The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

Part 2 of our show from Sondra Bernstein’s Rhone Room. The guys discuss Rhone wines and the state of the end of the growing season.

Since it’s the holidays, the guys found Jayme Powers, owner of SIGH Sonoma, the only Bubbly tasting room in town. Jayme describes just how hard it is to build a brand new tasting room and gives us all the details of Bubbly(Champagne in France), how to make it, open it and what to give as we approach the holidays.

Sondra Bernstein, the genius behind The Girl & The Fig, Suite D, The Fig Rig… wow, what a resume’ joins the guys at a live show from her newest creation, The Rhone Room. Featuring all Rhone style wines, The Rhone Room follows the wine list from The Girl & The Fig restaurant.

The guys discuss their love of music and wine with Casey Graybehl. This show focuses on Grenache and how long it takes to make; then how easy it and fast it can go down. Enjoy and thanks for listening.

Part 2 with our special guest Kieran Robinson from Kieran Robinson Wines. Kieran’s fascinating background has given him a true appreciation for the deep-rooted French and American viticulture and wine-making philosophies.

The guys meet up with Winemaker Casey Graybehl to talk over his line of Grenache wines and how all of this fits into the holidays. Brian and Bart get Casey really talking about his background, his time in France and what it’s like to move from a “Garage-ista” to having a full line of small batch Grenache: his wines are stellar and a treat for any holiday or in your glass right now. Sam is on special assignment in NYC and John is figuring just how much great wine he can get the family involved in. Happy Holidays from The Wine Makers

Brian Casey scores for The Wine Makers, bringing our good friend Kieran Robinson from Kieran Robinson Wines as our guest this episode. Kieran’s fascinating background, from Phili to the Cotie Rotie, has given him a true appreciation for the deep-rooted French and American viticulture and winemaking philosophies.

After being so rudely interrupted by the horrendous Nor-Cal fires, The Wine Makers invite you back to Sondra Bernstein’s Rhone Room for a show originally intended for release on October 13th. Let the world know Sonoma and Napa are indeed open for business and are really on track. Our guests are Ian Blessing from The French Laundry and Brandon Montalvo from Sante’, two young Sommeliers who bring their fresh views to the show.

The guys finish covering the Nor-Cal fire and all the sordid details of unemployment and destruction. Help us recover by getting to Sonoma and support the best wine in the world.

Sam, Brian and John get together to provide an in-depth look at the Sonoma-Napa fire. Sam spent his week on the fire line providing the nation, via Facebook a close-up, brutally honest view of the fire, its current damage and the damage to come for the town of Sonoma. The fires are still burning in some hills and forests even now, 11 days after they started.

LIVE for the first time from Sondra Bernstein’s new tasting house, “The Rhone Room”, the guys introduce you to the new generation of Sommeliers. Meet Brandon Montalvo from Sante’ and Ian Blessing from The French Laundry. We introduce Dane Cellar’s new Chenin Blanc and discuss the fine points of wines with a background story, from aging wine in shark tanks to Fable Mountain South African wines complete with selfies taken by the monkeys in the forest. Brian describes the truly deluxe tour at Opus One and just how down-home and open everyone was… perhaps not your usual tour. The Rhone Room is the newest tasting house in Sonoma and the only one dedicated to Rhone Wines Alone. What could be a nicer welcome to Sonoma than The Rhone Room?

The grapes continue to flourish in the fields. Weather has made a real impact on harvest because of the temperature swings over the last couple of weeks. Sam and John kick around some of the Real history in Sonoma Valley and how it impacts the wine that is grown here. We’ve got more memories of Sondra Bernstein’s International Grenache Day little “get together”. It really turned into a great event as a party for the vintners who are so stressed and busy right now. Be on the lookout for Morgan Peterson and his Bedrock wines… You’ll thank yourself for looking it up. We end up chatting about Katie Bundschu and the Myers Wedding 17 yrs. ago on their back deck.

EP21: The Guys have a first taste of Pinot Noir in a can from up in Oregon. It’s also Bart Hansen’s birthday! Boxes, cans, screw-tops…it’s all in the fruit not the packaging. So drink more Grenache! A special shout-out to Sondra Bernstein for throwing her intimate little party for Grenache Day and Bart’s birthday.

EP20 The guys are cut in half today because of the most important part of making wine…Harvest and Crush. Brian and John kick around the fact that Harvest workers put in the longest and hardest work weeks of the year in just getting the grapes off the vines and to the winery crush facilities. We’ll see you next week with a full report on crush and especially International Grenache Day

Bart and Sam rant about the Federal Gov. and labeling. A massive wine scam in France sent executives to jail. Sam and Bart say there are wineries in Sonoma that spill more in a day than the whole production of their small wineries.

Brian Casey tours The Lasseter Family Winery and their vineyard and gets the full treatment. The guys kick around Airline wines, touring France and finding wine in your local store that fits your taste profile. And Dirty hands mean you’re truly doing your job in wine-making. Ever seen a barrel of wine with red stains on it? Well, we determine that it’s all Bart’s fault. We also discuss what a “normal” year is when it comes to harvest and crush if there is such a thing anymore.

The guys are lucky enough to have one of THE Master Wine Makers in the US, Mr. Erich Bradley on the show this week. Erich helps pull back the curtain on what it really takes to make a world-class wines. We discuss everything from land and fruit to winemaking and John discovers the fact that Erich is the mastermind behind many of his favorite wines. From Ag and field reports, this week’s show also addresses the impact the intense 100+ degree days have had on the vines and ultimately, what will be in your glass soon.

This week the guys hit hard on a new subject in the wine world; Bio-dynamic cultivation of Cannabis. Since Mike Benziger put his name on 400 acres of Organic Bio-dynamic Cannabis here in Sonoma the wine leaders are becoming the pot leaders.

The guys introduce you to special guest, Kyle Haraszthy. Sam reports on the Vineyards and finds them in great shape going into harvest mode. Kyle’s family and background go all the way back to when the Very First grapes were grown here in Sonoma…About 1850 or so.

By the luck of the gods the guys get to taste a perfect Kamen Savignon Blanc 2013. Ingredients: Organic Grapes. The guys cover the growth, the experience and the the full trip from the mountain vineyard to your glass. What a long, strange, fascinating trip it really is. They “Phil” out the show with two more Phil Coturri Savignon Blancs from Hamel Family Wines and Stone Edge from the top of Cavedale Road. High quality but certainly not soft spoken.

EP13: The guys are back, this week discussing Sam’s recent bottling, the state of grapes in the field, great local wines they’ve discovered and more!

Sam’s on special assignment. John, Bart & Brian check out a Spanish ‘organic’ wine, but is it? Bart’s Chenin blanc is being blended. Is there a new trend in red blends? Would you drink wine from a can?

EP11: There’s a lot of action in the vineyards as crews trim the canopy correctly to ensure proper growing. Bart & Brian talk about the /natural/organic/synthetic faze; WHAT”S THE POINT? How about a 40oz. Rose’ or a can of wine. Yes on one for everyone and John rants ‘No to the canNot For Me!’

The Spanish are sending “Unacceptable” wine into France and the French strike back by attacking the trucks. SYNTHETIC WINE? NAH; No thanks. Just not wine to us. The process of growing fruit that is perfect and then spending the rest of the year actually making what you drink in your glass, is too much for us to think that synthetic wine is anything but the Velveeta of the “wine flavored drink”. The guys enjoy an older wine with no label, that once the cork is examined, turns out to be a ’55 Bordeaux Sauternes and are really happy it wasn’t worth $50,000.

The Equinox has passed and the grape fields are moving from Chaos to Order. How and why wine really gets its beautiful deep red color. Can you buy too much wine? The guys talk about their favorite distributors around the country so no matter where you live, you can get some of our favorites.

The guys kick around vineyard real-estate in Sonoma and Napa. Our listeners have more questions on Rose’ and we talk about blends, colors and styles from around the world. Tipping at tasting rooms, yes or no? Is the old tasting room model broken? Ever had a headache from sulfites? The guys kick discuss the Üllo Wine Purifier.

EP7: It’s Zin Day with The Wine Makers! We’re in mid-June are amazed at how well the fields are doing. Sam leads a discussion on the variety of growing areas within Sonoma Valley and all of Sonoma County. Learn why the fog helps the grapes and how. A couple of rainy days don’t seem to have a negative effect on the grapes due to wind and the balance of growing conditions and we discuss the price of grapes in Napa and hidden gem vineyards.

The guys kick around establishing great wine oriented relationships and what’s happening in the field. Bart details “bloom” and “set” as the fruit develops, John can’t figure out “dropping fruit” while Sam explains “Creating order from Chaos in the Field” and ultimately, why every bunch of grapes should hang with integrity, in dappled sunlight”.Bart explains exactly how you really make Rose’ and why it’s the new “Patio Pounder”.

As much of California’s grape crop is just starting “Blooom”, a very fragile state of developement, the guys focus on wine, The Dead and Sam’s trip to The Shoreline Ampitheatre. Brian focuses the group on all things “Natural” when it comes to wine. Brian details exactly what Can or Can’t be called a “Natural” wine. Most wine drinkers think that grapes are picked, squeezed and stored in a vat or barrel and that’s that. Learn what reality is these days.

The guys get in deep with Steve Law from MacLaren and his Syrah, his land, the fruit and his winemaking. They focus on Syrah and even kick around proper wine storage on a serious note. John tells us how to ruin cases of Silver Oak just by being stupid. Sam talks about wine tasting being a high-mileage sport…get out there and taste as much as you can, get bold and try new wines…find out what you really like. Learn the real definition of Debauchery and see if you want to implement it yourself.

LIVE from the MacLaren Tasting Lounge with owner/winemaker Steve Law, “Sonoma’s Own James Bond” and true Scotsman. They take a deep dive into what’s happening in the vineyards from bud break and bloom to creating the perfect organic bio-system…or as Sam says “creating order out of chaos”. Not only did we taste a beautiful Viognier and a Syrah from MacLaren. Steve talks about growing his 2016 crop and how great the fruit turned out. Brian and Sam brought a couple of great bottles along including Landmark Syrah. John rants on the whole concept of Two Buck Chuck. Don’t bring any of that over to his place for a party.

This week John, Bart and Brian kick around drinking wine in restaurants and getting away from sticker shock. “Wines DON’T have to cost a fortune to be fun and drinkable”. Brian rants on reasonably priced wines and how to get them with Spanish, Italian and other foreign wines. Learn how to do a “Parking Lot” wine tasting and end up with wine you love. The guys just kick around drinking and eating well anywhere you live or travel.

EP1 – Host John Myers introduces you to the Team: Sam Coturri of Winery Sixteen600, Bart Hansen from Dane Cellars and Brian Casey, local Sommelier at one of the very top restaurants in California.The guys kick around why and what they love about wine and its role in life for fun, entertainment and education. Live from Sonoma CA., they take you on a trip around the extensive grape varietals grown and the wines made in Sonoma while making their way through a big, beautiful Grenache Rose on a hot, sunny afternoon. And they have a hell of a lot of fun doing it for you.