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	<title>California Wine Country</title>
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	 <copyright>None</copyright>
				<googleplay:author>Steve Jaxon &amp; Dan Berger</googleplay:author>
		<itunes:author>Steve Jaxon &amp; Dan Berger</itunes:author>
		<itunes:summary>Podcast and Radio Show</itunes:summary>
				<googleplay:email>calwinecountry@gmail.com</googleplay:email>
			<googleplay:owner>calwinecountry@gmail.com</googleplay:owner>
			<itunes:owner>
		<itunes:name>Steve Jaxon &amp; Dan Berger</itunes:name>
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		<googleplay:explicit>No</googleplay:explicit>
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		<item>
		<title>Chigazola Merchants French Wines</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/chigazola-merchants-french-wines/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/chigazola-merchants-french-wines/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/chigazola-merchants-french-wines/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Don Chigazola is back with Chigazola Merchants French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The last time Don Chigazola was on CWC was this episode last January, with a selection of wines he imports from Italy. Today, we will taste Chigazola Merchants French wines, which Don has just begun to import. These wines come from a vineyard and winery called Domaine Tour Campanets, located about an hour north of Aix en Provence in a village called Les Puys. Don has brought five bottles, two whites, two Rosés and one red blend. The winemaker is Emanuelle Baude, the daughter of the family that bought the property decades ago. The first is a Rosé, made of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. We’ll hear a lot of those varietals today, since they make up a lot of the production in Provence. California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference! Chigazola Merchants French Wines Don Chigazola opened Chigazola Merchants 14 years ago after retiring from Med Tech. The regulatory process took 6 months, but he finally got federal and state licenses to import, distribute and retail wines from Europe. They have been importing wines from Italy for 13 years, including most of the well-known Italian varietals, from 12 of the 20 regions covered. They developed an interest in French wines when his wife Debbie tasted some French Roses. Now, Chigazola Merchants French wines are coming in through the same process they have for importing Italian wines. Dan says that this Rosé wine carries so much more of that tropical fruit plus spice component from the Grenache. The Syrah is there for flavor but not or intensity. Dan says that Grenache makes the best Rosé in Provence. It’s delicate but dry, loaded with flavor. Domaine Tour de Campanets There is a centuries-old tower on the property, Tour de Campanets means bell tower in Provençale French. The wines labeled Bois des Fées are their top quality production. Along with his wife and son, Don travels to meet the producers and visit the wineries. The don’t import from a producer unless they walk the vineyards and get to know the family. The other Rosé is…]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[Don Chigazola is back with Chigazola Merchants French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The last time Don Chigazola was on CWC was this episode last January, with a selection of wines he imports from Italy. Today, we will taste Chigazola Merchants French wines, which Don has just begun to import. These wines come from a vineyard and winery called Domaine Tour Campanets, located about an hour north of Aix en Provence in a village called Les Puys. Don has brought five bottles, two whites, two Rosés and one red blend. The winemaker is Emanuelle Baude, the daughter of the family that bought the property decades ago. The first is a Rosé, made of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. We’ll hear a lot of those varietals today, since they make up a lot of the production in Provence. California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference! Chigazola Merchants French Wines Don Chigazola opened Chigazola Merchants 14 years ago after retiring from Med Tech. The regulatory process took 6 months, but he finally got federal and state licenses to import, distribute and retail wines from Europe. They have been importing wines from Italy for 13 years, including most of the well-known Italian varietals, from 12 of the 20 regions covered. They developed an interest in French wines when his wife Debbie tasted some French Roses. Now, Chigazola Merchants French wines are coming in through the same process they have for importing Italian wines. Dan says that this Rosé wine carries so much more of that tropical fruit plus spice component from the Grenache. The Syrah is there for flavor but not or intensity. Dan says that Grenache makes the best Rosé in Provence. It’s delicate but dry, loaded with flavor. Domaine Tour de Campanets There is a centuries-old tower on the property, Tour de Campanets means bell tower in Provençale French. The wines labeled Bois des Fées are their top quality production. Along with his wife and son, Don travels to meet the producers and visit the wineries. The don’t import from a producer unless they walk the vineyards and get to know the family. The other Rosé is…]]></content:encoded>
