Wine Access Unfiltered—The Official Podcast and Wine Club of Wine Access—goes deep into what we really love about wine: the intimate moments, unforgettable occasions, and hilarious stories that a great bottle brings about. Hosted by former PRESS wine director and Napa Valley insider Amanda McCrossin with appearances from our team of unrivaled experts, we’re popping our favorite bottles and sharing them with you.
The Wine Access Unfiltered Wine Club delivers a completely new wine education experience. Once every two months, you’ll receive four bottles. They will all be featured and discussed on the Wine Access Unfiltered podcast. That way, you can drink along with us as we tell stories, share knowledge, and answer your questions!
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Down to the Dregs: Six Years, 132 Episodes, and One Final Bottle
Season 4 · Episode 20
Friday, November 6, 2026 • Duration 54:41
After six years and 132 episodes, Wine Access Unfiltered takes its final sip. Eduardo Dingler and Laura Koffer of Wine Access, two friends who have been along for the ride since the very beginning, join Amanda to uncork a 2020 von Buhl Riesling Sekt and pull back the curtain on the show: the strangely intimate 2020 intake calls with celebrities stuck at home, the Bert Kreischer story that remains an all-time favorite, and why a listener’s heirloom coupe can outrank the “correct” glass. The conversation also wanders into how palates drift away from trophy bottles toward the $20 to $40 discovery zone, plus what lies ahead for podcast wine club members in the Discovery Club. Pour a glass of Brookdale Mason Road Syrah and raise it to the last round.
This Week's Wine: Brookdale Mason Road Syrah
Keep drinking with us via The Discovery Club
A Note From Amanda:
Posting this episode felt unbelievably bittersweet. I have such a deep love for this show and the conversations I’ve been fortunate to have and share with you over these last six years. I’m eternally grateful for your time, enthusiasm, feedback, and support. Truly, we could not have done this without you. I loved meeting so many of you in person, and I hope to meet plenty more down the line (please say hi!). The beauty of wine is that, like us, it is ever evolving with one constant: it has the power to bring people together. And that’s exactly what this show did. So I’ll leave you with a few parting asks:: continue to drink promiscuously, wander down the unfamiliar paths, stay curious, and trust that whatever wine journey you’re on is the right one. Until we meet again, friends.
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Sicily to Torino: A Road Trip Up the Boot featuring Jeff Porter
Season 4 · Episode 19
Friday, October 23, 2026 • Duration 49:31
Is Sicily a playful wine region that deserves to be taken seriously, or was it serious all along? Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast’s Italian wine reviewer, host of Sip Trip, and the wine director behind Del Posto’s legendary list, joins from his new home in Torino to tackle that question and plenty more. The conversation starts in southeastern Sicily with Nero d’Avola, Frappato, and Grillo, then heads north through Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, and Emilia-Romagna. Along the way there are stops for Pignoletto, Lambrusco di Sorbara, a strong opinion on Tuscan bread, and the case for why Italy is in a golden age of wine. Pour a glass of the Cieck Erbaluce di Caluso, “a summer mountain hike in liquid form,” and settle in for the trip up the boot.
This Week's Wine: 2025 Cieck Erbaluce di Caluso Piedmont
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The Holiday Wine Game Plan featuring Kaitlyn Rodriguez of Mainline Gluten Free
Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 48:03
The nicest bottle in the cellar does not belong on the Thanksgiving table. Kaitlyn Rodriguez, the creator behind Mainline Gluten Free and Amanda's younger sister, joins for a holiday pairing game plan built on years of family feasts and a few hard-won mistakes. The playbook runs course by course: a magnum of Champagne poured and waiting at the door, appetizers as the moment to get adventurous, lighter reds and Côtes du Rhône for the roast and its thousand sides, and a single ounce of Madeira or tawny Port to close the night. Along the way, hear why bottle shape is a surprisingly reliable shopping cheat, why off-dry Riesling beats bone-dry at Thanksgiving, and how to host with a celiac at the table.
