Over the past two years, Grape Encounters has earned a reputation as an entertaining and informative radio program that offers a humorous, offbeat and irreverent look at the wonderful world of wine. So what better guest to feature than the man whose story inspired a movie about wine that changed the way America enjoys the beverage and associated lifestyle?
Featured guest Rex Pickett wrote “Sideways,” which was adapted into an Academy Award winning feature film and literally altered the habits and tastes of wine lovers everywhere. Pickett’s depiction of a man named Miles who prefers Pinot to Merlot spawned what is now referred to as the “Sideways’ Effect.”
He and David discuss Pickett’s love affair with California’s Central Coast and Pinot Noir, as well as how Pickett himself brought notoriety to the wine-making region which has catapulted it into the world-class wine destination it is today. The two also dish about Rex’s second book, the recently released sequel to “Sideways”—Vertical.
During a particularly poignant moment, David asks Rex if he thinks another varietal such as Viognier would have emerged as the “go-to” wine had Miles preferred it to Pinot. Rex said the question was “a great one that (he) had never been asked.” Hear his response on this week’s show.[fblike layout_style=’standard’ show_faces=’true’ verb=’like’ font=’arial’ color_scheme=’light’]
David also chats this week with famed restaurateur Robert Simon who shares his recent move from the Napa Valley to Pasadena to open A/K/A Bistro, hoping to bring a bit of the famous wine region to the LA Basin. Robert discusses his thoughts and plans for the new eatery as well as an ambitious Santa Barbara County wine-tasting event he will soon host.
Also on the show is Matt DuBow, whose hugely successful family-built company, EpicStyle.com has affected wine culture at large by introducing a wide range of products such as electric corkscrews, aeration devices, cork cages and wine glass charms and tags, which have become “must have” items at dinner parties and gatherings around the globe. Click here to hear the podcast.
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