The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits

On this week’s episode of The Wine Makers, we sit down with Japanese winemaker Sonoe Hirabayashi of Six Cloves Wines. She talks about her roots in Nagano, her family’s long history of fermenting miso and sake, and how she found her way into wine, along with her connection to the art of Taiko drumming.

Sonoe originally moved to New York to work as a corporate accountant, but after getting hooked on wine, she realized that path was not for her. She headed to UC Davis to study winemaking, later returned to Japan to help her fami...

Christopher McGilvray is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Santa Cruz, California. Through his company, Nomadic Bear Productions, he has created content for a wide range of clients, including Oracle, EMI Records, and Ridge Vineyards.

We sat down with Christopher to talk about his current documentary, Eden, which follows the Patterson family, caretakers of one of California’s most historic vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Eden. The property’s history dates back to the 1800s and includes names like Almaden, Paul Masson, Louis Latour, and Martin Ray.

The film tells a story of tran...

Jennifer Rue has been the winemaker for Oakville Ranch Vineyards for more than a decade. Her connection to the site runs much deeper. Her career has effectively orbited Oakville Ranch from the start. Her first winery job sourced fruit from the vineyard. She later worked for an early iteration of Oakville Ranch, then spent years at Miner Family Winery working with relatives of the ranch’s ownership.

Different roles, same vineyard. Again and again.

Along the way, she has worked along side Phil Coturri and Enterprise Vineyards to help this important, historical site realize its po...

This week we welcome Robyn Sebastiani from the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. Robyn serves as Executive Director of both the alliance and its charitable foundation, and she joins us to talk about what the SVVGA actually does and how it all got started.

We also get into a couple of upcoming events, including Sonoma Valley Western Reserve at the private Wing and Barrel Club this May, along with the 129th Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, which takes place every year during the last weekend of September. Now’s a good time to start planning fo...

This is one we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. We finally sit down with Mick Unti from Unti Vineyards and get into what makes his wines and his approach so different.

Unti sits right in the middle of what most people think of as Zinfandel country, but that’s not what you’ll find in the glass. Mick has built the winery around Italian varieties like Vermentino and Sangiovese, and he talks about why those grapes work so well where he is and how they’re farmed and made. You can tell pretty quickly...

Spring has arrived in Sonoma, the sun is out, and the new releases are finally coming out of the cellar. This week we sit down and taste through the latest wines from Dane Cellars, Jambe des Bois, and Winery Sixteen 600.

Along the way we talk about where the fruit comes from, the vineyards behind the wines, and how each bottle was made. The lineup gets a lot of attention, including the JDB Gamay, Bart’s Silver Cloud Sauvignon Blanc, and Sixteen 600’s Steel Plow Grenache. After about the tenth wine the conversation loosens up a bit. We trie...

For a long time, it was easy for some to dismiss the wine world that Tyler Balliet and Morgan First have spent the last 20 years carving out for themselves as frivolous or unserious.

Second Glass, the zine Tyler started while working one of her first wine jobs, was a far cry from the glossy or stodgy wine publications that ruled the day. Their blockbuster tasting events, Wine Riot, sold out cities across the country but were often overlooked by the wine establishment in favor of posh Food & Wine festivals or a leading critic’s “master class.” Their Rosé M...

We wrap up our time at the Direct to Consumer Symposium with a relaxed final recording, catching up with friends and talking about what’s been happening lately in Monterey and back home.

We sit down with Jason Haas to catch up on everything happening at Tablas Creek Vineyard, then check in with Grant Wood about what’s new in his world at Patz & Hall. Kelly Cornett joins us alongside Jessah Diaz to talk about The Ultimate Hospitality Challenge game show, which Jessah won. It turns into a fun look at what actually makes someone great at hosp...