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				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Don Chigazola is back with Chigazola Merchants French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The last time Don Chigazola was on CWC was this episode last January, with a selection of wines he imports from Italy. Today, we will taste Chigazola Merchants French wines, which Don has just begun to import. These wines come from a vineyard and winery called Domaine Tour Campanets, located about an hour north of Aix en Provence in a village called Les Puys. Don has brought five bottles, two whites, two Rosés and one red blend. The winemaker is Emanuelle Baude, the daughter of the family that bought the property decades ago. The first is a Rosé, made of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. We’ll hear a lot of those varietals today, since they make up a lot of the production in Provence. California Wine Country is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that produce exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference! Chigazola Merchants French Wines Don Chigazola opened Chigazola Merchants 14 years ago after retiring from Med Tech. The regulatory process took 6 months, but he finally got federal and state licenses to import, distribute and retail wines from Europe. They have been importing wines from Italy for 13 years, including most of the well-known Italian varietals, from 12 of the 20 regions covered. They developed an interest in French wines when his wife Debbie tasted some French Roses. Now, Chigazola Merchants French wines are coming in through the same process they have for importing Italian wines. Dan says that this Rosé wine carries so much more of that tropical fruit plus spice component from the Grenache. The Syrah is there for flavor but not or intensity. Dan says that Grenache makes the best Rosé in Provence. It’s delicate but dry, loaded with flavor. Domaine Tour de Campanets There is a centuries-old tower on the property, Tour de Campanets means bell tower in Provençale French. The wines labeled Bois des Fées are their top quality production. Along with his wife and son, Don travels to meet the producers and visit the wineries. The don’t import from a producer unless they walk the vineyards and get to know the family. The other Rosé is…]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>Don Chigazola is back with Chigazola Merchants French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The la</itunes:summary>
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		<itunes:duration>00:44:22</itunes:duration>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Bottle Barn Picks Showing New Trends, with Dan Berger</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/bottle-barn-picks-showing-new-trends-with-dan-berger/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/bottle-barn-picks-showing-new-trends-with-dan-berger/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/bottle-barn-picks-showing-new-trends-with-dan-berger/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have a selection of Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new direction. Dan Berger is our weekly co-host and has also been featured on the show, such as this episode about Gamay Beaujolais. Many younger consumers are looking for something different. Instead of dwelling on doom and gloom because of low sales, there is an opportunity to reset the industry and to rethink things. As consumers change, the industry needs to adapt to changing tastes and provide more variety. Dan calls it a Return to Reality. So, for example, we have seen a rebirth of Chenin Blanc in the last 10 years. Barry Herbst, wine buyer at Bottle Barn, makes sure that the store has lots of choices for people looking for something new. ++++ CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference ! ++++ Esporão, Assyrtyko and Pigato The first taste is Esporão, a Portuguese white wine made in the style of Chardonnay. It is aged in wood, but delicately. It has only 13.5% ABV. The region is near the Atlantic Ocean in a cool area. It’s a 2020 and still fresh. It was $30 at first release, but now it is $12.99. The wine has the aging that it needs, it’s ready to drink. The next tasting is a 2024 Assyrtyko. It is a Greek grape that grows primarily in Greece. But this one is from Jim Barry Wines in Claire Valley in Australia. It sells for about $24 at Bottle Barn. Dan thinks the next wave of interest in wine will not be from collectors. There will have to be more diversity in the choices of wines, varieties and origins. Wine today is better than it has ever been around the world, because of better grape growing and better technology. Then they taste a 2024 Pigato from Liguria from the Durin label. It has some lemon blossom in the aroma. It’s delicious and has a lot of personality. Pigato only grows in Italy in Piedmont and Liguria, both are cool climates. Wine makers need to plant grapes like Pigato here in California. Pithos…]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[We have a selection of Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new direction. Dan Berger is our weekly co-host and has also been featured on the show, such as this episode about Gamay Beaujolais. Many younger consumers are looking for something different. Instead of dwelling on doom and gloom because of low sales, there is an opportunity to reset the industry and to rethink things. As consumers change, the industry needs to adapt to changing tastes and provide more variety. Dan calls it a Return to Reality. So, for example, we have seen a rebirth of Chenin Blanc in the last 10 years. Barry Herbst, wine buyer at Bottle Barn, makes sure that the store has lots of choices for