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podcast· 57:38· Ep 119IWP Ep119 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - “An Essential and Elusive Grail: Imagining the Future of California Table Wine
IWP Ep119 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - “An Essential and Elusive Grail: Imagining the Future of California Table Wine. It’s our 3rd Panel from the Unfiltered wine Festival organized by Andrew Sullivan. Todays panel features Stephanie Bolton PHD from Lodi Wine, John Locke of Birchino, Shaunt Ongoulian from Les Lunes and Populis wines and Ana Carolina Quintela - Sonoma Correspondant for Decanter magazine. Gilian Handelman, the Sr Vice President of Education for Jackson Family wines handled the moderating duties. Table wine is essential to any wine culture. The panel dives into how California can encourage the use of table wine, how each panelist views the term and some of the roadblocks in the way of the US building a culture of hopefully California wine at the table. Following on the theme, last week, Luke Sykora wrote about the festival for JancisRobinson.com, specifically focussing on table wines. In it, he highlighted the wide range of wines available at the festival. He pulled a
- podcast· 1h 08m· Ep 118
IWP Ep118 Brent Harrison - From Brent Wine Co.
IWP Ep118 Brent Harrison - From Brent Wine Co. I sat down with Brent Harrison during a quite morning in Saratoga during the middle of harvest to talk about From Brent wines. He’s mostly working with fruit from the eastern side of the Santa Cruz mountains, some that he farms himself and some that he sources from top growers of the area. His project is based on spending time and effort in the vineyard to provide the best fruit possible. The wines are full wines but generally lower alcohol and bright acids and complex. Syrah and Cab Franc are his specialties but Zin, other Bordeaux grapes and some white wines are made also. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able, consider making a donation to help me keep telling wine stories ad free and available
- podcast· 1h 07m· Ep 117
IWP Ep117 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - What makes a great wine: Restraint vs Risk
IWP Ep117 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - What makes a great wine: Restraint vs Risk. We have another of the great panels from the Unfiltered festival. What makes a great wine: Restraint vs Risk. It's a great and varied panel. Randal Graham from Popelouchum, Angela Osborne from A Tribute to Grace, Brent Mayeaux from Stagiaire, Kimberly Charles from Charles Communication Associates and moderator Chad Arnold, the GM and head buyer at Paul Marcus Wines discuss what actually makes a great wine. Is it the winemaker, the setting, age, something more mysterious? Charles Carpy, one of the best known Pre-Prohibition wine makers, said that a wine couldn’t be truly great unless you kept going back to it until the entire bottle was finished. Once again Andrew Sullivan organized this panel as part of his Unfiltered Festival held in July at Donkey and Goat, I hope you enjoy the conversation. Watch the panel video at https://youtu.be/j9SLAUgc5mw Follow the podcast at
- podcast· 1h 06m· Ep 116
IWP Ep116 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - Breaking the Champagne Spell: California's Great Sparkling Wine Experiment
IWP Ep116 Unfiltered Festival 2026 Panel - Breaking the Champagne Spell: California's Great Sparkling Wine Experiment. With Jared Brandt - Donkey and Goat, Chris Cottrell - Under The Wire Wines, Michael Cruse - Ultramarine, Cruse Wine Co., Brad Kurtz - Gloria Ferrer. Harvest is extra early this year for many in California due to the unseasonably warm temperatures in January, February and March. For the podcast, it’s always the most difficult time to meet up with winemakers. In previous years I’ve done things like the 8 part California Wine Association series. But this year we have recordings of the great panels from this years Unfiltered Festival. Panels have been a vital part of the festival and part of Andrew Sullivan's vision for the festival from the start. Today’s episode is focussed on Sparkling Wine in California, I moderated this panel with the idea that California Sparkling Wine is really on a great run lately. The wines are being produced in a wide range of styles from Pet Na
- podcast· 1h 17m· Ep 115
IWP Ep115 Pete Bloomberg - Llewelyn Wine
IWP Ep115 Pete Bloomberg - Llewelyn Wine. Last month I sat down with Pete Bloomberg of Llewelyn Wine. Pete has been making natural wines since 2021 after transitioning from a career in the Beer Industry. His wines are super interesting and somewhat unusually he tends to concentrate on white wines and lighter styles of red wine. Most grapes are sourced from Sonoma or Mendocino county and he’s now farming a Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay vineyard. Pete has created a wonderful project and even though the wines aren’t always the easiest to track down, they are worth the effort. You can sign up for the mailing list at https://www.llewelyn.wine/ or follow him on instagram at llewelyn_wine or ask for the wines at your favorite local natural wine shop Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able, con
- podcast· 1h 32m· Ep 114
If I Could Talk To My Younger Self - An Unfiltered Conversation with Megan Bell - Margins Wine, Casey Barton - Helia Wine Co. and Alli Badar - Intertidal Wine Co.
