LA Love Cocktails! Now Madre Mezcal offers a Gateway to a Better Taste
Today’s conversation is with Ryan Fleming from Madre Mezcal. The LA nightlife veteran reveals his time working behind the bar in some of Southern California’s hottest spots, as well as the inspiration that got him to travel to Mexico, discovering Mezcal. The aroma, flavors, science and food pairings for Mezcal.
Love Tequila? Discover the Gateway to better taste with Madre Mezcal’s Ryan Fleming
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, unedited conversation, visit our YouTube Channel.
“…I’ve been a big Mezcal lover before I ever sold it…”
Joe Winger: Can you share the behind the scenes or how the brand itself was created?
Ryan Fleming: I’ve been a big Mezcal lover before I ever even sold it or made a dollar doing that. So I got to actually meet Ron Cooper, who is the legend that started the Del Maguey label back in 2011.
I got to drink rabbit Pachuca with him and all these other amazing things. The reason I bring him up is he’s a kind of one of the people that we look up to, how to sustainably bring a brand and how to create culture that crosses boundaries in a sense.
He has a beautiful book that I recommend anyone to read if you haven’t read Ron Cooper’s book.
But we share a similar story. One of our founding partners, Tony Farfalla and one of my good friends, Stefan Tony’s an artist and he was literally traveling through Oaxaca doing documentaries and embracing the art and culture. He happened to meet Jose Morales, which is the first family we ever worked with.
If you have original bottles of Madre [Mezcal] before the labels have changed, it used to say Jose’s name on the bottle.
So Tony was bringing bottles back to Brooklyn in plastic water bottles and it snowballed. His friends in Brooklyn were like, this stuff’s great. Started out in plastic water bottles in 2014. I think it was 2016 when our first glass bottles actually came by and we became like of a more legit brand and company. But it started with Tony and Stefan; and they brought on our CEO and COO, Chris and Davide.
Chris actually is one of the founding driving forces in the electronic scene in the 90s in Europe. Chris comes from a very artistic, music based background. Then he went on to work for some bigger alcohol brands in the vodka world.
Davide, who is our COO, my direct boss, who I love, is Italian and his whole family built furniture and he got his big break by importing and bringing furniture over [to the United States]. He also works with a beautiful high end apparel line.
“…everyone has a very unique artistic background, which really reflects the brand and the label…”
So everyone has a very unique artistic background, which really reflects the brand and the label. Just not wanting to make a quick buck and actually make something we can stand behind and believe in.
As the families now blossom into four, we use three: the Vasquez family, the Blas family and the Morales family are our three main producers for our red and black label, which most people are familiar with.
We just brought in Moises and he’s actually from Santa Catarina Minas. That’s a little town where all they really make is their production. It’s a town known for nothing but clay pot distillation. So if you actually use a copper pot in, in Manera and Santa Caterina Minas, you’re looked at as what are you doing? That’s not what we do here.
He’s our last and newest producer and he may be the most cowboy of them all, and he’s my favorite.
When you get to Tlaxcala, you have to walk over like a little rope bridge over like a river and stuff into the hills of Minas to see his production, and he’s got his grandfather’s old still, and he’s got his mom’s little kitchen that he wants to reopen, and it’s like a restaurant. But if you and I were to look at it, it just looks like a backyard set of tables and chairs with a cooking center.
No, this is a restaurant for the village. It’s really beautiful down in Minas. I recommend everyone, if you get a chance to go down there, it felt like the jungles in Costa Rica, cause it’s up near the hills and it’s just so green and lush up there.
“…I’ve been working in the alcohol industry for almost 15 years …”
Joe Winger: What got you down there? Was it for a vacation or for Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
So I’ve been working in the alcohol industry for almost 15 years and I worked for the Houston Hospitality Group for over a decade, helping run programs and menus. I worked for a couple other restaurants, but I used to work for Stillhouse Whiskey, which many people remember the terrible flavored moonshine in a gas can.
Yeah I actually sold that. I did pretty well, there was always one flavor that someone loved. I had the mint chocolate chip and I would keep it in the freezer to take care of my sweet tooth when I didn’t have ice cream. So that’s how it started.
My buddy, Stefan, who’s one of the founding partners goes, “Hey, we got this Mezcal company.” I was just basically consulting for free lunches.
One day he goes, do you want to go to Oaxaca? And I went, absolutely.
I familiar with going down to Mexico city, but I’d never been as far South as Oaxaca. So I jumped at the chance.
[Meanwhile] we all got an email from Stillhouse saying “Hey, I know things are being shaken up right now, but trust me, everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
That weekend, apparently the whole team got laid off, but I didn’t get the email untll I came home Monday. They’re saying, “Ryan, are you going to be okay? Do you need help finding work?”
So I went down to Oaxaca, met the families, broke bread with Jose Morales, got to meet his mother who blessed the roast and cooked us dinner. They offered me a job.
That was started my journey about six years ago with Madre [Mezcal ]and I’ve been with him since.
Fleming motions to tattoos on his arms and hands.
Discovering Madre Mezcal
I have it tattooed on my hand right here. I have it tattooed on my palm right here. And I think I have another one on the inside of my leg too. We do tasting events and we’ll have pop up tattoo artists all the time.
Tequila vs Madre Mezcal
Joe Winger:
You mentioned the tastings and the education. Are there quick lessons that you teach the most often?
Ryan Fleming:
Basic production, culture, financial, environmental and economic sustainability.
I don’t think people understand that Oaxaca is the second poorest state in Mexico. Everyone thinks the Mezcal boom must be bringing so many jobs, but it really only affects about 20 – 40,000 people that live in Oaxaca for the production,
Mezcal is great because it does bring some financial sustainability to the families. Jose started off driving a taxi to pay his bills and now he’s making Mezcal in his family’s tradition. His whole family, his cousin, his uncles, they all make Mezcal for a living now.
There’s so much culture behind it. Even the old argument of did the Spanish bring over copper stills and that started distillation or does it go back to the Aztecs and Mayans? Because they found distillate and pottery from 3000 years ago. It’s those little nuances.
People really like to talk about the environmental, but giving back to the people down there by not just buying product, but giving them some ownership, which Madre does do, so that everyone has a little bit of skin in the game.
So I think Sustainability, whether it’s environmental, economical, cultural, and production. Those are the things I really like to talk about.
Joe Winger: What is the basic difference between mezcal and tequila? Or is it more complicated?
Ryan Fleming:
You could say production techniques, additives, mass production are probably the three biggest differences.
Tequila can only be made with one agave. It’s a blue weber. Mezcal can be made with the other 47-ish varietals, and that number is always fluctuating, based on classification and family genius.
Production is the big one. Tequila is made in massive factories and made with either chemicals or steam for the most part.
Whereas mezcal is actually made by hand, roasted in an earthen oven. The biggest thing that separates Tequila and Mezcal is the 1% additive rule.
Tequila can have up to 1% by volume additives, and they don’t have to tell you. That’s why certain large brands will say 100% Agave, but it’s full of additives, because it doesn’t take much with modern chemistry. Just a couple drops of glycerin or vanilla extract to change the flavor and hide all the nuances.
Mezcal can’t have any additives by law.
Joe Winger: Can we walk through the roles and responsibilities between the families that produce Madre Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
Yeah, the four families. Let’s start with Jose Morales. Him and his brother both make mezcal. Now they produce for us in the US exclusively. We encourage all of our families to continue making mezcal to trade. They use it for a local economy.