This Week's Wine: 2017 Bodegas Casa Primicia Viña Diezmo RV Rioja Reserva
Subscribe to Kaitlyn's Substack
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Wine Mentions
Heitz Cellar, Bella Oaks (Thanksgiving Magnum)
Billecart-Salmon: the family's Champagne to kick off the day
Gruet: the longtime non-Champagne sparkling favorite
Famille Perrin and E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône: the party reds, from about $10 to $12
Cru Beaujolais: called the rosé of the fall
Jura Chardonnay with a Jura cheese: the "try it with the cheese" appetizer pairing
Chablis with caviar: the pick over Champagne
Feinherb Riesling: the off-dry white for the Thanksgiving table
McCollister Estates: New Jersey Cabernet Franc from friends Dan and Kelly's home vineyard in Southampton, NJ. They also make a Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Dessert Wines
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance: South African dessert wine
Madeira, Sauternes, late harvest Riesling, and 10 or 20 year tawny Port
Restaurants & Bars
Birdie's, Austin: wine pairings at the bar, plus Madeira with an ice cream sundae
South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia: the leftovers paired with the Rioja
Other Mentions
Storied Goods: the Champagne sugar cubes
Gabriel-Glas StandArt glasses: go-to universal wine glasses
Target Wine Glasses (French Style)
Krusteaz Gluten Free Honey Cornbread mix
Erlenmeyer flasks as decanters
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The Wine Trip Research Playbook: A Sommelier's Guide to curating the perfect wine getaway
Season 4 · Episode 17
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 51:23
A year ago, packing tips for my mother-in-law's first wine trip to Europe turned into a full episode. So when Amanda found she was heading to Sicily herself for her first-ever visit, we decided a follow-up episode was in order. And this time, we're shifting gears to help give you a little insight into how the research actually gets done: hunting down the nicest hotel in a neighborhood to find the good, cheaper options nearby, mining wine lists at restaurants for producers worth chasing, and handing an entire photographed closet over to AI for itinerary-based outfit planning. There's also a wine-world catch-up on Champagne's earliest harvest on record, a rare one-time bump to its legal alcohol ceiling, and the case for a marathon that trades water stations for wine and food. Pour a glass of the Maison Chanzy Bourgogne Rouge and get ready to over-research a place not yet visited.
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The Wine Lover's Case for Portugal featuring Nicole Muscari
Season 4 · Episode 16
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 56:15
Portugal has been on the docket for a while, and it finally gets the right guest: Nicole Muscari, the wine educator and content creator behind Grape Chic, who has made the trip 22 times since 2019 and now owns a place in Porto. We're digging into the friendly Porto-vs-Lisbon rivalry — Porto's grit and cobblestones read like New York, Lisbon's sprawl and beaches read more L.A. — then heads into the Douro Valley to make the case for its dry reds and mineral whites, not just port. There's also a detour to Colares, a DOC so small its vines still grow ungrafted in sand. Pastel de nata debates, football pride, and a real argument for booking that direct flight all make an appearance.
This Week's Wine: 2022 Altitude by Duorum Douro
Mentions and Links
Wines & Producers
Altitude by Duorum — the episode's featured Douro red, a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Cão.
Alvarinho (Vinho Verde) — worth seeking out in its age-worthy, lees- or barrel-aged styles, not just the light spritzy version.
Arinto — coastal, salty white from the Lisbon region, sometimes given Chardonnay-style oak and lees aging.
Colares DOC (Malvasia whites, Ramisco reds) — a roughly 22-hectare appellation near Cascais growing pre-phylloxera vines in sand.
Restaurants & Bars — Porto
de Lima's Wine Bar — opened by Rafael de Lima in the historic center.
Blind Pony — speakeasy right next door.
Fauno — small tasting-menu spot with wine pairings.
Cozinha das Flores — strong wine list with rare back-vintage Portuguese bottles.
Prova — wine bar with deep, well-curated allocations.
Casa Guedes — go-to for the roast pork and Serra da Estrela cheese sandwich.
Arco das Verdades — cliffside wine bar with natural/biodynamic small-producer bottles and river views.
Pedro Lemos — Michelin-starred restaurant with a standout cellar.
Taylor's — Port house recommended for its educational tour.
Casa de Chá da Boa Nova — two-Michelin-star restaurant on the water.
Fábrica da Nata — favorite pastel de nata.
Taberninha do Manel (sister restaurant Adega do Manel) — riverside Gaia spot for amêijoas à Bulhão Pato and francesinha.
Gazela — the cachorrinhos (Porto-style hot dogs) spot Anthony Bourdain once featured.
Bomfim 1896 — Michelin-recommended.
Libatio — Nicole's pick for the city's best wine bar.
Douro Valley
The Vintage House — hotel in Pinhão, a good base for exploring the valley.
Vinho Verde
Town of Amarante — medieval town with an old bridge, worth the detour.
Monverde Wine Resort — modern wine hotel with floor-to-ceiling views over the vines.
Lisbon
Black Sheep — favorite wine bar
Pastéis de Belém — the original pastel de nata bakery.
Bar Alimentar
Imprensa Cocktail Bar
Prado Wine Bar
Bifanas do Afonso — for the classic Lisbon bifana sandwich.
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The Santa Cruz Mountains Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight featuring Cole Thomas, Madson Wines
Season 4 · Episode 15
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 41:04
The Santa Cruz Mountains have been growing exceptional wine since the 1860s, and somehow the wine world still barely talks about it. This episode heads south of San Francisco to sit down with Cole Thomas, owner and winemaker of Madson Wines, who traded a marine biology track at UC Santa Cruz for grape stems after meeting Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard's Jeff Emery at a campus seed exchange. The conversation digs into why fog-slowed wind — not fog itself — keeps the west side cool enough for savory, high-acid Pinot Noir, how the same appellation ripens Cabernet on its sun-baked east side, and where to eat, surf, and taste on a weekend in town.