If I Could Talk To My Younger Self - An Unfiltered Conversation with Megan Bell - Margins Wine, Casey Barton - Helia Wine Co. and Alli Badar - Intertidal Wine Co. This is a really special episode today, a recording of an amazing discussion held at Donkey and Goat in July, filled with optimism and camaraderie. Many of you are familiar with Megan Bell and Margins Wine. Megan started Margins in 2016 with an Enology and Viticulture degree from UC Davis and harvests on 3 continents under her belt. At the time she was 1 of only a few women making natural wines in California. From the start Margins was focussed on under-represented areas, grapes and most importantly people. Flash forward 8 years and Megan made the decision that 2024 would be the final Harvest for Margins. Megan fills us in on those years in between, the wins, the struggles, the great times, mistakes, friendships, vineyards, wines and physical and mental health. Andrew Sullivan from Unfiltered Wine Festival invited Megan to te
- podcast· 1h 16m· Ep 113
IWP Ep113 Aaron Brown - Arable
IWP Ep113 Aaron Brown - Arable. I recently sat down for a great conversation with Aaron Brown of Arable. You might know Aaron from Dos’ Bar, Bardos or Hoss. Arable is the great new project he’s been working on with the Future Collective of Sonoma. You probably heard the trailer on the podcast for the first panel discussions that were released earlier this year. There are new discussion episodes coming out with folks like previous podcast guests Matt Niess, Chris Renfro and Jack Sporer. If you like the podcast, you’ll really appreciate what Aaron is doing with Arable. It’s available through the Future Collective website and Youtube Chanel and as an audio podcast. Aaron is doing some great interesting work, exploring these hidden gems of Sonoma and shining a light on folks working in the local wine community. You can find links to the episodes for all platforms at https://www.thefuturecollective.org/arable and follow them at thefuturecollective.sv/ to hear about new episodes. Before we s
- podcast· 1h 14m· Ep 112
IWP Ep112 Regenerative Agriculture Panel from WINeFare SF Moderator : Tiffani Patton - Laughing Gems, Prudy Foxx - Foxx Viticulture, Jill Matthiasson - Matthiasson Wines, Matt Walsh - Paicines Ranch
Today we have the recording of a panel on Regenerative Agriculture from the recent WINeFare SF festival run by the Vinguard. Since 2018, The Vinguard has been organizing WINe Fare, a wine tasting focussed on women who make and import natural wine. Before the tasting begins, they have forums on social and environmental issues concerning the wine industry. This year, board member Tiffani Patton of Laughing Gems wines moderated a panel on regenerative viticulture with Prudy Foxx, of Foxx Viticulture, Jill Matthiasson of Matthiasson Wines, and Matt Walsh of Paicines Ranch. The discussion took place on May 30 at the Catharine Clark Gallery. You can find out more or become a member at https://www.thevinguard.com/ And follow everyones amazing projects. @laughing_gems_wine https://foxxviticulture.com/ @matthiasson_wine paicinesranch winefaresf Tickets for Unfiltered are on sale, the festival is fast approaching soon, July 25 and 26, 2 days of great winemakers pouring their wines, 3 wonderful p
- podcast· 1h 58m· Ep 111
IWP Ep111 Jake Des Voignes - Heleje Wine Co. w/ Andrew Sullivan
IWP Ep111 Jake Des Voignes - Heleje Wine Co. w/ Andrew Sullivan. Andrew Sullivan and I recently traveled to Lodi to meet up with Jake Devoiges of Heleje wine company. Jake runs Heleje with his wife Shauna where together they make some great low intervention wines. They moved here after succeeding as Chefs in San Francisco at the highest levels. Jake also farms the 2 family vineyards, The Fernow Ranch and Hartwick Family Vineyard where they live. On both he’s at the forefront of farming in Lodi, starting at organic but pushing through with regenerative practices and utilizing the products of the ranch to help further his goal. They supply fruit to at least 4 producers who have been on the podcast. Jake gave us a great tour of the vineyard and you can hear most of that at the very end of the episode, the audio quality isn’t super high because of the wind that rushes through the vineyard but it’ll give you great insight into the intricacies of what they are doing. On our way there we stop
