Skurnik Unfiltered

“This is one reason why family wineries are so important. My father is 82, and he’s supporting, in all the ways, the planting of vineyards that he will not see the full potential of. This multi-generational commitment to viticulture, this multi-generational commitment to caring for the land—that’s why families are so important.” – Jasmine Hirsch

The Hirsch family are farmers, though it took decades for David Hirsch to realize after planting his first vines in 1980 that he's not farming grapes—he's farming soil. This epiphany came after a long evolutionary arc in an exceptionally...

“They didn’t believe that I could do the work. And today, the girls are proving how sometimes the impossible can become normal.” – Chiara Boschis

As recently as the 1990s, Barolo and the surrounding villages were not ready for a woman to be in charge. When Chiara Boschis championed innovations like new oak barrels, organic farming, and green harvesting in a region that was firmly set in its traditional ways, her neighbors suggested to her father that she should be committed to a psych ward.

She laughs about it now because she proved them all...

"We're aiming for a mineral-driven, sharper, cooler style. Very fine, very precise, more focus, more finesse, more character." – Lara Haag

The Schloss Lieser estate boasts one of the most privileged vineyard portfolios of the Middle Mosel, with famed sites like Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Brauneberger Juffer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Bernkasteler Doctor creating incredibly sharp and precise wines from impossibly steep slopes.

In this episode, German wine expert Michael Lykens tastes a flight of Rieslings with Lara Haag, winemaker Thomas Haag's daughter. They discuss how respect for terroir directs their low-intervention winemaking practices and whe...

"You know, trends come and go, but I think there always is an evolution. I think the way I try to approach wine and food and anything else in life, even fashion, is to like what you like and trust your gut." – Martha Stoumen

Martha Stoumen is a first generation winemaker from California known for her fresh and youthful wines of primarily Italian varieties. After apprenticing with Giusto Occhipinti in Sicily, Martha returned to California on a mission to discover multigenerational organic vineyards to source her low-intervention wines.

Though she walks to th...

"For me, it’s very important to know where your roots are when you’re making wine. And I know exactly which kind of wine I want to make: it’s wine that most expresses where it comes from." – Cyprien Arlaud

The third generation of his family estate in Morey St. Denis, Cyprien Arlaud of Domaine Arlaud is regarded by many as one of the most respected farmers and winemakers in Burgundy today. His full-scale commitment to organic, biodynamics, and holistic soil management established him as a leader of a new era of low-intervention practices.

Speaking...

“To work by animal traction, 40% grade vineyards, on slate, at 1,000m of altitude, that are 45 minutes from anything else—all the best producers are going more and more into geographically specific bottlings.” – Max Working

In December, we sent our Iberian wine specialists to take the pulse of what’s new and exciting in Portugal and Galicia. Matt Wolfe and Max Working tasted the wines of nine producers from Bierzo to Porto and returned with a wealth of stories, wineries to watch, and two souvenir tastevins from their surprise induction into a secret society. They reveal how some producers...

“What I’m looking for is very personal. It’s like a sound in the wine. And that sound is defined by something I love. Like a musician, I was always looking for my personal sound, and that sound comes easy with País.” – Pedro Parra 

Pedro Parra is a world-renowned winemaker, saxophone player, and vineyard consultant from Chile—and one of the few individuals with a PhD from the Paris Center of Agriculture with a specialization in terroir. Under his eponymous brand, Pedro Parra y Familia Wines, Pedro is a leading member of the "New Chile" wine movement...

"Reducing the barriers to getting into Scotch, I think, is really important for bringing new consumers from all walks of life in and making them feel welcome. The whole point of Nc'nean is whisky for everybody." – Annabel Thomas

Annabel Thomas is the founder of the most sustainable distillery in the world, Nc’nean. Nestled in the Western Highlands of Scotland, Nc’nean is completely off the grid. The entire operation produces net-zero carbon emissions and is powered by 100% renewable energy. They use only organic barley, and the bottles are made from 100% recycled glass.

In a conver...

