Scott Becker grew up on the edge of dairy farm country in Wisconsin, played football at the Air Force Academy, served in counterintelligence — including deployments overseas after 9/11 — and talked his way into Harvard Business School. When career services suggested Goldman Sachs, he said no. He was going to Napa Valley to make wine.

What he walked into at Realm Cellars in 2012 was a mess. Bad credit, borrowed facilities, a Brett-affected vintage he ultimately dumped down the drain — bottle by bottle — rather than let it define the brand. A quarter of his production, gone. Realm 2.0 was built on that decision.

In this conversation, Jeff and Scott cover the full arc: growing up in the Midwest, military service and the perspective it gave him, an unforgettable lunch with Bill Harlan and Napa's founding generation, the painful early years at Realm, the transformation from grape buyer to landowner, and one of the most consequential decisions in recent Napa history — choosing not to make a single bottle in 2020 because of smoke taint.

They also dig into what it means to build something genuinely new in Napa today: Realm's unique identity across multiple vineyards and sites, the post-cult era and what comes next, premature oxidation in Burgundy, why the greatest competitor to fine wine is non-consumption, and whether Coombsville could be the Oakville story of the next generation.

This episode includes short explainers on Brettanomyces and premature oxidation for listeners who want to go deeper.

Sponsors:

Wine Market Journal — promo code UNCORKED

La Tête d'Or

The Durand Corkscrew

Connect:

Instagram: @uncorkingwhatsnext

Email: jzfinewine@gmail.com

Jermaine Stone — known to many as the Wolf of Wine — didn't grow up around fine wine. He grew up in the Bronx, the first in his family born in the United States, with a dad who was a welder and a dream of making it as a rapper. The only wine in his house was Manischewitz, poured into his mom's black cake at the holidays.

What happened next is one of the great origin stories in the wine world.

Jermaine took a shipping clerk job at Zachys in 2004 — not because he cared about wine, but because it had a desk and room to grow. Within a few years he was running logistics, then bid clerking at auction, and in 2012 he became the first Black wine auctioneer in the United States. A moment some called a Jackie Robinson moment — though Jermaine, characteristically, says he was just nervous about the pronunciation.

In this episode, Jeff and Jermaine cover the full arc: the Peninsula Hotel realization that ended his rap career, the Don Zachys kitchen conversation that kept him from leaving, the 1998 Chevalier-Montrachet that opened his ears to complexity, and how a podcast he started just to stay relevant turned into something neither of them saw coming — 110 episodes, a James Beard nomination, an Emmy nomination, guest lectures at Cornell, and the Wine & Hip Hop experience, which has now brought 150 people to Clos Vougeot and is expanding to LA, Burgundy, Champagne, and Brooklyn.

They also get into Tasting Notes from the Streets — jerk chicken with Lambrusco, champagne with chicken nuggets — and what Jermaine believes the wine world has to do better: embrace the entry points, stop gatekeeping, and ask yourself one question when you feel like you don't belong: Who told you that?

Oh — and the nickname? Jeff gave it to him. In Hong Kong. Outside a club. It's a great story.

In this episode:

• Growing up in the Bronx and landing at Zachys by accident
• Leaving rap behind at the Peninsula Hotel in LA
• Becoming the first Black wine auctioneer in the US
• The 1998 Chevalier-Montrachet that changed everything
• Building the Wine & Hip Hop podcast to 110 episodes
• Wine & Hip Hop — from a two-day harvest party at Clos Vougeot to a global series
• Tasting Notes from the Streets: why jerk chicken and Lambrusco make perfect sense
• Wine as a social equalizer — and why the industry needs more entry points
• Early wine memory, breakout moment, and advice for anyone who feels they don't belong

Connect with Jermaine Stone:

Wine & Hip Hop Podcast | Tasting Notes from the Streets | Wine Bars, Volume One

https://wineandhiphop.com/

Sponsors:

🍽️ La Tete D'Or — Chef Daniel Boulud's French American steakhouse, Manhattan Flatiron District 📊 https://www.latetedorbydaniel.com

Wine Market Journal — Real auction transaction data for fine wine buyers and collectors. Use code UNCORKING for 10% off your first annual subscription: wmarketjournal.com 🍾https://www.winemarketjournal.com/

The Durand Corkscrew — Share your story of falling in love with wine for a chance to win one. https://thedurand.com/

Follow along: 📸 Instagram: @uncorkingwhatsnext 📧 instagram.com/uncorkingwhatsnext Email: jzfinewine@gmail.com

What does it take to change how the world thinks about an entire wine country?

