Marc Papineau has been filling our wine glasses all over Seattle for decades. Marc is the proprietor of Cantina Sauvage — a wine shop that recently opened in Melrose Market in Seattle alongside Cafe Suliman, where he curates a selection of independent wines he identifies as “unfuctwith”, meaning wines that have been only minimally altered by human intervention. Wine is in the throes of a renaissance these days, in part fueled by the natural wine craze: those “pet nat”, “skin contact”, “orange” bottles with colorful labels and a frequent sidestepping of the appellation system. Some are delicious. Some are...challenging. But however you feel about them, they deserve a closer look. They're a stark contrast with big-name, mass-produced wines that are manipulated to the point of homogeneity. Stick with this episode: at first it may sound like its more of a conversation for wine nerds, not for the casual wine drinker. That is until about minute 2:24, where Chris asks, “um, which one of them is dry?” and we all crack up because his question cuts through our heavy conversation like an acidic wine through fatty cheese. It's a funny question because “dry” is one of those words people often use when pressured to describe what they’re looking for in a wine. It's a question that, to a wine purveyor, can signal a lack of knowledge about or interest in wine. Which patrons sound most knowledgeable to servers and winesellers? People who just ask questions. People who are willing to place trust in their purveyor to guide them on a discourse about the right wine for that moment in time. This episode is just that, really: a conversation with a guy who knows wine. Chris and I ask things we always wanted to know but were afraid to ask, for fear of sounding clueless. I’ve been in that position, Chris has been in that position, and a casual survey among friends indicates that many of us have been in that position. We’ll talk about what makes a good wine good and what makes a tank wine industrial. We’ll talk about how to identify the differences among all the degrees between those two ends of a spectrum. (Hint: if you’re buying it at the supermarket, it is probably industrial). “If you care, then you’re probably not in a grocery store buying wine. You should go to a place where they know their wine.” --Marc Papineau{{marc papineau}}{{cantina sauvage}}

The foods that sustain us are becoming less nutritious (via National Geographic), reduced to commodities and cheaply mass-produced to feed a growing global population of nearly 8 billion. Along the way, we’ve lost touch with the planet’s provisions. Yet real food — both nourishing and delicious — is often as close as our own neighborhoods, and our guest Valerie Segrest knows how to find it.Valerie Segrest is an author, Native nutrition educator, and member of the Muckleshoot tribe. Her work focuses on foods that are endemic to North America. In the book Valerie co-authored with Indigenous Food Lab, Indigenous Home Cooking: Menus Inspired by the Ancestors, you’ll find wisdom about wild plants and familiar, accessible ingredients like bison, salmon, berries, squash, sweet potatoes, and more.This episode will make you hungry for knowledge about the world around you. Valerie talks about the elusive and charismatic morel mushroom, the ubiquitous and recognizable dandelion, and the softer side of stinging nettles. She praises the nationwide movement of tribes restoring ecosystems in the form of fisheries management and other projects. You’ll learn about “weeds” that are both food and medicine, telling time according to nature’s rhythms, the many names for the moon, how there are never just four seasons, and sweet birthday gifts that make Valerie want to eat mountains. Valerie also underscores the importance of food sovereignty. This is crucial for Native communities, who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and related health conditions, according to Feeding America.  Valerie’s efforts contribute to the reclamation of traditional foodways and the re-emergence of an Indigenous cuisine, in which local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients are front and center. In a time when so much of our food comes from somewhere far away, honoring Indigenous foods is an action that all of us can take to recognize that we are still a part of nature — and always will be. 

