The Real Wine Show

Serious boss ladies get into it with Paper Bottles, Fake Wine Trains, and why stickies rule, plus a grenache-to-lamb pairing on The Real Wine Show (S8E4)Special thanks to our sponsor Gabriel Group (gabrielgrp.com) for helping us make another great episode!The show opens with intros to panelists Elisa Weber-Saintin (Little Guy Wine Company, celebrating 19 years; critic of predictable three-Michelin-star dining), Anna Nolan (Russian-born sommelier and co-owner of Vino and Vibes in Utica, aiming to “un-snob” wine), and Kristen Jonna (Michigan wine family royalty and owner of Vinology in Ann Arbor; she follows the moon!). In news debates, they discuss the viability of low-carbon “Frugal Pack” cardboard bottles versus glass, and a (fake) story about Japan’s underground wine trains, prompting talk of Michigan wine trains. Glass checks feature wines including Los Malditos Tempranillo, a Cremant de Loire sparkling wine, and a Slovenian pét-nat. The Wine Cipher note matches Château d’Yquem. On the Grape to Plate segment, Chef Jason Berthold pairs a 2022 McLaren Vale Grenache from Worlds Apart with grilled lamb loin crusted with black trumpet mushroom powder and pomegranate molasses plus chickpeas and grilled onions, sharing a grilling meal-prep hack. An emotive blind tasting generating Sound of Music vibes is revealed as a 2021 Lulu “BB1” Chardonnay/Savagnin blend from the Jura, and a 1975 Rivesaltes dessert wine stands out; Kristen takes home the big win!00:00 Welcome and Sponsor01:01 Meet the Panel02:10 Elisa on Dining Hype05:09 Anna Unsnobs Wine07:54 Kristen’s Wine Royalty10:40 Glass Check Tasting17:36 Debate Paper Bottles24:30 Fake News: Wine Trains31:34 Wine Cipher Challenge36:12 Dessert Wine Revival38:22 Grape to Plate 38:44 Chef tastes40:18 Food Pairing Pivot42:01 Grilled Lamb Plan43:41 Mushroom Pomegranate Crust46:00 Chickpea Ragu Sides48:09 Bottle Reveal: Grenache49:07 Practical Hack: Grill Extras50:22 Second Glass Check54:20 Somm Slam Event Plug59:05 Emotive Blind Tasting01:06:39 Unveiling Lulu BB101:08:13 Wines of the Show01:09:47 Final Scores; Farewell

Champagne Semantics, Vibe Vocabulary, and Howell Mountain Vineyards Zin Pairing on The Real Wine Show (S8E3)In episode three of season eight of The Real Wine Show, the hosts thank sponsor Gabriel Group (gabrielgrp.com) and introduce panelists Arturo (Mexico-born wine enthusiast pursuing WSET Level 3 with the hot take that there’s no bad champagne), Taylor Johnson (wine director/sommelier in Ann Arbor who rejects seasonal drinking), and journalist/filmmaker Mark Kurlyandchik (arguing wine jargon turns off new drinkers). In glass checks they discuss Lambrusco, a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and a Côte des Bar vintage Champagne. A debate explores replacing technical wine terms with “vibe vocabulary,” emphasizing meeting drinkers where they are while preserving expertise. Another story covers biodynamics and EMF-shielding products, leading to discussion of spirituality, labeling, and consumer information. Wine Cipher and an emotive blind tasting follow, plus Chef Jason Berthold’s Grape to Plate pairing a 2019 Howell Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel with charcoal-grilled dry-aged ribeye, beef-tallow potatoes, and black-garlic chimichurri; the blind wine is revealed as 2019 Von Winning Sauvignon Blanc, and Arturo wins the game!00:00 Welcome and Sponsor01:10 Meet Arturo Champagne Take03:49 Meet Taylor No Seasons06:44 Meet Mark Storytelling09:04 Glass Check What’s Pouring12:52 Vibe Versus Vocabulary22:18 Biodynamics and Spirituality31:04 Wine Cipher Tasting Game35:55 Grape to Plate Setup36:46 Color and Aromatics37:26 Tannin and Fruit Structure38:18 Red Wine Temperature Talk40:47 Grill Pairing Vision41:40 Dry Aged Beef Breakdown44:17 Salt and Seasoning Sidebar46:04 Wine Opens Up Notes47:26 Black Garlic Chimichurri50:19 Bottle Reveal Zinfandel52:21 Live Fire Cooking Hack53:37 Emotive Blind Tasting Returns58:57 Reveal Von Winning Sauvignon59:44 Wines of the Show and WrapThanks for listening, and be sure to Like, Follow, & Subscribe, please! It really helps! :)

Stop playing it safe—it's time for Michigan to find its unique identity through small, thoughtful production. The "Grape to Plate" segment is a masterclass on slow-rendering duck breast with lavender, and we learn the tells of "tasting room theatre".In episode two of season eight of The Real Wine Show, hosts Chaad Thomas and Matt Kuhr announce show sponsor Gabriel Group (www.gabrielgrp.com) and introduce panelists Alan Collins (Michigan vineyard project advocating risk-taking for a uniquely Michigan wine identity), wine traveler/judge Bobby Frank, and chef/winemaker Jason Berthold (promoting aging high-acid white wines). They discuss three news topics: billionaire winery acquisitions and their impact on wine’s “soul,” proposed 2026 U.S. ingredient-label transparency and consumer reactions to additives, and AI-driven wine recommendations in tasting rooms versus human sommeliers. During glass checks they taste wines including aged Muscadet and other bottles. The new “Grape to Plate” segment sees Chef Jason conjure a slow-rendered duck breast and swiss chard pan sauce from blind tasting a 2022 Famille Gras Côtes du Rhône. The show includes a Wine Cipher game, the popular emotive blind tasting (revealed as an Italian Ciliegiolo), and ends with Jason taking home the prize!00:00 Welcome and Sponsor01:05 Meet Alan Collins03:42 Meet Bobby Frank06:02 Meet Chef Jason07:27 Glass Check09:54 Billionaires Buying Wineries15:51 Ingredient Label Transparency21:14 AI Sommelier Debate27:28 Grape to Plate Pairing37:27 Duck Resting Plan37:49 Chard Wine Pan Sauce38:41 Jam And Duck Sauce39:42 Wine Reveal Cote Du Rhone41:51 Practical Hack: Low And Slow42:44 Blind Notes Game Begins42:54 Big Red Guess Chateau Pavie45:39 Second Cipher Debate49:56 Riesling Notes Too Easy52:43 Glass Check #255:13 Michigan Wine Collaborative Events Update56:33 Emotive Blind Tasting01:03:12 Reveal Italian ciliegiolo01:05:15 Favorite Wines And Scores01:07:50 Final Wrap And ThanksMay is Michigan Wine Month:Visit www.michiganwinecollaborative.com for event details.

Fifty years after the Judgment of Paris, is the wine world ready for another revolution? The panel dishes on world class Oregon Chardonnay, the chef dishes up buttery roasted oyster with hijiki seaweed, and we get into the growing movement for "Honest Wine" and label transparency, and why, despite the buzz, non-alcoholic wine stills falls short.Season 8, Episode 1 of The Real Wine Show opens by thanking sponsor The Gabriel Group (www.gabrielgrp.com), a Midwest hospitality equipment supplier with showrooms and test kitchens. The panel introduces Rebecca Waldron (Bush’s beer/wine/spirits buyer and Michigan Craft Beverage Council member), Dr. Matthew Horkey (wine writer and YouTuber), and Domenico “Mimmo” Musumeci (West Michigan farmer-winemaker behind wine projects including Wine Pirati, emphasizing transparency and ingredient labeling). They debate whether the old world–new world rivalry still matters ahead of the Judgment of Paris 50th anniversary, discuss sommelier culture and blind tasting, and assess expensive no/low-alcohol wines. The group tastes wines including a Riesling pét-nat made with West Michigan oak barrels.  On Grape to Plate,  Chef Jason pairs an Abruzzo sparkling blend with aromatically baked oysters and hijiki-butter. Segments include a “wine cipher” game, an emotive blind tasting revealed as Amarone, Michigan wine event announcements, the Glass Check, Grape to Plate, and Rebecca winning the episode scoring.00:00 Season Eight Kickoff00:15 Sponsor Spotlight: Gabriel Group01:12 Meet Rebecca Waldron02:05 Currant Flavor Debate03:16 Meet Matthew Horkey04:04 Oregon Chardonnay Case05:20 Meet Domenico "Mimmo" Musumeci06:41 Honest Wine Transparency09:30 News Segment Begins09:42 Judgment of Paris Revisited10:32 French Versus American Today16:23 Glass Check 17:37 Michigan Oak Barrels20:09 Sommelier Reality Show Talk24:57 Blind Tasting Mythology28:59 Luxury Non Alcohol Wines35:33 Low Alcohol Alternatives36:57 Michigan Wine Month Events38:12 Dates and Show Notes38:36 Grape to Plate w/ Chef Jason Berthold39:58 Texture and Pairing Ideas42:22 Oyster Pairing Blueprint45:49 Hijiki Butter Broiled Oysters48:10 Wine Reveal and Wrap51:25 Wine Cipher Funky Note54:59 Cipher Redemption Round57:13 Emotive Blind Tasting Game01:04:09 Blind Wine Reveal: Musella Amarone01:05:35 Wine of the Show, Final Scores, and Farewell

