To watch these videos it is necessary to have Quicktime loaded. Quicktime offers the best visual experience of these interviews.
It is free to download from the Apple site. There are no charges to use Quicktime and no issues regarding viruses etc. Once it is loaded onto your computer everything else really is self explanatory. If you have any problems or doubts about this software, email us. You can download the Windows version from here. There is even the option of having iTunes loaded onto your computer, which you can turn down if you want.  |
The taster video. Footage from interviews and scenes from Santa Barbara County. The screenshot is of Jeff Wilkes, one of the County's finest pinot noir producers and SBWinemakers' first ever interviewee. If it hadn't been for the chance meeting with Jeff, this site may never be what it is today. |
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Steve Beckmen provided SBWinemakers with the most informative and detailed interview in what he is best known for: Biodynamics. For anyone who wants to know as much they need to get a full grasp of biodynamic farming and biodynamic vineyard management this is THE video to watch. |
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Jeff Wilkes talks about how he makes his outstanding pinots and his barrel preferences. |
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Joey Tensley is one of the County's leading syrah producers. This is an interview with him early in the morning of October 2005 discussing grapes from Tierra Alta and Morehouse vineyards, then into the cellar to see the 2005 vintages as they ferment. You'll also get to see the 7 percent co-fermenting. |
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The most passionate winemaker to date. Paul Lato talks about "Duende", two weeks after filming this interview, his wines were sold out out. Not due to the interview but because his wines are immaculate. |
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Clay Brock provides an excellent insight into winemaking. Learn how he makes Zaca Mesa's syrah and the 8 Barrel Select, the trial and error in finding the right flavour profiles and then learn more about his other label Trou de Bonde, what it translates to and the pinot blanc that is his quiet passion. |
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Kathy Joseph has an infectious way of describing her techniques and methods. This interview was filmed during the first day of bottling her 2005 Pink Fiddle, you can sense her excitement as she gives a tour of her cellar. Who are the Fiddlechicks? tune in to find out. |
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Gary Burke gives us the most detailed interview on a variety of winemaking subjects. From what makes a great grenache to dealing with stuck fermentation in chardonnay. |
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Russell From tells us about how he makes the syrah's he loves and the Larner vineyard fruit. Just who was Herman Story? Now you can find out. |
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Eric Mohseni is the assistant to Clay Brock at Zaca Mesa, but that hasn't held him back from making his own wines under his own label. Osseus sauvignon blanc is one of the freshest and cleanest around. How does he do it and what is his background? This video reveals all. |
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"Rhone to the Bone" McPrice Myers is the maker of some mighty fine grenache. The Barrel 27 label is in conjunction with Russel From. There will be another interview of the two winemakers together in the near future. |
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Ryan Carr has one of the smoothest, fruitiest cabernet francs in the County, his pinot noir is excellent, but he also makes a killer pinot grigio and when he isn't making wine he is managing around fourteen different vineyards in Santa Barbara County. |
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When the future appellation in Santa Barbara County is awarded to Sierra Madre, there will be one winemaker who everyone will look to for his wisdom and bloody hard work. Dave Corey's interview will be seen as the first true understanding of what Cuyama, Alta Mesa, North Mesa and the Barnwood facility is really like. |
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Demetria Estate have taken over the reins at both Ashley's vineyard and the Andrew Murray facility. Michael Roth gives us the insight into the changes for the future of the vineyard management and a fascinating look at some of the equipment he is using in his winemaking methods. Michael also has a wide range of knowledge and experience in the global sense of wine and winemaking practices. |
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Husband and wife team Mike and Brooke Carhartt offer an interesting aspect of winemaking. The Carhartt fruit used to be sold to Bill Wathen from Foxen and Ken Brown. Now exclusively for the Carhartt label, Mike explains how he manages the vines. Brooke tells us about the winemaking process and the challenges of a small production winemaker. We also get the scoop on the history of THE Carhartt name. They are possibly the nicest couple in the winemaking industry, it is definitely reflected in their wines. |
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Chris Whitcraft, maker of some of the finest wines from Santa Barbara. This video is a real treat. Watch the master at work making his first syrah in over 20 years. |