- podcast· 56:47· Ep 110
IWP Ep110 Carlos Caruncho - Arquiles Wines
IWP Ep110 Carlos Caruncho - Arquiles Wines. I recently sat down with Carlos Caruncho of Arquiles wines outside his home in Nevada City. As some of you may know Carlos is closing Arquiles down to move to England as a consultant and potentially make some wine. He’s lived there before, as well as Cuba where he grew up and the Soviet Union. Carlos along with a group of like minded producers have been showing the high quality, natural 0/0 wines can achieve in the northern foothills. He explains growing up in Cuba, his earliest wine memories and the ways he shepherds through clean and expressive natural wines. There might still be some bottles available through Carlos or your favorite natural wine shop but move fast. Tickets for Unfiltered are on sale, the festival is fast approaching soon, July 25 and 26, 2 days of great winemakers pouring their wines, 3 wonderful panels each day and a chance to catch a few winemakers that you rarely see out in the wild, I hope you can make it. You can get
- podcast· 1h 36m· Ep 109
IWP Ep109 Chris McGilvray - Director "Eden" Documentary
I recently connected with Chris McGilvray director of the Documentary “Eden”. Eden follows Mt Eden Winemaker Jeffory Patterson and his family for over a period of 7 years. We dive into how Chris found himself shooting a film a couple thousand feet above Silicon Valley, growing up in the heart of the valley, his production and post production process and we fall into a discussion about creativity in general near the end. Chris has captured a great film and I think it can be enjoyed by wine lovers and others but you’ll probably get a little extra out of it if you crack a good bottle and watch it down. You can find it at https://www.edenfilm.info/ and follow the film at https://www.instagram.com/Eden.docufilm . Tickets for Unfiltered are on sale, the festival is fast approaching soon, July 25 and 26, you can get tickets at https://www.donkeyandgoat.com/unfiltered/ . Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast
- podcast· 2h 04m· Ep 108
IWP Ep108 Gideon Beinstock - Clos Saron - An Unfiltered Wine Festival Conversation with Gideon, Chris Renfro and Matt Wood at Friend of a Friend
IWP Ep108 Gideon Beinstock - Clos Saron An Unfiltered Wine Festival Conversation with Gideon, Chris Renfro and Matt Wood at Friend of a Friend. A few weeks ago Chris Renfro of the 280 project and I sat down and talked with Gideon Beinstock of Clos Saron as part of an Unfiltered Wine Festival talk. Andrew Sullivan from Unfiltered coordinated everything and organized a great evening of allowing Gideon to tell stories of his wine journey and his search for wines of place. Chris was nice enough to host us at Friend of a Friend, his great wine shop in the North Beach area of San Francisco. We had an amazing crowd in Chris’s shop as Andrew poured a selection of wines that Gideon had brought down from Oregon House. Tickets for Unfiltered are on sale now, the festival is fast approaching on July 25 and 26, you can get tickets at https://www.donkeyandgoat.com/unfiltered/ . There were some great panels last year and will be even more this year and 2 days of winemakers pouring their wines. We’ve
- podcast· 48:38· Ep 107
IWP Ep107 Noel Diaz - Purity Wine - Catching up Before By The Way
