Yes, my point was more like Jay says: give a short intro to each of the speakers (once), if it’s weak in the host program. Otherwise … well, I can recognize the same voices, but I don’t really ever learn who they are or why I should care.

OTOH if you were to edit in a comment like “At this point Joe Blow is going to give his talk. Blow is the owner of BlowVineyards, one of the earliest in North Dakota. He’s known for …” etc.

It doesn’t need to be anything very detailed; just what you’d say to a newbie who’d never heard of the guy.

And BTW, still love the show!

I love the insider take on various styles and wine making methods, even at the level of grape growing, because I can use the same information on my backyard table grapes in terms of canopy management, etc. this is insightful and broadens my knowledge of the world surrounding the simple pleasure of consuming wine. So my vote is to persue whatever you can no matter what level of interest, although you may wish to moderate the frequency of wine tasting notes versus soil studies or something. I like the fact that you guys can talk with passionate people who can infect the rest of us by passing on ideas and enthusiasm.

Last but not least, you guys bring a commaderie to the table, and should be congratulated upon the diversity of your conversations and interests. It adds to the material under discussion, stimulates thought, and more importantly for the podcast world, the listener feels like they are present at a gathering of friends. somehow this transcends the usual radio experience, and I would guess that people come up to you from time to time and tell you this, as if you would understand how it is that the listener community feels like we know you.

anyway, thanks for being out there, and making us feel connected. it is greatly appreciated, and I often cite graperadio as one of the better podcast examples. you handle the personal biases, the content, and the commercial element deftly. sort of like a well balanced wine

Peter C – it’s great that you provided follow-up comments, not just airtime on the podcast.

Best wishes to the GrapeRadio Bunch!

Mark

As for this particular podcast, I loved the format. For me, I would rather have one long (complete) podcast, as opposed to multiple segments. I have a very long commute to work each day and I have the time to listen to the entire thing at one time. It also helps me to concentrate (and better retain) on the content.

As for the content of the podcast, I found it to be one of the most educational podcasts, I’ve heard. I learned a great deal about the effects that the region has on the grapes. I also found it fascinating how each wine maker took a different approach to making what they thought was the best wine.

I would love to hear more podcasts like this one, especially when they focus on the wine stylings of the various regions.

Rich

Jay

I would imagine that “radio” people back in the day were well schooled in how to approach speaking or distinguishing themselves to a remote audience who weren’t able to see them. But, the folks in this setting weren’t thinking “radio,” since they were talking to a live audience. Therein lies the problem.

Your suggestion about our trying to ID the speakers during the session have their own set of built-in problems, something we tried to address in the more controlled environs of the Sta. Rita Hills Roundtable, where we were asking the questions or otherwise calling their names to give us an opinion. OTOH, it might be a logistical nightmare to try and edit in these intros at a later date.

Your point is also taken of course, that to know a little something beforehand about each of the speakers is of real value. Possibly we could have a better intro of each, or even something in the way of a handout to download.

FWIW, I don’t know if this really addresses the issue, but the moderator was Greg Walter, publisher of the Pinot Report, and in the picture above from left to right is James Ontiveros (standing), the sales mgr of Bien Nacido Vnyd who also has his own vnyd (Rancho Ontiveros), and the rest of the panel are exactly in order as noted below the picture by their websites and the wines poured. Also, each is the owner/winemaker (or co-owner/winemaker) of their respective wineries.

Eric

To tell the absolute truth, I prefer shorter — maybe 45 minutes. Otherwise it does involve looking for a larger chunk of the day free. OTOH I prefer to have the whole event in one gulp than dribbling out over a couple of weeks, so if you decide to tape long, might as well put it in one and let us decide when to stop the iPod.

I also do prefer you guys rather than a larger panel discussion. There’s a lot of selling going on at these sorts of events. (Yeah, I know they’re great, and wonderful wine and all, but I always get the sneaking feeling I’m being sold to. There’s an awful lot of ‘why my winemaking technique is great and the other guy’s sucks’. It helps to have critical interviewers there to question some of this).

Another thing: I’m assuming everyone at this event either knew the winemakers involved or had a handout with further information. They didn’t do a good job at all of introducing each speaker. I think you guys might have ‘stopped the tape’ before each of them in order to give us a short precie with information on who was about to talk, on their history, on why we should care about them in particular, et cetera. Otherwise I’m left a bit confused. Yes, I’ve heard of some of them, but not all, and frankly know next to nothing about California PN.

I know there is additional info on your website, but since I download into iTunes, I listen to these podcasts cold. I’d prefer to know who I’m listening to while I’m tuned into the podcast.

As far as the length, i didn’t mind it. I get “anxious” waiting for new shows when they are multi park shows, so having it all at once was nice. If I need a break I just hit the pause button, so it works out just fine.

Eric A

My favorite shows have been the shows where you guys talk amongst yourselves.

I love your show!

Seminars , roundtables (long shows) are good, but the listeners also like the single guest interview. You guys also want to hear us because it keeps the shows more natrual and fun. As to the ratio of short shows to long ones , I am guessing maybe 1 (long) in 12 (short).

The physical breaking up of the shows is something that I do not have a clear picture of what our fans want.

Jay

While the longer shows are enjoyable, I would prefer that you keep mixing it up, rather than falling into a rut of one length. The way you’ve been doing it lately is ideal.

