The Taste with Doug Shafer – a Podcast About Wine, Food, and Friends

A Classic Episode with Paula Kornell — Fourth Gen Vintner with a Family Story Spanning Two Continents, One War, and More than 60 Years

In this classic episode, Paula Kornell takes us on an exceptional journey spanning two continents, one war, and more than 60 years of Napa Valley winemaking. Her father, Hanns Kornell, a third-generation winemaker in Germany, managed to escape a Nazi concentration camp, make his way to America, and found a winery near Calistoga specializing in sparkling wine. Paula was born the year after the winery launched and grew up in the Napa Valley of the ’60s and ’70s. She later worked with top wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps. When we first posted this episode in 2019, she had come full circle, debuting her own sparkling wine brand — which is going stronger than ever today. Learn more: paulakornell.com

A Classic Episode with Robin Lail - A Fourth Generation Vintner with a 150-Year Family Legacy

In this classic episode, Robin Lail of Lail Vineyards takes us on an unbelievable family journey. Her roots in Napa Valley span nearly all of winemaking history here – from her great-grand-uncle, Gustave Niebaum, establishing Inglenook in 1879, through her father, John Daniel, rebuilding the winery after Prohibition in the 1930s, to the birth and boom of Napa's current era, working with names like Robert Mondavi and Bill Harlan. Her story is one of success and stunning setbacks, heartbreak and resilience, and of finding the courage to start over – more than once. Today, Robin's winery, Lail Vineyards, produces wines of outstanding deliciousness and distinction. You won't want to miss this captivating episode told my a master storyteller. For more, visit: www.lailvineyards.com

A Spanish Adventure with Winemaker Markus Bokisch

Markus Bokisch has spent his life savoring the best of two worlds. As a kid in Los Angeles, he spent his summers in a small village on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, where his family’s roots run deep. Later, after studying winemaking and viticulture at UC Davis and then working with the vineyard team at Joseph Phelps, Markus and his wife, Liz, set off on an adventure across Spain—living out of a 1967 VW bus and moving from vineyard job to vineyard job. Along the way, they immersed themselves in Spanish wine, culture, and community. Markus wanted to bring the best of Spain to his life in the U.S.—and a big part of that was wine. After living and working throughout the United States, he discovered that the wine region of Lodi, California, most closely reflected the self-reliant culture and sense of work and family they loved in Spain. Today, through Bokisch Vineyards, they champion Spanish varieties grown in California soils. In this episode, we learn about Markus’s favorite varieties, including Xarel·lo, Albariño, Graciano, Macabeo, and, of course, Tempranillo. For more, visit bokischvineyards.com.

Jeff Smith - Growing up in Napa Valley, a Rock-n-Roll Career, and His Winery, Hourglass

Jeff Smith grew up in Napa Valley where his dad, Ned Smith, sold real estate in the 1960s. In the early '70s, Ned moved into the hotel business building Napa's first luxury hotel, Wine Country Inn, and simultaneously planted six acres of grapes. Like many kids who grow up here, a future in the wine industry wasn't Jeff's first dream – his was music. He pursued a successful career centered in the Bay Area, performing with the indie rock group, Noonday Underground. At the age of 26 when his father passed away, Jeff took a hiatus from music to focus on helping his mom back in St. Helena. One thing they had to deal with was his dad's six-acre "hobby vineyard," which needed to be replanted if it was going to survive. His mom wanted to sell the property but Jeff – who knew next to nothing about growing grapes and making wine – proposed that he would oversee replanting to Cabernet and starting a wine label. To which his mom said, you have to choose music or wine. You can't do both. You have be to 200%. Jeff agreed to go the wine route and eventually launched an incredibly success winery called Hourglass. Our hour with Jeff was a fantastic time – hearing behind the scenes stories of Napa from the '60s to today including the wild inside story of launching Hourglass. For more on Jeff and his outstanding wines visit: https://www.hourglasswines.com/

Russ Weis - A Career through Mondavi, Opus One, Silverado Vineyards, and Walsh Vineyard Management

Russ Weis grew up in California's Central Valley surrounded by his family's 200 acres of grapes, a background that would eventually lead him to a career in wine. His story runs through early adventures in France and Japan and then to Christian Brothers – where he started as a tour guide – Robert Mondavi Winery, Opus One, Silverado Vineyards, and today with Walsh Vineyard Management. He's seen every part of the wine business since his arrival in Napa Valley in the early 1980s. Russ and Doug became friends during Russ's long tenure as president of Silverado Vineyards, with the winery located across the road from Shafer Vineyards. We had a great time catching up with Russ and hearing his behind-the-scenes stories of a long and innovative career among some of the most fascinating people and properties in Napa. For more on where Russ is today, visit Walsh Vineyard Management: https://wvmgmt.com/