Explore every episode of the podcast Skurnik Unfiltered
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introducing Skurnik Unfiltered | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:01:57 | |
No reservations required—listening to Skurnik Unfiltered feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable figures in the world of wine, spirits, and hospitality. Don't miss the first episode drop on Monday, December 8th. Voices featured in this trailer:
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| Michael and Harmon Skurnik | 08 Dec 2025 | 00:36:32 | |
Brothers and business partners Michael and Harmon Skurnik discuss how their experiences with fine wines and spirits led them to establish Skurnik Wines & Spirits, what they value in the products they choose to represent, and how their guiding principles help them navigate uncertain times. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Pepe Raventós | 15 Dec 2025 | 00:37:15 | |
“Can Sumoi, above all, is a project to connect with the farmers in the area, learn from them, pay them a fair amount—the highest possible per kilo of Sumoll or Xarel-lo or Macabeu. I dream of a Penedès where the valleys and the villages and the crus are the protagonists. It's the Burgundy vision for Penedès.” – Pepe Raventós Pepe Raventós is the renowned winemaker and owner of Can Sumoi, Raventós i Blanc, and his eponymous brand, Vins Pepe Raventós, which produces Mas del Serral. In this episode, he shares his family history in the northern Penedès for 21 generations and the unique climate, geography, and millennia of viticultural history that make the region worthy of worldwide acclaim. His focus today is sharpened on making world-class Xarel-lo and Sumoll with Can Sumoi, his remote project in the poorest and most neglected part of Spain, where farming is done respectfully and farmers are paid what they deserve. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Christina Turley | 22 Dec 2025 | 00:53:23 | |
"It's agriculture, right? Not agri-business. This is part of our cultural history and something worth preserving." – Christina Turley Christina is the 2nd generation of the Turley wine family. After cutting her teeth in the hospitality world as a college student in New York at Gramercy Tavern and becoming the sommelier and beverage director for David Chang's Momofuku family of restaurants, Christina moved back to California to go all-in on Zinfandel. Today, she feels a responsibility to honor and protect California’s historic old vines—particularly her favorite varietal, the one she calls “the Dolly Parton of American wine”—and create more opportunities to socialize through the age-old tradition of sharing a bottle of wine. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Dolly Parton's America podcast | |||
| Christopher Loewen | 05 Jan 2026 | 00:29:43 | |
"Working in these vineyards makes me think a lot because you really want to treat them right. You don't want to be the last generation farming the vines that were surviving 4, 5 generations." – Christopher Loewen Today’s guest is Christopher Loewen, the 33-year-old at the helm of Weingut Carl Loewen, one of the Mosel’s smallest and most impressive estates. Christopher, along with his father Karl-Josef and just one other employee, farms some of the oldest ungrafted Riesling vines in the world from a fabled parcel planted in 1896 by the Schmitt-Wagner estate. By embracing traditional, low-intervention viticulture and “letting the wine decide” when it finds its balance, Christopher crafts Rieslings of astonishing depth, concentration, and energy. His wines aren’t about chasing numbers or trends—they’re about listening to the vines and responding to their needs like an attentive parent. In this episode, Christopher sits down with Skurnik’s Austrian & German Portfolio Manager, Michael Lykens, to talk about the Mosel’s evolving climate, the magic of old vines on hard slate soils, and why making great wine is more about patience than intervention. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Giorgio Rivetti | 29 Dec 2025 | 00:30:07 | |
“We are working with the same philosophy, the same idea, the same goal. To be in the wine business, it’s very important to have this kind of relationship. Because otherwise it’s just business and it doesn’t make sense.” – Giorgio Rivetti Giorgio Rivetti is the man behind the estates of La Spinetta and Contratto in Piedmont, Casanova della Spinetta in Tuscany, and his own import company based in the US, Indigenous Selections, which imports cult favorites such as Chiara Boschis and Ciacci Piccolomini. In this episode, Giorgio reflects on the many lessons he's learned over his long career as a keen businessman and attentive farmer. He shares his insights on the sparkling wine space, the challenges and advantages of farming organically in a changing climate, and how he built brands to support his passionate appreciation for indigenous Italian varieties, like Timorasso. Above all, Giorgio is fueled by the human relationships that make the fine wine business unlike any other. What Giorgio and Mark tasted in this episode: Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Quentin Paillard | 12 Jan 2026 | 00:33:05 | |
