
Fine Wine Confidential Podcast
The Fine Wine Confidential Podcast tells the story of how the modern-day Virginia wine industry has progressed during the past forty-five years and is now achieving Thomas Jefferson's aspiration to produce world-class wine. Fred Reno interviews many of the Old Dominion's prominent winery owners, winemakers and viticulturists. In their own words, you the listener, will learn why Virginia is the most exciting wine-growing State in the country today.
The Fine Wine Confidential Podcast having chronicled the beginnings of the Virginia modern-day growth is now focused on the wines produced from the Norton grape as Virginia is its ancestral home. Look for All About Virginia Norton.
Episodes
71 episodes
EPISODE #21 PART 2 LUCIE MORTON ON NORTON VS CYNTHIANA
Here is Part 2 of my in-depth interview with Lucie Morton where we continue to discuss the differences between Norton and Cynthiana grapes. We also cover her attempt to reclaim another Virginia native grape, Cunning...
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Season 2025
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Episode 21
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42:08

EPISODE #21 PART 1 LUCIE MORTON ON NORTON & CYNTHIANA
Lucie Morton is the World's most preeminent Ampelographer, if not the only one still living that practices this art in the wine industry. I know, you are asking yourself what is Ampelography? Well, Lucie will explain that in some detail in t...
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Season 2025
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Episode 21
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36:05

EPISODE # 20 THE WINERY AT BULL RUN/KENDELL ANDERSON WINEMAKER
It is safe to say that Kendell Anderson the featured winemaker in this Episode #20 started his career in the Wine Industry in a most unconventional way. He graduated from William & Mary with a degree in Kinesiology and Health Science, not t...
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Season 2025
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Episode 20
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40:50

EPISODE #19 TOM PAYETTE
Tom Payette is one of the veterans making wine here in Virginia. The upcoming 2025 harvest will mark Tom's 40th. While most of Tom's career has been in Virginia he has been involved some years ago on the west coast in California as a result of ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 19
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49:40

EPISODE #18 NOKESVILLE WINERY/DUSTIN MINER
Dustin Minor and Nokesville Winery are a relatively new addition to the Norton scene in Virginia. His first full fledge vintage was 2021 when he made wine in the basement of his house after getting his winery license. Today he only produces ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 18
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37:51

EPISODE #17 LEXINGTON VALLEY VINEYARD/RYAN HALE WINEMAKER,OWNER
Lexington Valley Vineyard is a hidden gem in the Virginia lineup of wineries. I virtually got lost the first time I went to check it out. I had to keep checking my Navigation app to be sure I was headed in the correct direction. However, once I...
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Season 2024
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Episode 17
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39:21

EPISODE #16 SHEP ROUSE/ROCKBRIDGE VINEYARD
I always enjoy sitting down with Shep Rouse and getting his viewpoint on winegrowing in Virginia and wine in general. He has been making wine for close to 45 years. First in California in the early '80s and then in Virginia first in 1986 at the...
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Season 2024
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Episode 16
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31:22

EPISODE # 15 BURNLEY VINEYARD/LEE REEDER OWNER & WINEMAKER
Burnley Vineyard was first planted in 1977 making them one of the early winegrowing pioneers during the formative years when Virginia wine was just beginning to re-emerge after a long slumber from the years of Prohibition and its repeal. <...
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Season 2024
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Episode 15
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32:56

EPISODE #14 ANNA WANT/CASANEL VINEYARDS & WINERY
This is a fascinating interview because Anna Want, the General Manager and daughter of the founders openly embraces the idea that Casanel has both Norton and Cynthiana vines planted in their vineyard. There is beginning to be a more robust open...
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Season 2024
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Episode 14
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33:48

EPISODE # 13 ROB COX, PARADISE SPRINGS DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING
Rob Cox had a dream of being a professional baseball player early in his life and when that didn't pan out, he found himself in the business of Golf. Not the usual way in which a person becomes a winemaker, which eventually he did. Now almost t...
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Season 2024
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Episode 13
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32:10

EPISODE # 12 TODD KLIMAN/AUTHOR OF THE WILD VINE
Todd Kliman, is a James Beard Award winning writer. After reading The Wild Vine you will know why. He has an incredible ability to bring to life the story of the Norton Grape and have you feel as if you just entered another world, you didn't ev...
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Season 2024
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Episode 12
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36:42

