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You can study wine until you’re blue in the face but, the simple truth is, the more we think we know about wine, the more we realize how little we actually do. Take wine heritage for example. Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon is the love child of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc? As a matter of fact, it wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things that Cabernet Sauvignon didn’t even exist. Now it’s the most popular and revered red wine on the planet. Today, David and his favorite wine expert, Wesley Hagen, dive into the heritage of some of our favorite wines. If nothing else, it’s great information that you can use at your next party or get-together. Join us as we take you where other wine programs may forget. We’re here to encourage you to put on your thinking cap, in an all-new edition of Grape Encounters Radio! This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

In recent weeks, we wandered into a discussion about something that is completely changing the way we think of wine, including how we taste it and draw conclusions that are hopefully more accurate than ever before. In this three-part series, Grape Encounters will focus on the remarkable work being done by Tastry Laboratories in San Luis Obispo, California. What Tastry is doing is nothing short of remarkable. Tastry scientists have taught computers how to taste wine using artificial intelligence, and it’s a game-changer for winemakers around the world. In part three of three, Tastry Laboratory founders do the big reveal and demonstrate what we already suspected… these wines from Vinum Hadrianum are truly unique and in a class of their own! This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

In recent weeks, we wandered into a discussion about something that is completely changing the way we think of wine, including how we taste it and draw conclusions that are hopefully more accurate than ever before. In this three-part series, Grape Encounters will focus on the remarkable work being done by Tastry Laboratories in San Luis Obispo, California. What Tastry is doing is nothing short of remarkable. Tastry scientists have taught computers how to taste wine using artificial intelligence, and it’s a game-changer for winemakers around the world. In part 2 of 3, we put this new technology to the test by using it to analyze three wines produced by Vinum Hadrianum in Abruzzo, Italy. We chose these wines because they are the product of a project that David is helping introduce to the wine-loving world. These wines are so remarkably unusual that we couldn’t wait to see what the Tastry computer comes up with. This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

In recent weeks, we wandered into a discussion about something that is completely changing the way we think of wine, including how we taste it and draw conclusions that are hopefully more accurate than ever before. In this three-part series, Grape Encounters will focus on the remarkable work being done by Tastry Laboratories in San Luis Obispo, California. What Tastry is doing is nothing short of remarkable. Tastry scientists have taught computers how to taste wine using artificial intelligence, and it’s a game-changer for winemakers around the world. This first chapter, part 1 of 3, is entitled “The Idea.“ In this discussion, we will give you the background information that brought about the concept of looking at a wine tasting in a bold new way, thanks to groundbreaking work in the area of artificial intelligence. This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

On our last episode of Grape Encounters Radio we talked about how much wine has changed over the years, but we also suggested that many things seem to always remain the same. In this edition of Grape Encounters Radio, we pose the question, “What is changing more, the wine, or the wine consumer? It’s an interesting question worth pondering for more than just a fleeting moment and, hopefully, this discussion will lead you to a chicken versus the egg line of reasoning… Is the wine changing us or are we changing the wine? It’s all in fun on Grape Encounters Radio. This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

In wine there is truth, or "In Vito Veritas." Never tell secrets while drinking wine. After all, wine is probably the most powerful truth serum in the world. Wine likely stimulates more discussions than anything else, and so, not surprisingly, this episode of Grape Encounters not only tackles this truism but also wanders down several different pathways to recollect some very interesting Grape ENcounters history as well as some thoughts on subjects as off-the-wall as pairing wine and coffee. Did you know that Grape ENcounters was once broadcast from Julia Child's kitchen? Yup! Give a listen. You'll discover plenty of food for thought! This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

There is no shortage of lists that profess to tell us which wines are most popular. You can base that opinion on sales or any number of other factors but, when it comes right down to it, it’s all pretty subjective and far be it from your host David Wilson to refrain from weighing in with his opinion. For the purpose of this discussion, David compares his list of favorites to a list published by the esteemed London Wine Competition. So how do David’s choices stack up to those of the Brits? Let’s just call it plenty of hits and some surprising misses! This edition of Grape Encounters is brought to you by Total Wine & More, where you’ll discover a whole lot more. Like the friendly smile of your expert guide ready to help you find that perfect bottle. And the confidence of knowing you just found something special. So, explore the wondrous selection and totally low prices at Total Wine dot com; where you’ll find what you love, and love what you find. Drink responsibly. Be 21. Download this episode

