Napa Valley is in the thick of harvest 2024, the busiest time of year in wine country, and Napa Cabernet superstar Thomas Rivers Brown took a break to tell us about the realities of harvest season—hope you like cleaning!—as well as his “Ziploc baggy mini-maceration method” for deciding when a vineyard is ready to be picked. Plus, Wine Spectator’s D…

When it comes to California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, few names command as much respect as Sonoma's Kistler Vineyards. Kistler president and winemaker Jason Kesner joined Straight Talk host James Molesworth to tell us about growing up in the Napa wine industry—including where Robert Mondavi bought the weekly staff donuts—and how he strives to do a…

Straight from the cover of Wine Spectator and the season 3 premiere of hit TV series The Bear, legendary chef Daniel Boulud invites us into the Daniel dining room for an exclusive interview about what it means to be a chef today, his legacy of mentorship and why his next restaurant will reflect a shift in allegiance since becoming a U.S. citizen in…

A few days after winemaker Meghan Zobeck started her new job at Napa's historic Burgess Cellars, the winery burned down in the 2020 wildfires. With the help of owner Gaylon Lawrence and CEO Carlton McCoy, not only did Burgess bounce back, but Zobeck's followup 2021 Cabernets are outstanding. She tells us about her journey from the NFL to Chile's Cl…

Patz & Hall co-founder James Hall is still pinching himself: After selling the iconic California Chardonnay brand in 2016, Hall was able to buy it back earlier this year. He tells us how he did it, and then takes us all the way back to landing his first winery gig in Napa … by pretending he could speak Italian?! Straight Talk host James Molesworth …

Salvestrin Family winemaker Natalie Winkler struck a chord when the 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon earned a spot among Wine Spectator's Top 10 Wines of 2021. But it all started with a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir … Winkler represents a new breed of California wine pros specializing not just in winemaking or vineyard management…

Winemaker Dan Petroski made news when he sold his boutique California white wine brand Massican to Gallo late last year. But that was just the latest step on a wine journey that started ignominiously as a Columbia University football player and began in earnest a decade later after an eye-opening dinner at Le Bernardin in New York. Petroski went on…

From his teetotaling childhood home to Opus One's debut vintage to putting Argentine Malbec on the map, winemaker Paul Hobbs opens up to host James Molesworth about his career-defining moments with candid humor and insightful analysis in the season 2 premiere of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast! Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells …

It's our season 1 finale and our year-end roundup of the most exciting wines of the year! In this episode, host James Molesworth is joined by senior editor Bruce Sanderson, counting down our Top 10 Wines of the Year, including an exclusive interview with the man behind our 2023 Wine of the Year! Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us abo…

What's in the cellar of the world's second-richest man? Wine Spectator senior editor for news Mitch Frank tells us all about LVMH founder, chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, the man behind not just fashion house Louis Vuitton and the Möet & Chandon Champagne house (including Dom Pérignon), but also brands like Dior, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Hublot, Bulga…

We're live at Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience in this special episode of Straight Talk with host James Molesworth. He's joined by senior editor for news Mitch Frank, podcast director Rob Taylor and a cast of wine and restaurant industry all-stars that includes chefs José Andrés, Emeril Lagasse and Eric Ripert, Hollywood legend Rich Frank,…

What wine pairs best with turkey and sides? Straight Talk podcast director Rob Taylor made an emergency appointment with Wine Spectator advice columnist Dr. Vinny (aka senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec) for some tips on Thanksgiving wine pairing, including pumpkin pie! And don't miss Episode 16: Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience with Chefs Jos…

Don't miss this Straight Talk podcast exclusive: Never-before-heard highlights from Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken's one-on-one interview with Napa Cabernet legend Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards. Host James Molesworth also welcomes Napa winemaker Maya Dalla Valle to the studio. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnis…

Episode 15 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast is all about California Cabernet, and host James Molesworth's interview with Napa winemaker Maya Dalla Valle was too fun not to share the whole thing. Enjoy the full, uncut Dalla Valle interview, and don't forget to listen to Episode 15 of Straight Talk for our exclusive interview between Wine Sp…

We're welcoming the one and only Sarah Jessica Parker in this episode of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. If you only know her as an award-winning actress and producer, let us show you her winemaking side! Host James Molesworth welcomes back senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec for a look at the New Zealand wine scene, and senior editor Bruce Sand…