Marketing Strategy & Brand Storytelling from Outside the Wine Industry

One thing that sets the DTC Wine Symposium apart from most wine conferences is how many speakers come from outside the wine industry. Our friend Barbara Gorder taps into her Chicago ad-world network and brings in people who’ve spent their careers on the front lines of marketing, brand building, and cultural storytelling. The result is a perspective small wineries rarely get access to. Basically, we got a day at Leo Burnett University courtesy of Dean Barbara Gorder. As you might expect, the stories are as good as th...

Four hundred episodes. In classic Wine Makers Pod style, this one sorta snuck up on us. Technically, we breezed past our 400th episode somewhere in the Monterey fog while recording at the DTC Wine Symposium. So we decided to package two of our favorite DTC interviews with two of our favorite people on the planet, Elaine Chukan Brown and Duskie Estes.

Both delivered keynote addresses, bringing the outside perspective we love so much about this conference. Elaine took us on a deep dive into California wine history, showing how past challenges mirror today’s conditions and reminding us...

Brian, Bart, Danielle and Sam sit down with the rest of the SORBET (Sonoma Organic Regenerative Biodynamic Educational Tasting) crew, Morgan Twain Peterson, Katie Bundschu and Alli Badar, along with special guest Ryan Woodhouse of K&L Wines, to discuss two new SORBET developments.

If you missed last year’s event at Fort Mason, don’t worry. SORBET will be back. But first we are turning our focus to friends in the industry who want to learn how to begin incorporating organic, regenerative and biodynamic practices into their viticulture. Morgan and Katie break down what to expect from...

Steve Gross, Honore Comfort & Mark Barden
Wine Institute

Monterey, Calif. — Sitting down with Steve Gross has become one of our favorite DTC Wine Symposium traditions. Not only does he have one of the best radio voices in the wine business, but he’s spent nearly four decades on the front lines of wine shipping battles nationwide. Largely thanks to his efforts, residents of 49 states can now receive direct-to-consumer wine shipments.

Steve is always ready to update us on the latest state-level shenanigans aimed at limiting consumer access to their favorite wines. But his role has...

While Evan Roscoe is a Napa native, he grew up far from Napa’s wine culture. So far, in fact, that his family’s mountainside cabin was technically on the Solano side of the county line. There wasn’t wine on the table growing up, and his family had no connections to the wine business.

Evan left Napa for college in Chicago and eventually found his way into hospitality and bar management. He returned home after the 2017 fires to find a wine industry already reeling, at the beginning of what would become a long stretch of calamities, correc...

We sit down with Tom and Chrissy from Grand Scheme Wines and dig into a story that has more layers than it first appears. It begins in Carneros, where they bought a piece of land and started planting Barn House Vineyard in 2018 with a clear vision from day one. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were non-negotiable, and organic farming was always part of the plan.

What follows is a conversation about commitment, patience, and the reality of building something from the ground up. As they walk us through the decisions, challenges, and moments that shaped the vineyard, the...

We get together with Isabel Gassier and Jasmine Egan for a relaxed year-end catch-up, looking back at the guests, conversations, wines, and trends that stood out in 2025. It’s part reflection, part shop talk, and very much the kind of conversation that happens once the microphones are already on.

Listener questions guide a lot of where we go, including the critical ones, and we appreciate all of it. We wrap things up by raising a glass to the year behind us and talking about what’s ahead, with plans to keep pouring and talking into 2026. [Ep 395]

Jenny Murphy went to UC Davis to study forensics. While attending a job fair, she was lured into the wine business with visions of a laboratory filled with expensive, new equipment. She took a temporary position at Korbel Champagne and was bitten by the wine bug.

After accepting a job at Paul Hobbs, she moved up the ranks, finally settling into the Director of Winemaking, where she was responsible for numerous 100pt wines.
Jenny recently left Paul Hobbs and started her own label, Oxlee Graham, making precise Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, and some very interesting whites...

