Texsom recap and TX Wine Lover

Julia Dixon gives us her recap of Texsom, the Sommelier conference that wrapped up last week, from the volunteer's perspective.  She talks about some of the seminars that made an impression as well as some special wines tasted off-program.  She reads her wine description that won the Guildsom Social Media contest for "Best Tasting Note."  Plus, she has many other projects coming down the pike in the next couple months!

On the second half of the show, Jeremy Wilson talks about the TX Wine Lover web page and how it serves to present tons of information and to advocate for the TX wine industry.  There are interactive maps of wineries and vineyards as well as one of the best blogs in the industry and podcast.  Jeremy is a great advocate for TX wine!

Texas 2017 Harvest Update!

We're in the throws of summer, and the Texas grape harvest is in full swing.  We talk with winemakers across the state to get the low down of where the harvest is and where it's going across the state.  It's an early harvest, but there's high hopes for the Hill Country and High Plains; "no excuses," says Sergio Cuadra of Fall Creek Vineyards.  But the Gulf Coast and other parts of Texas have other difficulties.  Check out the podcast for the full story!

Greek Wine Explained: Tselepos Winery

Giannis Tselepos has been making wine in Greece, the Mantinia in particular, since the 80s, and can be considered one of the pioneers of the grape Moscofilero.  Giannis, and his importer Andreas Zinelis (Cava Spiliadas) come on the podcast to explain Greek wine in general and talk about the regions of his three wineries: Mantinia, Nemea, and Santorini.  Check it out to get a modern perspective on Greek Wine and a guide to pronouncing Greek varieties and regions!

http://www.tselepos.gr

http://cavaspiliadis.com/

Randy Hester on Napa and TX Wine

In 2006, Randy left Houston to carve out a life with his wife in Napa, with the 10 year plan to come back to TX to make world class wine and push the industry.  An internship at Cakebread lead to a job, then to a position at Colgin, then to work under cult winemakers like Mike Hirby and Andy Erickson.  All this lead to served as the foundation of his own label, Lightning Wines, focusing on Grenache.  In 2014, Randy came back to TX to launch C.L Butaud to push the possibilities of Tempranillo.  Check out the podcast to hear Randy tell his story.  He's made a splash already!

clbutaud.com

http://lightningwines.com/

From Long Island to Texas!

Regan and Carey Meador come into the KOOP studios to share with us their quest to first produce highly acclaimed wine on the North Fork of Long Island then their transition to Texas.  We get all the juicy facts of Long Island wine as well as a strong argument for why we should all be excited about Texas as a growing region!  Get the inside scoop, cause they still have some LI wines to sell, extremely interesting Lagrein and Teroldego (yeah, that's right), and everybody's getting excited about their first 2017 Texas vintage!

https://www.southoldfarmandcellar.com/

Michel Thibault and Marla Norman

Michel and Marla are the husband-wife team behind Michel Thibault Wine, which specializes in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and some select producers from Italy and the US.  We dig into French wine, the Bordeaux Futures campaign, their travel business and so much more.  Incredibly knowledgeable and down to earth, Michel and Marla give may tidbits to savor.

A Different Nebbiolo: ArPePe in the Valtellina

Isabella Pelizzatti Perego is 5th generation wine producer in the Valtellina of Northern Italy, and comes on the show to talk about her amazing wines, vineyard and cru-focused Nebbiolo.  She talks about the differences of Nebbiolo from her vineyards, locally called Chiavenasca, and that of Barolo and Barbaresco.  We also get into some of the sub-regions and special wines they make; it's so inspiring to hear Isabella's story!

Music is performed by a local female choir for which Isabella sings, called Coro Clara Wieck, and they're coming out with an album towards the end of 2017:  www.clarawieck.org

No Risk, No Fun for Lageder!

Alois Clemens Lageder, 6th generation winemaker in the Alto Adige, and Jo Pfisterer, head winemaker, tell the story of their region in the north of Italy.  We dig into their histories, the experimentation they have going on, the grapes they're producing in the Alto Adige, and so much more.  I bet you didn't know they grow Tannat and Assyrtiko in Italy!  They clearly had a good time with traveling through Austin and spreading the good word. 

Dr. Shelly Sethi and the Health Benefits of Wine

Dr. Shelly Sethi has a family practice specializing in Integrative and Functional Medicine in Austin, Texas.  She delves into her philosophies on wine as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle that promotes good digestion and low inflammation.  We also talk about some of the lesser known health benefits of moderate consumption of wine as well as the famous anti-oxidant resveratrol.  Love wine, life, friends, and good livin' with Dr. Shelly!

http://www.drshellysethi.com/

Grayson Davies talks North Texas Vineyards

Grayson is winemaker of Arché Vineyard and Winery in Saint Jo, about an hour North of Dallas.  An odd place you might guess for vineyards, but Grayson explains how the conditions are unique and perfect for grapes.  Arché was the first to move into the neighborhood, but now there are a number of wineries moving into what the locals are referring to the Red River Valley. Check it out, there's even a guest appearance by Presley Whitehead, vineyard manager of neighboring Blue Ostrich and Grayson's fiancé!

Adam Mason, winemaker of Mulderbosch

Adam comes into the KOOP studios to talk all about South African wine.  Since the 2011 vintage, he has been in charge of winemaking at Mulderbosch, and talks about his pride and reverence in Chenin Blanc.  We also delve into the difficulties of Sauv Blanc, oxidative juice handling for Chardonnay, the lessons learned with red Bordeaux varieties, and so much more! 

Nicolas Rossignol, the Terroirist of Volnay

Nicolas joins us in the KOOP studios to talk about making wine in Burgundy.  Nico is part of the new generation of excellent Burgundy winemakers and makes 13 wines from excellent vineyards in Volnay, Pommard, Savigny-les-Beaune, and Pernand Vergelesses.  His passion for Pinot Noir really comes through, and he has quite the affinity for the no-nonsense Texas way of life.

Schiopetto wine in Friuli

For this episode, we're joined by Dr. Cristian Maddalena, export manager for Schiopetto (Friuli) and Siro Pacenti (Brunello).  Cristian has a PhD in history and gives us a unique glimpse into the wine and culture of Northeast Italy.  He has a wonderful way of describing the unique indigenous grapes of the region as well as the International varieties that have been there for centuries, as well as showing absolute pride to be part of the Schiopetto family.  We talk history, vineyards, culture, food, and so much more!  You can find more information at: http://www.schiopetto.it/en/

Bob Lindquist and the Window to the Pacific

Bob Lindquist founded Qupé in the early 1980's and quickly made a name for himself in the Central Coast for Chardonnay and the Rhone varieties of Syrah, Grenach, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier.  In this episode, Bob gives a glimpse into California in the early days as well as how the Central Coast is a special place for grapes.  He's doing something right when a 10 year old Marsanne-Roussanne blend is as fresh as a button and as complex as a marriage.  Enjoy!

WSET Week in Texas!

Last week was a celebration of WSET (the Wine and Spirits Education Trust), which is the largest third party certification body in the world.  We talk with Liz Palmer, owner of the Texas Wine School, and Sissy Preston, Diploma candidate, to get a feel for the experience of the programs as well the process of taking your wine knowledge to the next level.  I'll toast to that!