Edna Valley winemakers are part of the bigger SLO region. Initially known as the Paso Robles AVA, designated in 1983. Many winemakers in the neighboring areas had lobbied for years to have their regions recognized, and in 2014 the Federal Government designated 11 more, including Edna Valley.

"The Good Life" Show - Food, Wine, Travel & Lifestyle

Meet Edna Valley Winemaker, Nathan Carlson

Rudd Oakville Estate’s Managing Director Oscar Henquet discovered his passion for the luxury hospitality industry at a very young age while working with his family’s hotel business in The Netherlands. Spending summers amidst vineyards in Provence with his parents, Oscar’s exposure to the world of wine started at a young age. One of two children, Oscar grew up in the region where Belgium, Holland and Germany intersect, and as a result, quickly learned the importance and value of understanding various cultures while becoming fluent in the English, Dutch, French and German languages. Oscar received a degree in Hotel Management from the Maastricht School of Hotel Management, founded by his grandfather. Upon graduation, Oscar pursued positions abroad, including an 8-month project in China where he was heavily involved with the opening of Crowne Plaza Chengdu in Chengdu, China. Oscar gained further experience and expertise working at esteemed properties located in Belgium, France and Israel, but it was a trip to New York with his family in 1997 that set his future course: exhilarated by the city’s energy and rhythm, he decided to relocate there. It was during this period that Oscar decided his future would be spent in the private hospitality sector, where he would apply his understanding of organizational protocols and internal structure, but maintain the level of attention to detail and personal interaction with guests that had attracted him to the industry. In 2003, Oscar accepted a position as Director of Operations at Nicole Farhi USA, where he managed daily food and beverage operations for five years. While still at Farhi, Oscar opened 202 Restaurant in Chelsea Market, which won New York Magazine’s “Best Brunch” Award in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, Oscar accepted the role of General Manager at Rouge Tomate, where he coordinated the restaurant’s $15 million 2008 opening. Oscar’s achievements and success at Rouge Tomate over the next two-and-a-half years attracted the ever-watchful eye of Graydon Carter and Jeff Klein at Monkey Bar, and in August 2010, Oscar took on the position of General Manager at the trendy midtown restaurant.     

Oscar Henquet of Rudd Wines

 Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English language. These include the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, the Louis Roederer award for Best Consumer Wine Writing, and the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year.  In a full-page profile on her, TIME Magazine called Karen “America’s Missionary of the Vine.” In 2018, Karen was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the Wine.” But deep global wine knowledge is only part of the story. Karen is considered America’s foremost wine presenter–a speaker who can enchant audiences from 5 to 500, and from wine novices to wine collectors alike. Her customized TED-like talks are accompanied by extraordinary wines which she personally selects for the event. Karen is also the author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE, the single best-selling wine book in the United States, praised as “The most informative and entertaining book I’ve ever seen on the subject” (Danny Meyer), “Astounding” (Thomas Keller), and “A masterpiece of wine writing…the single best wine book written in years…” (Kevin Zraly). The former wine correspondent for the Today Show, Karen was the host of the PBS series Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil, for which she won an Emmy. Karen is the creator and editor of WineSpeed, the leading digital “e-letter” in the U.S. for fast, authoritative information about wine. Her articles on wine and food have been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, Elle, and Worth. She was the first Food and Wine Editor of USA Today. Karen currently hosts #SipWithKaren, the leading Twitter tasting in the global wine sphere, which each month reaches 20+ million timelines from Indiana to India. Karen’s firm, Karen MacNeil & Company, creates customized corporate events and wine tours around the world for companies and individual groups. Among Karen’s corporate clients are Lexus, Merrill Lynch, Disney, General Electric, UBS, and Singapore Airlines, as well as numerous law and biotech firms. Karen is the creator and Chairman Emeritus of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, which has been called “the Harvard of wine education.”

