Taking the world one wine at a time.
It’s almost weekly that I receive an email from someone thinking about building a wine cellar in their home, and looking for my personal recommendation on a good wine cellar builder. Of course there’s wine cellars and there’s wine cellars. My “wine cellar” consists of my closet containing a 200 bottle wine rack and no temperature control. It does the job…for now…but for those looking for something a little more serious, I always send them…
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How long have you been making wine? Well, this is my 40th year, coming up, of winemaking. I started with big wineries and my ultimate goal was to have my own place. So I’m guessing, with 40 years, you’ve always been involved in winemaking… Yeah, I discovered wine when I was still in High School…. …as did most of us! <laughs> Yeah! True. So I fell in love with wine from an early…
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What is your position with Soiree? I am the co-owner and managing partner for SoireeHome. How did you come to be involved with Soiree? Soiree was conceived of over a few different nights at a wine bar that I designed for my, now, business partners but prior long time family friends. I was an architect at that time, with a focus on architectural branding. After some discussions at the wine bar and looking at all…
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Has art always been a part of your life? Yes, absolutely! I live in Corning, New York, which is a very small town, but I read a survey a few months ago that Corning was one of the best small art-towns in the country. We’ve got a really cohesive group of artists out here, and I was raised among them. Art is how I think and breathe.I never technically went through art school. I was…
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Disclaimer: This interview is normally only something I would post on my sister site: JacksonvilleWineGuide.com, since most of the discussion is very focused towards Jacksonville. However; I think that even if you don’t live in Jacksonville, there’s some very interesting topics of discussion here… Chad Munsey has been a friend of mine for quite some time, and so when I heard he was opening a new wine bar (in the old Original Pancake House…
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Believe it or not, me and Sparky go waaaaaaaay back! I’m talking 2009, here! Mollydooker winemaker Sparky Marquis was actually the first ever winemaker I interviewed when I started blogging. This week he came back to Jacksonville for the release of his 2010 wines. The interview was supposed to last about 15 minutes. We ended up talking for closer to an hour. <Sparky starts pouring every-single one of his wines into glasses lined up…
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On Tues April 5th 2011, I got the chance to meet with Victoria Ordonez, sister to Spanish wine importer Jorge Ordonez. After an always amazing lunch at Taverna, I got a few minutes to ask her a little more about the Jorge Ordonez import company, and her role within it. So how long has the Jorge Ordonez import company been around? About 23 years now. And how long have you been…
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How long have you been with Jarvis? Three years at Jarvis, previously before that I was at Artesa in Carneros working on their Chardonnay and Pinot but also working on an Alexander Valley property they purchased called Ridgeline. So about three years ago the opening at Jarvis came up. To me Jarvis is the ideal winemakers paradise. It’s an estate model so it’s all about the vineyard, but they have some of the best equipment…
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Open That Bottle Night is always the last in Saturday in February, making it Saturday February 26th this year. You therefore better get thinking what you plan on opening! Every year since 2000, on a special Saturday night in February, friends, couples and groups around the world get together to enjoy “special” bottles of wine, champagne and spirits. The bottle that you enjoy, traditionally, is one that you have been saving for some special event…
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So starting from the top, name? Mike Calhoun with Landmark Vineyards How many wines are Landmark Vineyards making right now? We make only 3 different varietals, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, and with those grapes we are making 8-9 wines. Day to day, what is your involvement in the winery? I am the General Manager, the ubiquitous General Manager! The guy who just makes sure everyone is clicking on all cylinders, and if that’s…
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On Saturday October 2nd I drove down to Orlando to attend the Conundrum wine blending seminar with winemaker Jon Bolta, the Epcot Food and Wine Fest and the Party for the Senses, ALL IN ONE DAY! Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of it all, but I did manage to catch 5 minutes with Conundrum winemaker Jon Bolta… Kris Chislett: How long have you been with Conundrum? Jon Bolta: About 30 years….
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A winemaking graduate from Roseworthy College, Australia, Jane joined Yalumba in 1987 and worked in mainly technical roles before her current position as Yalumba Communications / Brand Ambassador. From the brief lunch that I enjoyed with Jane, even though the majority of conversations were Yalumba focused, I could really sense that Jane could talk for hours, not just about wine, but also her travels around the world in the different jobs she’s held. Jane also…
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