Kokomo Winery and Goguette Bread

Today we revisit Goguette Bread and Komomo Wines with Karissa Kruse from Sonoma County Winegrowers. While The Drive and California Wine Country are on Summer vacation, here is a replay of a favorite episode recorded in September of 2017, with a studio full of guests. We talk to Najine Shariat of Goguette Bread in Santa Rosa, Karissa Kruse from the Sonoma County Winegrowers, and Erik Miller from Kokomo Winery.  Today Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger welcome […]

taste of sonoma 2023

2023 Taste of Sonoma Report

Taste of Sonoma Report: While The Drive is on Summer vacation, here is our report on the 2023 Taste of Sonoma, produced in collaboration with our friends at Sonoma County Vintners.  On Saturday, June 24, Sonoma County Vintners put on Taste of Sonoma at the Kendall-Jackson Estate. On Saturday, June 24, Sonoma County Vintners held this year’s edition of Taste of Sonoma at the Kendall-Jackson Estate. We collected comments from several people including guests, exhibitors and […]

bottle barn rose

Barry Herbst on Rosé Wines at Bottle Barn

With The Drive on Summer vacation, here is an episode for this week’s podcast, from last August where Barry Herbst describes Rosé wines available at Bottle Barn. For all of this year’s Rosé offerings and more, visit the Bottle Barn website, bottlebarn.com.  Bottle Barn Rosé wines are the subject of this episode of California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. It’s Rosé all day with Barry Herbst from Bottle Barn on California Wine Country […]

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Mari Jones from Emeritus Vineyards

Mari Jones from Emeritus Vineyards is Tom Simoneau’s special guest today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. While The Drive is on vacation there is no new CWC again this week. This episode was recorded live on the radio on September 28, 2022. Cheers!  Mari Jones from Emeritus Vineyards is Tom Simoneau’s special guest today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Emeritus Winemaker David Lattin was also on […]

taste of sonoma

Taste of Sonoma this Saturday June 24

While The Drive is on Summer vacation, there is no new CWC show this week, but Taste of Sonoma is this coming Saturday, so here is a repeat of the episode from last May 17, with Craig McAllister from La Crema. Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and guest Craig McAllister talk about La Crema and about the upcoming Taste of Sonoma. Craig McAllister, head winemaker at La Crema, is our in-studio guest on California Wine Country with […]

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Dan Berger Part Two, Riesling, Competition and more

There is no new CWC show this week, so here is the second part of our interview from last February where co-host Dan Berger talks about Riesling, his international competition and more.  Dan is back with Steve Jaxon and Harry Duke in part 2 of the story of Dan’s career as a journalist that ends up with him making Riesling. Part 1 is here. The episode begins with the story of Dan’s book about basketball. He […]

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The Incredible and True Story of Journalist Dan Berger, Part One

There is no new CWC show today, so for today’s podcast edition, we offer this fun and interesting episode from last February, featuring CWC co-host and journalist Dan Berger. Enjoy! Dan Berger, longtime co-host of California Wine Country takes center stage on the show today, with Steve Jaxon and Harry Duke. Harry Duke describes a 32-point sheet that Dan brought, full of stories from his life. Dan ends up telling about several of those stories, in […]

carol shelton varietals

Carol Shelton Varietals beside Zin

Carol Shelton makes varietals beside Zin, although she is known as the Queen of Zinfandel, and she is back on California Wine Country today, with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Harry Duke. She has been on California Wine Country several times, most recently on this episode of February 15, 2023. Dan Berger introduces Carol Shelton by saying that every time she enters a competition she wins gold medals. She just entered the North of the Gate […]

Northwest Wines founder Tom Eliott

Tom Eliott, wine merchant and founder of Northwest Wines, joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Dan Berger has brought his house white wine for the moment. It comes from Claire Valley, just north of Adelaide in Australia. The brand is JB, Jim Berry Wines. It sells for $11.99 at Bottle Barn. It’s called Jim Berry W Riesling. Dan has brought this wine to compare it to Tom Eliott’s wines. Tom brings wines […]

craig mcallister

Craig McAllister, winemaker for La Crema

Craig McAllister, head winemaker at La Crema, is our in-studio guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. The last time we had a guest from La Crema was this March 2, 2022 episode with winemaker Eric Johannsen. First they taste a brand new Bonny Doon orange wine, a white wine aged on skins, not very long but very cold, and made for quick drinking. The orange comes from 10% orange muscat grapes, […]

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Morét-Brealynn Wines

Moret Brealynn from Morét-Brealynn Wines is our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Barry Herbst is also in today from Bottle Barn, to describe their current Rosé promotion. Moret started working in a tasting room and noticed that there was more to wine than just that. So she started taking classes in winemaking, first at Santa Rosa Junior College. She interned at the SF Chronicle wine competition. She went from Silver […]

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Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience and more

Steve Dveris of The Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, Domenica Catelli from Catelli’s in Geyserville and Leslie Sbrocco, host of Check Please Bay Area on local PBS television, are all in studio today for California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon, Dan Berger and Tom Simoneau. Barry Herbst, the wine buyer at Bottle Barn, is also in. This is the second annual edition of the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, May 18-21, and it is bigger than […]

julie pedroncelli

Julie Pedroncelli

Julie Pedroncelli joins Harry Duke and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. She is the President of Pedroncelli Wines. The Pedroncelli family has been making wine for nine decades. They are into the third generation of active winemakers. They are well known for grape growing as well as winemaking. The Pedroncelli 2022 Rosé of Zinfandel comes from a single vineyard that they have been using since the 1940s. They changed the packaging in the 2022 vintage […]

Pedroncelli Wines, April 5, 2017 episode

To go along with today’s April 26, 2023 episode with Julie Pedroncelli, here is an encore presentation of a 6-year-old episode, also featuring Julie Pedroncelli and her husband Ed St. John. As Dan Berger ages wines in his cellar, we can also dig a well-aged podcast episode.  From Pedroncelli Wines, Julie Pedroncelli and her husband Ed St. John, join Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country. Also with us in studio are Sajive, owner […]

nalle winery

Doug Nalle from Nalle Winery

Our guest on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger today is Doug Nalle from Nalle Winery. Their story starts in the 1890s with his first Swiss ancestors arrived in Sonoma County. In the 1920s, his wife’s grandparents bought property that they still have in Dry Creek Valley. They founded Nalle Winery in 1984 and they built the current winery in 1990. Dan Berger and Doug Nalle have been friends since the 1980s. They […]

healdsburg wine and food

Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience

Tom Simoneau has brought Steve Dveris, head of the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, to California Wine Country with Harry Duke and Dan Berger. Steve Jaxon is away again this week. The Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience takes place from May 18-21, 2023. Also in the studio today are Sarah Quider, VP of winemaking for Foley Family Wines and chef Crista Luedtke. The first wine is the 2022 Ferrari-Carrano Fumé Blanc labeled North Coast and which […]