Dave Phillips grew up on the family homestead in Lodi, California. His great great grandparents settled there in 1865. His youth was spent driving tractors in the vineyards and growing fruit and vegetables to sell at the family’s roadside fruit stands and local farmers markets. Today, he and his brother, Michael, have created some of the most iconic brands in the wine industry, including Seven Deadly Zins (which they subsequently sold), Earthquake, Freakshow and Outerbound—their latest...

As the head of fine dining and wineries at Tock, Eric Chmiel drives the development of partnerships with the world’s best restaurants and wineries. Eric brings extensive expertise and passion to the hospitality industry. In addition to being a self-proclaimed foodie, Eric holds a WSET Level III certification. I invite you to drink in this peek-behind-the-curtain conversation with the Tock wizard himself, Eric Chmiel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leigh Orleans is a private chef based in North Carolina but travels all over the country crafting fresh, seasonal meals for her clients. Her culinary skills were showcased on Season 22 of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, where she competed and earned a black jacket during the final round. Leigh holds a degree in culinary arts from the Savannah Culinary Institute and a master’s degree in wine and beverage management from the Culinary Institute of America. In May 2017, she graduated from the...

Wine has always been a part of Executive Winemaker Ben Papapietro’s life. A native San Franciscan of Italian descent, Ben grew up with wine as part of every family meal and gathering. His passion for wine making caught fire in his early twenties as he explored wines from around the world. But the wines that really turned Ben’s head were from the Burgundy region in France. During his 37-year career with the San Francisco Newspaper Agency, Ben met future partner Bruce Perry. Through their...

Glenn Proctor is part of Sonoma County royalty. Founded by Glenn’s great grandfather in 1904, the Puccioni’s were one of the original Italian farming families in Dry Creek Valley. Today, Puccioni Vineyards is still committed to making distinctive Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from the Puccioni Ranch, located in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. Their grape growing and winemaking knowledge has been passed down through the generations with the goal of “letting the vineyard speak” by producing...

After graduating from UC Davis' Viticulture and Enology program, Tyler Klick joined Redwood Empire Vineyard Management in 1997 on the grounds crew and eventually worked himself up to his present position as co-owner and viticulturist. Tyler oversees all traditional and specialty viticulture for REVM and also handles estimating, budgeting and overall construction projects. He is passionate about the environment. He is actively involved in creek restoration projects and certification programs...

As the fourth-generation winegrower and co-owner of Zialena Winery, Mark Mazzoni's deep-rooted connection to the land and his family's winemaking legacy have guided his passion for crafting exceptional wines. A pivotal trip to South America in 2004 immersed him in winemaking traditions, broadening his perspective. In 2012, he co-founded Zialena Winery with his sister, Lisa Mazzoni, focusing on artisanal Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel using open-top concrete fermenters. Beyond winemaking,...

She's known for her joyous personality, passion for ethical sourcing and advocacy for small farmers. Duskie Estes has been a leader in the farm-to-table movement for decades. She is also no stranger to television. Estes has competed on two seasons of Food Network’s Next Iron Chef, appeared on an episode of Beat Bobby Flay, and judged on Guy’s Grocery Games. She and her husband, John Stewart, have been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives as well as numerous PBS shows. I...

At the tender age of 10, Erica Stancliff demonstrated the skills that would later define her career as a winemaker and enologist. Now, with 16 harvests under her belt, Erica has been described by Press Democrat as a “young Sonoma County winemaker turning heads” and featured in renowned publications, such as Wine Enthusiast, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, Robb Report, Martha Stewart, and more. Currently, she consults for five unique wine brands, including her family’s winery, Trombetta...

Paul Sloan, co-owner and winemaker at Small Vines, started his journey in wine as a bus-boy in high school. He eventually worked his way up to the assistant wine buyer position at John Ash and Company. As a very young wine steward, he was given many opportunities to taste both California classic wines as well as wines from all over the world. One night, his life would change forever when a person dining alone offered him a taste of a very rare Burgundy. This ethereal experience sent him on a...

Food & Wine Magazine Executive Editor Ray Isle says, “You could probably spend your entire life drinking wines under $100 and probably under $50 and drink spectacularly good wine for years and years and never run out,” and he has just written the book to prove it! Ray Isle is the executive wine editor for Food & Wine and the wine and spirits editor for Travel + Leisure. He writes the monthly “What to Drink Next” column as well as regular feature articles for both publications. His new...

While working for his family's real estate and parking business in DC in the late 80s, Alex Gambal received a life-changing case of wine as a gift. It wasn’t just wine that was uncorked, but opportunity. In 1993, he and his family moved to France. Gambal founded and grew Domaine Alex Gambal, a boutique winery that included some of France's greatest vineyards. As an American in Burgundy, Gambal overcame skepticism from his fellow vignerons and eventually bought some of the most coveted French...