"You know, Champagne has built itself, at least since the '60s, on blending grapes together. Growers, we play a different card. We try to express wine from a singular place. And when you just think about the experience of tasting the same varietal made from different terroir, that's when I think you understand that wine is truly special." Champagne Pierre Paillard is one of the most exciting domaines in France, thanks to a fortunate marriage of pristine terroir and “bon sens paysan,” with a mix of innovative farming and old-school winemaking. In this episode, Quentin Paillard credits the introduction of organically farmed and densely planted Pinot Fin massal selections, selective dosage, and vinifiying every cuvée under oak as the main factors behind the Bouzy estate’s rapid rise among the legendary growers in the Montagne de Reims. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Derek Mossman | 26 Jan 2026 | 00:52:06 | |
“I think many consumers, many somms, think of it as a great supermarket wine for the money. But I think Chile’s still got much more to show. Many people when they taste these wines, the first thing they say is, ‘But that’s not Chilean.’ But it is more Chilean than what your image of Chile is.” – Derek Mossman Since 2006, Derek Mossman and his wife, Pilar, have been working alongside local farmers in Chile’s Maule Valley to revive forgotten centenarian vines and express their full potential. True to their humble origins, Garage Wine Co. ferments in a mismatched collection of repurposed milk tanks, wooden lagares, and Spanish tinajas. Despite working in the heart of a region known for its bulk entry-level wine, every one of Derek’s bottles is a rebellion against mass production—a tribute to forgotten terroirs and the people who are proud to tend them. In this episode, Derek sits with Skurnik’s World Portfolio Manager, Cody Stephenson, to talk about his unlikely path from Toronto to the Maule, why regenerative farming isn’t just a buzzword, and what it truly takes to make honest wine in a world obsessed with efficiency. Wines tasted in this episode:
Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Jason Kesner | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:26:47 | |
"We're not making year-to-year decisions—we're making generational decisions. And that feels like the only just way to treat and respect all of the efforts that have preceded us." – Jason Kesner Today’s guest is Jason Kesner, the longtime winemaker of Kistler Vineyards, one of California’s most esteemed producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Having worked alongside founder Steve Kistler for nearly two decades—first as his only assistant, then as his successor—Jason has played a central role in stewarding the estate through one of the most important transitions in its history. In this wide-ranging and deeply reflective conversation influenced by Rick Rubin, Jason speaks candidly about legacy, patience, and what it means to play the long game in a flashy valley that seems to be forgetting its humble farming roots. Despite the uncertainties facing California wine today, Jason remains deeply optimistic about the next generation of growers, the enduring power of Mother Nature, and the idea that wine, at its best, connects people to something larger than themselves. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Annabel Thomas | 02 Feb 2026 | 00:38:57 | |
"Reducing the barriers to getting into Scotch, I think, is really important for bringing new consumers from all walks of life in and making them feel welcome. The whole point of Nc'nean is whisky for everybody." – Annabel Thomas Annabel Thomas is the founder of the most sustainable distillery in the world, Nc’nean. Nestled in the Western Highlands of Scotland, Nc’nean is completely off the grid. The entire operation produces net-zero carbon emissions and is powered by 100% renewable energy. They use only organic barley, and the bottles are made from 100% recycled glass. In a conversation with Skurnik’s Whisk(e)y Ambassador Gaby Eisenman, Annabel tells the story of her female-led, B-Corporation distillery innovating in a regional industry that deeply values and protects tradition. Nc’nean strides the future and the past by crafting whiskies that are as approachable for new drinkers as they are exciting for connoisseurs. What Annabel and Gaby tasted in this episode:
Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Pedro Parra | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:22:35 | |
“What I’m looking for is very personal. It’s like a sound in the wine. And that sound is defined by something I love. Like a musician, I was always looking for my personal sound, and that sound comes easy with País.” – Pedro Parra Pedro Parra is a world-renowned winemaker, saxophone player, and vineyard consultant from Chile—and one of the few individuals with a PhD from the Paris Center of Agriculture with a specialization in terroir. Under his eponymous brand, Pedro Parra y Familia Wines, Pedro is a leading member of the "New Chile" wine movement, crafting incredibly precise and artisanal wines that celebrate his country's underappreciated terroir. In this episode, he and Cody Stephenson taste a flight of wines from Itata and discuss Pedro’s journey of pushing the limits, exploring the opposites, and discovering “the point of light” through revolutionary Chilean winemaking. Wines tasted in this episode:
Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Jasmine Hirsch | 24 Mar 2026 | 00:41:48 | |
