Skurnik Unfiltered

“Everything in nature is balanced. Everything. The only thing unbalanced is the human being, and the problem is the ego. Every producer should take a step back, two steps back, maybe ten.” – Andrea Sottimano

To Andrea Sottimano, wine is not about the winemaker. It isn’t even about the grape—it’s about using both winemaker and grape to express soil. When all things are equal, from farming to lab to cellar practices, the differences that emerge indicate differences of terroir, even at a distance as little as 200 meters. The distinct Cottá, Currá, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin crus that he farms in the Neive and Treiso townships of Piedmont speak for themselves.

In this week’s episode, Andrea explains how he was able to elevate his family’s wines by only changing the farming, and how a culture of putting friendship over competition makes Piedmont an outlier among the great wine regions of the world. He also makes a case for making wine more affordable and accessible, and tells the story behind the cult favorite Maté, a singular expression of dry, still Brachetto from the vineyard closest to his estate.

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“It seems that every five years or so, whiskey prices take a bump, so people say, 'Oh, let’s get into Armagnac.' And they buy a number of Armagnacs, but they eventually go back to whiskey again. The question is, why do they do that, and what can Armagnac do to retain that customer?” – Charles Neal

Like Champagne, a handful of big houses dominate Cognac. Also like Champagne, it's the small, independent producers that offer more compelling expressions—and they have better stories to tell. Charles Neal has devoted his life to telling those stories.

As a young man, he was enchanted by life in his wife's hometown, in the heart of France's Armagnac region, where her family ran a small restaurant. His father-in-law introduced him to Armagnac, and his fascination with the French brandy tradition led him to discover Cognac and Calvados. To date, he has compiled hundreds of interviews with multi-generational grower-producers and published thousands of pages across several comprehensive books on the subject. To many, he is known simply as Armagnac Man.

In this week's episode, Charles and his good friend Adam Schuman retrace their well-worn path from the Bas-Armagnac to the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, sharing anecdotes about the paysans and lessons about the spirits along the way. They discuss the history and methods that make a small cohort of French brandies among the most exquisite and—for those in the know—the most criminally undervalued distillates in the world.

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“Apples were actually a big part of our history as New York State and as a colony before that. We like to, in our own way, continue that tradition in just a small way, to showcase the wonderful things that grow in New York State.” – Yoni Rabino

Yoni Rabino and Noah Braunstein describe Neversink Spirits as a pan-New York company. From the Finger Lakes to the Catskills to the Lower Hudson Valley, the two lifelong friends source the state's most iconic orchard fruit to make a range of apple-based distillates, including brandy, eau-de-vie, an aperitif, and even a gin. Their obsession with distilling and apples communicate an unmistakable appreciation for history and craft; Yoni likens eau-de-vie to wine for its transparent expression of terroir and purity of fruit.

In this week's episode, Yoni and Noah discuss their evolution from hobbyists to professionals and tell the stories behind their bird-inspired lineup. And as the leaves turn and the sun sets sooner, they share their favorite seasonal cocktails for autumn.

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"Giving meaning to what we pour is really important because otherwise it's just liquid. And this is not only for spirits—this is more like a lifestyle. You've got to give meaning to everything that you do so it feels special, because once you have the picture of the person, once you know the name, it doesn't taste the same—it actually tastes better." – José María Dondé Rangel

For our final installment celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Skurnik's Mexico Spirits Portfolio Manager, Justin Lane Briggs, sits down with José María “Chema” Dondé Rangel, the visionary founder of Panorama Mezcal. Chema details his journey through New York hospitality, moving from a self-described "bus burro," to barbacking at The Dutch, training under Shingo Gokan at the legendary Angel's Share, and throwing underground parties in early 2010s Williamsburg to celebrate Mexican culture through mezcal.

Over glasses of Lamata, La Medida, and Gusto Histórico, Chema and Justin explore the cultural imprint of the mezcal boom on Puebla York. They discuss mezcal's rise in the NYC bar scene and the shifting market power between big celebrity-owned brands and the small, independent, hyper-artisanal producers, like those represented by Skurnik. They also discuss how Panorama Mezcal balances spirits education and appreciation with fun, as corruption, consolidation, and commodification threaten the rustic purity that made mezcal a treasured product in the first place.

