Why Your Favorite Wine Tastes Better on Vacation: The Secret Ingredient Revealed. Simone Spinner
Release Date: 10/15/2026
Can a Napa Winemaker Outsmart Changing Trends? Samantha Sheehan Reveals Her Formula
Wine Talks with Paul K.
It is not everyday that one gets to podcast with a success story in the wine trade. Particularly, these days. Samatha Sheehan is just that...but that wasn't her plan. Certainly, she wants to be a success, but that was not the objective when she made a batch of an orange aperitif...and had only a handful of cases when a major retailer ordered a pallet; let the fun begin! Samantha Sheehan laughs about rumors of her Olympic gymnastics past, but her real talent is flipping the script on California wine—vaulting from outsider to tastemaker, conjuring vibrant nectar from the land, and...
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Why Your Favorite Wine Tastes Better on Vacation: The Secret Ingredient Revealed. Simone Spinner
Wine Talks with Paul K.
She has a new book "The Only Thing You Need To Know About Wine Is What You Like: The Essential Guide To Wine" and it nails it. When the entire industry is trying to find their footing and predict the market to make their next move, Simone is busy talking to the consumer; the actual people who we all are trying to court. And I think you will find this book full of.....common sense. Simone FM Spinner could spin a tale about wine that would make even Hemingway set down his glass and lean in closer. In this episode, you’ll be immersed in a conversation that stretches far beyond wine...
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The Surprising Reason Bordeaux’s Grand Châteaux Say No to Wine Trends: Meet Pauline Frandin.
Wine Talks with Paul K.
In the throws of the current marketplace, the reactions throughout the wine world must and should be different. How Napa handles it is and could be completely different than Burgundy. Bordeaux is no exception. I have had the pleasure and honor to host some of the great Chateau at the Wine Talks studios and each episode is compelling; and I always come back to the same conclusion: Stay the course. Pauline Frandon doesn’t just represent a château—she embodies the soulful heartbeat of Bordeaux, and on this episode she sits down to unravel all those questions you’ve ever secretly...
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From Bordeaux to Napa: Is Tradition Holding Wine Back? Ask Justine Tesseron of Cht. Pontet-Canet
Wine Talks with Paul K.
Pick a defacto wine region of the world...one that speaks of history and pedigee; the region with which every enophile begins their jpourney: Did you say Bordeaux? And would you think that there is history packed into Chateau Pontet-Canet? I suppose, when you consider that for the past 300 years, there have only been 3 families to care for it's vineayards; seems like history and pedigree to me! When Justine Tesseron walks into a room, Bordeaux’s old guard can be forgiven for bracing themselves. She represents both legacy and provocation: the fifth growth estate of Pontet-Canet, once bound...
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From Shiraz Overload to Rare Grapes: Matt Talbot’s Bold Approach to Australian Wine
Wine Talks with Paul K.
Aussi wines have a distinction. They are great for one, but have gone through some of the most volatile representation in the US of than any other region in the world. One decade they are everywhere, and the next, virtually non-existant. And right now, they are closer to non-existant than everywhere (though I do talk about a wine I saw on a list in Orance County, I had to buy it. Matt Talbot might claim he’s “a little bit broken” from all the long-haul flights, but he’s the kind of winemaker who never stops patching things up—with new grapes, wild ideas, and a dash of irreverence...
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The Hidden Power of Emotion in Selling World-Class Wine; Thomas Sequy of Troplong Mondot
Wine Talks with Paul K.
The more Wine Talks speaks with the Bordelaise, the more intrigued we become. Certainly the storied history of the region ios pure wine history, but the individual stories, philosophies, and the realities of marketing wine in 2026 take center stage when hashing out the headwinds. Meet Thomas Sequy of Troplong Mondot. AI interpretation: Thomas Seguy strides into the studio with Bordeaux’s heartbeat echoing in his suitcase and a Rolodex of global wine connections in his head, but he’s not here for polished PR. He’s here to torch the tired narrative that a bottle is just a status...
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The Dark Side of Food Network: Are We Really Learning About Real Food?
Wine Talks with Paul K.