“This is one reason why family wineries are so important. My father is 82, and he’s supporting, in all the ways, the planting of vineyards that he will not see the full potential of. This multi-generational commitment to viticulture, this multi-generational commitment to caring for the land—that’s why families are so important.” – Jasmine Hirsch The Hirsch family are farmers, though it took decades for David Hirsch to realize after planting his first vines in 1980 that he's not farming grapes—he's farming soil. This epiphany came after a long evolutionary arc in an exceptionally rugged and sparsely populated region in the West Sonoma Coast. What used to be a redwood forest cleared for cultivation by early pioneers became a conventional vineyard and later a biodynamic farm under his stewardship. In this week's episode, Jasmine Hirsch, the second generation farmer of Hirsch Vineyards and first-generation winemaker, joins Jamie Schwartz for a discussion over a glass of Hirsch Vineyards 'Bohan-Dillon' Pinot Noir. The longtime friends discuss her family's farming philosophy rooted in spirituality, the physical and mental impact of the region's dramatic terroir, and how she embraces the ephemeral nature of wine through the Japanese principle of mono no aware. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Chiara Boschis | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:29:06 | |
“They didn’t believe that I could do the work. And today, the girls are proving how sometimes the impossible can become normal.” – Chiara Boschis
As recently as the 1990s, Barolo and the surrounding villages were not ready for a woman to be in charge. When Chiara Boschis championed innovations like new oak barrels, organic farming, and green harvesting in a region that was firmly set in its traditional ways, her neighbors suggested to her father that she should be committed to a psych ward. She laughs about it now because she proved them all wrong; her wines are now considered among the very best of Italy. Chiara toured the world with the Barolo Boys as the only Barolo Girl, introducing a new take on an Italian classic to American tables. And now, instead of “crazy”, she is often touted as the Queen of Cannubi! In this episode, Chiara, joined by her niece Elena, tells the story with gusto of how she found herself at the intersection of three cultural revolutions and became the first woman winemaker estate owner in Piedmont. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Lara Haag | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:25:17 | |
"We're aiming for a mineral-driven, sharper, cooler style. Very fine, very precise, more focus, more finesse, more character." – Lara Haag The Schloss Lieser estate boasts one of the most privileged vineyard portfolios of the Middle Mosel, with famed sites like Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Brauneberger Juffer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Bernkasteler Doctor creating incredibly sharp and precise wines from impossibly steep slopes. In this episode, German wine expert Michael Lykens tastes a flight of Rieslings with Lara Haag, winemaker Thomas Haag's daughter. They discuss how respect for terroir directs their low-intervention winemaking practices and where Schloss Lieser's signature "sponti" aroma comes from. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Martha Stoumen | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:25:04 | |
"You know, trends come and go, but I think there always is an evolution. I think the way I try to approach wine and food and anything else in life, even fashion, is to like what you like and trust your gut." – Martha Stoumen Martha Stoumen is a first generation winemaker from California known for her fresh and youthful wines of primarily Italian varieties. After apprenticing with Giusto Occhipinti in Sicily, Martha returned to California on a mission to discover multigenerational organic vineyards to source her low-intervention wines. Though she walks to the beat of her own drum, collaboration is a necessary ingredient in her work. First, she pooled resources with friends from UC Davis to support the beginning of her eponymous brand, and now she is one fifth of the Overshine Collective, a new organization which allows winemakers to share responsibilities for the "unsexy" parts of the industry while retaining full control over their individual brands. In this episode with American wine expert Camille Elguero, Martha shares the 3 key lessons she brought back from Italy, the charming story behind her Post-Flirtation label, and the joys of motherhood as a woman working in wine. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Cyprien Arlaud | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:34:32 | |
"For me, it’s very important to know where your roots are when you’re making wine. And I know exactly which kind of wine I want to make: it’s wine that most expresses where it comes from." – Cyprien Arlaud The third generation of his family estate in Morey St. Denis, Cyprien Arlaud of Domaine Arlaud is regarded by many as one of the most respected farmers and winemakers in Burgundy today. His full-scale commitment to organic, biodynamics, and holistic soil management established him as a leader of a new era of low-intervention practices. Speaking, Cyprien makes it clear how in touch he is with every meter of vines he farms. He is immensely talented, but also has an insatiable curiosity that allows him to keep learning and keep getting better. And today, there is no question he is one of the finest growers in Burgundy. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| BONUS: Exploring Galicia and Portugal | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:45:36 | |