Karen MacNeil

J Pearce is a boutique wine project that was started by great friends, Andrew Renda and Jarred Pearce. Andy and Jarred met in 2005 when Andy hired Jarred to work alongside him at Vintner’s Collective in downtown Napa. Prior to Andy’s career in wine, it was a love of food and the restaurant industry where he first gained experience. Like many others, his first job was as a dishwasher for a gourmet caterer in his hometown. By age seventeen, he began cooking at The Country Club in Brookline MA, which is home to three US Opens, and the 1999 Ryder Cup. It was there where he was first introduced to the pairing of haute cuisine and world class wines. After several years in the food industry, front and back of the house, he chose to start his quest to obtain more knowledge about the world of wine and spirits. The next eight years were spent helping to manage retail wine shops in the Boston area. His exposure was not just limited to California wines, but to a broad spectrum of global offerings. Countless hours were spent tasting in order to gain a more refined palate and true understanding of what the world of wine has to offer. This passion for a lifelong career in the wine industry was set in motion, and it was time to relocate. Andy and his bride to be Kelly, sold all of their belongings and packed a car to make the pilgrimage from Boston to Napa, no jobs, just a destination, the legendary Napa Valley! They made a temporary home in a rental cottage as Andy pursued his dream, putting his passion and knowledge for wine to the test. The better part of the next decade was spent as the Director of Sales of Vintner’s Collective surrounded by top boutique producers. More importantly over that stretch, Kelly and he got married and now have two beautiful children Maxwell and Adelaide. His family is his driving force.

Andy Renda - The Wine Thief

We started Drive as a home winemaking project in a vintage auto garage in Sonoma County, California. Through years of work in the vineyard, winery, and classroom; a hobby turned into a passion. We are humbled to take part in this journey with you. Drive Wines was started by John Musto and Tom Young. Hobby winemakers who honed their craft in the vineyards, wineries, and classrooms of Sonoma County. Inspired by their surroundings, they've set out to craft single vineyard wines through passion and grit... John Musto and Tom Young meet at Santa Rosa Junior College studying Viticulture and Enology. A mutual interest in winemaking drives them to buy a few hundred pounds of grapes for homewinemaking. John & Tom strike a deal with Peter Lewis, exchanging vineyard upkeep for the harvested grapes and production space at Triple Oak Vineyard in Fulton, CA. Their new "winery", a vintage auto racing garage becomes a major source of inspiration and Drive Wines is born.Expanding their hobby into a business, Drive Wines harvests a small amount of Zinfandel from Puccioni Ranch in Dry Creek Valley. Drive Wines are crafted with the help of winemakers Chris Russi and Jackie van Sant Downes. Drive Wines expands, adding a Rosé of Zinfandel from Comstock Vineyard to their portfolio.

John Musto - Tom Young

Chef Marc-Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE’s fine handmade pâtés, rillettes, ham and head cheese are hand crafted for all clients that want to find authentic European tasting products. Fully-cooked, ready to enjoy! Every product is crafted using traditional European techniques and use only high-quality local meats. We as a company believed in using only products where we can derive the source and the manner in which it is grown. The respect of the product during fabrication is primordial. Hand-made artisanal products, working with local farmers to source the best quality of meats, that are raised in a sustainable manner. Animals raised without antibiotics or hormones. Great for charcuterie boards and wine pairings. My passion for working with meat, and especially charcuterie, was born while working at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Tutelage there with Michael SULLIVAN taught me how to transform and sublimate pork products. This sparked a desire to produce artisanal charcuterie that has never left me. I continued my training in haut cuisine kitchens with Daniel BOULUD in New York before crossing the Atlantic to join the crew of chef Alain DUCASSE in his most famous restaurant, Louis XV in Monaco. While holding on to my goal of creating my own charcuterie, I trained myself in all culinary positions in order to gain a fundamental understanding of the basics of cookery. My time there allowed to me to work with high quality seasonal ingredients to create refined Mediterranean cuisine for our clients. It was with Gilles VEROT, in Paris, that I was finally able to master the subtleties of the production of charcuterie. As sous chef, I acquired the techniques to master this fine art of meat processing. My quest to learn more brought me to work in a high end butcher shop, Dierendonk in Belgium. While there I worked with his team to familiarize myself with the cutting of whole pigs, beef and lamb.