IWP Ep107 Noel Diaz - Purity Wine - Catching up Before By The Way Noel Diaz of Purity wine and I grabbed a little time before the recent By The Way Festival to get some of his thoughts about the current natural wine industry, selling wine, the bright spots and the challenges. Some of the themes discussed are similar to what we talked about in the recent Andrew Sullivan episode, but from a small producer perspective. The Purity space has acted as an incubator and collective to many small projects and the by the way festival holds a special place in my heart because that’s where the very first recording for the podcast took place so it always feels great to be back there. Noel was the first guest on the podcast and you can check out episode 2 if you want the full story. Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe
- podcast· 27:59· Ep 106
IWP Ep106 Book Report: Idwal Jones - "Vines in the Sun" and "The Vineyard"
IWP Ep106 Book Report: Idwal Jones - "Vines in the Sun" and "The Vineyard". And Still The Vine, Her Ancient Ruby Yields. Today we’re discussing the author Idwal Jones, one of my favorite wine writers and one of the more unique ones that California has produced. But, he isn’t really a wine writer, his only wine related books are 1 non fiction-ish book and 1 novel on wine but they are both best in class. His Novel, The Vineyard is remarkable for how much it puts you into the setting of a Napa Valley winery pre-prohibition. While Vines in the Sun takes you on a tour through the vineyards and wineries of early California winemaking, making stops up and down the state. A cross between a 19th century travelog and Anthony Bourdain or Hunter S Thompson. Both were written in the mid 1900’s and still read vividly today. Link to purchase both titles: https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/vineyard/author/idwal-jones/ https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/vines-sun/author/idwal-jones/used
- podcast· 1h 55m· Ep 105
IWP Ep105 Andrew Sullivan - Unfiltered Wine Festival
I recently sat down with Andrew Sullivan of the Unfiltered Wine Festival. We originally connected over the planning of the first Unfiltered Festival last year that he organized. What really brought us together is the love of California and California wine. Rooting for the home team, basically. Today we talk about his history of cooking and wine and food culture appreciation, trying to work with artists of all disciplines in a respectful way, and his varied and interesting past of paying Jazz musicians to perform at safe injections sites in San Francisco, getting an early internet presence for the alt weekly’s of the the Bay Area and maybe most importantly what California Craft wine means to him and why he spends so much time and energy in promotion of of it. Also how he’s bringing that experience in valuing the artist and craft to wine fairs and other events. So we discuss what he’s doing to not just get winemakers in front of new groups but ensuring that they are paid and can sell win
- podcast· 1h 41m· Ep 104
IWP Ep104 Bart Hansen - Dane Cellars and The Winemakers Podcast
IWP Ep104 Bart Hansen - Dane Cellars and The Winemakers Podcast. I recently sat down with Bart Hansen of Dane Cellars and the winemakers podcast. He gave me a great tour of some of the historical winemaking artifacts near his tasting room in Glen Ellen. And we had a great conversation in the tank. Bart has always been so nice and interested in the podcast and The Winemakers Podcast is one of my favorites. He’s been able to make Sonoma Valley his winemaking home his entire career and produces some great wines from the valley. They all show his refined craftsmanship and sourcing. You can really hear his love for the area in his voice. You can find them at danecellars.com and follow him at instagram.com/dane__cellars Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able, consider making a donation to help me k
- podcast· 1h 25m· Ep 103
IWP Ep103 Woodside Special - Nathan Kandler - Thomas Fogarty Winery Kat Dykeman and Ron Karpovich - Dome Vineyards Bud and Anne Marie Hoffacker - Portola Hills Vineyard and Redmond Winery
