Wine

Interview, The Mentors Radio

Turning an Industry’s Business Model Upside Down with Andy Beckstoffer

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Andy Beckstoffer, named “the most powerful grapegrower by Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator.

Few people have played a more pivotal, pioneering role in Napa Valley’s evolution into a world class wine region than Andy Beckstoffer, who owns Beckstoffer Vineyards. Beckstoffer Vineyards includes six Napa “Heritage sites” which consistently produce some of the best wines in the world, being awarded 100 point scores year after year.

Perhaps most notably, Andy introduced an innovative and radical new grape pricing structure in 1976, which created a major and lasting shift in how the California wine industry views the importance of wine growers and grape quality. The Wall Street Journal and the Wine Spectator have both named Andy Beckstoffer the “Most Powerful Grapegrower.” 

In 1975, at age 35, Andy was a founding Director and the second President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. He and his wife of 60 years, Betty Beckstoffer, were honored as St. Helena’s “Citizens of the Year” and Andy has been named Grower of the Year three times, by three different organizations. He was also named Agriculturalist of the Year twice. In 2007, Andy received the Wine Industry Leadership Award, the first ever United States Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation, and in 2010, he was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.

Read more and listen to the full episode on TheMentorsRadioShow.com or through the podcast player below.

RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO

Listen Live at 1 pm PST each Saturday on the SALEM Radio Network (860 The Answer, San Francisco), and worldwide on iHeartRadio & TuneIn Radio.

This episode and past shows can also be found on your favorite PODCAST platform, like Apple, Spotify, or Tune-In,, or at THEMENTORSRADIO.com.

Podcast, The Mentors Radio, Interview

Dan Hesse talks with renowned wine critic Robert Parker about Changing Careers to Pursue a Passion

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Dan talks with Robert Parker, a man widely considered the most powerful critic of any genre in history, about changing careers to pursue a passion. Pulitzer-prize winning media critic David Shaw, in his two-part Front Page profile for the Los Angeles Times, called wine critic Robert Parker “the most powerful critic of any kind, anywhere.” Parker’s impact on the wine world has been unrivaled, and many others agree that no critic of any genre, be it theatre, movies, music, art or fashion, has been as influential in their industry as Robert Parker has been in wine. Internationally acclaimed and recognized, Parker is the only wine critic ever awarded France’s highest Presidential honor, which he received twice, from France’s Presidents Chirac and Mitterrand.

Listen to the recorded conversation below. You can find show notes and past episodes at the home of The Mentors Radio.

RADIO BROADCAST & STREAMING AUDIO

Listen to the show live on Salem Radio in San Francisco or via live-streaming on iHeart Radio worldwide.

This episode and past shows can also be found on your favorite PODCAST platform, such as Apple, Tune-In, or Spotify, or at THEMENTORSRADIO.com.