Today marks the beginning of Sotol Week, an annual festival hosted by Panorama Mezcal to celebrate a lesser-known Mexican distillate from the sotol plant. You can find a map of participating establishments and a schedule of events at https://www.panoramamezcal.com/

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“Every year, the terroir is changing, and we, ourselves, are changing. I’m sure that the Federico of 2026 is not the same Federico as 2022. It’s a way to see ourselves in time, our different vintages. It’s an incredible thing. It’s the magic of wine.” – Federico Gambetta

Every vigneron knows that the only constant is change. Federico Gambetta feels this everywhere—in the vineyard, in his wines, and in himself.

The tradition of wine in Argentina is also a story of change. In this episode, Fede explains how a period of tropical coconutty wines that he calls “Nutella wines” matured into an era of terroir wines and is now entering a new age of producer wines.

Leading this charge is the iconic Altos Las Hormigas estate in Mendoza, Argentina, where Fede was brought on as a young talent at just 31 years old. For our ongoing series celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, he and our Southern Hemisphere portfolio ambassador Des Russo taste the remarkable 'Meteora' and 'Los Amantes' Malbecs from the Jardín de Hormigas project.

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"The most important thing we've done is establish a soul to everything we do and a why behind each of our cuvées. We want to remind everyone who has a glass of this wine what it's about—it's about the people we're supporting and the quality of our farming. I can't imagine running a vineyard any other way." – Pete Stolpman

Much has been said about sustainability practices in the wine business, often focused on clean farming and eco-friendly packaging. Rarely does the term include sustainability when it comes to people—how a business seeks the best for its employees, their working conditions, and their extended communities.

After observing how many California farms operated on migrant labor, Tom Stolpman started Stolpman Vineyards in the 1990s with a promise to provide stability for his essential workers. He hired Ruben Solorzano, a Mexican immigrant, to be his vineyard manager and sponsored him for a green card, which put him and his family on a path to citizenship. In the years since, the Stolpman and Solorzano clans have grown and prospered together throughout Santa Barbara County, with the Stolpman estate in Ballard Canyon as their center of gravity. Today, Tom's son, Pete, leads the estate, and a second generation of full-time farmers learn hands-on skills from Ruben's decades of wisdom.

Pete joins the podcast this week with an important message about sustainability in practice, not as a buzzword. He opens a bottle of La Cuadrilla, Stolpman's flagship red blend that comes from a block of vineyard owned by Ruben and the vineyard crew. The estate breaks even on it, and the profits get redistributed to the workers, so they can fully enjoy the fruits of their labor.

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“I’m very passionate about my country and the potential of Argentina. Everyone was talking about Uco Valley and forgot our roots. It’s not just Malbec for me—I decided to start with traditional places to show old vines, and I want to keep this heritage.” – Matías Riccitelli

70 years ago, Chandon planted Chenin Blanc, of all grapes, in Patagonia, of all places. With hardly any infrastructure or full-time farmers to support the extremely remote vineyard, the project was abandoned after just a few years. The juice, they agreed, wasn't worth the squeeze.

The vineyard sat unattended for decades. Malbec boomed in Mendoza. Who would bother with Patagonia?

Enter Matías Riccitelli. Driven by a mission to preserve Argentina's wine heritage, Matías rescued the neglected vineyard. Today he pays homage to those old sparkling clones with a modern Chenin Pét-Nat. It's just one of the 40 wines he makes across the country as part of his ongoing project to revive forgotten varieties and historic regions.

As part of our continued celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Matías joins the podcast with five of those bottles, offering a microcosm of the vast diversity of varieties, climates, vine ages, and vinification methods found in Argentina.

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"This industry is way more antique than everybody thinks. This is an indigenous beverage, an indigenous spirit. We are using the same techniques as the ancient ones because that's what we learned, and that's what the people who live here know. They don't know how to cut corners." – Javier Jimenez

Javier Jimenez can trace his roots back 15 generations in the Tecuane Ravine, a culturally significant canyon in Jalisco that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before European contact, indigenous people carved large circular pits into the volcanic rock here for making vino de indios, an early agave distillate. The site has remained the heart of production across centuries, as vino de indios evolved into vino de mezcal, then vino de Tequila, and finally, tequila as we know it today.

But the rules set by the government that regulate the ingredients and methods allowed for tequila came to feel inadequate, sanitized, and a bit arbitrary for Javier and his father. How does prohibiting all but one agave species and allowing for destructive harvesting of immature plants really protect the quality of the spirit and the tradition of their ancestors? Ultimately, they renounced the official denomination of origin in favor of an unclassified agave spirit much closer to their heritage. As Caballito Cerrero, they farm historical varieties and harvest only mature agaves, crafting rich, unctuous spirits unlike anything else on the market.

