The Wine Wars | Podcast

Joshua Powell
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  • Society & Culture

What happens when a plastic surgeon with deep pockets buys a historic corner of the Hudson Valley — and calls it a vineyard? In Columbia County, New York, neighbors say the grapes were never the point. Behind the pastoral branding, they allege, was always something else: a full-scale commercial wedding venue in the middle of a quiet rural community. What followed was years of zoning battles, stonewalled records requests, and a town leader caught between a powerful newcomer and the residents demanding answers. Powell House Press has been pulling the thread from the beginning — and now we're telling the whole story. www.thepowellhousepress.com

Episodes

  1. Mar 16

    The Wine Wars: Episode 11 - Oh Cherie!

    For more than 7 years, the Williamses have tried to turn their home into a commercial destination — it’s been a game of chess with the neighbors used as pawns and the town supervisor as their rook. ©2026 All Rights Reserved | josh@thepowellhousepress.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepowellhousepress.com/subscribe

    The Wine Wars: Episode 11 - Oh Cherie!

  2. Mar 9

    The Wine Wars: Episode 10

    For more than 7 years, the Williamses have tried to turn their home into a commercial destination — it’s been a game of chess with the neighbors used as pawns and the town supervisor as their rook. ©2026 All Rights Reserved | josh@thepowellhousepress.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepowellhousepress.com/subscribe

    The Wine Wars: Episode 10

  3. Feb 26

    How to Get Away With Murder in Columbia County

    A woman is killed on a dark stretch of Route 9H. The drunk driver — a decorated war veteran — is charged but never prosecuted. Two powerful men, bound by war and Union College, use their control of the local press and legal system to bury the story. The victim's widower is silenced through the sale of a president's historic home to the National Park Service. Decades later, the truth spills out over lunch and too much wine. This is how things get fixed in Columbia County — and it's the historical backdrop to The Wine Wars, a series investigating a modern-day scandal where zoning laws are bent, a neighborhood is pushed to the brink, and a wealthy plastic surgeon sits at the center of it all. Columbia County's political DNA hasn't changed. The names just have. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepowellhousepress.com/subscribe

    How to Get Away With Murder in Columbia County

  4. Feb 16

    Episode One: The Grapes of Wrath: A Plastic Surgeon, a Vanity Vineyard, and the Dirt-Road Rebellion o Columbia County

    A facial plastic surgeon and his wife spend five years trying to turn their hilltop estate in rural Chatham, NY into a vineyard and event venue — the story of one rich couple hijacking a historic community. What starts as a wedding venue dream becomes a wine tasting room scheme, complete with a January traffic study, unmapped wetlands, and 150 bottles of wine masquerading as a commercial operation. The community fights back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepowellhousepress.com/subscribe

    Episode One: The Grapes of Wrath: A Plastic Surgeon, a Vanity Vineyard, and the Dirt-Road Rebellion o Columbia County
  • 4 Episodes

About

What happens when a plastic surgeon with deep pockets buys a historic corner of the Hudson Valley — and calls it a vineyard? In Columbia County, New York, neighbors say the grapes were never the point. Behind the pastoral branding, they allege, was always something else: a full-scale commercial wedding venue in the middle of a quiet rural community. What followed was years of zoning battles, stonewalled records requests, and a town leader caught between a powerful newcomer and the residents demanding answers. Powell House Press has been pulling the thread from the beginning — and now we're telling the whole story. www.thepowellhousepress.com

Information

  • Creator
    Joshua Powell
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Joshua Powell
  • Show Website
    The Wine Wars | Podcast