Stay ConnectedMeet winemaking’s biggest stars in each episode of Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk podcast with host James Molesworth. Plus, our editors cover the latest news, trends and upcoming events, and we might even get a visit from Dr. Vinny … Pop a bottle and join us!
Having trouble receiving episodes? Please search for Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk and follow or subscribe again to stay up-to-date.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Copyright: © 2024 Wine Spectator's Straight Talk
Wine is always changing, and few people are thinking about that evolution more deeply than Sashi Moorman, the winemaker behind Domaine de la Côte in Santa Barbara County.
This episode of Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk features host James Molesworth in conversation with Moorman about his path from cooking to winemaking, the development of Domaine de la Côte and how his thinking about making Pinot Noir has developed over nearly 20 years. He also talks about terroir, climate change and his belief that the wine world needs to embrace new regions, new styles and even new maps.
“Wines become popular, they become unpopular. That's just the nature of wine. All those books that you see on the shelf, you can basically throw them in the trash can. They just don't mean anything anymore. So we need new books and we probably need new maps. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that's actually quite exciting,” says Moorman.
Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank also joins Molesworth to discuss his profile of the Rochioli family in the September issue. Tom Rochioli reflects on three generations of grape growing in the Russian River Valley, his father’s early decision to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, his own return to farming and his children’s involvement in the next generation of the family business.
The episode also includes a remembrance of David Hirsch, founder of Hirsch Vineyards, who helped establish the Sonoma Coast as a significant region for Pinot Noir.
And don’t forget, there’s always more free content at WineSpectator.com.
Links & Resources
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Guests: Sashi Moorman, Tom Rochioli and Mitch Frank
Head Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Assistant Producer: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Very few chefs have shaped Napa Valley dining quite like Cindy Pawlcyn. Over a career spanning more than four decades, the chef and restaurateur behind Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and numerous other Bay Area restaurants has helped define what wine country cuisine is today.
Pawlcyn joins Wine Spectator Napa Bureau Chief MaryAnn Worobiec to discuss her Midwestern upbringing, launching a catering business at age 13, learning the restaurant business in Chicago and eventually helping put Napa Valley dining on the culinary map. She shares the origins of iconic dishes like Mustards’ Mongolian pork chop, paper-thin onion rings and towering lemon-lime tart.
“I wanted a place you can come in in jeans and a T-shirt,” says Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill. “A lot of guys come in with their sample bottles of wine you know and they’re tasting things. I just wanted a place, like a neighborhood joint…we needed something with a burger or a really nice dinner for a celebration.”
Host James Molesworth also talks with Wine Spectator’s senior editor for news, Mitch Frank, to take a closer look at Napa tourism, how wineries are evolving the tasting room experience and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.
And don’t forget, there’s always more free content at WineSpectator.com.
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Guests: Cindy Pawlcyn, Mitch Frank, MaryAnn Worobiec
Head Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Assistant Producer: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Napa Valley-based winemaker Sam Kaplan might just be having a moment these days as his Memento Mori, Vida Valiente, Arkenstone and Maxem projects are enjoying notable success despite the wine world’s current headwinds. And that’s not all he’s up to.
Kaplan joined host James Molesworth in Wine Spectator's Napa studio to talk about his path to wine, including a childhood spent with some grapevines planted on the red clay of Oklahoma, his mentorship under Pine Ridge’s Gary Andrus and his multiple current day head winemaker roles.
“From day one, I’ve made wine the way, that you know, I think wine is best, and the way I like to drink it,” says Kaplan.
Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank also joins Molesworth, for a look at the major headlines in the wine world’s first quarter of 2026.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Guest: Sam Kaplan
Head Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Assistant producer: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Drops of God, the Apple TV series about a quest to identify some of the world’s rarest wines, won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series this past year, and season 2 debuts Jan. 21. One of the show’s biggest stars, French actress Fleur Geffrier, joined host James Molesworth in Wine Spectator's New York studio to talk about the show and how it has impacted her personal relationship with wine, as well as the upcoming season. (And we promise, no spoilers!)
"Wine is earth, sky and man—it’s our entire world," says Geffrier. "It’s part of our identity as humans."
Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank also joins us, for a look back at the biggest wine industry stories of 2025 and a look ahead, all on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• Read more about Apple TV's Drops of God
• Learn more about the Drops of God manga series
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Guest: Fleur Geffrier
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's time to count down Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2025! And we're talking to the man behind our 2025 Wine of the Year—both before and after he heard the big news.
