The Road to Wine Expert launched in July of 2019. The interviews from Season 1 were part of a virtual summit I hosted in 2017.
During the summit, I reached out to people who I admired in the wine industry to understand their career paths. I wanted to know how they got their start and understand what steps they took to become an author, writer, podcaster and influencer.
If you’re new to the Road to Wine Expert, here are episodes you should listen to.
Top Episodes According to Listeners
Below is a list of the most popular episodes of Season 1. According the Transistor.fm (the amazing service I use to distribute the podcast), these episodes have the most downloads at the time of this posting.
I love this list because it shows a range of people who are on the podcast, and it gives you an idea of what type of interviews you can expect.
Steve De Long
In Episode 19, I sit down with Steve De Long who had an early influence on my wine career. I used Steve’s Wine Tasting Notebook to start documenting my wine journey long before I learned the Systematic Approach to Tasting or the Deductive Tasting Method.
While working in the wine shop, I started to encounter his wine maps and his impressive Periodic Table of Wine (better known as the Wine Grape Varietal Table).
Steve’s wine journey is a fun one, and it almost had to be because it started over a few pints.
Elliott Clark
In lucky number Episode 13, I got to interview Elliott Clark. Elliott’s better know as @apartmentbartender on Instagram.
Elliott is inspiring, thoughtful and an all-around great human. If you’ve ever wanted to chase your passion and quick your 9-to-5, this interview is a must-listen. And do as Elliott says, not as I did.
George Taber
George Taber is not only an established wine writer, but he is the author of The Judgement of Paris. George was the only reporter on the scene for the famous Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.
During episode 17, I learn how George’s four paragraph piece in Time Magazine turned him into a wine writer and changed the wine world forever.
Elizabeth Schneider
Elizabeth Schneider is the host of the amazing podcast, Wine for Normal People. You’ve likely heard of her long before you stumbled across the Road to Wine Expert.
Elizabeth is a rockstar at making wine accessible and easily understood. In Episode 11, I was thrilled to learn her wine journey and how early experience became a catalyst for her mission.
Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir
In the final installment of Season 1, I shared my interview with co-founders of Yes Way Rosé in Episode 20. Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir took an inside joke and turned into a wine brand that’s impossible to miss.
Learn how they captured a movement and created a brand with both luck and confidence.
Who’s missing from this list?
Don’t see your favorite episode of the podcast on this list? Write in a comment and let us know your favorite episode so far.