The conversation this week features Keith Beavers, Tasting Director at VinePair and host of the Wine 101 podcast. He’s a self-taught wine geek who once ran the New York wine bar In Vino and co-owned Alphabet City Wine Co., and he brings that mix of curiosity and real-world experience to everything he does.

Wine 101 is his way of breaking down grape varieties, regions, and technical concepts so they feel clear and approachable. He focuses on helping people understand how wines are made, why they taste the way they do, and how to navigate the world of wine wi...

Born and raised in Napa Valley, Derek Flegal studied biology before moving to Spain and living abroad for much of his 20’s. After moving to Mendoza, Argentina, his passion for wine became apparent and he returned to the US to study Enology at Fresno State. Upon completion in 2014, he took a cellar worker position at Outpost wines, where he developed a working relationship with Thomas Rivers Brown. In the following years, he worked alongside renowned winemakers Michel Rolland, Aaron Pott, and Heidi Barrett, and began crafting wines for himself under the Blaine label.

Originally planted in 2003, Lewis Pl...

This week, the crew welcomes back Todd Jolly from Sonoma’s Best — better known to many as @sonomawinemerchant. A certified sommelier and proudly dubbed “The Champagne King,” Todd serves as Wine Director for Sonoma’s Best and The Sonoma Cheese Factory, where he’s built an exceptional program that blends local standouts with global gems.

Todd shares his perspective on the current wine market, shifting consumer trends, and the importance of personal connection in wine retail. The group also talks about his deep love for the Oregon Ducks, his approach to curating unique lists, and what’s exciting him m...

This week, the crew finally sits down with Jamie Kutch of Kutch Wines—a long-awaited guest whose Pinot Noir reputation precedes him. Jamie has shared a production facility with host Bart Hansen for years, so the team already knew his wines were special. What began as a career on NASDAQ trading floors turned into a lifelong pursuit of crafting world-class Pinot Noir, thanks to a pivotal invitation to work harvest at Kosta Browne—and he never looked back.

Today, Jamie makes just 3,000 cases a year, with his wines featured in top restaurants around the world. Recently, he purc...

This week the crew sits down with Brian London, Sommelier and wine buyer for one of Sonoma County’s most beloved spots, Table Culture Provisions. Known for its eclectic and adventurous wine list, TCP has become a favorite among locals and winemakers alike — and Brian is the man behind its carefully curated selections.

After falling in love with France during a trip with his fiancée, Brian began importing small-production wines to the States, eventually launching 4Play Wines, a boutique distributorship focused on producers with meticulous farming practices and distinct personalities. He shares stories from his travels, insig...

Will Gondak has been chasing the dream. Experiences making wine in Napa, Sonoma, Australia, New Zealand, France, Santa Cruz, and South Africa have broadened his view into what is possible. The wide array of hands-on experience accompanied by the study of winemaking and viticulture at both Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Napa Valley College has yielded one curious wine nerd. Will has been calling Sonoma County home since 2015 and is looking forward to his 18th harvest in 2025.

A full-time side hustle, Gondak Cellars was established in 2015. Will spends the majority of his work time helping make...

This week the guys sit down with Matt McDermaid, owner and winemaker at Staysail Wines, a small-lot Sonoma County winery inspired by his background in sailing. The name “Staysail” refers to a sail used to adjust for shifting conditions—much like how Matt adapts to each unique vintage.

With deep family roots in the wine world (his aunt and uncle run GlenLyon Vineyards & Winery in Glen Ellen), Matt built his own path, earning an MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State and studying winemaking at UC Davis. After hands-on experience at Meeker Vineyard, he launched Staysail with a focu...

This week, the crew sits down with Brandon Conley, head distiller at Brucato Amaro in San Francisco, for what could be called an Amaro 101—or maybe an Amaro Study.

