Episodes

103
June 8, 2022

Reflections on the Journey: 2 years & 100 episodes of XChateau

Robert and Peter reflect on how the wine industry has changed, the major themes that have popped up in the show, and some of the lessons they have learned in the process.
102
June 1, 2022

Cork Consistency w/ Francois Margot, Diam Corks

Francois Margot, Director of Sales, North America describes how Diam is creating corks with choices and consistency for aging, oxygen transfer, and initial oxygen release.
101
May 25, 2022

Library Release - The Global Cork Market w/ Carlos de Jesus, Amorim Corks

We discuss the various uses of cork, the differences between corks and other closures, and how the business of cork has evolved over the decades.
100
May 18, 2022

Farming for the Next Generation w/ Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Champagne Roederer & Xavier Barlier, MMD

As a 7th generation family-owned and run company, being sustainable means building towards the future for the next generations.
99
May 11, 2022

Exploring American Sparkling Wine w/ Michael Cruse, Ultramarine & Cruse Wine Co

Sparkling wine is trending at the moment and no brand best embodies the trend more than cult California sparkling wine producer Ultramarine.
98
May 4, 2022

From Non-Vintage to Multi-Vintage Collection w/ Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Champagne Louis Roederer & Xavier Barlier, MMD

The launch of the Collection series, evolving the non-vintage Brut Premier into a multi-vintage wine that represents the best of the base vintage, the house style, and the push for freshness.
97
April 27, 2022

Montepulciano vs. Montepulciano w/ Max de Zarobe, Avignonesi

The challenge Vino Nobile di Montepulciano faces against its bigger neighbor Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
96
April 20, 2022

Low/No Alcohol Wines w/ BevZero's Debbie Novograd & Kayla Winter

The low and no alcohol wine space is growing rapidly. Enough so that a company specializing in spinning cone technology to reduce alcohol, ConeTech, changed their name to BevZero.
95
April 13, 2022

WineTok w/ Amanda McCrossin aka SommVivant

Wine influencer Amanda McCrossin (somm_vivant) has gained momentum in this “wild west” and now has over 100k followers on TikTok.
94
April 6, 2022

Boxing for the Environment w/ Jason Haas, Tablas Creek Vineyard

Jason explains the rationale, strategy, and process of going bag-in-box and for other alternative packaging.
93
March 30, 2022

Crafting a Brand for Millennials w/ Ben Matthews, Terratorium Wines

Hear about how Terratorium is creating brand alignment with its Millennial customers.
92
March 23, 2022

Regenerative, the Only Sustainable Farming w/ Jason Haas, Tablas Creek Vineyard

Regenerative farming takes into account the farm’s impact on the soil, community, and region.
91
March 16, 2022

Standing Out via AR and Celebrities w/ Ming Alterman, 19 Crimes

Re-imagining what a wine brand could be, 19 Crimes has had many innovations, but found lasting success with augmented reality and celebrity partnerships with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.
90
March 9, 2022

Improving Wine Communication w/ Madeline Puckette, Wine Folly

Using her background in graphic design and inability to read large blocks of text, Madeline Puckette, Co-Founder and Content Director of Wine Folly, has transformed wine communication using infographics and other writing methods to enable wine discovery f
89
March 2, 2022

Telling Stories w/ Jason Wise, SOMM TV

With an outsider's perspective, Jason Wise, director of the SOMM movies and founder of SOMM TV, has been able to find stories in the world of wine that interest a broad audience. In order to control more of the content pipeline and how the shows are distr
88
Feb. 16, 2022

Crafting Wines for Consumers w/ Nicholas Hammeken, Hammeken Cellars

Having studied what was important to wine consumers working at Oddbins, a British wine retailer, Nicholas Hammeken, Founder and Director of Innovation at Hammeken Cellars, founded a company focused on crafting Spanish wines that match consumer preferences
87
Feb. 9, 2022

Library Release - Defining Natural Wine

An ongoing trend and a topic that crisscrossed many of our interviews on XChateau, the natural wine movement got a formal designation in March of 2020. It specifies a set of vineyard and winery practices to qualify for the designation. We discuss the pote
86
Feb. 2, 2022

Making Wine Approachable w/ Mark Warren & Tom Beaton, FitVine

Wondering why there was only beer and spirits, but no wine at Crossfit events and races, Mark Warren and Tom Beaton, Founders of FitVine, decided to start their own brand. With a goal of making wine more transparent and approachable, FitVine aims to “fit
85
Jan. 26, 2022

The Cleanliness of Clean Wine w/ Erik Segelbaum, SOMLYAY

Ever been curious about the claims people make about “clean wines”? In the same camp as “natural wines” and “better for you wines,” clean wines have no definition and often deploy misleading marketing to get you to buy their wines. They take advantage of
84
Jan. 19, 2022

Selection and Differentiation in Grocery Wine w/ Curtis Mann MW, Albertson’s

Grocery stores are one of the biggest sales channels for wine. Curtis Mann, Group Vice President of Alcohol of the Albertson’s Companies, gives us the inside scoop on buying trends, how to sell into Albertson’s, and the rise of the use of digital. Learn a
83
Jan. 12, 2022

Democratizing Wine Retail w/ Jeffrey Shaw & Jeff Hardy, Underground Cellar

With a vision to democratize wine for every wine drinker in the US, Underground Cellar’s founder and CEO Jeffrey Shaw and COO Jeff Hardy are focused on building a unique and disruptive platform for buying wine.  Leveraging gamification principles, Undergr
82
Jan. 5, 2022

Wine Consulting Turned Retail w/ Thatcher Baker-Briggs, Thatcher’s Wine Consulting

Sommelier turned wine consultant turned online wine retailer.  Thatcher Baker-Briggs, Founder of Thatcher’s Wine Consulting, has continued to evolve and expand his presence, helping clients drink better and navigate some of the intricacies of Burgundy and
81
Dec. 23, 2021

Adaptation: 2021, a Year of Re-Opening, Wine Pricing, and Clean & Natural Wine

2021. A year with big expectations. The re-opening of economies around the world with Covid vaccines in distributions instead led to fits and starts with the Delta and Omicron variants. Wine pricing and costs went through gyrations with the tariffs bet
80
Dec. 15, 2021

Becoming a Wine Retail Institution w/ Phil Bernstein, MacArthur Beverages

An early mover focusing on fine wine, Bordeaux and California futures, and becoming a dual importer/retailer, Addy Bassin’s MacArthur Beverages has become a wine institution in Washington DC. Phil Bernstein, General Manager of the brick & mortar wine ret