The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

The name Andy Beckstoffer is immediately associated with the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in America. He drove the changes in Napa Co. grape growing until the farmers became an integral part of the wine making process and finally benefited financially from their labor. But it certainly wasn’t always like that in Napa. Hear everything Napa Cab from past to future on this episode of The Wine Makers. An excellent interview with the most famous farmer in the U.S. [EP277]

This week on the show we are talking about Lodi!! Randy Caparoso is a full-time wine journalist who lives in Lodi, California, and author of Lodi! The definitive guide and history of America’s largest winegrowing region. Greg La Folette is the winemaker at Marchelle Wines and it would be easier to list the things he hasn’t done in the wine industry. [EP277] Marchellewines.com @marchellewines

This show is hot! This show is smoking! This show is all about…prescribed burns? This week the guys are joined by Dr. Sasha Berleman, Director of Fire Forward, an organization spearheading efforts to bring “Good Fire” back to the wildlands of Northern California. The wIne industry continues to face an existential threat from smoke and fire but for Berleman one of the best ways to counter bad fire and bad smoke is good fire and good smoke. By conducting prescribed burns and building a community of trained fire crews, Berleman and her team are burning Sonoma County on their terms and it’s a beautiful thing. This one is informative, inspirational and a smokin’ good time! [EP276] egret.org/fire-forward instagram.com/fire.forward egret.org

Joel Gott was definitely raised in a wine family. The fourth-generation California vintner, and wine and food entrepreneur was born in Napa Valley and raised in the Sierra Foothills where his parents started Montevina Winery. Joel later moved to Carmel and upon graduating high school went to work for Kenwood Winery in Sonoma County. But his first dive into business wasn’t just to start making wine, in fact he and his brother Duncan purchased a small market in Calistoga called Palisades Market. It was there that Joel started to discover what part of the wine business he wanted to make his presence known. Joel and his wife Sarah, (Phelps & Quintessa) started Joel Gott wines in 1996 focused on wines of quality and value. Last year with the purchase of the historic Edge Hill Winery in St. Helena you can expect to see Gott Wines enter the fine wine market. I think you will see that it’s done thoughtfully, well planned and something that will make an impact in the future. gottwines.com instagram.com/joelgottwines gotts.com instagram.com/gottsroadside

This week we sit down with vintner Dan Kosta, who has built wine lists at high-end restaurants, developed cult wine brands like Kosta Browne and collaborated with celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse. His new project, Convene Wine, is a study in Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wines are elegant and expressive, the conversation is lively, grab a glass and check it out. [EP274] Website – www.dk-convene.com Instagram – @dk_convene

This week we have a special show for an event called Napa R.I.S.E. This three-week series of events is designed to accelerate meaningful sustainability and climate action transformation across the entire industry and culture of wine. The events are organized around the Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership: ENERGY EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS WATER EFFICIENCY & SAVINGS WASTE PREVENTION & SUPPLY CHAIN PROACTIVE FARMING, SOIL HEALTH & BIODIVERSITY SOCIAL JUSTICE, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CLIMATE ACTION & REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE www.napagreen.org www.risegreen.org @napagreen

Patrick Cappiello is a distinguished winemaker and sommelier with over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He is the owner and winemaker of Monte Rio Cellars, a Food & Wine host for Playboy, and a founding member of Winemakers & Sommeliers for California Wildfire Relief. Cappiello’s wine career started in 2001 at TriBeCa Grill, and he has since been associated with four prestigious wine cellars, all recipients of Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award.” He has received multiple accolades, including “Sommelier of the Year” by Food & Wine Magazine and Eater National. In 2017, he transitioned to winemaking in Sonoma County, launching Monte Rio Cellars in 2018, along with Skull Wines and the Piquette Project. Patrick splits his time between New York City and Sonoma County, and enjoys collecting vinyl records, smashburgers, canned beer, and Mezcal. [EP272] patrickcappiello.com monteriocellars.com Insta / Twitter – @patrickwine

Ren Harris is the “unofficial” Mayor of Napa. This year will be his 60th harvest and his accomplishments read like a novel about the history of Napa Valley. He is soft spoken but seems to get his way more often than not, and we all owe him for paving the wine road in California. You can still find him at the table in the back of the winery, looking out at his beautiful vineyard, sharing his stories and wines, still made by Heidi Barrett. Grab a glass and listen in, this one goes deep. [EP271] paradigmwinery.com @paradigmwinery

Jack Sporer is a leader in the new school of Natural Wine, experimental and adventurous, but also pragmatic and reasonable. He has made wine all over the world, from Bordeaux to Bedrock, and brings a fresh perspective to his own wine making for Fresh Wine Co. From style, to varietal choices to bottles and corks the wines are thoughtful, delicious and yes, fresh! Listen in as we go through the latest releases of Fresh Wines and learn all about Jack’s travels and experiences in wine. [EP270]

We all agree that wine is about the stories that are associated with them. Kira Ballotta began working in wine in 2011 helping a winemaker on her days off. Then while working in the field of Valuation she had the opportunity to analyze vineyard projects and felt drawn to the “going-ons” behind her spreadsheets. She was hooked Kira then made her way around Napa and Australia learning the craft of winemaking and engendering a true reverence and love for winemaking. She spent four years at Alpha Omega in Rutherford running Enology research. Then in 2019 she took as winemaker for Olivia Brion and in 2021 she started another inspired label called Cantadora Wines. She is dedicated to a business organized around sustainability and gentle practices for the earth. We talked about a lot of subjects and ideas and the time just flew buy. Check out the show and thanks for listening. [EP269] oliviabrion.com cantadora.wine instagram.com/oliviabrionwines