Wined Up

Wined Up

by Mike Anderson
Season 4
Somm vs Wine Critic Beef
What happens when a somm and a wine critic butt heads? I grab my popcorn and watch the fireworks! Someone call BravoTV, I have a pitch to make. 4:37 - Wine Critic vs Marketing Agent. 13:01 - Relinquishing Your Marketing Power. 24:33 - Being mad about someone's subjective opinion. The Rating System No One Asked For - https://youtu.be/vtZ780EvBjg (3rd Episode Ever in 2023) The Great Ratings Debate - https://youtu.be/RouP-U_XSyI Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Blending the 2024 Vintage
00:45 2024 Vintage Recap, here is the gist. 21:22 The Puzzle that Blending provides. 2024 NVV Harvest Recap https://harvestnapa.com/vintages/2024-napa-valley-vintage/ Watch blending happen! https://youtu.be/jS8N8AXBavo Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Rising Costs and a Wellness Cult
2:23 Hospitality Rising Costs and how the wine industry is adapting (less production more margin?) 22:28 At what point did the performance of wellness replace the experience of being well? Social isolation is worsening for many. How Hospitality Can Beat a Decade of Rising Costs - https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/how-hospitality-can-beat-a-decade-of-rising-costs/?utm_source=The+Drinks+Business+List&utm_campaign=3411347fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_03_11_38&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bdf1a83925-3411347fd3-1433407905 Steven Bartlett had three glasses of wine. The rest of us had a Thursday - https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/steven-bartlett-had-three-glasses-of-wine-the-rest-of-us-had-a-thursday/?utm_source=The+Drinks+Business+List&utm_campaign=97a356bded-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_05_01_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bdf1a83925-97a356bded-1433407905 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Let's Catch Up
Let's do it! It has been far too long my friends. 00:45 - The Harvest Season, rain, heat and all the things. 20:45 - Blending and Bottling Preparations. 28:45 - Auction Napa Valley. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Forced to be Anti-Casual
Appointments vs Walk-ins. Making Napa more approachable. Napa County's 1:10 Anti-Winery Anti-Tourism Stance ($50 million settlement for wineries in the Peninsula Township MI). 18:03 Volume, not pricing, has its own effect (offiste events and how much wine is ordered). 23:13 Replanting for diversity. Michigan Lawsuit: https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2025-08-10/a-northern-mi-township-of-6-000-residents-must-pay-50-million-in-wineries-lawsuit Sea of Sameness: https://ted241.substack.com/p/napa-valleys-sea-of-sameness Napa's Luxury Squeeze - https://ted241.substack.com/p/napas-luxury-squeeze Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Madness? This is the Wine Industry!
5:23 "Sea of Sameness" - back to the Karen McNeil's comments on the 2025 PNV Melka Tasting. 16:30 Follow the new money: proprietors vs owner operators. Pricing Structures that are earned, not anticipated. 27:40 The impact on family growers. Sea of Sameness: https://ted241.substack.com/p/napa-valleys-sea-of-sameness Napa's Luxury Squeeze - https://ted241.substack.com/p/napas-luxury-squeeze Robb Report / Philippe Melka - https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/philippe-melka-napa-valley-wines-1235577017/ Karen McNeil's Post - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959214309108475&set=a.249882520041661&type=3&_rdr Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Industry Introspection
2:01 M&A Continues - (MUMM, Kenwood, Four Roses). 7:00 Introspection. 15:05 Making Wine Affordable Again. 22:28 No Winemaker Cares About Ratings. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
The Growing Season Begins
While it might still be chilly in other parts of the country our growing season is off and to the races. 2:50 And so it begins. 8:23 What we still don't know (red blotch discussion). 16:10 Gift and Curse of a Long Season. 23:34 Community and Camaraderie. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Behind the Cellar Doors
It is blending time! With just a few short months before our summer bottling run it is time for a change of pace at the winery. Less talking, more doing. Let's walk through four of our flagship wines and see what makes them tick. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
Bribery scandal in the alcohol industry you say?
SF Chronicle - https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/wine-grocery-bribery-scheme-21958081.php Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com
1 of 13