Skurnik Unfiltered
by Skurnik Wines & Spirits
No reservations required—listening to these conversations feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable dinner guests, giving you a level of access that was previously gatekept for those in the know. Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that curates deep conversations with some of the finest winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about the world of wines, spirits and hospitality. The show is hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a leading importer and distributor of the finest terroir-driven beverages crafted at a human scale. Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and experts in the subfields of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages. Skurnik Unfiltered is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in the Flatiron District of New York City.
Episodes
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Charles Neal's Guide to Armagnac and Cognac
“It seems that every five years or so, whiskey prices take a bump, so people say, 'Oh, let’s get into Armagnac.' And they buy a number of Armagnacs, but they eventually go back to whiskey again. The question is, why do they do that, and what can Armagnac do to retain that customer?” – Charles…
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Neversink Spirits is for the Farms of New York
“Apples were actually a big part of our history as New York State and as a colony before that. We like to, in our own way, continue that tradition in just a small way, to showcase the wonderful things that grow in New York State.” – Yoni Rabino Yoni Rabino and Noah Braunstein describe Neversink...
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José María Dondé Rangel Wants You to Know Your Mezcalero
"Giving meaning to what we pour is really important because otherwise it's just liquid. And this is not only for spirits—this is more like a lifestyle. You've got to give meaning to everything that you do so it feels special, because once you have the picture of the person, once you know the…
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Federico Gambetta is Constantly Evolving
“Every year, the terroir is changing, and we, ourselves, are changing. I’m sure that the Federico of 2026 is not the same Federico as 2022. It’s a way to see ourselves in time, our different vintages. It’s an incredible thing. It’s the magic of wine.” – Federico Gambetta Every vigneron knows that...
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Pete Stolpman Can't Imagine Running a Vineyard Any Other Way
"The most important thing we've done is establish a soul to everything we do and a why behind each of our cuvées. We want to remind everyone who has a glass of this wine what it's about—it's about the people we're supporting and the quality of our farming. I can't imagine running a vineyard any...
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Matías Riccitelli is on a Mission to Express the Potential of Argentina
“I’m very passionate about my country and the potential of Argentina. Everyone was talking about Uco Valley and forgot our roots. It’s not just Malbec for me—I decided to start with traditional places to show old vines, and I want to keep this heritage.” – Matías Riccitelli 70 years ago, Chandon...
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The heritage of Mexico's indigenous spirit with Javier Jimenez of Caballito Cerrero
"This industry is way more antique than everybody thinks. This is an indigenous beverage, an indigenous spirit. We are using the same techniques as the ancient ones because that's what we learned, and that's what the people who live here know. They don't know how to cut corners." – Javier Jimenez...
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Catherine Kistler of Occidental Wines
"That's the beauty of working with Pinot Noir: it's an incredibly transparent-to-site wine; it shows where it's grown. A perfect wine for me shows that it could not have come from anywhere else, while still keeping things food-friendly, medium-weight, delicious, and beautiful." – Catherine…
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David Skurnik and Oren Simon, President and CEO of Skurnik Wines & Spirits
"We will always seek out handcrafted products that are made by people, by families, that have the greatest quality at every price point. That will always be the ethos of who we are.” – Oren Simon Smooth transitions are crucial to sustaining a family business. Across our portfolio, we champion...
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English Sparkling Wine: Winemaker Marcus Rayner-Ward of Wiston Estate
"It's really exciting to be a part of this new industry that's learning at a rapid pace—and watch out, because there are so many people coming who are making really exciting wines. But what sets Wiston apart is the fact that we're family-owned. We're here to learn and understand and make quality...
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Tasting Lebanon with Sami Ghosn of Massaya
"Massaya means twilight. It's 'el masa.' When you are walking in the street in a village in Lebanon or in Beirut, you say 'masa el-kher,' evening of grace, good wishes, to a passing by person." – Sami Ghosn The story of Lebanese wine is a story of perpetual revival. One of the oldest wine regions...
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Graham Pirtle and Young Stowe of Unified Ferments
“We use fermentation to help you taste tea in a different way, to refract it into something that can live in the same category as wine or higher-end spirits, where you’re tasting this storytelling that tea can do—of places, of regions, of people around the world.” – Graham Pirtle Fermentation can...
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Vittorio Zoppi of Antica Torino
"Vermouth rosso is like the skeleton in a human body. It keeps the Boulevardier, the Manhattan, and the Negroni cocktails standing. Our goal was to produce Vermouth di Torino, which is the peak of the pyramid of vermouths." – Vittorio Zoppi Growing up in Genoa, Vittorio Zoppi was born with an...
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How Gaetana Jacono pioneered the New Sicily wine movement
"Wine is a culture of the people. This Frappato represents a link between the past and the future." – Gaetana Jacono Today’s guest is Gaetana Jacono, the woman who pioneered a new style of Sicilian wine in the province of Ragusa. Before she conquered the market with her perfumed, elegant, and...