Marc-Henri Jean-Baptiste

 Idlewild has a relatively concise aim within a broad context: to produce wines of exceptional balance and beauty. It is a journey to pursue Italy’s Piedmont in the elevated hills of Mendocino County, and to find the sides of these varieties that are intriguing, delicious, and haunting. Each wine is unique and treated as such, though the common thread is balancing depth and seriousness with vibrancy and joy. Emphasis is on the vineyard followed by minimalist winemaking techniques. While not dogmatic in practice, an honest and sustainable approach is fundamental in making wines of purity. Idlewild has a few homes: a lonely rolling ridge line in Yorkville Highlands, a strip of bench-land in Mendocino county, a funky warehouse turned simple winery, and a Salumi & Wine Bar just off the plaza in Healdsburg, CA. Wild Ruth Ranch sits in the elevated hills of the Yorkville Highlands in southwest Mendocino. The schist veined sandstone is planted to 15 year old Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. Located in Central Mendocino County, Fox Hill Vineyard is managed by Wild Ruth. The rocky elevated slopes are planted to 20-30 year old Arneis, Cortese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. Between Geyserville and Healdsburg sits our cooperative winery (Idlewild, Leo Steen, Ryme Cellars, & Ruth Lewandowski). The focus is on traditional equipment and the joy of sharing and working with friends. Off the plaza in Healdsburg, you’ll find our Idlewild outpost. Schedule a tasting to learn more about our wines, or stop in for a glass and a plate of salumi: Make a Reservation

Thomas DeBiase

All of Jeff’s wines share a theme of fresh fruit reflective of the varietal flavors inherent in the grapes. Jeff selects grapes from vineyards that provide rich full flavors without loads of astringent tannins. Personally, Jeff prefers his wines to have zest and vibrant flavors. “Once I release a new vintage I rarely return to the previous year’s wine. My father likes that; it means more of the older wines for him.” Jeff produces wines from grapes grown throughout California. At last count he was planning to crush over twenty different varieties from nine different appellations for the 2013 vintage. Most of these wines are produced in very small limited quantities. However, there are four principle wines that the winery strives to have available throughout the year and they are: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Petit Verdot. Jeff started his adventure in the wine industry in 1977 when he interned with Seagrams at their Paul Masson Sherry Cellars in Madera while studying enology at UC Davis. Upon graduating in 1980, he worked in the cellar at Montevina in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley and was promoted to winemaker in 1982. After a three year stint at the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery from 1987 through 1990, Jeff became the winemaker for the J. Lohr winery in San Jose. It was during his tenure at J. Lohr that it became clear that he was going to have to make wine for himself. In 1995 Jeff crushed ten tons of zinfandel from the Massoni Ranch in Amador’s Shenandoah Valley and on April First 1997 he released 700 cases of that Zinfandel under his own label. In 1996 and 1997 Jeff made his wine at the Sycamore Creek Winery in Morgan Hill and then from 1998 through the 2010 vintage at the McManis Family Vineyard Winery in Ripon. In 2006 he finally returned to Amador County having purchased a small five acre walnut orchard on Shenandoah Road. In the spring of 2008 Jeff and Margie opened their tasting room. Production facilities followed and Jeff was able to crush the majority of their production in Amador in 2011.

Jeff Runquist

 Since way back in 1989, winemaker Rick Moshin has been producing natural, terroir-driven, and delicious wines in the Russian River Valley. He sustainably farms his own prized Goldridge-soil Pinot Noir vineyards, and using the natural yeasts of his grapes — plus the help of a dedicated winemaking team — he gently makes small-lot, premium wines in our gravity-flow winery on Sonoma County’s famed Westside Road.  Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2019, we're still family-owned and -operated, and our focus remains on hand-crafting some of the highest-quality wines in the Russian River Valley AVA. In addition to several styles of Pinot Noir, we make Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot, dessert wines, traditional-method sparkling wine, and a crowd-pleasing, award-winning Rosé of Pinot Noir.  Come visit our winery and vineyards, where you’re sure to be delighted by our gorgeous swath of California wine country, our friendly, knowledgeable staff,— and our beautiful wines, created purely for your enjoyment! In the late 1970s, while teaching math at San Jose State University and working a side hustle at a home-brewing supply store, Rick was encouraged to try his hand at winemaking—and fell deeply, madly in love. His hunger for grapes soon inspired him to become a grape broker, earning access to extra fruit while forging relationships with vineyard owners throughout Northern California. This gig allowed him to be in the right place when a certain Pinot Noir vineyard—the first acreage in our estate—went up for sale in 1989. A self-taught farmer who (along with friends and family) built our gravity-flow winery by hand, Rick enjoys experimenting with different varietals and winemaking methods. His heart will always belong to Pinot Noir, but as a passionate viticulturist and vintner, he remains ever-curious about the whole world of wine. 

