Season 3 Episode 3 – Pure Grace Pete and VinoMike are back with part two of their mini-series honoring women winemakers. Today, the guys feature an extraordinary and uniquely focused winemaker named Angela Osborne. Angela’s dedication to the Grenache grape is an inspiration, as is her story that takes her from New Zealand to around the world before…

Season 3 Episode 2 – The Full Fucci Pete and VinoMike take the opportunity to recognize an incredible winemaker, Elena Fucci, in honor of Women’s History Month. While we should all celebrate the women in history, in wine, and in every aspect of life all the time, this is a special set of dates to help us move the conversation forward. Pete and Mike…

Season 3 Episode 1 – Drink Inside the Box Pete and VinoMike are back! And they are exploring the world of boxed wine. Inspired by some social media posts, VinoMike sought out a couple of boxes of wine and the guys thought, “That’s an episode.” Don’t judge too quickly because there are some really solid wines out there sitting in bladders inside box…

Season 2 Episode 20 – A Very Spanish Season Finale 2021 has been quite a year. Pete and VinoMike bring it to a close with an hour of discussion about the wines of Spain, featuring a ravishing Rioja red! The guys dig into a bottle of Viña Pomal Rioja Reserva 2014. This incredible example of Rioja is 100% Tempranillo aged in all American oak. The bal…

Season 2 Episode 19 – The Glasshole Bistro: Making of a Wine List Friend of the show, Bill, asked Pete and VinoMike how they would go about making a wine list for their fictional restaurant – The Glasshole Bistro. Well, the guys took this opportunity to not only dive into how they would make a wine list but to give you insights into wine lists from…

Season 2 Episode 18 – Put a Little Riesling in Your Life Pete and VinoMike are ridiculously excited to talk about Riesling! Riesling is one of the six historical Noble Grapes, yet it is one of the most misunderstood. Great Riesling is not cloyingly sweet. It is balanced and nuanced with amazing acidity and very long aging potential. From bone-dry t…

Season 2 Episode 17 – Can This (Wine) Wand Do Magic? Pete and VinoMike channel their inner Harry Potter and test out “The Wand” by Pure Wine. They first mentioned this product a couple of months ago and have been waiting to test it out. What will they think? Is this truly a magic wand? To understand how well “The Wand” works, VinoMike brings a bott…

Season 2 Episode 16 – A Legendary Bordeaux Estate and Their Chilean Cabernet Pete and VinoMike head back to Chile but this time they find a legendary estate producing premium Cabernet at a price many mortals can afford! Domaines Barons de Rothschild’s Los Vascos estate in the Colchagua Valley is known for making great wines at nearly every price po…

Season 2 Episode 15 – We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Wine Drinking Pete and VinoMike are back! We’d say, “And better than ever,” but we can’t lie. They are here, though, and let you in on what happened during the hiatus. Hint – Life is busy, complicated, and needs much more wine. While the guys catch up, they pop a very special bottle of …

Season 2 Episode 14 – Wine Biz Insider: Climate Change, Insurance & Your Bottle Can we all agree that climate change is happening? Take out the why and just look at all the natural disasters occurring at a rapid rate around the globe. Wine country is not immune to nature’s wrath. The fact is that wine is a business. Sure, we romanticize what that b…

Season 2 Episode 13 – Give Chile a Chance Today, Pete and VinoMike travel south of the equator to explore the oft-misunderstood wines of Chile! The guys take you on a whirlwind tour of this skinny South American country while sipping on a bottle of 2018 Viña Tinajas “Lorenzo & Gaspar” Carménère & Merlot. This wine gives them a chance to tell you ab…

Season 2 Episode 12 – Ask the Glassholes It’s the first-ever “Ask the Glassholes” episode! Ok, maybe the last too. We’ll see how this goes. Pete and VinoMike are here to take your hard-hitting wine questions. They sent out the Glass Signal, and you responded in droves. At least 10 of you submitted questions. That’s three times as many as they expec…

Season 2 Episode 11 – A Nebbiolo Wonder(wall) It’s VinoMike’s choice today and he brought something off the (wonder)wall – a Nebbiolo from the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA! From Andrew Jones, the 2019 Wonderwall Nebbiolo is a deliciously fun wine-drinking experience. Made from 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Barbera, this juicy California red brings that…

