GrapeRadio – Wine Talk Show

The Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance held its 2nd annual Wine & Fire event in June of 2007. The festivities began on Friday evening with a reception at the restored La Purisima Mission, where over two dozen winemakers poured library wines and current releases from their Sta. Rita Hills appellation. People mingled from late afternoon through dusk and into dark, sampling the various wines.

Join us at the opening night tasting as we talk with attendees, growers like Peter Cargasacchi, and producers like Norm Yost (Flying Goat), Peter Work (Ampelos), and Victor Gallegos (Sea Smoke) to hear how and why the Sta. Rita Hills is unique as a Pinot growing area.

Wine and Fire and Santa Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance: www.staritahills.com

We’re back with Part 2 of our coverage of the 2008 World of Pinot Noir. Without a doubt, this annual Pinot Noir spectatular is considered to be a “must attend” for devotees of the grape. Join us as we hear more from wine columnist Laurie Daniel, and we’ll check in with the Iron Sommelier Challenge – where sommeliers compare food and wine matches. In addition, we’ll spend some time with Burgundian producer Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier and the Burghound Allen Meadows, plus visit with Central Coast producers Lane Tanner and James Ontiveros, and still more Pinot producers from around the world (how about Pinot from Tazmania and British Columbia).

With seminars ranging from Riedel glassware to a full-on discussion of new world vs. old world clones, as well as an in-depth examination of the “left coast” terroir, and a close look at Oregon’s Pinot focus, you’ll see why a full immersion event such as this can do more to awaken your total Pinot Noir experience.

For more information on the World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com

The first weekend in March signals the World of Pinot Noir. Held on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this event includes two days of in-depth Tasting Seminars, Grand Tastings (each with a unique roster of wineries), a Featured Tasting with a guest Burgundian producer and two Pinot Noir Dinners featuring prominent guest chefs. These food and wine extravaganzas will be hosted by participating wineries and feature an outstanding panel of sommeliers from across the U.S.

Join us for Part 1, as we talk with wine columnist Laurie Daniel, local producers as well as vintners from around the world (how about Pinot from Switzerland and New Zealand). We’ll hear from attendees and presenters about what makes this event special, and we even check in on a Riedel seminar led by Georg Riedel to see how the shape of stemware can make Pinot smell and taste different.

For more information on the World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com

When you think of the Russian River Valley, what comes to mind? Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? Well, right now, yes, but it wasn’t always that way.

Trappers and hunters predominated in the early 1800s, as Russian settlers moved into this area just north of San Francisco giving the river and the surrounding watershed its colorful name. By the 1870s, viticulture had been firmly established in the valley, only to be completely de-railed by prohibition in the 1920s. What followed, even after the repeal of prohibition in 1933, was a steady growth in normal agricultural crops and orchards for many years to come. It would take a 30-year incubation period for the re-birth of vineyards.

The true wine Renaissance finally arrived in the 1960s, when pioneers like Charles Bacigalupi and Joe Rochioli began planting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. And later, when Chateau Montelena took the French by surprise at the 1976 Paris tasting (with a Chardonnay made from Bacigalupi fruit), and Williams Selyem began to win accolades for its Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, the valley found its rightful place as a world-class (and world famous) wine growing region.

GrapeRadio is proud to present a brief look at the Russian River Valley, including interviews with Joe Rochioli, Howie Allen, Helen Bacigalupi, Burt Williams, John Haeger, James Laube, and many more. Join us for a close-up of this beautiful area, including highlights of its history, its agriculture, its foods, and most importantly, its people.