GuildSomm Podcast

In this episode, we continue our Emerging Wine Regions series and explore several states producing wines off the beaten path in the United States. First, Chris Tanghe interviews Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon about the wines produced across Michigan. Madeline is famously the first American woman to pass the Master Sommelier exam, and has witnessed the Michigan wine industry develop since she began her career in the 1970s in Detroit. Then, Chris speaks with Jessica Dupuy, wine journalist and author of The Wines of Southwest U.S.A., about the exciting and unexpected wines being grown in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.  Blind tasting guest Paula de Pano reveals the wine she and Emily Nixon tasted on the Rum podcast episode. Stay tuned for another blind tasting feature in a bonus episode coming soon.  To learn more about becoming a GuildSomm member, visit us at https://www.guildsomm.com/about_us/member-benefits.

In this episode, Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe explores the vast world of rum. First, he interviews Shawn Martin, Distillery Manager of Papa's Pilar Rum in Key West, who discusses the production methods used to make myriad styles of rum. Then, Chris speaks with Ian Burrell, the Global Rum Ambassador, about rum's origins in the Caribbean, how the colonial power of the Royal Navy informs the legacy of rum, and how the category continues to evolve, and more. This month’s blind tasting segment with Emily Nixon features Paula de Pano, proprietor of forthcoming wine shop Rocks + Acid in Chapel Hill. Can you identify the grape and region purely based on Paula's tasting note? Additionally, Kelly Coggins reveals the wine he presented in the Emerging Regions: Vermont & The Finger Lakes episode.  To celebrate the new year, GuildSomm is offering a membership discount to all first-time GuildSomm members. While we work hard to always keep GuildSomm membership affordable at $100, first-time members can now sign up for one year of GuildSomm membership for $79 using the partner code NEWYEAR79. Register for a year of membership here: https://www.guildsomm.com/new-member-join. This offer is valid through February 28, 2021 for all listeners who have never previously had a GuildSomm membership. GuildSomm members have access to all of GuildSomm’s educational content, including e-learning courses, study guides, review quizzes, our compendium of wine law, wine seminars, and more. 

In this episode, we explore two wine regions in the northeastern United States. While Vermont and northern New York State are both located in the extremes of viticultural viability, both regions have emerged as hubs of quality wine production. GuildSomm's Chris Tanghe interviews Master Sommelier David Keck about his winemaking venture in northwestern Vermont and then speaks with Meaghan Frank about her family's multi-generational winemaking legacy at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in New York's Finger Lakes.   This month’s blind tasting segment with Emily Nixon features Kelly Coggins. Can you determine the wine purely based on Kelly's description? Additionally, Thatcher Baker-Briggs reveals the wine he presented in last month’s Rosé & Orange Wines episode.

In light of Becky Wasserman’s passing last month, we are rereleasing this 2019 conversation Becky had with our staff writer, Bryce Wiatrak. Becky had a profound impact on the careers, palates, and personal lives of wine professionals across the globe. She will be remembered as a champion of the underdog and a pioneer who opened wine industry doors for small producers, for women, and for Burgundy. At the end of the episode, Bryce will share some thoughts about the impact Becky’s friendship had on his life, including his memories of the first time they met.

Master of Wine Elizabeth Gabay discusses rosé wine production methods, its color's influence on purchasing decisions, and emerging rosé-producing regions. Mitja Sirk shares his expertise in making macerated wines in northern Italy. They explore the impact of climate change on rosé production and the use of skin contact in white wine fermentation. The speakers challenge classifying wines by color and focus on quality over packaging and pricing for premium rosé wines.

In this episode, we discuss wine pairings on multiple dimensions. First, Bryce Wiatrak interviews Master of Wine Susan Lin about her career as a classical pianist and how her first passion inspired the topic of her MW Research Paper: pairing Champagne with classical music. Then, Bryce and Chris Tanghe dive into a friendly debate to settle the question of whether wine and food pairings are all they’re cracked up to be. This month’s blind tasting segment with Emily Nixon features sommelier Jonathan Eichholz. Are you able to recognize the wine based on Jonathan’s description alone? Wanda Cole-Nicholson also reveals the wine she tasted in last month’s Managing New & Old Vines episode.

