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ISO The Good Life Show - Food, Wine, Travel & Lifestyle

Bio: Mike Wreyford, AKA Mike the Wine Guy, is a wine educator, writer, radio show host, and lifestyle expert. Mike is the host & producer of “The Good Life” Show, a popular radio talk show, on air since 2011. As one of the most “casually authentic” wine experts in the industry, Mike Wreyford, AKA “Mike the Wine Guy,” has blazed his own trails and made it his life’s passion to educate, inform and entertain his audience with his extensive knowledge and passion for wine, and the lifestyle that goes with it. His weekly radio program and podcast, “ISO the Good Life” has become a must-listen for travel conscious wine enthusiasts and curious foodies alike. With countless hours of Live Radio, and 1,000+ interviews, Mike’s show has earned a reputation for being informative, entertaining, and uniquely original. As a native Californian, Mike’s adventurous lifestyle and world travels have undoubtedly influenced his approach to wine and food. His dedication to bringing an “all of us” approach to his topics has earned him a loyal following of listeners who appreciate his ability to make even the most complex subjects accessible. In addition to his radio program, Mike is known for his involvement in charitable events and fundraisers, including the highly successful “World of Wine” tasting events which he has been instrumental in developing and hosting since 2011. Mike’s talent for uncovering the stories behind the wine and food he covers is unmatched. His loose yet thoroughly prepared style of interviewing guests allows him to dig deep and discover the true passion and journey of each guest. With his extensive network of contacts throughout California, the West Coast, and beyond, Mike is able to develop unique story ideas that captivate and inspire his audience. As a dedicated professional and wine expert, Mike Wreyford is undoubtedly a name to watch in the industry, and his commitment to bringing the best of wine and food to his audience is unwavering.
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ISO The Good Life Show - Food, Wine, Travel & Lifestyle
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Now displaying: July, 2017
Jul 30, 2017

Moraga Vineyards is a wine growing estate in the Santa Monica Mountains at an elevation of 600 to 900 feet, five miles from the Pacific Ocean in the Los Angeles community of Bel Air. From the care of each individual vine, to the selection and blending processes, to the hand labeling of each bottle, every effort is taken to produce wine of distinctive style and quality.

This is where Rich works his magic. Hired by former owner Tom Jones, who created the vineyard two decades ago out of what was once the horse ranch of director Victor Fleming (of Gone with the Wind fame), Rich now makes wine that has earned the praise of such renowned critics as Robert Parker and the Financial Times’ Jancis Robinson (who cited it as one of her favorite California wineries).

“Most winemakers don’t have this opportunity in a lifetime,” says Rich, eyes twinkling above a small goatee that makes him resemble a young Frank Zappa. A native of Chatsworth, Rich studied enology at UC Davis. Since then, he has had a knack for nurturing vines in unusual places, starting with R.H. Phillips Wine Company, which hired him to create a vineyard north of Sacramento. He eventually launched his own wine label, Talisman, in Glen Ellen, and now splits his time between there and LA. “Look at how [rich in calcium] this soil is,” says Rich, scooping up the earth beneath a row of Merlot grapes ripening in the sun, reflecting off the Pacific glistening between the Santa Monica mountains. “This was all once under water, and the drainage makes it very similar to other great winemaking areas, like Burgundy.”

The constant sea breeze keeps things chillier here than in other local wine regions, lowering the high sugar levels typical to California grapes. “This temperate climate means that the wine is not a Napa fruit bomb type of thing,” notes Rich. “It has a subtle, herbal quality more associated with European wines.”

But it takes micro planning to grow grapes in this sort of environment. As we round toward the lee of the hill, grape clusters grow darker.

But it takes micro planning to grow grapes in this sort of environment. As we round toward the lee of the hill, grape clusters grow darker.“This is a little pocket that gets protected from the breezes, so we planted Cabernet here,” says Rich. “They thrive more in warmer spots.”

