Inside Winemaking - the art and science of growing grapes and crafting wine

Having never set foot in a vineyard before packing her Subaru with orchids and all other possessions Ashley Anderson set out across US for Napa and didn't look back. Now, 16 years later Ashley is the vineyard manager at Cain Vineyard and Winery up 1,700 feet on Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. She knows intimately the 87 acres that she farms for the Cain wines, especially Cain Five. During this episode of the podcast Ashley tells how she is adjusting her farming for the current drought conditions, explains how "tolerance" is a major aspect of organic farming (Cain is about to finish their organic certification), she talks about the results after five years of trials with biodynamics, and most profoundly, Ashley describes why her and her colleagues at Cain are invested for the long term. All 16 of Ashley's harvests have been with Cain.

Master of bubbles, Tom Tiburzi, spares no effort to explain the intracacies of making spectacular sparkling wines in California. The 2015 vintage will be Tom's 26th with Domaine Chandon, yet the excitement he brings to this episode of Inside Winemaking leaves no doubt that he is more passionate than ever. Our conversation explores what normal red-wine traits are "evil for sparkling wines," how to keep Pinot noir fermenting slowly, the characteristics of a great sparkling base, why the visitor's center staff may be caught scratching the inside of flutes, how CO2 amplifies all flaws, and how wine style leaves an imprint similar to the fashion of a specific decade.

At my request Zeke Neeley, who you may remember from Episode 2: Champagne, Cucumbers, and Estate Winemaking..., to come back and record a solo post about something he is well-versed, the use of Sulfur in winemaking. In 15 minutes Zeke lays out the historical use of sulfur, specifically sulfur-dioxide (SO2), some of the common misconceptions it has had publicly, it's role with bacteria and yeast, the paradox of not using it, and his own personal opinions on the best use of SO2 for commercial winemaking. Like cooks in a kitchen, all winemakers have different approaches to the use of SO2, and it's key to remember that Zeke's practices are a summation of his studies and practical experience. Nothing can rile up a room of winemakers like the discussion of SO2. I think anyone interested in serious winemaking will come away with new insights from Zeke's post. I'm very appreciative that he was willing to sit down and record his thoughts on this hot-button issue. Let me know if you find short guest post episodes such as this valuable. [email protected]

The first three years of Douglas Rennie's apprenticeship involved learning to make oak barrels using only hand tools. These hand tools were treated with great respect, never placed on the ground, as they had been passed down from the men in his family. Douglas is the fourth generation to become a master cooper in his family. After making barrels for Black and White Whiskey in Scotland Douglas made his way to California and began a new career making wine barrels for the French cooperage, Seguin Moreau. I traveled to Seguin to interview Douglas for the Inside Winemaking Podcast and had a chance to ask him all the questions I've been saving for a true expert of oak. In this Podcast Douglas tells the story of his apprenticeship, what it means to be a master cooper, he describes the many differences between French and American oak, takes us through the process of assembling a barrel, and describes the importance of toasting the staves.

This short podcast is a teaser episode for the interview with Douglas Rennie, Master Cooper from Seguin Moreau in Napa, California. Listen as Douglas tells two short stories from his early days of apprenticeship in Scotland and then another about some "dodgy fishcakes" in Beverley Hills. The entire interview podcast should be live by Monday March 9th.

"God and the devil are in the details." In this episode Cameron Parry, who is taking over the winemaking reigns at Groth Vineyards and Winery explains which details he views are most critical to ensure that each vintage of Groth wines are exceptional. A highlight from our conversation include Cameron's description of the flavor and texture qualities that result from Sauvignon blanc's fermentation in neutral oak barrels vs. stainless steel tanks. Cameron does a great job in dispelling the myth that winemakers have some sort of gifted sensory ability. Training is the key to develop one's abilities when it comes to smell and flavor recognition. I like how Cameron works that training into everyday experience, especially with his kids and their time spent cooking and "developing their sensory capacities." Groth is perhaps most well known for their Cabernets - all of which are from grapes sourced from the Oakville district of Napa. Cameron tells the story of how the Groth Reserve Cabernet came about and the describes the most notable wines from the recent 30-year retrospective tasting that Groth put on as a press event.

