Witch Creek Winery of Carlsbad scored a huge victory for local wineries when its 2005 Nebbiolo won a double gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition -- with grapes grown in Baja California's (Mexico) Guadalupe Valley. Majority owner Dave Wodehouse and winemaker Ryan Baker spend the entire hour chatting about the Witch Creek winery and local wines, and the exceptional vineyards they source for grapes in Mexico.

Witch Creek Winery of Carlsbad scored a huge victory for local wineries when its 2005 Nebbiolo won a double gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition -- with grapes grown in Baja California's (Mexico) Guadalupe Valley. Majority owner Dave Wodehouse and winemaker Ryan Baker spend the entire hour chatting about the Witch Creek winery and local wines, and the exceptional vineyards they source for grapes in Mexico.

Gloria's Ferrer's "Royal Cuvee" from the 2000 vintage has just taken the Best of Show sparkling wine award at the 2008 Monterey Wine Competition and the winery's Eva Bertran chats with Robert about this superb bubbly and the other outstanding wines produced by this award-winning Sonoma County winery.

Winemaker Reggie Hammond of Ventana Vineyards joins Robert for a lively discussion on Ventana's 2006 Riesling, which took the top prize for white wines at the 2008 Monterey Wine Competition. Hammond has Ventana on a wine competition roll. The winery's 2005 Syrah took a double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition. Best part of Ventana's winning ways is that the wines are modestly priced (below $30) for the exceptional quality they deliver.

Winemaker Matthias Gubler of the Vina Robles winery in Paso Robles chats with Robert about the vast potential of the California Central Coast's booming Paso Robles wine region. Gubler, whose family grew Pinot Noir vines in Switzerland, has found a home in Paso making bold red Rhone and red Bordeaux blends.

Wanting more information, that is. Dr. Michael Apstein, a columnist for Wine Review Online (www.winereviewonline.com) and a former James Beard Award nominee, applauds the rise of popularity being enjoyed by Riesling, but frets that it's nearly impossible to tell from the label whether or not the wine is bone dry, off-dry or downright sweet.

Janet Myers worked and lived in some of the world's most important wine regions, including Tuscany and Western Australia's Margaret River, before settling down in the Napa Valley as winemaker at Franciscan Estates and Mount Veeder Winery. And Matt Asby, the Vineyard Director at both wineries, was on a ski vacation and still undecided about his career when he got the call to relocate to the Napa Valley. Janet and Matt are in the studio today for a conversation on the mountain Cabernet of Mount Veeder Winery and how growing grapes and making wine on steep hillsides is a wee bit different than doing the same thing where the vineyards are flat.

Winemaker Janet Myers and Vineyard Director Matt Ashby join Robert in a conversation on mountain Cabernet from the Napa Valley. Specifically the Napa Valley's Mount Veeder district, which is actually high above the valley floor at the southern end of the Napa Valley. Janet makes bold, flavorful Cabernet Sauvignon from Matt's Mount Veeder vineyards, and the two most crucial members of the Mount Veeder team explain the differences between their "wine with altitude" is quite distinctive and different from those wines made on the valley floor.

Jeff Bundschu represents the sixth generation of the Bundschu clan working in the family wine business since it was founded in 1858. The historic Sonoma winery is the second-oldest in California and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Jeff joins Robert in a conversation about the earliest years of the winery -- indeed, the earliest years of California wine.

In the second half-hour Jeff Bundschu joins Robert in a conversation about the current state of affairs at the irreverant Sonoma winery commonly known as the "Wild Bunch."

Robert chats with winemaker and founding partner Harry Peterson-Nedry of Oregon's Chehalem winery. Peterson-Nedry is predicting a bright future for Oregon Riesling.

Wine Review Online (www.winereviewonline.com) columnist Sarah Belk King joins Robert and Harry to discuss the booming artisnal cheese scene in Oregon, and which Oregon wines go with which Oregon cheeses.

The wine competition season is upon us. Rebecca Murphy, Director of the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and wine columnist for the Dallas newspaper, discusses the importance and impact of wine competition medals and grand awards with Robert, who oversees three wine competitions of his own -- the Critics Challenge, Monterey and San Diego International.

Rebecca Murphy was instrumental in the first wine competition for women only. She chats with Robert about the significance of gender in wine selection.

Wine columnist Michael Apstein of Wine Review Online explains why the 2005 vintage was so fabulous in Burgundy, and puts forward a number of his favorites from this stellar harvest.

Sommelier Jesse Rodriguez, whose resume includes a stint at the famed French Laundry, now holds forth at the chic Addison restaurant at the Grand Del Mar Hotel. Jesse joins Robert to discuss a few of his favorite wine pairings with classic European and domestic cheeses.

There are but a handful of California wineries that can boast of Chardonnays that are the equal of the grand cru producers of Burgundy, and the legendary Sonoma Cutrer is one of them. Winemaker Terry Adams of Sonoma Cutrer joins Robert for a lively discussion on what makes a Chardonnay great.

Dinner party, that is. Sarah Belk King, who writes the In the Kitchen column for Wine Review Online, offers up a savory shrimp appetizer for one of those elegant holiday dinners.

Robert chats with Michael Jordan, who oversees one of southern California's most impressive wine lists at the Disneyland Resort's Napa Rose restaurant. The Napa Rose offers a remarkable 80 wines by the glass and Jordan, the Wine Director and a Master Sommelier, says the category with the most growth is German Rieslings. Rebecca Moot, doing a segment we call Home Cooking, checks in with two practical recipes for home chefs.

Ed McCarthy, author of Wine for Dummies, runs down his shopping list of bubbly for the holidays. Ed has great ideas in all price categories for Champagne lovers, and several excellent recommendations in California bubbly, cava and Italian prosecco.

Winemaker James Hall discusses the philosophy behind Patz & Hall's extraordinarily successful single-vineyard wines. Patz & Hall, a specialist in California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is the Whitley On Wine 2007 Winery of the Year.

Sommelier Jesse Rodriguez made the leap from Thomas Keller's French Laundry to the Grand Del Mar Hotel's Addison restaurant, where he has pulled together a would-class wine cellar that is the envy of every restaurant in San Diego.