The Vine Guy WTOP | Hubbard Radio

At the tender age of 10, Erica Stancliff demonstrated the skills that would later define her career as a winemaker and enologist. Now, with 16 harvests under her belt, Erica has been described by Press Democrat as a “young Sonoma County winemaker turning heads” and featured in renowned publications, such as Wine Enthusiast, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, Robb Report, Martha Stewart, and more. Currently, she consults for five unique wine brands, including her family’s winery, Trombetta Family Wines, where since 2014, Erica has helped her family’s winery expand from 500 cases of a single Pinot Noir a year to a broad portfolio of 1200+ cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I invite you to drink in this episode with the charming and talented Erica Stancliff.

Paul Sloan, co-owner and winemaker at Small Vines, started his journey in wine as a bus-boy in high school. He eventually worked his way up to the assistant wine buyer position at John Ash and Company. As a very young wine steward, he was given many opportunities to taste both California classic wines as well as wines from all over the world. One night, his life would change forever when a person dining alone offered him a taste of a very rare Burgundy. This ethereal experience sent him on a quest for more knowledge and forever fueled his drive to make captivating wines. He launched into self-study, and soon discovered that some of the greatest Pinot Noirs in the world come from mature, small vines.

Paul eventually returned to college to get his Viticulture degree, and simultaneously went to work for one of the most respected winegrowers in the county, Warren Dutton of Dutton Ranches. It was Warren himself, who encouraged Paul to follow his innovative, pioneering spirit and to start planting vineyards his own way, so Paul and his wife Kathryn launched Small Vines.

Today, Paul and Kathryn are dedicated to achieving smaller yields from higher-density European style spacing of the vines in order to grow only the highest-quality wine grapes. They have worked hard to consistently grow grapes and produce inspiring “wines of authenticity.” I invite you to drink in this very educational episode with the dedicated Paul Sloan.

Food & Wine Magazine Executive Editor Ray Isle says, “You could probably spend your entire life drinking wines under $100 and probably under $50 and drink spectacularly good wine for years and years and never run out,” and he has just written the book to prove it!
Ray Isle is the executive wine editor for Food & Wine and the wine and spirits editor for Travel + Leisure. He writes the monthly “What to Drink Next” column as well as regular feature articles for both publications. His new book, The World in a Wineglass: The Insider's Guide to Artisanal, Sustainable, Extraordinary Wines to Drink Now was recently released and is a must read for both serious wine collectors and novices alike. I invite you to drink in this fun-filled episode with the delightful Ray Isle.

While working for his family's real estate and parking business in DC in the late 80s, Alex Gambal received a life-changing case of wine as a gift. It wasn’t just wine that was uncorked, but opportunity. In 1993, he and his family moved to France. Gambal founded and grew Domaine Alex Gambal, a boutique winery that included some of France's greatest vineyards. As an American in Burgundy, Gambal overcame skepticism from his fellow vignerons and eventually bought some of the most coveted French vines. Today, he spends his time between Idaho and Wyoming in the Teton mountains, where he is a ski host at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, an avid hiker and a grandfather. He is as passionate about wine as he is about community development. He is also the benefactor and chairman of the Diana “Dee” Williams Freestyle Fund, a charitable foundation to benefit the development and advancement of promising mogul skiers to the Olympic and World Cup level.
I invite you to drink in this informative episode with the energetic Alex Gambal.

Monique Soltani is an award-winning journalist who has spent the majority of her life working in newsrooms in California's major cities from San Francisco to San Diego, and everywhere in between and through Wine Oh! TV, she has developed a core connection with the wine country community. Monique first brought Wine Oh! to life in 2008, in over 1.5 million homes across California’s Central Valley once a week on KSEE 24. From 2013 - 2018, Monique formed and executed distribution deals for Wine Oh! TV with Comcast/NBCUniversal, Xumo, TV4, streaming on Hulu, Roku, Amazon Prime Video and international distribution. As if that wasn’t enough, during that same period of time, she gave birth to twin daughters.

In 2018, Monique was shooting a production of Wine Oh! TV in Italy when she got the phone call no ever wants to get. Her husband was alone with their 2-and-a-half-year old twins when he found out he had Stage IV incurable colon cancer. Monique stopped production and came home to take care of her family. Mark Erman passed in July 2019 at only 47 years old. Then the pandemic hit and added more challenges for Monique and her young daughters, but her resolve was unwavering. The 2022 season of Wine Oh! TV is Monique’s first post-pandemic production and the first since losing Mark. In June 2023, Wine Oh! TV debuted on broadcast television on CBS Bay Area.

I invite you to drink in this uplifting episode with the unsinkable Monique Soltani. 

Famed winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo (of Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy, France) and legendary co-founder of IRS Records (think Police, REM, The Go-Go’s, etc.) Jay Boberg met serendipitously at a party in Philadelphia over 25 years ago. Their friendship has led to a remarkable collaboration in Willamette Valley, Oregon—where they make outstanding wines that, “we like to drink.” I invite you to drink in this extended episode with Jean-Nicolas Méo and Jay Boberg of Nicolas-Jay Wines. It will be “music to your ears…”
 
Wines tasted in this episode:
2018 Nicolas-Jay Affinités Chardonnay
2017 Nicolas-Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir