The Vine Guy

Latest Episodes:

Champagne and sparkling wine recommendations for New Year’s Eve Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

In this special episode, Scott Greenberg, the Vine Guy, shares his personal recommendations for affordable and delicious Champagnes and Sparkling Wines to ring in the New Year.

Wines Reviewed Include:

Non-vintage Gervais Gobillard Brut Authentique Champagne

Non-vintage Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Non-vintage Montaudon Grande Rose Brut Champagne

2011 Bertrand-Delespierre Origines Croisees Champagne

Non-vintage La Tordera Prosecco Brunei Brut Italy

Non-vintage Jean-Marc Gilet Vouvray France

Non-vintage J Vineyards Cuvee 200 Brut California

Non-vintage Bagrationi 1882 Reserve Brut Georgia

Non-vintage Schramsberg Brut Rose California

Dynamic husband-wife duo’s passion project benefits Napa Valley’s first responders Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

Christi Coors Ficeli’s husband, Dave Ficeli, joins the podcast for this part-two interview where they discuss making micro-lot wines from a tiny rock-hard vineyard. Their extensive American oak barrel program is just one of the many nuanced changes that Dave and Christi have taken on with their passion project, C Elizabeth, honoring four generations of strong women. Best of all, some of the proceeds from the sale of this tiny production are going to first responders in the Napa Valley region. Drink in the heart-warming episode with the charitably minded Dave and Christi Ficeli.

Wines Tasted In This Episode:
2014 C. Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 C. Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon

Beer may be Christi Coors Ficeli’s middle name but wine is in her heart Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

Christi Coors Ficeli always thought she’d follow in her great great grandfather’s famous beer brewing shoes. As a descendent of Adolf Coors, she knew that beer flowed through her veins, but so too did her family’s entrepreneurial spirit. Christi’s first taste of the wine business came shortly after college working for Galo, where she learned the basics of production, distribution, promotion and sales in a family business environment. It was also where she met her future husband Dave Ficeli. Dave’s job took them to Napa Valley were they both fell in love with wine, food and the sense of family that is at the heart of Napa’s agricultural community. In 2012 Christi applied her entrepreneurial spirit when she purchased and revitalized Napa Valley’s Goosecross Cellars. Drink in part one of a two-part episode with the delightful Christi Coors Ficeli.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2016 Goosecross Cabernet Sauvignon Estate $80

2016 Goosecross Holly’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon $180

Talking turkey with Total Wine’s Cyrus Hazzard Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

Cyrus Hazzard is the senior director of Total Wine’s concierge sales department. Wait… what? Total Wine has concierge sales department? Yup, and Cyrus joins the Vine Guy podcast to talk about his career, Total Wine’s dedication to the high-end wine market, and most importantly, his wine picks for Thanksgiving. One of them just might surprise you. Drink in this episode with the oh-so-conversant Cyrus Hazzard.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2015 Au Pied du Mont Chauve St Aubin Charmois from Burgundy, France

2015 Amadieu Gigondas Pas de L’Aigle from Rhone Valley, France

Heidi von der Mehden has big barrels to fill at Merry Edwards Winery Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Merry Edwards is a pioneer in Sonoma County, and for the first time, she has chosen another winemaker to carry on her legacy. Heidi von der Mehden was a well-established winemaker who knew her way around Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay production, but she really wanted to make Pinot Noir. Now the head winemaker at Merry Edwards, Heidi has her wish fulfilled and her Pinot cup is overflowing! Drink in this delightful episode with the charming and talented Heidi von der Mehden.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 Merry Edwards Winery Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

2017 Merry Edwards Winery Meredith Vineyard Pinot Noir

2018 Merry Edwards Winery Sauvignon Blanc

Seven Deadly Zins was heaven sent says Michael David Winery co-owner David Phillips Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Michael David Winery has a long history in Lodi, California. The family has been farming the land since the 1860’s and growing wine grapes since the early 20th century. Founders, brothers Michael and David Phillips, are fifth generation grape growers who sold their wines at the family’s fruit stands… until their Seven Deadly Zins exploded onto the market and moved them from roadside sales to a national brand and now a household name. David Phillips joins the Vine Guy podcast to share their remarkable story and the wild ride of Michael~David wines.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2018 Michael David Freakshow Zinfandel

2017 Michael David Inkblot Cabernet Franc

Pairing Halloween candy and wine? It’s not scary with the Vine Guy as your guide Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

With fewer trick-or-treaters knocking on doors, it’s quite possible that you could very well be left holding you own bag… of candy this year. Don’t let the stockpile of sugary sweetness languish in your plastic pumpkin on the counter all by itself. In this episode, Scott Greenberg, AKA The Vine Guy, shares his annual picks for pairing Halloween candy favorites with wine. Trust me, this is no trick, but a genuine treat that you’ll have fun experimenting with long after the doorbell stops ringing.

Wines Tasted In This Episode:

1996 Broadbent Colheita Madeira

2017 Hirsch “San Andreas Fault” Pinot Noir

2016 Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Red Label

2017 Michael David Six Sense Syrah

Non-vintage Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne

Alvear “1927” Pedro Ximenez Solera Sherry

2016 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz

2016 Fonseca Vintage Port

Mendocino County wines are on the 'rise,' thanks in large part to Bernadette Byrne Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Mendocino County, located on the coast of northern California, approximately equidistant from the San Francisco Bay Area and the California/Oregon border, was originally coined “the emerald triangle.” Today, thanks to Bernadette Byrne, the executive director of the Mendocino Winegrowers Association, Mendocino is now known for producing quality wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, and more. The region is diverse, the family farmed vineyards are quaint, and the wines fly free (on participating airlines). Come visit Mendocino County through Bernadette’s interview on this episode of The Vine Guy.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2019 McNab Ridge Winery Grenache Rose, Mendocino

2013 Goldeneye Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

History of wine in the White House with Washington Post CEO and publisher Frederick Ryan, Jr. Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Fred Ryan, Jr has been an aficionado of both wine and White House history for most of his life, and in his new book, Wine and the White House, A History, Ryan takes the reader on a journey through history to reveal just how influential wine has been in diplomacy and social entertaining since the founding of our country. The book is richly illustrated and peppered with fascinating anecdotes from each administration. Drink in the entertaining episode with the incredibly charming Fred Ryan.

Wines tasted in the episode:

2016 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, North Coast, California

1994 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Singer Josh Groban and winemaker Ross Halleck team up to find your light Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Ross Halleck is a lover of all things Pinot Noir and so, it turns out, is singer Josh Groban. Several years ago, Josh reached out to Ross and asked him to team up to make a very special blend for a very special project. In addition to Pinot, Ross also makes a wine that usually does not get a lot of attention in California; Gewürztraminer. Drink in the episode with Halleck Vineyard’s Ross Halleck.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2019 Halleck Vineyard “Calendrelli” Gewürztraminer

2017 Halleck Vineyard “Three Sons” Cuvee Pinot Noir

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