"There's a time when a vineyard becomes of a certain age where we're not actually drinking varietals anymore—we're drinking place. The vines are part of the soil, they're part of the land, and they're telling the story of where they grow." – Marelise Niemann

While her neighbors fuss over Chenin Blanc and Pinotage, Marelise Niemann has spent her professional wine career on a crusade for Grenache in South Africa. There is no grape more bright, more elegant, and more properly suited for the hot, dry climate of the Western Cape, she believes. And, when a rare old Grenache vine is found, it has an uncanny ability to transmute the unique character of the world's most ancient soils. To farm these vineyards among the prehistoric Koppies of the Paardeberg is breathtaking, a feeling, she says, that never gets old.

In this week's episode with Skurnik's Ambassador to the World, Desiree Russo, Marelise makes her pitch for Grenache—for more farmers to grow it, more winemakers to make it, and more drinkers to drink it. Together, they taste her Momento Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir, plus an exceedingly rare single-varietal Tinta Barocca.

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“Everything in nature is balanced. Everything. The only thing unbalanced is the human being, and the problem is the ego. Every producer should take a step back, two steps back, maybe ten.” – Andrea Sottimano

To Andrea Sottimano, wine is not about the winemaker. It isn’t even about the grape—it’s about using both winemaker and grape to express soil. When all things are equal, from farming to lab to cellar practices, the differences that emerge indicate differences of terroir, even at a distance as little as 200 meters. The distinct Cottá, Currá, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin crus that he farms in the Neive and Treiso townships of Piedmont speak for themselves.

In this week’s episode, Andrea explains how he was able to elevate his family’s wines by only changing the farming, and how a culture of putting friendship over competition makes Piedmont an outlier among the great wine regions of the world. He also makes a case for making wine more affordable and accessible, and tells the story behind the cult favorite Maté, a singular expression of dry, still Brachetto from the vineyard closest to his estate.

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“It seems that every five years or so, whiskey prices take a bump, so people say, 'Oh, let’s get into Armagnac.' And they buy a number of Armagnacs, but they eventually go back to whiskey again. The question is, why do they do that, and what can Armagnac do to retain that customer?” – Charles Neal

Like Champagne, a handful of big houses dominate Cognac. Also like Champagne, it's the small, independent producers that offer more compelling expressions—and they have better stories to tell. Charles Neal has devoted his life to telling those stories.

As a young man, he was enchanted by life in his wife's hometown, in the heart of France's Armagnac region, where her family ran a small restaurant. His father-in-law introduced him to Armagnac, and his fascination with the French brandy tradition led him to discover Cognac and Calvados. To date, he has compiled hundreds of interviews with multi-generational grower-producers and published thousands of pages across several comprehensive books on the subject. To many, he is known simply as Armagnac Man.

In this week's episode, Skurnik's Spirits Portfolio Director Adam Schuman and his good friend Charles retrace their well-worn path from the Bas-Armagnac to the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, sharing anecdotes about the paysans and lessons about the spirits along the way. They discuss the history and methods that make a small cohort of French brandies among the most exquisite and—for those in the know—the most criminally undervalued distillates in the world.

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“Apples were actually a big part of our history as New York State and as a colony before that. We like to, in our own way, continue that tradition in just a small way, to showcase the wonderful things that grow in New York State.” – Yoni Rabino

Yoni Rabino and Noah Braunstein describe Neversink Spirits as a pan-New York company. From the Finger Lakes to the Catskills to the Lower Hudson Valley, the two lifelong friends source the state's most iconic orchard fruit to make a range of apple-based distillates, including brandy, eau-de-vie, an aperitif, and even a gin. Their obsession with distilling and apples communicate an unmistakable appreciation for history and craft; Yoni likens eau-de-vie to wine for its transparent expression of terroir and purity of fruit.

In this week's episode, Yoni and Noah discuss their evolution from hobbyists to professionals and tell the stories behind their bird-inspired lineup. And as the leaves turn and the sun sets sooner, they share their favorite seasonal cocktails for autumn.

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"Giving meaning to what we pour is really important because otherwise it's just liquid. And this is not only for spirits—this is more like a lifestyle. You've got to give meaning to everything that you do so it feels special, because once you have the picture of the person, once you know the name, it doesn't taste the same—it actually tastes better." – José María Dondé Rangel

For our final installment celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Skurnik's expert on Mexican distillates Justin Lane Briggs sits down with José María “Chema” Dondé Rangel, the visionary founder of Panorama Mezcal. Chema details his journey through New York hospitality, moving from a self-described "bus burro," to barbacking at The Dutch, training under Shingo Gokan at the legendary Angel's Share, and throwing underground parties in early 2010s Williamsburg to celebrate Mexican culture through mezcal.

Over glasses of Lamata, La Medida, and Gusto Histórico, Chema and Justin explore the cultural imprint of the mezcal boom on Puebla York. They discuss mezcal's rise in the NYC bar scene and the shifting market power between big celebrity-owned brands and the small, independent, hyper-artesanal producers, like those represented by Skurnik. They also discuss how Panorama Mezcal balances spirits education and appreciation with fun, as corruption, consolidation, and commodification threaten the rustic purity that made mezcal a treasured product in the first place.

Today marks the beginning of Sotol Week, an annual festival hosted by Panorama Mezcal to celebrate a lesser-known Mexican distillate from the sotol plant. You can find a map of participating establishments and a schedule of events at www.panoramamezcal.com

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“Every year, the terroir is changing, and we, ourselves, are changing. I’m sure that the Federico of 2026 is not the same Federico as 2022. It’s a way to see ourselves in time, our different vintages. It’s an incredible thing. It’s the magic of wine.” – Federico Gambetta

Every vigneron knows that the only constant is change. Federico Gambetta feels this everywhere—in the vineyard, in his wines, and in himself.

The tradition of wine in Argentina is also a story of change. In this episode, Fede explains how a period of tropical coconutty wines that he calls “Nutella wines” matured into an era of terroir wines and is now entering a new age of producer wines.

Leading this charge is the iconic Altos Las Hormigas estate in Mendoza, Argentina, where Fede was brought on as a young talent at just 31 years old. For our ongoing series celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, he and our Southern Hemisphere portfolio ambassador Des Russo taste the remarkable 'Meteora' and 'Los Amantes' Malbecs from the Jardín de Hormigas project.

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"The most important thing we've done is establish a soul to everything we do and a why behind each of our cuvées. We want to remind everyone who has a glass of this wine what it's about—it's about the people we're supporting and the quality of our farming. I can't imagine running a vineyard any other way." – Pete Stolpman

Much has been said about sustainability practices in the wine business, often focused on clean farming and eco-friendly packaging. Rarely does the term include sustainability when it comes to people—how a business seeks the best for its employees, their working conditions, and their extended communities.

After observing how many California farms operated on migrant labor, Tom Stolpman started Stolpman Vineyards in the 1990s with a promise to provide stability for his essential workers. He hired Ruben Solorzano, a Mexican immigrant, to be his vineyard manager and sponsored him for a green card, which put him and his family on a path to citizenship. In the years since, the Stolpman and Solorzano clans have grown and prospered together throughout Santa Barbara County, with the Stolpman estate in Ballard Canyon as their center of gravity. Today, Tom's son, Pete, leads the estate, and a second generation of full-time farmers learn hands-on skills from Ruben's decades of wisdom.

Pete joins the podcast this week with an important message about sustainability in practice, not as a buzzword. He opens a bottle of La Cuadrilla, Stolpman's flagship red blend that comes from a block of vineyard owned by Ruben and the vineyard crew. The estate breaks even on it, and the profits get redistributed to the workers, so they can fully enjoy the fruits of their labor.

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“I’m very passionate about my country and the potential of Argentina. Everyone was talking about Uco Valley and forgot our roots. It’s not just Malbec for me—I decided to start with traditional places to show old vines, and I want to keep this heritage.” – Matías Riccitelli

70 years ago, Chandon planted Chenin Blanc, of all grapes, in Patagonia, of all places. With hardly any infrastructure or full-time farmers to support the extremely remote vineyard, the project was abandoned after just a few years. The juice, they agreed, wasn't worth the squeeze.

The vineyard sat unattended for decades. Malbec boomed in Mendoza. Who would bother with Patagonia?

Enter Matías Riccitelli. Driven by a mission to preserve Argentina's wine heritage, Matías rescued the neglected vineyard. Today he pays homage to those old sparkling clones with a modern Chenin Pét-Nat. It's just one of the 40 wines he makes across the country as part of his ongoing project to revive forgotten varieties and historic regions.

As part of our continued celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Matías joins the podcast with five of those bottles, offering a microcosm of the vast diversity of varieties, climates, vine ages, and vinification methods found in Argentina.

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