At this time of year, the juice of these grapes will be brought down to the large steel fermentation vats in the hypermodern stone and glass winemaking building at the bottom of the hill. Afterward, the red wine will be stored in French-oak barrels lining a 200-foot cave dug into the side of the hill. The vineyard even has its own bottling machine. “Most small vineyards hire mobile units to come and do their bottling for them, but we want to be able to time everything perfectly,” says Rich. “It might seem extravagant for such small batches, but that way we can best control the quality.”

Jul 30, 2017

Having visited more than 50 countries on six continents, 50 U.S. states, and numerous cities around the globe, author and seasoned traveler Taryn White sees travel as transformative. This author and blogger has explored many of the world's hotspots and hidden gems, from Switzerland to Swaziland. Always looking for her next adventure, she created www.tripwishlist.com to encourage herself and others to make their travel dreams come true.

Her book: Get Your Travel On!

Warning: working too many consecutive weeks is hazardous to your health.

In fact, studies show that taking vacation actually increases one's life expectancy and results in overall well-being. But you might be asking, how I could I possibly afford a vacation and to where?

With this book, you'll learn:

  •  how to establish a simple plan to jumpstart your travel pursuits;
  •  proven strategies to travel for less;
  •  essential packing tips;
  •  when and where to buy travel insurance;
  •  the top sites for booking travel and finding deals; and
  •  the best ways to prepare for your trip.

Get Your Travel On! is a complete guidebook offering five easy steps and a multitude of practical advice, tools,and tips that will make travel easier for anyone ready to take a break from day-to-day stress. Prevent passport decay. Get away…

Jul 30, 2017

About the time I was graduating from California Polytechnic University with a degree in Biology, I remember hearing for the first time President John Kennedy speaking “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I decided and was accepted to join the Peace Corps to teach high school Biology in Africa. Unfortunately, at the same time, the army was calling me to Vietnam. I decided to make my own choice and joined the Marine Corps as an infantry officer. During those life changing 13 months I spent in Vietnam I remember saying to myself, whatever I do the rest of my life had better make sense. When I returned home to the United States my search began to fulfill the promise I made to myself. Not knowing exactly what that was, I decided to spend a year exploring 17 countries in Europe on a 10-speed bicycle. This fueled my love of travel, culture, and history…the joy of just moving.

I believe travel is the greatest university in the world. It is a fulfilling yet humbling experience to explore the cultures and history of our planet.

For the next 7 years I would travel the globe as a Tour Director. When I returned to Europe leading tour groups, I met a whole new breed of professionally trained tour directors and guides. They could talk about art, food, wine, music, history, culture…they were like modern day Renaissance people. I found that most countries in Europe had national guide schools that trained people to be the “face of their country.” In America tour escorting was done mostly by college students as a temporary summer job or by a retired person to obtain a free trip. Starting a school for tour directors in America seemed pre-destined to be a goal that I would pursue. I wanted to ensure that tour directing was a recognized, respected profession and more importantly give others an avenue to pursue their passion for travel. So, in 1976, my friend and colleague Bill Newton and I started the first school in America to train tour directors and guides.

I am proud of each one of the graduates that made the choice to follow their dream to teach, learn, and grow into the role of a Professional Tour Director and ultimately be called Ambassadors of Goodwill throughout the world. Even after all this time I still lead a few tours a year, when I am not instructing at ITMI. Tour Directing is still my passion… besides, I’m not going to let my students have all the fun!

Jul 30, 2017

Paolo is Pulp’s in-house sommelier and CEO. Prior to founding Pulp, Paolo worked in the financial industry, including the Singaporean sovereign fund GIC. Paolo is a WSET and UKSA certified sommelier and lifelong wine lover.

He is Italian and comes from one of the best kept wine 'secrets' of Italy - a region of Friuli, well known within Italy as the best white wine region. Will be happy to have a chat about wine, wine making, Pulp and what we are trying to achieve - ie desnobbify wine and the wine industry.

