Vino Frankel A Taste of Sculpterra

Sculpterra Winery
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Join winemaker Paul Frankel of Sculpterra Winery in Paso Robles, California, as he explores the world of winemaking, tasting, and food pairings straight from the heart of the Central Coast. Each episode of Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra brings stories from the vineyard and the iconic Sculpterra Sculpture Garden, blending the art, science, and joy of wine. Discover the passion behind Paso Robles wines, meet the people shaping Sculpterra’s legacy, and experience how every sip tells a story — and every visit inspires.

  1. 1h ago

    Inside Paso Robles' Wine Scene: Albertsons' Linda, John & Tyler | Ep 57

    On this episode of A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel sits down with Linda, John and Tyler from the Albertsons wine department in Paso Robles for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the area's most unique wine destinations. Linda has spent decades building the Paso Robles wine selection at Albertsons, starting with a single aisle and growing it into an extensive department featuring local wines, spirits and hard-to-find bottles. John and Tyler have joined her team, helping customers, managing inventory, stocking shelves and keeping the department running. We talk about how each of them got into the wine business, Linda's history of championing Paso Robles wineries, Friday night wine tastings at Albertsons, working with distributors and local winemakers, and what it takes to keep the shelves stocked when popular wines disappear as quickly as they arrive. We also get into some bigger wine-industry questions: How do we get younger people interested in wine? Does a heavier wine bottle actually mean better wine? Does a deep punt matter? And are lower-alcohol wines becoming the next big trend? Plus, we talk Halloween wine recommendations, Paso Robles' growing Grenache scene, rosé winemaking and the difference between direct-press and saignée rosé. 🍷 Wines Tasted 2024 Sculpterra Paso Pink Rosé A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier. 2024 Sculpterra Grenache 95% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah. 📍 Albertsons Paso Robles Linda, John and Tyler share some of their favorite local wineries and wines, explain how they help customers find the right bottle, and talk about their commitment to supporting Paso Robles producers. If you're a local winery interested in getting your wine into Albertsons Paso Robles, Linda also explains how to get started. 📅 Sculpterra Events Fall Wine Club Open House — November 7 & 8 Albertsons Wine Pouring — November 20, 4:00–5:30 PM Black Friday — November 27 Author Showcase — December 5 Christmas in the Garden — December 18 👍 LIKE the episode 💬 COMMENT with your wine questions 🍷 SUBSCRIBE for more A Taste of Sculpterra

  2. Oct 15

    Harvest, Fondue & the History Wall | Ep 56

    On this episode of Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Selina Liles-Denton and Kathleen Bentley for a show covering harvest, wine, art, history, food and entrepreneurship. Selina is a Paso Robles entrepreneur with several creative businesses, including Halo Hair Studio, Paint & Sip events, face painting, and her newest venture, Love at First Dip, a mobile fondue business featuring cheese, chocolate, proteins, broths and wine. Paul gives an update on the 2026 harvest, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, mechanical harvesting and the impact of the October heat. Kathleen takes us behind the scenes of Sculpterra's massive History Wall, including the artwork, historical photographs and the engineering behind the 22-ton installation. Paul then gets into the wine-nerd side of things with Brix, sugar and potential alcohol, including why Brix doesn't always translate directly into the finished wine's alcohol level. The episode also previews Sculpterra's upcoming Fall Wine Club Open House, with food and wine pairings planned for November. 🍷 Wines Tasted 2025 Sculpterra Héroe Primitivo Aromas of strawberry, Bing cherry, pomegranate and dried herbs, followed by raspberry and purple flower notes. 2023 Sculpterra Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petite Sirah. Aged in 100% new oak with red and black fruit, rose, lilac, raspberry and black cherry notes. Episode 56 - Vino Frankel _A Ta… 📅 Sculpterra Events Harvest Fiesta — October 17 Fall Wine Club Open House — November 7 & 8 Albertsons Wine Pouring — November 20 Black Friday — November 27 Author's Showcase — December 5 Christmas in the Garden — December 18 Episode 56 - Vino Frankel _A Ta… 👍 LIKE the episode 💬 COMMENT with your wine questions 🍷 SUBSCRIBE for more Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra

    Harvest, Fondue & the History Wall | Ep 56

  3. Oct 8

    Hot Air Balloons, Harvest & the Angel’s Share | Ep 55

    On this episode of Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Phoebe Brown of Balloons Over Paso and Donna Wolfe back to the studio. Phoebe shares the story of how she got involved in hot-air ballooning and how she eventually brought her passion for ballooning to Paso Robles. She talks about what it's like to fly over wine country, how weather determines where they launch and land, what happens when fog cancels a flight, and why every balloon flight ends with a traditional sparkling wine toast. With harvest underway at Sculpterra, Paul gives an update on what's happening in the vineyard and winery, including the Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc harvests, machine harvesting, Brix levels, the October heat wave, pistachio harvest and plans to replant missing vines. Donna also recaps the Fall Art Show and explains what mixed media art is and how it combines different materials and techniques into a single work of art. Paul then gets into the wine nerd side of things with a discussion about the “Angel's Share”—the wine naturally lost through evaporation while aging in oak barrels. He explains how temperature, humidity and barrel porosity affect evaporation and how the process can influence the wine. The episode also takes a closer look at hand-picked versus machine-harvested grapes, including the advantages, disadvantages, cost and how the choice can affect the winemaking process. 🍷 Wines Tasted 2025 Sculpterra Héroe Pinot Noir A Frankel Family Pinot Noir with aromas of strawberry, Bing cherry, pomegranate and dried herbs, followed by red raspberry and purple flower notes. 2019 Sculpterra Statuesque A blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Syrah and 32% Petite Sirah, with peppery spice, blackberry, black licorice, violet, vanilla and dark chocolate notes. Aged for 16 months in Hungarian and American oak. 📅 Sculpterra Events Harvest Fiesta • Fall Wine Club Open House • Author's Showcase • Christmas in the Garden and more. 👍 LIKE the episode 💬 COMMENT with your wine questions 🍷 SUBSCRIBE for more Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra

    Hot Air Balloons, Harvest & the Angel’s Share | Ep 55

  4. Oct 1

    Corks, Closures & Harvest: The Secrets Behind Wine Bottles | Ep. 54

    On this episode of Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Rich Tanguay from Scott’s Premium Corks back to the studio. Rich is the cork man, so the conversation starts with the many alternatives to traditional natural cork. They talk about semi-synthetic, full synthetic, agglomerated and micro-agglomerated corks, glass closures and screw caps, along with TCA, oxygen and why different wineries choose different closures. With harvest underway at Sculpterra, Paul also talks about fermentation and the importance of temperature during winemaking. They discuss what happens when fermentation gets too cold or too hot, how temperature affects different styles of wine, and the equipment used to keep fermentations under control. Rich then takes Paul on a trip north to Monterey County and Arroyo Seco, discussing the region’s cool, windy conditions and its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other varieties. They taste a Joyce Winery Albariño and talk about how climate and terroir shape the wine. Paul also breaks down machine versus hand harvesting, including the advantages, disadvantages and why Sculpterra uses both approaches depending on the vineyard and the fruit. 🍷 Wines Tasted 2025 Sculpterra Héroe PrimitivoA 92% Primitivo / 8% Syrah blend from the Frankel Family Estate. Paul and Rich discuss its dark fruit, concentration, acidity and how the Syrah helps balance the powerful Primitivo. Joyce Winery AlbariñoAn Albariño from Arroyo Seco in Monterey County, described as crisp, dry and reflective of its cool-climate growing conditions. 2023 Sculpterra MaquetteA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Paul and Rich finish the episode tasting the wine and talking about its mouthfeel, tannins, dark fruit, oak and long finish. The episode wraps up with Rich's three questions for Paul: Why did Paul buy Merlot this year? Where did he get it? Are we going to panic and start making non-alcoholic or low-alcohol wines? Along the way, Rich also talks about his Mexican nickname, “Ricardo.” 👍 LIKE the episode💬 COMMENT with your wine questions🍷 SUBSCRIBE for more Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra Produced by EZF Media

