Vint Wine Podcast

Cork Supply founder & CEO Jochen Michalski joins Billy Galanko to unpack 40+ years of cork innovation, how the industry tackled TCA (cork taint), why oxygen transmission matters, and when to choose natural, technical, synthetic, or screwcap. Jochen explains Legacy (Cork Supply’s premium natural cork) and its X100 imaging, AI-assisted electromagnetic scanning that screens individual corks for TCA and internal structural risks to reduce bottle-to-bottle variation. We also dig into manufacturing, QC, climate impacts on cork forests, and why consumers still equate cork with quality.What you’ll learnHow TCA went from industry crisis to near-zero—and what “1 ppt” really means.Natural vs. technical corks: ideal use-cases and aging implications.Why oxygen control is central to wine development and consistency.How X100 imaging + sensory panels power Legacy’s screening.How bottle neck shapes, cork length, and bottling lines affect sealing.Forestry, climate, and the future of sustainable cork.Timestamps (Optimized)00:00 Welcome to the Vint Wine Podcast00:23 Introducing Jochen Michalski and Cork Supply05:31 Jochen’s Early Life and Career07:43 Starting Cork Supply in California13:28 Challenges and Successes in the Cork Industry25:02 Innovations and the Future of Cork26:54 Screening Corks for TCA27:40 Sensory Analysis vs. Technology29:13 Electromagnetic Imaging and AI32:18 Legacy Cork and Market Trends34:21 Technical Corks and Market Shifts38:21 Impact of Climate Change on Cork Forests40:01 Innovations in Cork Harvesting41:15 Global Market Dynamics43:10 Consumer Perception and Cork Quality49:03 Future Prospects and New MarketsThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this episode of Five Questions, Billy sits down with Jochen Michalski, Founder and CEO of Cork Supply, one of the world’s leading suppliers of premium natural corks, barrels, and closures to wineries around the globe.From founding the company in California in 1981 to expanding across Europe, Australia, and South Africa, Jochen shares insights from over four decades at the intersection of craftsmanship, sustainability, and innovation. He discusses the future of cork, the challenge of declining wine consumption, and why he believes de-alcoholized wines miss the mark, plus, a memorable (and very expensive) wine experience in the Maldives.🔑 Episode HighlightsThe founding and global growth of Cork SupplySustainability and the remarkable life cycle of natural corkThe biggest issue facing the wine industry today: consumptionWhy Jochen isn’t convinced by de-alcoholized winesA surprising $2,500 wine story from the Maldives⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Introduction to Vint Wine Podcast00:19 — Welcome to Five Questions00:44 — Interview with Jochen Michalski Begins00:52 — Jochen’s Role in the Wine Industry02:08 — Biggest Issue Facing the Wine World03:15 — The Truth About Natural Corks04:38 — Dislike for De-Alcoholized Wines05:53 — A Memorable Wine Experience08:20 — Conclusion and ThanksThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

Renowned Champagne expert Peter Liem returns to the Vint Wine Podcast for a deep dive into the evolution of Champagne, its changing climate, the role of dosage and lees aging, and what defines true quality today. Peter shares decades of insight from living and tasting in Champagne, exploring how styles, vintages, and viticulture have evolved in real time. Along the way, he also offers a glimpse into La Fête du Champagne 2025, the US-based celebration of the world’s finest Champagne producers.Episode HighlightsWhat makes La Fête du Champagne unique: invitation-only lineup curated across top houses and growers, plus seminars, focused lunches/dinners, and a grand tastingDosage decoded: how great wines are properly dosed (like seasoning), not under- or over-dosed2018 as inflection point: ripeness, acidity, and lees time in a warming climate; why some wines may need shorter sur-lie but still benefit from post-disgorgement agingRecent vintages: strengths of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019; how consistency has improved and “bad vintages” are rarerAged picks: why 2002 (well-stored), 2004, and 2008 still thrill; storage mattersLa Fete's Education + conviviality: how tastings, verticals, and producer-led sessions raise the conversation beyond “Champagne 101”The point isn’t grower vs. house, it's quality and terroir expressionResources & LinksPeter’s site: www.champagneguide.net/La Fête du Champagne: lafeteduchampagne.comChicago: October 17–18New York City: October 22–25Los Angeles: November 13–15Timestamps00:00 Welcome to the Vint Wine Podcast00:23 Introducing Champagne Expert Peter Liem00:49 Peter’s Background and Work in Champagne01:19 La Fête du Champagne Overview and Concept02:23 Upcoming 2025 Events in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles04:08 How Champagne Has Evolved Over the Past Two Decades09:41 Understanding Dosage and Balance in Champagne16:41 The Origins and Growth of La Fête du Champagne22:42 How La Fête Celebrates Both Houses and Growers23:16 Expanding to New York and Los Angeles in 202524:31 Highlights and Tastings at the New York Event25:38 Key Producers and Dinners at the Los Angeles Edition26:31 Educational Seminars and “Soil to Sip” Workshops28:14 Rising Curiosity and Knowledge Among Champagne Drinkers33:25 How Climate Change Is Reshaping Champagne’s Style41:55 Recent and Aged Vintages to Seek Out NowFollow & SupportIf you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe, rate, and share with your Champagne-loving friends.The Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this episode of Five Questions, Billy speaks with Peter Liem, James Beard Award-winning writer and one of the world’s foremost Champagne experts. Peter discusses how climate change is reshaping the region, the rise of new subregions, his balanced take on natural wine, and even shares details from a remarkable deep-sea dive to recover 19th-century Champagne.Episode highlights:• The biggest issue facing the wine world today• How warming temperatures are changing Champagne• Emerging subregions to watch beyond the Côte des Bar• Peter’s honest perspective on natural wine and craftsmanship• Standout vintages from 2002 to 2019• Diving in the Baltic Sea to recover historic Champagne• Inside look at La Fête du Champagne 2025 in Chicago, NYC, and LATimestamps:00:00 Introduction to Vent Wine Podcast00:19 Welcome to Five Questions00:44 Meet Peter Liem00:51 Peter's Role in the Wine Industry01:08 Challenges in the Wine World01:53 Subregions in Champagne02:43 Wine Trends and Opinions03:42 Memorable Vintages04:30 Bonus Questions05:38 Special Champagne Events06:25 ConclusionThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

Winemaker Alban Debeaulieu of Abbott Claim joins Billy to share how a historic 1855 Oregon land claim became one of the Willamette Valley’s most distinctive estates. Alban details his path from France’s Rhône Valley and Burgundy to Oregon, the marine-sandstone soils of Yamhill-Carlton, and how his team farms organically and ages wines 18 months on gross lees for depth and longevity.He explains his low-intervention philosophy, whole-cluster choices, and why Oregon deserves its own identity apart from Burgundy. The episode also explores Oregon Chardonnay’s rise and the vintage challenges shaping the region today.Key Topics• Origins of Abbott Claim and its 1855 land deed• Yamhill-Carlton marine-sandstone terroir• Organic and biodynamic-inspired farming• Gross-lees aging and its impact on texture• Whole-cluster fermentation philosophy• Oregon Chardonnay and regional evolutionTimestamps00:00 Introduction to the Vint Wine Podcast00:23 Meet Alban W: Winemaker from Willamette Valley01:07 The Story of Abbott Claim Vineyard06:35 Alban’s Journey in the Wine Industry11:50 Exploring the Unique Terroir of Abbott Claim29:57 Challenges of Erosion and Soil Management30:35 Viticulture Practices and Whole Cluster Usage33:50 Oregon Growing Season and Climate Impact37:03 Organic and Biodynamic Farming Techniques46:11 Oregon Chardonnay and Winemaking PhilosophyThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this episode, host Billy Galanko talks with Alban Debeaulieu, head winemaker at Abbott Claim, about crafting site-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs. Alban shares how his Burgundian training informs his approach to expressing terroir, why 2019 and 2024 stand out as benchmark vintages, and what early signs suggest about the 2025 growing season. He also previews new high-elevation plantings and multi-clone field blends at Lily Springs, designed to deepen the estate’s expression of place, and invites listeners to experience the cellar-side tastings that define Abbott Claim’s understated authenticity.Key TopicsThe terroir and vineyard history of Abbott Claim in Yamhill-CarltonExpansion to Eola-Amity Hills and the Lily Springs projectHow Burgundian philosophy shapes Oregon winemakingWhy 2019 and 2024 are standout Oregon vintagesEarly outlook on the 2025 growing seasonHigh-elevation, multi-clone Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plantingsVisiting Abbott Claim: tastings by appointment in the cellarChapters:00:00 Introduction to Vent Wine Podcast00:19 Welcome to Five Questions00:44 Meet Ban Dibel of Abbott Claim00:55 Abbott Claim Vineyards and Varieties01:19 Unique Wines of Abbott Claim02:07 Inspiration from Other Wine Regions02:39 Memorable Vintages03:31 2025 Growing Season Insights04:47 Future Plans for Abbott Claim05:55 Visiting Abbott Claim06:24 ConclusionThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, host Billy Galanko sits down with Brenna Quigley, geologist and terroir specialist, to explore how what lies beneath the vines shapes what’s in your glass.Brenna shares her path from UC Santa Barbara to working with mentors like Raj Parr and Seth Kunin, and with producers such as Quintessa, Flowers, and Hirsch. She explains how geology helps wineries understand vineyard character, canopy choices, and grape health. Together they discuss what terroir really means, the ongoing debate around “minerality,” and how soil chemistry, pH, and rock type, from limestone to volcanic, affect the style and texture of wine.Key Topics:• How geology shapes terroir, vine health, and flavor across regions• Minerality vs. salinity and why these terms are often misunderstood• Limestone, clay, granite, and volcanic soils and their impact on wine structure and acidity• Vineyard mapping, soil pits, and auger cores in guiding farming and blending decisionsChapters:00:00 Introduction to the Vent Wine Podcast00:23 Meet Brenna Quigley: Geologist and Terroir Specialist04:12 Starting the Interview with Brenna Quigley04:45 Brenna's Early Career and Experiences13:13 Current Vineyard Projects and Techniques27:29 Comparing Limestone and Diatomaceous Earth28:10 Geologic Analogies and Misconceptions28:39 Differences Between Chalk and Limestone33:31 Understanding Minerality in Wine37:32 Volcanic Wines and Minerality40:02 Adapting Vineyards to Soil Types44:21 Geologic Mapping in Monterey County45:56 Soil Differences in Wine Regions48:59 Exciting Vineyard Projects and PodcastThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this episode of Five Questions, host Billy Galanko sits down with Brenna Quigley, terroir specialist and host of Roadside Terroir. Brenna brings a unique perspective to the wine world, mapping vineyards through geology, soils, and climate, and connecting those details to the deeper story of wine. In this conversation, she shares her thoughts on farming, natural wine, overlooked California regions, and a personal story that brought her back to the heart of why wine matters.Key Topics:Brenna’s role as a terroir specialist and her work with Roadside TerroirWhy farming is the most important issue facing the wine world todayThe untapped potential of Monterey County and San Luis Obispo’s Slow CoastThoughts on natural wine and holding quality to a high standardA powerful wine moment after becoming a mother—and the bottle that reconnected her to wineTimestamps:00:00 – Introduction to Vent Wine Podcast00:19 – Welcome to Five Questions00:44 – Meet Brenna Quigley00:52 – Role in the Wine Industry01:17 – Most Important Issue in Wine02:12 – Underrated Wine Regions02:50 – Disliked Wine Trends03:33 – Memorable Wine Experience05:21 – ConclusionThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