The panel debates whether "Luxury Wine" is a real quality tier or just a marketing construct used to justify high prices. Plus, industry insiders Jarred Gild, Nick Arone, and Jarett Coy pull back the curtain on how restaurants determine wine list markups and the reality of selling high-end bottles in a changing market.For the season 7 finale (and our 63rd episode!), we grabbed three of the coolest cats on Detroit's progressive wine scene and basically asked them to spill the tea (or, you know, the skin-contact orange wine).Get ready to meet the panel:Jarred Gild: This OG Detroit tastemaker has been ahead of the curve forever. His pioneering wine vision is the secret sauce behind iconic spots like Western Market, Stadt Garden, Pash & Glou, The Schvitz, and the legendary Dakota Inn. Seriously, he's the map to Detroit natural wine history.Nick Arone: The guy who made a splash the moment he rolled into town! Originally from sunny California and rocking a cocktail background, Nick pivoted to pure wine passion and opened Bar Chenin—the super-chic wine haven inside the Siren Hotel. He's got some serious chops with wine, and he serves up some mean sandwiches, too!Jarett Coy (a.k.a. Vino in Detroit): If you're into Detroit's natural wine movement, you already follow this guy! Jarett's Instagram is your pocket guide to the city's best sips and bites, featuring interviews and explorations across the D. Like Gild, he's also a returning guest on the show; will their experience be the advantage that nets one of them the win?What did we talk about? Oh, just everything! We dove deep on topics ranging from:Why the venerable German Wine Queen competition could be the model for a signature Michigan wine event.Is Pet-Nat the perfect "gateway wine" for your White Claw-loving friends? (Spoiler: Maybe!)The imminent proletarian wine revolution! Rise up and drink the riesling, comrades!Join us for guaranteed laughs, some seriously hot tips on what you need to be drinking right now, and the kind of deeply geeky wine talk that makes you feel smarter and makes your life better.Don't miss this one! Tune in, have a listen, and if you love the episode, do us a solid: Like, follow, or subscribe! Your support keeps the good juice—and the good content—flowing! Cheers!Catch us on Instagram at @therealwineshow

Is the term "Fine Wine" losing its meaning in a market flooded with luxury marketing? Why Australian wines are still MIA in the American market, a debate the future of wine classification, and a deep dive into the traditional world of Mezcal and agave spirits.S7 E5 is, as we say in the podcast biz, a meaty one, ranging from '90s pop movie references to a groundbreaking, highly technical, wine salvage technique, and onto practical suggestions on how to choose a spouse! We also taste wines from Italy, Georgia, and Australia...and opine on what happened to the latter in the USA market.Our panelists for all this fascinating discussion are Cody Formisano of York, and Ann Arbor wine bar and retail spot; Pedro San Antonio, a longtime wine enthusiast and literature prof from Henry Ford Community College; and distiller and winemaker David Landrum, founder of Detroit's first post-Prohibition distillery, Two James.It's a show we know you'll love, and we sincerely appreciate your audience! Please let us know if you enjoyed listening with a heart, like, follow or subscription; the feedback helps us continue to bring you this kind of unique, wine content.You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or your preferred podcast source. You can listen and watch on YouTube, and keep up with our schedule and happenings on Instagram, at @therealwine show.Thank you and enjoy!

This episode we ask, is California wine facing a permanent shift in consumer perception, or is it just a temporary slump? Is Veuve Clicquot missing out on Michigan? A debate over the future of domestic wine production, and exploration of the real-world impact of sustainable and regenerative farming on the juice in your glass.The diversity of perspectives on the wine industry is something we love most about the business and something we want most to share with others, so we're extremely delighted to bring this group to the mics! Emily, who as the Executive Director of the Michigan Wine Collaborative, is working not only on the marketing side, but also working closely with producers. Kaira represents the consumer facet, running a wine social club that not only drinks wine, but gets members out in the world to visit wineries, explore dining, and really engage with the lifestyle of wine. Mike owns M4 Distributing, a speciality wine wholesaler focused on natural/organic wines supplying top restaurants and shops across Michigan. Distributors are a critical link in the chain from producer to consumer in 3-tier states like Michigan, so their unique perspective literally shapes what's available.We had a great chat, filled with humor and insight, and think you'll enjoy these three as much as we did! Thanks for listening in!