From Pulp Wine:

The wine tasting experience in the comfort of your own home. We've combined wine and technology to make wine tasting accessible to everyone, everywhere.

How does Pulp work? Every month, we deliver four great wines, carefully selected by our somm Paolo, to your door. Each box comes with an online lesson that talks about wine with a simple, no-nonsense approach. At the end of each lesson, you rate each wine you drink to create your own personalized taste profile.

Jul 30, 2017

Lisa Niver is a travel expert, writer, artist, entrepreneur, and on-camera host who has explored 96 countries. Niver has established a following through her written and video content, garnering over one million video views on YouTube, Amazon Fire Tv and Roku.

Niver is the founder of a top 100 travel blog, We Said Go Travel, that reaches more than 200,000 annually and is in the top 1/8 of the top 1% of all sites in the United States. In her tri-annual international travel writing competitions, she has published nearly 2000 writers from 75 countries.

She was invited to the United Nations as a Champions of Humanity ambassador, to the red carpet at the Oscars with United Airlines and to New Orleans for a project with American Express and Starwood Hotels. Her recent stories include Dutch designer villas for Luxury Magazine, interviewing Fabien Cousteau for Delta Sky, skiing with the blind for Sierra and scuba diving in the Solomon Islands for Smithsonian.

She also contributes to USA Today, Wharton Business Magazine, the Jewish Journal and is verified on Twitter. Niver was a 2012 nominee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching and a 2014 nominee for the Charles Bronfman Prize.

Jul 30, 2017

Mission…

To build a mentally healthier world through inspiring and empowering wildly successful relationships and increasingly higher standards of interaction in families, communities, and societies

Midori and her husband have figured out the success formula to a wonderful marriage and life, having been together for nearly 30 years.

Midori has spent more than a decade studying interpersonal relationships, cognitive and behavioral psychology, and couples therapy. Her programs incorporate breakthrough techniques, which stomps out perceived limitations. This practice helps her clients reach extreme heights.

She has also made it a priority to study actual couples, dissecting how they communicate and interact. You’re guaranteed to receive practical, real life suggestions and tips, that make the modern marriages of today happier and more successful.

Her first book, Secrets to a Kickass Marriage was published in 2015, and since then her advice has propelled her into being the ‘Relationship Expert’ for the California Women’s Conference.

Midori holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, Davis, with a focus on Sociology

Midori and her husband have figured out the success formula to a wonderful marriage and life, having been together for nearly 30 years.

Midori has spent more than a decade studying interpersonal relationships, cognitive and behavioral psychology, and couples therapy. Her programs incorporate breakthrough techniques, which stomps out perceived limitations. This practice helps her clients reach extreme heights.

She has also made it a priority to study actual couples, dissecting how they communicate and interact. You’re guaranteed to receive practical, real life suggestions and tips, that make the modern marriages of today happier and more successful.

Her first book, Secrets to a Kickass Marriage was published in 2015, and since then her advice has propelled her into being the ‘Relationship Expert’ for the California Women’s Conference.

Midori holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, Davis, with a focus on Sociology

Jul 30, 2017

As CEO, David McNally connects people to the power of purpose through his unique gifts and his unmitigated passion for helping individuals and businesses thrive. His insights as an entrepreneur, speaker, author and film producer have been instrumental in motivating leaders, teams and individuals across many organizations. He finds that powerful transformation occurs when people are genuinely committed to a compelling purpose.

David has inspired millions of people from the stage, on film and with his best-selling books. His loyal following garnered him the honor of election to the Speakers’ Hall of Fame and recognition by a leading speakers’ bureau as one of the world's Top 50 business speakers. He has written five respected business leadership books and produced two inspirational films.