Amaros have a long, fascinating history, evolving from regional tonics and medicinal tinctures into spirits that connect cultures. Before large-scale production, these bitter liqueurs were hyper-local, crafted from whatever produce and native plants grew nearby. Brucato carries on that tradition today with small-batch amaros that showcase the bounty of California. From sun-ripened citrus to wild foraged herbs, each ingredient is thoughtfully sourced to create a distinctive taste of pl...

The crew is back together again, and this week they’re catching up after International Grenache Day. They share memories from the celebration, dig into the challenges of this year’s harvest, and get Brian’s perspective on the London wine scene. Bart also offers a heartfelt and important PSA about his recent health scare. It’s a mix of stories, insights, and reflections that remind us why wine is about more than just what’s in the glass. [Ep 385]

Justin Harmon didn’t set out to be a winemaker, but the journey found him anyway. After studying in Philadelphia and working as a chemical engineer, he returned to Chicago in his mid-20s to pursue software engineering. Somewhere in between coding and commuting, his love for wine began to take over. What started as the occasional bottle at dinner soon filled his apartment closets, and weekends were spent roaming Chicago wine shops, devouring books, tastings, and seminars, with every trip planned around a vineyard visit.

Curiosity eventually pulled him out of the tasting room and into th...

We love stories like this. Two neighbors bond over their shared love of wine, make some in their garage, then decide to put in a vineyard. With no formal training but a passion for Rhone varietals, they pushed ahead. While walking their dogs, they “spied” on their neighbors’ vineyards and gleaned information from friends and local wineries.

The wines have purity and clarity to them, no over extraction or excessive oak treatment. “Our vineyards, located in the Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley, just south of Healdsburg, are ideal for growing Rhone varietals. Benefitting from the effe...

The team looks back at the recent S.O.R.B.E.T. tasting at Fort Mason, sharing highlights and feedback from the event. They also tackle listener questions ranging from winemaking to cellar tips, and reveal their favorite wines tasted so far this year. A lively mix of reflection, advice, and personal picks straight from the vineyard to your glass. [Ep 382]

This week Bart, Sam, and Danielle sit down for a long-awaited conversation with Chris Renfro, the visionary behind The Two Eighty Project and much more. The project began in 2020, when a neglected vineyard along San Francisco’s 280 freeway more or less fell into his lap. Amid the trials and turmoil of that year, Chris took it upon himself to revive roughly 65 vines that had been left for dead.

As the vineyard grew, so did The Two Eighty Project’s mission: creating meaningful access to viticulture and wine for communities of color and other groups historically excluded from the...

Matt Crafton took over the white wine program at Chateau Montelena in 2010, then became head winemaker in 2014. The rich history of the Chateau and the part it played in the “Judgement of Paris”, cementing the New World’s place on the wine map is discussed, but we went deeper in this conversation. Spend five minutes with Matt and you can tell why Bo Barrett put him in charge, with very little oversight. Matt understands the history of this iconic winery but is more focused on where they are going today. There is no tangible “style” of their wines, every vintage is...

Alycia Mondavi grew up with a front row seat on the California wine stage. Growing up with that name gives you access but also may draw unwanted attention. Part of the deal is you must leave for five years before coming to work in the family business, something that we’ve seen in other family run wine operations.

Alycia took the break, focused on law, then came back to join her sisters.

She now heads brands that do 400 cases to 800,000 cases annually, some only available through allocation and others on every grocery store shelf. Her pa...

Brian Hurley isn’t trying to sell you a polished narrative. The winemaker behind Coteau Pavot tells it like it is, from getting his start in the wine world before he was even legal to drink, to listing every ingredient on his bottles. That includes tartaric acid and malolactic bacteria, the kinds of details that big brands tend to avoid but that spark some surprisingly candid conversations.

His wines speak just as clearly. Made from organically farmed grapes sourced from distinctive vineyards, they are fresh, clean, and full of personality. Even his Grenache Gris orange wine manages a...