“To work by animal traction, 40% grade vineyards, on slate, at 1,000m of altitude, that are 45 minutes from anything else—all the best producers are going more and more into geographically specific bottlings.” – Max Working In December, we sent our Iberian wine specialists to take the pulse of what’s new and exciting in Portugal and Galicia. Matt Wolfe and Max Working tasted the wines of nine producers from Bierzo to Porto and returned with a wealth of stories, wineries to watch, and two souvenir tastevins from their surprise induction into a secret society. They reveal how some producers are returning to the past to move forward, what makes farming biodynamically so difficult here, why organic Alvarinho is so rare. The itinerary included visits with Dominio do Bibei, Anselmo Mendes, Aphros, Albamar, Bodegas Fulcro, Raúl Pérez, Filipa Pato & William Wouters, Revela, and Kopke. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Sergio Vivanco | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:37:13 | |
"I'm very proud to be Mexican. I love my people, I love my country, and we love what we are doing. We do our part with passion, with honesty, with everything that we can with our hands. We are people from the field. We are rancheros, and we feel proud of this. It's our task." – Sergio Vivanco For five generations, the Vivanco family has been growing agave in Arandas, in the Jalisco highland plateau, though they didn't establish their own destilería until 1994. Registered as NOM 1414, they soon launched their own family label, Viva México Tequila. The distillery built an enviable reputation, and the family took on contracts for brands seeking purity, quality, and transparency. Now co-owner and one of four master distillers, Sergio Vivanco has become one of the most respected figures in the tequila industry. In this episode, tequila educator and advocate Marissa Paragano sits down with Sergio to taste five expressions from Viva México and Plantador, discussing the production details that make NOM 1414 tequilas distinct, Sergio's five-step tasting method, and how a culture of multi-generational craftsmanship delivers excellent results. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Bernhard Ott and Hans Reisetbauer | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:26:13 | |
“Normally you have a best friend, and sometimes you see each other on weekends, but we are in the same business. We feel lucky. You can’t find it a second time in the world.” – Bernhard Ott If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. History is full of contemporaries who share visions of success, who, instead of competing, mentor and encourage the other to become greater than one could alone. Warhol and Basquiat. Lewis and Tolkien. Gauguin and van Gogh. Today in the world of craft wine and spirits, that pair is winemaker Bernhard Ott and distiller Hans Reisetbauer. Born into farming families in Lower and Upper Austria respectively, they followed a common thread of honest farming, pure fruit, and quality beverages that eventually brought them together. Like looking in a mirror, they immediately bonded over their shared interests and identical values. Now after 25 years of friendship, their collaborative approach to farming, fermentation, and life has produced the most elite wine and spirits in Austria. In this episode, they share their philosophies on biodynamic farming, their obsessive pursuit of pure fruit, and why doing things the right way doesn’t have to mean doing it the hard way when you always have a friend to lean on. Automatically generated transcripts often contain mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Daday Suárez | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:33:58 | |
"Everything that we do is very pure. We are mingled or entangled with other species, with the trees, with everything. That's one of the purposes of this tequila: not only producing tequila, but maintaining the harmony and equilibrium with the surroundings." – Daday Suárez Daday Suárez is a completionist. When he was wrestling with questions of reality and being, he got a degree in philosophy. When he wanted to order wine at restaurants with more confidence, he became a certified sommelier. When he was looking for the perfect tequila, he used his degree in mechanical engineering to pave a road to the top of a mountain, then built the world’s highest elevation tequila distillery, Alto Canto. Of all he has accomplished, Alto Canto is Daday’s crown jewel. He built it with a lasting legacy in mind—of quality tequila, yes, but also as a promise to nature. The distillery is entangled with native flora whose wild yeasts spontaneously ferment only organic, mature agaves. Coyotes and armadillos roam across the forested Sierra del Tigre range. Bees swarm, drawn to the vinaza, or liquid byproduct from distillation, which gets repurposed as fertilizer for local avocado farmers. In this episode with Justin Lane Briggs, Daday shares his thoughts on what it takes to craft the highest quality distillate with as little intervention as possible, and where additive-free tequilas like Alto Canto fit in the flashy league of premium craft Mexican spirits. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected one here. | |||
| Alice Jun | 04 May 2026 | 00:31:48 | |