IWP103 - Woodside Special - Today we're discussing Woodside and the Portola Valley of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’m joined Nathan Kandler of Thomas Fogarty Winery, Bud and Anne Marie Hoffacker of Portola Hills Vineyard and Redmond Winery and Kat Dykeman and Ron Karpovich of Dome Vineyards both of those vineyards sit just below the Fogarty Winery. Both projects work closely with Nathan to produce their Pinot Noirs. I’ll give a quick rundown of the history of the area as a grape and wine producing region before we hop into the episode. It’s fun to hear about a couple newer projects happening in Woodside and the Portola Valley alongside established brands like Thomas Fogarty. You can find the Thomas Fogarty wines at fogartywinery.com or on instagram at instagram.com/thomasfogartywinery you can find the Dome wines when available at https://domevineyards.com/ .instagram.com/domevineyards/ and the Portola Hills Vineyard and their Redmond Pinot Noir at https://www.portolahillsvineyard.com/ Fo
- podcast· 1h 22m· Ep 102
IWP Ep102 Amanda McKenna - Yarrow Wine Co and Matt Crutchfield - Matt Crutchfield Wines
IWP Ep102 Amanda McKenna - Yarrow Wine Co and Matt Crutchfield - Matt Crutchfield Wines. I recently sat down with Amanda McKenna of Yarrow Wine Co and Matt Crutchfield of Matt Crutchfield wines. They are both making incredibly well regarded wines for newer projects. We discuss a lot of the nuances and challenges faced by self funded winemakers who are starting their own projects. Like many of the folks I talk with, both have a day job on top of their own project, in this case both work at the wonderful Ryme Cellars. Both Amanda and Matt are making these unique wines in the styles that they enjoy. It really is worth it if you’re able to support smaller producers like them and their colleagues. There truly is an amazing wine culture of younger and smaller producers in California. You can find Amanda's wines at https://yarrowwineco.com/ or Yarrowwineco on instagram and Matt's wines at https://mattcrutchfieldwines.com/ or mattcrutcfieldwines on instagram. I hope you’ll try both producers w
- podcast· 1h 10m· Ep 101
IWP Ep101 Jack Sporer - Fres.co Wine and Magnolia Wine Services
IWP Ep101 Jack Sporer - Fres.co Wine and Magnolia Wine Services. I recently sat down at Dos Bar in Sonoma to talk with Jack Sporer of Fresh Wine Company aka Fresco and Magnolia Wine Services. Jack grew up in San Francisco but has longtime family ties to some of the most well known vineyards and farms of the Sonoma Valley. With Magnolia he’s at the center of the valley's small production wine community. And his Fresco wines are really unique natural wines made from mostly Sonoma Valley grapes. They offer everything from easy and fun drinking wines to serious single vineyard orange wines and structured Primitivo. He’s also of course involved in Dos Bar , which is an amazing tasting room and event space just off the Sonoma Square. Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able consider making a donation to he
- podcast· 3h 46m· Ep 100
IWP Ep100 A Hidden History of the Chinese in Sonoma Valley Wine - Coral Wang of Maison des Plaisances and Emma Lipp - Valley Bar and Bottle
IWP Ep100 A Hidden History of the Chinese in Sonoma Valley Wine - Coral Wang of Maison des Plaisances and Emma Lipp - Valley Bar and Bottle. Coral of Maison De Plaisances and I have been hard at work on this special episode about the Chinese in early California viticulture. We’re going to be focussed in the Sonoma Valley and focussed around Viniculture but Napa, Fresno, LA and orchard and row crops will also make an appearance. Coral was the one who challenged me to get started on this episode and she contributed research, ideas, pronunciations and more. Her energy and enthusiasm for it were infectious. You should really check out her wines if you haven’t Maisondp.com or taste them at Dos Bar. Emma Lipp of Valley Bar and Bottle joins us also. Her and Coral have a great conversation about Chinese contributions in food and wine, cultural appropriation, paying homage and respect to other cultures, what it means to be a Chinese American winemaker and much more. After that, I contribute som