She’s a Grape Encounters fave for good reason. Allison Jordan is the Queen of grape sustainability. Allison Jordan of the Wine Institute is easily one of most pleasant and entertaining wine experts in the country. But beyond that, she also is able to break down the subject of sustainability as it pertains to the gigantic California wine industry, in a fascinating and understandable way without dumbing things down. As is the case with any of her appearances on Grape Encounters, David never misses the opportunity to tease Allison about her job title; claiming he's never heard a longer one in his life. The title is “Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President, Environmental Affairs for Wine Institute.” Of course, Allison’s title is well-deserved because she wears a lot of hats at the same time… doing multiple jobs that, even individually, would be a challenge for any one person to do. Nonetheless, it's pretty safe to say that sustainability in the California wine industry is as far along as it is because Allison Jordan is who she is; a remarkable leader with vision and drive that has enabled California winemakers and grape growers to reach a statewide level of sustainability that most would've deemed unthinkable just a few years ago. As for consumers, it's all good news in April because this is the month we celebrate sustainability in the Golden State, and there are so many things to do that it would literally take you a full year to enjoy all of the events on the schedule. During the second half of the show, Allison will give you a complete rundown of who is doing what, when and where during this month-long celebration so grab a pen and paper or your digital calendar and plan on being a big part of the fun!
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Life on planet earth has come to the point where nothing really surprises us anymore; especially in the realm of artificial intelligence. These days, we can bring a celebrity who has passed back to life on stage or predict with stunning accuracy events that haven’t happened yet. So, maybe we shouldn't be surprised to learn that a California wine country-based company called Tastry has developed a way to use artificial intelligence to taste and evaluate wine so that consumers can purchase bottles with far more confidence than ever before. The Tastries system can also help producers pinpoint the perfect customer base for their products. the potential applications for this technology, not just in the wine industry, but also in the area of food, cosmetics and so much more, is simply mind-boggling. What's even more astounding is learning that the creator of this technology and founder of Tastry is a 20-something scientist named Katerina Axellson, who is as delightful as she is insightful. No conversation with David Wilson on Grape Encounters would be complete unless it goes off the rails more than a few times. In that respect, and for plenty of other reasons, this interview doesn’t disappoint! Episode 662 is not just fascinating but it is also one heck of a good time! By the way, David has already decided that Katerina absolutely must be a regular on Grape Encounters. The world should not be deprived of such an entertaining and brilliant wine industry voice. Download this episode

For many years, David has been fascinated by the connection between wine enjoyment and music. For about the last 20 years, it seems like there's a new study every year that further supports the idea that drinking certain wine while listening to certain music will give you a much better experience. You just need to know the tricks of the trade. In this installment of Grape Encounters Radio, David shares two important new revelations. The first is about the relationship between sparkling wine and classical music… You already see where this is going. The second epiphany is one that came to David in the middle of the night when he was thinking about specific songs that seem to improve the wine drinking experience when red wine is in the equation. It turns out that many of the songs that have been used in studies focused on the relationship between red wine and music feature an iconic instrument that has a sound all to its own and was particularly popular during the 60s and 70s. Any guesses? Well, all you need to do is hit play and hear what David has to say! Download this episode

We could not have imagined that wine travel would be a sensitive subject in 2022, but it definitely is. After two years of being under a sort of house arrest thanks to Covid, the world is opening its door to travel once again and the pent-up desire to get out and explore the world has reached the boiling point, but world events are changing everything. That is to say if Europe is on your bucket list. The tragic war in Ukraine is a huge factor where European travel is concerned, and it will be for a very long time. As far as wine travel is concerned, some of the best wines and travel values are in Eastern Europe, but while you can still travel to a number of countries in that region, the rest of the world needs to be respectful and give the people of this region plenty of space so they can accommodate the needs of displaced citizens defenders of freedom. In the rest of Europe, its a very different story and, not surprisingly, opportunities abound. That’s because the general sentiment among would-be traveler is indecisiveness. Organizations that track consumer behavior are seeing very soft travel patterns at best, which is great news for bargain hunters who are grabbing round trip transatlantic flights for in the $400 to $500 range. Similar opportunities are available in Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and other prime destinations. Learn more on this edition of Grape Encounters, but please, be extremely thoughtful about the choices you make. Download this episode