If I was to say I was 'taken"by this young woman, it would be an understatement. Besides her immense accomplishments in the world of cooking, wine and writing, her humility will set her apart. I think if all the world of hospitality took on her world view, the world would be in a better place. If you think Emily Saladino is just another name among wine writers, wait until you join her at the table—because the conversation quickly shifts from ordinary pours to the kind of deep, delicious stories you want to savor and swirl for hours. Emily Saladino doesn’t just write about food and...
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When Business Kills Passion: Florencia Palmaz Questions the Soul of America’s Wine Country
Wine Talks with Paul K.
When a visionary enters the proverbial "studio," the world should listen. It isn't every guest that graces Wine Talks with Paul K that raises an eyebrow, Florencia Palmz did just that. She didn't say enything that industry leaders don't already think, but she was compelled to express the very thoughts that need to be expressed...to change things, to reorient the view point of the wine trade. Bravo. What you will learn: 🍷 Why the “connection to the land” isn’t just marketing fluff—and how Florencia Palmaz bottles that connection 🍷 How risk, resilience, and a little immigrant...
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Digital Nomads Swarm Armenia—And a 400 year old vineyard? Meet Mathew Zein
Wine Talks with Paul K.
Who does this? I am actually part jealous and part concerned for this mans sanity. He goes to a country, married no less, to visit for a week and hasn't left for 10 years. I'm like "what?" When Matthew landed in Armenia, he didn’t bring a suitcase full of big plans—just a battered laptop and the crazy notion that a tiny country he didn’t even have roots in could become his home. Instead, what happened next might change how you think about destiny, culture, and even what it means to plug in and connect. This isn’t another dry “expat tale” about escaping the ordinary for a bit of...
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Why Most Master Sommeliers Are Still Broke: Doug Frost Exposes Industry Secrets
Wine Talks with Paul K.
The top accolades in the wine trade are tough to acquire. The Master of Wine and the Master Sommelier both can take years if not a decade to study for and pass the tests. But to have both credentials on your resume! I'm like what? Doug Frost is the man...and one of three in the world that have accomplished earning both accolades. It’s one thing to love wine, but it’s another to flat-out admit you may have to drink your entire inventory if nobody else buys in. That’s the raw honesty you’re in for with Doug Frost, a man who admits that in wine, if you want a small fortune, you’d...
info_outlineShe has a new book "The Only Thing You Need To Know About Wine Is What You Like: The Essential Guide To Wine" and it nails it.
When the entire industry is trying to find their footing and predict the market to make their next move, Simone is busy talking to the consumer; the actual people who we all are trying to court. And I think you will find this book full of.....common sense.
Simone FM Spinner could spin a tale about wine that would make even Hemingway set down his glass and lean in closer. In this episode, you’ll be immersed in a conversation that stretches far beyond wine facts and flavor wheels, challenging everything you thought you knew about what makes a glass memorable.
You’ll discover why Simone believes the “sommification” of wine has stolen some of the joy right out of the bottle—and how the industry itself is trying to win it back, one story at a time. Paul and Simone dissect the disconnect between pouring facts at consumers and creating emotional, lasting experiences around the wine.
Pour yourself a glass as Simone takes you inside the true art and neuroscience of wine, where it’s not about nailing the tasting note or reciting terroir specifics, but about conjuring up sensory memories, emotional connections, and the stories that stay with you long after the last drop.
You’ll learn how visual cues, like the collages in Simone’s latest book, can unlock flavors more powerfully than words ever could. From bustling vineyards in Italy with cannolis at the ready, to quiet moments over a Sauternes shared with family—these are the places where wine reveals its soul.
Simone and Paul show you why knowing what you like is just the beginning, and how your palate’s journey is shaped by culture, context, even your body chemistry. Each bottle, they argue, is an invitation to live vicariously and to reflect on how wine intersects with memory, history, and joy.
By the end, you’ll see why Simone’s mantra is that the only thing you need to know about wine is what you like—and why the path to discovering that is the grandest adventure of all.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
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🍷 Why stories and context sell wine far better than facts and terroir
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🍷 How “sommification” may have made wine intimidating—and how to bring the fun back
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🍷 The roles of art, neuroscience, and memory in truly experiencing wine
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🍷 How visuals and sensory cues unlock tasting notes better than academic jargon
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🍷 Why “knowing what you like” is both simple and surprisingly complex
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🍷 The cultural, historical, and emotional forces that shape your palate over time
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XuQ_b2xnYgU