Chef Gray Rollin fed rock stars around the world, before launching his restaurant Belly Left Coast Kitchen and Taproom in Santa Rosa. Listen as we chat about his path to becoming a personal chef for Linkin Park, his stories of life on the road, his passion for learning more about the cultures around the world, and much more. 

In this episode we talk with Mitch Rice, winemaker at Mersenne Wines. This boutique winery chose French Renaissance monk Marin Mersenne as their namesake, to represent their approach to winemaking. Marin Mersenne discovered the formula to find Prime numbers (which is still used today!) and Mersenne Wines believes in finding the perfect, 'prime' fruit to make their wines. This Renaissance man was also one of the first to describe musical harmony, and Mitch and his partner Robin Youngdahl hope to create wines that reflect a harmonious nature. Mitch shares a bottle of his Rutherford AVA Merlot with hosts Coco and Michelle, and blows us away with the complex, inviting style from this often maligned varietal. Mersenne Wines also hosts very intimate concerts for wine club members, and the next one is on April 15th with artist Rozzi. Learn more at mersennewines.com

Hosts Michelle and Coco talk with Sam Coturri, proprietor at Winery Sixteen 600 in Sonoma. Sam's father Phil Coturri is known as the hippie grandfather of organic grape growing and his legacy is now a multi-generational practice, producing unique and delicious wines. Phil was also tuned in to the San Francisco music scene and was very close to The Grateful Dead, and artist Stanley Mouse, who provided the artwork for Winery Sixteen 600 labels. 

ROCKnVINO is BACK... and now we've also got a radio show! Tune in on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month for a new live episode at ksro.com! 

For our introductory episode back, hosts Michelle and Coco invite Ross Cobb, owner and winemaker at Cobb Wines to chat about wine and music. Ross has a deep connection to both music and wine, playing bass and collecting records since he was a boy. He went to work helping his father and mother establish their vineyard, Coastlands, just outside of Occidental in Sonoma County before working for a variety of wineries, including Ferrari Carano, Williams Selyem, Flowers, Hirsch, and more. In 2001, Ross and his parents bottled their first wines under the Cobb Wines label, and now Ross is the owner and winemaker there.

Ross is also the winemaker for Les Claypool’s wine label, Claypool Cellars, and was even pulled onstage by Les to play bass at a show at the Hopmonk! Listen to all of the fun music and wine stories Ross shares in this episode, and learn more about his wines at cobbwines.com.

Hear more behind the scenes conversation with Ross Cobb, including a tasting of a special pinot noir dedicated to his late mother, as well as how his wine was featured in the Ralph Feinnes movie The Menu, online at ROCKnVINO.com.

And finally, we've got a Patreon!! If you would like access to exclusive content and some pretty rad experiences we would greatly appreciate your support! 

Today we chatted with Jim Morris, VP of Guest Relations at Charles Krug Winery. He shares with us how they shifted their focus and persevered during the pandemic with virtual tastings, virtual comedy and many other creative and fun ideas. Now, as the world begins to reopen, they've partnered with The Blue Note in Napa on a series of outdoor concerts slated to begin in May. We're so excited to talk about the return of live music! 

Today we chatted with Rene Byck, co-owner of Paradise Ridge Winery. A winery that has persevered after losing almost everything in the 2017 Kincade fire but has remained resilient with the reconstruction of their tasting room with stunning views, amazing wine and awe-inspiring art pieces. 

On today's episode we chat with Dan Kosta, founder and owner of AldenAlli Winery and former co-founder of Kosta Browne Winery which he and fellow co-founder Michael Browne started with money they made from tips from their restaurant job. Moving on to their own ventures Dan started AldenAlli alongside the Legasse family to get back to his roots of winemaking focusing on the Sonoma Coast. We chat and taste his wonderful wines as he shared some amazing stories of some intimate experiences he's had with some of todays biggest rockstars. 

Get his wines while you can at: www.aldenalli.com/

Today we chatted with Clark Smith, winemaker for Wine Smith wines and author of Post Modern Winemaking. He has been experimenting with how music affects your perception of the wine you are tasting for years and he walks us through an experiment he has done over a hundred times. It was fun and fascinating! 

On today's episode we chatted - IN PERSON - with Megan Cline of Cline Cellars, Jacuzzi Vineyards and Gust Wine. We chat about her growing up in a large Italian family, how distancing herself from her wine heritage brought her right back into it with passion and her most memorable concert... hint, there are shark and hamburger hats involved. If you know, you know. Check out this very fun episode where we tried some amazing wines. 

Featured: 

2020 Jacuzzi Dolcetto 

2018 Gust Pinot Noir