Every time I go down there, [their operation is growing]. When they started, they had three stills. Now there’s 12 up and running and they have solar power. It’s just so crazy to see how much the transformation has happened.
The original recipe, the blend of cuishe and espadine at 90 proof, that’s his family’s recipe. So we expanded that and we brought on Carlos Blas and the Vasquez family. Unfortunately, Natalio the father passed away a couple of years ago.
His daughters are now producing in the family’s tradition and we take whatever we can from them.
But what we do, that’s a little bit different is, we started out when it was just Jose, he was making the blend himself. Now we have them make the espadine and the cuishe separately.
All three families are part of the process. Sometimes we just get cuiche from Jose. Sometimes Carlos makes all the espadine, but Carlos is like a master blender.
We blend a cold style like Scotch does. Even though it’s not the most traditional way, all the distillation and process is as true as it can be.
But by blending post distillation allows us to keep consistency, which was a huge problem because every batch with your wild fermentation, your wild yeast and all these beautiful nuances, it’ll be inconsistent as you grow as a brand. It was hard for us to keep consistency.
But by blending multiple terroirs and three different families’ production, we can keep a consistent product that tastes the same as well as expanding and bringing on more families to help instead of just going to a large factory house and not making what I would call “traditional Mezcal.”
Joe Winger: So focusing on your background, you mentioned that you’ve been a bartender in the LA nightlife. Any memorable adventures or lessons you can share?
Ryan Fleming:
There are some stories I could tell that I probably don’t want to share publicly. But there are some amazing stories I can tell.
One of the oddest experiences I’ve ever had, I worked at Good Times at Davey Wayne’s, which is one of the most famous bars in the Hollywood nightlife in the past decade.
Paul McCartney showed up at our door.
But because our staff is younger and our door guys are a little bit younger, they thought it was an old weird British man that just showed up and they turned Paul McCartney away from the door.
‘Holy crap, is that Paul McCartney’?
He was like, do you know who I am? The guys [were like] ”We don’t care.” Like straight up, blowing Paul McCartney off. One of our managers came out and was like, ‘Holy crap, is that Paul McCartney’? And they’re like, wait, the guy from the Beatles?!
My manager ran out, “Please come back,” and Paul had a great time at the bar. We got him a special little area to sit down. It was a packed Saturday. It’s not a nightclub where we have gated off [areas]. Even if you reserve a table, people are inches away from you where you’re sitting at your table.
Justin Bieber showed up one time and everyone went nuts. He comes in, walks around, does a loop, comes out and goes, “I thought this was a hip hop club.” and just left.
It was a 1970s themed bar and we played nothing but 70s music.
The dichotomy between the two different generations and to see them all melt into one location was one of the coolest things about working at that bar.
Joe Winger:It’s so crowded because it’s so popular. The Houston Brothers always do such a good job.
Ryan Fleming:
Yeah. The cocktails are still really good too. For as much volume as we used to do there, the biggest thing is how can I make a really beautiful cocktail that’s still cost effective and doesn’t take 12 steps. We got really good at batching stuff and figuring out how to infuse things. Luckily our back of house was just the most amazing. Mariano is the best barback I’ve ever had in my whole life. He’s still there.
He is just a workhorse that got all the infusions. He would cook, he would infuse all of our products and he was just great. Even if we just did a jalapeno infusion on our tequila, if it got too spicy, he could break down the ratio and water it down with more products so that we could keep the spice level approachable.
Joe Winger:
What is the secret to high quantity yet high value cocktails?
Ryan Fleming:
Batching is definitely the way to do it. Any of your alcohols that are shelf stable, you want to put all of those in the proper ratios in a bottle.
Instead of grabbing a modifier and your base spirit and another modifier, you’re grabbing one bottle with a special tape at the bottom, so you know which cocktail it goes to and then all your fresh stuff.
You can’t batch the fresh stuff. It has to be separated because you put citrus in something and it goes bad in three days. Now the whole batch is bad. So keeping your fresh stuff separated.
Joe Winger: Back to Madre Mezcal. Obviously the bottles themselves are where all the power is. So let’s talk about labels and taste profiles.
Ryan Fleming:
People love our labels. Our branding is top notch. It’s one of the first compliments we always get. “Oh my God, I love your branding.”
Madre Mezcal Artesanal
Looked at Oaxacan culture and some other like medieval culture and combined the art from the two.
As far as the red label it’s the woman on the bull. It’s a really beautiful message of Mother Earth coming down and starting to share humanity and move across the world to plants and spread love. That’s why she’s on the bull. It’s the combination of animal, Mother Earth, and humans.
Madre Mezcal Espandin
The black label is a beautiful logo of a woman on the ground. She’s planting and spreading the seed of life that gives us agave and flowers and fruit and vegetables and everything else.
Madre Mezcal Ancestral
The ancestral is this beautiful clay bottle with old clay vessels from Greece that carried wine with the fluid coming out and it’s supposed to celebrate the ancestral way of making mezcal and clay pots and clay distillation.
I always love telling the story of people who say mezcal is not supposed to be aged, which is a true-ish statement in my opinion. But back in the day, everything got transferred in barrels. So Mezcal would accidentally get aged in barrels because it would travel from town to town on horseback after the product was made.
So the idea that Mezcal was never aged is it wasn’t aged on purpose.
Mezcal was accidentally aged in wood. The traditional way that people would age Mezcal is in glass and they would hide it underground.
I always tell people, if you have a beautiful bottle of Mezcal, you should open it and take it out and put a wine cork in it, or at least crack the bottle and get some air because it really lets alcohol open up and aerate.
Mezcal benefits from a resting period. Pouring it in a nice open glass, like a snifter or a wine glass, letting it sit for about 5-10 minutes will really open it up.
Madre Mezcal tasting notes
Madre is designed to be less smoky. I really hate the term smoky. I like the word roasted because what you’re tasting is like barbeque.
You’re tasting the roasting of the agave and the charcoaling and the burning of the outside agave which will affect the sugars, the caramelization.
Madre really was designed to be a more approachable mezcal. We call ourselves ”The gateway to the category.”
We want to bring people from tequila over to Mezcal so you can explore what agave spirits also have to offer.
It’s bright, clean, and smooth. I always compare it to a really nice, made tequila.
Our Espadine is actually a close cousin of [tequila’s] Blue Weber. It tastes really bright, clean and smooth. But you’re going to get some of that minerality and smoke in the end.
Like easy drinking with some earthy aromas.
Joe Winger: That night when I met you, what you handed me was my first taste of the night. I love that it was so pure and smooth. It didn’t clog up my mouth for the rest of the night.
Ryan Fleming:
I’m like you. I want to have 2-3 cocktails a night. Not just one and my palette’s done.
Our Espadine to me is a 2-3 second palette. It clears up and you get like a breath and it’s fading. Our Ensemble goes on for 10- 12 seconds. From sweet vanilla to chocolate to mineral and then to smoke. Then the smoke fades and you get just a really beautiful, crisp. It’s viscous. You can feel the oil in your mouth when you swirl it around and it makes the best Negroni.
Joe Winger: Let’s talk about food pairings.
Ryan Fleming:
I want to know if this caught you off guard, but it’s Italian food.