"Sool is an ancient style of rice wine. It has over two-thousand years of documented history. Our style is distinctly influenced by the style of brews that I grew up with—a wilder, more natural, more gastronomical style of Korean wine. And for those who are curious about going deeper, there is always something more." – Alice Jun Alice Jun remembers makgeolli as an important ingredient of her upbringing in the '90s in her Los Angeles Korean American community. Her father, a first-generation immigrant, taught her how to brew the mixed-culture sedimented rice wine at home. His style, brewed from brown rice, was rustic and traditional—much stronger and drier than the lighter, aspartame-sweetened version exported to grocery store shelves, which many in the Korean diaspora had become used to. In this week's episode, Alice tells the story of how she went from bootlegging her father's recipe from her NYC shoebox apartment to starting Hana Makgeolli, the first craft makgeolli brewery in the US, and how the explosion of Korean pop culture and a rapid consumer-driven appetite for craft Asian beverages is changing the landscape of American gastronomy. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. Learn more about the different types of sool. | |||
| Ricardo Peñalba | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:32:00 | |
“Wine has always been in change, in movement. The wine that we drink now is not the same wine that was drunk a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago. For a revolution, you have to go back to the past to see what you have missed, and then bring it back.” – Ricardo Peñalba More than a winemaker, Ricardo Peñalba is a self-proclaimed "wine ideologist." When he's out walking the rows of his biodynamic vineyards in Ribera del Duero, he's thinking obsessively about wine and how it connects humans to our shared history and humanity. In this episode with Max Working, Ricardo shares a bottle of his Ojo Gallo from Finca Torremilanos and explains the region's ties to this traditional clarete style of wine, with an inspiringly philosophical perspective. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Chris Mullineux | 20 Apr 2026 | 00:38:39 | |
"If a wine is trying to copy somewhere else or be something else, it might taste good, but it needs to have an authenticity and a sense of place to it, and it must be balanced and beautiful to drink. If a wine can put those two concepts together, for me, it's a perfect wine." – Chris Mullineux For decades, South Africa’s Swartland region was dominated by industrial farming cooperatives that pumped out massive amounts of inexpensive bulk wine and diluted any hint of terroir. It wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that a fresh generation took notice of the gems right under their noses: forgotten old-vine vineyards and, thanks to hundreds of millions of years of tectonic activity, the oldest soils of anywhere on the planet. Chris and Andrea Mullineux, alongside pioneers like Adi Badenhorst and Eben Sadie, helped redefine the region with stunning Chenin Blancs and Syrahs, proving that Swartland wines could indeed deliver a distinct sense of place. Now their movement has grown beyond the Swartland to the broader Western Cape. Independent winemakers from Stellenbosch to Hemel-en-Aarde are dialing in their farming to express a uniquely South African terroir, one that in Mullineux’s case “tastes like sunshine.” In this episode, Chris Mullineux joins Desiree Russo for a flight of wines from three of his projects: Kloof Street, Mullineux, and Leeu Passant. They discuss regenerative farming, geek out on soil, and survey the unexpected varieties that may come to define the next chapter of South African wine. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected one here. | |||
| Shane Fraser | 11 May 2026 | 00:29:18 | |
"Perfection in a spirit is to do things very consistently and don't change things. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think what we're doing at the distillery is close to the best whisky I've made for a long, long time. It's grain to glass, and it's all grown and made in New York State." – Shane Fraser Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic, NY is making the closest thing to Scotch outside of Scotland, thanks to their secret weapon, the acclaimed master distiller Shane Fraser from Aberdeen. Tenmile's focus is on American Single Malt Whisky, a relatively unheard-of and misunderstood category only officially defined as recently as 2025. In this episode with whisk(e)y expert James Pellingra, Shane describes the ins and outs of producing single malt whisky, the advantages of aging whisky in California Pinot Noir casks, and how he defines perfection in a category still establishing its identity. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Noah Dorrance | 18 May 2026 | 00:27:58 | |
"If you're really tapped into what wine is, giving back is a very natural extension of that. You realize that wine exists in this harmony with its environment, and if you're not giving back out to that environment, you're like the dead end in the ecosystem. It's important that the ecosystem keeps moving around and that good keeps flowing in all directions." – Noah Dorrance Noah Dorrance's philosophy is clear and consistent: wine is connection. Paying close attention to the weather and the rhythms of the seasons connects him to the health of the planet. Donating a portion of his revenue to local nonprofits helps him connect with his community in and beyond the Sonoma Coast. And involving his wife and teenage kids in the Reeve Wines and BloodRoot projects brings their family closer together. In this week's episode, New York sommelier Mackenzie Khosla guest hosts Noah for a discussion over a bottle of Reeve Wines 'Rice-Spivak' Pinot Noir. Together they reflect on ways to find connection, generosity, and intentionality through the making and sharing of wine. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:31:29 | |