EPISODE # 11 MATTHEW MEYER
Matthew began his winemaker career on the West Coast in California. His final stop on that journey was several years at the venerable Heitz Cellars in Napa Valley where he says he learned some good winemaking skills and lesson that have served ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 11
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36:08

EPISODE # 10 BARREL OAK/Jeremy Ligon Winemaker & Vineyard manager
Jeremy Ligon was brought on just in time for the 2021 harvest. Barrel Oak was purchased from its' previous owners and the new ownership wanted to up the quality of the wines from their Vineyard. In my opinion, Jeremy was a significant step up a...
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Season 2024
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Episode 10
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34:53

EPISODE # 9 HORTON CELLARS SHARON & SHANNON HORTON
If it were not for Dennis & Sharon Horton Virginia may have never come to know and enjoy it's native grape Norton once again. Let me quote a passage from Todd Kilman book The Wild Vine to set the stage for this Episode.Dennis Horton...
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Season 2024
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Episode 9
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35:33

EPISODE #8 RAPPAHANNOCK CELLARS/JOHN DELMARE, TOM KELLY, STEVE MONSON
Rappahannock Cellars was established when John Delmare and his wife Marialisa made the decision to sell their vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountain area of California and move their family to Virginia back in 1998. They soon purchased the histori...
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Season 2024
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Episode 8
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36:07

EPISODE #7 ARTERRA WINERY/JASON MURRAY
Arterra Winery owned by Founder & winegrower Jason Murray believes in producing wine that is reflective of the grape from which it is grown. Thus, he uses only native yeasts, neutral barrels, and screw caps for bottle enclosure. He feels th...
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Season 2024
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Episode 7
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44:48

EPISODE #6 DR. BRUCE ZOECKLEIN/EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ENOLOGY VA TECH
Dr. Bruce Zoecklein is nothing short of an Icon here in Virginia. When he was recruited by VA Tech in 1985 to head up their Enology Program the Virginia Wine Industry was just beginning to take shape and form. Bruce brought a level of knowledge...
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Season 2024
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Episode 0
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45:08

EPISODE # 5 MICHAEL HENY, "ALL ABOUT VIRGINIA NORTON"
Michael Heny spent close to 20 years in winemaking at Horton Cellars before taking the position as winemaker at Michael Shaps Wineworks in 2019. As a result of his many years working with Dennis Horton, who was the person responsible for re-int...
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Season 2024
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Episode 0
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30:00

EPISODE # 4 DuCard Vineyards/Scott Elliff & Julien Durantie "All About Virginia Norton"
In this Episode I interview my friend Scott Elliff the Founder & Owner of DuCard Vineyard along with his winemaker Julien Durantie. It is an in-depth look at how one small Virginia Estate tackles the challenges of growing and producing worl...
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Season 2024
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Episode 0
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30:33

EPISODE # 3 FIFTY-THIRD WINERY & VINEYARD ALL ABOUT VIRGINIA NORTON
Episode # 3 found me in my studio interviewing the owner of Fifty-Third Winery & Vineyard Dave Drillock and his winemaker Chelsey Blevins who is quickly being recognized as a young rising star in the Virginia wine industry. Fif...
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Season 2024
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Episode 3
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36:13

EPISODE #2 ALL ABOUT NORTON/JENNIFER McCLOUD FOUNDER CHRYSALIS VINEYARDS
Episode # 2 features Jennifer McCloud the Founder & Owner of Chrysalis Vineyards at the Ag District in Middleburg, Virginia. Along with producing some of the finest Viognier and Albarino in the country she is the proud owner of the largest ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 0
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32:28

EPISODE #1 INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF NORTON
This Episode kicks off my new series of Podcasts focusing on wines produced from the Norton grape here in Virginia. In Episode #1 I recorded a conversation between the judges at the Homestead Norton Cup Challenge the weekend of November 3rd &am...
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Season 2024
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Episode 0
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31:56

EPISODE # 44 DENNIS HORTON MONTAGE EPILOGUE
This Epilogue to my Montage about Dennis Horton and his contribution to the Virginia wine industry you get the opportunity to hear directly from 3 generations of women in the Horton family. It was my intent to give them the last w...
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Season 2023
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Episode 0
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31:06