Very rich foods. These beautiful Mezcals are light and almost floral and fragrant, It cuts through the richness and creaminess of food.
That’s why mezcal and chocolate are consistently paired together, but that was just way too easy. There’s always mezcal chocolate pairings, but like a really nice Italian dish, something creamy and rich, like an Alfredo or a really well done piece of pizza, like a margarita or a white sauce pizza.
“…I want to know if this caught you off guard, but…”
We are working on doing some [pizza] pairings with some places in LA. Do a different slice of pizza with three different cocktails of Madre and then have a tasting at the end.
Chocolate has a big part of Oaxaca too. You can’t not have some chocolate and mezcal at the end of the night.
Espresso martinis are so hot again right now. Try making one with mezcal instead of vodka and just [see] how coffee helps open up the agave and the notes, and you’re going to get so much more going on in your cocktail.
If you pair a nice espresso martini with beautiful, dark chocolate from Oaxaca. That is your final cocktail at the end of the night, it won’t let you down.
Joe Winger: You mentioned replacing Mezcal with vodka in a martini, are there any traditional or more common cocktails we should also try replacing Mezcal in?
Ryan Fleming:
When I tell you this, it may blow your mind. Most gin cocktails are a little bit better with Mezcal.
There are certain times you need botanicals, but a lot of really good classic gin cocktails, if you sub them for Mezcal, are absolutely fantastic.
Joe Winger: I’m shocked because most gins have such unique aromatics.
Ryan Fleming:
Which Mezcal has so many of those same unique terpenes going on that it changes the cocktail, but it works.
So instead of having botanicals, you have all these beautiful vegetal and mineral notes that just come from agaves.
Joe Winger: What are the biggest misconceptions in the world of Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
A lot of people have a misconception, especially on the trade side, that we have grown exponentially. It’s been a lot of hard work. People think we have this massive team behind us. There’s less than 20 of us on the whole team. That includes our team down in Oaxaca, who watches over manufacturing and production for us down there.
We don’t have an office. We have a little tiny apartment in Venice for meetings.
A lot of people don’t understand the hard work that goes into creating a small brand. It’s just a lot of people working hard to create beautiful Mezcal, especially the families.
People [unfairly comparing it to] tequila. What do you mean, we can’t get more? Why is it so expensive? We have people going out hand collecting wild agaves and harvesting espadine. All of that is hand cut, hand chopped. I’ve hand cut agaves with the families.
None of this is industrialized or mechanized like tequila.
Appreciate every drop of mezcal you have, because someone put a lot of love and labor into it.
Joe Winger: Ryan, as we wrap up, let’s talk about where can learn more about Madre Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
We have a beautiful Instagram. Madremezcal.com is our website.
We also have this Instagram called mezcal. Learning and it’s a little short videos and little blurbs to talk about production, families, history, and culture. It is focused on Madre, but it’s not just Madre, it’s Mezcal as a whole.
If you want to know more about our families who produce, where it’s made, you can find all that information on madremezgal. com.
Our bottles are in most of your nicer bottle shops, liquor stores. In California, we’re lucky enough to be in Trader Joe’s for the Espadine and Whole Foods has our Ensemble.
If you can’t find it, go to madremezcal.com and we ship bottles to almost every state in the U S.
We’re in nine countries, too. Australia. All over Europe, Costa Rica. We’re working on Japan and South Korea as well. So I’m just excited to see the culture of mezcal just expand beyond just America and see how excited because I, when I talk to people that are in London or, people in Australia, and they’re so excited about the idea of being able to get mezcal.
Joe Winger: What is the future for Madre?
Ryan Fleming: I can’t tell you about the big one.
But, [exciting things for] our Ancestral, which is pretty new and every batch of that’s going to be hand numbered and labeled.
We’re going to start doing small batch productions that will be very limited. Then the desert waters, which we have ready for summer.
To learn more about MadreMezcal, visit MadreMezcal.com. Find them on Instagram at MadreMezcal
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“Gaming for Love” is a poignant narrative inspired by true events which follows the journey of Maisie, a young girl battling cancer, as she finds solace and strength in the world of online gaming.
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Through themes of love, sacrifice, and the power of human connection, “Gaming for Love” beautifully illustrates the profound influence of gaming in Maisie’s life and the bonds forged beyond the confines of the digital realm.
Today’s conversation with Erin Gavin from “Gaming For Love” has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger:
We are back today with Erin Gavin, the writer, producer, and director of short film Gaming for Love. Erin, thanks for joining us today.
Erin Gavin:
Thanks for having me. This is brilliant, Joe. Thank you. Appreciate it.
Joe Winger:
My pleasure. I’m looking forward to learning more about you and sharing your message with the audience today.
You direct, you produced, you wrote this; and it’s a very powerful short film Gaming for Love. What’s the most important message you want to share with our audience today?
Erin Gavin:
So for me, the reason I wanted to tell this story is because it’s loosely based on true events. I felt this wave of emotion come over me when I was reading this article and I thought, what an amazing, powerful real loving story.
I just felt compelled to tell it.
From that thought to where we are today feels absolutely incredible. So I’m very grateful.
Joe Winger:
You’ve done a lot of prolific work, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. On stage, on screen, with music.
What inspired you to choose this project next for you?
Erin Gavin:
Other filmmakers will probably relate to this. But it just felt right. There was no part of me that was hesitant not tell this story. Every part of me just said that’s it. This is the story. This is what I’m doing. It’s happening. That was really it. There was no ifs, and’s, but’s, maybe’s about it.
Joe Winger:
That’s very courageous. We often hear so much glamour about Hollywood. But behind the scenes, the production itself isn’t always so easy.
So without giving away any plots or any spoilers, what was one of the biggest challenges of your production? And how did you solve that challenge?
Erin Gavin:
One was the budget.
So in order to make a movie, as we know, we need money. So I literally I thought, I need to ask for help here, which is something I’m not very good at doing in terms of asking people to put together a GoFundMe and let’s do this.
That was a challenge for me to swallow my pride and be like I need to help.
It was amazing how many people came together and just wanted to help. It honestly made me well up and just feel so appreciative of everybody and everyone’s support.
The other challenge was to get crew together. So I was really lucky. I partnered with a company called Up Next studios.
We had a lot of help. People were just coming on board and helping, but naturally, sometimes people fall off and then you have to get somebody else in. That can be challenging in the final days, when someone drops out two days, I didn’t have too much of that, but it worked out in the end and who was meant to be on the movie was on the movie.
Joe Winger:
That’s a great way of thinking about it. Just to detail that out a little bit more, where, location-wise, where on the globe were you shooting?
Erin Gavin:
It was all shot in Scotland. I wrote it the second week in January, and we had the first cut by end of February.
So it was really rushed, really quick and really intense. We had to find locations really quick and we had to really narrow down those locations. I was in Scotland, so it made sense to just let’s roll. I was really lucky with the locations. I had friends just pull in together and be like, You can shoot here.”
So it all worked out really well.
Joe Winger:
How many days of production?
Erin Gavin:
Three days.
Joe Winger:
Three days in Scotland. You shot about a month and a half after you wrote it, is that more or less right?
Erin Gavin:
After I wrote it, I had about 3-4 weeks to pull all the crew together, locations together, everything together.
It was intense.
Then three days of shooting and then editing. Obviously the final cuts and then putting the music together.
