I love to visit Napa and love Napa Valley wines. Unfortunately, I cannot go as often as I would like. I love this podcast as it makes me feel like I’m visiting Napa and love all the insider stories. Thanks Doug for creating this podcast!!

Refreshing candid stories about a lot of the wines we love to enjoy. Great job Doug. Keep them coming!!

Informative, interesting, entertaining…for those who love wine and the folks involved in the wine industry, this is the podcast for you. Glad you’re back!!

Absolutely love these podcasts! So informative, relatable, and entertaining. Can’t get enough of these. Thanks!!!

These are always worth a listen as Doug does a great job facilitating the conversations with his guests so that wonderful stories and information are shared.

Douglas Shafer is brilliant. This podcast is brilliant. Tasteful stuff all around.

Doug, you bring on the best possible guests to talk to, to get a feel for what the valley was like, what inspires people to get into a career in wine, and you are able to pull back the curtain and get to know your guests as people. Thank you for doing this podcast, I look forward to all the episodes! Bill

Thanks for making this podcast a reality Doug! Can’t wait to listen to every episode. Rob Jensen, Founder/Proprietor (and former winemaker) Testarossa Winery, Los Gatos

Doug Shafer does an outstanding job as host of The Taste podcast. You can tell he really enjoys getting to know the backgrounds and interesting stories about his excellent lineup of guests. Over time you can piece together a lot of the history of Napa and lineage of winemakers from the greatest wineries in the region. Doug does a great job of keeping his guests on track while letting them freely share their stories. I’ve listened to every one of the episodes and look forward to going back and listening to many of them again!

I stop here on a long car ride home to get a few laughs or joy! Calmed me on my way to my interview today idk it’s something about Mr Shafers voice and he just seems to be a natural! I’m tuned in from home and wherever I find time! Good stuff!! 😍

We have loved Shafer wines for years and have visited the winery a few times. Had the good fortune to have scored a bottle of 2003 Hillside Select and saving it for a very special occasion. When my husband discovered this podcast, I gave it a listen and quickly became hooked! Doug has a voice as smooth as butter, and through his conversations with notable Napa Valley guests, you will learn not only about the history of the valley, but also about the people own the storied wineries there. As a luxury culinary travel specialist, I have used some of the golden nuggets I’ve learned from Doug in planning wine tasting itineraries foe my clients. I can’t wait for all of the Napa experiences to be available again! Keep ‘em coming! It’s one of the highlights of my day!

Just found and started listening. Really enjoying each episode. Especially liked the most recent Q&A with Spencer. Hope to visit Shafer on my next trip.

Great voice, great interviewer and knowledgeable on all things Napa but be willing to be open and curious.

Great energy, love the biz savvy and family legacy. Great interview

Doug Shafer is a masterful interviewer with a gift of being able to extract the unique personalities and stories from his guests. You won’t find Napa wine snobbery here. What you will find is the background and stories of many fascinating people in the wine industry. This program is a gem and my favorite wine-centric podcast.

I started the newest episode today. It was quite bittersweet as I will finally be caught up after this. From here on, I will have to eagerly await the next episode release! The podcast is wonderful! I love hearing the history of so many in the valley and learning about wineries I wasn’t already aware of! Keep up the great work!

I first learned of Doug through Jim Duane’s podcast. I look forward to meeting both of these guys someday. Doug has a nice laid back feel and asks great questions. I appreciate reading my Wine Spectaculars and hearing Tom talk about the changes from before I started drinking till now is fantastic!

I am loving hearing so many new and some old stories about people I knew well or knew of during my time in the Napa wine biz. I live in Idaho now, and Doug’s chats make me feel reconnected to some of my favorite wine business friends.

Great insight to Napa wines, winemakers, and history. As a Minnesota winery owner and winemaker, it shows us how we can learn and grow the industry in all areas of the country-the podcast gives an inside glimpse to where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading... nice work!

I love hearing the inter-connectedness of the people behind so many of the great wines I enjoy or have heard about. Doug’s interviewing style is so great because his advance research gets the guests really sharing their personal histories. I listened to Doug’s book, A Vineyard in Napa and loved it. Now the story continues through the podcast, but provides so much context with all the great people in the wine industry!!

Doug Shafer and his interesting guests make for wonderful discussions with great stories and insights into the Napa Valley (and other) wine making families and personalities. Love his wine and now his podcasts!

This is the best wine podcast going today! I love all of the stories especially from the Icons of Napa Valley. I can't get enough of this show. Doug your awesome! Please give us more podcasts.

Doug! Stop interrupting. Let them speak. Know when to ask a question. Stop with “ got it” and “ I did not know that” . Listen to Levi Dalton and learn.

Have enjoyed all 41 podcasts to date. Great learnings and insights from some of the people responsible for the making Napa Valley what it is today. I truly enjoy listening to every episode. Amazing stories about the personal relationships developed in the industry. Doug is an excellent interviewer...I appreciate the time he takes to research about each guest prior to the podcast. Thank you! Keep up the good work!

What a wonderful discussion about the history of Napa Valley. I have a few bottles of Lail Vineyards Blueprint in my cellar and I will enjoy it all the more knowing the story behind Robin and Lail Vineyards. Yet another great podcast on The Taste.

Robin description of the beauty of the valley and her appreciation of each season is so wonderful - recognizing what is the magic of the Napa valley. Bravo ! Section starting at about 21 min.

