There are tons of late nights in the bar industry and conversations that cover all subjects. This is one of those conversations. We sat down with Chuck Fowler to discuss all the conspiracies that we hear serving guests at the bar and add our own take to them. This is one of those types of shows that is genuinely as close as it gets to the conversat…

In this episode we invite Enes from Alesmith on to talk about the history and beers of Alesmith Brewing. We learn a lot about how the brewery got started, some of their specialty beers, and the charities and organizations they help out with. Enes was born in in the former Yugoslavia and is a Bosnian native that moved from there to Tucson AZ, and la…

In this episode with sit down with Ian Ribowsky, General Manager of Jean-Luc Colombo in Cornas in the Rhône Valley. We had an amazing time talking with Ian about what it was like working the industry for the past few decades, and what it took for him to work with his good friend Jean-Luc. We sat down and drank through a handful of different wines f…

In this episode, we sit down with representative Katixa Mercier from French Libations. French Libations represents a bunch of different French wines, spirits and ciders in America. We talk bout everything from how she came up in the industry and her love of wine, as well as all things chip related. #chipfaced. She also helps Jonathan try to pronoun…

In this episode with sit down with the Southwest Area Sales Manager of Great Divide brewing to talk to us about the brewery and its beers. We also get into what its like in the beer industry and learned a lot along the way. We hope you enjoy.By spillingthetruth

In this episode, we sit down with the winemaker Matt Dees. Matt makes the wines for Jonata, The Hilt, and The Paring wines. We sit down and have a discussion about ho the got into the wine industry, where its heading, and future plans for himself. Once again, the conversation leads to a lot of laughter and we discover that the world is a small plac…

In this episode, we have on Bibiana González Rave, owner and winemaker, of Cattleya and Alma de Cattleya Wines. She was named Winemaker of the year in 2015 by San Francisco chronicle as well as Wine Enthusiast top 40 under 40 Americas Tastemakers. While we drink her wines and discuss her 2 labels Alma de Cattleya and Cattleya, we dive into how she …

In this episode, we sit down with the VP of Marketing and sales for Karl Strauss Brewery Chad Heath. We sample through a bunch of different beers with him while we talk about what it was like to get to where he is at, as well as Karl Strauss Brewery and the future of beer from them. As usual we get into some other weird conversations that give you …

In this episode, Adam Avery, the owner and founder of Avery Brewing Co in Boulder Colorado joins us on the show. We had a great time talking to him about what is was like starting his brewery, creating his original beers, what it was like to run the brewery during COVID, and numerous other topics. Beer drank on this episode Pamona - Sour Beer White…

In this episode the Head brewer of Harland Ryan Alvarez, and Brand Ambassador Erica Nichols come on to discuss their beers from Harland Beer Co in San Diego, California. We talk with Ryan and Erica about how they got into the beer industry, what its like being a brewer, the crazy world of the beer industry, becoming an ambassador for the company du…

In this episode Brenson Johnson, from Toppling Goliath Brewery in Decorah, Iowa, join Jonathan and Damien. While they drink a few different beers from the brewery, they discuss every thing from what its like working for Toppling Goliath, new trends in the beer industry, Brensons band, and making homemade furniture! Beers drank in this episode Dorth…

WE ARE BACK!!! This is the ver first episode recorded in the podcasting studio at Rift! In this episode Jonathan and Damien discuss where the term cult wine comes from. they break down the possibility of the term originating from an actual cult in California, and not created to be used as a term for collector wines. They drink some wine made from a…

In Episode 41, after a few months away from the mic's, the guys settle back into the groove of podcasting by welcoming their good friend Yousef back on the show to talk about his craft beer collaboration and to blind taste some wine with us. Yousef is the founder and cohost of the live show "Social Distance Drinking Club" and a Spilling the Truth f…

The guys are back with new episodes! In their return, Jonathan and Damien open a great bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and discuss the impact the pandemic is having on restaurants, wineries, breweries and the beverage industry as a whole. They have some great advice for people trying to do virtual tastings and ideas on how to get through the weeks of …

In today episode, Damien and Jonathan were very lucky to spend a couple hours talking everything Italian with Nicola Biscardo, Amarone producer, importer, and brand ambassador of some of the most amazing and unique Italian varietals. The guys begin the show with a quick lesson on Italian phrases and than get right into the rich culture and history …

In Episode 38, Damien and Jonathan welcome the owner of Atlas Bistro on the show to saber a champagne bottle and to talk Oregon Pinot Noir. Todd founded Atlas Bistro 19 years ago and it has become one of the best hidden gems in Phoenix and in America. The show starts off with a quick demonstration on how not to saber a bottle, a discussion about Gr…