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Climate Change in the Kamptal: Andreas Wickhoff of Weingut Bründlmayer
“From an historical point of view, every century has always had a crisis, but wine has always survived. Wine culture will always survive. We still have a bright future ahead. There is no doubt.” – Andreas Wickhoff Climate change has arrived, and weird things are happening in Europe. Hailstorms in...
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Tegan Passalacqua of Turley and Sandlands
"I love the Europeans for believing that their wines can't be emulated, but if that's a truth, Americans need to have that too. Zinfandel is the one grape that California does better than anywhere else in the world. And I'm proud to say that just as a Burgundian should be able to say that about...
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Justin Willett breaks down the Santa Ynez Valley
“I think there’s this moment in wine now where people are being more honest with themselves. I want to make the wines I believe in and that I want to consume, and then I’m going to find my audience; I’m not going to make wine for an audience. For me, it’s more about a job well done.” – Justin...
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Matt and Sara Licklider of LIOCO Wines
"We're in the business of making agricultural wines, and I think we need to make a distinction right here between agricultural wine and industrial wine. A lot of these vineyards that have these really amazing histories attributed to them also have people with interesting histories. It's not…
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Tom Jackson of Supergay Spirits
"Spirits, when they are at their best, are about facilitating joy and connection and building community. If we can be a small part of that in any way, then I think we've done our job." – Tom Jackson June is Pride Month, but Tom Jackson likes to say he's Supergay for 365 days a year. After an...
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Nicola Libelli of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
“If you want to make exceptional wine, you have to feel at home because it’s about so many little things—little things that you have to observe and feel and catch over the season to make the wine. It’s always important to be there and to feel the place.” – Nicola Libelli Nicola Libelli feels at...
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Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse of Birdhorse
“I think joyful, colorful people can still make beautiful, classically-styled, serious wines.” – Corinne Rich The standard California playbook of Chardonnay and Cabernet often overshadows a rich history of alternative varieties perfectly suited for the modern climate. This week’s episode features...
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Alex Clark of Fort Hamilton Distillery
"As a brand, you have to have an identity. It's easy to just make products, but why you exist is much more important that what you produce. The "why" for us is recreating this classic New York rye style that hadn't been around for over 100 years." – Alex Clark The Battle of Brooklyn began over...
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BONUS: What to expect from Skurnik at BCB
The biggest spirits event of the year is right around the corner. Bar Convent Brooklyn is an annual 2-day festival of tastings and seminars from the best in the spirits business. In preparation for Skurnik’s third appearance at BCB, we’re giving you a bonus episode inside our spirits portfolio…
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Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines and BloodRoot
"If you're really tapped into what wine is, giving back is a very natural extension of that. You realize that wine exists in this harmony with its environment, and if you're not giving back out to that environment, you're like the dead end in the ecosystem. It's important that the ecosystem keeps...
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Shane Fraser of Tenmile Distillery
"Perfection in a spirit is to do things very consistently and don't change things. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think what we're doing at the distillery is close to the best whisky I've made for a long, long time. It's grain to glass, and it's all grown and made in New York State." – Shane...
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Alice Jun of Hana Makgeolli
"Sool is an ancient style of rice wine. It has over two-thousand years of documented history. Our style is distinctly influenced by the style of brews that I grew up with—a wilder, more natural, more gastronomical style of Korean wine. And for those who are curious about going deeper, there is...
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Ricardo Peñalba of Finca Torremilanos
“Wine has always been in change, in movement. The wine that we drink now is not the same wine that was drunk a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago. For a revolution, you have to go back to the past to see what you have missed, and then bring it back.” – Ricardo Peñalba More than a…
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Chris Mullineux
"If a wine is trying to copy somewhere else or be something else, it might taste good, but it needs to have an authenticity and a sense of place to it, and it must be balanced and beautiful to drink. If a wine can put those two concepts together, for me, it's a perfect wine." – Chris Mullineux…
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Daday Suárez of Alto Canto Tequila
"Everything that we do is very pure. We are mingled or entangled with other species, with the trees, with everything. That's one of the purposes of this tequila: not only producing tequila, but maintaining the harmony and equilibrium with the surroundings." – Daday Suárez Daday Suárez is a...
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Bernhard Ott and Hans Reisetbauer
“Normally you have a best friend, and sometimes you see each other on weekends, but we are in the same business. We feel lucky. You can’t find it a second time in the world.” – Bernhard Ott If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. History is full of contemporaries who...
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Sergio Vivanco
"I'm very proud to be Mexican. I love my people, I love my country, and we love what we are doing. We do our part with passion, with honesty, with everything that we can with our hands. We are people from the field. We are rancheros, and we feel proud of this. It's our task." – Sergio Vivanco For...
