The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

This week we welcome Alex Mitchell from MUST Machining & Fabrication to the podcast. MUST grew out of two different Napa Valley winery supplier/fabrication institutions York Machine Works and Burgstahler Machine Works, which had 70 years of experience innovating, leading, and servicing the wine industry. Alex, a former York employee began working with him in 2006, with the intent to purchase the business when York retired. In 2010, Alex and his wife, Michelle, assumed ownership. The Mitchells also met Wayne Burgstahler and told him that when he was ready to retire they were interested in purchasing his company, which came to fruition in late January 2020. The Mitchells combined the two shops and created MUST. Alex grew up in Napa Valley with his family growing grapes and making wine. Check out the show to hear the entire story. instagram.com/mustfabricate

Matt Reid started his career making wine at his house in San Francisco. He fell in love with the process and enrolled at UC-Davis Viticulture Program. He then worked at Seavey, Quixote and Failla. Matt is now the winemaker at Benessere, working with obscure Italian varietals, as well as launching his own brand, Peoples Wine Revolution, bringing affordable wines to daily drinkers. Benesserevineyards.com Pwrwines.com

Former winemaker from Napa, Todd Alexander, now at Force Majeure Vineyards in Washington discusses the shift due to climate change. Covers his journey, the wine lineup, challenges in grape farming, and exploring new vineyard locations in Washington with exciting collaborations.

This week we are joined by winemaker Danielle Langlois of Lasseter Family Winery and wine director Christophe Tassan MOF, of Moon Hollow ahead of the second edition of the immersive Reach for the Moon wine event, June 1st at Monte Rosso. They provide expert opinions on the wines and vineyards of one of our favorite AVAs and share some of the great new wines they’ve made from the very different Moon Mountain District estates they represent. We even busted out a 2013 as a sneak peek into the highlight of the event–the Antonio Galloni-led master class, a celebration of the 10 vintage anniversary of the appellation’s approval. We even get a cameo by the winegrower who has become synonymous with Moon Mountain District. Care to guess who? [Ep320] For more information about the event and to buy tickets visit: https://moonmountaindistrict.org/ And try these wines!: https://www.moonhollow.com/ https://www.lasseterfamilywinery.com/ https://www.jambedeboiswines.com/

We sit down with Stacy Buchanan this week in his home town of Walla Walla. Stacy is the creator of the “Blood of Gods” zine, a biannual wine publication that was inspired by his history at Thrasher Magazine and his love for Death Metal. The zine was started a joke to poke a finger in the eye of the stuffy wine publications and draw some pretty cool comparisons between the wine business and the music world. Blood of Gods has now grown into a real resource and inspiration for wine geeks and those initially intimidated by the “old guard” in their ivory towers. The artwork is amazing and the stories approach wine in a way that is much more “palatable” to the casual consumer. Stacy was definitely one of our favorite people we met on our trip to Washington. Listen in and subscribe to the zine. Bloodofgods.bigcartel.com @bloodofgodszine    

We are in Walla Walla at the Hospice du Rhone wine event. This morning we drove over to “The Rocks District” to meet up with Sean Boyd at Rotie Cellars tasting room, what Sean calls “the fish bowl”.  The wall of windows provides an almost 360’ view of the Grenache and Syrah vineyard. The signature rocks flavor comes through in all of the wines, which are only available through the winery. [Ep318] @rotiecellars Rotiecellars.com  

Writing notes for this show has been a challenge. Absolutely nothing compares to spending time with Justin and hearing her talk about the journey. You simply have to hear it. Justin is currently making five wines here in Sonoma, only 25 cases of each. Listen to the show to find out the best way to get a hold of these wines. [Ep317] wardfourwines.com @wardfourwines Cal Poly Scholarship for Black, Indigenous, People of Color in Wine and Viticulturership

This week on the show we welcome Sarah Doyle. Sarah is the wine writer for our local Sonoma County newspaper the Press Democrat which was first issued in 1897. Sarah is a more recent reporter for the PD but her experience in writing about wine and other elixirs is a great part of her story that we hope you enjoy. When you’re done with the show we want to know what instrument she played, her favorite red varietal and what sort of dogs does she have? Enjoy the show and support your local newspaper, especially if they have wine writers. [EP316] https://www.instagram.com/whiskymuse https://www.pressdemocrat.com/sarah-doyle

Lance Cutler spent fifteen years as winemaker/general manager for the historic Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma, California. He almost single-handedly brought humor into the fine wine business producing the fabulous Gundlach Bundschu poster series, and the Sonoma Valley Wine Patrol, which masterminded the hijacking of the Napa Wine Train and the kidnapping of Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic Airlines. Then enters Jake Lorenzo, the author, any subject is fair game and Jake pulls no punches. Opinionated, controversial and beloved by cellar rats and winemakers everywhere for speaking the truth, he seamlessly intersperses fictional characters with real people, placing them in unique situations, and weaving the whole mishmash into mesmerizing stories. There is no source from which you will learn more about the inner workings of the wine industry. There is no source that will infuse your learning with more chuckles and outright laughter. winepatrol.com

Mark Adams, Ledge Vineyards Musician, farmer, winemaker, and sound engineer on the cult classic Murdercycle. We were “lucky” to catch Mark on his roundabout way home to Paso Robles from the Luck Music Festival in Texas. With a little guidance from his friend and neighbor Justin Smith of Saxum, Mark and his wife Ciera are making world class Rhone wines from their own property down the road from the James Berry Vineyard. Find these wines. [Ep314] ledgevineyards.com @ledgevineyards markadamsband.com