With a horrific war raging in Ukraine, it is difficult to find much to be happy about, which is a really good reason to invite one of the world’s most optimistic people in the wine industry and the world at large to be on the show. Best known as the “Sommelier to the Stars,” Christopher Sawyer and David are always kicking around novel ideas and philosophies. That being said, a few days before the show, something dawns on David and he’s chomping at the bit to get with Christopher and see if he’s on to something. Here is David’s elevator pitch. Wait for the conclusion: “Almost everybody that I know has lost friends or perhaps separated from family members because of a deep divide of philosophies where politics or society, in general, is concerned. It seems we all have lost people who are close to us because we just couldn't resolve our differences. But here’s an interesting observation… I cannot remember one instance, not one instance where, in a wine situation, anybody gave a flying fart about my politics, my religion, my heritage, anything. If I'm pouring good wine, nobody says, are you a Democrat or a Republican or this or that? We just drink the wine together. It really does unite people!” And with that, a very unique episode of Grape Encounters ensues. Far be it for us to spoil it in this show description so hit PLAY at your earliest convenience and see if you can’t use wine to brighten your world! Download this episode

Marino Cardelli is an Italian Level 3 Somm and owner of Experience Bela Vita; a full immersion food, wine, and cultural tour company. Piero Pavone is the founder of Vinum Hadrianum Winery, an ancient architecture preservationist, AND the person who inspired David’s decision to bring Grape Encounters to Europe for the foreseeable future. Just before going on the air, David was summoned to the plaza steps away from his temporary studio. What awaited him was a spontaneously welcoming committee consisting of some of Atri’s leading business leaders and influencers. While that would be considered odd under normal circumstances in most places, these sorts of things seem to be an everyday occurrence in the Abruzzo region of Italy. To fully understand the magic of the world’s #1 wine-producing country, you have to immerse yourself in its everyday lifestyle. But since you probably won’t be able to do that this week, Marino and Piero are here to help get our adventure into high gear with some insights from behind the velvet curtain! Also on this edition of Grape Encounters, the worldwide movement toward clay amphora aging. Download this episode

Paul Cullen has been a great friend to our show for many years now. You've probably heard him talk about how he was introduced to wine by a founding member of the legendary rock 'n' roll band, Bad Company. It only took a sip or two to plant the seed that eventually grew into one of the most unusual food and wine experiences imaginable. From Bad Company to gourmet experiences that are must-see, Bad Company's former bass player is constantly inventing food and wine experiences to suit the tastes of you and your guests perfectly. To accomplish this, Paul serves as head chef, sommelier, and get this, the evening's entertainment. But it doesn't stop there because you can even go to Italy with Paul and have the getaway of a lifetime on land and aboard a tall ship dripping with luxury. While discovering fine wine on a tour bus filled with major rock stars is certainly a life that most people only imagine, you have to wonder which mode of travel Paul enjoys the most... that tour bus or that tall ship. You probably already know the answer! Anchors aweigh! Download this episode

Welcome to our very first news segment from Italy which required David to pull off a TOTAL LIFE MAKEOVER in about 30 days. House sold. The wine bar sold. Car sold. Most possessions were sold. The remaining possessions were put into an oceangoing shipping container. Then, David shares a new take on wine bottle recycling, wine additives, and perhaps some unusually good news about global warming. There's a little of everything in this first show from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Perhaps we could call the story, "David gets the boot!" That of course is referring to the shape of Italy which is why the country is almost always described as a boot. It's our very first news segment from Italy. Download this episode

Wes Hagen joins David to share the latest wine world news, including a critical bottle shortage, incentives by wineries to attract tasting room visitors, and David’s announcement of his reconnaissance mission to Italy. All that, plus the surprising news about who is REALLY drinking French wines these days. You might be surprised! All this and much more! It's wine world news with a twist of humor. Just a quick note of interest: Wes Hagen is one of the most prolific experts in the wine industry. He has the distinction of being a winemaker, educator, author, AVA founder, national wine marketing director, wine judge and much more! We just thought you'd like to know just in case you've been on another planet! Download this episode