We're detouring to Scotland for a look at our Oct. 15 issue cover story: Whisky for Wine Lovers. In episode 13 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast, host James Molesworth welcomes back Wine Spectator executive editor Jeffery Lindenmuth, along with Whisky Advocate senior taster Jonny McCormick, for a lively discussion on how and why whisky hold…

California Pinot Noir is the star of the show in episode 12 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast. Host James Molesworth welcomes Sonoma winemaking legend Mark Aubert and Santa Barbara Pinot Noir star Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnist Dr. Vinny explains vine clones, and stay tuned til the end for Jam…

Episode 12 of Wine Spectator's Straight Talk podcast is all about California Pinot Noir, and host James Molesworth's interview with Santa Barbara Pinot Noir star Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton was too fun not to share the whole thing. Enjoy the full, uncut Brewer interview, and don't forget to listen to Episode 12 of Straight Talk for James' intervi…

We're celebrating our annual Restaurant Awards with an exclusive interview with chef Thomas Keller and Wine Spectator executive editor Jeffery Lindenmuth. Straight Talk host James Molesworth also welcomes senior editor for news Mitch Frank to catch us up on the latest dining trends. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnist Dr. Vinny explains…

We're welcoming summer with wall-to-wall California Chardonnay! Straight Talk host James Molesworth welcomes senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec and an all-star cast of winemakers and grapegrowers, including Larry and Chris Hyde, Kistler's Jason Kesner and Arista and Ferren's Matt Courtney. Later in the episode, our wine advice columnist Dr. Vinny walks…

Is the 2022 Bordeaux hype for real? Straight Talk host James Molesworth just returned from the Médoc, where he tasted hundreds of these young wines; don't miss his take on this highly regarded new vintage. Plus, senior editor for news Mitch Frank introduces us to Auberge Resorts Collection CEO Craig Reid, and legendary California and Oregon Pinot N…

Burgundy's legendary Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti joins us for an exclusive rare interview covering his auction-darling Pinot Noirs, his first encounter with Robert Mondavi, and his role in the 1976 Paris Tasting. Plus, southern France wine star Gérard Bertrand and NBA Hall of Famer turned (multiple) winery owner Tony Parker. S…

How do some of the world's most successful chefs, somms and winemakers balance wine and health? Red Rooster chef-owner Marcus Samuelsson and Frasca somm-owner Bobby Stuckey join the latest episode of Straight Talk to share how they keep perspective—and how they keep fit. Host James Molesworth and Wine Spectator senior editor Kristen Bieler take a c…

Napa Valley winemaking iconoclast and Massican winery founder Dan Petroski pulls no punches in this hard look at the wine industry’s newest obstacles and trends. Host James Molesworth and Wine Spectator contributing editor Suzanne Mustacich look at the 2020 Bordeaux vintage and speak with Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande director Nico…

Straight Talk kicks off 2023 with a star-studded trip to France's Rhône Valley, a closer look at Port with two of the region's biggest names, and we reveal Wine Spectator’s Value Wine of the Year for 2022. Host James Molesworth and senior editor Kristen Bieler share tales of their recent trip to France's Rhône Valley, and we're joined in the studio…

It's our year-end roundup of the most exciting wines of the year! In this episode, Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth is joined by senior editor Bruce Sanderson, counting down our Top 10 Wines of the Year and much more! The winemaker behind our Wine of the Year joins us to share how he found out they'd won … and what happened next. Plus senior edito…

Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth is poppin' off with a Champagne spectacular in this episode of Straight Talk. He's joined by Wine Spectator's lead taster for Champagne, senior editor Alison Napjus, and a wide-ranging lineup of sparkling wine stars headlined by Roederer's Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, maker of Cristal. We’re also joined by grower Champ…

Host James Molesworth takes us on a deep dive into the Robert Mondavi legacy, with exclusive interviews with Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken, Continuum Estate co-founder and Robert's son Tim Mondavi, international winemaking star and Mondavi winery alum Paul Hobbs, Mount Veeder winery founders and former Mondavi winery tour gu…

In the debut episode of Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk podcast, James Molesworth hosts an exclusive roundtable discussion with three of Napa Valley’s most in-demand winemakers: Thomas Rivers Brown of Schrader Cellars and Rivers Marie, Andy Erickson of Favia, Mayacamas and the new To Kalon Vineyard Co., and Helen Keplinger of Grace Family, her Kepli…