But I’m really thankful for the team. Without the team, this would not be possible, and everybody’s support, it wouldn’t be possible.
Joe Winger:
Just going a little deeper on what you just said a second ago, two things to think about.
Number one, a lot of the people that are watching this interview right now have never been on a production set. The closest they’ve been is the movie theater.
Second thing is how many people out there, they’ve written something. But they may not have the courage or the audacity to actually get out there and shoot it, or as you brought up, to go out there and raise money because it costs money to do these things.
Do you have any advice or inspiration for someone out there who wants to be doing what you just accomplished, and they’re scared, hesitant, or nervously excited?
Erin Gavin:
I think you have to be very vulnerable. You have to put ego aside and let people read your script, polish it, get advice on it, make sure it’s as solid as it can be.
That’s hard to do when you pour your heart into this piece and you obviously this piece of paper has everything that you’ve just poured out onto it.
Then to give that [heartfelt script] to someone to be super critical is really hard, but that’s the first step and make sure it’s as good as it can be.
I would say community is key.
So perhaps maybe look at how you can narrow it down budget wise. So that’s your locations. Everything that costs money. And ask for help. Build that community. G to your local drama schools, go to your local film schools.
People want to film. People in the creative world, they want to be doing something.
So people do want to help. That’s what I would say, [at] home and in your community, ask for help, get the script solid. That would be the first two key things to be doing.
Joe Winger:
Good advice.
The title Gaming for Love, gaming is a big theme of the story.
I’d love to believe everybody in the world knows what gaming means. But just in case, can you tell us what gaming means?
What message do you hope the gaming community receives when they see the short film?
Erin Gavin:
We’re talking about computer gaming and [my short film] doesn’t shine it in a negative light.
I actually spoke to somebody last night who’s in the gaming world, for all the major companies and does computer programming in terms of the creative side of things. He said, they would love this story because it shows that this can help people in certain ways. It also has a community to it as well. Like most things in life have some negatives and some positives and everybody has their own opinion, right?
But for this shines it in a light that is true in terms of belonging to this story and how it helps someone.
Joe Winger:
That’s beautiful.
Erin Gavin:
Yeah, certainly this one has a twist at the end.
So I hope the viewers get to watch it and they’ll see exactly what I mean.
I also created a song about gaming which is also very true. A lot of gamers who have heard the song [feel] it’s so relatable.
Joe Winger:
Let’s talk about the cast. The performances are subtle and thoughtful and deep. I was surprised how much I was feeling in such a short period of time.
How did you find your cast? Any favorite moment that really stands out with you?
Erin Gavin:
I love that you felt that. We were really lucky because we just gelled and it made sense and it worked and not a lot of movies have that luck.
I reached out to a Gent who owns a theater school in Scotland. I said I need a young girl for one of the leads.
He happened to also have a Gent who teaches at the school who would’ve been the perfect, and he’d also been in like big shows like Outlander and whatnot.
So I thought, okay, he can act. I checked him out. He’s good. And she was great. And that all came from a gent called Rhys Donnelly who helped me with the casting. And also I reached out to a friend of mine who plays one of the other parts. Who I know is a great actor, Paul Donnelly, and he’s been in Outlander and a bunch of stuff.
So it, again, it was just a community aspect. It’s Oh, who knows who, and who can, how can I connect this and make this all work? And that’s how it happened.
Joe Winger:
What I love about what you just said is we are talking about the plot and the story and the gaming community earlier. You’re talking about the community behind the scenes of production.
I feel like whether it’s deliberate or not. You just found all these different communities to work together to highlight other communities, really a community effort in front of the scene, behind the scenes, in the story, all over the place.
Joe Winger:
Our audience knows we talk usually with chefs and winemakers and mixologists.
We’re talking about food and drink and travel. This topic is a little bit not what we usually talk about, but if you don’t mind, can we talk about food and flavor for a minute with you? Is that okay?
Erin Gavin:
Sure. All right.
Joe Winger:
You probably eat very healthy is my guess, but I could be wrong.
But when you’re indulgent, When you’re looking for flavor. What’s your favorite or what’s it? What’s a good guilty pleasure for you or what’s one of your favorite food and drink pairings?
Erin Gavin:
Being from Scotland, right? I was, Oh, have you tried haggis? Yeah, of course I tried haggis, but haggis is Most things in life, if it’s made well and it’s done it’s really good.
But it can also be the opposite, but I have to say, I do actually love haggis. But now I don’t really eat meat so much. But they do a really good like vegetarian option these days. So when I’m home, especially around Christmas time that would be my sort of go to but to pair with it, I’m going to be really sad here.
I like to drink milk with it. Most people like, yeah, this wine from this region. I’m like, nope, just milk. But but that’s when I go to at home. So when I’m in LA I actually, we like in LA, we have the best sushi. most extending sushi [00:13:00] restaurants. So sushi would be my go to when I’m in LA and definitely sake.
Joe Winger:
What’s the taste profile of haggis? What’s what’s it similar to?
What’s the aroma? What are we tasting? Will you take a bite?
Erin Gavin:
There’s another drink in Scotland. Sometimes I like to have Irn Bru with haggis. It sounds disgusting to a lot of people, but I like it. So it’s just like Irn Bro and haggis.
It’s an acquired taste.
Joe Winger:
Erin, what’s the best way to follow you and learn more about the short film, whether it’s a website, social media, something else, what’s the best way to follow your film festival journey and just what you’re up to with you yourself.
Erin Gavin:
Erin Gavin:
Oh, I appreciate that. On most of the social medias Erin Gavin Artist, like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok.
Gaming For Love has its own pages on Facebook and Instagram.
It’s screening 22nd of July at 1pm at LA Shorts in Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Zoe Saldana, Thomasin McKenzie: Annual Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival celebrates their 20th anniversary
Zoe Saldana, Thomasin McKenzie, Jamie Lee Curtis: Annual Oscar-Qualifying® HollyShorts Film Festival celebrates their 20th anniversary
The Oscar® Qualifying HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL returns for its much-anticipated 20th edition from August 8-18, 2024.
From over 6000 entries, over 400 films form this year’s anniversary program.
This Friday, July 12, HollyShorts will share the entire 2024 selection on YouTube.
Last year, the Academy® granted the festival their 4th OSCAR®-qualifying award for Documentary Short Film, this accolade joined their other three top awards, Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Short Animation and Best Short Live Action. The winners of these awards will be eligible for consideration for a 2025 Academy® Award.
HollyShorts has also launched an inaugural Sports category with NBA Champion, Metta World Peace as the head judge, he is also a producer of a film to be premiered on opening night called, “With Love Charlie”. The festival’s sports category is led by producer Jessica Badawi and will include work from former NBA player and champion Matt Barnes premiering his documentary “Black Mark”, an episode from the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks series “The Sound of the Seahawks”, “The Syd & TP Show” with WNBA stars Theresa Plaisance and Sydney Colson, the show is produced exclusively by TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company founded by four of the world’s greatest athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Sim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bidr. Also joining this new category will be Red Bull Media House’s “Life of Kai” featuring ESPY award winner Kai Lenny and “Race and Surf” from Selema Masakela, NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies “Marc Gasol: Memphis Made”, “ESPN 30 for 30” and two documentaries from the Italian powerhouse soccer team AC Milan including “Roots-Bennacer”.