Season 2 Episode 10 – Curious About Campania You knew it wouldn’t be long before Pete and VinoMike returned to their first wine love – Italy! Today, the guys take you on a wine tour of the under-appreciated wine region of Campania. While they touch on the great reds of the area, the episode is all about white wines. As the weather turns warmer and …

Season 2 Episode 9 – Say Yes! To Michigan Wine Pete found a bottle of premium Michigan Pinot Noir at a local shop. (Shout out to Charlene at Cellar 406.) You know that he and VinoMike were going to talk about it. That bottle is a single-vineyard, 2015 Wyncroft Pinot Noir from the Fenville AVA in SW Michigan. The bottle was exquisite with true Pinot…

Season 2 Episode 8 – Two Mics and a Bottle of (Cheap) Cabernet This week the guys decided to just flip the mics on and have a chat. So, they grabbed a bottle of wine and just started talking. The bottle is from Costco – 2018 K Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. There are three things you need to know about this wine. First, it is from Bulgaria. Second, it…

Season 2 Episode 7 – Magnificent Muscadet There is no doubt that Italy is at the very heart of Pete’s and VinoMike’s love of wine. The Loire Valley is a close second and the guys talk a look at the magnificence of Muscadet today. VinoMike went to the storage locker and pulled out a gem – the 2014 Domaine de la Pépière “Clos des Briords” Sèvre et Ma…

Season 2 Episode 6 – Taint That a Shame The guys start out this episode with a tribute to the late Steven Spurrier. Mr. Spurrier was a huge influence on wine in general, but especially on California. He put together the famous judgment at Paris that put California wine on the world map. His passing is a great loss for the wine world. Pete and Mike …

Season 2 Episode 5 – Chablis Sippin’ The Burgundy region is a beast. With so many places to find great wine, you can expect Pete and VinoMike to come back to this legendary wine area often. Today, the guys take a trip to Chablis! Breaking open a bottle from Trader Joe’s called Sainte Céline Chablis, the guys discuss the merits of this wine before d…

Season 2 Episode 4 – A Visit to Valpolicella Pete and VinoMike return to Italy to visit the Veneto region and one of its stars – Valpolicella! The guys jump right in and start with tasting the 2016 Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato. This classic wine is a blend of Corvina (85%) and Rondinella (10%) with the rest an indigenous grape, Oselet…

Season 2 Episode 3 – An Interview with Superstar Winemaker Tres Goetting! If you ask VinoMike to name his Mount Rushmore of California winemakers, Tres Goetting better get ready to be carved in stone. The Robert Biale and Aesop winemaker is a true master at his craft. Today, Pete and VinoMike talk to Tres about how he got into the wine world, his j…

Season 2 Episode 2 – The Story of The Prisoner: The Wine That Launched a Thousand Blends It’s storytime with VinoMike! Today, VinoMike and Pete walk you through how Dave Phinney took The Prisoner from cult wine to big money. Along the way, Dave unknowingly created a category – big California red blends – that still intrigues wine drinkers everywher…

Season 2 Episode 1 – Later 2020. Hello, 2021! Pete and VinoMike are back for season two! In this episode, the guys will catch up a bit and then celebrate by popping a bottle of bubbly. They only thought it appropriate to open a sparkler from America. The 2015 Argyle Vintage Brut comes from Oregon. The legendary Rollin Soles founded Argyle in 1987 s…

Episode 44 – Sulfites: Friend or Foe? Pete and VinoMike are here to help you decipher the mystery of sulfites in wine. Seriously, this issue is a constant in their careers and it was time to try to help sort out the facts. The guys are in separate studios during the pandemic resurgence and only Pete pops a bottle this week. He needs to retaste a bo…

Episode 43 – Much Ado About MalbecPete and VinoMike are ready to talk Malbec! This is one of the most popular grape varietals out there, but that’s a relatively new phenomenon. How did we get from an obscure grape that was used mostly for blending in France to a powerhouse red from Argentina? The guys will walk you through the history and how they …