This Week's Wine: 2024 Madson Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
My free guide to Santa Cruz Substack 🗞️
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Wines & Producers
Ridge Vineyards — the region's most recognized name, known for its Monte Bello bottling
Mount Eden Vineyards — historic estate on the former Martin Ray property
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard — Jeff Emery's winery, where Madson's earliest vintages were made
David Bruce Winery — replanted one of the original 1860s Jarvis Brothers vineyard sites
Restaurants & Bars
Duarte's Tavern, Pescadero — 1800s Highway 1 roadhouse; order the cioppino and a Bloody Mary
Manresa Bread, Santa Cruz — bakery near Madson's downtown tasting room
Home, Soquel — recommended by Cole
Hook & Line, Santa Cruz — downtown sustainable-seafood spot
Mentone, Aptos
Bantam, Santa Cruz — wood-fired pizza
Bad Animal, Santa Cruz — bookstore, wine bar, and restaurant in one
Tanuki Cider, Humble Sea Brewing, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery, Verve Coffee, Cat & Cloud Coffee — the westside "Wine Ghetto" cluster right around Madson's tasting room
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How to Be in Two Places at Once (Italy & California Edition) featuring Shelley Lindgren and Kitty Oestlien of A16 and Tansy Wines
Season 4 · Episode 14
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 47:05
What does it take to run one of the Bay Area's most beloved Italian restaurant groups while also building a wine label from scratch — in the middle of a pandemic, no less? A16 founder Shelley Lindgren and her Tansy Wines business partner Kitty Oestlien join to talk about bridging California and Italy, from A16's 20th-anniversary cookbook reprint and upcoming Chicago and Ferry Building openings to the six vintages of Tansy, a Northern California label built on organically farmed Italian varieties. The conversation digs into winemaker Megan Glaab's light-touch approach, the ancient Piedmontese grape Ruché that shows up in Tansy's Red Field Blend, and why an open mind is the best tool for navigating an Italian wine list. Pour a glass of Tansy and settle in for two friends talking flowers, farming, and why food always belongs next to the bottle.
This Week's Wine: 2022 Tansy Red Wine Field Blend California
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Mentions
Wines & Producers
Tansy Wines – Shelley Lindgren and Kitty Oestlien's Northern California label focused on organically farmed Italian grape varieties
Ryme Cellars – Sonoma winery from winemaker Megan Glaab, known for Vermentino and other Italian varieties
Sandlands Chenin Blanc – Tegan Passalacqua's label
Ciro Picariello Fiano di Avellino – the bottle poured at Tavernetta in Denver
Restaurants & Bars
A16 – Shelley Lindgren's Italian restaurant group, with locations in San Francisco's Marina, Oakland, Napa, Japan, and soon Chicago (fall 2026); certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana since 2004
Lucania – A16's upcoming Southern Italian restaurant opening at San Francisco's Ferry Building
Tavernetta (Denver)
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Champagne Is a Place, Not Just a Drink: A Sommelier's Guide to Navigating the Region
Season 4 · Episode 13
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 54:07
Champagne is more than something poured at a toast — it's a place you can actually visit, and this episode finally delivers on months of hints about a long-awaited spring trip there. Sommelier Lara Koffer joins Amanda to unpack the region's biggest split: house Champagne versus grower Champagne, and how roughly 16,000 growers keep the famous marques stocked with fruit. Grab your wine club wine, the Grumier Réserve Perpétuelle, a rare solera-style non-vintage blend dating back to 2005 and join us for stories from Reims and Épernay — Bollinger's hand-disgorged prestige cuvées, a Michelin-starred "Mysteries of Champagne" tasting menu, and hard-won advice on hiring a driver instead of renting a car. Pour a glass and settle in for a trip report worth the wait.
Featured Wine: NV Maurice Grumier Réserve Perpétuelle Extra-Brut Champagne
Find all of our mentions for restaurants, wineries, and hotels in Amanda's Guide to Visiting Paris and Champagne
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Wine Cities, Round Two: A German Importer's Passport featuring Jenna Fields and Zack Musick
Season 4 · Episode 12
Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 54:10
One solo episode wasn't enough to settle the debate over the world's best wine cities — so this time, two frequent flyers weigh in. Jenna Fields and Zack Musick of the German Wine Collection, who log more travel miles promoting German wine than almost anyone in the industry, join to build their own list using the same four-part framework from the last episode: selection, people, variety, and identity. London tops it (officially "Germany-adjacent"), followed by a New York walking tour through Michelin-starred dining rooms, a surprise nod to Phoenix's under-the-radar sommelier scene, and a park-bench cheesesteak in Philly washed down with Frappato from a plastic cup. Pour a glass of the Meyer-Näkel Illusion Blanc de Noir — this month's wine club pick — and settle in for round two.
Featured Wine: 2023 Meyer-Nakel "Illusion" Blanc de Noirs
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Mentions & Links
Wines & Producers
Domaine Tempier Rosé, Bandol — grabbed at Cru in Nantucket
Frédéric Savart Champagne, Écueil — paired with ahi tuna and caviar at 53
G.D. Vàjra, Barolo — on the by-the-glass list at 53
Weingut Salwey Eichberg Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Kaiserstuhl — paired with truffled hazelnut soup at Oiji Mi
Muskattrollinger Rosé — the German rarity poured at the Nantucket seminar
Restaurants & Bars
Cru, Nantucket
Mezcaleria Alma, Denver — Michelin-starred, all-Mexican-wine list
COQODAQ, NYC — the champagne-and-caviar-chicken-nugget spot
Oiji Mi, NYC
53, NYC — dim sum spot
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, NYC
Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna, Chicago
Restaurant Progress, Phoenix
Angelo's, Philadelphia — cheesesteak
Di Bruno Bros., Philadelphia — wine shop
Noble Rot, Mayfair (London)
Devonshire, London
Satan's Whiskers, London — cocktail bar
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Four Cities. No Vineyards. All Wine.
Season 4 · Episode 11
Saturday, June 20, 2026 • Duration 01:03:00
We're going solo this episode, and we're going global. After months of logging serious miles across cities and continents, we wanted to revisit a format we love — not the wine regions, not the châteaux, but the cities themselves. The places that aren't necessarily making wine, but are doing it better than almost anywhere else in the world. We're breaking down our top four wine cities right now — London, Copenhagen, Tokyo, and New York — what makes each one stand out, how we navigate them for wine when we get there, and the specific spots that completely won us over. Along the way, we're also tasting the Zuccardi Polígonos Cabernet Franc from Mendoza — our wine club pick and a perfect tie-in to our earlier episode on the most exciting wine regions to visit. Pour a glass and come along.
Featured Wine: Zuccardi Polígonos Cabernet Franc, Uco Valley
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Mentions & Links
Restaurants, Wine Bars, and Recs — London
Hedonism Wines, London — hedonismwines.com
Noble Rot, Soho — noblerot.co.uk
The Eagle Bar at Chancery Rosewood — rosewoodhotels.com
Mountain, Beak Street, Soho — mountainsoho.com
Mayfair Townhouse (hotel) — themayFairtownhouse.com
Restaurants & Wine Bars — Copenhagen
Rossforth & Rossworth (bridge wine) — wine importer + outdoor wine bar; rossforthandrossworth.com
Bar Vitrine
Fiskebar — former Noma head sommelier; seafood focused
Esse — Michelin starred; tasting menu + à la carte lounge; natural wine and French-leaning list
La Banchina — natural wine; waterside cove café; labanchina.dk
Poulette and Pompette — order on the app; skip the line
Kinyobi — sushi from former Geranium chefs; great sake selection
Bird — exceptional cocktail program; great non-alcoholic options
Sanchez — tacos from a former Noma chef
Hotel Sanders (hotel) — hotelsanders.com
Restaurants & Wine Bars — Tokyo
New York Bar, Park Hyatt Tokyo (Lost in Translation bar) — park.hyatt.com; Dom Pérignon by the glass at $45
Studio Mule — hidden second-floor wine bar; hi-fi music system; rotating rare bottles by the glass including Gravner and Paolo Bea; no signage, look for the green door
Badu, Kyoto — natural wines; sister restaurant to Monk (featured on Chef's Table)
Isetan Department Store — basement food hall; great sake selection to take home
Restaurants & Wine Bars — New York
Coqodaq — fried chicken and champagne
Clemente Bar, above Eleven Madison Park
La Tete d'Or by Daniel
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar — aldosohmwinebar.com
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels — downtown + new Flatiron location
Le Chene — great Burgundy and Champagne; splurge-worthy
Union Square Cafe
Gramercy Tavern
Claude, East Village — reportedly excellent wine list
Roscioli — wine list by Ariel Arcé, formerly of Ariel's Champagne Parlor
Wines Referenced
Gravner — famous orange wine producer; served by the glass at Studio Mule Tokyo
Paolo Bea, Arboreus — Italian white; served by the glass at Studio Mule Tokyo
Also Mentioned
Toyama — day trip from Tokyo for Sake (IWA)
Kalaya, Philadelphia — James Beard Award Outstanding Restaurant
Levi Dalton — I'll Drink To That podcast; Noble Rot recommendation
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