With National Hispanic Heritage Month kicking off on Tuesday, September 15th, our expert on Mexican distillates, Justin Lane Briggs, sits down with Javier to discuss the forgotten history of Mexican distillation and how he and his father are keeping their heritage alive.

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"That's the beauty of working with Pinot Noir: it's an incredibly transparent-to-site wine; it shows where it's grown. A perfect wine for me shows that it could not have come from anywhere else, while still keeping things food-friendly, medium-weight, delicious, and beautiful." – Catherine Kistler

When you grow up in Sonoma, the daughter of a living wine legend, you have a knack for noticing things that others tend to miss. Subtle tasting notes among Pinot Noir blocks stand out boldly. Farming knowledge that took your father a lifetime to learn is innately ingrained in how you see the landscape. Observing changes at seasonal and generational paces releases pressure on your ego. This is how Catherine Kistler was raised.

In this week's episode, she sits down with her friend and our American wine specialist, Jamie Schwartz, to reflect on her upbringing and the ways her father, Steve Kistler, prepared her for her vocation at the helm of Occidental Wines. They discuss the dramatic realities of farming on the True Sonoma Coast, the lessons in humility she's learned from her father, and what you can find when you obsess over a precise Pinot Noir clone grown in one small place.

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"We will always seek out handcrafted products that are made by people, by families, that have the greatest quality at every price point. That will always be the ethos of who we are.” – Oren Simon

Smooth transitions are crucial to sustaining a family business. Across our portfolio, we champion estates passed on from generation to generation. They last because their work is not just what they do—it’s who they are. They know that the vines they tend will produce the finest wines long after they’re gone, and they seem to feel a stronger sense of duty and satisfaction in what they do for the next generation than what they can reap for themselves today.

For Episode 39, Harmon Skurnik sits down with his son David, the new president of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, and Oren Simon, the new CEO, to celebrate the first transition of executive leadership in our 39 years of representing the most remarkable winemakers, distillers, and specialty beverage makers from around the world.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The advantages of a robust family business
• The key to good service and hospitality
• What we do that other distributors don’t
• How we hire and choose who to represent
• Why authentic products succeed in down times
• What to expect from this new generation of leadership

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"It's really exciting to be a part of this new industry that's learning at a rapid pace—and watch out, because there are so many people coming who are making really exciting wines. But what sets Wiston apart is the fact that we're family-owned. We're here to learn and understand and make quality sparkling wine." – Marcus Rayner-Ward

Though the increasing prevalence of English wine might feel like a novel side effect of the day's changing climate, Vitis vinifera first took root in the British Isles in the year 43 AD; wherever ancient Romans went, so went wine. Since then, the motivations behind British viticulture have ebbed and flowed from the necessary to the eccentric to the nostalgic.

Today, it's rather sensible. A warmer climate helps grapes ripen, and the same chalk that defines Champagne runs under the English Channel and reappears in the South Downs, where the Goring family (re)planted Wiston Estate. It's here that you'll find lively sparkling wines with verve and quintessentially English notes of citrus peel and green apple.

This week's guest is Marcus Rayner-Ward, the estate's head winemaker since 2022. In this episode, he fills in the historical context often left out of the discussion on English wine and tastes through the estate's three core wines that deliver, in his words, "England in a glass.”

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"Massaya means twilight. It's 'el masa.' When you are walking in the street in a village in Lebanon or in Beirut, you say 'masa el-kher,' evening of grace, good wishes, to a passing by person." – Sami Ghosn

The story of Lebanese wine is a story of perpetual revival. One of the oldest wine regions in the world, this well-protected and resource-rich section of the Levant has been producing and trading wine for millennia—as a global currency by the Phoenicians, in secret by persecuted Christians under Ottoman rule, and in spite of violent times today.

Sami Ghosn relies on his ancestors to sustain his beloved culture. After fleeing the outbreak of civil war in 1975, he returned to the Beqaa Valley in the early 1990s where he started distilling arak and selling it from his parents' pharmacy. Eventually, he and his brother founded the iconic Massaya estate, which helped propel the latest chapter of Lebanese wine revival.

In this week's episode, Sami supplements a lineup of his wines with the estate's arak, and tidbits of forgotten history and memorable encounters with Anthony Bourdain and the former prime minister of Lebanon.