Episode 42 – It’s a Piedmont Party! (With an Offer You Can’t Refuse) Pete and VinoMike are back after a week off due to, well, 2020. This year is all about adapting and the guys are giving it their best shot. Once again, they are forced to record from separate studios. There were only a few tears shed before the recording began. To ease the burden,…

Episode 41 – Brave Women Expose Sexual Misconduct in the Court of Master Sommeliers On October 29, 2020, the New York Times published an article titled – “The Wine World’s Most Elite Circle Has a Sexual Harassment Problem.” Please read the article when you have time. It is vitally important that we listen to the women who expose the rampant, system…

Episode 40 – Pop the Champagne! Pete and VinoMike are out of their minds excited for this very special Champagne episode. You can tell they are giddy from the get-go. The inspiration for this show was a listener request along with an AP article that tells the woeful tale of the Champagne industry during the pandemic. But, before they get to all of …

Episode 39 – Behind the Scenes: Wine Dinners (with a Special Martini) Pete and VinoMike are about to take you behind the scenes of wine dinners. Those dinners seem fairly easy and lucrative. Are they? What’s really going on? While the guys talk about these dinners, they sip on a special bottling from Louis M. Martini. The 2014 Louis Martini Alexand…

Episode 38 – Gettin’ Jiggy with Gigondas Pete and VinoMike take you on a trip to the Southern Rhône. They decide to start with Gigondas by highlighting their thoughts on the 2010 Saint-Damien Vieilles Vignes. This is a remarkably fresh bottle, and the guys take a deep dive into the wine and region. The guys discuss a lot in this episode from aging …

Episode 37 – Into the Heart of Napa Pete and VinoMike are back after a one-week hiatus. Did you miss them? Before you answer, they take the first ten minutes or so to catch-up on their kids and remote school. We highly recommend you have a nice glass of Napa wine in front of you to get through that chat. Or just fast forward if you want to get righ…

Episode 36 – Allez Alsace! After a recent episode, Pete and VinoMike asked you, the listeners, about what regions you’d like to hear about. Rob Michaels answered the call by suggesting Alsace. The guys couldn’t wait to dig in! The wine for this episode comes from the iconic Alsatian estate, Trimbach. The Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2019 is fantastic. The …

Episode 35 – An Ode to Oregon There are fires raging up and down the west coast. Pete and VinoMike wanted to talk about the impact of these devastating fires on the wine industry in Oregon while sharing their love of the region. The wine for this special episode comes from one of their favorite small, family-owned estates – the 2012 Beckham “Dow’s”…

Episode 34 – A Bit of Burgundy There is so much to cover in Burgundy. Where to start? Pete and VinoMike decided to start with an entry-level red. Basic Burgundy. That’s right – “Ya basic.” They popped open a 2015 Aubert Lefas “Les Grandes Carelles” Bourgogne. This Craig Baker Selection offers the guys plenty to give you a red Burgundy primer. From …

Episode 33 – We’re Drinking F^#@&%! Merlot The weather is better. Pete and VinoMike are outside and, yes, they are drinking fucking Merlot! The guys couldn’t wait for this episode. Sixteen years after Sideways first hit the big screen, Merlot is still trying to recover from the famous, and misinterpreted, line from Miles. Pete and VinoMike talk abo…

Episode 32 – A GrüVe Kind of Show The weather is scorching and Pete and VinoMike need a bottle of white – stat! Thankfully, VinoMike had a 2013 Weingut Knoll“Ried Schütt” Smagard Grüner Veltliner just begging to be drunk. After some discussion of what education looks like in 2020, this wine prompts a long discussion about Austria’s famous white win…

Episode Notes Episode 31 – We Heart Chianti Pete and VinoMike often profess their love for Italian wine. In this episode, the duo heads to Tuscany to talk Chianti. To put this discussion in perspective, they dive into a bottle of 2016 Poggerino Chianti Classico. This is an incredible wine that offers insane value. Imported by their pal Paolo at Bei…

Episode Notes Episode 30 – Is “Clean” Wine Dirty? Pete and VinoMike ended episode 29 talking about the surge in “clean” wine thanks to the new offering from actress, Cameron Diaz, called Avaline. Well, the guys decided to try it while they talk about the entire “clean” wine movement. Let the shenanigans begin! Both Pete and VinoMike pull no punches…

