The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits
The Wine Makers
A laid-back journey into the heart of wine culture Every week, hosts Sam Coturri, Bart Hansen, and Brian Casey pull the cork on real conversations with winemakers, growers, sommeliers, and industry trailblazers from Sonoma and beyond. The Wine Makers blends deep knowledge with a relaxed, no-snobbery approach to everything from biodynamic farming to rebellious cider makers and sake artisans. These are not dry lectures or polished promos—just passionate people talking shop over a glass (or three). The hosts’ decades of hands-on experience in vineyards, cellars, and tasting rooms fuel lively discussions about sustainability, storytelling, and the changing world of wine. Whether you’re just starting to explore wine or already know your skin-contact from your carbonic maceration, this show delivers honest insight, practical advice, and plenty of personality. Pour a glass and press play.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 14, 2017 • 44min
The Wine Makers – Chugability?
EP11: There’s a lot of action in the vineyards as crews trim the canopy correctly to ensure proper growing. Bart & Brian talk about the /natural/organic/synthetic faze; WHAT”S THE POINT? How about a 40oz. Rose’ or a can of wine. Yes on one for everyone and John rants ‘No to the canNot For Me!’
Jul 7, 2017 • 49min
The Wine Makers – Spanish Invasion
The Spanish are sending “Unacceptable” wine into France and the French strike back by attacking the trucks. SYNTHETIC WINE? NAH; No thanks. Just not wine to us. The process of growing fruit that is perfect and then spending the rest of the year actually making what you drink in your glass, is too much for us to think that synthetic wine is anything but the Velveeta of the “wine flavored drink”.
The guys enjoy an older wine with no label, that once the cork is examined, turns out to be a ’55 Bordeaux Sauternes and are really happy it wasn’t worth $50,000.
Jun 30, 2017 • 40min
The Wine Makers – Walking the Fields
The Equinox has passed and the grape fields are moving from Chaos to Order. How and why wine really gets its beautiful deep red color. Can you buy too much wine? The guys talk about their favorite distributors around the country so no matter where you live, you can get some of our favorites.
Jun 23, 2017 • 53min
The Wine Makers – Tipping In Tasting Rooms
The guys kick around vineyard real-estate in Sonoma and Napa. Our listeners have more questions on Rose’ and we talk about blends, colors and styles from around the world. Tipping at tasting rooms, yes or no? Is the old tasting room model broken? Ever had a headache from sulfites? The guys kick discuss the Üllo Wine Purifier.
Jun 16, 2017 • 42min
The Wine Makers – Taste The Fog
EP7: It’s Zin Day with The Wine Makers! We’re in mid-June are amazed at how well the fields are doing. Sam leads a discussion on the variety of growing areas within Sonoma Valley and all of Sonoma County. Learn why the fog helps the grapes and how.
A couple of rainy days don’t seem to have a negative effect on the grapes due to wind and the balance of growing conditions and we discuss the price of grapes in Napa and hidden gem vineyards.
Jun 9, 2017 • 48min
The Wine Makers – Patio Pounder
The guys kick around establishing great wine oriented relationships and what’s happening in the field. Bart details “bloom” and “set” as the fruit develops, John can’t figure out “dropping fruit” while Sam explains “Creating order from Chaos in the Field” and ultimately, why every bunch of grapes should hang with integrity, in dappled sunlight”.Bart explains exactly how you really make Rose’ and why it’s the new “Patio Pounder”.
Jun 2, 2017 • 45min
The Wine Makers – The Big B Word!
As much of California’s grape crop is just starting “Blooom”, a very fragile state of developement, the guys focus on wine, The Dead and Sam’s trip to The Shoreline Ampitheatre. Brian focuses the group on all things “Natural” when it comes to wine. Brian details exactly what Can or Can’t be called a “Natural” wine. Most wine drinkers think that grapes are picked, squeezed and stored in a vat or barrel and that’s that. Learn what reality is these days.
May 26, 2017 • 44min
The Wine Makers – MacLaren’s Syrah
The guys get in deep with Steve Law from MacLaren and his Syrah, his land, the fruit and his winemaking. They focus on Syrah and even kick around proper wine storage on a serious note. John tells us how to ruin cases of Silver Oak just by being stupid.
Sam talks about wine tasting being a high-mileage sport…get out there and taste as much as you can, get bold and try new wines…find out what you really like.
Learn the real definition of Debauchery and see if you want to implement it yourself.
May 19, 2017 • 36min
The Wine Makers – Sonoma’s Own, James Bond
LIVE from the MacLaren Tasting Lounge with owner/winemaker Steve Law, “Sonoma’s Own James Bond” and true Scotsman. They take a deep dive into what’s happening in the vineyards from bud break and bloom to creating the perfect organic bio-system…or as Sam says “creating order out of chaos”.
Not only did we taste a beautiful Viognier and a Syrah from MacLaren. Steve talks about growing his 2016 crop and how great the fruit turned out. Brian and Sam brought a couple of great bottles along including Landmark Syrah. John rants on the whole concept of Two Buck Chuck. Don’t bring any of that over to his place for a party.
May 12, 2017 • 44min
The Wine Makers – Sticker Shock
This week John, Bart and Brian kick around drinking wine in restaurants and getting away from sticker shock. “Wines DON’T have to cost a fortune to be fun and drinkable”. Brian rants on reasonably priced wines and how to get them with Spanish, Italian and other foreign wines. Learn how to do a “Parking Lot” wine tasting and end up with wine you love. The guys just kick around drinking and eating well anywhere you live or travel.