people looking for something new. ++++ CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference ! ++++ Esporão, Assyrtyko and Pigato The first taste is Esporão, a Portuguese white wine made in the style of Chardonnay. It is aged in wood, but delicately. It has only 13.5% ABV. The region is near the Atlantic Ocean in a cool area. It’s a 2020 and still fresh. It was $30 at first release, but now it is $12.99. The wine has the aging that it needs, it’s ready to drink. The next tasting is a 2024 Assyrtyko. It is a Greek grape that grows primarily in Greece. But this one is from Jim Barry Wines in Claire Valley in Australia. It sells for about $24 at Bottle Barn. Dan thinks the next wave of interest in wine will not be from collectors. There will have to be more diversity in the choices of wines, varieties and origins. Wine today is better than it has ever been around the world, because of better grape growing and better technology. Then they taste a 2024 Pigato from Liguria from the Durin label. It has some lemon blossom in the aroma. It’s delicious and has a lot of personality. Pigato only grows in Italy in Piedmont and Liguria, both are cool climates. Wine makers need to plant grapes like Pigato here in California. Pithos…]]></content:encoded>
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				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[We have a selection of Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new direction. Dan Berger is our weekly co-host and has also been featured on the show, such as this episode about Gamay Beaujolais. Many younger consumers are looking for something different. Instead of dwelling on doom and gloom because of low sales, there is an opportunity to reset the industry and to rethink things. As consumers change, the industry needs to adapt to changing tastes and provide more variety. Dan calls it a Return to Reality. So, for example, we have seen a rebirth of Chenin Blanc in the last 10 years. Barry Herbst, wine buyer at Bottle Barn, makes sure that the store has lots of choices for people looking for something new. ++++ CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference ! ++++ Esporão, Assyrtyko and Pigato The first taste is Esporão, a Portuguese white wine made in the style of Chardonnay. It is aged in wood, but delicately. It has only 13.5% ABV. The region is near the Atlantic Ocean in a cool area. It’s a 2020 and still fresh. It was $30 at first release, but now it is $12.99. The wine has the aging that it needs, it’s ready to drink. The next tasting is a 2024 Assyrtyko. It is a Greek grape that grows primarily in Greece. But this one is from Jim Barry Wines in Claire Valley in Australia. It sells for about $24 at Bottle Barn. Dan thinks the next wave of interest in wine will not be from collectors. There will have to be more diversity in the choices of wines, varieties and origins. Wine today is better than it has ever been around the world, because of better grape growing and better technology. Then they taste a 2024 Pigato from Liguria from the Durin label. It has some lemon blossom in the aroma. It’s delicious and has a lot of personality. Pigato only grows in Italy in Piedmont and Liguria, both are cool climates. Wine makers need to plant grapes like Pigato here in California. Pithos…]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>We have a selection of Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new</itunes:summary>
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		<itunes:duration>00:35:44</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Ludor Wines winemaker Sal de la Cruz</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/ludor-wines-winemaker-sal-de-la-cruz/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/ludor-wines-winemaker-sal-de-la-cruz/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2026 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/ludor-wines-winemaker-sal-de-la-cruz/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sal de la Cruz from Ludor Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. They begin by tasting a red wine blend called Yuma, named after their beloved nine-year-old dog, who is on the label. It’s a very casual wine, delicious and fruity. Dan says that this is the modern era of red wine. “Drink it soon,” but it is authentic to the fruit. It is similar to Beaujolais but with better grapes. The Merlot character is right up front, and it has beautiful other nuances of black fruit. It is in a clear bottle. They wanted to show the color and break the boundaries of a traditionally dark glass. Since it isn’t meant for long aging, the clear glass is fine. It was just bottled three months ago. This is a great picnic wine, declares Daedalus. It got no wood, all made in stainless steel and unfiltered. “It feels like the French countryside,” says Daedalus and Dan agrees. The Ludor Wines 2024 Merlot Next they taste the 2024 Merlot. “This is serious stuff,” says Dan. Their vineyard has two kinds of soil, a clay loam and a sandy rocky soil. They planted it in the mid-’90s and they have been farming it for the last 25 years. Sal has been working there since he was a kid. They know the land very well. Sal says they do all the touches on all of their wines, meaning they farm it, they make it and they bottle it. Then they try to educate people about it. The name Ludor comes from his mother’s great grandmother. The family has a history in farming, mostly corn, beans and squash. (Those are the “three sisters” of native American agriculture.) ***** CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  ***** The Ludor Wines 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon The next wine to taste is a 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon from the same property, the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. The vineyard is on the valley floor. It spent about 17 months in French oak before bottling. Dan says you can…]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[Sal de la Cruz from Ludor Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. They begin by tasting a red wine blend called Yuma, named after their beloved nine-year-old dog, who is on the label. It’s a very casual wine, delicious and fruity. Dan says that this is the modern era of red wine. “Drink it soon,” but it is authentic to the fruit. It is similar to Beaujolais but with better grapes. The Merlot character is right up front, and it has beautiful other nuances of black fruit. It is in a clear bottle. They wanted to show the color and break the boundaries of a traditionally dark glass. Since it isn’t meant for long aging, the clear glass is fine. It was just bottled three months ago. This is a great picnic wine, declares Daedalus. It got no wood, all made in stainless steel and unfiltered. “It feels like the French countryside,” says Daedalus and Dan agrees. The Ludor Wines 2024 Merlot Next they taste the 2024 Merlot. “This is serious stuff,” says Dan. Their vineyard has two kinds of soil, a clay loam and a sandy rocky soil. They planted it in the mid-’90s and they have been farming it for the last 25 years. Sal has been working there since he was a kid. They know the land very well. Sal says they do all the touches on all of their wines, meaning they farm it, they make it and they bottle it. Then they try to educate people about it. The name Ludor comes from his mother’s great grandmother. The family has a history in farming, mostly corn, beans and squash. (Those are the “three sisters” of native American agriculture.) ***** CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  ***** The Ludor Wines 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon The next wine to taste is a 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon from the same property, the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. The vineyard is on the valley floor. It spent about 17 months in French oak before bottling. Dan says you can…]]></content:encoded>
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				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Sal de la Cruz from Ludor Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. They begin by tasting a red wine blend called Yuma, named after their beloved nine-year-old dog, who is on the label. It’s a very casual wine, delicious and fruity. Dan says that this is the modern era of red wine. “Drink it soon,” but it is authentic to the fruit. It is similar to Beaujolais but with better grapes. The Merlot character is right up front, and it has beautiful other nuances of black fruit. It is in a clear bottle. They wanted to show the color and break the boundaries of a traditionally dark glass. Since it isn’t meant for long aging, the clear glass is fine. It was just bottled three months ago. This is a great picnic wine, declares Daedalus. It got no wood, all made in stainless steel and unfiltered. “It feels like the French countryside,” says Daedalus and Dan agrees. The Ludor Wines 2024 Merlot Next they taste the 2024 Merlot. “This is serious stuff,” says Dan. Their vineyard has two kinds of soil, a clay loam and a sandy rocky soil. They planted it in the mid-’90s and they have been farming it for the last 25 years. Sal has been working there since he was a kid. They know the land very well. Sal says they do all the touches on all of their wines, meaning they farm it, they make it and they bottle it. Then they try to educate people about it. The name Ludor comes from his mother’s great grandmother. The family has a history in farming, mostly corn, beans and squash. (Those are the “three sisters” of native American agriculture.) ***** CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  ***** The Ludor Wines 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon The next wine to taste is a 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon from the same property, the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. The vineyard is on the valley floor. It spent about 17 months in French oak before bottling. Dan says you can…]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>Sal de la Cruz from Ludor Wines joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in th</itunes:summary>
		<googleplay:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/05/01232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400981360-150x150.jpg" />
	<itunes:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/05/01232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400981360-150x150.jpg" />
