Skurnik Unfiltered

Skurnik Wines & Spirits
  • 5.0 (13)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

No reservations required—listening to these conversations feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable dinner guests, giving you a level of access that was previously gatekept for those in the know. Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that curates deep conversations with some of the finest winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about the world of wines, spirits and hospitality. The show is hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a leading importer and distributor of the finest terroir-driven beverages crafted at a human scale. Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and experts in the subfields of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages. Skurnik Unfiltered is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in the Flatiron District of New York City.

  1. Daday Suárez

    1D AGO

    Daday Suárez

    "Everything that we do is very pure. We are mingled or entangled with other species, with the trees, with everything. That's one of the purposes of this tequila: not only producing tequila, but maintaining the harmony and equilibrium with the surroundings." – Daday Suárez Daday Suárez is a completionist. When he was wrestling with questions of reality and being, he got a degree in philosophy. When he wanted to order wine at restaurants with more confidence, he became a certified sommelier. When he was looking for the perfect tequila, he used his degree in mechanical engineering to pave a road to the top of a mountain, then built the world’s highest elevation tequila distillery, Alto Canto. Of all he has accomplished, Alto Canto is Daday’s crown jewel. He built it with a lasting legacy in mind—of quality tequila, yes, but also as a promise to nature. The distillery is entangled with native flora whose wild yeasts spontaneously ferment only organic, mature agaves. Coyotes and armadillos roam across the forested Sierra del Tigre range. Bees swarm, drawn to the vinaza, or liquid byproduct from distillation, which gets repurposed as fertilizer for local avocado farmers.  In this episode with Justin Lane Briggs, Daday shares his thoughts on what it takes to craft the highest quality distillate with as little intervention as possible, and where additive-free tequilas like Alto Canto fit in the flashy league of premium craft Mexican spirits. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected one here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    34 min
  2. Bernhard Ott and Hans Reisetbauer

    APR 6

    Bernhard Ott and Hans Reisetbauer

    “Normally you have a best friend, and sometimes you see each other on weekends, but we are in the same business. We feel lucky. You can’t find it a second time in the world.” – Bernhard Ott If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. History is full of contemporaries who share visions of success, who, instead of competing, mentor and encourage the other to become greater than one could alone. Warhol and Basquiat. Lewis and Tolkien. Gauguin and van Gogh. Today in the world of craft wine and spirits, that pair is winemaker Bernhard Ott and distiller Hans Reisetbauer. Born into farming families in Lower and Upper Austria respectively, they followed a common thread of honest farming, pure fruit, and quality beverages that eventually brought them together. Like looking in a mirror, they immediately bonded over their shared interests and identical values. Now after 25 years of friendship, their collaborative approach to farming, fermentation, and life has produced the most elite wine and spirits in Austria. In this episode, they share their philosophies on biodynamic farming, their obsessive pursuit of pure fruit, and why doing things the right way doesn’t have to mean doing it the hard way when you always have a friend to lean on. Automatically generated transcripts often contain mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    26 min
  3. Sergio Vivanco

    MAR 30

    Sergio Vivanco

    "I'm very proud to be Mexican. I love my people, I love my country, and we love what we are doing. We do our part with passion, with honesty, with everything that we can with our hands. We are people from the field. We are rancheros, and we feel proud of this. It's our task." – Sergio Vivanco For five generations, the Vivanco family has been growing agave in Arandas, in the Jalisco highland plateau, though they didn't establish their own destilería until 1994. Registered as NOM 1414, they soon launched their own family label, Viva México Tequila. The distillery built an enviable reputation, and the family took on contracts for brands seeking purity, quality, and transparency. Now co-owner and one of four master distillers, Sergio Vivanco has become one of the most respected figures in the tequila industry. In this episode, tequila educator and advocate Marissa Paragano sits down with Sergio to taste five expressions from Viva México and Plantador, discussing the production details that make NOM 1414 tequilas distinct, Sergio's five-step tasting method, and how a culture of multi-generational craftsmanship delivers excellent results. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    37 min
  4. Jasmine Hirsch