Jul 30, 2017

I'm Joanne creator of FifteenSpatulas.com when I was in middle school, I read the “cool kid books” like Harry Potter and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, but more often I read cookbooks and culinary textbooks that taught me about the chemistry of cooking on a deep, molecular level. Food is cool stuff. I mean, did you know that the hardness of your tap water can affect the gluten development in your bread? Or that one of the reasons we keep butter cold for pie crust is because butter is an emulsion of water and fat, and once it melts, you cannot get it back? Those are the tidbits of knowledge that I have collected since I was a little girl, and my curiosity for that food knowledge has never slowed down. Fifteen Spatulas now has 700+ recipes from scratch and includes step-by-step photos and tutorial videos. Joanne also created a weekly Youtube cooking show in December 2012 and accrued nearly 30,000 subscribers in her first year.Joanne and Fifteen Spatulas have been featured in numerous media outlets, including live and taped television appearances, and print and online publications, such as Cooking Channel TV, Fine Cooking, Glamour, Redbook, Better Homes & Gardens, and more. 

About my food:

Pretty much everything I eat is made from scratch. I suffered from severe gastroesophagael reflux problems in college and all my hospital and doctor visits eventually went away after I started eating real food from scratch. I believe in using whole foods and natural ingredients, which means checking that the chicken breast I buy isn’t 20% an injected chemical solution I don’t want in my chicken. Whole foods and natural ingredients doesn’t mean I eat kale all day long. I have an affection for butter and I love to eat the food I crave, I just like to make them at home so I know what’s going into it.

Jul 16, 2017

Ralph Velasco is President, Founder and CEO (Chief Experience Officer) of PhotoEnrichment Programs, Inc. d.b.a. PhotoEnrichment Adventures, as well as a travel photography instructor and international guide who has photographed in over 60 countries on 6 continents.

Drawing on over 10 years of experience planning, organizing, administering, scouting and leading more than 70 international trips around the world, and over 100 domestic trips in the United States, Ralph has created TourOrganizerTraining.com, a free webinar and online course series that trains everyday people, step-by-step, how to organize and lead their own tours, whether around the world, or around the corner.

He’s the author of “Ralph Velasco On Travel Photography: 101 Tips for Developing Your Photographic Eye & More,” as well as the creator of the My Shot Lists for Travel app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch®.

Ralph was recently a finalist for the prestigious 2016 and 2015 Travel Photographer of the Year award and was selected to a group of the Top 100 Travel Photographers in the World for 2014 by a site in the U.K., as well as one of the Top 10 Travel Photography Bloggers by USA Today’s 10best.com.  Additionally he was chosen to a list of 10 Photography Travel Bloggers to Inspire You This Year (2015) by FlipKey.com, a TripAdvisor company.

And two years in a row he was chosen “Open Photographer of the Year” by the Professional Photographers of Orange County.

Ralph has an MBA in International Business from United States International University in Mexico City and San Diego (1995), an undergraduate degree in Management from the Indiana University School of Business (1985), speaks Spanish and is a licensed private pilot SEL (single engine land).

He’s also been an integral member of several championship sailing teams in Chicago, San Diego and Newport Beach, California.

Jul 16, 2017

Born in Los Angeles, CA in the mid-80’s, my culinary journey started when I was 13 years old in my mother’s kitchen in Redding, CA.  I remember turning a package of fresh strawberries into a puree by hand (today I would use an immersion blender, but with age comes wisdom) then adding sugar and cinnamon until it was a delicious strawberry sauce!!  This is where my love for creating food began.  I’ve since spent years teaching myself the ins and outs of cooking and learning my own signature taste.  My biggest honor was being named Top 40 Home Cook in America by MasterChef in May of 2017.  This is only the first of many awards I hope to accomplish in the field of the culinary arts, so follow along and enjoy my journey!!

Brien, from Redding, CA, has been whittled down from tens of thousands of hopefuls across the country to compete for the MasterChef title, spot on the MasterChef cruise, and $250,000 grand prize.