		<itunes:duration>00:37:56</itunes:duration>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Carol Shelton Gold Medal Winners</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/carol-shelton-gold-medal-winners/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/carol-shelton-gold-medal-winners/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/carol-shelton-gold-medal-winners/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label, Carol Shelton Wines. She has been on the show several times and her very first episode was this one in December of 2017. Dan explains that Carol always does extremely well in wine competitions. “Gold medal, gold medal…” says Dan, and he says it’s because she uses fruit that she knows and elevates it every single vintage. The Wild Thing Zinfandel is the wine she is most known for. She started making it back when she was at Windsor Vineyards. It is a wild yeast fermentation, and it is organically grown. Without pesticides, the wild yeast grow on the skins of the grapes without any damage or weakness, so she can count on them to do the fermentation all the way through. The wine is “smooth and polished and long and slurpy,” she says. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  Wild Thing Zinfandel Dan calls it silky and elegant, with good acidity and perfectly balanced. It has a little Carignane (14%) blended in, and a little Petit Syrah (7 or 8 %). This wine just got 94 points and a Gold Medal at the North Coast Wine Challenge. She won a total of 8 gold medals and two double golds, and one was a best in class. The half bottles are 375 ml. During the first decades of Carol’s career she worked for Windsor Winery and produced a lot of excellent wines. Dan got to know here when he was writing about the winery’s direct-to-consumer program, which was a new process then. She produced 200,000 cases a year of 48 different wines. “Everything was exemplary,” says Dan. Carol is one of the first women to get an Enology degree at UC Davis. In the early years she remembers there were about ten or fifteen women winemakers. She noticed more and more until today there are about sixty or eighty. She belongs to a roundtable of women in wine that meets monthly. Albini Zinfandel The second wine they taste is the 2023 Albini Zin, grown in Windsor. The vineyard is not old vines, it is only about 35 years old. She and…]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label, Carol Shelton Wines. She has been on the show several times and her very first episode was this one in December of 2017. Dan explains that Carol always does extremely well in wine competitions. “Gold medal, gold medal…” says Dan, and he says it’s because she uses fruit that she knows and elevates it every single vintage. The Wild Thing Zinfandel is the wine she is most known for. She started making it back when she was at Windsor Vineyards. It is a wild yeast fermentation, and it is organically grown. Without pesticides, the wild yeast grow on the skins of the grapes without any damage or weakness, so she can count on them to do the fermentation all the way through. The wine is “smooth and polished and long and slurpy,” she says. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  Wild Thing Zinfandel Dan calls it silky and elegant, with good acidity and perfectly balanced. It has a little Carignane (14%) blended in, and a little Petit Syrah (7 or 8 %). This wine just got 94 points and a Gold Medal at the North Coast Wine Challenge. She won a total of 8 gold medals and two double golds, and one was a best in class. The half bottles are 375 ml. During the first decades of Carol’s career she worked for Windsor Winery and produced a lot of excellent wines. Dan got to know here when he was writing about the winery’s direct-to-consumer program, which was a new process then. She produced 200,000 cases a year of 48 different wines. “Everything was exemplary,” says Dan. Carol is one of the first women to get an Enology degree at UC Davis. In the early years she remembers there were about ten or fifteen women winemakers. She noticed more and more until today there are about sixty or eighty. She belongs to a roundtable of women in wine that meets monthly. Albini Zinfandel The second wine they taste is the 2023 Albini Zin, grown in Windsor. The vineyard is not old vines, it is only about 35 years old. She and…]]></content:encoded>
		<wfw:commentRss><![CDATA[https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/carol-shelton-gold-medal-winners/feed/]]></wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label, Carol Shelton Wines. She has been on the show several times and her very first episode was this one in December of 2017. Dan explains that Carol always does extremely well in wine competitions. “Gold medal, gold medal…” says Dan, and he says it’s because she uses fruit that she knows and elevates it every single vintage. The Wild Thing Zinfandel is the wine she is most known for. She started making it back when she was at Windsor Vineyards. It is a wild yeast fermentation, and it is organically grown. Without pesticides, the wild yeast grow on the skins of the grapes without any damage or weakness, so she can count on them to do the fermentation all the way through. The wine is “smooth and polished and long and slurpy,” she says. CWC is brought to you by Deodora Estate Vineyards. Visit Deodora to discover 72 acres in the Petaluma Gap that are producing exceptional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sip the difference!  Wild Thing Zinfandel Dan calls it silky and elegant, with good acidity and perfectly balanced. It has a little Carignane (14%) blended in, and a little Petit Syrah (7 or 8 %). This wine just got 94 points and a Gold Medal at the North Coast Wine Challenge. She won a total of 8 gold medals and two double golds, and one was a best in class. The half bottles are 375 ml. During the first decades of Carol’s career she worked for Windsor Winery and produced a lot of excellent wines. Dan got to know here when he was writing about the winery’s direct-to-consumer program, which was a new process then. She produced 200,000 cases a year of 48 different wines. “Everything was exemplary,” says Dan. Carol is one of the first women to get an Enology degree at UC Davis. In the early years she remembers there were about ten or fifteen women winemakers. She noticed more and more until today there are about sixty or eighty. She belongs to a roundtable of women in wine that meets monthly. Albini Zinfandel The second wine they taste is the 2023 Albini Zin, grown in Windsor. The vineyard is not old vines, it is only about 35 years old. She and…]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label, Carol Shelton Wines. She has been on the show several times and her very f</itunes:summary>
		<googleplay:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/04/24232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400367138-150x150.jpg" />
	<itunes:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/04/24232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400367138-150x150.jpg" />
		<itunes:duration>00:45:57</itunes:duration>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Martinelli Winery with Chris Sawyer and Courtney Wagner</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/martinelli-winery-with-chris-sawyer-and-courtney-wagner/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/martinelli-winery-with-chris-sawyer-and-courtney-wagner/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/martinelli-winery-with-chris-sawyer-and-courtney-wagner/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at Martinelli Winery. Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners Pour and Explore event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. He has been in the wine business locally since the 1970s and has seen its growth. Courtney Wagner is the winemaker for Martinelli Winery. They specialize in wines from the old vines on their property. Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli settled in Forestville in the late 1880s. When they arrived and got the property, the Jackass Vineyard was already there. It is on a 60% slope which makes it maybe the steepest grade of a vineyard in the country. The Martinelli website has lots of images and videos of the vineyard. Dry Farmed for Decades The vines have been dry-farmed for decades. They start to get good after 40 years. That’s quite different than Cabernet vines that only last about 40 years. Courtney Wagner followed a path into winemaking that began with studying music in high school. Then she thought of studying nutrition. Food science at Cal Poly led to wine. Chris Sawyer remembers the farmers market in San Luis Obispo on Thursdays. Courtney had a professor who suggested she work a harvest, to see if she really wanted to do that. She stayed with her grandparents in Napa and was able to work at Artesa. Chris thinks that they are making the best sparking wines in California now. Courtney has made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay everywhere she has been a winemaker. She did 32 different varietals at Wild Horse. Chris Sawyer remembers Sonoma County in the late ’70s and ’80s. Some of the innovators were starting Pinot Noir then, but Zinfandel was already well-established. Conditions can vary a lot from year to year, and so does the wine. 2022 was a hot year, and their last day of picking in 2022 was the first day of picking in 2023. They were worried that their foreign interns’ visas would expire before harvest was done. Because of that cold weather, these wines will age very well. The 2023 Bondi Pinot Noir is nice now, but it has the potential to be great up to 15 years in the future.     ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at Martinelli Winery. Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners Pour and Explore event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. He has been in the wine business locally since the 1970s and has seen its growth. Courtney Wagner is the winemaker for Martinelli Winery. They specialize in wines from the old vines on their property. Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli settled in Forestville in the late 1880s. When they arrived and got the property, the Jackass Vineyard was already there. It is on a 60% slope which makes it maybe the steepest grade of a vineyard in the country. The Martinelli website has lots of images and videos of the vineyard. Dry Farmed for Decades The vines have been dry-farmed for decades. They start to get good after 40 years. That’s quite different than Cabernet vines that only last about 40 years. Courtney Wagner followed a path into winemaking that began with studying music in high school. Then she thought of studying nutrition. Food science at Cal Poly led to wine. Chris Sawyer remembers the farmers market in San Luis Obispo on Thursdays. Courtney had a professor who suggested she work a harvest, to see if she really wanted to do that. She stayed with her grandparents in Napa and was able to work at Artesa. Chris thinks that they are making the best sparking wines in California now. Courtney has made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay everywhere she has been a winemaker. She did 32 different varietals at Wild Horse. Chris Sawyer remembers Sonoma County in the late ’70s and ’80s. Some of the innovators were starting Pinot Noir then, but Zinfandel was already well-established. Conditions can vary a lot from year to year, and so does the wine. 2022 was a hot year, and their last day of picking in 2022 was the first day of picking in 2023. They were worried that their foreign interns’ visas would expire before harvest was done. Because of that cold weather, these wines will age very well. The 2023 Bondi Pinot Noir is nice now, but it has the potential to be great up to 15 years in the future.     ]]></content:encoded>
		<wfw:commentRss><![CDATA[https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/martinelli-winery-with-chris-sawyer-and-courtney-wagner/feed/]]></wfw:commentRss>
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	<media:title type="plain">df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400474506</media:title>
				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at Martinelli Winery. Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners Pour and Explore event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. He has been in the wine business locally since the 1970s and has seen its growth. Courtney Wagner is the winemaker for Martinelli Winery. They specialize in wines from the old vines on their property. Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli settled in Forestville in the late 1880s. When they arrived and got the property, the Jackass Vineyard was already there. It is on a 60% slope which makes it maybe the steepest grade of a vineyard in the country. The Martinelli website has lots of images and videos of the vineyard. Dry Farmed for Decades The vines have been dry-farmed for decades. They start to get good after 40 years. That’s quite different than Cabernet vines that only last about 40 years. Courtney Wagner followed a path into winemaking that began with studying music in high school. Then she thought of studying nutrition. Food science at Cal Poly led to wine. Chris Sawyer remembers the farmers market in San Luis Obispo on Thursdays. Courtney had a professor who suggested she work a harvest, to see if she really wanted to do that. She stayed with her grandparents in Napa and was able to work at Artesa. Chris thinks that they are making the best sparking wines in California now. Courtney has made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay everywhere she has been a winemaker. She did 32 different varietals at Wild Horse. Chris Sawyer remembers Sonoma County in the late ’70s and ’80s. Some of the innovators were starting Pinot Noir then, but Zinfandel was already well-established. Conditions can vary a lot from year to year, and so does the wine. 2022 was a hot year, and their last day of picking in 2022 was the first day of picking in 2023. They were worried that their foreign interns’ visas would expire before harvest was done. Because of that cold weather, these wines will age very well. The 2023 Bondi Pinot Noir is nice now, but it has the potential to be great up to 15 years in the future.     ]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at Martinelli Winery. Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners Pour and Explore event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noi</itunes:summary>
		<googleplay:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/04/17232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400474506-150x150.jpg" />
	<itunes:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/04/17232300/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400474506-150x150.jpg" />
		<itunes:duration>00:43:58</itunes:duration>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>Erica Stancliffe, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker</title>
		<link>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/erica-stancliffe-deodora-estate-vineyards-winemaker/</link>
		<comments>https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/erica-stancliffe-deodora-estate-vineyards-winemaker/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:28:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[The Drive 95.5]]></dc:creator>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedrive955.com/episode/erica-stancliffe-deodora-estate-vineyards-winemaker/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Erica Stancliff, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was this episode on February 20, 2019 and her last time was May 23, 2025 with Doug Mryglod and Judy Phillips, the owners of Deodora Estate Vineyards. The Artemis II crew just splashed down off the coast of San Diego just this minute, as the show is being recorded live, so we toast with some great Riesling. The wine they are tasting is the 2019 made by her friend Ashley Holland who was the first winemaker at Deodora, and who taught her that Riesling from Petaluma Gap could be gorgeous, aromatic, age-worthy and not sweet. Dan explains that you have to pick the fruit early enough to get the structure that will age well. The 2023 vintage represents Ashley passing the torch to Erica, who took over as winemaker that year at Deodora. 2023 was a cold year. 2023 was very cold on the Sonoma Coast, which made it a great vintage. Erica explains that the colder growing season is longer and that favors greater phenolic ripeness. Things need time to develop and if it is not so hot that you have to pick to keep the sugars from taking over, you have a chance for more interesting flavors. As the sugar comes in with ripeness, the acid drops. You don’t want too much of either one. But the phenolic compounds will provide flavors that may fall into balance. You can add a small amount of water to manage the alcohol content at the right time. Erica compares that to putting a little bit of water in the sauce while you’re cooking it. There are other additives in the winemaker’s toolkit, like yeast, which some winemakers need, especially in a wet year. They actually use grape skins to feed the yeast. After the two Rieslings, they will taste the 2018 early cask Pinot Noir. Erica was president of the Petaluma Gap wine growers’ alliance for a few