The seminar was interesting, and I especially enjoyed the interaction between Clendenon and the gentleman questioning him about a theoretical upper limit on alcohol levels. That was a priceless exchange, and I listened to it a couple of times.

GrapeRadio has struck gold with this listener. Keep up the good work.

Serioulsy, the in-depth topics with the winemakers and vineyard managers are truley educational. I have really learned a great deal about clones, climate, location and so many other things which affect what I am drinking. It actually helps put it together – where the various tastes, aromas, etc come from.

These shows have greatly broadened my knowledge and appreciation for the passion brought to a bottle of wine. I ordered some Native9 and when Jim Ontervaros called me to check something on my order – I was greatly impressed. Now I have the opportunity to listen to him speak about the vineyard.

I will be visiting Pinot Land in a couple of weeks and really look forward to actually visiting some of these wonderful producers.

Keep up the great work – keep the shows and great wine coming.

Thanks

As for the show content and format, I agree with the others who say that they liked it. I listen to the University Channel Podcast, and its rare that any of those seminars are as fun or interesting as this one.

But I must say that I prefer the shorter format. I’m sort of new to wine, and my favorite shows are the ones that are more “General Interest” than technical. I can listen to the shows that go over my head, and maybe I’ll pull a word or two out of it. But as for something I can take back to the people I drink wine with…I’m just not there yet. Short or long, remedial or advanced, though, I’ll still listen.

Which brings me to the part of the show that I like the most. I like it when you guys talk to each other. It’s like Car Talk (which I also like). Sometimes the Car Talk guys talk about very technical things that I couldn’t possibly understand. Sometimes they talk about really basic stuff. Sometimes they don’t even talk about cars. But there’s a sense of community that draws all types of people to listen to the show. And I think they get that collegiality because they always talk to each other. Google could probably give all the answers to questions about wine or cars. But I’d rather just listen to the show.

Maybe it would be a little easier (for people like me) to digest the long seminars if you guys could cut in every now and then and give some recap/opinion and a preview of what the people will talk about next. It’s totally unnecessary for some, but it would help out someone like me a lot. For the series that was broken into many little parts, the beginning and end narration was very helpful.

ONce again, great show. Looking forward to the next one, whatever it may be. I guess I’ll have to come back to the website, in case I get a reply….

First time listener here, and I must say that I enjoyed the podcast immensely! Length was fine. I listened to it over three days. The point here is that, for me, the topic was incredibly informative and interesting. While I’m a wine enthusiast(I’m a much better drinker than a maker), I don’t find the time I wish I had to invest.

Your commentary before and after the recording gave important context to the event, and it was great to find the wines listed on your website.

Having casually drunk many a bottle of Pinot Noir from Bien Nacido, I very much enjoyed getting to know the vineyard, a few of the winemakers, and understand what makes it all tick. I look forward to future podcasts covering other regions and other varietals. Gaining vineyard and winemaking knowledge this way is FAR more interesting than reading about it in a book.

I’ve passed this on to several of my friends and I believe they will enjoy this (and other great topics you have to offer) as much as I.

Kind regards,
Jeff

I really enjoy your shows. Your hard work is apparent because your podcasts are entertaining and informative. You guys do a great job providing a unique perspective.

Thank you,

T. D. Ryba

On a more serious note, I enjoyed the program because the panelists were able to go into greater depth with more technical discussions than possible in your shorter programs. Therefore I enjoyed the content, the panel format and the long show format (rather than having it chopped up into shorter pcasts). The studio intro ran on a bit and should have focused on giving a more in-depth introduction to the panelists than was given on the air. I suspect the live audience was given a program with a full bio so a lengthy intro wasn’t necessary. Your links to the related wineries on your website are helpful in filling this gap.

Fun show! While I love your “regular” shows, I, like many others, can’t get enough of the podcasts. I’m working my way through all of the old shows now but I would be happy to have 4 hours of new show a week. These long formats are a great twist and should be sprinkled in when the proper event arises. I think you should stick to your regular format for most of the time but getting out every so often and doing something different is great. I think we all just really enjoy the fact that you are bringing new and different topics to all of us in the great world of wine.

Here is an idea for a show… A show on Merlot. Now don’t stop reading just yet… While I’m not a huge Merlot fan, I’ve had plenty that were really good wines. How about showcasing some great producers and getting their take on Merlot in todays market? Sideways has had a huge downward effect on the market for Merlot and it would be nice to hear someone explain the current landscape and lend a voice to the deflated variety.

P.S. As for the extended seminar podcast, please keep them coming.

With a greateful heart,
Ahmaud Templeton

This was my first time at your site. I linked to you from the Prince of Pinot newsletter I get. I must say I really loved your show. This was an awesome expirence for me. The length was just fine, I had it playing while at work. It was great to hear, i only wish I was there! What a wonderful show I stumbled upon. The information I gathered today makes me want to go to my wine shop on the way home from work. I’m looking forward to hearing more of your show.
I did however think the lead in was a little bit too long. Maybe that made it better?
Thanks again!
Bill

Second: I’m not a big discusser unless I’m specifically asked something. And, if at all possible, will go out of my way to avoid commenting fo fear of sounding like rambling zealot who’ll typo her way through a paragraph or ten.

Thanks.