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This month we feature John Belfy, owner of Buona Terra Farming Company. John is one of the leading vineyard managers here in Santa Barbara and grows grapes for some of the best winemakers. John explains everything from cover crops to how the Pellenc 6440 machine harvester is used. |
 Bottle engraving for PC or Bottle engraving for Mac |
This month we feature Jerry Wilson. This is a little step back from the winemaking videos, here we can see how bottles are engraved. Jerry took a year off from making wines because of the number of requests he had for his engraving techniques. When we got over to film him he was engraving gin bottles, nevertheless this is still an interesting process. For those of you who haven't tried his wines, Jerry makes a delicious syrah. His label designs have also won him some awards. Welcome to the world of wine meeting art. |
 Ross Rankin Imagine Wine interview for PC or Ross Rankin Imagine Wine interview for Mac |
This month we feature Ross Rankin from Imagine Wines. Ross covers many aspects of what is involved with becoming a winemaker and the legal issues most people are unaware of. Why can't you give wines to charities? What is a 1720? What can you do to reduce the amount of water when preparing your barrels? For any new winemaker or someone who wants to get into the industry, this is the one video you must watch. |
 Kris Curran Seasmoke interview for PC or Kris Curran Seasmoke interview for Mac |
That's right. Kris Curran and the elusive Seasmoke. This month we go inside the Seasmoke cellar and take a look at some of the equipment used by Kris to produce these most sought after wines. What is a peristaltic pump, and how Kris has used state of the art technology to keep a database of her flavour profiles for every barrel. The tagstream technology helps Kris to decide what goes into Southing, Botella and Ten. Stay tuned there will be more of this interview in the coming months. |
 Grafting old vines for PC or Grafting old vines for Mac |
Here's something new and untried. This months video is an instant classic. The theme is grafting. For those who have never seen the gnarly old vines outside Lincourt they are about 25-30 years old, originally cabernet sauvignon but not suitable for the climate. The vines had been topped in January 2007 and left to dry out somewhat. This video shows how the vines get their new cuttings grafted to them. The crew took no more than 45 minutes from arriving to leaving and covered 2 acres. The speed and efficiency gave birth to this format. The video has a 6 minute runtime and is fun to watch. Thanks goes out to Donna Chiacos and Lynne Garrett who who played the same piano (4 hands) to accompany this time honored tradition. |
 Foxen for PC or Foxen for Mac |
Bill Wathen from Foxen takes us to the Tinaquaic Vineyard to show what dry farming is all about. Most wineries in Santa Barbara have their vineyards accessible and the drive into the estates can be awe inspiring. But this drive to the vineyard is simply awesome. Hidden high in the back country of Foxen Canyon and part of the original Spanish land grant, this is without doubt the most peaceful vineyard yet. Bill is like a vine librarian, every plant has a story to tell and this month's video is no exception. What does Tinaquaic mean, and how do you pronounce it? What does the incredible dry farmed cab franc look like, why Bill doesn't do 2nd fermentation with the Wente clone and what are the difficulties of dry farming? Just a few of the subjects in this cerebral journey with one of the most influential winemakers in Santa Barbara County and one of California's finest vineyard managers. For some reason everyone wants to know my interview techniques. As you'll see I don't have any, I am just interested in everything. I have seen and heard what has come before and every winemaker is as unique as his and her wines, so each video is equally unique. That's how I approach the subjects I need to cover. |
 Ken Volk interview for PC |
Here's another one of those interesting things you didn't know about. Ken Volk has a legendary reputation here in Santa Barbara and the greater appellations of the Central Coast and California. Always a winemaker on the cutting edge. This interview focusses on some cutting edge equipment that you don't see in many wineries. The OXO system is designed to agitate the lees in the barrel without having to stir or battonage the juice. Pour yourself a glass of Ken's chard and ponder the thoughts that went into the juice. |
 Harvest in Condrieu Crush in Condrieu More Crush Condrieu Morning in the cellar Part I Morning in the cellar Part II Yves Gangloff |
For all you Hospice fans out there, we have something too exclusive to keep to ourselves. Sonny Courtney is Joey Tensley's cellar rat, who found his way into the Condrieu this year with the plan to hook up with Yves Cuilleron. Being such a huge fan of this website he decided to send some exclusive footage of the weeks leading up to harvest with some peeks into the vineyards, tastings at Guigal, and tours around the area. He has a very unique take on all of his experiences there and the footage included on the homepage this month is one of many that will be posted up as and when they are posted to us here. We chose to keep the footage raw as Sonny is using his cell phone video. |
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Last update July 2008. Santa Barbara.
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