Join host James Molesworth and director Rob Taylor as they reveal the most exciting wines of 2025, and then Château Giscoirs' Alexander Van Beek joins the program to talk about his life in wine, and then tell us what it was like to find out his decades of hard work have been rewarded with our highest honor.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year for 2025
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producers: Gabriela Saldivia
Guest: Alexander Van Beek
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Few California wineries can match Opus One for global prestige. A famous partnership between Napa's Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux's Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the winery is still making elite Cabernets long after its founders' passing, thanks in large part to one man whose name you might not know: Michael Silacci.
Silacci has guided Opus One for more than two decades, and his résumé lists a Who's Who of winemaking legends, from André Tchelistcheff to Warren Winiarski to Denis Dubourdieu. He joined host James Molesworth in our Napa studio to talk about his life in wine on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• Wine Spectator's Nov. 15 cover Story: Composing Opus One
• 2025 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience Tickets & Info
• James Molesworth's Notes on Tasting: Opus One's Old World Approach
• Opus One Wine Scores and Tasting Notes
• Meghan Zobeck Joins Opus One
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Guest: Michael Silacci
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
He's the man behind some of the most prestigious names in wine, including Bordeaux's Pichon Baron and Portugal's Quinta do Noval, and now AXA Millésimes managing director Christian Seely is behind the mic on the newest episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast.
"People do not drink Château Pichon because they're trying to get the alcohol content," Seely tells Straight Talk host James Molesworth. "There are a lot cheaper ways of doing that. They drink these wines because they love them. And we have to make sure that the wines we are making give people something to discover, so that magical moment really means something."
Seely also shares memories of growing up with his wine writer father, the bottle they shared that sparked Seely's passion, and many more highlights—and insights—from his long and accomplished career in wine.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• 2025 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience Tickets & Info
• Read more about Christian Seely
• Read more about Platt Vineyard
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Guest: Christian Seely
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Occidental winemaker Catherine Kistler grew up with an in-house wine legend: California Chardonnay icon, and also her dad, Steve. But Catherine came home to make Pinot Noir in 2017, and they landed at No. 2 on Wine Spectator’s 2023 Top 10 Wines of the Year.
“In California we’re always self-conscious of being young compared to the Old World,” she tells host James Molesworth. “And to have the opportunity to work with 25-year-old vines now, I’m absolutely excited about it. Are we seeing changes as the vineyard matures? Of course, the answer is ‘Yes.’”.
Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank joins the program as well, for a chat about the latest wine and health news, what proposed tariffs on wine could mean for consumers, and more.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• 2025 Wine Spectator Grand Tour Tickets & Info
• Occidental: Steve Kistler's Final Frontier
• Opinion: Surgeon General Opts for Simple Slogans Over Solid Science
• Wine Caught in Trade War Crossfire
• Wine Spectator's James Laube: 1951–2025
• Health News: Wine Does Not Raise Risks for Healthy Older Adults
• California Pinot Noir Tasting Report
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Guests: Catherine Kistler, Mitch Frank
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's our season 2 finale and we're counting down Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2024!
But before James reveals this year's 10 most exciting wines, including Wine Spectator's 2024 Wine of the Year, we're taking a look at the economic state of the U.S. wine market with longtime industry insider Rocco Lombardo, president of Wilson Daniels, and our very own senior editor for news Mitch Frank.
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year for 2024
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producers: Gabriela Saldivia, Sam Popkin
Guests: Rocco Lombardo, Mitch Frank
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Napa Valley is in the thick of harvest 2024, the busiest time of year in wine country, and Napa Cabernet superstar Thomas Rivers Brown took a break to tell us about the realities of harvest season—hope you like cleaning!—as well as his “Ziploc baggy mini-maceration method” for deciding when a vineyard is ready to be picked.
Plus, Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny joins the program for a “sweet” harvest vocab check!
And don't forget, there's always more free content at WineSpectator.com!
• 2024 New York Wine Experience Tickets and Info
• Thomas Rivers Brown's Midas Touch
• 2022 Wine of the Year: 2019 Schrader Cellars Double Diamond Cabernet
• The Christian Moueix Interview with Marvin R. Shanken
• Wine Spectator's Nov. 15, 2024, issue
• Sign up for Wine Spectator's free email newsletters
A podcast from Wine Spectator
Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher
Host: James Molesworth
Director: Robert Taylor
Producer: Gabriela Saldivia
Guests: Thomas Rivers Brown, MaryAnn Worobiec
Assistant producer, Napa: Elizabeth Redmayne-Titley
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