Has the "Natural Wine" movement lost its rebellious soul to corporate investment and mass marketing? Join guests Chris Hunter, Kassy Fifer, and Kristie Brablec as they debate the commercialization of low-intervention wine and explore how modern wine tourism is shifting toward authentic, farm-to-table experiences.Chris Hunter is well known not only to regular listeners, but also wine-loving travelers through Detroit's Metro airport, where he's been an outstanding presence at wine bar Vino Volo. Kassy is someone you'll love meeting, as her confidence, sportsmanship, and good humor clearly mark her as a force to be reckoned with, and her soon-to-open Bay City wine bar, Calypso, will certainly be a must-visit, too. And returning to the panelist table is our very own, spunky and irreverent co-host, Kristie Brablec, who stepped up to fill in for a guest who left us in the lurch. She does it all for you, dear listeners!So yeah, lots of energy, thoughtful provocation, and laughs in this one; you might not even notice you're learning stuff about the wonderful world of wine, it's so much fun! Set the cruise control or pull up a chair, crank the volume, and enjoy a full 1 hour episode of engaging wine talk!Please Like and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram at @therealwineshow. Your support means a lot to us. Thanks!

Is the "old guard" of Bordeaux finding its way into the glasses of a younger, more adventurous generation? Join our panel as they debate the modernization of classic regions, reveal what’s actually driving the "new school" of American wine imports today, and get a first taste of the new Thomas Acker wines!We're back in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for episode 2 of season 7, graciously hosted by Good Good Good Wine & Flowers. Owners Kyle and Sam run this supercool wine bar and retail shop on Plainfield Ave. NE; stop in if you're town, but be sure to check 'em out and give them a follow on Instagram at @goodgoodgoodgr, too.Kyle also joined our discussion panel, alongside Jaime Haener of wine wholesale distributor AHD Vintners, and Nadim Audi of the acclaimed wine import company Selection Massale. Their conversation was friendly, witty, and disarmingly open, highlighting why we brought the show to GR in the first place: it's a community of terrific wine enthusiasts! Our panelists strategically deciphered the Wine Cipher segment, and easily saw through what we thought were cleverly deceptive, fake wine news stories.You'll also meet Tom Cariano, the winemaker of new, northern Michigan winery, Thomas Acker Wines. One of his wines was tasted blind by the panelists, and you'll love to hear what they thought of it!Settle in and enjoy the discussion, and don't be shy to laugh out loud with us. It's a full 1hr 9mins of quality entertainment. Thanks for listening, and please Like and follow our channel. Please also follow us on Instagram at @therealwineshow.

Are 100-point ratings still relevant, or are modern drinkers moving past the critics? Join guests Amy Ruis, Sean Stearns, and Ben Vanderwaal as they debate the legacy of wine scores and explore the explosive growth of high-quality non-alcoholic and dealcoholized beverages in the market.Welcome to the very first TRWS road show! We packed up the mics and headed west to Grand Rapids, MI, to hang out with the terrific wine community there. We were graciously hosted by Sam and Kyle, whose wine bar and flower shop, Good Good Good, is a real area treasure! We were joined by panelists Amy Ruis, veritably the matriarch of the GR fine wine scene and owner of wine shop Art of the Table; Sean Stearns runs the very cool wine bar Chateau Grand Rapids, and Ben Vanderwaal owns the east town wine shop, Ritual. It's our usual show format, just with an all-new cast, so be ready for a fun-- and often funny!-- wine geek-out! Thanks for listening!

Scholar, philosopher, educator, professional Italian wine authority... Dr. Salvatore Napolitano is one of the most erudite and insightful people in the business. We sat down with Salvatore at his hotel in downtown Detroit before he set out for a day of evangelizing for Sardegna and renowned winery, Sella & Mosca. Of Italian origin, his passion for classical studies brought him to the USA, and today, based in New York, he travels the country spreading the good word about the amazingly diverse world of Italian wine. We had a great chat, and we hope you enjoy listening! Thanks for coming, and don't forget to subscribe; it helps us keep the good content coming!

A rising star in the Rioja wine scene for his elevated and elegant winemaking, exemplified by Con.tacto, a skin-contact, amber viura, Álvaro Loza is also a deeply thoughtful person committed to respecting the land, the vines, and legacy of both family and region. While working in the Michigan market (with distributor Eagle Eye Brands and importer Vino Vi & Co.), he sat down with us for a quick lunch and 10 questions, revealing his deep passion for both grape growing and winemaking. We hope you enjoy getting to know him as much as we did! Thank you for listening!