    MAR 24

    Jasmine Hirsch

    “This is one reason why family wineries are so important. My father is 82, and he’s supporting, in all the ways, the planting of vineyards that he will not see the full potential of. This multi-generational commitment to viticulture, this multi-generational commitment to caring for the land—that’s why families are so important.” – Jasmine Hirsch The Hirsch family are farmers, though it took decades for David Hirsch to realize after planting his first vines in 1980 that he's not farming grapes—he's farming soil. This epiphany came after a long evolutionary arc in an exceptionally rugged and sparsely populated region in the West Sonoma Coast. What used to be a redwood forest cleared for cultivation by early pioneers became a conventional vineyard and later a biodynamic farm under his stewardship. In this week's episode, Jasmine Hirsch, the second generation farmer of Hirsch Vineyards and first-generation winemaker, joins Jamie Schwartz for a discussion over a glass of Hirsch Vineyards 'Bohan-Dillon' Pinot Noir. The longtime friends discuss her family's farming philosophy rooted in spirituality, the physical and mental impact of the region's dramatic terroir, and how she embraces the ephemeral nature of wine through the Japanese principle of mono no aware.  Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    42 min
  5. Chiara Boschis

    MAR 16

    Chiara Boschis

    “They didn’t believe that I could do the work. And today, the girls are proving how sometimes the impossible can become normal.” – Chiara Boschis   As recently as the 1990s, Barolo and the surrounding villages were not ready for a woman to be in charge. When Chiara Boschis championed innovations like new oak barrels, organic farming, and green harvesting in a region that was firmly set in its traditional ways, her neighbors suggested to her father that she should be committed to a psych ward. She laughs about it now because she proved them all wrong; her wines are now considered among the very best of Italy. Chiara toured the world with the Barolo Boys as the only Barolo Girl, introducing a new take on an Italian classic to American tables. And now, instead of “crazy”, she is often touted as the Queen of Cannubi! In this episode, Chiara, joined by her niece Elena, tells the story with gusto of how she found herself at the intersection of three cultural revolutions and became the first woman winemaker estate owner in Piedmont. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    29 min
  6. Lara Haag

    MAR 9

    Lara Haag

    "We're aiming for a mineral-driven, sharper, cooler style. Very fine, very precise, more focus, more finesse, more character." – Lara Haag The Schloss Lieser estate boasts one of the most privileged vineyard portfolios of the Middle Mosel, with famed sites like Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Brauneberger Juffer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Bernkasteler Doctor creating incredibly sharp and precise wines from impossibly steep slopes. In this episode, German wine expert Michael Lykens tastes a flight of Rieslings with Lara Haag, winemaker Thomas Haag's daughter. They discuss how respect for terroir directs their low-intervention winemaking practices and where Schloss Lieser's signature "sponti" aroma comes from. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    25 min
  7. Martha Stoumen

    MAR 2

    Martha Stoumen

    "You know, trends come and go, but I think there always is an evolution. I think the way I try to approach wine and food and anything else in life, even fashion, is to like what you like and trust your gut." – Martha Stoumen Martha Stoumen is a first generation winemaker from California known for her fresh and youthful wines of primarily Italian varieties. After apprenticing with Giusto Occhipinti in Sicily, Martha returned to California on a mission to discover multigenerational organic vineyards to source her low-intervention wines. Though she walks to the beat of her own drum, collaboration is a necessary ingredient in her work. First, she pooled resources with friends from UC Davis to support the beginning of her eponymous brand, and now she is one fifth of the Overshine Collective, a new organization which allows winemakers to share responsibilities for the "unsexy" parts of the industry while retaining full control over their individual brands. In this episode with American wine expert Camille Elguero, Martha shares the 3 key lessons she brought back from Italy, the charming story behind her Post-Flirtation label, and the joys of motherhood as a woman working in wine. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    25 min
  8. Cyprien Arlaud

    FEB 23

    Cyprien Arlaud

    "For me, it’s very important to know where your roots are when you’re making wine. And I know exactly which kind of wine I want to make: it’s wine that most expresses where it comes from." – Cyprien Arlaud The third generation of his family estate in Morey St. Denis, Cyprien Arlaud of Domaine Arlaud is regarded by many as one of the most respected farmers and winemakers in Burgundy today. His full-scale commitment to organic, biodynamics, and holistic soil management established him as a leader of a new era of low-intervention practices. Speaking, Cyprien makes it clear how in touch he is with every meter of vines he farms. He is immensely talented, but also has an insatiable curiosity that allows him to keep learning and keep getting better. And today, there is no question he is one of the finest growers in Burgundy. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Skurnik Wines & Spirits Follow us on Instagram

    35 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

No reservations required—listening to these conversations feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable dinner guests, giving you a level of access that was previously gatekept for those in the know. Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that curates deep conversations with some of the finest winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about the world of wines, spirits and hospitality. The show is hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a leading importer and distributor of the finest terroir-driven beverages crafted at a human scale. Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and experts in the subfields of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages. Skurnik Unfiltered is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in the Flatiron District of New York City.

Information

  • Creator
    Skurnik Wines & Spirits
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Skurnik Unfiltered
  • Show Website
    Skurnik Unfiltered

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