Monique Soltani is an award-winning journalist who has spent the majority of her life working in newsrooms in California's major cities from San Francisco to San Diego, and everywhere in between and through Wine Oh! TV, she has developed a core connection with the wine country community. Monique first brought Wine Oh! to life in 2008, in over 1.5 million homes across California’s Central Valley once a week on KSEE 24. From 2013 - 2018, Monique formed and executed distribution deals for Wine...

Famed winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo (of Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy, France) and legendary co-founder of IRS Records (think Police, REM, The Go-Go’s, etc.) Jay Boberg met serendipitously at a party in Philadelphia over 25 years ago. Their friendship has led to a remarkable collaboration in Willamette Valley, Oregon—where they make outstanding wines that, “we like to drink.” I invite you to drink in this extended episode with Jean-Nicolas Méo and Jay Boberg of Nicolas-Jay Wines. It will be...

Michael Kennedy created the Vin Fraîche Wine Group in 2018, after launching three distinct wineries in Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Oregon. In 2020 an additional winery was acquired to the group in Tuscany, Italy. Kennedy's drive to create wines of freshness, vibrancy and life has created a thread of commonality in the wines throughout the brands. His passion for wines that are complex, long lived and built for food has driven him to assemble a team of winemakers and friends that help create...

Gustavo’s love for wine runs deep into his childhood. He grew up in California’s Central Valley, surrounded by family with longstanding ties to agricultural business who instilled in him a love of the land and an appreciation for wine. He spent his summers in orchards, vineyards, cotton fields, tomato fields and canneries, but he never intended to be a farmer, much less a winemaker. His dreams were filled with airplanes and rockets and cars. But one day he found a bottle from Robert Mondavi...

One day, entrepreneur David Kong asked himself, “What good is glassware if it never gets used?” That question inspired David to leave his job at a hedge fund and develop his own brand of hand-blown glassware designed for regular use. Glasvin was born! Working directly with the factory, Glasvin is able to offer wine lovers the unparalleled sophistication of hand-blown glassware at a mainstream price. Glasvin’s pieces are designed to be effortlessly lightweight yet durable and dishwasher-safe....

Mike Reynolds began his career at Hall Wines as winemaker and general manager during the infancy of the winery, and was later promoted to president. Since 2002, Reynolds has overseen development of the HALL, WALT and BACA businesses—including production, vineyards, operations and construction. Mike also leads the vineyard acquisition program for Kathryn and Craig Hall. They now own close to 500 acres of premier vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Barbara counties. Mike holds an...

Born and raised in Northern California, Ryan Prichard’s passion for wine blossomed while taking a wine appreciation course at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Initially, Prichard worked with smaller wineries in California and Colorado before joining Williams Selyem in Healdsburg where he learned the art of making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. While running the cellar at Sonoma County’s premier Copain Custom Crush, he was able to work with, and learn from, dozens of the county’s best winemakers....

Clay Mauritson, of Mauritson Wines, was born and raised in the Dry Creek Valley and is part of the sixth generation of a grape-growing family. Pioneers from Sweden, Clay’s great great-grandparents raised Merino sheep for the wool and planted their first vines on land they settled in 1868. That area now anchors the Rockpile AVA. After playing in the Rose Bowl for the University of Oregon in 1995, Clay graduated and returned to Sonoma County in 1997, where he honed his winemaker skills...

Jeff Morgan is the owner and founding winemaker of Covenant Wines, a boutique urban winery in Berkeley, California making small-lot fine wines from California and Israel. Covenant wines are made from extraordinary vineyards that stretch from Central California, Lodi and Northern California, all the way to the Galilee and Golan Heights in Israel. Covenant wines have been praised by Robert Parker, who called them “the finest kosher wines on planet Earth,” and by Jancis Robinson who stated that...

Aaron plays Anthony Holmes on the NBC’s comedy, Grand Crew. The popular sitcom tells the story of a ‘crew’ of 30-something Black professional friends in Los Angeles who regularly enjoy getting together at their favorite neighborhood wine bar to unpack their everyday adventures. On the show, Aaron’s character plays the happy-go-lucky, yet slightly uptight accountant. The series first aired in December 2021, and was the top digital comedy on NBC's Peacock streaming platform. Currently in...

Lindsey Fern discovered her passion for wine while backpacking through Europe and Africa and later honed her skills working in restaurants all over the world including London, Ibiza, Miami and San Francisco’s Bay Area. In 2014, her journey ultimately led her to the Inn at Little Washington as their cellar master. Then in 2021, she became director of wine. Lindsey is the only woman running a 3-Star Michelin restaurant’s wine program in the country! She in passionate about the industry and her...

Loveblock wines is founded by Erica Crawford, and her husband, Kim Crawford, renowned veterans of the New Zealand wine industry. Erica started her career as an aspirational medical scientist, progressing into the pharmaceutical industry. Her career in the wine industry was quite by accident, when she met Kim Crawford. Erica and Kim began making wine under their own label in 1996 and later sold that brand. However, both were lured back by an untamed parcel of land on a hillside in...