IWP Ep56 The California Wine Association (CWA) - Part 1 - Wine is too Cheap. Today we start something a little different for harvest time.  I have a series on the history of the California Wine Association or CWA.  The largest and most dominant Pre Prohibition wine firm in the US.  I hope you come along on the journey with me.  This episode and the ones that follow in the series connect lots of different people. Ones we have spoken about previously will make appearances and we will also hear new names that deserve their own episodes.  In this episode we’ll look at the ..read more

IWP Ep55 Monica and Beno - Catch and Release Wines - Today we’re with Monica and Beno from Catch and Release Wines.  We discuss how they got started and selling your first vintage during the pandemic, how their wines styles have changed and evolved over the years, what farming and sourcing of fruit means to them and some 2024 harvest. They have a wine for every occasion from really dialed in and serious versions of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir to the fun and juicy Block Party orange wine.   You can find their wines at catchandreleasewines.com or follow them at instagram.com/catchan ..read more

IWP Ep54 Josh Hammerling - Hammerling Wines Today we’re hearing from Josh Hammerling of Hammerling wines in Berkeley.  Josh and his team are making great traditional method sparkling wines in a variety of styles.  We talk about how Hammerling got started, Some of the techniques they use when crafting their wines and a lot of the unique aspects of sparkling production. The hammerling wines are really unique with some great textures to go along with the high acids. You can find them at Hammerlingwines.co or follow them at hammerlingwines Follow the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ww ..read more

IWP Ep52 Marty Winters and Alex Pitts - Maître de Chai - Today we’re hearing from Marty and Alex from Maître de Chai.  They have a great story about their transition from cooking in Michelin starred restaurants to apprenticing with some of Californias great winemakers.  They make great site based wines from their winery in Berkeley. We discuss how they made the transition from kitchens to wine, how 130 year old Cinsault inspired them and how you can support California winemakers. You can find their wine at mdc.wine and follow them at instagram.com/mdcwine Follow the podcast  ..read more

IWP Ep51 Brent Mayeaux - Stagiaire Wine -Today I’m talking with Brent Mayeiux of Stagiaire. Brent’s making some of the best natural zero/zero wines around. He works with mostly with coastal sites and like the wine implies, he’s always learning. He also runs the “Wine From Here” festival with Subject to change winery. We discuss his start, harvest hopping in France and Australia, the vineyards and places that interest him in California, working with classic varieties but Zero/Zero and Wine From Here. Find his wines https://www.stagiairewine.com/https://www.stagiairewine.com/ and follow him at i ..read more

IWP Ep48 Matthew Keller - Don Mateo Matthew Keller or Don Mateo as he was sometimes known, was one of the pioneering winegrowers of Los Angeles, moving there when it was still barely more than a dusty pueblo.  He wasn’t the first but was among them, we’ll get to his contemporaries in time.  We’re going to hear a lot of quotes in the episode today, because Keller was a very prolific writer.  The quality and quantity of his wine writing is matched by only a couple other winemakers in Pre-Prohibition California.  His search for knowledge and his language skills made him a cent ..read more

IWP Ep47 James Jelks - Florez Wines. James is a super thoughtful winemaker.  His wines are full of uniqueness and personality.  Most are made in a zero zero fashion from the converted apple warehouse he shares with Margins wines in Watsonville.  He works with mostly Santa Cruz Mountains fruit as well as some from neighboring San Benito and Santa Clara counties.We discuss his start, the vineyrd he farms, Grenache, working with Pinot Noir as a natural winemaker, long aged Chardonnay and more. You can sometimes find his wines at Florezwines.com but your local natural wine shop ..read more

IWP Ep46 Axel Borg - Distinguished Wine and Food Science Bibliographer Emeritus, University Library UC Davis. Axel worked for the library for 33 years, helping to build the food and wine library into the greatest of its type, before retiring in 2020, though he still volunteers his time and knowledge to the food and wine community. We discuss his work with Maynard Amerine and other food and wine luminaries, what makes this library special and the bibliographies he's currently working on. Follow the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at ⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/indiewinepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email indiewinepo ..read more

IWP Ep45 Maryam Hariri - Azizam Wines I was able to speak with Maryam Hariri in San Francisco during her tour releasing the Azizam wines.  Maryam was a climate change policy maker before being a climate adaptive winemaker and we talk about both lives.  She also works with Bichi wines, both based in Baja California.  Working mostly with small vineyards and old vines. Palomino, Mission, Rosa Del Peru and Nebbiolo make up much of the production often fermented and aged in concrete Tinajas aka Amphora. You can follow Maryan @azizamwines and find the wines at Azizamwines.com Follow t ..read more

IWP Ep44 Kate Field - Eccentric In Her Genius. Today we’ll be talking about Kate Field.  She was an author, playwright, actress and more.  Her involvement in the wine industry was brief but she’s worth knowing about, wine connection or not. She helped in the fight to hold off prohibition.  Prohibition wasn’t an overnight change, it was threatened for years and decades even.  Counties and cities going dry, Saloon taxes enacted, bars shuttered, taxation laws around wines changed and when prohibition finally did happen, over 40 years or so had gone by.  It was the Wets vs ..read more