Honoring Groundbreaking Winemakers

Maybe you took a break from alcohol this January and you don't want to go back to drinking wines made within the dominant paradigm. Maybe you'd like to try something truly extraordinary, rare, unique, ecological, and excellent. If so... this episode offers some suggestions. 

For this episode I assembled a gathering of Los Angeles wine professionals to taste through a handful of wines that represent winemakers who are among some of the most groundbreaking... and the most unacknowledged for the amazing work they do.

Tasters (besides me):

Elodie Oliver- wine educator, sales with Nomadic

Chiara Shannon - regenerative farmer/owner Ampelos Vineyards (Sta. Rita Hills), The Yogi Sommelier

Teron Stevenson - partner at Offhand Wine Bar, one of the Westside Winos

Wines Tasted (in order of tasting):

"Random Apples" by Raging Cider & Mead - found, foraged seedling & uncultivated apples from Southern California

"Sparkling Prickly Pear" by Wild Texas Wine - foraged uncultivated 100% prickly pear brut sparkling wine, traditional method

"Okneski Vineyard" by Herrmann York - backyard vineyard Zinfandel from Redlands, CA (Contributed by Teron Stevenson)

"In A Dark Country Sky" by La Garagista - whole cluster Vermont Marquette

"The Pariah" by North American Press - sparkling Catawba revival, first in California in 60 years

To highlight a few incredible wine producers, I necessarily must leave out others. So, like any spotlight of this kind, please know that my intention was not to be comprehensive. Most of these producers do stand out, though, for doing wine in a way that very few, if any, are doing it, and with exemplary and even uncommon quality and craft. 

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