years. In Petaluma Gap it is all about the wind. Dan explains that the Pacific Ocean has a wall of cold that is different than the Atlantic. The Petaluma Gap’s winds are persistent and not as strong as other places where geologic features increase the wind. The wind is regular but slow enough. Primordial Buds David Ramey…]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[Erica Stancliff, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was this episode on February 20, 2019 and her last time was May 23, 2025 with Doug Mryglod and Judy Phillips, the owners of Deodora Estate Vineyards. The Artemis II crew just splashed down off the coast of San Diego just this minute, as the show is being recorded live, so we toast with some great Riesling. The wine they are tasting is the 2019 made by her friend Ashley Holland who was the first winemaker at Deodora, and who taught her that Riesling from Petaluma Gap could be gorgeous, aromatic, age-worthy and not sweet. Dan explains that you have to pick the fruit early enough to get the structure that will age well. The 2023 vintage represents Ashley passing the torch to Erica, who took over as winemaker that year at Deodora. 2023 was a cold year. 2023 was very cold on the Sonoma Coast, which made it a great vintage. Erica explains that the colder growing season is longer and that favors greater phenolic ripeness. Things need time to develop and if it is not so hot that you have to pick to keep the sugars from taking over, you have a chance for more interesting flavors. As the sugar comes in with ripeness, the acid drops. You don’t want too much of either one. But the phenolic compounds will provide flavors that may fall into balance. You can add a small amount of water to manage the alcohol content at the right time. Erica compares that to putting a little bit of water in the sauce while you’re cooking it. There are other additives in the winemaker’s toolkit, like yeast, which some winemakers need, especially in a wet year. They actually use grape skins to feed the yeast. After the two Rieslings, they will taste the 2018 early cask Pinot Noir. Erica was president of the Petaluma Gap wine growers’ alliance for a few years. In Petaluma Gap it is all about the wind. Dan explains that the Pacific Ocean has a wall of cold that is different than the Atlantic. The Petaluma Gap’s winds are persistent and not as strong as other places where geologic features increase the wind. The wind is regular but slow enough. Primordial Buds David Ramey…]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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	<media:title type="plain">df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400413777</media:title>
				<googleplay:author>The Drive 95.5</googleplay:author>
	<itunes:author>The Drive 95.5</itunes:author>
	<itunes:season></itunes:season>
   <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
	<googleplay:description><![CDATA[Erica Stancliff, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was this episode on February 20, 2019 and her last time was May 23, 2025 with Doug Mryglod and Judy Phillips, the owners of Deodora Estate Vineyards. The Artemis II crew just splashed down off the coast of San Diego just this minute, as the show is being recorded live, so we toast with some great Riesling. The wine they are tasting is the 2019 made by her friend Ashley Holland who was the first winemaker at Deodora, and who taught her that Riesling from Petaluma Gap could be gorgeous, aromatic, age-worthy and not sweet. Dan explains that you have to pick the fruit early enough to get the structure that will age well. The 2023 vintage represents Ashley passing the torch to Erica, who took over as winemaker that year at Deodora. 2023 was a cold year. 2023 was very cold on the Sonoma Coast, which made it a great vintage. Erica explains that the colder growing season is longer and that favors greater phenolic ripeness. Things need time to develop and if it is not so hot that you have to pick to keep the sugars from taking over, you have a chance for more interesting flavors. As the sugar comes in with ripeness, the acid drops. You don’t want too much of either one. But the phenolic compounds will provide flavors that may fall into balance. You can add a small amount of water to manage the alcohol content at the right time. Erica compares that to putting a little bit of water in the sauce while you’re cooking it. There are other additives in the winemaker’s toolkit, like yeast, which some winemakers need, especially in a wet year. They actually use grape skins to feed the yeast. After the two Rieslings, they will taste the 2018 early cask Pinot Noir. Erica was president of the Petaluma Gap wine growers’ alliance for a few years. In Petaluma Gap it is all about the wind. Dan explains that the Pacific Ocean has a wall of cold that is different than the Atlantic. The Petaluma Gap’s winds are persistent and not as strong as other places where geologic features increase the wind. The wind is regular but slow enough. Primordial Buds David Ramey…]]></googleplay:description>
	<itunes:summary>Erica Stancliff, Deodora Estate Vineyards winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was this episode on February 20, 2019 and her last time was May 2</itunes:summary>
		<googleplay:image href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1763/2026/04/10122826/df1ee228-9209-4d41-b621-643584ab45bb_1400413777-150x150.jpg" />
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		<itunes:duration>00:46:45</itunes:duration>
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