We're wrapping up Season 6 with a real banger, an episode of exceptional depth, humor, insight, and listenability. All credit is due to our terrific panelists, Alex McNeely of Poetson Wines, Kat McCormack of Decanter & Coupe distribution, and Jimmy Bates of T. Edwards importing, each of whom came ready to play and have fun!You'll enjoy hearing their thoughts on whether we need more business-type folks in the wine industry, grape vaping, and the importance of keeping an eye on the dog when hamburgers and pizza are around. Lots of great stories, terrific insights, and laugh-out-loud moments. We promise this will be one of your favorite episodes yet! Thanks for listening!

It's the episode of the vintage! Well, that's up for you, the listeners, to decide, but we think it's great! Austin Beeman (Travel Bloggers Exchange), Emily Yahkind-Dabish (Sol Summit), and Lena Wellington (Santé Wine Bar) join us for this one, and they have their say about the state of the US domestic wine business, opine that Bordeaux is the most important wine region in the world, and agree that there's no shame in cracking a can of wine when dining home alone. Hot tip of the show? Buy dessert wine at auction!

For Season 6 Episode 3 the show panelists are Mike Fifer of Imperial Beverage, Lori Moss of Little Guy Wine, and Diego Aliste of Stadtgarden Detroit. They're three distinct personalities, each with their own pathway into wine, but they vibe great and fun conversation flows easily, making this a perfect episode when you really need to have your focus elsewhere and don't want to feel like you can't follow the show, but also don't want to listen to senseless, inane, blather. Have we broken the code for fab podcasts, or are we just lucky to sit down with really great folks? Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Chaad and Matt had a great time talking with Tatiana Portillo of Detroit’s Prime & Proper, Brenda Puska of Simply Wine Northville, and .wine distributor Kristen Pennington of Carpe Vinum.

Fun time for S6 E2 comes courtesy of three, dynamic industry insiders with diverse approaches to the business, but a shared sense of humor and passion for people and wine.Mary Davis is the beverage program director at Detroit’s acclaimed Takoi restaurant. Adam Mahler, a returning panelist familiar to regular listeners, is the founder and owner of Ampelography, a Toledo-based wine brokerage house. Sean Mankowski is the regional manager for Taub Family Selections, the fine (mostly Italian) wine division of Palm Bay Imports.We’re posting from our phone here, while on vacation in Italy, so excuse the descriptive brevity and trust us when we say you won’t be disappointed in this episode; it’s a solid hour of entertainment! Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please subscribe to follow and help us the grow the show!

We open Season 6 with topics such as robotic hospitality, parsing "crushed stone impingement" in a tasting note, and how a wine can remind you of that drummer you brought home from the club one night! Our terrific panelists for this show are Shelley Bynum of Detroit Athletic Club, Kimberly Hartnett of Vintage Wine Company, and Elisa Weber of Little Guy Wine. If you like charming, smart, warm, funny and honest conversation, click Play and get ready for one of our best episodes yet!

Outward Wines is one of the most thrilling, "new wave" wineries to emerge from California's Central Coast, with a style that's focused on energetic, fun-to-drink wines, while still delivering the unique expressions of site specificity. The simultaneous ease and seriousness that define Ryan and Natalie are also reflected in their wines. Maybe it's more like a sense of confidence derived from competence; for example, their Chenin Blanc doesn't scream Chenin Blanc, but then at once, it is precisely Chenin. There is reward in paying attention to Outward wines beyond that first, pleasureful sip, and spending a few minutes listening here to Natalie and Ryan is similarly rewarding. Enjoy, and thank you for listening!

Here's one for the heads! We gathered three brilliant wine professionals-- retail, wholesale, authors, YouTubers, wine judges...their combined CV is impressive!-- and they brought their A-game, engaging the show challenges with gusto and humor, and delivering thoughtful, incisive commentary on a wide range of wine topics, from the pitfalls of blind tasting, the revolutionary importance of putting the consumer perspective first, and how an Alsatian wine can be like a sunburned Scottish hippie at a Phish show! Jump in; you'll find this episode geeky yet entertaining, thought provoking, and at times, you'll laugh out loud, too. Promise!Don't forget to follow @therealwineshow on Instagram for even more content!

Although this episode of 10 Minutes, 10 Questions went a few minutes over time, it actually feels shorter than normal, because Constantin Richter has much of interest to say! Wonderfully opinionated but also superbly rational, it's perhaps no wonder that he seems untroubled being the 10th generation of his family's winemaking legacy at Max Ferdinand Richter winery in Mülheim, in the very heart of Germany's iconic Mosel valley. He's calculated yet gracious with his ideas on politics, winemaking, and the future, so he transmits a very welcome sense of assurance that Max Ferd. Richter wines will continue to be paragons of riesling excellence despite these days of economic and political turmoil. Set aside 15 minutes, and enjoy 10 questions for Constantin Richter!

Welcome to a rather unconventional episode of TRWS, but one that will delight nonetheless, as our panelists are all foodies, chefs, entrepreneurs and philosophers! We cut a couple of regular show segments, and indulged instead discussion about the the trouble with "fusion cuisine," how S. Korea has 6x the seasonality we have here in Michigan, and the Arab origins of Mexican tacos! Chef Christine Lau (formerly of Kimika NYC) was in from New York, Chef Ji Hye Kim is the creative fire behind Ann Arbor's Miss Kim restaurant, and Carlos Parisi is from Detroit, where, besides being the owner of Aunt Nee's tortilla chips and salsas, he's involved in a variety of projects and pop-ups; you may have seen him on IG lavishing fresh-shaved truffle on coney dogs! It's a terrific episode that will appeal to anyone concerned with matters of taste, food quality, responsibility and creativity. Join us!

With the astuteness of Adm. Akbar, this crew sussed our traps and even declared that the goal of TRWS was to deceive! The audacity...am I right?! Everyone knows the purpose of the podcast is to create community in the most entertaining way we can. To that end, we think you'll enjoy this episode bringing together two wine importers (Kristen and Jon) and one savvy consumer (Steve), and which features the bonus stylings of guest co-host Chris Hunter. The conversation got a little raucous at times, but it's solidly entertaining and covers topics from wine trinkets, to how pinot nero is wildly underrated, to how stuffing girls in her trunk landed Kristen a job. Good listening, and here in time for that trip to Grandma's house for Easter. Enjoy!

On matters including the so-called "Sijourney" Weaver, the Alsatian hotness of Jintaro Yura, and the mystical depths of Georgian amber wine, Episode 3 delivers with extreme "listen-ability" and interest. It's a great, comfortable conversation showcasing both experience and the unique zeitgeist of the Detroit wine scene. If you can appreciate what King Books is and represents, you'll love this episode! The panel features veteran guests Chris Hunter of VinoVolo DTW, and Catherine Kurth of Woodberry Wines, and the man behind the deep-diving Detroit wine scene Instagram account VinoInDetroit, Jarett Coy. We've got a full hour on tap for you, so set your course and enjoy our in-flight entertainment!

Despite Chaad's efforts to reign in the ruckus, co-host Kristie Brablec incites a vigorous and opinionated discussion with this diverse panel of wine enthusiasts with plenty to say about matters such as the silliness of "Tip Of The Mitt" as an appellation name, how you can taste the woman in the wine, and what to wear in a bathtub full of Comte. It's a fun, wide ranging conversation with Jenna Belevender, a pro photog, Lars Makie, a music supervisor in advertising, and Megan Turriff, owner of wine and beer wholesaler M4 Distributing. Join us for the fun!

A wine consumer, a chef, and a wine wholesaler walk into a studio... That's how Chaad Thomas is kicking off the spring season with new co-host Kristie Brablec, and the punchline works! None of them believed the story about Miley Cyrus' Montana winery, they're all drinking more white wine than red, and they agree that Belondrade y Lurton Verdejo from Spain's Rueda is a thought-provoking, alluring white that evokes naked beach sessions with '70s era Neil Young. And can you believe there's more...just as there is every episode of TRWS! Click "play" and enjoy a fun, irreverent, and wide-ranging conversation about wine and life!

Special Episode! Join us as we explore behind the scenes in the wine biz, speaking with winery owners Laetitia and Rodolphe of Fond Cypres in Corbieres, France, and the ladies of their USA importer, Super Glou. The relationship between producer and importer can often be merely transactional, but when based on honesty, friendship, and sincere partnership, great things can happen, particularly for consumers. We learn that travel has helped Fond Cypres make better wines, and that the fat cat munching on a baguette, icon of their popular Fond Cypres x Super Glou label, Lamont, is actually not French at all! All that and more in this special episode of The Real Wine Show!

Super Glou is a wine importing company founded by Jennifer Green, and in less than a decade, she's put together a truly impressive portfolio of natural wine producers. We sat down with her during a USA tour with the owners of Fond Cypres from Corbieres, France, looking to get a little insight into the woman behind Super Glou and its success. Jennifer is sharp, obviously, and she's also thoughtful, so it was a pleasure to speak with her and we hope you enjoy the conversation!Check out the wines at www.superglou.com

Join our conversation with Nuria Garrote I Esteve and Sean Sutton of Ferndale, MI, based wine importer VinoVi & Co., as we discuss their signature, annual event, Catalan Wine Week taking place this upcoming April. It's a really a full month of Spanish cultural activities built around the holiday of the patron saint of Catalunya, Sant Jordi (i.e. Saint George) and is a celebration of love, culture (read: wine!), roses, and books!Enjoy the conversation, and get details of the upcoming Catalan Wine Week events at www.vinovico.com.

Francesca, along with her husband Danilo and her brother Andrea, are now at the helm of their historic, family estate in Montalcino, Tenuta di Sesta. As one of the first, twelve wineries to make Brunello di Montalcino, there is a sense of gravity or seriousness in Francesca's wines, which pay more than a nod to tradition while also offering a distinctly modern sense of approachability and finesse. Similarly, Francesca herself is gracious and charming, and totally without pretense, so she can take our sometimes inconsequential questions and imbue them with real meaning, making this 10 Minutes 10 Questions a real joy to listen to. Thanks for joining us!

On celebrity wines, King Dons, and the nature of knowledge itself, this panel covered a wide swath of topics, revealing-- most shockingly-- that one of these women didn't know that Martha and Snoop were besties! This episode also saw a perfect call performance during the Wineshop Brainfart segment-- a first!-- and some terrific sussing of the blind tasting. It was to be expected, perhaps; Lena comes to us from the wine worlds of The Royce and Marrow in Detroit, and Abby runs the wine program at Detroit standout restaurant, Freya. Regular listeners will be familiar with the founder of Little Guy Wines, Elisa Weber, who makes sure Michigan's best get the best wines available. Enjoy listening, and thank you!

Chaad is dead. Long live Chaad. After a devastating failure to record what should have been the actual S4E5, Chaad rallied and friends stepped up to constitute a new panel, which we proudly present here for your listening pleasure. Bobby Frank is longtime Ann Arbor area wine enthusiast with an incredibly deep and educated wine history. Jake handles East Lansing and mid-MI sales for Eagle Eye (and the man who coined the term Slate for areas around Flint). Kristen is the founder of Carpe Vinum wine distributing and Lighthouse Imports. As a bonus, this crew delves into the shocking details and disturbing ethics of Phrenology Somms. :)

In this episode, we're treated to an inside look at how three, Court of Master Sommeliers certified wine professionals think about the current scene. KariAnn both teaches wine at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan and runs the wine program at the acclaimed Oak & Reel restaurant in Detroit. Mick Descamps has restaurant chops, too, but currently runs the wine department at Red Wagon Shoppe in Rochester, MI, where he combines his years of wine experience in restaurants, wholesale, and retail to make RWS one of the few premier wine shops in the state. Commanding the Highlands restaurant atop Detroit's iconic RenCen building, Kevin Williams is literally the highest profile sommelier in Michigan, serving up 360º views of the city from 72 stories up to go with his great wine selections. Highly driven and deeply committed, these three present a very interesting take on the state of the wine industry today. Tune in and enjoy!

Join Chaad and Matt as they chat with this diverse and savvy panel of guests representing the three main corners of the MI wine scene.Jamel Favorite is the Marketing Manager (and so much more!) at Modales Winery out in Fennville and makes his home in Grand Rapids. He co-hosts the Music In The Bottle podcast.Caroline Lamb is a Detroit based marketing specialist with wine distributor AHD Vinters and is also a podcaster, co-hosting the Business Of Drinks podcast.Tim Tebeau comes downstate from Petoskey, where he’s the midwest sales manager for packaging supplier Saxco, a major international supplier of wine bottles.Witty and charming, these folks made for a great show which we hope you enjoy listening to as much as we enjoyed making it!

Resting up after the Thanksgiving indulgence? Making the trip back home? Whatever it is, you’ll probably enjoy it more if you’re listening to this trio of savvy, SE MI wine biz luminaries with their thoughtfully piloted discussions laced with both humor and gravitas. Maria owns SimplyWine in Northville; Taylor is beverage director at the upcoming Echelon restaurant in Ann Arbor; Kat is in wholesale wine sales with Decanter & Coupe. Maybe it’s their complementary experiences, but we tend to think the magic is that thoughtful people are just really interesting!Dial this one up on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and enjoy the discussion!

We're kicking off Season 4 with three former wine directors of Paesano restaurant in Ann Arbor, one of the city's most long-lived restaurants and one of precious few to offer sommelier service, which it did for roughly 24 years. Justin King is currently in sales with Woodberry wine distributing, Alan Collins is an amateur winemaker and grape grower, and Kenny Frost works at Michigan winery Aeronautique. We're delighted to bring this unique panel together, honoring Paesano founders Michael and Bridget Roddy's vision and commitment to Italian fine wine. Enjoy the show!