In this episode vineyardist, David Bos, brings a lot of enthusiasm for organic and biodynamic farming. David learned farming on the ground while working for Grgich Hills Estate in the Napa Valley, which is known for their commitment to natural winegrowing and sustainability. These days David runs his own small farming Company, Harvest Bos, and is known as a specialist vineyard consultant for those who have an interest in employing organic and biodynamic farming. That said, David doesn't smell like patchouli, doesn't speak in flowery prose, and doesn't believe we should get sidetracked by the less practical aspects of biodynamics. In great detail he explains "that biodynamics can give you better health, quality, vitality" and the four tenets that he deems critical towards that end are compost, observation, biodiversity, and the biodynamic preparations. The bulk of our conversation is spent exploring those topics and how David incorporates them into the care of his vineyards.

Art Seavey is a man who slips comfortably between his water-based business Monterey Abalone Company and his family's devotion to farming grapes on steep hillsides for Seavey Vineyard. Much more than just my boss, Art is the general manager at Seavey Vineyard, a small estate vineyard and winery in the eastern hills of Napa's Conn Valley. In this episode Art discusses the path that led him to found the Monterey Abalone Company, which sustainably farms abalone on the commercial wharf in Monterey on California's coastline

Everyday on my commute to work I pass Miner Family Wines in the Oakville District of Napa. I was quite fortunate to stop on my way home recently and have a conversation with my friend, and Miner winemaker, Stacy Vogel. Before we got talking about her post at Miner, Stacy detailed her experiences traveling and working France and Australia. Given how much time I spend cleaning and sanitizing the winery where I spend my days, I was a bit envious when Stacy described the benign neglect that was part of her internship at Bouchard Pere & Fils in Burgundy. Stacy also did stints at Tahbilk winery in Victoria, Australia, Cain Vineyard and Winery in Napa, and Ledson Winery and Vineyards in Sonoma. I'd recommend to anyone visiting Napa to check out Cain, it's a bit spectacular. There's no such thing as a short harvest at Miner, as they are working with Burgundian, Bordelais, Rhone varieties, and even some Sangiovese. It's one of my favorite pass-times to pick on Pinot producers and I figured Stacy was game because Miner produces five Pinots and quite a bit of that fruit comes from Garys' Vineyard in Santa Lucia.

I had a great time recording this podcast with my friend and consultant viticulturist, Garrett Buckland. Our conversation gets deep into the technical weeds right off the bat, and thus I've split the podcast into two episodes. Get your coffee, turn on your brain, and get ready to get schooled on what is involved in growing grapes for some of California's top wineries. Garrett gives insight into: Bringing grapevines into the US and what it takes to clean up the virus and certify new clones. How grapegrowing has changed in the past 20 years. The most critical aspects of caring for a vineyard designed to make iconic wines. The effect of the current drought on graperowing and the 2014 vintage.

I had a great time recording this podcast with my friend and consultant viticulturist, Garrett Buckland. Our conversation gets deep into the technical weeds right off the bat, and thus I've split the podcast into two episodes. Get your coffee, turn on your brain, and get ready to get schooled on what is involved in growing grapes for some of California's top wineries. Garrett gives insight into: Bringing grapevines into the US and what it takes to clean up the virus and certify new clones. How grapegrowing has changed in the past 20 years. The most critical aspects of caring for a vineyard designed to make iconic wines. The effect of the current drought on graperowing and the 2014 vintage

Recorded just prior to the harvest season in August, 2014, this interview with Amy Warnock takes us through her journey to becoming a viticulturist (viticulturalist, for some), up to her current work with Orin Swift Cellars based out of Napa. Amy is a technical specialist when it comes to growing grapes destined for high-end wines. In our conversation Amy does a wonderful job of painting a picture in broad strokes to elaborate how wine styles are created by vineyard site and how, as a viticulturist, it is her skill to understand what style of wine a certain vineyard plot has the potential to produce. My favorite part of our conversation is when Amy tells the story of how Bruce Cakebread from Cakebread Cellars left a message on her voicemail with a simple piece of advice that would become the entree to her vineyard career.

