The Vine Guy

Loveblock wines is founded by Erica Crawford, and her husband, Kim Crawford, renowned veterans of the New Zealand wine industry. Erica started her career as an aspirational medical scientist, progressing into the pharmaceutical industry. Her career in the wine industry was quite by accident, when she met Kim Crawford. Erica and Kim began making wine under their own label in 1996 and later sold that brand. However, both were lured back by an untamed parcel of land on a hillside in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley and the prospect of making wines that showed “true and naked terroir.” Erica credits her healthy lifestyle with growing healthier vines and making cleaner wines in New Zealand.

Lindsey Fern discovered her passion for wine while backpacking through Europe and Africa and later honed her skills working in restaurants all over the world including London, Ibiza, Miami and San Francisco’s Bay Area. In 2014, her journey ultimately led her to the Inn at Little Washington as their cellar master. Then in 2021, she became director of wine. Lindsey is the only woman running a 3-Star Michelin restaurant’s wine program in the country! She in passionate about the industry and her career. Drink in this refreshing episode with the delightfully candid Lindsey Fern.

Aaron plays Anthony Holmes on the NBC’s comedy, Grand Crew. The popular sitcom tells the story of a ‘crew’ of 30-something Black professional friends in Los Angeles who regularly enjoy getting together at their favorite neighborhood wine bar to unpack their everyday adventures. On the show, Aaron’s character plays the happy-go-lucky, yet slightly uptight accountant. The series first aired in December 2021, and was the top digital comedy on NBC’s Peacock streaming platform. Currently in production, season 2 of the successful comedy will return first quarter 2023. In addition to Grand Crew, Aaron can also can be seen on Amazon Prime’s hit series A League Of Their Own, in the role of Guy. Best known for his role as Dr. Malik Verlaine on CBS’ drama Pure Genius, Aaron’s acting resume extends to include appearances in HBO’s Insecure, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, CBS’ NCIS, FOX’s Bones and TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles. Drink in this episode with the talented Aaron Jennings.

Jeff Morgan is the owner and founding winemaker of Covenant Wines, a boutique urban winery in Berkeley, California making small-lot fine wines from California and Israel. Covenant wines are made from extraordinary vineyards that stretch from Central California, Lodi and Northern California, all the way to the Galilee and Golan Heights in Israel. Covenant wines have been praised by Robert Parker, who called them “the finest kosher wines on planet Earth,” and by Jancis Robinson who stated that Jeff has made “the best kosher wine I have ever tasted.” Drink in this fascinating episode with the exceptionally entertaining Jeff Morgan.

Sometimes, we in the wine world are so focused on the latest and greatest cult wine or hottest new trend in wine, that we forget about wines with genuine pedigree and history. Wines that deserve more attention and praise than they often receive. Such is the case with the incredibly classic and consistent wines of Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley.

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In America, the Fourth of July celebrates the anniversary of the day we declared our independence from Great Britain. In France, July 14^th celebrates the historic day the oppressed citizens of France stormed the Bastille – a prison and citadel that stood as a symbol of the hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocratic government – and declared their independence from the repressive rule of King Louis XVI…. continue reading