I'll Drink to That! Wine Talk

David Hirsch is the owner of Hirsch Vineyards, located in the Sonoma Coast of California.David opens up about his travels across the United States and across the world in the 1960s and 1970s, and about what led him eventually to the outer reaches of the Sonoma Coast to plant a vineyard. He also reveals what he has learned about the farming of grapevines over the years. And he talks about some of the key people who shaped his thoughts as he became the owner of a vineyard, and then subsequently a winery. Famous names from both Burgundy and California winemaking make an appearance within this conversation, and David is both frank and funny in the reminiscences about his life.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pierre Morey works with his family at Domaine Pierre Morey and Maison Morey-Blanc, both based in the Burgundy village of Meursault, in France.Pierre grew up farming some of the most renowned vineyards of Meursault, as his family worked as sharecroppers for the Lafon family. He discusses his experience working in and vinifying the fruit of vineyards like Le Montrachet, Meursault-Perrieres, Meursault-Genevrieres, and Meursault-Charmes. He also delves into his transition to Regisseur at Domaine Leflaive, which some have called the greatest white Burgundy domaine, and where he worked for two decades. Pierre describes a life in the vines and in the cellar, sharing many details of his work. He also opens up about the loss that he experienced in his own family, and how that affected his professional life. Those wanting details about famous Côte de Beaune crus and about the vinification of white Burgundy will find both in this interview, which also address the changes in farming that Pierre Morey witnessed during the course of his career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joel Peterson is the Founder and Winemaker of the Ravenswood Winery, and the Founder and Winemaker of Once & Future Wine, both in California.Joel describes his first moments with wine, tasting wine with his father and mother, and how that led later to his work with Joseph Swan. Joel talks at length about Swan and the early days of the Joseph Swan winery. Swan was making exemplary California Zinfandel, and Joel explains why he also chose to focus on Zinfandel at the winery he founded, Ravenswood. He recounts the humble beginnings of Ravenswood, an operation that would later become much larger after the market success that Joel found with the Ravenswood "Vintners Blend." That popular red wine was an introduction to Zinfandel as a red wine for many consumers at the time, countering the White Zinfandel trend of that moment. Joel discusses Zinfandel as a grape variety, and talks about several of the different old vine Zinfandel vineyards in California today. He also addresses the ups and downs that Zinfandel has encountered in the broader United States wine market, and its position today. Joel then shares his advice to someone starting out in the winemaking business right now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jasper Morris, author of 'Inside Burgundy: The Vineyards, the Wine, & the People,' gives an overview of his career as a wine importer and Burgundy specialist. He goes in-depth on the vineyards of Burgundy, addressing topics such as winemaking style, market trends, premox, and changes in vineyard work. Morris discusses specific vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.

Luis Seabra is the proprietor and winemaker at Luis Seabra Vinhos, producing dry wines from the Douro Valley and the Vinho Verde regions of Portugal.Luis discusses his beginnings working as a plant specialist at an university, his work doing vineyard trials for the Portuguese government, the nine years that he made dry wines at the house of Niepoort, and on to the founding of his own winery. Over the course of the interview Luis takes up all kinds of topics relating to Portuguese wine, such as vine material, grape varieties, the soil types in different areas, historical wine blending practices, and the winemaking norms in differnet parts of the country, as well as how those have changed over time. He explains the evolution in his own thinking concerning both winemaking and vineyard practices. Luis clearly illustrates what he means by contrasting his own thoughts and techniques with the dominant thinking in the surrounding area. Those wanting a deep dive into topics like whole cluster, skin maceration, pressing, and élevage, will find Luis a capable guide. He also discusses the different character of recent vintages for his own wines.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeanne-Marie de Champs is the proprietor of Domaines et Saveurs Collection, an exporter of Burgundy and other wines from France. She is based in Beaune.Jeanne-Marie discusses arriving in Burgundy from the Loire Valley, and the situation for Burgundy in the 1970s and 1980s. She explains why she started her own business exporting wines, and the changes in the American wine market that were happening as she was developing her own business. Jeanne-Marie highlights some of the vigneron in Burgundy who helped her learn about that region, and recalls notable vintages. She also explains her philosophy for choosing wines, and points out some appellations of Burgundy that she finds particularly appealing today. There is also a sense given of how Burgundy, and the reception for the wines from there, has changed over the years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ehren Jordan is the proprietor of the Failla winery, which specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from California and now also Oregon. Ehren is also the owner of the Day wine label, working with Zinfandel.Ehren discusses his decision to work increasingly with fruit from Oregon vineyards, while comparing and contrasting those with the vineyards he is familiar with in California. He also addresses aspects of his winemaking in Oregon, in terms of technique. Reduction in wine is something that he talks about at length. Ehren also highlights his interest in working with Gamay, Savagnin, Syrah, and other grape varieties from Oregon, in addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. There is also a consideration for what the wine market is today within this conversation, and what the current market means for both the production and sales possibilities for wines from both Oregon and California. Day, which is Ehren's Zinfandel project, is also discussed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jean-Pierre de Smet was a co-founder and partner in Domaine de l'Arlot, the winery based in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation. Jean-Pierre retired from l'Arlot in 2007, and has since that time been helping his friend Didier Fornerol make the Domaine Didier Fornerol wines, also in France's Burgundy region.Jean-Pierre provides key insights into a number of Burgundy winemaking techniques, and also about the people he knew and has worked alongside with in Burgundy since the 1970s. Jean-Pierre is very clear about the influences on him of people like Jacques Seysses (Domaine Dujac), Anne-Claude Leflaive (Domaine Leflaive), and Patrick Bize (Domaine Simon Bize), and how he integrated their ideas and help into his own work at Domaine de l'Arlot. There are numerous details provided about topics like whole cluster, the speed of a fermentation, vine training, the vintages of the 1980s and 1990s, the nature of Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée crus, white vs. red winemaking, and climate change. Jean-Pierre also gives a clear picture of the Burgundy community of the 1980s, and of a group of vigneron who would go on to become famous names in the region and across the world. Those who want to understand the history of Burgundy from the 1970s through to today would benefit from listening to this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Maggie Harrison is a partner in the Antica Terra winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where she is also the winemaker. Maggie also makes the Lillian wines from California fruit.Maggie discusses her first winery job working at Sine Qua Non, the development of her approach to each step of the winemaking process, and what she sees as the difference between Oregon and California wine areas. She also explains her thoughts on blending wine, and what she is looking for at the blending table and before that at the wine press. Maggie further talks about the particularities of Antica Terra vineyard, and what she has learned working with it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Esther Mobley is the wine writer for the "San Francisco Chronicle."Esther talks about her previous work at "Wine Spectator" magazine, how her approach to writing has evolved since joining the "San Francisco Chronicle", and what she has found compelling amongst the stories and issues surrounding California wine today. Esther also shares a lot of insight into how she goes about her job for the "Chronicle" and how she views her work as different from her predecessors at that newspaper.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.