“I think many consumers, many somms, think of it as a great supermarket wine for the money. But I think Chile’s still got much more to show. Many people when they taste these wines, the first thing they say is, ‘But that’s not Chilean.’ But it is more Chilean than what your image of Chile is.” – Derek Mossman

Since 2006, Derek Mossman and his wife, Pilar, have been working alongside local farmers in Chile’s Maule Valley to revive forgotten centenarian vines and express their full potential. True to their humble origins, Garage Wine Co. ferments in a mismatched...

"We're not making year-to-year decisions—we're making generational decisions. And that feels like the only just way to treat and respect all of the efforts that have preceded us." – Jason Kesner 

Today’s guest is Jason Kesner, the longtime winemaker of Kistler Vineyards, one of California’s most esteemed producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Having worked alongside founder Steve Kistler for nearly two decades—first as his only assistant, then as his successor—Jason has played a central role in stewarding the estate through one of the most important transitions in its history.

In this wide-ran...

"You know, Champagne has built itself, at least since the '60s, on blending grapes together. Growers, we play a different card. We try to express wine from a singular place. And when you just think about the experience of tasting the same varietal made from different terroir, that's when I think you understand that wine is truly special."

Champagne Pierre Paillard is one of the most exciting domaines in France, thanks to a fortunate marriage of pristine terroir and “bon sens paysan,” with a mix of innovative farming and old-school winemaking.  

In this episode, Quent...

"Working in these vineyards makes me think a lot because you really want to treat them right. You don't want to be the last generation farming the vines that were surviving 4, 5 generations." – Christopher Loewen

Today’s guest is Christopher Loewen, the 33-year-old at the helm of Weingut Carl Loewen, one of the Mosel’s smallest and most impressive estates. 

Christopher, along with his father Karl-Josef and just one other employee, farms some of the oldest ungrafted Riesling vines in the world from a fabled parcel planted in 1896 by the Schmitt-Wagner estate. By embracing traditional, low-intervention viticul...

“We are working with the same philosophy, the same idea, the same goal. To be in the wine business, it’s very important to have this kind of relationship. Because otherwise it’s just business and it doesn’t make sense.”  – Giorgio Rivetti 

Giorgio Rivetti is the man behind the estates of La Spinetta and Contratto in Piedmont, Casanova della Spinetta in Tuscany, and his own import company based in the US, Indigenous Selections, which imports cult favorites such as Chiara Boschis and Ciacci Piccolomini. 

In this episode, Giorgio reflects on the many lessons he's learned over hi...

"It's agriculture, right? Not agri-business. This is part of our cultural history and something worth preserving." – Christina Turley

Christina is the 2nd generation of the Turley wine family. After cutting her teeth in the hospitality world as a college student in New York at Gramercy Tavern and becoming the sommelier and beverage director for David Chang's Momofuku family of restaurants, Christina moved back to California to go all-in on Zinfandel. Today, she feels a responsibility to honor and protect California’s historic old vines—particularly her favorite varietal, the one she calls “the Dolly Parton of American wine”—an...

“Can Sumoi, above all, is a project to connect with the farmers in the area, learn from them, pay them a fair amount—the highest possible per kilo of Sumoll or Xarel-lo or Macabeu. I dream of a Penedès where the valleys and the villages and the crus are the protagonists. It's the Burgundy vision for Penedès.” – Pepe Raventós 

Pepe Raventós is the renowned winemaker and owner of Can Sumoi, Raventós i Blanc, and his eponymous brand, Vins Pepe Raventós, which produces Mas del Serral.

In this episode, h...

Brothers and business partners Michael and Harmon Skurnik discuss how their experiences with fine wines and spirits led them to establish Skurnik Wines & Spirits, what they value in the products they choose to represent, and how their guiding principles help them navigate uncertain times.

Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here.

Skurnik Wines & Spirits

Follow us on Instagram

No reservations required—listening to Skurnik Unfiltered feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable figures in the world of wine, spirits, and hospitality. 

Don't miss the first episode drop on Monday, December 8th. 

Voices featured in this trailer: