GrapevineRadio.net
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 14 years ago -Grapevine Radio brings you interviews with winemakers, chefs, event coordinators... the people who help make up the fastest growing, most exciting, and diverse wine region in California.
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Episodes
Nukes and Nebbiolos: Atomic Testing Exposes Wine Fraud
March 25, 2010 15:07Loved the headline and photo. I think I've seen this technique explained on "Bones," or possibly "CIS Napa-Sonoma." But Matthew extracted this version of the story from Scientific American. by Matthew Zuras — Mar 25th 2010 at 6:30AM We all know how carbon dating works, right? No? Well, as you should know, carbon makes up the chemical basis of all known life. Carbon, the fourth most abundant element in the universe, can be found in just about everything, albeit in different types of isot...
Wine Geek Gift Guidelines - Best We've Seen
December 01, 2009 17:43We get this question numerous times every year and this time we found a really helpful article by Helen Smeaton, entitled, Wine Gifts for Wine Lovers, Cheap or Expensive in Old World Wine is owned Instead of the usual shilling for specific products or retailers, Helen offers some general ideas and great suggestions in several categories. I suggest you bookmark this or, better yet, iCyte it and keep it stashed for future reference ... like next birthday or holiday when the question comes up ...
Bootique Boojealais in a Goblinet
October 05, 2009 20:18Ghost Hunter’s Guide to California’s Wine Country Yes, only yours truly could dig up (sic) a great wine related gift with a Halloween theme. Not covered in the guide, however, is the locally famous haunted cemetery out on Adelaide Road in Paso Robles Wine Country. This ghostly guide by Jeff Dwyer, takes readers to the rolling hills, old wineries, and beautiful vineyards of the California wine country. With more than eighty haunted locations described in great historical detail, experience...
Calling All Cork Dorks
August 30, 2009 15:34"Cork dorks," is a term of endearment for all lovable enogeeks. The name of this software, however, first caught my eye because of it's similarity to Vinoteca, one of Paso Robles' favorite wine bars and gathering spots. Vinotekasoft (www.vinotekasoft.com ) has unveiled a new version of Vinoteka, Vinoteka 1.2.2, the ultimate wine cellar management software for Mac. In a unique and gorgeous interface showing bottles, cellars and tasting notes, Vinoteka brings the best wine cellar management ex...
Top 10 Whispered Wine Words
August 09, 2009 18:15The terms used in the luscious lexicon of wine tasting are oft lampooned by philistines. So it may come as a surprise to many how practical and down-to-earth the most used terms are (as culled from tens of thousands of postings on the eBacchus blog). I know that most of my readers are full blown enomaniacs, but this list should be helpful for the 1,000's of people who enter our fold every day. 1. Aroma The intensity and character of the aroma can be assessed with nearly any descriptive ad...
Hey Kids, Let's Open a Restaurant!
August 01, 2009 17:45Want to try out for "Last Restaurant Standing?" Think you have the chops to make the cut? Ready to enjoy fine food, snappy cocktails, and exploring restaurants, farmers markets and subject of the hour - street food? All without gambling with all your 401K funds? Then you should give RESTAURANT CITY a whirl. Restaurant City (made by Playfish) is an online social game where you can open your own restaurant and enjoy the trials and tribulations of dealing with menus, guests and overflowing r...
Green Wine Before St. Patty's Day!
July 24, 2009 15:55Most of the U.S. thinks all of the wine action in California happens in Napa. Can't blame them, even Central Coasters don't know that our wine region (3rd largest in the WORLD) leads the nation in sustainable vineyard practices. Be that as it may there was what the press called, "a groundbreaking summit on green agricultural and business practices" up in Santa Rosa at the end of '08. This event drew capacity crowds. The summit provided a comprehensive look at the wine industry's leadershi...
This Riesling's Drier Than My Sense of Humor
June 29, 2009 16:24Up 'til now assessing the relative sweetness of a Riesling was as scientific as this post's headline. When a producer says the wine is "Dry," how do you know what that really means? "A little spicy," to my palate could cause bullets of sweat to shoot forth from the foreheads of some of my compatriots, for instance. Riding to the rescue is the International Riesling Foundation (the logo on their capes is IRF). This band of Rhine Rangers have designed a simple, ruler-like scale divided into...
Think Locally, Drink Globally!
June 27, 2009 18:10Tired of drinking wine straight from the bottle? That was rhetorical -- it never gets old. But N2Wine decided to make these Wine Globe systems anyways. Kind of a GQS, Global Quenching System. Wine globes are glass containers capable of holding 33 or 70 bottles of wine (depending on the size) that are specifically designed to thwart oxidization, the chemical reaction that ages wine, by preventing any air from entering the system. Instead, the globes vino-filled spheres constantly topped of...
You Live in Wine Country When....
June 17, 2009 16:37... Another Albertson's Announces a Monthly Wine Tasting Event. Whilst traveling about the States I often get stopped at Reality Checkpoints when, in mid-enosentence, it becomes clear that not even most New Yorkers, for instance, weave the vocabulary of vinifera into daily casual conversation. Meanwhile, here on the Central Coast, a large grocery chain's store in Paso Robles has featured popular weekly wine tasting events for the past three years. Now it's "Attention shoppers in Atascader...
Chef Rick's Prime Orcutt's
June 12, 2009 21:54We so often have the pleasure of tasting Chef Rick's marvelous morsels at events that he caters but seldom make it to his cozy bistro in Orcutt (just outside of Santa Maria, CA). Any foodie with a half palate in this area is most likely to be an avid (sometimes rabid) fan of one of our area's all time favorite Chef's with flair. Besides wonderful food, Rick is an amazingly charming and witty guy. It must be that same Southern charm that infuses his cuisine, as well. On this recent field tr...
From Ground to Glass - The Movie
May 31, 2009 18:39 */*;charset=utf-8I just stumbled across this ground glass breaking film about our favorite industry. The filmaker sent yours truly a Tweet... and it was the first I'd heard about this project. Surprising, since some of my personal favorites are featured! Chuck Ortman, Mike Sinor, Ken Volk and Jim Clendenen, just to a few. From Ground to Glass features winemaking luminaries from across California, including Warren Winiarski, Joel Peterson, Paul Draper, Bob Lindquist, Chuck Carlson, Chuck Ortman, Richard...
My Favorite Flavor; Affordable
May 28, 2009 21:48Yes, that's how this weekend's Flavor of SLO event is being promoted. "A delicious event we can all afford." And, I have to admit, it is one of the more innovative pricing schemes I've seen for a wine/food/live music/benefit event. The two bands that are booked for this extravaganza sound really interesting. It all happens in Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo on Sunday, May 31st, from 12 - 4 pm. Lots of great wines and restaurants and foods will be on hand, including some long time local fa...
It's a "I'm Full" Indigo Moon in Cambria, California
May 23, 2009 19:14You can see it rising through the pines! Actually Indigo Moon is a cozy restaurant that's been a fixture in Cambria for many moons. I had one of their specials; pecan encrusted Halibut that was perfect. My dinning companions had crab cakes, nut dusted goat cheese salad, and an Angus burger with sweet potato fries .... and then desserts! Turns out our friend Sara, who was part of our party, makes the desserts. The raspberry cheesecake was melting people upon the first tastes and the chocola...
Wine - Adult Education
May 22, 2009 15:40Every so often, those of use who are up to our neck in vast vats of wine knowledge, trivia and gossip, need to take a step back and extend a helping hand to those who, by age or interest, are just beginning to explore Enotopia. My thanks to new Wine Whisperer follower, Kevin Zraly of New York for three nicely done (and visual) primers on How to Read Wine Labels, The Red Wine Texture Scale, and All You Need to Know About California Wine. I don't know how that last one is possible... I can b...
Wine Whisperer on "Chardonnay-sayers"
May 11, 2009 17:12 VideoAt a recent tasting event, attended by yours truly (incognito), I chanced to overhear one of those ABC people .. Anything But Chardonnay. I know that those of us who spend a large part of our waking hours thinking about, and sometimes even drinking, wine are often shocked to discover that some perceptions about certain wines that we thought had changed years ago still persist. Like when rosé re-bloomed in California and was newly infused with elegant, delicate touches and we coaxed, teased...
Wine Centre Coming to Center of Paso Robles!
