Wine Road Podcast: The Wine When and Where of Sonoma County

The Wine Road podcast, subtitled the Wine When and Where of Northern Sonoma County, is an amazing source for interesting stories, curated daytrip itineraries, wine recommendations, and so much more.

 

Birth of a Podcast

In 2016, when the Wine Road podcast started, there weren’t a lot of quality, professionally produced podcasts. But, Beth Costa, the Wine Road Executive Director, and Marcy Gordon, a freelance wine and travel writer based in Sonoma County, had the perfect chemistry and background to make this new podcast not only popular, but soon to be award-winning.

Within two years, The Wine When and Where of Northern Sonoma County won the Taste Award for Best Food/Drink podcast. The podcast has received this award three times, and in 2000, it was inducted into the Taste Awards Hall of Fame, acknowledging its valuable contribution to the world of food and drink.

 

Heart and Soul of the Podcast

Beth and Marcy, along with their brilliant sound engineer Richard Ross, are the heart of the podcast. The soul comes from the guests as they share their stories. Listeners are treated to a new guest each episode, with many of the guests being the people behind the wines. Winery owners, winemakers, tasting room managers, and more, tell their stories of how they got into the business, what makes their winery unique, or what they went through to get to where they are today.

 

A Few Highlights

With over 200 episodes to choose from, I consulted with Beth Costa, the podcast co-host, to help me narrow down which ones to highlight. Although she said they are all worth listening to, Beth did give me a few great options to focus on.

To get an in-depth view into a winery, you might start with the conversation with Elizabeth Miller from DaVero Farms & Winery in episode 209. Elizabeth’s enthusiasm and knowledge regarding DaVero will have you visiting there on your next trip along the Wine Road. And, you’ll definitely want to meet the resident pigs.

 

In episode 183, Erik Miller, owner and winemaker of Kokomo Winery, shared the story of his winemaking journey. He also introduced listeners to his newest adventure, Breaking Bread Wines, tasting three of his natural wines — Pet Nat, Al Dente and Cabernet Franc — with Beth and Marcy.

 

Landmark Episode

For the 200^th episode, Marcy, Beth and Richard reminisced about past guests and episode highlights. As the special guest, Richard shared stories about his work at Threshold Studios (his sound studio where the Wine Road podcast is recorded), his musical background, his band’s recordings, and his sound studio work with Peter Coyote, Ken Burns and many other well-known artists. Having known Richard for decades, I’d recommend you check out his Crystalline Dream recordings. Beth said it best, “Richard’s music takes you to a Zen zone where you’ll want to stay, or at least visit it over and over again.”

 

Itineraries

Northern Sonoma County has so many wonderful places to visit, sip and eat that it can be daunting for a visitor to narrow down the options. Several of the podcast episodes focus on itineraries that will give you the perfect day in Wine Country. Two recent episodes focused on three of the county’s enchanting small towns.

In Episode 212, Beth shared her expert advice on exploring Cloverdale (where she lives) and Geyserville. She recommended wineries to visit, places to eat and stay, activities, and where to get some unique gifts.

Sebastopol was the focus of Episode 208. This charming town offers great coffee shops, a place to explore the world of tea (my second favorite beverage) and what seem like endless dining options. Sebastopol is also the zip code of many excellent wineries like Balletto Vineyards, Dutton Estate, Russian River Vineyards and Dutton Goldfield.

 

Beyond Wine

The Wine Road podcast guests aren’t always from wineries. Gold Ridge Organic Farms owner and farmer Brooke Hazen shared his local agricultural offerings in Episode 189. His farm produces a variety of apples, apple cider syrup, vinegars, olive oils, and more. After listening to this episode, you’ll want to visit Gold Ridge Farms, located outside of Sebastopol, and stock up on all their offerings.

 

In episode 185, Beth was blown away by a new innovative product called Vinotastr. You might have read the blog about Vinotastr published last fall. The podcast is an interview with Dr. Henry Barham, an ENT physician, who along with his team, developed test strips that define the flavors you like and dislike. You read that right. There is a test kit that can help you define your wine palate preferences. Not only is it fun to find out your own palate preference, a Vinotastr kit is the perfect stocking stuffer for every wine lover in your circle of friends and family.

 

The Podcast’s Patron Saint

A few years ago, Beth decided that this popular bi-weekly podcast was costly to produce and not in the Wine Road’s budget. Beth reached out of Ron Rubin, the owner of River Road Family Vineyards and Winery, asking if he’d be interested in sponsoring the Wine Road podcast. In episode 207, Ron recaps his discovery of podcasts, which serendipitously took place shortly before Beth’s sponsorship request, and why he said yes to Beth.

Ron’s story is inspirational. He shares how he ended up in the wine world, and why it took him 40 years to fulfill his dream of owning his own winery. He also talks about his early career as a wine, liquor and beer distributor, purchasing The Republic of Tea, why he offers wineries free automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR training, having his winery become a Certified B Corporation, and so much more. If you’re not familiar with Ron’s innovative wine package, be sure to check out Blue Bin. I’ve tried all four of the Blue Bin wines, and each one is delicious and affordable.

A huge thank you to Ron Rubin and the folks at River Road Family Vineyards and Winery for keeping the Wine Road podcast on the air.

 

That’s a Wrap

Next time you want to listen to an informative and often humorous podcast about Sonoma County and our local wineries, check out another episode of the Wine When and Where of Northern Sonoma County. There is even a podcast with Beth and Marcy talking with me.

Happy Sipping!