From Ribera del Duero to Tokaj: The Global Journey of Vega Sicilia With Pablo Alvarez
Release Date: 04/02/2026
Breaking Barriers: How Ten Ten Wine Bar Champions Black-Owned Wines
Wine Talks with Paul K.
I am proud when I say I was born in Inglewood, California. So were Li and Leslie Jones. When I was 5 or 6 years old, my father would take me to work as I sat and stamped brochures with the name Van Ness Pharmacy. Then the perscription driver would take me to Daniel Freeman Elementary School. I say that with all the reverence in the world for the process; I learned work ethic. When I heard that there was a wine bar that primarily served wines from black owned wineries and was catgering to a fnew crowd of black wine enthusiasts and in Inglewood, I had to hear more. And Li and Leslie Jones did...
info_outline
Growing Wine Brands: Digital Strategies and Innovation with Molly Bossardt
Wine Talks with Paul K.
I watch social daily. I guess we all have to. Besides the interaction with peers, it keeps you aware of what people are thinking and doing. Once you get past the chaf and get to the honest opinions and outlooks, you get folks like Molly Bossardt. I reached out to her to get a glimpse of what she is thinking and doing in our trade. Have a listen. Molly Bassard proves that you don’t have to be born in Napa or Bordeaux to turn the wine world on its digital head. When she launched Bread and Butter in the thick of 2020, Molly saw what many in the wine trade still missed: wineries...
info_outline
Building Wine Experiences: Kerrin Laz on Napa, Innovation, and Giving Back
Wine Talks with Paul K.
Relentless in her pursuits would be an understatement because Kerrin Laz is a force of nature. Kerrin is the type of person the wine trade needs...now. She is chock full of energy, a plethora of ideas, and a cavalcade of pathways to get there. She will be on the show again; there were too many subjects we never discussed. Sitting down with Kerrin Laz was like flipping open a well-loved journal and discovering a handful of stories you’d forgotten you needed to hear. There’s a warmth to the East Coast energy she carries with her, this tenacity blended with familiarity—sort of like...
info_outline
Breaking Barriers: Millennials, Diversity, and the Future of Wine with Isis Daniels
Wine Talks with Paul K.
She is the real deal. Isis Daniels, The Millenial Somm, can tell it like it is. There is no "fluff"here, just the facts maam. I was taken not only by her level of expertise but also by her ability to convey honest positions with honest feelings; a bit rare in today's social-network society. In other words, this is no AI Somm. When you invite ISIS Daniels, the Millennial Somm herself, into your headphones, you’d best expect more than wine talk—you’re headed for a technicolor journey through bottles and generations, biases and breakthroughs. You’ll quickly discover ISIS Daniels isn’t...
info_outline
How Time, Terroir, and Biodynamics Shape World-Class Sparkling Wines in Penedès
Wine Talks with Paul K.
I am a sparkling wine lover. I think sparkling wine should be part of everyones repetoir; not for celebrations...for dinner, for lunch, for anytime. Certainly, one issue with sparkling wine is the price. One of the most popular Champagnes in the world, Veuve Clicquot, is $60.00/bottle! But then you see La Marca sparkling at $14.00/bottle. What is a consumer to do? One conversation with Anna Lopez of Gramora clears it all up. When you meet someone as devoted to their craft as Anna Lopez, you realize immediately that wine is more than a drink—it’s a philosophy of patience,...
info_outline
Independent Filmmaking and Wine: Chris McGilvray on Craft, Passion, and Perseverance
Wine Talks with Paul K.
There has been an uptick in wine media. The series "Drops of God" has raised an eyebrow. It has become quite common when I am speaking about wine that someone asks if I have seen the show. I have been horrified by some of the work I have seen on-line and even on an airline. Just when the industry is reevaluating where it needs to go, ghastly footage shows up in the medai...have we no understanding of what the people want to see? Film is story telling...and Chris McGilvray is keenly aware of this. Though he was focused on corporate productions in the Silicon Valley, the opportunity...
info_outline
From Ribera del Duero to Tokaj: The Global Journey of Vega Sicilia With Pablo Alvarez
Wine Talks with Paul K.
It is impossible to speak of the wines from Spain...at least the famous ones, without speaking about 1.) the Ribero del Duero and 2.) Vega Sicilia. When Wine Talks was asked to join a lunch at the Berverly Hilton Hotel and sit with Pable Alvarez, we responded with "Yes, please." Pablo Alvarez is the kind of guest who logs 135 days a year circling the globe, sharing bottles and stories that most of us only dream of tasting. You will come away with far more than just a sense of Spanish terroir—you’ll get a rare look into the evolution of Vega Sicilia, Spain’s most iconic and enigmatic...
info_outline
Beyond Classification: Château Quintus, Wine Passion, and Reimagining Saint-Émilion’s Legacy: Nils Vaincot
Wine Talks with Paul K.