Brent Mayeaux is Stagiaire Wine, a young, super-cool brand kicking out impressive, zero-zero wines from their digs out on Treasure Island, in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Farming and pulling fruit from Santa Cruz Mountains, Marin and a bit from Mendocino, Brent's wines are definitely New California style, but distinguished by the patience he applies to the winemaking, giving the wines plenty of time to settle and mature, giving them a sense of completeness and elegance which sets Stagiaire apart from the bunch. Brent is cool, down-to-Earth, smart and thoughtful...definitely someone you'll enjoy meeting, so click Play and enjoy the interview!

Anne-Charlotte is the charming and talented owner/winemaker of Chateauneuf-du-Pape winery, Font du Loup. Distinguished both for being the only estate other than Chateau Rayas sited on sandy soils (although different) and for the fresh, vibrant quality of its. wines, Font du Loup is worth seeking out. Anne-Charlotte is also worth listening to, as she's funny, frank, humble, and passionate, in those ways in which only the best winemakers are. We ran over time by 2 minutes, but we went with it, as we're confident no one will be disappointed to hear what Anne-Charlotte has to say!

Come hang out with the superior Adam Mahler, the one-man show who is Ampelography, a wine sales and marketing company committed to supporting authentic wines from real people. Big-hearted, right-thinking, and gracious, in his work Adam focuses on education and the stories behind the wines, making him a powerful ally in the distribution chain. Recorded in the midst of the raucous TRWS Season 4 kick-off afterparty, please forgive the rowdy background noise. It's a triumph of technology that the discussion is clear and listenable! Enjoy!

We had the great privilege to sit down with acclaimed Spanish winemaker Pepe Raventos, who continues a 500 year family legacy in wine as head of the Raventos I Blanc winery in Saint Sadurni d'Anoia in the Penedes region. Pepe is a man of tremendous and compelling passion for his work and craft, of abiding respect for both human tradition and the natural world, and who holds sincere and deep concern for well-being. If you're thinking he sounds like a philosopher, we agree, and if you think it sounds like we enjoyed our conversation, you're right again! We ran a couple of minutes over time, but tuck in for a listen...you'll understand and forgive us!

If you don't know Mary Taylor, get to know her; this dynamic American importer has what is probably the most unique philosophy in the business, focusing as she does on typically styled, accessible, terroir wines from European appellations. Carve out 10 minutes for this one...you don't want to miss it!

We close out Season 3 with seasoned, TRWS veterans Chris Hunter from Vino Volo DTW and Diego Aliste, who is now heading up Stadt Garden Detroit as well as opening a new wine retail project in Troy’s Somerset Collection mall called Lutine. Rounding out the panel is Travis Reeves, the master behind Plum Markets’ online wine sales apparatus.

We got three winemakers on the panel here, so while this is just as fun to listen to as any other episode, hardcore heads and those who like to get geeky with it might find a little more to love in this one!

Come meet Elizma Visser, the winemaker at Olifantsberg winery in South Africa’s Breedekloof valley. She’s making “new wave” wines— fresher, more elegant and balanced— and specializing in Rhone varieties. Energetic and passionate, we believe she’s a rising star, and were stoked to have her in the studio!

In this episode, Kat and Caherine, both on the wholesale side, bring their wide ranging experience to TRWS and create a funny and charming show that’s a delight to listen to! Catherine backs up her current sales role at Woodberry Wines with leading wine roles at some of Detroit’s best and most innovative restaurants of the past 20 years, while Kat, currently with Decanter & Coupe distributing, has done it all, from winery to wholesale to retail to wine bar. We’re down one panelist from normal, but these two brought their A game and we all had a blast!

Listen in to our chat with Alexander, the owner and winemaker at his family estate in Germany’s Pfalz region. He’s a natural winemaker, running the estate biodynamically, and the vibrance you’ll find in his wines comes through here with his irrepressibly enthusiastic energy! Check it out!

Another great, broad-ranging conversation with Kristie Brablec of Zingerman’s Food Tours and Ground Control Wines, Dan Reinisch of Lutine wine shop (soon to open in the Somerset mall in Troy, MI), and Elisa Weber, founder of wholesale wine company Little Guy Wine. Join us!

Come hang out and enjoy the discussion with Detroit wine professionals Liz Martinez from the Apparatus Room at Detroit Foundation Hotel, Joseph Allerton who is in wholesale distribution with Veritas Imports, and Remy Lutfy, owner of acclaimed restaurant Vertical Detroit.

We sit down for a 10x10 interview episode with Georgian wine importer Noel Brockett of Georgian Wine House. Although GWH is based in Washington D.C., Noel lives in the Guria region of western Georgia, and we sat down during a multi-state tour he was making in the US during June of 2024.

Spend 10 minutes getting to know Nick Apone, founder and owner of Old Woodward Cellar, the magnificent wine retail shop in Birmingham, Michigan.