- podcast· 1h 35m· Ep 99
IWP Ep99 Ben Diaz - Volta Wines
IWP Ep99 Ben Diaz - Volta Wines. I sat down with Ben Diaz from Volta wines the other day. We had a great casual conversation about making wines from Spanish varieties in Sonoma Valley. We talk about how he got started, making lots of Pinot, hunting down the varieties he’s looking for like Palomino and Godello and making 3 year barrel aged Rose. Volta is an exciting new project from Ben, the wines all have great balance and texture from varieties you don’t get to taste every day. You can find the wines at Voltawines.com or voltawines on instagram. Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able consider making a donation to help me keep telling wine stories ad free and available for everyone. - www.patreon.com/IndieWinePodcast https:/
- podcast· 1h 22m· Ep 98
IWP Ep98 Kevin Ferguson and Mark Golodetz - Gemello Winery and the Judgement of Paris Anniversaries
IWP Ep98 Kevin Ferguson and Mark Golodetz - Gemello Winery and the Judgement of Paris Anniversaries. My guests today are Kevin Ferguson, a writer who grew up in the hills of Mountain View, near where his grandfather Mario ran the Gemello Winery for nearly 50 years. Today we’re discussing the Judgement of Paris and especially the 25th and the 50th anniversary tastings. A 1970 Gemello nearly swept a 25th anniversary tasting. Kevin is writing a forthcoming book about his family and you can follow along on his substack at gemello.substack.com . I also had a phone conversation with Mark Golodetz, a former European Correspondent for the Wine Enthusiast and the organizer of the 25th and 50th anniversary tastings. The 50th taking palace on Feb 1st in Westchester. Check out Kevins substack, the Centanarrian playback at gemello.substack or follow him at gemellowinery on instagram and stay tuned for the results of the 50th anniversary tasting. Follow the podcast at www.
- podcast· 2h 32m· Ep 97
IWP Ep97 Tony Coturri - Coturri Winery
IWP Ep97 Tony Coturri - Coturri Winery. I recently sat down and talked with Tony Coturri of Coturri winery. Tony of course has been making natural wines, and by that he means wines with nothing added, longer than anyone else. Since 1979 professionally and for 15 years prior on a large scale home level. We had a wide ranging discussion, about the changes he’s seen in natural wine and the larger wine world, why no sulfer, planting and maintaining a vineyard, visits by Robert Parker and how the current downturn of the wine business is different this time. All while drinking a 1977 unsulfered Valdigue. We start off with a little tour of the winery before sitting down. Tony is making original California style wines, with ripe fruit that can age well. The way he was taught, Always nothing added up on Sonoma Mountain. You can find them at https://coturriwinery.com/ or follow the winery at www.instagram.com/Coturri_winery . Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/ind
- podcast· 1h 45m· Ep 96
IWP Ep96 Darek Trowbridge - Old World Winery
IWP Ep96 Darek Trowbridge - Old World Winery. I sat down with Darek Trowbridge of Old World Winery recently for a great discussion around family, farming and caring for the soil, making natural wine before the term existed, Physical and mental health and much more. We sat down at his kitchen table in Fulton and talked for a couple hours with persimmons being turned into Hoshigaki hanging near the fire. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Darek has been making some great and unique wines for a long time, including the only Abouriou in California. You can really feel his passion for health, of the soil, body, mind and world. You can find the wines at oldworldwinery.com or follow him on instagram@oldworldwinery Follow the podcast at www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast or email indiewinepodcast@gmail.com with questions, comments or feedback. Please rate or subscribe or if you are able consider making a donation to help me keep telling wine