This week’s show begins at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition where Host David Wilson is serving on the judging panel.  We’ll visit with the Chairman of the competition, renowned sommelier Michael Jordan, who will share a ton of insight about wine competitions and how medals are awarded.  Then it’s off to Vina Robles Winery [...]

In Europe and at sea, baby! This week, it’s our long anticipated cruise from Venice to Istanbul with dozens of listeners aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner.  Not sure how we could have more fun!  If only you were there!  Meet the Mariner’s delightful Sommiler, Daniela Ovesea, radiant Assistant Cruise Director Stacey Huston and ultra-charming [...]

A Visit to El Dorado Wine Country, Home of the Gold Rush! It’s where thousands went to find their fortune in the Gold Rush days. Today, visitors are still discovering gold … this time in liquid form as El Dorado Wine Country proves it’s a force to be reckoned with. Meet winemakers Jonathan Lachs of [...]

Discovering Carmel Colored Wine! This week’s Grape Encounters takes us to extraordinary Carmel Valley and Carmel by the Sea. First stop, the Bernardus Winery and Tasting Room Manager Philip Carruthers. Founded by Ben Pon, Bernardus makes extraordinary wines and also operates an amazing luxury resort, restaurant and spa. Next we head across the street to [...]

The Wine is Amazing.  You Just May Have Overlooked it! Monterey County is the home of some amazing attractions… The Monterey Aquarium, Carmel Village, Big Sur, Pebble Beach and so much more. But as good as the many attractions in this famed California county are, the wines are serious chart toppers. In this two-part series, [...]

Most wine bottles bear more than the name of the varietal. Quality wines boast about the place they hail from. Here in America, we call our beloved wine regions AVAs. But what is an AVA… how important is it to wine consumers… and what happens when someone just outside a renowned AVA wants to join [...]

Supplying great wine and amazing produce in tandem to the local community. Brian Talley is the President of Talley Vineyards and Talley Farms on the Central Coast of California. There is a powerful movement afoot to better utilize the land used to grow grapes–and you’ll be amazed and how these efforts are benefiting the community. [...]

Wandering Into the Spirit World (and other very spirited conversation) Some people drink wine. Some drink beer. Some drink spirits. Still others drink a combination of some or all of the above. These days, makers of wine, beer and spirits are concocting any number of hybrid beverages that blur the line between the three categories. [...]

Focusing on Families, Sustainability and Making Great Wines This week on Grape Encounters, tune in for a very special conversation with Carolyn Wente, CEO of Wente Vineyards. Founded 130 years ago, Wente Vineyards is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. Today, the winery maintains its leadership role in California wine growing under ownership and [...]

What Do You Love to Make and Drink? Meet a very special 7th Generation French winemaker of the female persuasion, Dominque Priuer.  Then, we’ll talk about the growing practice of blending beer and wine from Dr. Bob Sysak of Stone Brewery.  Next, you’ll get a crash course on Chilean wines from the very charming Max [...]

Featuring a Visit to the Garden of Eatin’ with Master Sommelier Michael Jordan Some believe that adding a little water to your wine will actually bring out more flavor and aroma while taking out some of the alcohol sting. For this discussion we went to the very special garden tended by Master Sommelier Michael Jordan. [...]

Creating Amazing Wine Experiences for the Masses Some wine retailers really get it right… and others just plain don’t get it. On this edition of Grape Encounters, David talks with two wine wizards who really know how to deliver the goods and please your palate. He will also talk about wine tasting events with someone [...]

Big Winners in the Wine World (plus, a double-dose of Decadence!) Mark Carter is one of the very few winemakers in the world to earn a perfect 100 point score. His wife, Sherri Dobay, author of Daily Decadence could probably take that score up to 110 with her remarkable ability to make good things great and [...]

This week, we visit with Violet Grgich, daughter of Michael Grgich, the famed winemaker responsible for making the Chardonnay that won the historic Judgment of Paris in 1976. Join David as he sits down with Violet at Grgich Hills Estate to talk about continuing the Grgich legacy side-by-side with her 90 year-old, very hands-on, Dad! [...]

On this week’s Pre-Valentine’s Day show, we’re going to focus on Wine, Champagne and other goodies that will help you celebrate the very romantic 14th of February in style. From do’s and don’ts to tips on turning up the temperature without touching the thermostat. There’s a lot to share including advise from world-renowned romance and [...]

This week Grape Encounters Radio welcomes Michael Jordan. Except, this Michael Jordan isn’t tall and doesn’t dribble. In fact, dribbling would be totally unthinkable for him. That’s because Michael is a Master Sommelier… that’s French for big time wine expert. Michael is known as the Sommelier for the People and was once head of wine [...]

The first time President Obama was elected, there was a lot of grumbling in the American wine world when it was learned that the new Commander in Chief had chosen wines not of this country to serve at the Inauguration. This time around, political sensitivity and good taste prevailed as wines from the Empire State [...]

A Buffet of Off-the-Wall Conversations on This Week’s Show Today on Grape Encounters, we’ll visit with one of the savviest people in the wine business. He’s a winemaker, an author, an educator, a wine judge and a connoisseur of fine, well, tequila. He’s also someone who thinks Americans need to embrace their own wine identity. [...]

The wit, wisdom and wonders of a legendary winemaker Also Featuring our Gadget Guru from EpicStyle.com, Matt DuBow We have had Michael Grgich on Grape Encounters before, but the time was far too short. Most wine lovers know Michael as the iconic winemaker who stunned the world when his masterfully-crafted Chardonnay won the 1976 Judgment [...]

Special Guest Keith Saarloos of Saarloos and Sons Also Featuring our Gadget Guru from EpicStyle.com, Matt DuBow There was much to celebrate in 2012. Great wines and lots of them! The truth is, the past few years have seen more innovations, more varietals and more reasons to break out the good glasses. In this episode [...]

  In 2012, we had the privilege to introduce you to some of the most exciting and influential names in the wine, food and wine lifestyle world. On our very special year-end edition of Grape Encounters, we’re really serving up the good stuff! Special guests include mega wine importer and producer Alex Guarachi (last year’s [...]

Economically speaking, there hasn’t been a lot to celebrate in 2012, but if you’re a wine lover, it really has been a good year! All kinds of innovative winers and products have been introduced to wine lovers. We’ll recap some of the things we think are amazing and worth savoring! Joining host David Wilson this [...]

Today, Grape Encounters Radio is going to the Dogs, Literally! A few months ago we spent an afternoon with Jean-Charles Boisset, one of the most powerful and influential names in the wine business both here in the US and in France. Well, Jean-Charles and his wife Gina Gallo of the Gallo wine dynasty, are not [...]

On today’s show, Grape Encounters will introduce you to a website that eliminates host David Wilson’s number one pet peeve when it comes to wine tasting. It’s one of those things that you probably have thought would be awfully nice and the forward thinking entrepreneurs at tastingroom.com have made it a reality. We’ll also be [...]

On this week’s Grape Encounters, learn how much wine consumption in France has dropped (while it continues to grow and grow in the US). Have the French adopted our old wine drinking habits… and have we adopted theirs? Speaking of the French, join us for a visit with Sophie Gayot of gayot.com — the world’s [...]