Skurnik Unfiltered
Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that features in-depth conversations with winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about wines, spirits, and hospitality. Hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, the show offers access to experts in the field. Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and specialists in wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages. The podcast is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in New York City.
Episodes
Tasting Lebanon with Sami Ghosn of Massaya
"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 GhosnThe 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 L
Graham Pirtle and Young Stowe of Unified Ferments
“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 PirtleFermentation can do many things. It can preserve our produce, rise our bread, give us a buzz, and multiply subtle flavor
Vittorio Zoppi of Antica Torino
"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 ZoppiGrowing 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
How Gaetana Jacono pioneered the New Sicily wine movement
"Wine is a culture of the people. This Frappato represents a link between the past and the future." – Gaetana JaconoToday’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-base
Climate Change in the Kamptal: Andreas Wickhoff of Weingut Bründlmayer
“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 WickhoffClimate 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 ra
Tegan Passalacqua of Turley and Sandlands
"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 PassalacquaThis week's guest is Tegan Passalacqua, th
Justin Willett breaks down the Santa Ynez Valley
“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 WillettWhen people talk about wines from Santa Barbara, they're probably talking about the Santa Ynez
Matt and Sara Licklider of LIOCO Wines
"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 t
Tom Jackson of Supergay Spirits
"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 JacksonJune 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 Spi
Nicola Libelli of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
“If you want to make exceptional wine, you have to feel at home because it’s about so many little things—little things that you have to observe and feel and catch over the season to make the wine. It’s always important to be there and to feel the place.” – Nicola LibelliNicola Libelli feels at home in the Pfalz. Though he was born and raised in Northern Italy, a taste of 1992 Merkelbach Kinheimer
Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse of Birdhorse
“I think joyful, colorful people can still make beautiful, classically-styled, serious wines.” – Corinne RichThe standard California playbook of Chardonnay and Cabernet often overshadows a rich history of alternative varieties perfectly suited for the modern climate.This week’s episode features two guests: Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse, the partners and winemakers behind Birdhorse. Balancing their
Alex Clark of Fort Hamilton Distillery
"As a brand, you have to have an identity. It's easy to just make products, but why you exist is much more important that what you produce. The "why" for us is recreating this classic New York rye style that hadn't been around for over 100 years." – Alex ClarkThe Battle of Brooklyn began over stolen fruit in a neighborhood watermelon patch, a piece of borough history
BONUS: What to expect from Skurnik at BCB
The biggest spirits event of the year is right around the corner. Bar Convent Brooklyn is an annual 2-day festival of tastings and seminars from the best in the spirits business.In preparation for Skurnik’s third appearance at BCB, we’re giving you a bonus episode inside our spirits portfolio with Adam Schuman (Spirits Portfolio Director) and Amanda Elder (Spirits Content & Education Manager).
Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines and BloodRoot
"If you're really tapped into what wine is, giving back is a very natural extension of that. You realize that wine exists in this harmony with its environment, and if you're not giving back out to that environment, you're like the dead end in the ecosystem. It's important that the ecosystem keeps moving around and that good keeps flowing in all directions." – Noah Dor
Shane Fraser of Tenmile Distillery
"Perfection in a spirit is to do things very consistently and don't change things. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think what we're doing at the distillery is close to the best whisky I've made for a long, long time. It's grain to glass, and it's all grown and made in New York State." – Shane FraserTenmile Distillery in Wassaic, NY is making the closest thi
Alice Jun of Hana Makgeolli
"Sool is an ancient style of rice wine. It has over two-thousand years of documented history. Our style is distinctly influenced by the style of brews that I grew up with—a wilder, more natural, more gastronomical style of Korean wine. And for those who are curious about going deeper, there is always something more." – Alice JunAlice Jun remembers makgeolli as an important ingredient of
Ricardo Peñalba of Finca Torremilanos
“Wine has always been in change, in movement. The wine that we drink now is not the same wine that was drunk a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago. For a revolution, you have to go back to the past to see what you have missed, and then bring it back.” – Ricardo Peñalba More than a winemaker, Ricardo Peñalba is a self-proclaimed "wine ideologist." When he's out walking the row
Chris Mullineux
"If a wine is trying to copy somewhere else or be something else, it might taste good, but it needs to have an authenticity and a sense of place to it, and it must be balanced and beautiful to drink. If a wine can put those two concepts together, for me, it's a perfect wine." – Chris Mullineux For decades, South Africa’s Swartland region was dominated by industrial farming cooperati
Daday Suárez of Alto Canto Tequila
"Everything that we do is very pure. We are mingled or entangled with other species, with the trees, with everything. That's one of the purposes of this tequila: not only producing tequila, but maintaining the harmony and equilibrium with the surroundings." – Daday SuárezDaday Suárez is a completionist. When he was wrestling with questions of reality and being, he got a degree in ph
Bernhard Ott and Hans Reisetbauer
“Normally you have a best friend, and sometimes you see each other on weekends, but we are in the same business. We feel lucky. You can’t find it a second time in the world.” – Bernhard OttIf you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. History is full of contemporaries who share visions of success, who, instead of competing, mentor and encourage the other to become greater t
Sergio Vivanco
"I'm very proud to be Mexican. I love my people, I love my country, and we love what we are doing. We do our part with passion, with honesty, with everything that we can with our hands. We are people from the field. We are rancheros, and we feel proud of this. It's our task." – Sergio VivancoFor five generations, the Vivanco family has been growing agave in Arandas, in the Jali
Jasmine Hirsch
“This is one reason why family wineries are so important. My father is 82, and he’s supporting, in all the ways, the planting of vineyards that he will not see the full potential of. This multi-generational commitment to viticulture, this multi-generational commitment to caring for the land—that’s why families are so important.” – Jasmine HirschThe Hirsch family are farmers, though it took decades
Chiara Boschis
“They didn’t believe that I could do the work. And today, the girls are proving how sometimes the impossible can become normal.” – Chiara Boschis As recently as the 1990s, Barolo and the surrounding villages were not ready for a woman to be in charge. When Chiara Boschis championed innovations like new oak barrels, organic farming, and green harvesting in a region that was firmly set in its tradit
Lara Haag of Weingut Schloss Lieser
"We're aiming for a mineral-driven, sharper, cooler style. Very fine, very precise, more focus, more finesse, more character." – Lara HaagThe Schloss Lieser estate boasts one of the most privileged vineyard portfolios of the Middle Mosel, with famed sites like Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Brauneberger Juffer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Bernkasteler Doctor creating incredibly sharp and pre
Martha Stoumen
"You know, trends come and go, but I think there always is an evolution. I think the way I try to approach wine and food and anything else in life, even fashion, is to like what you like and trust your gut." – Martha StoumenMartha Stoumen is a first generation winemaker from California known for her fresh and youthful wines of primarily Italian varieties. After apprenticing with Giusto O
Cyprien Arlaud
"For me, it’s very important to know where your roots are when you’re making wine. And I know exactly which kind of wine I want to make: it’s wine that most expresses where it comes from." – Cyprien ArlaudThe third generation of his family estate in Morey St. Denis, Cyprien Arlaud of Domaine Arlaud is regarded by many as one of the most respected farmers and winemakers in Burgundy today.
BONUS: Exploring Galicia and Portugal
“To work by animal traction, 40% grade vineyards, on slate, at 1,000m of altitude, that are 45 minutes from anything else—all the best producers are going more and more into geographically specific bottlings.” – Max WorkingIn December, we sent our Iberian wine specialists to take the pulse of what’s new and exciting in Portugal and Galicia. Matt Wolfe and Max Working tasted the wines of nine produ
Pedro Parra
“What I’m looking for is very personal. It’s like a sound in the wine. And that sound is defined by something I love. Like a musician, I was always looking for my personal sound, and that sound comes easy with País.” – Pedro Parra Pedro Parra is a world-renowned winemaker, saxophone player, and vineyard consultant from Chile—and one of the few individuals with a PhD from the Paris Center of Agricu
Annabel Thomas of Nc'nean Distillery
"Reducing the barriers to getting into Scotch, I think, is really important for bringing new consumers from all walks of life in and making them feel welcome. The whole point of Nc'nean is whisky for everybody." – Annabel ThomasAnnabel Thomas is the founder of the most sustainable distillery in the world, Nc’nean. Nestled in the Western Highlands of Scotland, Nc’nean is completely o
Derek Mossman of Garage Wine Co.
“I think many consumers, many somms, think of it as a great supermarket wine for the money. But I think Chile’s still got much more to show. Many people when they taste these wines, the first thing they say is, ‘But that’s not Chilean.’ But it is more Chilean than what your image of Chile is.” – Derek MossmanSince 2006, Derek Mossman and his wife, Pilar, have been working alongside local farmers i
Jason Kesner of Kistler Vineyards
"We're not making year-to-year decisions—we're making generational decisions. And that feels like the only just way to treat and respect all of the efforts that have preceded us." – Jason Kesner Today’s guest is Jason Kesner, the longtime winemaker of Kistler Vineyards, one of California’s most esteemed producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Having worked alongside founder Ste
Quentin Paillard
"You know, Champagne has built itself, at least since the '60s, on blending grapes together. Growers, we play a different card. We try to express wine from a singular place. And when you just think about the experience of tasting the same varietal made from different terroir, that's when I think you understand that wine is truly special."Champagne Pierre Paillard is one of the
Christopher Loewen
"Working in these vineyards makes me think a lot because you really want to treat them right. You don't want to be the last generation farming the vines that were surviving 4, 5 generations." – Christopher LoewenToday’s guest is Christopher Loewen, the 33-year-old at the helm of Weingut Carl Loewen, one of the Mosel’s smallest and most impressive estates. Christopher, along with his
Giorgio Rivetti
“We are working with the same philosophy, the same idea, the same goal. To be in the wine business, it’s very important to have this kind of relationship. Because otherwise it’s just business and it doesn’t make sense.” – Giorgio Rivetti Giorgio Rivetti is the man behind the estates of La Spinetta and Contratto in Piedmont, Casanova della Spinetta in Tuscany, and his own import company based in t
Christina Turley
"It's agriculture, right? Not agri-business. This is part of our cultural history and something worth preserving." – Christina TurleyChristina is the 2nd generation of the Turley wine family. After cutting her teeth in the hospitality world as a college student in New York at Gramercy Tavern and becoming the sommelier and beverage director for David Chang's Momofuku family of r
Pepe Raventós
“Can Sumoi, above all, is a project to connect with the farmers in the area, learn from them, pay them a fair amount—the highest possible per kilo of Sumoll or Xarel-lo or Macabeu. I dream of a Penedès where the valleys and the villages and the crus are the protagonists. It's the Burgundy vision for Penedès.” – Pepe Raventós Pepe Raventós is the renowned winemaker and owner of Can Sumoi, Rave
Michael and Harmon Skurnik
Brothers and business partners Michael and Harmon Skurnik discuss how their experiences with fine wines and spirits led them to establish Skurnik Wines & Spirits, what they value in the products they choose to represent, and how their guiding principles help them navigate uncertain times.Automatically generated transcripts often make mistakes. Find a corrected version here.Skurnik Wines &
Introducing Skurnik Unfiltered
No reservations required—listening to Skurnik Unfiltered feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable figures in the world of wine, spirits, and hospitality. Don't miss the first episode drop on Monday, December 8th. Voices featured in this trailer: Michael Skurnik, founder of Skurnik Wines & SpiritsHarmon Skurnik, president of
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