In this episode of Uncorking What's Next, Jeff Zacharia sits down with Laura Catena—physician, researcher, sixth-generation vintner, and Managing Director of Catena Zapata.

Laura shares the story of her family's winemaking legacy, her father's vision for Argentine wine, and the decades-long effort to prove that Argentina could produce wines capable of standing alongside the world's finest estates.

From blind tastings in her Harvard dorm room to pioneering high-altitude viticulture in Mendoza's Adrianna Vineyard, Laura explains how science, persistence, and a belief in terroir helped transform Argentina's place in the fine wine world.

The conversation explores Malbec, Chardonnay, old vines, wine research, and why wine remains one of our strongest connections to nature, culture, and family.

Sponsors:

🍽️ La Tete D'Or — Chef Daniel Boulud's French American steakhouse, Manhattan Flatiron District 📊 https://www.latetedorbydaniel.com

Wine Market Journal — Real auction transaction data for fine wine buyers and collectors. Use code UNCORKING for 10% off your first annual subscription: wmarketjournal.com 🍾https://www.winemarketjournal.com/

The Durand Corkscrew — Share your story of falling in love with wine for a chance to win one. https://thedurand.com/

Follow along: 📸 Instagram: @uncorkingwhatsnext 📧 instagram.com/uncorkingwhatsnext Email: jzfinewine@gmail.com

What does the next generation of wine lovers actually think about the industry? I sat down with Sabrina Miller and Rachel Anderson, the co-presidents of the Harvard Business School Wine and Cuisine Society, to find out.

This past year they ran over 40 events — Harlan Estate, Château d'Yquem, Colgin, a Champagne masterclass with Antonio Galloni, and a dinner with Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park. When I read their calendar, my first thought was: this isn't a student club. This is what I used to do at Zachys.

Sabrina grew up escaping the Bakersfield heat on weekends with her family in Napa. Rachel drove to Trader Joe's for Two Buck Chuck during Army flight school, got stationed in Germany, and never stopped pulling at the thread of wine curiosity. Both of them are now asking the questions about where this industry is headed

In this episode we talk about what it takes to bring Harlan and d'Yquem to a business school campus, why allocation lists may not work for the next generation, how wine can be both educational and genuinely fun, and what Rachel did with a bottle of 1993 Moët she bought at the estate in Champagne and saved for years.

Sabrina Miller: Co-President, HBS Wine and Cuisine Society, MBA Class of 2026. Background in NASA and deep tech. Competitive blind tasting team member, placed second in the international championship in France.

Rachel Anderson: Co-President, HBS Wine and Cuisine Society, JD/MBA Class of 2026. West Point graduate, U.S. Army helicopter pilot, and Army intelligence officer stationed in Germany. Heading to Domaine Dujac in Burgundy for harvest before starting a career in private credit.

Sponsors:

• La Tete D'Or, the French American steakhouse from Chef Daniel Boulud in Manhattan's Flatiron District. https://www.latetedorbydaniel.com
• Wine Market Journal — use promo code UNCORKING for 10% off your first annual subscription. https://www.winemarketjournal.com
• The Durand Corkscrew — share your story of falling in love with wine for a chance to win one. https://thedurand.com/

Follow Uncorking What's Next on Instagram @uncorkingwhatsnext. instagram.com/uncorkingwhatsnext

Email Jeff at jzfinewine@gmail.com.

