Wine Enthusiast Podcast

This week we sat down with 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and his long-time business partner and entrepreneur, Asani Swan. Together, they co-founded The Seventh Estate VII(N), a new global wine label. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Jason Wise of SOMM TV and editor Jacy Topps of Wine Enthusiast tell the story of a 270 year old vine in a very unlikely place that has the amazing distinction of being the oldest vine still making wine.  The story starts with the arrival of Mission grapes and ends with several talented winemakers in Los Angeles collaborating to keep history alive.  Make sure to sign up for SOMMTV.com to watch the documentary "The Oldest Vine" on all streaming devices.   FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Editor Jacy Topps chats with Adam Hines, cofounder of High Bank Distillery Co., about his award-winning blended whiskey.     FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Actor Sam Neill may be in the “celebrity wine” camp, but he’s one of the very few celebrities who is hands on at every stage of the winemaking process.  FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

From curating diverse wine lists to maintaining vendor relationships, three beverage directors from Union Square Hospitality share how they decide what goes on the menu. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Tawnya Faulkner, founder of Le Grand Courtâge, explains how she created an affordable sparkling brand that still delivers on French cache and elegance. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Appellations, approachability, innovation and sustainability: Future 40 Francophile Katie Melchior discusses all things French wine and culture. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Writer at large and wine reviewer Christina Pickard talks with winemaker and sustainability advocate Dr. Irina Santiago-Brown. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Jenny Lefcourt, founder of Jenny & Francois Selections, a wine importing company, discusses natural wine. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Stacy Briscoe chats with Vivianne Kennedy, winemaker and proprietor of RAM Cellars, and the only openly transgender winemaker. They discuss diversity within the industry, winemaking and more.   FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Kara Newman talks with 'Future 40' Dr. Nicola Nice about her women focused gin liquor, Pomp and Whimsy. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Talking with the beer tastemakers about education, DEI efforts, collaboration beers, and initiatives that are increasing awareness in the beer space and among drinkers to create an inclusive industry.    FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Jacy talks with Marvina Robinson, CEO and founder of Stuyvesant Champagne. She is one of the few African American women owning a Champagne brand.  FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

Assistant Editor Jacy Topps talks with Wanda James, former President Barack Obama's 2008 National Finance Committee member and founder and CEO of Simply Pure Dispensary. James, along with her husband, became the first Black people legally licensed in America to own a dispensary. And as a leading advocate in the cannabis industry, she also worked to get sentences dropped for people in jail for cannabis.  FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast    

Just what is regenerative agriculture? It’s not just another trendy buzzword meant to entice consumers. It’s an ancient form of agriculture that is making its way back into mainstream farming. It’s successful, not only in producing and sustaining quality agricultural products, like wine grapes, but it’s also successful in combating climate change, the effects of drought, and (most commonly overlooked) creating a healthful environment for all living things within the farm—microorganisms, plants, animals, and people. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast    

We talk with husband-and-wife duo Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew, founders of LA’s Greenbar Distillery about sustainability in spirits. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast  

In this week’s episode Assistant editor Jacy Topps talks with Iris Rideau who is recognized as the first black woman to establish a winery in the United States. But that’s not where this trailblazing vintner and author's story begins.  Jacy Topps talks about Rideau’s childhood during Jim Crow, how she became an activist fighting for other marginalized people and how everything came full circle after she opened her winery. They also discuss Rideau's memoir entitled From WHITE to BLACK: One Life Between Two Worlds.  FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

There’s been a lot of talk about millennials and Gen Z, and what their changing consumption habits mean for the wine industry. In an era that offers an increasing variety of styles to chose from, do younger generations still care about traditional wines like Napa Valley’s iconic Cabernets and Chardonnays? And, perhaps more importantly, should they? In this episode, Contributing Editor Virginie Boone talks to Napa winemakers Blair Guthrie and Bertus van Zyl talk about the wine world’s shifting demographics, the impact younger drinkers are are having on traditional production techniques, and what consumers are getting right—and wrong—about Napa Valley wine.   FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

As New World regions grow older and more established, and many areas of the Old World not previously known for wine have come into their own as high-level producers, traditional terminology and boundaries have begun to shift. This may be most prevalent in England, where changing climates, heritage grapes and an ascendant sparkling wine scene have created what some are calling the newest of New World wine. Wine Enthusiast Contributing Editor Christina Pickard talks with Oz Clarke, renowned British wine critic, author, broadcaster and expert on all things fermented grape, about the future of English wine and the how we should approach an ever-changing industry.   FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast

In 2011, a case of mistaken identity resulted in hundreds of acres of Graciano being planted on California's Central Coast. The problem? Winemakers thought they were getting something else entirely—Mourvèdre. But in a surprising twist, these vineyards ended up yielding wines more intriguing than anyone expected. Now, thanks to this fortuitous accident, winemakers may have discovered a new superstar grape particularly suited to this California wine region. Contributing editor Matt Kettmann talks to Andrew Jones of Sunridge Nurseries and Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards about how this strange situation came to be and, a decade later, how the wines have measured up. FOLLOW US ON: Instagram: @wineenthusiast Twitter: @WineEnthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast