Best Levi Dalton Podcasts (2025)

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503: Peter Jakob Kühn Found Quality Along With Pain 1:12:35

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4M ago1:12:35

1:12:35

Peter Jakob Kühn made the wines at Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn in Germany's Rheingau region for many decades before retiring and passing the family winery on to his son Peter Bernhard Kühn. Peter Jakob, who was born in 1954, alludes to the constrained economic situation that existed in the German countryside following the Second World War. He recalls …

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502: Matt Dees Likes How Grapevines Think 1:55:32

8M ago1:55:32

1:55:32

Matt Dees is the winemaker at JONATA, The Hilt, and The Paring, wineries which are located in California's Santa Barbara County. Matt recalls studying plant and soil science, and then his first job at a winery, at Shelburne Vineyard in Vermont. He then describes a chance encounter with a bottle of Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon, which prompted a…

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501: This Conversation with Meike Näkel Has A Terrifying Turn 1:22:36

11M ago1:22:36

1:22:36

Meike Näkel and her sister Dörte run the Meyer-Näkel winery in the Ahr region of Germany. As a winery, over 90% of Meyer-Näkel's production is of red wine, and most of that is Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). Meike explains that the historical roots of red wine production in the Ahr region may stretch back to the 14th century, and that there may have be…

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500: Richard Sanford and the Hot Tub Time Machine Wine Fermenters 1:57:54

1+ y ago1:57:54

1:57:54

Richard Sanford co-founded the Sanford and Benedict Winery and planted the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard. He founded the Sanford Winery, and he also founded the Alma Rosa Winery, all in Santa Barbara County, California. Richard discusses his sailing career, working in the merchant marine, racing boats recreationally, and as an officer in the United…

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499: David Rafanelli on Four Generations Making Wine in California 1:20:40

1+ y ago1:20:40

1:20:40

David Rafanelli and his family own the A. Rafanelli Winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, California. David relates the story of his Italian grandmother arriving in California in 1903, and beginning to make homemade wine in San Francisco. He explains how the family bought farm land in the Dry Creek Valley in the 1920s, thus beginning a 1…

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498: A Rush of Blood to the Wine Glass from Dan Keeling 1:27:10

2y ago1:27:10

1:27:10

Dan Keeling is a co-founder and partner in the Noble Rot restaurants and Shrine to the Vine retail shops in London, "Noble Rot" Magazine, and Keeling Andrew and Co., an importer of wine into the United Kingdom. He co-authored "The Noble Rot Book: Wine From Another Galaxy". Dan admits to some of his obsessions, namely food and music. He describes ho…

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497: Robert Drouhin Is From A Good Vintage 1:43:53

2y ago1:43:53

1:43:53

Robert Drouhin and his family own Maison Joseph Drouhin in the Burgundy region of France, as well as Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Robert describes moving to Burgundy as a child, and his experiences around Beaune during World War 2. His adoptive father, Maurice Drouhin, owned the Maison Joseph Drouhin winery, and began instruc…

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496: Sandy Block's Shot at Redemption 1:21:29

2y ago1:21:29

1:21:29

Sandy Block was a Master of Wine who was also the Vice President of Beverage at the Legal Sea Foods group of restaurants, and an Adjunct Professor at Boston University in Massachusetts. Sandy passed away in November of 2021. Sandy talks about his rollercoaster relationship with academics: doing very well in school during some periods of his life, a…

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495: Steve Doerner and the Burgundian Bicyclists 2:19:13

2y ago2:19:13

2:19:13

Steve Doerner is Winemaker Emeritus at Cristom Vineyards in Oregon. Steve discusses his shift from being a Biochemistry Major at UC Davis in the mid-1970s to his first Job working for Josh Jensen at Calera Wine Company. Steve arrived at Calera for the 1978 harvest, the first vintage for Pinot Noir at Calera. Josh had begun making wine at Calera in …

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494: Alicia Towns Franken's Wine Life 1:09:46

2+ y ago1:09:46

1:09:46

Alicia Towns Franken is a Co-Founder of Towns Wine Co. and the Executive Director of Wine Unify. Alicia discusses her upbringing in Chicago and her introduction to wine in college. She then segways into describing her role as the Head Sommelier at Grill 23 & Bar in Boston, Massachusetts during the 1990s and early 2000s. Alicia talks about the bigge…

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493: Neil Empson Shifted Gears Into Wine 1:40:19

2+ y ago1:40:19

1:40:19

Neil Empson is the founder of Empson & Co., an exporter of wines from Italy and other countries. Neil, who was born in New Zealand in 1939, recounts his youthful days driving fast, reselling Ferraris, and meeting with intelligence officers. He talks about meeting his wife Maria, who convinced him to move to Italy and take up the wine business there…

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492: Jean-Emmanuel Simond Does Not Like Your White Wine 1:30:08

2+ y ago1:30:08

1:30:08

Jean-Emmanuel Simond is a writer and wine critic for "La Revue du vin de France", covering the Côte de Nuits of Burgundy and Alsace. He is also a co-owner of wine importer Oenotropie. He is based in Paris, France. Jean-Emmanuel describes a chance introduction to fine, old wine and the subsequent revelation he had about wine. He discusses a key peri…

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491: Ukraine, Wine and Terror 59:28

2+ y ago59:28

59:28

Levi Dalton speaks with three Ukrainians about the struggles faced by winemakers and winery owners amongst the warfare in Ukraine. Alla Plachkova discusses fleeing Kyiv as bombs begin to fall on the city in 2022. She talks about rescuing her mother and fleeing south inside Ukraine as warfare stretches across the country. She shares the fears she fe…

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490: Patrick Campbell Pruned Mountain Vines on Crutches 1:32:30

3+ y ago1:32:30

1:32:30

Patrick Campbell was the owner of Laurel Glen Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain in California, a winery he sold in 2011. He began the Tierra Divina Vineyards company, which encompasses the Terra Rosa, REDS, !ZaZin, and Tierra Divina wine labels, among others. The Tierra Divina Vineyards brands include wine labels from Lodi in California, from Argentina, …

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489: Sylvain Pataille and the New Old Style 1:25:52

4y ago1:25:52

1:25:52

Sylvain Pataille is the owner and winemaker at Domaine Sylvain Pataille, which is located in the Marsannay area of Burgundy, within France. Sylvain discusses the impact in Burgundy of economic changes over the last one hundred years, and notes the special situation of Marsannay, which is near the city of Dijon in France. He does into some depth abo…

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488: Erin and the Volcano 1:49:41

4y ago1:49:41

1:49:41

Erin Scala explores the wines of Pico Island, a part of the Portuguese Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. Erin puts on sturdy boots and ventures to the Azores to explore mysterious vineyards and ancient lava stone walls in view of the giant volcano on Pico Island. She explores grape varieties grown on Pico, such as Arinto dos Açores, Terrantez do Pico, …

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487: Dominik Sona and a Conception of Kabinett 57:16

4+ y ago57:16

57:16

Dominik Sona is the General Manager of the Koehler-Ruprecht winery, which is located in the Pfalz region of Germany. Dominik speaks about his family history in the Pfalz and his winemaking work early in his career for a winery, Villa Wolf, in that area of Germany. He also discusses the situation for the Koehler-Ruprecht winery in 2010, when he bega…

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486: George Skouras and the New Old World 1:12:12

4+ y ago1:12:12

1:12:12

George Skouras is the owner and winemaker at Domaine Skouras, located in the Peloponnese of Greece. George explains how his interest in wine first developed, and discusses his time as a student, working and living in France. He then talks about the early period of his career, making wine on the Greek island of Cephalonia. He describes a key meeting…

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485: Robert Vifian and Stories from the Tan Dinh Wine Cellar 1:16:13

4+ y ago1:16:13

1:16:13

Robert Vifian is the chef and co-owner of Tan Dinh Restaurant, located in Paris, France. Robert was born in Vietnam in 1948, and lived in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) as a child, experiencing the effects of the Tet Offensive firsthand. He and his family are French, and he moved to Paris, eventually joining his parents there. Robert's mother founde…

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484: Erin Scala Looks Deep Into Lake Garda 48:21

4+ y ago48:21

48:21

Erin Scala explores the long history and many recent changes in the area around Lake Garda and in the Bardolino wine zone, in the northeastern Italy. Erin speaks with a number of different winemakers and specialists to clarify the situation around the evolution of winemaking in the Bardolino zone, from Roman times to the present day. She addresses …

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483: Listen to Françoise Vannier and Never Look At Burgundy the Same Way Again 1:40:02

4+ y ago1:40:02

1:40:02

Françoise Vannier is a geologist who has studied and mapped the vineyards of Burgundy for multiple decades. She is based in France. Françoise discusses how she began her study of the vineyards of the Côte d'Or, and the surprising results that emerged from her research. She touches on both broad themes and specific, individual instances in her analy…

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482: Lorenzo Accomasso and Barolo from the War Until Now 1:33:58

5y ago1:33:58

1:33:58

Lorenzo Accomasso is a vintner in the La Morra area of Italy's Piemonte region. He has been releasing Barolo and other wines under the Accomasso label for several decades. Lorenzo discusses the increased interest in Barolo and in the wines of the Piemonte that has occurred over the last couple of decades, as well as the increased planting of vineya…

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481: Wine Before and After the Genocide 56:40

5+ y ago56:40

56:40

Zorik Gharibian is the founder of the Zorah winery, in the Vayots Dzor region of southern Armenia. Zorik discusses the long history of wine production in Armenia, referencing evidence that wine was made in Armenia in the Copper Age (about 6,000 years ago). He talks about the grape remnants and clay storage jars that have been found from that time. …

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480: Kevin Zraly Was At the Top of the World and Then Lost Almost Everything 1:09:35

5+ y ago1:09:35

1:09:35

Kevin Zraly is the author of "Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course". He is also the co-author (with Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen) of the book "Red Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties and Styles". Kevin was for decades the Cellar Master of Windows on the World restaurant, located on the top floors of the …

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479: Christopher Howell Doesn't Want It To Be About Him 2:10:30

5+ y ago2:10:30

2:10:30

Christopher Howell is the winemaker and General Manager of the Cain Vineyard and Winery in the Napa Valley of California. Christopher discusses his early wine tastings and home winemaking in the 1970s, and talks about some key relationships that helped form his interest in wine. He explains how he ended up pursuing an oenological and viticultural e…

Levi Dalton Podcasts

1
I'll Drink to That! Wine Talk

Levi Dalton

1
History Reimagined

Levi Hersh and Dalton Bates

1
503: Peter Jakob Kühn Found Quality Along With Pain 1:12:35

1
502: Matt Dees Likes How Grapevines Think 1:55:32

1
501: This Conversation with Meike Näkel Has A Terrifying Turn 1:22:36

1
500: Richard Sanford and the Hot Tub Time Machine Wine Fermenters 1:57:54

1
499: David Rafanelli on Four Generations Making Wine in California 1:20:40

1
498: A Rush of Blood to the Wine Glass from Dan Keeling 1:27:10

1
497: Robert Drouhin Is From A Good Vintage 1:43:53

1
496: Sandy Block's Shot at Redemption 1:21:29

1
495: Steve Doerner and the Burgundian Bicyclists 2:19:13

1
494: Alicia Towns Franken's Wine Life 1:09:46

1
493: Neil Empson Shifted Gears Into Wine 1:40:19

1
492: Jean-Emmanuel Simond Does Not Like Your White Wine 1:30:08

1
491: Ukraine, Wine and Terror 59:28

1
490: Patrick Campbell Pruned Mountain Vines on Crutches 1:32:30

1
489: Sylvain Pataille and the New Old Style 1:25:52

1
488: Erin and the Volcano 1:49:41

1
487: Dominik Sona and a Conception of Kabinett 57:16

1
486: George Skouras and the New Old World 1:12:12

1
485: Robert Vifian and Stories from the Tan Dinh Wine Cellar 1:16:13

1
484: Erin Scala Looks Deep Into Lake Garda 48:21

1
483: Listen to Françoise Vannier and Never Look At Burgundy the Same Way Again 1:40:02

1
482: Lorenzo Accomasso and Barolo from the War Until Now 1:33:58

1
481: Wine Before and After the Genocide 56:40

1
480: Kevin Zraly Was At the Top of the World and Then Lost Almost Everything 1:09:35

1
479: Christopher Howell Doesn't Want It To Be About Him 2:10:30