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“We use fermentation to help you taste tea in a different way, to refract it into something that can live in the same category as wine or higher-end spirits, where you’re tasting this storytelling that tea can do—of places, of regions, of people around the world.” – Graham Pirtle

Fermentation can do many things. It can preserve our produce, rise our bread, give us a buzz, and multiply subtle flavors. That last function is the one that most fascinates Graham Pirtle and Young Stowe, the co-founders of Unified Ferments.

From their 4-person facility in Brooklyn, they seek to draw out the hard-to-get-to flavors existing in thoughtfully sourced, single-origin teas through a kombucha-style fermentation process. Unlike commercial kombuchas that use fermentation to augment added fruit flavors, Graham and Young use fermentation as a means of translating or recontextualizing the core ingredient itself, without the interference of alcohol: tea.

In this episode, they interrogate the overlooked terms of “kombucha” and “tea,” discuss the key decisions that differentiate their ferments from any other product in the US today, and survey the future of the blooming category of NA craft beverages.

Ferments tasted in this episode:

• Wen Shan Bao Zhong
• Soba
• Rhododendron
• Lapsang Souchong

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"Vermouth rosso is like the skeleton in a human body. It keeps the Boulevardier, the Manhattan, and the Negroni cocktails standing. Our goal was to produce Vermouth di Torino, which is the peak of the pyramid of vermouths." – Vittorio Zoppi

Growing up in Genoa, Vittorio Zoppi was born with an instinctive appreciation for good food and wine and a passion for all things Italian. As a young man, he made a career out of connecting Italian wine estates with American importers, and by the mid-2010s, savvy American drinkers were looking for craft spirits and wine-based aperitivi that communicate a sense of place the same way fine wines do. Vito jumped at the opportunity to combine his love for northern Italian flavors with his extensive network of American beverage professionals, and with its flagship Vermouth di Torino, Antica Torino was born. To date, the lineup has grown to include historic Piemontese classics such as Vino Chinato, Amaro, Genepì, and Genziana.

In this week's episode, Uncle Vito, as he's affectionately known at Skurnik, discusses his journey from selling IBM software in Milan, to slinging Nebbiolo in San Francisco, to developing his uncompromising recipes for Antica Torino. He explains the appellation's rules for producing Vermouth di Torino IGP and shares the cocktail he's been obsessed with lately.

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"Wine is a culture of the people. This Frappato represents a link between the past and the future." – Gaetana Jacono

Today’s guest is Gaetana Jacono, the woman who pioneered a new style of Sicilian wine in the province of Ragusa. Before she conquered the market with her perfumed, elegant, and enticing wines from Valle dell’Acate, Sicilian wines were typically bold, oaky, Nero d’Avola-based wines pushing 15% alcohol. Her terroir revealed a more delicate and playful expression that redefined expectations and captured the attention of the wine world.

In this episode, Gaetana joins Skurnik’s Italian Portfolio Director, Mark Fornatale, to discuss the evolution of this misunderstood grape, from its days as an important Sicilian export in the 1800s to its revival and worldwide acclaim among today’s curious and open-minded drinkers.

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“From an historical point of view, every century has always had a crisis, but wine has always survived. Wine culture will always survive. We still have a bright future ahead. There is no doubt.” – Andreas Wickhoff

Climate change has arrived, and weird things are happening in Europe. Hailstorms in March. Bud break in October. Deadly flooding during harvest. Despite it all, Andreas Wickhoff's radiant optimism is rooted in an historical perspective, that wine must survive.

At the helm of Austria's iconic Kamptal estate, Weingut Bründlmayer, Andreas directs the precision farming and careful winemaking across classic Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, top-tier Sekt sparkling wine, and refined Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. In this week's episode, Andreas discusses the sobering realities of modern farming alongside a changing climate, the growing popularity of Sekt, and the creative ways the Bründlmayer estate continues to lead the Kamptal forward.

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"I love the Europeans for believing that their wines can't be emulated, but if that's a truth, Americans need to have that too. Zinfandel is the one grape that California does better than anywhere else in the world. And I'm proud to say that just as a Burgundian should be able to say that about Pinot Noir." – Tegan Passalacqua

This week's guest is Tegan Passalacqua, the legendary winemaker for Turley Wine Cellars and founder of Sandlands. As a leading historian on old-vine California viticulture, Tegan discusses his mission to protect centuries-old vineyards from being lost to modern industrial development. He shares the story behind purchasing Lodi’s historic Kirschenmann Vineyard planted in 1915 and tracks how the Sierra Nevada's unique granite snowmelt created deep, sandy soils that shielded these ancient, own-rooted vines from succumbing to phylloxera.