Fantastic series in which Doug Shafer interviews characters intimately acquainted and involved in the evolution of Napa from Prohibition to the modern day. For anybody interested in the history of Napa wineries or American winemaking in the last century. Very grateful for your efforts.

Great concept - winemaker/owner chatting one-on-one with other winemakers and owners, even some restaurant owners and chefs. Doug does his homework, even if he’s known his guest for years and comes prepared to tell stories and ask probing questions. It’s like I’m the third person in the room. Stories you won’t hear anywhere else! I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of his guests and thanks to this podcast I have several new places to visit and people to meet - including Shafer! Cheers!

I listened to my first one of your podcasts because I work for the winery owner that was your guest, and now I’ve listened to several more and I am spreading the word! You have a great radio voice and an ease with your guests that creates a fun learning experience. I can’t wait for the next one!

He uses his experience and expertise to creat a very natural conversation. His guests are awesome!

Awesome podcast! unbelievable wine! Thank you Doug!

I started getting into wine in 1995 through books and trips to Napa. Over the years I’ve not stopped learning but have collected and drank a lot of wine from the west coast, France, Italy and Spain. These podcasts are the icing on the cake in many respects. Learning about the people who make many of my personal favorites is fun as is learning about the evolution of wine making and the industry is fascinating too. I’ve added some new wines from folks I learned about on some these podcasts to my shopping list and cannot wait to try them. I’m also stoked to make another trip to Napa, including Back to Shafer soon! Great job Doug!!

These episodes Doug Shaffer creates have all been wonderful. Granted some are not specifically about the Napa Valley but if you want to add some behind the scenes knowledge relative to the wine industry, these are the best podcasts I have found. To hear about napa from the 1970’s through where it is today really provides the background that makes me even enjoy these wines more. Please listen and enjoy!

Thank you for doing these episodes. I learn a lot about my favorite winemakers. It is wonderful to find out about the intersections of all of the families in the Napa Valley. Looking forward to my visit to Shafer in December!

Yes, this is one of the best wine podcasts available today. Mr. Shafer does a superb job of finding iconic wine industry insiders, and having great conversations with them. The Sep 2, 2019 episode with Dave Ramey is a great example of this. I have been a longtime listener of The Taste and had a “Ah Ha” moment listening to this episode during the discussion concerning wine ph/acidity. I have not heard others talking about ph like Mr. Ramey. Job well done!

Thanks for your great interviews Doug. I really enjoyed hearing the experiences of you, Elias, Heidi and Cathy from the “old days” of Napa Valley. Please keep them coming!

Thanks for a wonderfully fun and informative podcast into Napa life. Love the pace and personalities interviewed. 👍🏼

A big thanks to Tony Biagi for mentioning my family, the Hurtado’s. He’s right, many of them still work there. The second generation of Hurtado’s including myself have also worked there, and some still do. As Tony said, Dan Duckhorn was very supportive of employees. My father always enjoyed interacting with him. Great winery!

Guest suggestion. Bill Harrison. His mobile bottling line had to be instrumental in the development of the modern Napa!

If you are at all interested in the relatively short history of wine in America as we know it today, this is a phenomenal podcast. If you’re in the industry, you owe it to yourself to hear these stories. I’m a winemaker in Walla Walla so certainly removed from Napa by many miles but the stories are almost comforting and remind me what a young industry this still is. It’s great perspective. I’m also a big fan of the Shafer story and think it’s absolutely great that Doug is doing this. Thanks also to all his great guests. Keep it up!

Doug, I love the podcast and your wine! Every episode is like getting a tour of Napa thru the ages. Keep up the good work!!! Thank you!

I adore listening to Doug interview his friends and colleagues about their wine experiences. This podcast really makes the world of wine come alive with so many backstories about the wines I love to drink. Thanks, Doug - here's to many more great episodes!

A great look and insight to the world of wine and food. Doug has some really interesting guests, I would recommend this to practically everyone!

Doug is a legend and his podcast delivers a warm invitation to sit down with friends, discuss wine, listen to great stories and hear some history while you’re at it. Just delightful!

Love the podcast. Very informative, historical review of Napa and the California wine industry

This podcast is a must for any wine lover (particularly any California wine lover). Doug Shafer’s conversationalist style is a pleasure to listen to and his guests are beyond impressive. When you listen to this podcast, it really feels like you’re getting an insider’s perspective into the wine business and into the Napa / Sonoma winemaker subculture. Keep up the great work!

Just great stuff. Really great interview style and in a cut throat business, his class and flare make it clear that nice guys still do finish first sometimes!! Be

This is a great unpretentious podcast about topics that could be the height of pretentiousness! Doug - when are we gonna have Elias on an episode?

Doug has questions that come from a place that only a long time Napa insider would know to ask. He evokes fond memories of the humble beginnings of the Napa Valley while applauding the next generation, the children of his contemporaries. The Cleo Pahlmeyer episode is a classic - about wine, but also, about family.

I love this podcast!! Doug and his guests share so much information about the Napa/Sonoma of old - the 1970s! So much excellent firsthand knowledge of the people who produce great wines! I know this podcast is based in Napa, but I would encourage the inclusion of Vintners/growers from other areas of California or the west coast. This is my current absolute favorite wine centric podcast!! Thoroughly enjoy!