In Episode 37, Jonathan and Damien talk all about attending wine trade shows and discuss Washington state wines for the first time. The guys just returned from a local distributor trade event with a bottle of Saltfire Hazy IPA and 4 different selections from Gorman Winery in Columbia Valley WA. They spend the episode discussing everything from sust…

In Episode 36, the guys welcomed local food festival legend David Tyda on the show to Spill the Truth all about his new festivals and to discuss pairing wine with pizza. David arrived to the show with a local favorite NY style pizza, the guys opened three awesome Italian wines, turned on the mic's instantly hilarity ensued. This episode is our funn…

In this episode, Damien and Jonathan welcome their good friend and sommelier Thomas Klafke to Spill the Truth about the Howell Mountain AVA. This is the the most informative episode to date and might have the best wine ever consumed by the guys while recording. Thomas flew in just to share three estate Cabernet Sauvignons from three different vinta…

In this episode, Damien and Jonathan welcome back Sean Tevik to discuss sulfites in wine more in depth and talk about other misconceptions in wine production. Sean has worked as a wine director, winery general manager, distributor, and ambassador and is a wealth of knowledge. We had planned on talking more about sulfites during this episode however…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien discuss sulfites and additives in wines. The sulfites added to wine have became the stuff of urban legend where people believe its the catalyst for every headache, migraine, and movie style hangover. And yet, there’s no scientific evidence to support such claims. Damien has some great rants as the duo discuss al…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien sit down with Sommelier Oscar Avila before he leaves for Burgundy to pursue his MBA in wine. The guys talk what it takes to get a Business Degree in wine while enjoying some of Oscar's favorite varietals. The trio discusses everything from food and wine pairings and global warming to the wine events to attend su…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien go back to beer and do a followup to their Hazy IPA episode. They guys open a few different craft beers fresh from San Diego and discuss the craft beer explosion in the US and many of the trends happening right now. Damien busts out some amazing stats such as total number of breweries since the 1800's and per ca…

In todays episode, Jonathan and Damien open a great bottle of 2007 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and have a conversation about the state of the beverage industry. They talk about the new tasting tongue that can spot fakes, trigger words that freak people out, and what exactly the guys consider a "big" wine. We hope you enjoy and thank you for tuning in. …

In this Episode, Jonathan and Damien open some of their favorite unique white wines that are perfect for summertime entertaining and all these wines pair perfectly with barbecues, tacos and pools. The discuss throwing "A.B.C." parties as well as some of their favorite white wine pairings. There are some hilariously funny moments in this episode and…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien talk all about Barolo. They guys open two wines from the most iconic Barolo producers while discussing the region of Piedmont, the different clones of Nebbiolo and why this is one of their favorite varietals and regions in the world. This is another milestone episode where you can also watch on YouTube. We hope …

In today's episode, Jonathan and Damien go down the Hazy IPA rabbit hole and discuss why so many wine lovers are enjoying this newer style of IPA. The guys talk all about the different types of hops, the beer collaboration movement, and proper glassware. As usual, the conversation takes many twists and turns and always ends up back to whats in the …

In today's episode, Jonathan and Damien blind taste each other on some poorly stored wines and discuss the effects the storage environment has on wine. During the show, the guys talk about different techniques used to romance wine buyers, the beer hops craze in the US, and wine diamonds. The grand unveiling of wines tasted was shocking and you will…

In today's episode, Jonathan and Damien welcome local beer geek Yousef Hawash on the show drink wine and give his views as a consumer on the wine industry. The original plan was to blind taste various Malbecs from around the world with him however the guys got quickly derailed and ended up talking about everything from the best airport food in Amer…

In today's episode, Damien and Jonathan dive deep into Rosé wines and discuss why everyone should drink more of them. The guys open wines from two different countries and talk about everything from how Rosé is made and common food pairings to the final 2018 stats on wine consumption in the USA. We suspect the guys will do many more Rosé episodes af…

In today's Episode, Jonathan and Damien open a 1.5ltr bottle of 2011 Produttori del Barbaresco for the Easter Holiday to share with friends. The guys return from a week away to discuss the nostalgia of opening large format bottles, debate proper glassware to use for nebbiolo and talk about some great Wine Searcher stats that Damien pulled off the i…

In this episode Jonathan and Damien focus in on the varietal Cabernet Franc. The duo open two very different styles of Cab Franc and discuss everything from 80's cartoons to Instagram influencers marketing wine now. This is a total rabbit hole of an episode in which you will discover both Damien's worst fashion mistakes to Jonathan's amazing singin…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien pack up their mic's and take the Spilling the Truth on the road to meet with their friend Dermott Hutton, owner of Firehall Brewery in Oliver, British Columbia. Firehall Brewery is considered "The Beer of Wine Country" as they are the only brewery located in the heart of Canada's wine growing region. They make a…