May 05, 2009 16:18Soon, Paso Robles will have is very own Enomatic equiped tasting room in heart of historic downtown. Paso Wine Centre (love the Euro-spelling, maybe SLO's new double decker bus will stop there, too) will feature Enomatic tasting technology and specialize in wines from the region. Best of all, net proceeds will benefit charities that provide clean drinking water and sanitation projects around the world. I've often commented on how it is possible to spend three days wine tasting just in the h...
Tweet! Honk! Kogi-A -Go-Go.
April 26, 2009 18:55Kogi, has taken a fixture of California cuisine culture, the taco truck, and added a Korean twist and a big dose of Twitter. "Roach Coaches" as their popularly known, have seen a duo of Korean BBQ-inspired trucks added to their ranks in Los Angeles. But it's not only the master chef created menu and great food that has brought Kogi it fanatical following and fame. They have "Tweeted" their way to international stardom and are showing restaurateurs how to find new customers during a recessi...
Ladies and Gentlemen; Put on Your Logo Glasses
April 16, 2009 15:23Every year, following on the heels of the Easter Bunny, is the launch of Wine Fest Season on California's Central Coast. From Earthwise to Sideways, there's something for everybody. This weekend kicks off with the Ultimately Fine Blues and Wine Dinner at Costa d'Oro featuring wine maker, Gary Burk's blues band....right off U.S. 101 in Santa Maria. Besides being quite a gitar picker, Gary makes some great wine. Saturday you have a tough choice between the Earth Day Food and Wine Festival w...
"China Grove" Brand in Your Future?
March 30, 2009 15:55BEIJING (AFP) - One of the great names in wine-making, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, said Sunday it plans to develop a vineyard in China to take advantage of growing interest in wine here. The owners of the famed Chateau Lafite wine brand will plant the vineyard on 25 hectares (62 acres) on a peninsula in eastern China's Shandong province, according to a statement. The joint venture vineyard will be developed with China International Trust and Investment Company (CITIC), a state-owned inve...
Is Pizza Machine a Bunch of Bologna?
March 28, 2009 18:08ROME (Reuters) – A vending machine that bakes fresh pizza in minutes for a few euros has got Italian chefs in a whirl before it hits the streets in the coming weeks. The bright-red "Let's Pizza" machine uses infra-red rays and technology developed at the University of Bologna to knead flour and water into dough, spread it with tomato sauce and a choice of topping, and cook it -- all in less than three minutes. Its developer, Claudio Torghele, says the machine has proved popular in trials ...
A Title After Our Own Hearts ....
March 26, 2009 15:11Book Review: Heard it Through the Grapevine by Matt Skinner There are two things I wish were more easily found in the world of wine: great bottles for under $5, and excellent introductory wine books for novice wine lovers. Although after reading his latest book Heard it Through The Grapevine: The Things You Should Know to Enjoy Wine, I'm tempted to suggest that the wine world also needs more people like Matt Skinner. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Skinner stumbled into the wine world alm...
Frankenwine: Turn Two Buck Chuck Into 50 Buck Frank?
December 23, 2008 16:45Can 600 volts and a little titanium take the place of reclining in a musty cellar for years (or a tidy temperature/humidity controlled storage locker)? Keep your eyes and palate peeled for further developments in this story: Researchers - and some vineyards - are developing electrical equipment that accelerates the aging process, turning young wine from an undrinkable bitter grape juice into a quaffable beverage fit for any table. The system being developed in China - which has a burgeoni...
Show airing Saturday, September 6, 2008
December 18, 2008 23:48Calcareous, it's what we call limestone around here. Find out more in our interview with Dana Brown, owner of Calcareous Winery in Paso Robles and her winemaker from Australia, Damian Grindley. Then it's time for the dinner of your dreams with Liz Zimmerman, co-owner of Dream Dinners in San Luis Obispo. We also have a chat with Tina Porter, who makes dreams come true for parents with her company, SLO County Sitters. GrapevineRadio.net, the premier source for interviews with wine makers, ch...
Master Sommilier Tips Restaurants
December 17, 2008 00:34I promised on our last show to post these tips for our restaurant owner listeners by Laura DePasquale, MS, VP of Fine Wine Development, Palm Bay International. So, at long last, here they are. Details on the Sommelier Spiral Decanter are found at the bottom of this post. --------------------------------------- Source: iSante Magazine Gone are the heady days of wine and roses pricing as the competitive landscape dramatically intensifies. Customer loyalty, repeat diners and guest sat...