The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

Coral Wang is an artist, farmer, and winemaker of her new brand Maison des Plaisances. Coral’s journey began in New Jersey but spans the globe. She spent time in the fashion industry in New York and LA before throwing it all to the wind and “WWOOFing” across Europe working in organic farms. She finally landed at Domaine Mamaruta in the Rousilllon learning organic farming and natural winemaking. Faced with mounting immigration and pandemic pressures, she returned to the US, where she headed west to California looking for the same wine and farming culture she found in France. Three years later, she is a fixture in Sonoma, a darling of the natural wine community. If you’re lucky you can catch her on the floor at Valley Bar and Bottle, in the cellar at Magnolia wine services or pouring her wines at a wine fair near you! This week John and Sam were joined in studio by guest hosts James Joiner and Jasmine Egan. [Ep291] maisondesplaisances.com

Guest Jim Pedroncelli shares his family's winery history and the challenges faced in the wine industry. Topics also include the impact of prohibition, the evolution of winemaking techniques, packaging practices, family dynamics, and the popularity of Zinfandel grape.

This week we sit down with Shalini Sekhar from Ottavino Wines, Tyler Kohfeld from Ricci Vineyards and Terra Jane Albee from Ownroot Collective to talk about the rare grape St. Laurent. We may have had some killer California Riesling too. [Ep289] @ottavinowines @ownrootcollective @riccivineyards

This week we sit down with Dan Petroski, former journalist turned winemaker. He is an interesting, thoughtful and very talented person who has created a niche in culinary, digital media, art, and wine. His past has shaped his future, and his Mediterranean white wines are “off the charts” delicious. We only scratched the surface on his endeavors. Buy the wines, check out his Instagram page, and enjoy the ride. [Ep288] Massican.com @massicanwinery

Nicole Rolet is one of our favorite people in the wine world. After converting a ninth century priory in Ventoux, France into a model of regenerative farming and world class wine production facility, she continues to travel the globe and spread the word about climate change. Chene Bleu’s unique position in the region allow them to produce some of the best wines in France, without the constraints of the AOC. Grenache is definitely the grape of choice and Nicole is a champion of this noble variety. [Ep287] @chenebleuwine Areni.global

Hardy Wallace is always thinking outside the box, actually he smashes the box and burns it, then does his own thing. He is moving into Sonoma with a new tasting space downtown and we are excited. His experiences with sight, sound and smell drive his passion. Hardy will be curating a new tasting experience that you must hear about to believe. His wines are mind-blowingly good, and he is one of our favorite people on the planet. Plus Phil Coturri joins us for a heartfelt tribute to organic viticulture pioneer Paul Dolan. This is a “must listen!” [Ep286] @winecoyeah Winecoyeah.com

When we heard about this think tank meeting in Sonoma about the future of wine we went to a very dark place. Then we heard that our friend Nicole Rolet her husband from Chêne Bleu were the founders. We thought there might be something good going on here. The week of June 19th there were a series of meetings and discussions about the future of the wine industry. Since we couldn’t be there to report directly we had Xavier give us an overview of what’s going on. It’s a really great discussion about the current wine business and what might happen in the future. [Ep285] areni.global instagram.com/areniglobal

George Walker lll is a trailblazer in the food and wine world. His passion drove him to cultivate a unique dining series that incorporated food, wine, art and music before being featured on the Somm TV show Sparklers. George was offered the position of Brand Ambassador for NBA star Dwyane Wade’s wine label in Napa and has been spreading the message of inclusivity all over the world. His energy is infectious and the stories are inspiring. Oh yeah, the wines are amazing too. Enjoy [Ep284] dwadecellars.com @georgewalks3 @wadecellars therootsfund.org

Glenn Proctor – Puccioni Vineyards & Ciatti Company Glenn’s family immigrated to Dry Creek Valley in 1889 knowing they knew they wanted to invest in property. This led them to purchase Puccioni Ranch in 1904, the family has continuously farmed grapes on the property, and in the early 1920’s and 30’s operated Puccioni Winery. Today, Glenn is one of the proud owners of Puccioni Ranch and serves as the General Manager. In 2002 Glenn started Puccioni Vineyards, a small handcrafted Old Vine Zinfandel brand using the grapes from his family’s property. In 2003 he joined The Ciatti Company, the world’s largest broker of bulk wine and grapes and became a partner in 2003. After attending Healdsburg High School he graduated from California State University Fresno with a BA in Viticulture/Plant Science and then continued at UC Davis where he earned a master’s degree in Horticulture. Glenn has served on many wine industry boards over his career. We dive pretty deep into his family’s vineyard and the wines they produce. We begin to talk about the bulk wine and grape business but there is a whole other show that we will have to revisit. This is a great show not to be missed. [Ep283] www.puccionivineyards.com www.instagram.com/puccioni_vineyards www.ciatti.com

Hilary was raised in the wine industry, daughter of Fred and Nancy Cline from Cline Cellars. The family history dates back to Jacuzzi, yes that tub with the jets that has provided so much pleasure to most of us. We talk about the history of new generation of wine makers. The Cline’s will be hosting the upcoming Rhone Rangers event on June 24th at their beautiful property, wines will be offered from 30 different wineries. Hope to see you there. Listen to the show for special promo codes. [EP282] rhonerangers.org clinecellars.com