“I think joyful, colorful people can still make beautiful, classically-styled, serious wines.” – Corinne Rich The standard California playbook of Chardonnay and Cabernet often overshadows a rich history of alternative varieties perfectly suited for the modern climate. This week’s episode features two guests: Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse, the partners and winemakers behind Birdhorse. Balancing their own independent label with day jobs at respected wineries, they discuss how they built a brand from scratch, choosing to champion forgotten, climate-resilient Mediterranean grapes through close grower partnerships rather than traditional landownership. The conversation centers on the unexpected potential of Valdiguié—a historic, bulletproof grape once known as “Napa Gamay.” Corinne and Katie explain how working with lesser-known varieties creates an even playing field for drinkers, stripping away the gatekeeping of traditional “wine speak.” They share their vision for making the industry more inclusive through approachable pricing, thoughtful low-intervention winemaking, and joyful, colorful labels designed to bring everyone into the conversation. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||
| Alex Clark | 01 Jun 2026 | 00:35:17 | |
"As a brand, you have to have an identity. It's easy to just make products, but why you exist is much more important that what you produce. The "why" for us is recreating this classic New York rye style that hadn't been around for over 100 years." – Alex Clark The Battle of Brooklyn began over stolen fruit in a neighborhood watermelon patch, a piece of borough history that now inspires one of New York’s most distinctive spirits. In this week's episode, Whiskey Specialist James Pellingra talks with Alex Clark, founder of Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton Distillery. Alex traces his path from London DJ to the center of the New York classic cocktail boom, sharing how his hospitality roots and love of American Revolutionary history inform his approach to distilling. The conversation centers on Fort Hamilton’s reason for existence: bringing back the pre-Prohibition style of New York rye whiskey. Long before corn subsidies made bourbon dominant, rye was a true foundational spirit of American distilling. Alex breaks down what makes an Empire Rye Whiskey and what it means to resurrect a distillate that the US government sought to eradicate. Alex also reintroduces Fort Hamilton’s New World Gin. Built on a New York corn base, it balances cucumber with fresh watermelon, a direct tie to that historic battlefield skirmish located just a block from the modern distillery in Industry City.
BCB is held at Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on June 9th and 10th. The Skurnik bar will be open both days from 11am-7pm in Building 7 for you to meet our spirits specialists and visiting distillers. Register for BCB here. | |||
| BONUS: What to expect from Skurnik at BCB | 25 May 2026 | 00:26:15 | |
The biggest spirits event of the year is right around the corner. Bar Convent Brooklyn is an annual 2-day festival of tastings and seminars from the best in the spirits business. In preparation for Skurnik’s third appearance at BCB, we’re giving you a bonus episode inside our spirits portfolio with Adam Schuman (Spirits Portfolio Director) and Amanda Elder (Spirits Content & Education Manager). In this episode, they survey the beverage landscape from the early 2010s cocktail boom to the spike in demand for consumer education during COVID lockdown, and how Skurnik is meeting the moment in a world still dealing with ripple effects from the pandemic and new challenges brought by trends and the global economy. BCB is held at Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on June 9th and 10th. The Skurnik bar will be open both days from 11am-7pm in Building 7 for you to meet our spirits specialists and visiting distillers. Register for BCB here. Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected one here. | |||
| Nicola Libelli | 15 Jun 2026 | 00:27:04 | |
“If you want to make exceptional wine, you have to feel at home because it’s about so many little things—little things that you have to observe and feel and catch over the season to make the wine. It’s always important to be there and to feel the place.” – Nicola Libelli Nicola Libelli feels at home in the Pfalz. Though he was born and raised in Northern Italy, a taste of 1992 Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spätlese completely changed the course of his life, compelling him to move to Germany and learn everything about German wine. At the age of 26, he was unexpectedly thrust into the head winemaking role at one of Germany's most historic estates, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, where he has since earned his reputation as one of the best Riesling winemakers in the world. In this episode, Nicola reflects on the mentors who shaped his life and how a culture of friendship and healthy competition among winemakers can move the wine industry in the right direction. Meet Nicola at FLXcursion in Geneva, NY June 27-29, 2026.
Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here. | |||