In this Episode, Jonathan and Damien talk all about Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara. The duo open a couple affordable wines from the region and break down many of the different AVA's in Santa Barbara county. Their discussions cover everything from how the Sta. Rita AVA got its unique name to their take on free range organic sulfites. We hope you enjo…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien debut "The Cabernet Conversations" where they have a great discussion over two amazing Cabernets. The guys dive deep into their cellars for this episode and come out with shocking results. One of the bottles might be the last in existence and they talk about everything from label importance to Tahitian wines whi…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien welcome to the table local dining reporter, Lauren Saria from the Arizona Republic. There was plenty to discuss as Lauren just returned from her first trip to Italy and spent this past weekend eating everything at the Devour Culinary Classic. The guys open a some iconic Italian wines to share however this episod…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien are joined by their friend, Sean Tevik from Noble Tree & Thomas George winery to talk about Sonoma County, making wine approachable, and the wine business in general. Sean has had the privilege of working with one of Sonoma's greatest vineyard managers and he brought a wealth of knowledge with him to the show al…

In this Episode of Spilling the Truth, Damien and Jonathan are joined by advanced sommelier Jason Caballero from Bourbon Steak in Scottsdale, AZ to talk everything sommelier. Jason leads the local Arizona somm prep classes and will also be taking his master sommelier exam later in 2019. The trio talk about everything from their humble wine beginnin…

In this episode Damien and Jonathan are joined on the mics by Valentina Huerta, the owner of Nonna Urban Eatery in Scottsdale, AZ. Valentina is as passionate as the guys are about food & wine and the conversation was off and running even before Damien could hit record. They quickly dive into the unique cuisine served at Nonna and how Chef Brugalett…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien go back to their roots and dive deep into aged Chianti Classico and their love of Italy. The guys start out by discussing what a government shutdown means for new wine vintages arriving in the US and then get right into everything Tuscany and Sangiovese. They compare and contrast two very distinct vintages of Ch…

In this episode, Damien and Jonathan welcome local Sazerac lover, influencer, and ambassador for Arizona Cocktail Weekend, Kirti Dwivedi of Diya marketing. The trio decide to forgo the wine and make Negroni's while discussing everything from their favorite dive bars to finding a kidney on Twitter. This episode is a great look into the craft spirit …

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien open the iconic 2004 Clos Apalta from Casa Lapostolle. After a quick discussion about using an Ah-so wine opener, the conversation turns to the wine growing region of Chile and the history of the region. The guys really enjoy the nose and the nuances of the Clos Apalta while talking about the root louse phylloxe…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien get schooled in wine by chef and restaurant owner Cullen Campbell of Bar Pesce. Chef Campbell arrived to the show with a bottle of Txakolina, which is 100% Hondurrabi Zuri, and a porron to pour the wine. After a quick lesson on how to use a porron, chef and the guys skipped the wine talk and went straight to tal…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien open a selection of vintage Veuve Clicquot and celebrate episode 10 by welcoming their first guest, James Chau from Strategic Group in Arizona. James represents some of the top Champagne houses is able to give insight into the region and the history of Veuve Clicquot as well as teach the guys a few things about …

In this episode Jonathan and Damien pop open a 16 year Joseph Phelps Monterey County blend called Le Mistral to see how well it held up. The discussion however quickly turns into their opinions of all the wine movies and the future of "Hollywood and Vine". They talk about many of the wine movies such as Sour Grapes, Somm, Bottle Shock, Sideways and…

In this episode, Jonathan and Damien had planned to summarize all the top wine news of 2018 however their conversations takes them down many different paths. They discuss Campanian red wines, Italian bubbles, and all sorts of weird US wine shipping laws. The off topic things include everything from to the Music Instrument Museum to Jesus tears. We …

On today's episode, Jonathan and Damien do their first late night recording and discuss higher end wines and what type of wine to bring to a holiday party. The guys debate and disagree throughout the episode, proving there is no right answer to the question. Their conversation covers everything from various ways a person can acquire collector or vi…

On today's episode, Jonathan and Damien discuss value wines to bring to a party of non wine professionals while blind tasting a few values themselves. The conversation today covers everything from our thoughts on vegan and sulfite free wines to our worst auto-correct text mistakes of all time. Cheers ! Wines Tasted 2008 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvi…

On today's episode, Jonathan and Damien do their first blind tastings of the show. They discuss how to taste wine, types of oak and what it does to wine, how to identify some varietals and of course some great party idea's associated with blind tastings. As usual they go off topic and discuss everything from fake id's to pickle-backs. Cheers ! Wine…

On this Episode, Jonathan and Damien discuss using a Coravin to taste bottles of wine, the California fires and smoke taint, red and white zinfandels, the Rutherford Bench, what we consider a 'big wine', the Brunello scandal of '04, what is 'old vine', and many more topics. As always you never know where the conversation will go. Wines Tasted: 2015…