Some of the documentary short films selected for the 20th edition include “Alok” directed by Alex Hedison and executive produced by Jodie Foster, “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” directed by two-time Academy® Award winner Ben Proudfoot, Benjamin Alfonsi’s “Whitney Houston in Focus”, John Beder’s “How to Sue the Klan” and “XCLD: The Story of Cancel Culture” directed by Ferne Pearlstein and produced by Trevor Noah.
The star-studded live-action short film entries include “How Can I Help You” directed by Eliza Scanlen and starring Thomasin McKenzie, Marco Perego’s “Dovecote” with Zoe Saldana, “Dammi” starring Riz Ahmed and Isabelle Adjani, Ken Cheng’s “Summons” starring Jimmy O. Yang and Alexandra Shipp, “Midnight” from legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike, Louisa Connolly-Burnham’s “Sister Wives” featuring BAFTA Rising Star Award winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, “Hearts of Stone” with Noomi Rapace and Jessica Barden, “French” directed by Dylan Joseph and produced by OSCAR® nominee Kobi Mizrahi, “Vlog” starring and directed by Yvonne Strahovski in her directorial debut, “Edge of Space” directed by OSCAR® nominee Jean de Meuron, Russell Goldman’s “Burn Out” produced by Academy® Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, “Fall Risk” featuring Victoria Pedretti, directed by Alex Martini, and produced by Bella Thorne, and Jim Cummings’ “Pretty Sad”, Yasmin Afifi’s BAFTA winning JELLYFISH AND LOBSTER and Tom Stuart’s GOOD BOY starring Ben Whishaw also join this fantastic lineup.
Among the animated short film entries are Nadia Hallgren and Jamie-James Medina’s “The Brown Dog” with voice performances by Steve Buscemi and the late Michael K. Williams, Paul Shammasian’s “An Angel on Oxford Street” narrated by Christopher Eccleston, “Play Again” directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Zen Pace, voiced by Benjamin Bratt and Eric Briche’s “Volcelest”.
Notable music videos include Shania Twain’s “Giddy Up!” and Nikki Lorenzo’s “Lista, directed by Bianca Poletti and starring Academy® Award nominee John Hawkes.
Additional noteworthy selections include Bella Thorne’s “Unsettled” featuring Chris Zylka, Eli Newman’s “Concrete” starring Ed Harris and Sophia Ali, Mackenzie Davis’ directorial debut “Woaca”, “If Not Now, When?” starring Kate Dickie, Hanna Gray Organschi’s “Merci, Poppy” with Victoria Pedretti, Danielle Baynes’ “The Dog” starring Kate Walsh, Francesca Scorsese’s “Fish Out of Water”, Richie Keen’s “The Grievance” with Rosie O’Donnell and Kevin Pollack, Mika Simmons’ “My Week with Maisy” starring Joanna Lumley, Annie Girard’s “One in the Chamber” starring Wilson Bethel, Hector Prats’ “Heaven is Nobody’s” starring Roger Guenveur Smith, Michael Perez-Lindsey’s “Will I See You Again?” featuring Richard Lawson, Blake Winston Rice’s “Tea”, co-directors Brit Crawshaw and Josh Hayward’s “Female Captive” starring Pauline Chalamet, Academy Award winner’s Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton’s Slick Films selected shorts include Rhys Chapman’s “Ryan Can’t Read” and Elizabeth Peace’s “The Golden Boy”, Benjamin Verrall’s “Shouting at the Sea” starring Harry Michell, Maia Scalia’s “His Mother”, Ethan Kuperberg’s “Paper Towels” starring Josh Brener, and “Swollen” directed by Roxy Sorkin.
HollyShorts is devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums. The festival showcases the top short films produced in 40 minutes or less.
To view the full list of official selections visit http://www.hollyshorts.com
This year’s hybrid celebration of short films will take place in person, with screenings at the world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the official festival streaming platform, BITPIX.
HollyShorts screenings will take place from August 8-18th at TCL Chinese Theatres, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., 3rd Level, Hollywood, CA, 90028, followed by the annual awards gala on August 18th.
For additional information and tickets visit https://hollyshorts2024.eventive.org/passes/buy
Secret of Caesar salad: John Robert Sutton Reveals on “Foods That Matter” Podcast
Secret of Caesar salad: John Robert Sutton Reveals on “Foods That Matter” Podcast
The Caesar salad was NOT invented in Italy!
The iconic dish, celebrating its 100th birthday this year, has roots in Tijuana, Mexico.
Foods ThatMatter John Robert Sutton
To celebrate, podcast host of CurtCo Media’s Foods That Matter and seasoned food archaeologist John Robert Sutton joined Juan José “Tana” Plascencia, the owner of Caesar’s Restaurant – home of the first Caesar salad – in person.
To eat some original recipe salad and chat about how, why, where, and by whom the dish came to be one of the most popular menu items in the US.
John and Tana’s intriguing conversation, starting with the recipe’s origins and ending with its worldwide prominence, is available on Foods That Matter on all major podcast platforms. You get a firsthand look at the backstory of Caesar salad, delving into all the rich flavors and history that made it such an important influence in the dining world.
Near or visiting Tijuana?
Join Tana at the centennial celebration at Caesar’s Restaurant on July 7, 2024. Plus, if you tell Tana that you listened to this episode of Foods That Matter – Celebrating 100 Years of Caesar Salad with the Origin Story that Starts in Tijuana, Mexico – he will give you the authentic recipe to take home!
About Foods That Matter:
Come along for a culinary thrill as Foods That Matter transports foodies to corners of the world through stories of adventure with food archeologist John Robert Sutton, also known as ‘The Indiana Jones of Food.’
John unlocks the secrets to the globe’s extraordinary cuisines, as he’s been doing throughout his travels in over 120 countries while enriching top grocery stores and Michelin-starred chefs with the finest ingredients and powering them with quality products.
The presenting sponsor of Foods That Matter is Watkins, award-winning extracts, spices & herbs, seasoning blends, grilling rubs & marinades, artificial dye-free baking decorations, and more crafted in the USA since 1868. The show is available on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube and Goodpods.
About CurtCo Media:
CurtCo Media – with its talented producers and creative team – provides listeners with quality podcasts, featuring authoritative hosts, distinguished guests, and inspiring storytellers. The company presents many nationally-recognized series, covering topics such as scripted sci-fi (SOLAR), luxury (Cars That Matter, Travel That Matters, Wines That Matter) and others.
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Oltrepo Pavese Wines shine with authentic Italian Pizza pairing at NYC’s Sottocasa Pizzeria
Oltrepo Pavese shines with authentic Italian wine pairing at Harlem’s Sottocasa Pizzeria.
Tonight some of NYC’s top wine and lifestyle writers joined the Oltrepò Pavese to talk and taste through the wines and culture of Oltrepo Pavese, the north-west Italian region of Lombardy, Italy.
A visit to Italy’s Oltrepo Pavese
Oltrepò Pavese is a wine region in the north-western Italian region of Lombardy.
The main grape varieties grown in this area are Barbera, Dolcetto, and Chardonnay. Also, they produce Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling Italico, Riesling, and Pinot Nero.
Italian Wine Personality Susannah Gold hosted tonight’s dinner along with the Oltrepo Pavese tourism team.
