As Vice President and General Manager at Cliff Lede Family Wines Remi Cohen oversees the grapegrowing and winemaking for the Cliff Lede wines in Napa and the FEL wines from Anderson Valley.  In this episode Remi tells of her job in entomology that led to enrollment to study viticulture at UCDavis.  From there she quickly rose through the vineyard ranks at Napa wineries and farming companies, such as Saintsbury and Bouchaine.  With her technical background and MBA from Berkeley she was well suited to take on the operations of two wineries in two distinct parts of northern California.  

Our conversation covers lots of cool vineyard topics such as: 

• The differences between organic and sustainable farming practices
• The ways that sustainable operations look at the bigger picture, including workshops available through the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association and The Wine Institute
• The various challenges of farming vineyards on hillsides v. the valley floor.  
• How important private tasting groups can be in developing winemaking knowledge
• The addition of Chardonnay and Pinot noir with FEL Wines (formerly Breggo) to Cliff Family Wines and the subsequent purchase of the famed Savoy Vineyard in Anderson Valley

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Cliff Lede Vineyards, Napa Valley
• FEL Wines, Anderson Valley, California
• Saintsbury, Napa Valley
• Bouchaine,Vineyards, Napa Valley
• Walsh Vineyard Management, Napa Valley
• Merryvale, Napa Valley
• Starmont Winery, Napa Valley
• Dirty Jobs and Mike Rowe visit Starmont Winery
• Napa Valley Grapegrowers
• The Wine Institute's Sustainable Winegrowing
• Savoy Vineyard, Anderson Valley
• Cliff Lede Vineyard's Platinum Playlist

Deep Winemaking 2017 is scheduled for August 10-12th in Napa.  Come spend three days immersed in technical visits with winemakers, viticulturists, barrel cooperages, and wine laboratories with other like-minded aspiring winemakers.  

Please email me with any questions or comments about winemaking or this podcast    jim@insidewinemaking.com

The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes

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Viticulturist and vineyard guru, Garrett Buckland, returns to the Inside Winemaking Podcast to discuss organic farming as it applies to winegrapes.  Garrett has a wealth of vineyard experience, having spent his entire life farming grapes in Napa.  He is one of the rare farming gems who also understands winemaking and is immersed in the creation of some of Napa Valley's leading wines.  We spend the majority of the podcast discussing my questions about the actual vineyard practices that are employed for organic, conventional, and sustainable winegrowing.  

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Garrett's first appearance on Inside Winemaking in Ep. 008 and 008 Part II
• Premiere Viticultural Services and Vine Info
• Tendu Wines from Steve Matthiasson
• CCOF Calfornia Certified Organic Farmers
• SUPPRESS an organic herbicide

Deep Winemaking 2017 is scheduled for August 10-12th in Napa.  Come spend three days immersed in technical visits with winemakers, viticulturists, barrel cooperages, and wine laboratories with other like-minded aspiring winemakers.  

Please email me with any questions or comments about winemaking or this podcast    jim@insidewinemaking.com

The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes

And Stitcher Radio Too

Questions?  Comments?  Let me know what you think: jim@insidewinemaking.com

"California terrior through the lens of Zinfandel."  As a winemaker sourcing Zinfandel vineyards, from 12 counties throughout California Tegan Passalacqua has an unrivaled view of this grape's potential in his role at Turley Wine Cellars.  Tegan and his wife also have their own small brand, Sandlands Wines, which is often known for its Chenin blanc, but is also producing lesser-known varieties such as Trousseau noir.  In this episode of The Inside Winemaking Podcast Tegan and I discuss:

• Why Zinfandel is particularly well-suited to California throughout its winemaking history before refrigeration
• The unique resilience that Zinfandel vines have in tolerating virus and disease
• How eustress is healthy, but the recent drought years brought too much stress
• Why Tegan views the tracking of acidity to be particularly important in producing Zin
• Tegan's fascination with 
• Why the 2012 vintage was like a rebound relationship
• How to guide a notoriously difficult Zinfandel fermentation into finishing
• Why Tegan only likes Brettanomyces "in other people's wines"
• How natural winemaking is like being on the other side of a magic trick
• The idea of putting a tax on Round-Up
• The story behind him persuading a grower on the "true Sonoma coast" to plant Trousseau noir
• What it's like to grow grapes and make wine on a volcano

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Turley Wine Cellars, California
• Sandlands Wines, California
• Artist, Wayne Thiebaud, Man Reading
• Frank Cornelissen, Etna, Italy 
• Follow Tegan on Instagram @OwnRooted and Twitter @OwnRooted

Deep Winemaking 2017 is scheduled for August 10-12th in Napa.  Come spend three days immersed in technical visits with winemakers, viticulturists, barrel cooperages, and wine laboratories with other like-minded aspiring winemakers.  

Please email me with any questions or comments about winemaking or this podcast    jim@insidewinemaking.com

The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes

And Stitcher Radio Too

Questions?  Comments?  Let me know what you think: jim@insidewinemaking.com