Rick Moshin

 Kevin Evans is President of WEB Media Group, a niche media company specializing in the relocation / newcomer and lifestyle market.  Currently, WEB Media Group produces 17 titles and 11 websites across 6 states, with three new branches in 2017.  In 2002 he started with a single employee, single market concept that has grown to a national company employing 20 people.  Evans caught the publishing bug early in college, he served as Editor-in-Chief of his college newspaper, then worked for Auto Trader, traveling the country fixing problem publications and establishing new markets.  After leaving Auto Trader, he served as Vice-President of New Business Development with the Los Angeles Times before moving to Austin and launching the Austin Relocation Guide.  He has over 30 years of publishing experience.  The newest venture for Evans has been the Napa Valley Life Magazine.  Kevin began managing the magazine and website two years ago and today is the President of Napa Valley Life Magazine.   A luxury lifestyle magazine aimed at the people who live, work and play in the Napa. For over 17 years, Napa Valley Life has been the premier lifestyle magazine dedicated to living and visiting the Napa Valley. We are dedicated in providing locals and visitors a magazine that captures the essence of living in the Napa Valley. Published six times a year, Napa Valley Life defines and celebrates this special place we call home through sophisticated and informative feature and department articles solely dedicated on the Napa Valley. Within in each issue, we cover the Napa Valley lifestyle; from food and wine; homes and decor, entertaining, dining, gardening, health, events, insider information and destination guide information including a detailed winery map as well as local town maps. The Napa Valley is noted as one of the most beautiful regions of California, rich in heritage and tradition.  Known for its world-renowned fine wines, epicurean experiences, luxurious accommodations and breath taking vistas, the Valley shines as a premiere destination to live the good life.  Napa Valley offers a variety of entertainment including fine art, theater, music and outdoor activities. Stay abreast and let NVL be your comprehensive guide to Napa Valley Events and things to do as well as learn about the people behind what makes this community so amazing.

Kevin Evans

Craig Palmer and Allen Habel, co-founders of the Experience Rosé Today. Experience Rosé brand, which aims to celebrate all things rosé. The new brand will host an array of events in 2018, all honoring the lauded “pink drink,” with the Experience Rosé: The 2018 Competition kicking things off in the Spring. Focusing exclusively on domestic and international rosé wines and directed by globally-renowned wine expert and educator Debra Del Fiorentino, the competition will take place on Wednesday, April 18 at Soda Rock Winery in Healdsburg. The Experience Rosé brand will offer a collection of curated consumer events beyond the competition as well, including The Great Rosé Pairing for Summer, to be held on Saturday, June 16, at The CIA at Copia in Napa, and The Great Rosé Pairing for Thanksgiving, which will take place Friday, October 19, at Jaxon Keys Winery and Distillery in Hopland. Experience Rosé is all about providing extraordinary experiences for everyone who revels in our passion for Rosé and its infinite possibilities all year-long. Foodie to newbie. Wine maker to chef. Sponsor to volunteer. Because every day pairs better with Rosé. Fill your glass with us. We promise you a fulfilling experience that will be personal, passionate and perfect. Celebrating a wide range of rosé winemaking styles and taking place on Wed, Apr 18 at Soda Rock Winery in Healdsburg, Experience Rose: The 2018 Competition will showcase the best of the best from both domestic and international producers in dry, sparkling and sweet categories. “We’re excited to introduce these new elements around the Wine Competition,” states Del Fiorentino. “Our goal is to create an event that is beneficial to both our wine competition entrants and the attendees to the two consumer events, as we want everyone to have the best experience possible.” The Brand will introduce two new wine events to the general public. On Saturday, June 16, 2018, Experience Rosé will debut The Great Rosé Pairing for Summer, to be held at The CIA at Copia in Napa. Event-goers will have the opportunity to sip winning wines paired with gourmet bites inspired by cuisine from the four major rosé producing regions (France, Italy, Spain and the United States/California). The bites will be prepared by teams of CIA students directed by Lars Kronmark, Professor of Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. This curated event will also include special arts programming and Experience Rosé Talks – an educational series featuring presentations, panel discussions and pairings.