A look back at the highlights from the 2014 harvest. We knew it was going to be an early harvest this year. We didn't know that things were going to kick off with an earthquake. Our magnitude 6 shaking on Aug 24th took us by surprise, but didn't thwart the fast and furious harvest pace that characterized this season. This podcast covers the earthquake, surprise of supple tannins, and healthy yields that will characterize our memory of the 2014 wines.

I met Russell Bevan last year as we had both done our time with the Jesuits at Gonzaga University. Russell is a big guy with an even larger personality, which is only superseded by some of the critical review his wines have received. He is a man to pull no punches. That is what most excited me to bring him onto the Inside Winemaking Podcast. Russell founded Bevan Cellars with his partner, Victoria De Crescenzo, in 2004 and in less than ten years has rocketed to the top of luxury wine lovers' most-coveted list. In our conversation Russell lays out his disdain for "good, clean wine," and explains in detail his winemaking philosophy and the meticulous standards he and his team employ. For example, Russell is preparing to make up to six yeast additions to his wines this coming harvest in order to re-create his version of a wild fermentation. And this because, as he states, "There's no such thing as a true wild fermentation." Most of Russell's ideas on winemaking challenge what I have learned during my own career and our conversation during this podcast left my head spinning in the way it does every time we meet. I keep coming back for more.

This short episode is an update covering the experience of the Aug 24th earthquake in Napa, CA. I talk about the experience we went through at home and then provide a very brief idea of how local wineries were affected. While it was a terrifying experience, we came through unharmed and are incredibly grateful that the damage to our home and those of our friends was mostly superficial.

When you are the harvest coordinator, cellar crew, owner, and winemaker of a boutique winery and the grapes are going to be picked starting at 3AM, your day begins shortly after dinner. Waxwing Wines is the creation and 0ne-man operation with Scott Sisemore at the helm. During this episode of the Inside Winemaking Podcast Scott joins me to elaborate on how his years of making wine throughout northern Californian, India, and Chile inspired him to focus his attention on small lots of Pinot Noir and Syrah. Scott runs a lean winery at Waxwing and he is forthcoming during our conversation regarding the equipment and practices that he feels are key for producing exquisite wines. Waxwing Wines are a focused representation of their vineyard designated sources and Scott's dedication, so much so that every cork is branded with his phone number.

Mike Dunn returned to his family's winery in 2000 and in this Podcast tells the story of his journey outside of winemaking and how it ultimately lead back to Dunn Vineyards up on Howell Mountain in Napa. Mike describes what Dunn looked like back when he was a teenager working for Randy. He then goes over how some basic equipment upgrades in the early 2000's have streamlined the winemaking, saving time and everyone's back health, yet kept the winemaking simple and respected the tradition of Dunn Vineyards - massive in fruit and tannins. Having access to some gnarly old vine Petite Sirah, and the motivation to create something purely his own, Mike launched Retro Cellars in 2003. During our conversation Mike gives a cheat-sheet for working with Petite Sirah both in the vineyard and the cellar. He then ties Dunn and Retro in together and explains how time and patience are key to both of these very different wines.

I couldn't be more thankful to have a good friend, Matt Reid, join me on the Podcast as my first guest. Matt take us through his winemaking history and explains how a $2.98 book on the remainder shelf got his career fermenting.

This initial episode lays out what you can expect from the Inside Winemaking Podcast. Host Jim Duane covers the show's intent, it's format, Jim's qualifications as a winemaker, his background, and the inspiration for creating the Podcast.