Wine Talks with Paul K.

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Whitehall Lane is a staple in the Napa Valley wine scene. Hear from the Leonardini brother/sister act. Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

One thing about this episode, you get the straight scoop.

Wine is about history. It is about the story. All to often in many of life's endeavors, we forget the story, we forget the history. That is the reason history repeats itself.

In Europe, a winery being run by the 5th or 7th or even 10th generation is not unheard of; it is what makes the wine industry so unique. California could never catch up, but there are legacies being formed from the original families who sought a life of the vine.

Though the Leanardini family has only been at for 30 years (actually quite long for Napa), they are grooming their 3rd generation to take on the caretaking of the vines.

Tom and Katie invited WIne Talks to the winery to hear about this lineage and more as we sat. Hear about their board meeting or their opinion of what the nouveaux group has to offer the Napa Valley scene.

He has made wine all over the world and has settled at Stags Leap in the Napa Valley. Meet Ludovic Dervin. Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Ludovic Devrin was born in Champagne...so the question has to be asked...why did you land in the Napa Valley. Seems the romance of the famed bubbly beverage would keep pon close to home but Ludovic wanted to see the world. Though he did get his degree at the University of Reins (in the Champagne region) he has made wine in France, South Africa, Greece, and now California. His curiosity to explore the New World versus Old World winemaking techniques and philosophies, groomed him perfectly to coax out of the soil some of the great wines of Stags Leap Winery.

The smallest appellation in Napa can create some of the biggest wines and it is Ludo's (that's what they call him around the vineyard) job to keep the sense of place in tact as he carves the brand recognition of this famed winery.

Have a listen to Ludovic Dervin.

Modeling, hospitality then winemaking. Meet talented Stephanie Cook Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

Wine Talks believes in the story of wine. There is a colloquialism in the wine trade "Every bottle tells a story" which on the surface is correct....but sometime seems too trite.

What is in the bottle is not just an expression of terroir (soil, weather, environment) but also an an expression of the accumulation of the winemkars experiences, passions, lifestyle and what he or she thinks the proper melange of all these elements should be.

Stephanie learned this the hard way (but the proper way). The school of hard knocks is just that...take you lumps, learn from the expereince and move to the next adventure and she has had plenty.

Have a listen to her trek to the wine industry and her experiences on the inside.

Meet Stepahine Cool.

She is preparing the wine industry for what is coming. Change. Meet Priscilla Hennekam. Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

The wine industry is wrought with tradition. It certainly can be said that this industry at its core, is not much different than it was 100 years ago. Certainly technology has helped in all aspects; vineyard, biology, processing, equipment, chemistry and more, but the fundamental premise is the same. Make good wine, find buyers to drink it, make some profit, put the profit into next years vintage.

Some more recent changes in marketing include email, social, video, audio, affiliate and Direct to the Consumer marketing....but again, these are periphery changes to the fundamental product and its distribution.

But then there was Priscilla Hennekam. A Brazillian born wine promotor who has landed in Adelaide, Australia and is shaking the tree of traditionalism in the wine trade. Her mission statement is simple: "to prepare the wine industry for what is coming, the future of innovations.

We arrived at a rather frank talk about what this means and how to prepare for the future.

Meet Priscilla Hemmekam.

Hear her path as a woman to become the Senior Vice President of a public wine company. Meet Tracey Mason. Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

This is the most honest conversation to occur on Wine Talks. Tracy is unabashed at exploring her lifestyle and her path to be an executive with a public wine company.

This was such a refreshing interview that we left the door open to regroup down the road as the landscape in the wine sector shifts towards an inclusionary perspective. The wine sector has been dominated by males both in ancient and modern times. Certainly patriarchal societies such as the Italian and French lent themselves to the new world of wine; North and South America, Australia, and more but inroads are being made to level the playing field for women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.

You will be taken by Tracey's knowledge of not only wine but business and life. Her perspective on life is shaped by not only her gender but also being a mother to a daughter of color and a Guatemalan son. I think you will find her personality intriguing and insightful.

Have a listen to Tracey Mason, Senior Vice President of Vintage Wine Estates.

New ideas are needed. Meet Open Container Founder Haik Khachatryan Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

The wine industry is controlled. In fact, of all the US industries that have too many levels of bureaucracy, alcohol is in the top two. And because of this, entrepreneurial ideas are usually short-lived and ill- fated.

Along comes Haik Khachatryan and his vision of a company named Open Container. Not that the name flies in the face of the rules, but the concept neatly ties up some loose ends in the industry.

Hear how a dilapidated sea-going 20' container abandoned on a highway in Armenia, inspired Haik to embark on a crazy journey into the US wine market.

Wine Talks was pleased to have Haik in the studio to tell us of his journey and what to expect next from Open Container.

We just lost one of the greats. Dennis Overstreet, the Beverly Hills Wine Merchant Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

When wine was barely a conversation in the United States, when there was no internet, cell phones or cable...there was Dennis Overstreet. When The French Laundry was just an idea brought to him by Thomas Keller, Dennis was there to help make it happen. When the Judgement of Paris pitted California wine against the French counterparts, Dennis carried the wines in his store.

Wine Talks visited with Dennis two years ago at his wine shop in Beverly HIlls and we had a blast.

Listen to the legend....and listen to who sat at the very table as we did during this podcast.

Her humility and disposition is critical in the wine business. Meet Valentine Hostens Picant Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

She was a lawyer, but the family wine business became her disrupter.

Once in awhile someone takes their position in the studio and starts the conversation and they completely captivate the show. Soft-spoken but convicted to her and her families cause, she is articulate in her position in the wine world.

Often a guest from Europe has some self-doubts about their english skills and if they will be able to be successful in telling their story. And sometimes it isn't the grammar and the vocabulary the prevails, it is the humility and the sincerity that is endearing.

Such is the case with Valentine. Her charm and farm-girl humility show throughout the conversation and she was entirely successful in communicating her position in life.

Have a listen to Valentine Hostens Picant.

She has done just about everything in wine. But her story of Lafite is crazy. Meet Antonia Quast. Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

The WIne Talks podcast seeks interesting stories in the wine trade. There are so many facets to the industry and the public only sees a small percentage...or hears the stories of a small percentage of the interesting histories that this ancient beverage brings.

Antonia Quast is one of those stories. Having had so many touch points in the wine trade, she brings to the proverbial podcast table a plethora of interesting points-of-view.

She has one particular story of a visit to Lafite Rothschild and the wine royalty sitting at her table.

You will have to listen to grasp the enormity of the event.

It takes experience to grow in the wine trade. Chris Phelps has it. Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Wine Talks seeks to find the individuals who can tell a story, who have a story to tell and whose passion shines through. Chris and his son Josh are Napa Valley mainstays and just opened a tasting room in down town Saint Helena.

We got right into the meat of the passion it takes to make wine. The discipline to stick at it, the courage to travel and jump on at some of the best Chateau in the wine world. And Chris Phelps has done just that. With encouragement from his better half, Chris has found himself negotiating for a position at the famed Dominus in Napa over a glass of Dom in a Parisian office (no, this isn't a movie, it is a podcast). Hear the details here.

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