GrapeRadio – Wine Talk Show

‘All I want is a small place out in the country,’ is often how it begins. For Dr. Elias S. Hanna and family, what began in 1985 as a small getaway house/farm in the Russian River Valley, morphed into four vineyard locations. Beginning with 12 acres in the Russian River Valley purchased in the 1970s, he and his children began their foray into winemaking with homemade Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Hanna hired a winemaker and expanded the vineyard holdings.

In the Russian River appellation, the Home Ranch on Occidental Road includes Hanna’s winery production facility, as well as the main 25 acre vineyard planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. The other RRV property is the Slusser Road vineyard is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With its cool climate, this 60-acre vineyard is all about aromatics and crisp mouthfeel. Their 88-acre Alexander Valley Red Ranch vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. And, the most recent acquisition is the Bismark Mountain Ranch. Located on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains at elevations from 1,400-2,600 feet, the 67 planted acres of steeply terraced rocky volcanic soil are planted to Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah, Petit Syrah and Zinfandel.

Today, the Hanna family owns 600 acres, 250 of which are planted, split between four different vineyards. Dr. Hanna’s eldest daughter Christine has been running the winery for over 20 years. Join us as we talk with Christine Hanna about a simpler time in the wine-growing world, and what it takes to plan for the family’s future generations.

For more info:
Hanna Winery & Vineyards: www.hannawinery.com/

Sponsor: Wine Berserkers: www.wineberserkers.com

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Show #321
(1:01:51 min 56.6 MB)

Beck-Hartweg in Dambach-la-Ville is one of the historic domaines of Alsace. Building on a long tradition of family winegrowing that began in 1590, the reins now belong to young Florian Beck-Hartweg.

As you might expect, Florian makes his wines in the vineyard. Growing Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir, his overall goal is to create a balanced vineyard with low vigor vines, biodiversity resulting in a natural yield reduction. The results are wines that are very consistent, with terrific minerality, concentration and presence in mouthfeel.

Beck-Hartweg has a mere 5.5 ha (1 hectare = 2.47 acres), out of which 1.5 ha is on the Grand Cru Frankstein vineyard. Although the Grand Cru Frankstein vineyard covers 56 ha, it is divided into four separated, but very similar, south-facing parts. The bedrock here is granitic and the soils are sandy, well-drained and capable of producing elegant, complex, fruity wines with purity and marvelous acidity.

In the last several years, Florian has gained a solid reputation among lovers of wines from Alsace as a skilled, progressive and communicative representative of the future of Alsace. Join us as we talk with Florian about the family heritage, his wine-growing methods and wine-making style, and his philosophy concerning the Alsace AOC and its wines.

For more info:

Florian Beck-Hartweg Wines: beckhartweg.free.fr/

Sponsor: Best Wines Online: www.bestwinesonline.com

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Show #319
(45:10 min 41.4 MB)

Join us for Part 3, as we talk with representatives from Viña Santa Rita, Concha Y Toro, Veramonte, and Casablanca.

For More Information:

For More Information: www.santarita.com/international/home

Concha Y Toro – www.conchaytoro.com

Veramonte – www.veramonte.com

Casablanca – www.casablancawinery.com

Sponsor: Wine Berserkers – Wine Board: www.wineberserkers.com

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Show #291
(48:36min 35MB)

Join us for Part 2, as we talk with representatives from Casa Lapostolle, Viña Montes, Viñedos y Bodega Apaltagua, and Cousiño Macul.

For More Information: www.casalapostolle.com

Viñedos y Bodega Apaltagua – www.apaltagua.com

Cousiño Macul – www.cousinomacul.com

Viña Montes – www.monteswines.com

Sponsor: Wine Berserkers – Wine Board: www.wineberserkers.com

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Show #290
(32:59min 23MB)

Although it is considered New World, Chile has been growing wine since the 16th century, when the Spanish conquistadors brought vitis vinifera vines with them during their colonization of the region. About the mid-18th century, several French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenère were also introduced to the region.

Chile’s five viticultural regions occupy an 800 mile stretch, in a country 2,700 miles long and 109 miles wide. The most common red grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère – a grape originally from the Medoc region, but which has all but disappeared from Bordeaux since the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th Century.

During the early 1980s, Chilean wineries modernized their production, bringing in stainless steel tanks for fermentation and oak barrels for aging. These were fast times, and the number of wineries grew from 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005. The increase in production was matched with wine exports as well, with Chile becoming the fifth largest exporter of wines, and the ninth largest producer in the world.

We had always wanted to visit Chile, and explore the culture and wines of the region. Well, the time had finally come, and Jay was off to the Southern Hemisphere. Jay spent three days traveling the valleys and wine regions that make up this fascinating country. We’ve separated the interviews into three parts, and thrown in a “bonus reel” for good measure – four shows altogether.

Join us for Part 1, as we talk with representatives from Viña Koyle, Miguel Torres, Viña San Pedro, and Viña Maquis. There might be more to Chile than we think!

For More Information: www.koyle.cl

Viña San Pedro – www.sanpedro.cl

Viña Maquis – www.vinamaquis.com

Miguel Torres – www.torreschile.com

Sponsor: Wine Berserkers – Wine Board: www.wineberserkers.com

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Show #289
(49:15 min 35MB)