In this episode, we discuss managing a vineyard from the perspective of two winemakers. Bryce Wiatrak interviews Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. about the benefits and challenges of working with old vines, and Chris Tanghe speaks with Matt Crafton of Chateau Montelena about the technical, environmental, and financial considerations behind repainting a vineyard to new vines.  This month’s blind tasting segment with Emily Nixon features sommelier and wine consultant Wanda Cole-Nicholson. Can you guess what they're drinking based on Wanda’s description of the wine’s appearance, nose, palate, and structure?   For more information on this episode, visit GuildSomm’s podcast page. 

In this episode, GuildSomm Interim Executive Director Chris Tanghe interviews two entrepreneurs who specialize in east Asian beverages. Master Sommelier Kyungmoon Kim discusses how his company, KMS Imports, is creating a market for Korean soju and other artisanal beverages in the US. Later, Todd Bellomy describes the production process and styles of sake and the vision behind Farthest Star Sake, his forthcoming sake brewery in the Boston area.  Emily Nixon continues the blind tasting series with Master of Wine candidate and trade liaison for Hispanics in Wine, Ivonne Nill. Can you guess what they're drinking based on the description alone? For more information on this episode, visit GuildSomm's podcast page. 

This month on the GuildSomm podcast, we're hosting a special series focused on careers in the wine industry. We'll release one episode per week throughout the month of May, featuring interviews with wine professionals whose careers highlight lesser-known paths within the industry. In June, we'll get back to our regular monthly podcast, including the blind wine reveal from the "Unexpected Booze" episode. For our fourth and final episode in the series, GuildSomm Director of Strategic Partnerships Emily Nixon interviews Kevin Shaw, founder of Stranger & Stranger, a packaging design and branding company specializing in alcoholic beverages. They discuss the importance of design in making a wine or spirit stand out on a shelf, the jobs that contribute to the production of a label, and Kevin's vision for innovation in wine packaging. Toward the end of this podcast, they discuss Kevin's cameo in an episode of the BBC show "Britain's Really Disgusting Drinks." Watch the clip here.  To accompany the careers series, GuildSomm is offering a membership discount to all first-time GuildSomm members. While we work hard to always keep GuildSomm membership affordable at $100, first-time members can now sign up for one year of GuildSomm membership for $79 using the partner code PODCAST79. Register for a year of membership here: https://www.guildsomm.com/new-member-join. This offer is valid through June 10, 2021 for all listeners who have never previously had a GuildSomm membership. GuildSomm members have access to all of GuildSomm’s educational content, including e-learning courses, study guides, review quizzes, our compendium of wine law, wine seminars, and more. 

This month on the GuildSomm podcast, we're hosting a special series focused on careers in the wine industry. We'll release one episode per week throughout the month of May, featuring interviews with wine professionals whose careers highlight lesser-known paths within the industry. In June, we'll get back to our regular monthly podcast, including the blind wine reveal from the "Unexpected Booze" episode. For our third episode in the series, GuildSomm Director of Operations & Editor Stacy Ladenburger speaks with Marie Keep, founder and Director of the fine wines departments at Skinner Auctioneers. They discuss the operations behind assessing, appraising, and cataloguing a wine cellar for auction, how the secondary market differs from the retail market, the effect of the pandemic on the wine auction business, and more. Marie also offers advice to wine professionals who are interesting in transitioning into the auction space for the first time.  To accompany the careers series, GuildSomm is offering a membership discount to all first-time GuildSomm members. While we work hard to always keep GuildSomm membership affordable at $100, first-time members can now sign up for one year of GuildSomm membership for $79 using the partner code PODCAST79. Register for a year of membership here: https://www.guildsomm.com/new-member-join. This offer is valid through June 10, 2021 for all listeners who have never previously had a GuildSomm membership. GuildSomm members have access to all of GuildSomm’s educational content, including e-learning courses, study guides, review quizzes, our compendium of wine law, wine seminars, and more.