It is crazy interesting to me that a winery as young as Quintus, in such an established and historical area as Saint Emilion, can make such waves when virtually in it's infancy as a winery. Michel Roland (we just lost him), the famed oenologist once told a friend of mine that now that it is established she can grow wine grapes at her vineyard, it will take 100 years to know what it really can do. Enter the Chateau Quintus, a winery in the famed Right Bank Bordeaux appelation; Saint Emilion. The fertile ground where Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Angelus and Petrus call home, is now the...
info_outline
From Air Force Dreams to Napa Icons: Trevor Duling’s Unexpected Wine Journey
Wine Talks with Paul K.
When I recorded this episode, Trevor was the Director and Head Winemaker of the famed Beaulieu Vineyards. And, one of the reasons I ventured into a corporate winery podcast, was that very reason. I wanted to peel back the idea of a such an iconic winery becoming corporate and how much the "Board" had to do with the decision making; in other words, can a winery maintain its boutique expression despite having a huge beauracracy working in the background. Trevor Durling is now with Darioush and Nate Weiss has taken the helm (recently at Silver Oak). Trevor Duling is the kind of winemaker who...
info_outline
Château d’Yquem: Exploring Wine, Noble Rot, and Human Emotion with Lorenzo Pasquini
Wine Talks with Paul K.
Wine is experiential. It is what the industry has to hang its hat on. Each glass needs to conjure up emotion, memories and a sense of being. My father bought his wine shop in 1969 and a started his academic journey to understand and promote wine. He took master classes before they were masterclasses: German Wine Academy, the Italian Wine Consortium and many more. He was a learner. So when he was telling me a story about one of the most emotional wines he had ever tasted, and how he had waited in a long line to get a thimblefull of a taste, it was required listening. That day at a...
info_outlineIt is impossible to speak of the wines from Spain...at least the famous ones, without speaking about 1.) the Ribero del Duero and 2.) Vega Sicilia. When Wine Talks was asked to join a lunch at the Berverly Hilton Hotel and sit with Pable Alvarez, we responded with "Yes, please."
Pablo Alvarez is the kind of guest who logs 135 days a year circling the globe, sharing bottles and stories that most of us only dream of tasting. You will come away with far more than just a sense of Spanish terroir—you’ll get a rare look into the evolution of Vega Sicilia, Spain’s most iconic and enigmatic winery, through the eyes of the family now behind its legacy. Alvarez demystifies what sets Spanish wines apart, charting their rise from unsung regions of Europe to an era where Spanish labels are now coveted on international shelves—and in the cellars of those in the know. You’ll follow the Douro as it cuts through a tapestry of chalky soils and storied vineyards, and with it, unravel why only a fraction of Vega Sicilia’s land becomes wine worthy of the name. Terroir isn’t just a patch of dirt here—it’s the collected wisdom of generations, old clones with hidden stories, the philosophical tug-of-war between family and land.
Alongside wines, you may not expect tales of family business, the messy and miraculous transition of a real estate dynasty into winemaking royalty, or the moment Hungary’s legendary Tokaji called to the Alvarez clan across borders and regimes. Listen as Pablo reveals, with humility and humor, the magic in bottles once reserved for family tables, and why knowing the winemaker—really knowing who stands behind the label—matters more than ever in a landscape cluttered with ratings and €1 bottles. Whether you’re here for the esoteric, the historical, or simply a guide for your next drink, this episode is your passport: you’ll finish knowing how Spanish wines found their soul, how Tokaji’s acidity changes everything you thought about sweet wines, and why, in the end, the best wine is sometimes just the one you like.
Three Things You Will Learn
-
The True Meaning of Terroir: Hear what makes the land and philosophy behind Spain’s greatest wines so distinctive, including how Vegas Sicilia’s unique soils and old clones influence every bottle.
-
The Evolution of Spanish Wine: Discover how Spanish wine rose from humble beginnings, why its presence on shelves worldwide is changing, and what it takes to stand out in the modern marketplace.
-
From Family Business to Global Legacy: Find out how a family of real estate visionaries fell in love with wine, took a chance on a legendary estate, expanded into Hungary’s Tokaji, and shaped an enduring family legacy in wine.
Enjoy.