Poor Merlot. It just can’t seem to catch a break! It’s one of your host’s downright favorite varietals, and he proudly extols its virtues despite the fact that it has been so badly maligned by much of the wine community for what seems like an eternity. Many say that the movie Sideways was responsible for dealing Merlot its most devastating blow. David says, not so fast. He contends the movie opened the Pinot Noir floodgates… and much of that Pinot was below average at best. In the meantime, Merlot that wasn’t cutting it disappeared into oblivion and so-so Merlot got better and better. So this might really be the golden age of Merlot. There’s just one problem… there isn’t nearly enough of it to meet demands for either single varietal seekers or for Bordeaux blending. Now, if you want to wrap your arms around what is really happening with Merlot, the go to person is wine and food journalist Sophia McDonald. Sophia just completed an in-depth look at what the heck is going on with Merlot. The article appeared in 750 Daily and breaks down the issues causing the Merlot shortage and what winegrowers are trying to do about it. Apart from being a very popular single-varietal red wine, Merlot is an essential ingredient in most Bordeaux blends, so it is mighty strange that the grape could be in such high demand but seriously underplanted just the same. Learn the whole truth about the plight of Merlot from an author who has really done her homework, on this installment of Grape Encounters. Download this episode

Nothing is more rewarding than listening to a guest who causes you to literally change the way you see things. MaryAnn Worobiec has been with Wine Spectator for more than two and a half decades. She is one of the prestigious magazine’s senior editors and is also the Bureau Chief for the iconic, legendary Napa Valley. Now that’s one heck of a beat! This is MaryAnn’s second visit to Grape Encounters and, once again, she wow’s us with her delightful down-to-earth, extraordinarily approachable perspective on wine. It is certainly fair to say that Wine Spectator Magazine is one of the most sophisticated resources in the world of wine. The magazine sits on the coffee tables of countless wine elites around the world. That being said, nobody keeps wine as real and welcoming as MaryAnn Worobiec. And if you are one of the millions of wine lovers who feel terribly anxious when you’re around hardcore wine devotees, you’re going to love the way MaryAnn opens doors that you thought you’d feel terribly uncomfortable walking through. What makes this show particularly special is that MaryAnn is talking about wines that sell for about the same price as your car. To the contrary, she’s here to share 10 magnificent wines chosen from thousands of submissions by Wine Spectators expert tasting panel. Each and every wine is both amazing and remarkably affordable. Dare we use the term, “inexpensive?” Grab a pen and some paper or jot some notes down on your laptop, but definitely don’t let these remarkable recommendations pass you buy. David says that you shouldn’t hesitate to buy each and every one of them… and here’s the best part; these are all wines that are not difficult to find. So sit back and enjoy our delightful guest, MaryAnn Worobiec, then get busy rounding up this stellar ensemble of extraordinary and economical wines!Download this episode

What a day and what a time we had with Lamberto Vannucci. Even though there were significant communication challenges, we understood each other perfectly! Rarely do you ever sample a line-up of wine as consistently excellent as Lamberto’s! This was a huge “wow,” and we haven’t even mentioned Lamberto’s home-crafted Parmesan Cheese which was literally to die for. Lamberto loaded us into his 4x4 and took us on a whirlwind tour of both his stunning vineyards and the historical and adorable adjacent town. What a treat for us AND what a treat for you! Also on this show, we take you back to an interview that David did at the beginning of the pandemic with Piero Pavone, the founder of Vinum Hadrianum. David wanted to share this interview because it is what got him thinking about the off-the-wall idea of taking Grape Encounters to eastern Italy in hopes of opening your eyes to a totally wonderful aspect of the wine world that probably isn’t on your radar. Give a listen and ENJOY! Download this episode

Is it David’s craziest idea of all time, or is it a stroke of genius? On this episode of Grape Encounters Radio, David is joined by the wisest wine person he knows to announce the biggest decision he’s ever made in his life. Wine Expert Wes Hagen has been hanging with David since the very start of Grape Encounters, and so it’s fitting that David has invited Wes to take part in the great reveal. David has always put Wes in the same class as the great philosophers and wisemen like Aristotle and Socrates. If this momentous event is ill-conceived, David knows that Wes will tell it like it is; helping David avoid catastrophic consequences. On the flip side, David hopes Wes will see David’s plan as wonderfully daring, completely off-the-wall and, most importantly, an inspiration to listeners to push the envelope and live life to its greatest potential! If you’re totally confused you won’t be an hour from now. All you have to do is press PLAY! Download this episode