Taste Harlem’s Authentic Italian at Sottocasa
From their Sottocasa website:
“Located in the heart and soul of New York City—Sottocasa Harlem is owned and operated by husband and wife duo, Elena and Matteo.
With a passion and love for pizza stemming back to their native Italy, Harlem now has it’s own Napoli serving up authentic Neapolitan pizza and amore!”
Harlem’s Sottocasa Italian pizzas were a great choice as pair well with wine.
Their menu includes antipasti, pizze rosse, pizze bianche, and an impressive beer and wine selection.
We tasted through several pizza and wine pairings:
Defilippi, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigoi DOC, Crocetta 2021
Defilippi, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigoi DOC, Crocetta 2021
In the glass, light yellow with golden reflections.
On the nose, light floral and citrus
A heavy mouth of minerality. Refreshing, full bodied with a lingering finish.
Would pair well with seafood, salad, deli meats
Vitivinicola Vanzini Sas, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigio DOC 2021
Vitivinicola Vanzini Sas, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigio DOC 2021
In the glass, vibrant straw yellow
On the nose, Intense apple and pear
On mouth, well-structured, the citrus continues with vibrant pear so slowly fades
Would pair well with garden salad or white fish sharp cheese
CA Di Frara, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigio DOC 2021
CA Di Frara, Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigio DOC 2021
In the glass, Pale, almost translucent yellow.
On the nose, a big, beautiful waft of floral.
On mouth, medium boldly, cream, chalk and minerality.
Would pair well pasta and white pizza
CA Montebello, Oltrepo Pavese DOC Pinot Nero Vinificato in Bianco 2021
CA Montebello, Oltrepo Pavese DOC Pinot Nero Vinificato in Bianco 2021
In the glass, straw yellow
On the nose, fruit and floral that builds to fresh baked bread.
On mouth, delicate with a elegant body, light minerality and floral
Would pair well light garden salad and white fish
Giovannella Fugazza, Bonarda Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC Somossa 2021
Giovannella Fugazza, Bonarda Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC Somossa 2021
In the glass, Ruby red with darker edge.
On the nose, a heavenly cloud of complex black and red berry.
On mouth, a gush of red fruit, raspberry and blackberry. Rich texture, medium body.
Would pair well with sausage, pepperoni
Losito & Guarini, Bonarda Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC, C’era Una Volta
Losito & Guarini, Bonarda Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC, C’era Una Volta
In the glass, ruby red
On the nose, red fruit the opens up spicy with black pepper
On mouth, a rounder mouth feel, with red fruit and softer tannins
Would pair well spicy meats
Dino Torti, Oltrepo Pavese DOC Barbera, Route 66, 2019
Dino Torti, Oltrepo Pavese DOC Barbera, Route 66, 2019
In the glass, brilliant ruby red
On the nose, red fruit and minerality
On mouth, big and beautiful, full body with plenty of spicy
Would pair well roasted red meat, red sauces, perfect for a meat lovers pizza
Tenuta Travaglio, Pinot Nero Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC, Pernero 2021
Tenuta Travaglio, Pinot Nero Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC, Pernero 2021
In the glass, brick red.
On the nose, wild strawberry and red berries
On mouth, notes of mushroom, medium mouthfeel, silky tannins.
Would pair well risottos and light red sauce or meat dishes like pizza.
Vitivinicola Vanzini SAS, Sangue di Guida Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC 2021
Vitivinicola Vanzini SAS, Sangue di Guida Dell’Oltrepo Pavese DOC 2021
In the glass, deep ruby red.
On the nose, intense ,fresh red fruit and cherry.
On mouth, sweet and velvety, with a lingering finish
Find the wines at Total Wine and visit Harlem’s Sottacasa for a great dinner.
Thank you to Susannah Gold, and Harlem’s Sottacasa for a great Italian meal
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Oregon Wine shares a Tasty, New Release, with Winemaker Aaron Lieberman from Iris Vineyards
Oregon Wine shares a Tasty, New Release, with Winemaker Aaron Lieberman from Iris Vineyards
Sure, Oregon Wine is world-famous for its Pinot Noir. And rightly so, as the area produces incredible expressions of the varietal. But that’s not all they can do.
Award-winning winemaker Aaron Lieberman wants the world to taste and discover all of the incredible wines from the area including Iris Vineyards’s new Pinot Gris which has won acclaim several years in a row.
Today, Winemaker Aaron Lieberman from Iris Vineyards sits down over zoom to talk about his inspirations, his favorite wines, food pairings and what’s next for Oregon Wine.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Find the whole conversation on our YouTube channel.
There’s so much to go over with you because you’re in a great area of Oregon.
Last year we had the privilege of covering the 2022 McMinnville Wine Classic, your Pinot Gris won Best in Show and Best White varietal.
According to press announcements it’s the first time ever for a Pinot Gris. What was it about that bottle and that year that brought you so much acclaim?
The vintage we won that on was the 2020, and I think our Pinot Gris is fairly consistent. So I actually personally felt that the 2021 vintage was better than the 2020. What I think is going on there is that in our growing area Southwest of Eugene we have our vineyard in what’s called the Lorane Valley. We’re a relatively high elevation vineyard compared to the rest of the Willamette Valley. We get a lot more hang time on our Pinot Gris, which allows more flavor development and preservation of acidity, as well as slower and lower accumulation of sugar.
So we ended up with a higher acid, lower alcohol wine that’s very expressive in terms of fruit flavors.
I wanna let our audience know a little bit about your background and what brought you to where you are today. Your education in soil and winemaking, but I hope you’ll touch on your Peace Corps time, and your work in Guatemala with soil education.
As I was finishing up my Bachelor’s Degree at Oregon State University, I became involved with a couple of different grad students, helping them with their research projects, basically. At the beginning of my junior year [I had already] switched my major from Pre-Vet to Crop and Soil Science.
So the projects I was working on with these grad students involved soil research. One of these grad students had been in the Peace Corps and talked about it frequently and also had a professor who had been in the Peace Corps. They both inspired me to look into it and do it.
I ended up going to Guatemala. The project I worked on was called Corn and Bean Seed Improvement and Post Harvest Management. We were trying to counteract the invasion of commercial corn seed into Guatemala and Latin America. It’s replacing the land raise varietals or the traditional varietals of corn. We were working with those traditional varietals to improve their performance in the field by selecting the plants that were growing well and were the most disease resistant.
The program started four years before I got to Guatemala, so I was the third volunteer and we were really showing some really good results.
Something I love about winemaking is such a mix of science and magic, or science and artistry. And it sounds like science is very strong with your background and the magic that you bring to the bottle.
Yes, I would agree with that.
So let’s switch back from Guatemala. You’ve got some great soil types. Let’s talk about how you use the soils in your region to bring such delicious flavor, characteristics and aromas.
In our vineyard, we do have some Jory soils, and I think most people who know about the Willamette Valley know that Jory is the preferred soil in the region particularly for Pinot Noir.
Our vineyard is dominated by Bellpine soil. Bellpine is kind of an analog of Jory, but it’s formed in sedimentary rock rather than basaltic rock or volcanic rock. So there’s some significant differences in the chemical makeup of the soil that contributes to the flavor difference in our Pinot Gris compared to some others.
The last time I visited, what I heard overwhelmingly from the winemakers is you have to be okay with inconsistency year after year.
