Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

He calls Paso Robles a, "drinking town with a farming problem", and when you chat with Patrick Brooks from Wine Shine, you get the vibe he's talking about and why coining that phrase was so clutch.

Wine Shine is one of the O.G. members of Tin City, which is a popular industrial area of artisan producers of wine, beer, sprits, and more in central Paso. Tin CIty has gained a lot of momentum in the last few years, and houses not only some great drank, but home to some great personalities as well.

Wine Shine and its partners have been long involved in the Paso wine scene, and those connections afforded them the ability to put their crazy ideas of taking spirits to the next level a reality.

We talk orange drank, single vineyard designate hand sanitizer, and getting fact checked by the OC Weekly for simply making Grand Marnier your bitch.

In addition to tasting the Wine Shine, we will talk about their products under their Tin City Distillery line like their vodka, and canned vodka sparkling lemonade which is just crushable!

Although this episode, we hear from Patrick, meeting all the guys behind Wine Shine, you see first hand all the talents and acumen that go into this brand and its mission. One of the other distillers, Don Burns, is a super popular winemaker with his brand, Turtle Rock, which has a great cult following, also with a tasting room in Tin City (another show idea for sure).

The only thing bigger than Patrick's personality is the heart for what he does in the distillery, and in the classroom. Classroom? Yes, I said classroom.

Check out Wine Shine: www.WineShine.com

There's a saying I was told my first day in radio, and I've watched over the last 20 years in this business be proven time and time again, "it's not what you know, it's who you know". Now, of course WHAT you know is important, but being at the right place, at the right time, and meeting and connecting with the right people, has been a proven part of the best success stories.

So when Josh Klapper met winemaking legend Bob Lindquist while working as a somm at an LA restaurant, little did Josh know the stars aligned in a big way. Josh hustled hard as he mentored under the Qupe/Lindquist Family Wines owner and winemaker securing certain hard to find fruit and knowledge one could only get from within those four cellar walls.

Along with Bob Lindquist, Josh learned and shared space with Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, and met many on the way that helped shape his hustle, his winemaking, and his ability to score great fruit from great producers.

Timbre Winery was born and now has a popular following, still sourcing great fruit, and has a bustling tasting room in the heart of The Village of Arroyo Grande. A newer location for tasting rooms to sprout, The Village in A.G., has been a great place to welcome fans of Timbre Wine, so much so, his mentor, Bob Lindquist later moved in to his own brick and mortar down the street in the village.

Convos are always easy with Klapper. We talk real, and he's a funny dude. We talk about why people shit on saignee rose, how to not be a douchey somm, and he drops a nugget of advice that will work for any small business owner!

We taste his vineyard designate pinot noirs, his chardonnay, his rose, even his cider. I am a huge fan of Timbre, and after this conv, and after you try the wine, I absolutely know you will be too!

They're taking care of folks online, and curbside. You can learn more at www.TimbreWinery.com

Episode number two, we will Quarantaste wines from The Grenachista. Casey runs a grenache house in Sonoma, California where he is hand crafting under 700 cases a year. Casey has a unique and definitive love for single vineyard grenache, and we will taste everything from his single vineyard grenache, to two of his Pet Nats (blanc & noir), a rose, even a carbonic grenache.

We talk everything from the 100 point wine system, our brush with celebrity wines, how his drinking has changed since being in quarantine, and a lot more.

Like all episodes of Quarantaste, I'm also interested to know how his business, and his life has had to pivot with everything going on.

His wine is fantastic. It's fresh. It's pretty. It's just well made, and he sources great fruit. He has a great balance of knowing and commanding what he wants from this variety, and then just getting out of the way. The conversation was just as fun as the wine.

His Instagram account is very engaging, and has a great sense of humor, with the perfect amount of irreverence. Follow along: @the.grenachista

You can learn more of the story, the wines, and purchase them for your own Quarantaste at www.Grenachista.com

In the first episode of 'Quarantaste - A Wine and Tastemakers Podcast', host Adam Montiel interviews Epoch Estate Wines Winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Epoch is located in Paso Robles, California. The winery is on the site of the historic York Mountain Winery, which was the first bonded winery on California's Central Coast. They have several estate vineyards on the west side of Paso in the Willow reek sub-AVA.

Adam and Jordan chat on how the brand is pivoting in the light of Coronavirus pandemic, as well as taste through the new spring 2020 releases.

If you want to learn more about how to get some Epoch Wines, for your table, cellar, restaurant list, or wine program, visit www.EpochWines.com

For pics and more from this episode, visit Quarantaste on Instagram: @Quarantaste

You can email Quarantaste at [email protected]