Episode Notes Episode 29 – Celebrity Wines: Hot or Not? Pete and VinoMike decided to tackle the ever-expanding world of celebrity wines! Are these gems or duds? Are all celeb wines created equal? They decided to discuss celebrity wines because of this article from Esquire. To explore the topic, they first pop open a bottle of rosé from Post Malone …

Episode Notes Episode 28 – Hidden Gems After a week away, Pete and VinoMike are back! The reason for the off week was a death in Pete’s wife’s family. Gretchen’s Aunt Vicky – her Godmother – passed away suddenly. Pete spent a full week in Nebraska with her family being a supportive spouse. This show is dedicated to Aunt Vicky and we thank her for h…

Episode Notes Episode 27 – Who’s Down with DTC? Empathy Pete and VinoMike tackle a surging trend in the wine world – Direct-to-Consumer (DTC). The guys explain that this is basically a way for wineries to skip the three-tier system to get wine to customers directly. Can be great for wineries and wine drinkers. Maybe not so good for retailers or res…

Episode Notes Episode 26 – Let’s Be Franc Pete and VinoMike are back and answering a listener question they received on Facebook. Jennifer wanted to talk about affordable Cabernet Franc. And the guys will use any excuse to dive into some Cab Franc! VinoMike brought a special bottle from Chinon by Olga Raffault. A spectacular bottle for the money, t…

Episode Notes Episode 25 – Controversy and Turmoil in America’s Wine Industry Pete and VinoMike welcome back special guest, Dan Pilkey. Dan joined them on episode 11 to talk about the 2018 Court of Master Sommeliers exam scandal. Now, Dan is back with the guys to talk more about the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas (CMSA) and their slow response…

Episode Notes Episode 24 – Wine Enthusiast’s Top Retailers: Fact or Fiction? Pete and VinoMike analyze yet another set of lists from Wine Enthusiast – the Top 50 Retailers. But before they do, what’s in that bottle? The guys return to pink with the 2019 Domaine Lafage “Miraflors” Rosé. This wine is as good as ever with clean notes of citrus and min…

Episode Notes Episode 23 – Where Do I Start? Online Shopping Tips with David Dushkin Friend of the show, David Dushkin, reached out to Pete saying, “You and VinoMike should do a top 12 beginner wines to buy. Make a case for like $150.” Pete’s response, “I have an idea.” So, today, Pete and VinoMike talk to Dave about how to navigate buying a beginn…

Episode Notes Episode 22 – Let’s Talk Montsant The boys love to talk about finding new and exciting wines. Today, they have one for you from Montsant. After a brief geographical and history lesson, Pete and VinoMike dive into a bottle of 2016 Celler de Capçanes “Potente” red blend. The guys breakdown the blend, the flavors, and how much they love t…

Episode NotesEpisode 21 – Oh, Those Summer RedsQuarantine is coming to an end, and we couldn’t be happier. So, time to celebrate with some Summer Reds!VinoMike brought one of his absolute favorites for this episode – Turley Cinsault. This old-vine Cinsault is light, refreshing, and damn tasty. If you can find it, buy it!The guys talk about their fa…

Episode Notes Episode 20 – Quarantine Episode IV Pete and VinoMike are back and ready for Rosé! They kick it off by tasting the 2019 Deltetto “Suasì” Langhe Rosato. This 100% Nebbiolo is crisp, refreshing, complex, and super fun! The rest of the episode is all about the guys talking about Rosé. How is it made? What are their favorites? When do they…

Episode Notes Episode 19 – Quarantine Episode III Pete and VinoMike are making the best of the quanartime with another episode of TWP! This episode kicks off in the newly created outdoor studios, so the guys are back in person. The wine is their second from Andrew Jones – 2018 Fiction Red. Check it out and stock up because this one is fan-freaking-…

Episode Notes Episode 18 – Quarantine Episode II Pete and VinoMike are making the best of quaran-time with another episode of TWP! VinoMike dropped off a sanitized and properly distanced wine for Pete so they could taste the same vino. This special bottle came from listener @instevino_veritas. The wine is from a very small project called Aesop. The…