I want my wines to represent the area that they’re from and the varietal from which they’re made and different weather during each growing season as part of that representation.
So based on the weather and the level of ripeness of the fruit and what we’re tasting in the grapes before we bring them in, we will make some adjustments to how we do the vinification to try to push it in one direction or another, to be at least somewhat consistent.
Let’s talk about the wines themselves.
Let’s start with the Pinot Gris. The comment I hear the most is white peach. That’s new. I usually hear pear, red apple peel, quite a bit of citrus.
Commonly I get stone fruit comments on our Chardonnay. Whether it’s our still Chardonnay or our Blanc de Blanc.
Then there’s the Brut Rose, the Pinot Noir 2021, the House Red Blend. A lot of people will remember 2020 and how that vintage went for us. I refer to that year as the worst year of my life.
Let’s talk a little bit about what made it such a bad year.
We had beautiful weather during bloom. I started to feel like it was going to be a really great vintage. We’re seeing a really modest crop load and smallish berries, which leads to more fruit forward. Right around Labor Day, the major fires started. Smoke came into the valley for about two weeks which was extremely disheartening.
In the Willamette Valley that was really our first experience with that level of damage to the fruit. So a lot of people were scrambling, worried, and ultimately didn’t produce Pinot Noir in 2020.
We made less than we had planned. We applied some techniques to mitigate the smoke effect.
Can we talk about what you did to mitigate?
Well, there are two things that helped the most. One, we sent some grapes to California to go through a process called flash. It’s a kind of thermovinification method where the must is heated to 80 degrees celsius and then pumped into a vacuum chamber that boils at a much lower temperature. The water and the skins of the grapes “flashes” to steam in the the vacuum chamber. That steam carries away a lot of bad things. Those things are responsible for the bulk of the smoke effect that you might find in a wine.
Then following vintage and some aging, we did some reverse osmosis to remove the smoke effect from the rest of our wine.
At the tail end of vintage, I had surgery for appendicitis. As I was about recovered from that, I got covid right at the end of 2020.
Fortunately ’21 and ’22 were very similar to 2020 and how the vintage started and ended up, we had some really beautiful fruit and beautiful wines. I’m really excited about ’22 based on what we have in barrel right now.
Some people approach wine from a food and wine pairing point of view. I’m not sure if you are a chef or a home cook, but do you have any suggestions for great food pairings for some of your bottles?
I think with our Pinot Gris, I really enjoy seafood.
It’s really good with salad. Brut Rose, I always say if you’re making a dinner and you’re not quite sure what wine to serve with your dinners sparkling wine is always a a crowd pleaser. It’ll go with dishes from salad to steak or pizza. The acidity of sparkling wines makes them really versatile in any kind of food. Fatty foods in particular pair well with more acidic wines, kind of a palette cleansing.
For our Pinot Noir, traditional pairings like salmon and chicken.
When you’re going through a year, from growth to harvest, what are the traits or elements that get you excited saying it’s gonna be a good year?
Last spring we had a couple of fairly severe frosts after bud break and it was an interesting year because of that. We ended up, to everyone’s surprise, with a vintage that was quite nice and yields that were not really affected by the frost. The vines bounced back with their secondary and tertiary buds set fruit, set a really good crop. We got a nice batch of wine out of it.
If we get into harvest in the rainy season, sometimes your hand is forced and the grapes start to get ripe, the skin softens an they become more susceptible to botrytis and other bad things that you don’t want.
But ’22 was nice. We weren’t really forced right up until the end. Around October 20, we had the first big rainstorm come in. 20% of our fruit still hanging. We brought most of it in before that big rain.
But I think we had really good ripeness even at that point.
You’ve been doing in-person and zoom wine tastings, do you have a favorite part of that wine tasting process?
My favorite part, without a doubt, is just when I see somebody tasting my wine and the look on their face shows me that they’re really enjoying it. That’s a big reason why I’m in this industry, what we do makes people happy.
Do you have a certain memory of including either your wine or someone else’s wine in a great celebration?
Several memories. My father and I had a wine business of our own from 2002 to 2015. [A few years in] we had a celebration at a steakhouse in Portland. I ordered a Puligny Montrachet off the menu. I still remember that wine quite vividly and how impressive it was. That changed my mind about chardonnay in some ways.
In Oregon, there’s a lot more chardonnay coming out of the Willamette Valley now is a good thing, but it’s still been an uphill battle for producers to get that chardonnay wine passed the gatekeepers, the distributors.
You go to a distributor and they’re like, “Everybody drinks California Chardonnay or white burgundy. They don’t know about Oregon Chardonnay. And when you say Willamette Valley, everybody thinks Pinot Noir, which is great. But we’ve kind of pigeonholed ourselves with that. There are a lot of other nice things that can come out of this valley like Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. So we have some work to do on the marketing and publicity to let people know.
Any lessons your winemaking team has learned this past vintage that you can share?
I think that happens every year. Let’s not assume that I know everything because I learn stuff every year as well.
One of the things that I really stress with people who are working for me during harvest, is the importance of fermentation temperature.
It’s with white wine, with aromatic whites in particular. You really have to keep the temperature under control. Yeast likes to get hot and ferment fast, so you have to keep those ferments cool, whatever the method is if you’re in stainless with jacketed tanks or if you’re in barrel and you’re taking the barrels outside at night or wetting them down to keep the temperature down. It’s super, super important.
With the white wines, you get a temperature or a fermentation that’s too hot and you end up with a wine that’s like generic white wine. It doesn’t have varietal character left in it, that’s something I stress a lot.
Then when you talk about red wines, the style of red wine that you’re making is so dependent on a lot of things, but temperature is a big thing. So if you do a cool ferment on a red wine, you’re going to have a red wine that’s fruit forward and aromatic, but it’s not going to be very extracted. It’s not gonna have a big tannic backbone to it. In that way it would be out of balance.
Like with our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, we do a couple of different fermentation methods that end up having different peak fermentation temperatures and then we blend them together to get a wine that is crowd pleasing, easy balanced. So one of my big things is temperature.
Are there any topics in winemaking that you wish got more attention?
The fact that I don’t do this alone. If I didn’t have a team behind me doing the right thing and supporting production in the winery, starting with our vineyard and our vineyard manager, who is amazing, grows amazing fruit, all the way through to the marketing team selling the wine or promoting the wine and the sales team selling the wine. I think it’s really important for people to understand that it’s really a team effort. I’m the winemaker, I get the publicity, I get the recognition but there’s no way I could do it by myself.
I’m sure you talk to young winemakers all the time. Is there one huge piece of advice you would give a young winemaker from all your experience?
A big thing would be, and I’ve made this mistake when I was a young winemaker, if you’re about to do something to a wine and you think you know what you’re doing, but you’ve never done it before, make a phone call.
Ask another winemaker that maybe has had the experience and has done that. You’ve got a 5,000 gallon tank of wine and you’re gonna do some kind of adjustment that you’ve never done before. Get some information first.
Building network, building community, reaching out to those with either more experience or more diverse experience.
Yes. And in most wine regions, it is a community and people are happy to share their information to help the next guy out. Because ultimately, if we’re all making really good wine in the Willamette Valley, that enhances our reputation as a region. So I think it would be a big mistake for us not to share information.
Let’s talk about where people can find more information.