Napa Valley icon Tor Kenward joins host Billy for a wide ranging conversation spanning five decades of wine, food, and culture in the Valley. Tor traces his journey from a 1970s arrival when Napa had fewer than 50 wineries through the post Judgment of Paris boom, his culinary collaborations with Julia Child, Thomas Keller, and the American Institute of Wine & Food, the founding of the School for American Chefs with Madeleine Kamman, and the creation of TOR Wines, a Burgundy minded, single vineyard model sourcing elite blocks from sites like To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, Martha’s Vineyard, Melanson Pritchard Hill, Hyde, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, and more. We also dig into Tor’s updated book, Reflections of a Vintner: Stories and Seasonal Wisdom from a Lifetime in Napa Valley with forewords by Robert Parker and Thomas Keller and an afterword by Karen MacNeil, plus candid takes on climate, pricing, and Napa’s fifth season, the future.Key Topics & Takeaways1970s Napa, up close: fewer than 50 wineries, campgrounds over hotels, and meeting legends like André Tchelistcheff and Joe HeitzJudgment of Paris impact: how one blind tasting accelerated Napa’s global credibility and tourismCulinary engine of Napa: Julia Child, AIWF, Copia, and launching the School for American Chefs with Madeleine KammanFrench Laundry era: early friendship with Thomas Keller; hospitality lessons borrowed from Europe and made Napa specificBuilding TOR Wines: why Tor chose a single vineyard Burgundy mindset over a Bordeaux style estate modelVineyard character, not just variety: how To Kalon vs Pritchard Hill vs Vine Hill Ranch show dramatic Cabernet diversityContracts and farming voice: leasing elite blocks, co deciding canopy, crop load, and timing with family growersThe book’s format: a vintage year told month by month January to December plus Déjà Vu, the future of NapaHeadwinds and hope: consumption shifts, fire seasons, pricing ceilings, and why recent cool vintages can be outstandingPrice tiers that make sense: maturing region dynamics, icon wines can command premiums while broader tiers stabilizeLinks & ResourcesReflections of a Vintner: Stories and Seasonal Wisdom from a Lifetime in Napa Valley updated editionLink: https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Vintner-Tor-Kenward-ebook/dp/B0F37B1GMKChapters00:00 Introduction to the Vent Wine Podcast00:23 Meet Napa Valley Legend Tor Kenward03:04 The Impact of the Judgment of Paris05:21 Founding Tor Wines and Napa's Evolution07:48 Reflections on Napa's Culinary and Wine Scene18:26 The Transition from Sweet to Dry Wines23:02 Napa's Hospitality Revolution26:48 Starting Tour Wines: A Family-Owned Venture27:39 Focusing on Single Vineyards: A Burgundy Approach29:49 Leasing Vineyard Blocks: Building Relationships30:55 Production Numbers and Collaborations31:44 The Unique Characteristics of Napa Valley Wines36:28 Writing the Book: Honoring Napa Valley's Legacy42:59 Climate Change and Napa Valley's Future46:32 The Premiumization of Napa Wines50:10 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!

In this of episode of Five Questions, Tor Kenward of Tor Wines reflects on nearly 50 years in Napa Valley. From Oakville’s Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Vine Hill Ranch to Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Tor shares his philosophy on single-vineyard Cabernet, the vintages that have defined his career, and the global producers who continue to inspire his palate.For those who live and breathe wine, this conversation offers a concise yet insightful look at one of Napa’s great interpreters of terroir, and his vision for the region’s future.Key Topics:Working with Napa’s benchmark vineyards: Dr. Crane, Vine Hill Ranch, Melanson, HydeWhy single-vineyard Cabernet and Cabernet Franc remain the core of Tor WinesInspirations from Bordeaux, the Northern Rhône, and the Amalfi CoastStandout vintages from 1977 to 2024, both celebrated and overlookedNapa’s future: viticulture, community, and resisting urbanizationChapters00:00 Introduction to Vint Wine Podcast00:24 Welcome to Five Questions00:49 Meet Tor Kenward00:55 Vineyard Locations and Varieties01:42 Introducing Tor Wines02:20 Inspirations Beyond Napa03:09 Memorable Vintages04:55 Looking Ahead for Tor and Napa Valley05:43 Conclusion and ThanksDiscover more of Tor's story in the newly updated version of his book: Reflections of a Vintner: Stories and Seasonal Wisdom from a Lifetime in Napa ValleyLink here:https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Vintner-Tor-Kenward-ebook/dp/B0F37B1GMKThe Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com. Cheers!