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Jasmine Hirsch
“This is one reason why family wineries are so important. My father is 82, and he’s supporting, in all the ways, the planting of vineyards that he will not see the full potential of. This multi-generational commitment to viticulture, this multi-generational commitment to caring for the…
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Chiara Boschis
“They didn’t believe that I could do the work. And today, the girls are proving how sometimes the impossible can become normal.” – Chiara Boschis As recently as the 1990s, Barolo and the surrounding villages were not ready for a woman to be in charge. When Chiara Boschis championed innovations…
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Lara Haag of Weingut Schloss Lieser
"We're aiming for a mineral-driven, sharper, cooler style. Very fine, very precise, more focus, more finesse, more character." – Lara Haag The Schloss Lieser estate boasts one of the most privileged vineyard portfolios of the Middle Mosel, with famed sites like Piesporter Goldtröpfchen,...
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Martha Stoumen
"You know, trends come and go, but I think there always is an evolution. I think the way I try to approach wine and food and anything else in life, even fashion, is to like what you like and trust your gut." – Martha Stoumen Martha Stoumen is a first generation winemaker from California known for...
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Cyprien Arlaud
"For me, it’s very important to know where your roots are when you’re making wine. And I know exactly which kind of wine I want to make: it’s wine that most expresses where it comes from." – Cyprien Arlaud The third generation of his family estate in Morey St. Denis, Cyprien Arlaud of Domaine...
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BONUS: Exploring Galicia and Portugal
“To work by animal traction, 40% grade vineyards, on slate, at 1,000m of altitude, that are 45 minutes from anything else—all the best producers are going more and more into geographically specific bottlings.” – Max Working In December, we sent our Iberian wine specialists to take the pulse of...
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Pedro Parra
“What I’m looking for is very personal. It’s like a sound in the wine. And that sound is defined by something I love. Like a musician, I was always looking for my personal sound, and that sound comes easy with País.” – Pedro Parra Pedro Parra is a world-renowned winemaker, saxophone player, and...
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Annabel Thomas of Nc'nean Distillery
"Reducing the barriers to getting into Scotch, I think, is really important for bringing new consumers from all walks of life in and making them feel welcome. The whole point of Nc'nean is whisky for everybody." – Annabel Thomas Annabel Thomas is the founder of the most sustainable distillery in...
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Derek Mossman of Garage Wine Co.
“I think many consumers, many somms, think of it as a great supermarket wine for the money. But I think Chile’s still got much more to show. Many people when they taste these wines, the first thing they say is, ‘But that’s not Chilean.’ But it is more Chilean than what your image of Chile is.” –...
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Jason Kesner of Kistler Vineyards
"We're not making year-to-year decisions—we're making generational decisions. And that feels like the only just way to treat and respect all of the efforts that have preceded us." – Jason Kesner Today’s guest is Jason Kesner, the longtime winemaker of Kistler Vineyards, one of California’s most...
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Quentin Paillard
"You know, Champagne has built itself, at least since the '60s, on blending grapes together. Growers, we play a different card. We try to express wine from a singular place. And when you just think about the experience of tasting the same varietal made from different terroir, that's when I think...
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Christopher Loewen
"Working in these vineyards makes me think a lot because you really want to treat them right. You don't want to be the last generation farming the vines that were surviving 4, 5 generations." – Christopher Loewen Today’s guest is Christopher Loewen, the 33-year-old at the helm of Weingut Carl...
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Giorgio Rivetti
“We are working with the same philosophy, the same idea, the same goal. To be in the wine business, it’s very important to have this kind of relationship. Because otherwise it’s just business and it doesn’t make sense.” – Giorgio Rivetti Giorgio Rivetti is the man behind the estates of La…
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Christina Turley
"It's agriculture, right? Not agri-business. This is part of our cultural history and something worth preserving." – Christina Turley Christina is the 2nd generation of the Turley wine family. After cutting her teeth in the hospitality world as a college student in New York at Gramercy Tavern and...
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Pepe Raventós
“Can Sumoi, above all, is a project to connect with the farmers in the area, learn from them, pay them a fair amount—the highest possible per kilo of Sumoll or Xarel-lo or Macabeu. I dream of a Penedès where the valleys and the villages and the crus are the protagonists. It's the Burgundy vision...
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Michael and Harmon Skurnik
Brothers and business partners Michael and Harmon Skurnik discuss how their experiences with fine wines and spirits led them to establish Skurnik Wines & Spirits, what they value in the products they choose to represent, and how their guiding principles help them navigate uncertain times....
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Introducing Skurnik Unfiltered
No reservations required—listening to Skurnik Unfiltered feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable figures in the world of wine, spirits, and hospitality. Don't miss the first episode drop on Monday, December 8th. Voices featured in this...
About this show
No reservations required—listening to these conversations feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable dinner guests, giving you a level of access that was previously gatekept for those in the know.
Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that curates deep conversations with some of the finest winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about the world of wines, spirits and hospitality. The show is hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a leading importer and distributor of the finest terroir-driven beverages crafted at a human scale.
Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and experts in the subfields of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages.
Skurnik Unfiltered is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in the Flatiron District of New York City.
Hosted by
Skurnik Wines & Spirits