Podcast
The Wine Makers on Radio Misfits
Hosted by The Wine Makers · EN
A laid-back journey into the heart of wine culture Every week, hosts Sam Coturri, Bart Hansen, Danielle Langlois and Brian Casey pull the cork on real conversations with winemakers, growers, sommeliers, and industry trailblazers from Sonoma and beyond. The Wine Makers blends deep knowledge with a relaxed, no-snobbery approach to everything from biodynamic farming to rebellious cider makers and sake artisans. These are not dry lectures or polished promos—just passionate people talking shop over a glass (or three). The hosts’ decades of hands-on experience in vineyards, cellars, and tasting rooms fuel lively discussions about sustainability, storytelling, and the changing world of wine. Whether you’re just starting to explore wine or already know your skin-contact from your carbonic maceration, this show delivers honest insight, practical advice, and plenty of personality. Pour a glass and press play.
13episodes
Episodes
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The Wine Makers – Tom Sherwood, BXT Wines
2w ago01:23:57Tap to summarizeBXT kept coming up in conversations over the last month. Casual conversations about bubbles always led back to one name, Tom Sherwood. Even friends who don’t live in California were talking about BXT and drinking the wines in their Instagram feeds. Who was this guy ? We reached out through Insta on direct message; he was willing to come. Even Todd Jolly, our friend from Sonma’s Best Wine Shop, wanted in on the action. The show was set, and finally we will meet this mysterious figure who is opening everyone’s eyes to grower sparkling wine in California. BXT is an exploration of Californian viticulture through the lens of traditionally made sparkling wine. BXT Vines are personally hand farmed with additional grapes being sourced from talented, passionate growers across unique sites in California. Grapes are hand-picked, gently whole cluster pressed and fermented in new and used French oak. The wine ages 6-9 months in barrel prior to being bottled with yeast and sugar. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, and the wine is then left undisturbed until ready. Bottles are then hand riddled and disgorged. Small Batch. Traditionally made. Sparkling wines of California. [Ep 411] @bxtwines bxtwines.com
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Ana Carolina Quintela, Decanter
4w ago01:41:35Tap to summarizeBrazilian-born and now based in the Bay Area, Ana Carolina Quintela joins us to talk about her path from journalism to wine. She earned her degree in journalism and began her career as a daily business reporter for Diário do Nordeste, the largest newspaper in Northeastern Brazil. After moving to San Francisco, she continued her work as a journalist with the bilingual paper El Tecolote. Today, Ana is a wine journalist and critic covering Sonoma County for Decanter’s global audience, producing bi-weekly reports that focus on vineyard practices, regional trends, and the people behind the wines. She is also a certified sommelier, with experience in both wine and fine dining in San Francisco, and has come full circle by returning to her roots as a writer in the wine world. [Ep 410]
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Sonoe Hirabayashi, Six Cloves Wines
Apr 1701:20:09Tap to summarizeOn 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 family make sake, and has since worked around the world. Today, she produces balanced, elegant, acid-driven wines under her Six Cloves label. She shares her Chardonnay from Linda Vista Vineyard in Oak Knoll and her Alder Springs Pinot Noir, both showing a strong sense of place and her light touch in the cellar. She also makes Cabernet, Zinfandel, and a Grenache Pinot blend worth seeking out. [Ep 409] Wines – sixcloveswines.com Instagram – sixcloveswines Hear Sonoe talk fermentation and play Tokai drums in San Francisco on Sunday April 26th at Sequoia Sake Company. bit.ly/3QftzQZ
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Christopher McGilvray
Apr 1001:06:59Tap to summarizeChristopher 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 transition, succession, and passion over a seven-year period as the next generation returns home to take the reins. Cinematographer Isiah Flores captures the quiet, everyday beauty of life on a family-run estate, while composer Alex Kelly provides a moving score. It’s a side of farming and winemaking most people never see, including the reflection and family struggles behind every bottle. [Ep 408] Check out the trailer at Edenfilm.info/trailer and explore the wines at Mounteden.com
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Jennifer Rue, Oakville Ranch Vineyards
Apr 301:54:47Tap to summarizeJennifer 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 potential and attain its rightful place among the vaunted vineyards of the hallowed appellation. We talk a lot about the “only Grenache in Oakville,” but we’ve never really broken down the ranch itself,how it’s laid out, what makes it distinct, and why it behaves differently than the valley floor. Jennifer sat down with Brian and Sam and we got into it. She also pulled a couple of unicorns, a 2015 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay and a very limited 2023 Oakville Ranch Grenache Rosé plus we got a look at what’s coming from the much touted 2023 vintage. Finally, Phil Coturri popped by to help confirm or dispel a few of the Oakville Ranch myths and rumors we’ve all heard..and maybe even helped spread. Sit down, pop a unicorn and lets head to the far eastern reaches of the Oakville District. https://oakville-ranch.myshopify.com/ https://www.instagram.com/oakvilleranch/ PS – The book we talked about – Click Here
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Robyn Sebastiani, Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance
Mar 2700:57:00Tap to summarizeThis 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 for both. www.sonomavalleywine.com
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Mick Unti, Unti Vineyards
Mar 2001:48:11Tap to summarizeThis 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 this isn’t just business for him, it’s something he genuinely loves. We also get into music, vinyl, and everything else that comes up when the conversation gets comfortable. By the end of it, it felt less like an interview and more like hanging out. There’s no wine club, the wines tend to sell out, and the mailing list is the way in. Trust us on that. We had a great time with this one and learned a lot along the way. [Ep 405] untivineyards.com thewinemakerspodcast.com
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – Spring Release Show
Mar 1301:24:31Tap to summarizeSpring 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 tried to spit most of them, but a few were just too good to let go. All of the wines we tasted are available now through the wineries’ websites. [Ep 404] jambedeboiswines.com winerysixteen600.com danecellars.com
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – The Rebel School of Wine with Tyler Balliet & Morgan First
Mar 601:05:13Tap to summarizeFor 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 Mansion pop-up experience was packed day in and day out by an audience much of the wine world didn’t realize it needed… until it was almost too late. Now, fresh off Tyler’s James Beard Award nomination for her book The Rebel School of Wine, mainstream wine is finally listening. We sat down with Tyler and Morgan during a California tour that included speaking engagements at the DTC Wine Symposium (perhaps you’ve heard of it) and the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, along with a party with friend of the pod Stacy Buchanan of Blood of Gods fame. We talked about how they’ve been working to make wine more fun, more colorful, and more accessible since long before those were buzzwords in the industry. We also reminisced about the chaos of the Wine Riots, where they graciously included Winery Sixteen 600 back when Sam was as wet behind the ears as the ink on the first Stanley Mouse labels. Most importantly, we talked about how, despite the setbacks they’ve faced, Tyler and Morgan have continued to succeed by putting their heads down and believing in their vision. It might look like its all rainbows and mirrorballs from the outside, but underneath it all are two people deeply knowledgeable about wine and completely dedicated to sharing it with anyone curious enough to show up. This one’s a fun ride. Bust out a sticker book, some colored pencils, grab a couple bottles you love and buckle up. [Ep 403]
Transcribe →The Wine Makers – DTC Symposium Part 4: Conversations With Friends
Feb 2701:19:01Tap to summarizeWe 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 hospitality and how you leave a lasting impression. Big thanks to the Direct to Consumer Symposium and Free the Grapes for having us as the official podcast. We had a blast and already look forward to doing it again next year. Cheers. [Ep 402]
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