GrapeRadio – Wine Talk Show

Want to learn more about Burgundy? Well, there’s a seminar for that! In fact, this is the 2nd of two parts. You’ll be pleased to hear that the 2013 World of Pinot Noir presented a very nice and detailed glimpse of the region that you’re bound to find informative. We’ve broken it into two parts for easy listening.

Join us as we listen to Part 2 of Terroir: the Soul of La Côte d’Or. Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE, and the lead instructor for the French Wine Society’s new Master Burgundy Certificate program, resumes his in-depth seminar on the wines, soils, climate and history of the Côte d’Or. Don begins discussing the Côte de Nuits and the villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee. Then for the Côte de Beaune, Don focuses in on Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, and Puligny-Montrachet.

For more info:
World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com/

Slide Presentation at WOPN: Don Kinnan Burgundy Seminar

Sponsor: Millesima, Fine Wine Merchants: www.millesima-usa.com

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Show #323
(1:07:520 min 61.6 MB)

Want to learn more about Burgundy? Well, there’s a seminar for that! You’ll be pleased to hear that the 2013 World of Pinot Noir presented a very nice and detailed glimpse of the region that you’re bound to find informative.

So, join us as we listen to Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE, and the lead instructor for the French Wine Society’s new Master Burgundy Certificate program, as he presents an in-depth seminar on the wines, soils, climate and history of the Côte d’Or. Don begins discussing the Côte de Nuits and the villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee. Then for the Côte de Beaune, Don focuses in on Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, and Puligny-Montrachet – all, in Part 1 of Terroir: the Soul of La Côte d’Or.

For more info:
World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com/

Slide Presentation at WOPN: Don Kinnan Burgundy Seminar

Sponsor: Millesima, Fine Wine Merchants: www.millesima-usa.com

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Show #322
(1:14:53 min 68.6 MB)

As with most wine events, it often comes down to the people – the producers and those behind the scenes – that make attending an event like the World of Pinot Noir both fun and interesting. And, while it’s always nice to taste the wines from artisan producers, it can be challenging to find the opportunity to actually talk with them – especially during a busy tasting. So, we really enjoy sharing our interviews with them, getting the “back story” and finding out more about the people who make these wines. And while we’re at it, it’s almost as fascinating to get a look behind the curtain, to hear what kind of dedication it takes to plan and organize events such as these.

Join us as we hear from Kerith Overstreet of Bruliam Wines, Joe Wagner of Belle Glos and Meiomi Wines, and Karen Steinwachs, President of the Board of Directors for the World of Pinot Noir.

For More Info:

Bruliam Winery: www.bruliamwines.com
Belle Glos Wines: www.belleglos.com
Meiomi Wines: www.meiomiwines.com

For more info: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

Sponsor: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

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Show #316
(25:46 min 23.6 MB)

Natural winemaking – yet another hot button topic over the past couple of years, was discussed in some depth at the 2012 World of Pinot Noir. The panelists included both small winery winemakers who practice various degrees of “natural” winemaking: Bradley Brown, Big Basin Vineyards; Peter Cargasacchi, Cargasacchi Vineyards; Nathan Kandler, Thomas Fogarty Winery; and Joe Wright, Left Coast Cellars, as well as larger wineries that do not necessarily pursue the extremes of “natural” winemaking due to economy of scale concerns: Scott Kelley, Estancia Estates Winery; Brian Maloney, DeLoach Vineyards; well known author and proponent of “natural” wines Alice Feiring, author of Naked Wine; and Clark Smith, the founder of Vinovation (a provider of alcohol reduction tools, volatile acidity reduction, juice concentration, supplier of tannin adjunct, etc) and vintner at WineSmith.

Join us as we hear from natural winemaking devotees, or maybe the not-so-much devotees, in a seminar moderated by John Haeger, author of North American Pinot Noir, and Pacific Pinot Noir. Maybe we’ll even get a solid definition of the phrase, “natural winemaking.” But don’t hold your breath.

For More Info:

Big Basin Vineyards: bigbasinvineyards.com
Cargasacchi Vineyards: www.cargasacchi.com
Thomas Fogarty Winery: www.fogartywinery.com
Left Coast Cellars: leftcoastcellars.com
Estancia Estates: www.estanciaestates.com
DeLoach Vineyards: www.deloachvineyards.com
WineSmith Wines: www.winesmithwines.com
Alice Feiring: www.alicefeiring.com

Previous GrapeRadio interviews:
Alice Feiring: Alice Feiring on GrapeRadio
John Haeger: John Haeger on GrapeRadio/

For more info: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

Sponsor: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

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Show #315
(1:31:52 min 84.2MB)

View More Photos From ’2012 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Natural Winemaking’

We’ve always wondered what role the winemaker plays in determining whether a wine truly speaks of its origins – or, its terroir. For instance, is it possible to make an Oregon Pinot taste as though it came from California – or vice versa? Thankfully, the 2012 World of Pinot Noir featured a seminar discussing this very subject. The seminar, titled Technique vs. Terroir: The Cube Project, covered an experiment currently being conducted by three winemakers – one in Oregon, and two in California.

The concept was fairly straightforward. Three wineries, Anne Amie Vineyards (Oregon), Bouchaine Vineyards (Carneros), and Lincourt Vineyards (Santa Barbara Co.) would split 6-tons of fruit equally among themselves, by sending a 2-ton lot of fruit (or must) to each of the other wineries. The idea was to have each winemaker produce a wine with each of the others fruit – a total of three wines. This would afford them the opportunity to see their home vineyard through someone else’s eyes.

Thomas Houseman (Anne Amie Vineyards), Andrew Brooks (Bouchaine Vineyards), and Leslie Mead Renaud (Lincourt Vineyards) were responsible for the picking decisions at their respective wineries; therefore each of the three wines made from a particular lot would start on equal footing. From there, each winemaker made individual decisions on production methods. The results? Well, you’ll just have to listen for yourself.

Join us as we hear from winemakers Thomas Houseman, Andrew Brooks, and Leslie Mead Renaud, in a seminar moderated by Rusty Gaffney, M.D. (aka, The Prince of Pinot).

Anne Amie Vineyards: anneamie.com
Bouchaine Vineyards: www.bouchaine.com
Lincourt Vineyards: www.lincourtwines.com
The Cube Project: anneamie.com

For more info: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

Sponsor: 2013 World of Pinot Noir: www.wopn.com

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Show #314
(1:11:42 min 68MB)

View More Photos From ’2012 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Technique vs. Terroir: The Cube Project’

One of the high points for us at World of Pinot Noir, is the time we get to spend with winemakers.

Join us as we sit down with some familiar and maybe not so familiar winemaking names in the “World of Pinot Noir,” as we hear about their beginnings, their processes, their passions, and their aspirations. Our interviewees include: Jeff Pisoni (Lucia Vineyards), Eric Lundblad (Ladd Cellars), Byron Kosuge (B. Kosuge Wines, Kingston Family Vineyards), Jacob Fetzer (Masut Vineyard and Winery), Bibiana González Rave (Lynmar Estate), and Alan Baker (Cartograph Wines).

Sponsor: World of Pinot Noir, 2012 Event: www.wopn.com

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Show #300
(1:16:11 min 71MB)

Alcohol and Balance – could there be a more controversial issue for today’s wine geeks? Well, thankfully, the 2011 World of Pinot Noir held a seminar on this very contentious topic. Joining N.Y. Times columnist Eric Asimov as moderator, was an illustrious (and, we might add “balanced”) group of panel members: Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat), Adam Tolmach (The Ojai Vineyard), Josh Jensen (Calera), Rajat Parr (Sommelier and restaurateur), Adam Lee (Siduri), and Michael Browne (Kosta Browne).

So, how are picking decisions made? And, how do these, in turn, affect the final alcohol level of the wine? Is alcohol really just a number? Does the percent of alcohol affect the balance of the wine in the bottle? Yes, most of these questions will be answered during the seminar. And, no, boxing gloves weren’t handed out to the panelists. But, there were some strong feelings among colleagues on both sides of the issue. However, more importantly, everyone gave a good accounting of themselves. Was a final decision rendered? Well, you’ll just have to hear for yourself.

For More Information:

2012 World of Pinot Noir www.wopn.com

Sponsor: Wine Berserkers: On-Line Wine Community: www.wineberserkers.com

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Show #298
(1:22:14 min 76MB)

As the Assistant Editor of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (IWC) and a contributor to winophilia.com, Tanzer’s online wine magazine, Josh is a very busy guy. He has been responsible for the IWC’s annual reviews of the wines of California’s Sonoma Valley and Central Coast, Oregon, Chile, Spain, France’s Loire Valley, Champagne, Mâcon, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley and Australia.

Jay Selman and Rusty Gaffney sit down with Josh at this year’s World of Pinot Noir where Josh was a guest moderator and discuss with him his life as a wine critic. In an open and frank manner, Josh tell us all about his job description.