At the intersection of wine and art, you’ll find Jarad Hadi: vigneron, winemaker, and owner of Grape Ink in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Grape Ink’s wines celebrate the creativity, diligence, and connection to nature that farmers and winemakers share. Their wine labels in themselves express this relationship; each one is a unique artwork by Italian artist Giulia Schiavon — paintings printed on the bottles. Grape Ink’s wine emphasizes small-scale production and personality, growing at altitudes as high as 1500 feet in the Valley’s northernmost climes, with rich mineral soil over volcanic deposits. Jarad earned his master’s degree in viticulture and winemaking at the source: The University of Bordeaux and studied under French masters. He also learned hands-on in the Bordeaux region, Parisian vineyards, and South America. While farming and making wine for Grape Ink, he’s also working on high elevation vineyards in California and elsewhere in Oregon.During our time with Jarad, we learn about farming in Oregon’s fickle snow zone, where weather is often cloudy and cold and one must “follow the sun and watch out for the rain.” Jarad understands the ecosystem of his land, including how wild animals like birds and elk interact with his crop and the “acceptable casualties” caused by predation and disease. He farms with serenity, even when conditions are difficult — which they often are, in the hills above 800 feet.Pinot noir wine grapes.Jarad describes the musical interplay of soil, temperature, the day/night cycle, the wind, and the countless other natural elements that sculpt the expression and composition of his plants. Forces as great as the pull of the moon and atmospheric pressure and organisms as miniscule as the nematode in the soil all affect the grape vines. Among the defining factors of viticulture and winemaking, Jarad says, are the where and when — representing a significant investment of time in a specific geographical area and undertaking a long, slow process of which the actual production of the wine — from picking to processing — is the shortest period.Jarad’s other passions include art and poetry, and he draws a parallel between pianists and winemakers. You’ll also hear about winemaking wizardry, Jarad’s sundial watch, companion plants for grapevines, why viticulturists play awful radio stations, and the difficult task pairing wine with radishes and artichokes. Jarad shares a love for wines that elude standardized terms and definitions, contributing to a paradigm shift from prioritizing how wine is expected to taste to experiencing the artfulness threaded throughout the process. Jarad encourages a younger generation of the “wine-curious” in their capacity to support small growers and businesses, instead of large companies who churn out bottles by the millions. After listening to Jarad, you’ll be inspired to enjoy the fruits of the labor of artists like him.

Krishnendu talks to us a out the role of ethnic food in American culture past, present, and future. He draws upon his upbringing in India and his studies of food in anthropology to present a compelling case for dining with not just an open mouth, but an open mind.Krishnendu takes us around the world and through time in this episode. He explains how shifting immigration patterns affect our food economy and sociology as tastes and populations change, citing African American, European, Asian, and Latino influences and the assimilation of extrinsic food traditions into the American palate. Krishnendu’s book The Ethnic Restaurateur traces the psychology of the restaurant owner and their patrons, and what world cuisines are experiencing a renaissance. This episode is a call to action for us to eat, as he says, with curiosity and generosity: to get to know foreign cuisines by paying attention to complex histories, regional differences, and the people who cook it.Instead of othering, generalizing, and oversimplifying, we have an opportunity to experience the richness and abundance they bring to our contemporary foodscape. 

1/2 billion pounds of sea creatures are harvested every DAY as 3 billion people worldwide depend on it as a primary source of protein, according to the United Nations. Many fish populations are 10% of what they were a hundred years ago, including salmon, tuna, and shrimp.Consequences are dire if we don’t figure out how to make rapid and significant changes to the way we consume seafood. So how can we continue to eat fish in good conscience? Is there any fishing that could actually be good for our oceans? Is there a way to source from healthy, thriving fisheries that prioritize preservation over profit?Mariah Kmitta is chef and co-owner of Seattle’s Mashiko Restaurant, where she began working 23 years ago. In 2009, Mashiko made a public commitment to serve only sustainable seafood, regardless of cost. Mashiko’s menu changes daily, as seasons change and definitions of what is sustainable continually shift. Mashiko’s website does a fine job of articulating what that commitment means to them, and staying true to that commitment is Mariah’s life’s work. Chris and I both know Mariah, so it felt natural to begin our conversation with her.Mariah has learned to navigate the vast, complex, and often convoluted information out there about sustainable seafood as she has developed her knowledge and practice of Japanese cuisine over the past two decades. She has forged reciprocal relationships with fishers, processors, and maritime scholars that help her make elegant and intelligent choices in responsible sourcing.The omakase service at Mashiko unapologetically eschews “classics” like ahi tuna while featuring less popular, more abundant varieties. With seasonal fare like Japanese firefly squid, uni (sea urchin), and wild Pacific yellowtail, Mashiko’s cuisine revels in eco-culinary details that create an intimate and intentional connection to the fish we eat.Chef Mariah gives us an overview of some of the most pressing topics affecting traceability and transparency in the seafood supply chain. She breaks down fishing and harvesting methods, farming (aquaculture) practices, labor standards, and governance. We also praise the mollusk—oysters, clams, mussels and other bivalves that are hands down the most sustainable thing we can eat from the sea because they actively clean the ocean (a single oyster filters up to fifty gallons of water per day!) and they don’t eat other fish.  Our hope is that this episode and its accompanying information will give you a clearer sense of what to buy and what to avoid next time you’re at the point of purchase.