Craig Palmer of Experience Rosé

In 1970, San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach, and his wife Christine, purchased the prized Barbieri Ranch in Russian River Valley’s coveted Olivet Road district. Both came armed with advanced degrees in anthropology but no background in farming or grape growing. That said, they had long dreamt of finding land their family could own and work together. For his part, Louis Barbieri, whose father Itilo planted the vineyard in 1905, was gratified to pass the vineyard on to a family committed to honoring its past, and stewarding its future.

Devin Ruddick

We are tiny like an acorn. Our winery is framed by tall oak trees. Our wine is aged in oak barrels. So ACORN seemed the perfect name for our winery. Bill traded in his law books for books on viticulture, pruning shears, and a tractor when we purchased Alegría Vineyards in 1990. In the early years, he was in the vineyards every day, and Betsy helped out on weekends, but within a few years she too was ready for a change and joined Bill full time. At first, we sold all of our grapes to other wineries, and they produced highly prized Alegría Vineyard-designated wines. Then in 1994, we decided to make some wine ourselves and established ACORN Winery. Our first release, in 1996, was our 1994 Sangiovese. Gradually, we kept more grapes for ACORN and added other wines. Now we make seven different wines—Russian River Valley Heritage Vines™ Zinfandel from the original 1890s vineyard, Russian River Valley Axiom® Syrah, Russian River Valley Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley Sangiovese, Russian River Valley Dolcetto, two proprietary blends—Medley® and Acorn Hill, and a flavorful Rosato (a dry Rosé). We still sell half our grapes to other wineries. Several of them vineyard-designate the wines. Our production remains small, at about 3,000 cases each year. All our wines are made from grapes we grow ourselves at Alegría. Every wine is a field blend, following the ancient tradition represented in the mixed planting that is our original 120-year old vineyard. Every wine is made by co-fermenting multiple varieties. We like to say that our wines are blended from the day they are picked. This is what sets ACORN wines apart. Today, after 25 years, we continue to find alegría living in the middle of our vineyards, enjoying the cool Russian River Valley climate, and continuing a long tradition by sustainably growing premium quality grapes and producing acclaimed award-winning wines.

Bill Nachbaur

Since 1927, when John Pedroncelli, Sr. purchased vineyard and a small winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, two elements remain unchanged: the exceptional place the Pedroncelli family farms vineyards, and the family's dedication to making fine wines. From selling grapes to home winemakers during prohibition in order to keep the vineyards going, to growing a small base of business during the 1930s and 1940s, to the second generation joining their father: son John becoming winemaker in 1948 followed by Jim in 1955 as sales director, to 1963 when the winery was officially purchased by John and Jim from their father, to growing the line of wines in the 1960s with vineyard expansion and diversification, to the boom time of the 1970s and 1980s along with many changes and additions to our sales base including national sales and export, the third generation coming on board and vineyard replanting in the 1990s to the 21st century refining our focus to restaurants and casual dining/meet-up wine bars and independent wine shops across the nation. to the transfer of ownership of the company to the third generation (now a 70% woman owned company with a woman winemaker!) to the second decade in the new millenium where the fourth generation is coming up the ranks... Nine decades strong, we are still family owned and operated.It all adds up to tradition, heritage and a family of wines you can enjoy with confidence.  

Julie Pedroncelli

Debbie is responsible for managing Wine Road events, which include the annual event weekends Wine & Food Affair, Winter WINEland and Barrel Tasting. In her current position Debbie is the first line of contact for participating wineries (up to 100) as well as helping visitors plan their event experience. She coordinates with the health department, hires security, designs programs, event maps and working with a designer comes up with the inspiration for the overall event theme and look for all printed and online materials. Along with these event planning tasks, Debbie works with advertisers and our PR Manager to make sure our events are getting the exposure needed to always bring in new customers.

Debbie Osborn, Event Manager

Bio: Mike Wreyford, AKA Mike the “Wine Guy” is a Food, Wine,Travel & Lifestyle Expert. This Writer, Blogger, Foodie/Wine Enthusiast, and Spontaneous Traveler, is the Host & Producer of “The Good LIfe” Show, a popular Weekly Radio Talk Show. Mike combines his lifetime of Travel, 30+ years in the Restaurant / Bar business, an “Ongoing Appreciation of Wine”, along with his marketing and entrepreneurial expertise, to share his passion for Food, Wine, Travel and Lifestyle with friends, fans, and businesses around the world.

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"The Good Life" Show - Food, Wine, Travel & Lifestyle

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