Episodes

For the first time, European wineries can have direct relationships with customers, and lovers of many European wineries can consistently secure access to their favorite wines via the VinConnect platform.  Founder and President, Kevin Sidders, explains ho

When Robert & Peter started the XChateau Wine Business podcast, the idea was to try and build a community around the business of wine. Part of that has been engaging with our listeners, as well as our guests. While it has happened on an ad hoc basis, we w

Focused on helping the casual wine consumer buy better wine, Vivino has spent over 10 years building its database of wines, creating a structured tastings database, and network of merchants to make buying better wine more convenient. Heini Zachariassen,

Having gone through the most difficult period in history with an unprecedented shutdown during the Covid pandemic, restaurants and their sommeliers and beverage directors are in a new world and need to evolve. Mia Van de Water MS, of Cote Korean Steakhou

Too often known as just a value sparkling wine, Cava makes some of the world’s finest traditional-method sparkling wines. Ones that Javier Pagés, President of D.O. Cava, would like to see drunk on more occasions, especially with food. Javier gives us an o

Family-owned, diverse, and artisan are the key messages for Sonoma County wines, according to Michael Haney, Executive Director of Sonoma County Vintners. When people hear about the diversity of Sonoma wines around the world, they want to know more! Micha

While “cheap and cheerful” might have been an apt description of Australian wine 20 years ago when Yellowtail was the #1 wine brand in the US, “Made our Way” is the new Australian marketing campaign that emphasizes the complexities and innovation of the m

“You gotta be a little crazy to plant vines in New York,” Sam Filler of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation tells us. Yet, New York is the third-largest wine-producing state after California and Washington. It showcases a diversity of high quality, cool

Used to celebrate the drafting of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, Madeira wines are the ultimate in American wines, though not made in America. Originating from shipping goods from Europe to America and being born from wines trav

The hardest wine exam in the world, an elite community of >400 wine professionals, and learning how to engage with wine more. All those elements are used to describe the Institute of Masters of Wine and the Master of Wine (“MW”) exam. Mark de Vere MW te

From its start as a way to build demand for French wines in the US to a global program with 100 approved program providers in 30 countries, the Wine Scholar Guild (“WSG”) is a theory-focused wine education program targeting the “committed students of wine

Bâtonnage, the French word for stirring the lees, is now about stirring up the conversation about women and wine. The Bâtonnage Forum, founded in 2018, is creating a safe space to have difficult conversations about gender inclusivity in the wine world.

Creating inclusivity and change is not changing current structures. It’s about creating new spaces. Ikimi Dubose of The Roots Fund is pushing change for diversity and inclusion of the BIPOC community in wine through passion, accountability, and transparen

Art, comedy, food, movies, performance art, outdoor cabanas, food and wine pairings...are some of the draws that bring people to Charles Krug winery in Napa Valley. President & CEO of C Mondavi & Family (parent company of Charles Krug) Judd Wallenbrock t

“Even Cooler Than You Think” and “Where Wine Takes You” sum up not just what the Paso Robles region is about but also the names of marketing campaigns and the Paso Wine Country podcast. Chris Taranto, Communications Director of the Paso Robles Wine Count

Educating students about wine is more about the “psychic paycheck” than the monetary one for Peter Marks MW, partner and Vice President of the Napa Valley Wine Academy (“NVWA”), the leading provider of Wine & Spirit Education Trust (“WSET”) courses global

Historic influences of both France and Germany have shaped the region of Alsace and its wines. Foulques Aulagnon, Export Marketing Manager of Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace (aka - “CIVA” or “Wines of Alsace”) tells XChateau about how CIVA p

A tasting term, specific elements in the soil and grapes, and even geological elements and rock types; the term minerality in the context of wine has taken up a rather broad usage. Robert and Peter explore a bit of the science, the use of the term as a t

From being body checked at a La Paulee tasting to responding to detailed questions from noted wine counterfeiter Hardy Rodenstock, Maureen Downey, CEO of Chai Consulting, tells us about the long road to becoming one of the world’s leading experts in wine

Displacing pen and paper isn’t that easy in the wine world. SevenFifty, an online wine marketplace, has been innovating in the full value chain of wine to bring things online. Starting with distributors, Aaron Sherman, CEO of SevenFifty, tells Robert an

A year that felt like a century...tariffs, the Covid-19 pandemic, massive wildfires, social upheavals for both gender and race...2020 is one for the record books. Carlton McCoy, CEO of Heitz Cellars, and Jane Anson, writer for Decanter Magazine and autho

With four years of extreme fire season in Northern California, the study and importance of smoke taint is at all-time highs. Leading the charge is Dr. Anita Oberholster of UC Davis, who is collaborating globally to better understand the chemistry of smok

Robert and Peter discuss how luxury wines are priced, delving into the core insights from the Pricing Chapter of Peter’s book, Luxury Wine Marketing. They discuss the luxury wine price segments, the types of luxury wine buyers, and how you need everythin

A global think tank, a research and action institute, ARENI Global is dedicated to understanding and sharing knowledge around the world of fine wine.  Pauline Vicard, the Co-Founder and Executive Director, shares ARENI’s definition of fine wine and detail