Another Bottle Down

Nicolas joins us in the KOOP studios to talk about making wine in Burgundy.  Nico is part of the new generation of excellent Burgundy winemakers and makes 13 wines from excellent vineyards in Volnay, Pommard, Savigny-les-Beaune, and Pernand Vergelesses.  His passion for Pinot Noir really comes through, and he has quite the affinity for the no-nonsense Texas way of life.

For this episode, we're joined by Dr. Cristian Maddalena, export manager for Schiopetto (Friuli) and Siro Pacenti (Brunello).  Cristian has a PhD in history and gives us a unique glimpse into the wine and culture of Northeast Italy.  He has a wonderful way of describing the unique indigenous grapes of the region as well as the International varieties that have been there for centuries, as well as showing absolute pride to be part of the Schiopetto family.  We talk history, vineyards, culture, food, and so much more!  You can find more information at: http://www.schiopetto.it/en/

Bob Lindquist founded Qupé in the early 1980's and quickly made a name for himself in the Central Coast for Chardonnay and the Rhone varieties of Syrah, Grenach, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier.  In this episode, Bob gives a glimpse into California in the early days as well as how the Central Coast is a special place for grapes.  He's doing something right when a 10 year old Marsanne-Roussanne blend is as fresh as a button and as complex as a marriage.  Enjoy!

Last week was a celebration of WSET (the Wine and Spirits Education Trust), which is the largest third party certification body in the world.  We talk with Liz Palmer, owner of the Texas Wine School, and Sissy Preston, Diploma candidate, to get a feel for the experience of the programs as well the process of taking your wine knowledge to the next level.  I'll toast to that!

Brandon Watson, Austin Chronicle Food Editor, joins us for a discussion of their annual First Plates edition, in which Brandon maps out the top 100 restaurants in Austin today.  He shares some wonderful info on trends in the industry, hot spot neighborhoods, and some of his favorite spots that are provide amazing food and comfort!

We're toasting International Sauv Blanc day, May 5th with a conversation with Clive Dugall, winemaker of Seresin Estate in Marlborough, NZ.  Clive talks about the whole of New Zealand and the high quality practices they have going on at Seresin.  Don't miss a discussion towards the end of Clive's sulfite-free experiments that he is extremely excited about!  Happy Sauv Blanc day y'all!

Shane has been making wine all over the world:  Washington State, Osoyoos of Canada, Margaret River Australia, Golan Heights Israel, and Sonoma California.  In 2013, he moved to Oregon to head up the winemaking of the newly purchased Jackson Family Estates properties of Gran Moraine in the Yamhill-Carlton and Zena Crown Vineyard in the Eola Amity hills.  Working in complete synergy with his vineyard manager, Ken Kupperman, Shane is seeking to produce world class wines from Pinot Noir and with a growing interest to Chardonnay. Tune in to hear an amazing break down of the Willamette Valley, and why it is indeed a special place, as well as all the daring techniques Shane's using to produce truly exceptional wines!

Kyle Johnston talks about his experience in setting up this brand new winery RLV in Coleman Texas.  Centered around the Rancho Loma getaway ranch and restaurant, their first vintage is 2016, and the tasting room just opened to the public.  He's working with some fantastic vineyards from around the state, and looking forward to their estate vineyard planted to Rhone varietals.  They scored several awards in the recent Texsom wine competition.

Check out an interview with Mike Pizinger and Max Woodfin, the organizers of Barks for Beers, a Central Texas fundraiser for Divine Canines.  You buy a pint glass for $20 at one of over 30 participating breweries in Austin and surrounding areas and they get a free beer at the rest of the 30 breweries, what a deal!  http://divinecanines.org/barksforbeers/

In celebration of upcoming Earth Day, I'm joined live with John Hoffner, host of KOOP's own Shades of Green, to discuss how the wine industry affects the earth we live in.  We delve into manyenvironmental issues, such as the impact of growing grapes, making wine, and packaging.  John helps us put it into context with other industries and adds a wonderful new voice to the show, don't miss it!