I discovered MacDonald Vineyards from the auction podium — a wine I'd never heard of, with bidders going absolutely crazy. I came off the block, turned to my son Tom, and said, what is this? He gave me a look that said: Dad, how do you not know?

Alex and Graeme MacDonald are fourth-generation farmers on one of the most storied pieces of ground in American wine — 15 rocky acres in the heart of To Kalon in Oakville, planted by great-grandparents who didn't even want to buy the land. Their family grapes were the backbone of Mondavi's finest wines going back to 1966 — the Reserve, the To Kalon label, early Opus One — all on a handshake. The family didn't even know.

The brothers released their first vintage in 2010 — 92 cases — and sold the entire vintage in 25 minutes. Today it's still just the two of them. No employees. And they're waging a five-year battle, without lawyers, to protect the very concept of place in American wine.

Uncorking What's Next — because learning about wine should be just as much fun as drinking it.

Sponsors:

🍷 Wine Market Journal If you buy, sell, or collect fine wine, information matters. Wine Market Journal tracks actual market prices — not opinions, not asking prices — real auction transaction data from across the globe, with powerful filtering so you can find exactly what's relevant to you. Visit winemarketjournal.com to learn more. Uncorkers get 10% off their first year of a standard, premium, or professional annual subscription — just enter UNCORKING at checkout.

🥩 La Tête d'Or The French-American steakhouse from legendary chef Daniel Boulud in Manhattan's Flatiron District, serving one of the best lunches in New York. Classic American steakhouse spirit meets refined French flair — great steaks, incredible seafood, and a fantastic wine list. If you're in New York and looking for a memorable lunch, La Tête d'Or gets my highest recommendation.

🍾 The Durand Corkscrew If you enjoy mature wine, you know how challenging older corks can be. The Durand is as close to foolproof as I've ever found for opening bottles with older corks — and I keep three of them on hand here at Uncorking What's Next. We're giving one away. Share with me the story of what made you fall in love with wine — by email or on Instagram. Over the summer we'll pick the best story to feature on the podcast, and that person wins a Durand. If you'd rather not wait, order directly at thedurand.com.

Connect with Jeff: 📧 Email | 📸 Instagram | 💼 LinkedIn

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review the show — it means the world and helps new Uncorkers find us.

A conversation with Vitalie Taittinger, President of Taittinger, on tradition, leadership, and the future of one of Champagne’s most iconic houses.

We discuss the balance between heritage and evolution, the role of family, and why the experience of visiting Champagne remains so central to understanding the wines.

A conversation with Dr. Laura Catena — physician, fourth-generation winemaker, and one of the leading voices in the discussion around wine and health.

In a space often dominated by headlines and conflicting studies, Laura brings clarity to what we actually know — and what we don’t. From the role of moderation to the challenges of studying alcohol, this is a thoughtful, nuanced look at one of the most debated topics in wine today.

Key Themes

• Why wine & health is so difficult to study
• The difference between correlation and causation
• Moderate consumption vs. extremes
• Cultural context (Mediterranean lifestyle)
• Why headlines often oversimplify the science
• The role of polyphenols and compounds in wine
• Personal responsibility and informed choice
• How the conversation around alcohol is evolving

A conversation with Omri Ram of Château Lafleur on independence, old vines, and what it means to steward one of Bordeaux’s most singular wines. From a handwritten letter that changed his life to the philosophy of “elegant power,” this episode explores why Lafleur has always stood apart

• Lafleur as an outsider in Bordeaux
• Independent, never chasing styles or trends
• “Elegant power” — contradictions in harmony
• A wine defined by balance between opposing elements
• Old vine genetics and Bouchet
• A rare, preserved genetic identity at the core of Lafleur
• From handwritten letter to Lafleur
• Persistence and belief — no website, no email, just a letter
• Farming first
• “We are farmers before anything else” — the philosophy behind
• every decision
• Climate change and vineyard resilience
• Diversity in genetics as a response to extreme conditions
• Wine is meant to be shared
• “A wine exists if people are drinking it — not buying it”