  5. Sep 24

    AI, Wine & Harvest 2026 with Kelly Reeves & Cris Castaneda | Ep 53

    On this episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Kelly Reeves and Cris Castaneda for the 53rd episode of the podcast — featuring conversations about harvest, wine, business, marketing, culture and the future of the wine industry. Harvest 2026 is underway at Sculpterra, with Merlot, Primitivo and Grenache recently harvested. Paul talks about this year's harvest, checking Brix, removing older vineyard blocks, the unusually light pistachio crop and keeping the winery running seven days a week during harvest. Cris Castaneda joins Paul to talk about her journey into business and her work with Burritos Express, Cowboy Pizza, La Bella Pizza and Arroyo Grill. She shares the story behind her relationship with the Arroyo family, their growth across the Central Coast and the challenge of introducing wine to Mexican food. Cris also discusses developing wine-and-food pairings to make wine more approachable for restaurant customers. Kelly Reeves breaks down the Santa Barbara County 1% Wine Business Improvement District assessment, including how it works, how the money is being used for regional marketing and the legal challenges surrounding the program. The group discusses the impact of regional marketing on individual wineries and mandatory assessments. The fan-favorite “Makes Sense in Spanish, Doesn’t Make Sense in Spanish” segment returns as Cris explains what the word Chicano means, where the term comes from and how it became part of Mexican-American cultural identity. Paul also tackles common wine misconceptions, including what “dry wine,” “natural wine” and “Vinho Verde” actually mean. Kelly also gives her latest update on artificial intelligence and wine, looking at the role AI could play in the wine industry and marketing — and asking the big question: is AI taking over the world? The episode also features the Sculpterra event calendar, listener questions and plenty of conversation about wine, winemaking, restaurants and life in Paso Robles. Wines Tasted: 2021 Sculpterra Syrah — 100% Syrah, 14.6% alcohol, 448 cases produced 2021 Sculpterra Cabernet Franc — 100% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% alcohol, 270 cases produced LIKE this episode COMMENT with your wine questions SUBSCRIBE for a new episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra every week. Produced by EZF Mediaezfmedia.com

    AI, Wine & Harvest 2026 with Kelly Reeves & Cris Castaneda | Ep 53

  6. Sep 17

    Episode #52 | Sculpterra Harvest, Wine, Photography & the Story Behind the Tasting Room

    On this episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Kathleen Bentley and Brian Kusko for the 52nd episode of the podcast — marking one year of Vino Frankel! Paul talks about what’s happening during harvest at Sculpterra, including the recent heat wave, grape picking, Brix levels, removing old vines, planting new varieties and the possibility of adding Grenache Blanc. He also discusses the unusually light pistachio crop this year and what caused it. Brian leads a discussion about photography, light and color, including how contrast, color temperature and different types of light affect photography and video. The group also explores the transformation of Bob Bentley’s original welding shop into the Sculpterra tasting room and the history, design and craftsmanship behind the space. The conversation gets into a wine-growing misconception: Do grapevines actually search for water? Paul explains the difference between feeder roots and taproots and discusses how grapevine roots respond to moisture in the soil. Brian also unpacks California weasels, including where they live, what they eat and their role as natural pest controllers. The group then gets into another wine topic — the role of temperature during fermentation and why keeping fermentation temperatures under control is so important. The episode also features the fan-favorite “Makes Sense in Spanish, Doesn’t Make Sense in Spanish” segment, mailbag questions and plenty of conversation about wine, Sculpterra and life in Paso Robles. 🍷 Wines Tasted: 2024 Héroe Primitivo — 92 Points & Editor’s Choice from Wine Enthusiast 2019 Sculpterra Repoussé 👍 LIKE this episode💬 COMMENT with your wine questions🔔 SUBSCRIBE for a new episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra every week. Produced by EZF Mediaezfmedia.com