On Iris Vineyards website and social media. Our website is IrisVineyards.com and our handle on every social site is @IrisVineyards.
So thank you again for your time, and it was, it was great to have this conversation.
Thank you, Joe. I really appreciate your time.
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Island-Inspired Cocktail Bar ‘Gin Rummy’ Opens on the Westside Memorial Day Weekend
Gin Rummy – An Island-Inspired Cocktail Bar Opens on the Westside Memorial Day Weekend
Renowned Los Angeles bar proprietor Jared Meisler (The Roger Room, Bar Lubitsch, The Friend and The Little Friend) and the exemplary team of David and Patti Reiss of Reiss Co. (The Brig and The Alibi Room) announce the opening of a new westside cocktail establishment, GIN RUMMY, on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The cocktail program is masterfully led by Beverage Directors Danilo Kim, formerly of The Alibi Room and Nueva and Marcus Ragas, whose resume includes The Chestnut Club and Caboco.
Located at 822 Washington Boulevard, Marina del Rey, adjacent to Meisler’s popular Little Friend, GIN RUMMY takes over NUEVA after a successful three-year run.
Meisler states that he and his partners saw a need for a large and welcoming bar space in the neighborhood.
Meisler states:
“I’ve always loved the cocktails that come from beach cultures, just as much as I love the imagery and feel of beachy bars. I see a through line between a Tiki Bar, a Cuban Rum Bar, a Mexican Cantina, a Brazilian Quisque, a Spanish Chiringuito and a Venice Beach watering hole. They’re all timeless, relaxed, and fun, serving fantastic and unique drinks…
“…Gin Rummy is an homage to all things Beach Bar, from Nautical to Tropical, in a vintage parlor.”
At this gateway to Venice, GIN RUMMY invites passersby to escape to the tropics and get swept away, sipping exotic cocktails and enjoying delicious snacks in a pirate’s lair.
Gin Rummy’s spacious 200-seat setting…
The spacious 200-seat setting… reimagined and designed by Jared Meisler creates a colorful and ornate island paradise marrying nautical and South Pacific themes with contemporary design.
Enter Gin Rummy’s large front door…
Enter GIN RUMMY through the large front door just off Washington and take in the huge zinc-top mahogany bar with shelves stacked with vast arrays of rum, gin, tequila, and mezcal along with decorative tchotchkes of ships in bottles.
A large bank of skylights above the bar provides soft sunlight during golden hour as guests relax in a convivial state of mind.
When dusk turns to night, the far wall is illuminated by a row of vintage island-themed pinball machines giving GIN RUMMY a timeless, comfortable feel.
As one’s eye travels the room, imbibers take in giant redwood beams supporting a tongue and grove ceiling adorned by funky glassware. Native and tribal prints cover the bar stools and wood booths.
Scattered around the room are mini palm trees and lush tropical plants adorned with brass ship hardware. The thick posts are wrapped in nautical rope and accented with imagery of Caribbean and Polynesian life, ocean and boats and jungle paintings. Other notes include large bone-inlaid mirrors, woven wood light fixtures, rattan chairs, and lazy ceiling fans for a sultry Key Largo effect.
On Gin Rummy’s Outside…
Outside, the convertible indoor/outdoor patio exudes a tropical sandy beachy village vibe, adorned with wood carvings and carved wooden mirrors. The natural oak tables are painted with checker and backgammon boards, inviting guests to linger and play games comfortably in reclined rattan chairs. Lush tropical foliage is covered by a mahogany pergola illuminating the space with brass ship lights.
Gin Rummy’s playful craft cocktail bar program
At GIN RUMMY, Beverage Directors Marcus Ragas and Danilo Kim have created an inventive and playful craft cocktail bar program and menu:
Fun drinks equal a fun vibe. Look for categories of FROZEN RUMMYS, STIRRED and TIKI, classic and imaginative HIGHBALLS, as well as the irresistible COCKTAILS FOR FOUR that look back to the legendary Trader Vic’s from days gone by.
GIN RUMMY offers several NO BOOZE options for the sober crowd or designated driver.
GIN RUMMY is open daily: Monday – Friday: from 4:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday: from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. and Happy Hour: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. nightly.
FROZEN RUMMYS
Hemingway Daiquiri with Rum, Grapefruit, Luxardo Maraschino & Lime
Guava Daiquiri; Mango Ango
Habanero Honeysuckle
Frozen Margaritas
Pina Colada
STIRRED
Mamajuana
Banana Manhattan
MSG Old Fashioned
Tail of The Cock with Oaked Cachaca, Cynar, Carpano Antica & Orange Bitters
TIKI
Agave Zombie
Velvet Falernum
Pina Colada
Nui Nui
Jungle Bird
Marina Fog Cutter
Tropical Itch; Rye Tai
Pain Killer (for two, served in a pineapple)
HIGHBALLS
Gin & Tonic
Super Paloma
Captains Wheel
AK Mojito
Yuzu Spritz with Gin, Yuzu, Aperol & Champagne
SHAKEN
Reina Picante
Strawberry Caipirinha
Baggiewrinkle
Corpse Reviver No. 47 with Chamomile Infused Gin, Yellow Chartreuse,
Lemon, Orange Curaçao, Absinthe & Chamomile Smoke
Nitro Charged Carajillo
COCKTAILS FOR FOUR
Scorpion Bowl with Vodka, Gin, Light Rum, Dark Rum, 151 Rum, Pineapple, Orange & Lemon
Fish Bowl with Vodka, Coconut Rum, Blue curaçao, Lemon & Pineapple.
For guests who prefer sans alcohol, there are creative NO BOOZE options, including Passionfruit Picante Spritz with Passionfruit, Tamarind, Lime, Black Lava Saline, Thai Chili & Mineral Water; Virgin Mint Margarita with Spiritless Jalisco Tequila, Lyres Orange Sec, Lime & Agave; and Not Gin & Tonic with Ritual Zero Proof Gin, Rosemary, Sea Bean, Lemon Basil, Juniper Berry and Fever Tree Tonic.
For a complete list, please visit GIN RUMMY’s online drink and spirits menu
GIN RUMMY offers a selection of satisfying nosh to enjoy
while sipping on delicious cocktails and dreaming of the Pacific.
SNACKS
Crispy Cauliflower
Tempura Calamari
Coconut Shrimp
Fries and Sweet Potato Fries
Onion Rings
BASKETS
Wings
(with Buffalo, BBQ and Lemon Pepper Mango Habanero Thai Chili)
Beer Battered Fish & Chips
Chicken & Chips
Vegan Chicken & Chips
(Sauces – Chipotle Aioli, BBQ, Hot Honey, Creamy Ranch, Vegan Ranch, Cocktail Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Thai Chili, Honey Mustard, Yellow Mustard, Buffalo & Mango Habanero)
SALADS
Smokey Caesar
Kale Salad
Aaarrrugula & Quinoa
TACOS
Mushroom
Zucchini & Squash
Shrimp; Chicken
Carnitas
Carne Asada
(served with Salsa and Onions)
PIES
Key Lime
Chocolate Chess
Banana Cream
(for a complete list, please visit GIN RUMMY’s online SNACKS menu)
GIN RUMMY HOURS:
Monday – Friday: from 4:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday: from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Happy Hour: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. nightly
GIN RUMMY offers customized Event Planning by appointment at info@ginrummybar.com.
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