What happens when a somm and a wine critic butt heads? I grab my popcorn and watch the fireworks! Someone call BravoTV, I have a pitch to make. 4:37 - Wine Critic vs Marketing Agent. 13:01 - Relinquishing Your Marketing Power. 24:33 - Being mad about someone's subjective opinion.

• The Rating System No One Asked For - https://youtu.be/vtZ780EvBjg
• (3rd Episode Ever in 2023) The Great Ratings Debate - https://youtu.be/RouP-U_XSyI

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

00:45 2024 Vintage Recap, here is the gist. 21:22 The Puzzle that Blending provides. 2024 NVV

• Harvest Recap https://harvestnapa.com/vintages/2024-napa-valley-vintage/
• Watch blending happen! https://youtu.be/jS8N8AXBavo

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

2:23 Hospitality Rising Costs and how the wine industry is adapting (less production more margin?) 22:28 At what point did the performance of wellness replace the experience of being well? Social isolation is worsening for many.

• How Hospitality Can Beat a Decade of Rising Costs - https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/how-hospitality-can-beat-a-decade-of-rising-costs/?utm_source=The+Drinks+Business+List&utm_campaign=3411347fd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_03_11_38&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bdf1a83925-3411347fd3-1433407905
• Steven Bartlett had three glasses of wine. The rest of us had a Thursday - https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/steven-bartlett-had-three-glasses-of-wine-the-rest-of-us-had-a-thursday/?utm_source=The+Drinks+Business+List&utm_campaign=97a356bded-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_05_01_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bdf1a83925-97a356bded-1433407905

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

Let's do it! It has been far too long my friends. 00:45 - The Harvest Season, rain, heat and all the things. 20:45 - Blending and Bottling Preparations. 28:45 - Auction Napa Valley.

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

Appointments vs Walk-ins. Making Napa more approachable. Napa County's 1:10 Anti-Winery Anti-Tourism Stance ($50 million settlement for wineries in the Peninsula Township MI). 18:03 Volume, not pricing, has its own effect (offiste events and how much wine is ordered). 23:13 Replanting for diversity.

Michigan Lawsuit: https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2025-08-10/a-northern-mi-township-of-6-000-residents-must-pay-50-million-in-wineries-lawsuit

Sea of Sameness: https://ted241.substack.com/p/napa-valleys-sea-of-sameness

Napa's Luxury Squeeze - https://ted241.substack.com/p/napas-luxury-squeeze

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

5:23 "Sea of Sameness" - back to the Karen McNeil's comments on the 2025 PNV Melka Tasting. 16:30 Follow the new money: proprietors vs owner operators. Pricing Structures that are earned, not anticipated. 27:40 The impact on family growers.

Sea of Sameness: https://ted241.substack.com/p/napa-valleys-sea-of-sameness

Napa's Luxury Squeeze - https://ted241.substack.com/p/napas-luxury-squeeze

Robb Report / Philippe Melka - https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/philippe-melka-napa-valley-wines-1235577017/

Karen McNeil's Post - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959214309108475&set=a.249882520041661&type=3&_rdr

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and follow us on our social networks @mtgawines (YouTube, Instagram, The Book of Face and the Social Network Formerly Known as Twitter) MTGA Wines: www.mtgawines.com Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

2:01 M&A Continues - (MUMM, Kenwood, Four Roses). 7:00 Introspection. 15:05 Making Wine Affordable Again. 22:28 No Winemaker Cares About Ratings.

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Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com

While it might still be chilly in other parts of the country our growing season is off and to the races. 2:50 And so it begins. 8:23 What we still don't know (red blotch discussion). 16:10 Gift and Curse of a Long Season. 23:34 Community and Camaraderie.

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Blaire Payton Wines: www.blairepaytonwines.com