At a time when some vineyard owners are abandoning their vines for cash crops, Tegan provides an optimistic view of California. He speaks about his work preserving pre-Prohibition Cinsault, championing new Lodi-grown Assyrtiko, and planting unexpected varieties in previously undeveloped regions. The episode ends with a look back on the personal challenges of pursuing his passion and the essential communal purpose of wine.

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“I think there’s this moment in wine now where people are being more honest with themselves. I want to make the wines I believe in and that I want to consume, and then I’m going to find my audience; I’m not going to make wine for an audience. For me, it’s more about a job well done.” – Justin Willett

When people talk about wines from Santa Barbara, they're probably talking about the Santa Ynez Valley. But the range of varieties and microclimates found here makes the valley perhaps the most densely diversified wine region in the world, so what is Santa Barbara wine really? Justin Willett has a few answers. His projects Tyler, Lieu Dit, and Ad Ripa experiment with dozens of varieties and seek to produce classic European-styled expressions, spanning the valley from the Santa Rita Hills to Happy Canyon.

In this episode, he breaks down the varietal differences between the three brands and explains the philosophical and practical reasons for planting certain varietals at certain sites. He also reflects on the transition from his very first label as an apprentice to building a home at Mae Estate and now stewarding the iconic Fiddlestix Vineyard.

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"We're in the business of making agricultural wines, and I think we need to make a distinction right here between agricultural wine and industrial wine. A lot of these vineyards that have these really amazing histories attributed to them also have people with interesting histories. It's not selling the widgets—it's teasing out the stories about these very authentic places and these interesting people and then being able to share those stories." – Matt Licklider

Twenty years ago, LIOCO was founded to disrupt the California wine status quo of high-alcohol, oak-heavy bottles, proving instead that California soils could produce wines with the same energy, acidity, and restraint as Europe's classical regions.

This week, Matt and Sara Licklider, the dynamic vintners behind LIOCO, discuss operating as a négociant producer, embracing an elastic model that prioritizes storytelling, regional transparency, and agricultural authenticity. They share behind-the-scenes stories of their legendary growers—from the late Jim McCutchen hand-planting Carignan in the early 1960s to John Balletto carving a full "Field of Dreams" baseball diamond out of his Russian River Valley Chardonnay vineyard.

The conversation also tackles how climate change is forcing the industry to adapt. Matt and Sara discuss why Chardonnay and Pinot Noir may eventually migrate out of traditional regions, prompting LIOCO to explore heat-tolerant Mediterranean varieties and vibrant Albariño from the Sacramento River Delta. Finally, they dive into what "perfection" really means in the cellar, exploring how to balance microbial loads to ensure a wine's typicity always shines through.

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"Spirits, when they are at their best, are about facilitating joy and connection and building community. If we can be a small part of that in any way, then I think we've done our job." – Tom Jackson

June is Pride Month, but Tom Jackson likes to say he's Supergay for 365 days a year. After an advertising career and founding the iconic GAYLETTER magazine, Tom launched Supergay Spirits with a flagship vodka. It was a natural place to start; vodka is known as "gay water" for its popularity among the queer community. He wanted to offer an alternative to massive, impersonal brands and overly pretentious craft distilleries, proving that a spirits brand can be fun and joyful while maintaining the highest quality standards. His would be a vodka made for and by the queer community, rather than marketing toward it from the outside.

In this week's episode, Tom explains the strategic and intentional choices that define Supergay, from using a 100% corn base for a softer, slightly sweet profile to finding the sweet spot with a three-pass coconut charcoal filtration. The conversation also tracks the evolution of the brand’s lineup with the new Fire Island Dry Gin, featuring kelp from WNBA hall-of-famer-turned-kelp-farmer Sue Wicks. Tom details the unique formulation hurdles of their low-sugar "Two Fruits" ready-to-drink canned cocktails, highlighting their two newest summer flavors: a savory Black Sesame Espresso Martini and a fiery Chili Mango Spritz.

Finally, he talks brand identity, discussing why a bold name sometimes requires working twice as hard on a quality distillate, and what "Farm to Disco" truly means for LGBTQ+ community support during Pride Month and beyond. Supergay Spirits supports New York City's LGBT Center year round, and you can too.

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