Lyndsay Hoopes has a lot on her plate—and it’s not just wine. Napa County has hit Hoopes Vineyard with a public nuisance complaint over everything from tastings and visitation to a small animal sanctuary on the property. Now, they’re demanding nearly $8.7 million, a figure the family simply doesn’t have.

In this conversation, Lyndsay breaks down the murky regulations at the heart of the dispute and shares her frustration over what feels like selective enforcement. “There is no definition of visitor. There is no definition of retail,” she points out, raising fair questions about how anyone i...

At a relaxed get-together of Rhône producers in Sonoma, a couple of unfamiliar faces caught my attention. They turned out to be Andrew Sides and Brad Buckelew from Lost Draw, winemakers out of Texas who were in town for the Rhone Rangers event at Cline Cellars. One conversation led to another, and soon we were setting up a proper sit-down to get their story on the record.

They brought more than just stories. The wines were strong, with a clear sense of place and purpose. We covered a lot of ground, from the geological quirks of t...

Danielle Langlois joins the guys to talk about her new solo venture, Jambe Des Bois—a deeply personal label focused on small-lot, handcrafted wines. After years as the winemaker at Lasseter Family Winery, Danielle stepped away to pursue her own vision, working with fruit farmed by legendary grower Phil Coturri and a bit of Syrah from a Carneros vineyard her husband Dan tends himself.

The conversation covers everything from Danielle’s winemaking philosophy to the unique challenges and freedoms that come with striking out on your own. It’s a great listen for anyone who loves Sonoma wines...

Carlton McCoy’s journey from a DC kitchen to the pinnacle of the wine world is anything but ordinary. Bart and Sam sit down with the Master Sommelier and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates to unpack the milestones and mindset that got him there. Carlton opens up about the moment wine first lit a fire in him, what it took to pass the notoriously grueling MS exam at just 28, and how that early obsession evolved into something far bigger.

At The Little Nell in Aspen, he found himself at the helm of one of the world’s most...

A chance meeting led to a very cool show that turned us into total cider freaks. Amie and Lyndon happened to come in for a tasting at Winery Sixteen 600 on their way to a site visit at the local Sonoma Cider Shop, Pomme. They are based in Cedar Grove and Asheville North Carolina and make cider, pet-nat, piquette and wines from local sources. Their energy, enthusiasm and creativity were truly inspiring and everything we tried was amazing.

The winery supports local farmers using only sustainably and organically sourced fruits, including blueberries, heirloom apples, and unusual ingredients like...

Though she carries one of the most prominent last names in modern Napa Valley history, Jamie Araujo didn’t grow up a wine brat or even a Napa kid at all. By the time the Araujos purchased the iconic Eisele Vineyard and launched their wine brand, Jamie was already in college on the East Coast. And she kept going east—eventually all the way to London’s West End, where she built a career as a professional actor.

We sat down with Jamie to talk about her fascinating journey: from theater and television to working with some of the...

What happens when the world’s leading non-Japanese Master of Sake Tasting joins forces with three sake brewery presidents and one of the most enthusiastic wine reps in the business? You get a deep, delicious dive into sake that’s equal parts educational and intoxicating—in the best way.

In this highly anticipated installment, Bella Pearson returns with “the Godfather of Sake” himself, John Gauntner, to walk us through the fascinating world of sake—from the rice fields to the bottle. Gauntner, the only non-Japanese Master of Sake Tasting certified by the Brewing Society of Japan, brings unmatched in...

Ballentine Vineyards, a Napa Valley staple since 1905, isn’t just a winery—it’s a living legacy. We dive into the story of a winemaker whose path to the vineyard wasn’t exactly a straight line. He started out aiming to be a brewmaster, dabbled in forestry and photography, but ultimately found his groove in Fermentation Science at UC Davis. A globe-spanning exchange program took him to Germany, South Africa, and Australia, shaping his winemaking style before he joined the family operation in 1999. Bruce and his wife Danielle also run their own project, Three Clicks Wines, a nod to the tele...