The Grape Nation

Mar 05 2025 297 ep. 70 mins 238

The Grape Nation Podcast artwork

The world of wine doesn't have to be intimidating. Wine-afficionado Sam Benrubi invites you on a weekly wine journey with The Grape Nation. No snobbery here, just a palatable trip through the world's vineyards, their keepers, journalists, authors, importers and more. Try some great wine with Sam and his guests and get tips for enjoying the best wines from the weekly "Wine List" and "Wine Sip." The Grape Nation...We Bring Wine to the People.

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Carlton McCoy

Mar 05 2025 116 mins

Straight outta DC, Carlton McCoy made his Grandma proud receiving a scholarship to the Culinary Institute in NY studying to become a chef, eventually moving to NYC and back to DC to work in some of the hottest restaurants including Aquavit, Per Se and City Zen. His love of food started shifting to wine and Carlton headed west and hit the slopes in Aspen at the legendary Little Nell

Josh Bergstrom

Feb 19 2025 91 mins

Josh Bergstrom is a second-generation Oregon winemaker. His dad emigrated from Sweden as a teenager to Portland, eventually becoming a surgeon and later buying property in the Willamette Valley. After receiving a postgraduate degree in Viticulture and Enology in Beaune, France, Josh joined his dad in 1999 establishing Bergstrom Wines on what is now over 70 acres of estate vineyards

Masnaghetti

Feb 12 2025 87 mins

Born in Milan…and not from a wine or mapping family, Alessandro Masnaghetti, the “Mapman” is the preeminent wine and mapping expert in the world. As a budding epicurean he found wine, began tasting and writing about it, started to map wine regions and the rest they say is history. Alessandro’s company Enogea publishes detailed books and maps on wine regions around the world

Bordeaux 2022

Feb 05 2025 22 mins

For the third year in a row, we attended the annual Union Grand Cru Bordeaux tasting in NYC this past January. Over 125 wineries attended and poured their current releases as we talked about and tasted the 2022 vintage discussing climate, challenges, farming practices, sustainability, aging, drinkability and more. This was a large, loud boisterous tasting attended by some of the b

Dominique and Guillaume Lafon

Jan 29 2025 100 mins

There is no lack of superlatives to describe Dominique Lafon, The Maestro, the Master, the Magician and the Mentor of Mersault. The Lafon family has been making wine in Burgundy for over 100 years. Dominique Lafon joined the family winery in the ‘80’s and now oversees Domaine de Comtes Lafon in Mersault, Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon in the Macon, makes wine in Oregon with the L

Dan Keeling

Jan 22 2025 89 mins

Music man turned wine man, Dan Keeling left the record business to pursue his love of wine in London, England, after getting bored signing Coldplay. Dan has changed the way we read about wine co-founding and editing Noble Rot magazine. Dan along with partner Mark Andrew own three award winning Noble Rot restaurants, imports wine through his Keeling Andrew Wine Company and brings wi

Markus Altenburger

Jan 15 2025 47 mins

Markus Altenburger’s family has been farming in Austria since the 16th century. Markus took over the family farm in Jois, in Burgenland, Austria, a half hour away from Vienna over a decade ago. He views himself as much a grower as he is a winemaker, making low intervention, organic wines. Burgenland is well known for their Blaufrankisch and to quote Markus “Blaufrankisch is my

Eric Asimov

Jan 09 2025 89 mins

Eric Asimov has been writing for the New York Times for over three decades, serving as the Chief Wine Critic since 2004. Although Eric is known for his great wine evaluation and recommendations, his stories go far beyond the glass, discussing culture, history, science, the producers and more, yet never forgetting the simple pleasure of wine. His column “The Pour” appears weekly

Holiday Wine Show

Dec 13 2024 73 mins

This is our final show of 2024 and we bring you our annual wine and Champagne recommendations from the experts. We talk to Ryan Bailey, Kato restaurant, Los Angeles, Yannick Benjamin, Beaupierre Wines and Spirits, Wheeling Forward and Wine on Wheels and Aldo Sohm, Le Bernadin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. Thank you to Eric "Benny" Bloom and Ryan Zoidis from the world's greatest funk ban

Pascaline Lepeltier

Dec 06 2024 108 mins

Pascaline Lepeltier is the most knowledgeable, influential, approachable, awarded, hard-working, person in wine today. She has graced the airwaves of The Grape Nation many times, if it was up to me, I would have her on every week! A native of the Loire Valley, destined to become an academic in philosophy, Pascaline shifted to wine, to became a Master of Wine, a Sommelier, Un des Me