    Episode #52 | Sculpterra Harvest, Wine, Photography & the Story Behind the Tasting Room

  7. Sep 10

    Episode #51 | Valeria Genoves & Jeff Wiesinger | Paso Robles Real Estate, Wine Tourism & Wine

    On this episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel welcomes Valeria Genovese and Jeff Wiesinger for Episode #51 of the podcast. Valeria shares her journey with wine, her experience at Pine Street Saloon, her family's restaurant in Atascadero, and her connection to Chiapas, Mexico. Jeff talks about his decades in the wine industry, his first experiences in Napa and Paso Robles, and how the Paso Robles wine industry and downtown area have grown over the years. The conversation also gets into the current vineyard and winery real estate market, vineyard removals and replanting, grape prices, and whether now could be a good time to purchase vineyard property. Paul discusses a common wine misconception: whether lower yields automatically mean better wine, and explains why vine balance, canopy management, soil and water availability are more important factors. The group also talks about Paso Robles wine tourism, tasting rooms, restaurants, events and the continued growth of the area as a destination. Then, Paul answers the question: Can you over-oak a wine? The group discusses different types of oak, how oak affects wine over time, and why different grape varieties respond differently to oak. 🍷 Wines Tasted: 2020 Sculpterra Pinot Noir 2019 Sculpterra Primitivo Reserve 👍 LIKE this episode 💬 COMMENT with your wine questions 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for a new episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra every week. Produced by EZF Media ezfmedia.com

  8. Sep 3

    Episode #50 | Jennifer Truett & Donna Wolfe | Art, Oxygen & Viognier

    On this episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra, Paul Frankel celebrates the 50th episode of the podcast with Jennifer Truett and Donna Wolfe. Jennifer is a local self-taught artist and resident artist at Sculpterra. She shares her story of how she got started creating art, beginning with scrapbooking and eventually moving into mixed media. She also talks about her artwork, including her use of wire, paint, paper, texture and sand collected during her travels. Jennifer will also be featured at Sculpterra’s Fall Art Festival on September 26th. Paul talks about the 2026 harvest, including the early ripening of the Viognier grapes, Brix levels, picking grapes and what the current weather means for harvest. The conversation also gets technical as Paul explains the winery’s bladder press, how it works and how much fruit it can handle. Then, the group talks about oxygen and wine—including why you let wine breathe, how oxygen interacts with tannins, how aeration can change the wine, and what dissolved oxygen means when bottling. 🍷 Wines Tasted: 2025 Sculpterra Viognier 2024 Sculpterra Viognier Paul and the guests compare the two Viognier wines and discuss the differences in color, tannins, astringency, smoothness and mouthfeel. Plus, Paul answers questions about motivating harvest workers, dissolved oxygen and whether El Niño could be good for the vines. 👍 LIKE this episode💬 COMMENT with your wine questions🔔 SUBSCRIBE for a new episode of Vino Frankel! A Taste of Sculpterra every week. Produced by EZF Mediaezfmedia.com

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Join winemaker Paul Frankel of Sculpterra Winery in Paso Robles, California, as he explores the world of winemaking, tasting, and food pairings straight from the heart of the Central Coast. Each episode of Vino Frankel: A Taste of Sculpterra brings stories from the vineyard and the iconic Sculpterra Sculpture Garden, blending the art, science, and joy of wine. Discover the passion behind Paso Robles wines, meet the people shaping Sculpterra’s legacy, and experience how every sip tells a story — and every visit inspires.

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