 Other facts to him:

  • 33 years old
  • Grew up in Northern California (Redding), but has lived in Pacific Beach for 11 years
  • Started cooking around 13 years old
  • Was kicked out of high school, but now has a Master’s degree
  • Specializes in “California Comfort Food”
  • Won 1st Mystery Box of this season’s MasterChef
  • Was first Team Leader on in a Team Challenge (Won)
Jul 16, 2017

Kristy DeVaney, the person behind cavegrrl.com She is a Paleo and Primal Food, Wine, Travel and Living Travel. She loves to talk about the Paleo Food and Wine. 

Jul 16, 2017

Nestled in California’s beautiful Central Coast Region is the lovely Santa Maria Valley. Their unique micro-climate in the valley produces cool mornings and long warm afternoons.

A perfect combination producing some of the highest quality fruit Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Syrah wines.

Ca’ Del Grevino is located in the Santa Maria Valley appellation of Santa Barbara County. The vineyard is located just 10 miles from the Pacific Coast and benefits greatly from cool, maritime influences. The vineyard is planted methodically and meticulously, with special attention paid to varietals best suited to the estate’s terroir. Taking into account the soils, the meso- and micro-climates, the coastal influences and the orientation of the sun upon the hillsides, you can find here Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Grenache, Dolcetto, Riesling and Syrah.

“Our vineyard produces some of the finest wines in California. The region’s cool climate, geology and topography provide the opportunity to create uncompromised, premium wines. Ca’ Del Grevino, meaning “House of Grewal Family Wines”, produces fine wines steeped in Italian tradition with a distinctive California style.”

Ca’ Del Grevino is the signature wine brand of our estate representing regality, tradition and opulence. Nestled in California’s prestigious Central Coast is the lovely Santa Maria Valley. The unique micro-climate of the valley produces cool mornings and long warm afternoons. Together with us the best quality fruit produced and attention to detail produces our award -winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, White Riesling and Syrah wines.”

Ca’ Del Grevino wines are available to their Wine Club members and at their distinctive area Tasting Rooms. Each Tasting Room has a bit of a different character. The Orcutt Tasting Room is also a Café. The Los Olivos Tasting Room skillfully pairs their wines with cheese, charcuterie or chocolate plates. The Tasting Room in Santa Barbara is in the vibrant “Funk Zone” at the Santa Barbara Wine Collective. An attraction there is Helena’s Bakery with a menu of custom-baked sweet and savory goods.

Jul 16, 2017

Mission…

To build a mentally healthier world through inspiring and empowering wildly successful relationships and increasingly higher standards of interaction in families, communities, and societies

Midori and her husband have figured out the success formula to a wonderful marriage and life, having been together for nearly 30 years.

Midori has spent more than a decade studying interpersonal relationships, cognitive and behavioral psychology, and couples therapy. Her programs incorporate breakthrough techniques, which stomps out perceived limitations. This practice helps her clients reach extreme heights.

She has also made it a priority to study actual couples, dissecting how they communicate and interact. You’re guaranteed to receive practical, real life suggestions and tips, that make the modern marriages of today happier and more successful.

Her first book, Secrets to a Kickass Marriage was published in 2015, and since then her advice has propelled her into being the ‘Relationship Expert’ for the California Women’s Conference.

Midori holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, Davis, with a focus on Sociology

Midori and her husband have figured out the success formula to a wonderful marriage and life, having been together for nearly 30 years.

Midori has spent more than a decade studying interpersonal relationships, cognitive and behavioral psychology, and couples therapy. Her programs incorporate breakthrough techniques, which stomps out perceived limitations. This practice helps her clients reach extreme heights.

She has also made it a priority to study actual couples, dissecting how they communicate and interact. You’re guaranteed to receive practical, real life suggestions and tips, that make the modern marriages of today happier and more successful.

Her first book, Secrets to a Kickass Marriage was published in 2015, and since then her advice has propelled her into being the ‘Relationship Expert’ for the California Women’s Conference.

Midori holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, Davis, with a focus on Sociology

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