For More Information:

International Wine Cellar wineaccess.com

Sponsor: Pinpoint Technologies – Mailing List Source: www.pinpoint-tech.com

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Show #294
(28:22min 30MB)

Rusty Gaffney and Jay Selman have a casual and intimate conversation with Alexandrine Roy and Thomas Bouley, participants in the “Young Turks of Burgundy” tasting at the World of Pinot Noir. We were impressed by their charm and willingness to share their insights into the role of young vignerons in Burgundy today and their impressions of American Pinot Noir. (Please excuse our butchered French)

Sponsor: Pinpoint Tech – Your Mailing List Source: www.pinpoint-tech.com

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Show #286
(29:38 min 21MB)

Allen Meadows, a.k.a. Burghound, moderated this entertaining Seminar featuring the owner and winemaker of Domaine Fourrier, Jean Marie Fourrier. Domaine Fourrier has a four generation history in Gevrey-Chambertain and was one of the first Domaines in Burgundy to export wine to the United States. The Domaine experienced a revitalization with the arrival of Jean Marie Fourrier in 1994, and the wines, as Allen Meadows noted at the Seminar, “Are built on balance, not concentration.” Jean Marie Fourrier says his wines are only crafted from vines at least 30 years old, and represent “terroir in a glass.”

Join us at this seminar from the 2010 World of Pinot Noir.

For More Information:

The Burghound – www.burghound.com

Domaine Fourrier – domainefourrier.pagesperso-orange.fr

The 2011 World of Pinot Noir – www.worldofpinotnoir.com

Sponsor: Millesima, Fine Wine Merchants: www.millesima-usa.com

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Show #281
(1:20:41 min 70MB)

As most people know, Burt and Ed sold the winery to John and Kathe Dyson in 1998, and Bob Cabral became new winemaker with the impossible task of replacing a legend in the wine world. Bob has strived to continue the tradition of excellence in crafting Williams Selyem wines, thus making the idea of a second “Bob Years” 10-year retrospective even more intriguing.

Join us for Part 2 as we hear from winemaker Bob Cabral about his trial by fire.

For More Info: World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com

Sponsor: Porter Family Vineyards – Napa Valley: www.porterfamilyvineyards.com

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Show #276
(48:33 min 34MB)

In March of 2010, the World of Pinot Noir was celebrating its Tenth Anniversary. Something special ought to be done, the organizers thought. How about making one of the seminars a ten-year retrospective tasting from a well-known winery? Yes, that would be something special. However, when the retrospective covers ten years of Pinot Noirs from Williams Selyem, well it probably doesn’t get any better or more interesting than that. And of course, this is only Part 1 – Part 2 will cover the most recent 10 years next week.

From its humble beginnings in 1981, Burt Williams and Ed Selyem took their little garage project wine, originally named Hacienda Del Rio, to awards, kudos, and critical accolades. The wines were mostly sold via mailing list, but the wine’s reputation and scarcity only added to its allure, and ultimately, the wines became so popular that they started a waiting list to get on the mailing list.

Join us for Part 1 as we hear about the “Bert Years” from Williams Selyem’s current winemaker Bob Cabral and restaurateur Michael Jordan. A story that has become a legend in the world of pinot noir.

For More Info: World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com

Sponsor: Porter Family Vineyards – Napa Valley: www.porterfamilyvineyards.com

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Show #275
(1:06:37 min 48MB)

Henri Gouges is an important figure in the history of Burgundy. Along with Marquis D’Angerville, he waged war against fraud in Burgundy in the 1920s, in the 1930s he helped delineate the crus in Burgundy for the Institut National d’Appellation d’Origine, and in 1933 challenged the negociants by bottling his wine at the Domaine and selling it directly to the public.

The Domaine Henri Gouges dates to 1919 and the third generation is now in control, specifically Henri Gouges’ two grandsons, Pierre and Christian. The Domaine’s 35-acre vineyard holdings are entirely within the commune of Nuits-St-Georges and include both Village appellation land and six Premier Crus. The average age of the vines is 35 years. One Premier Cru, the 2.5-acre Les Saint-Georges, is considered by many to be the equivalent of a Grand Cru.

Join us as we sit in on a tasting seminar at the 2009 World of Pinot Noir with noted Burgundy authority, “Burghound” Allen Meadows, and Pierre Gouges of Domaine Henri Gouges

To find out more information and to buy tickets:

World of Pinot Noir: www.worldofpinotnoir.com

Burghound: www.burghound.com

Sponsor: Millesima, Fine Wine Merchants: www.millesima-usa.com

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