By The Glass is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth conversations with hospitality professionals about food, wine, and culture. On this page you can find several featured episodes. For a full listing of episodes, subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, or wherever your source audio content.

André Terrail is the owner and operator of Tour d’Argent, Paris' oldest restaurant. He took over the prestigious eatery in his twenties and opened the company's boulangerie and épicerie, both next door to the Michelin-starred restaurant. André and Chris talk about balancing history with innovation, numbering each bird utilized for the signature pressed duck dish, winning the œuf mayonnaise competition, embracing his Finnish heritage, prepping for the Paris Olympics, getting an MBA at INSEAD, finding his own voice at work, bringing formal dining and kitchen culture into the 21st century, visiting Argentina, and tweaking the wine selections for the restaurant's Tokyo outpost.

The tariffs on European wine went into effect back in October 2019 and created problems for importers, distributors, and sommeliers. Even once the tariffs were suspended in March of 2021, the wine industry is still dealing with their consequences. In this triple-decker episode, Chris chats with different wine professionals about the way their businesses handled this transatlantic clusterfuck.

First, Chris speaks with importer Pierre Gastaldello of Bobo Selections about the vulnerability of natural wine in this moment. Then, Chris gets the perspective of a mid-sized distributor by talking to Britania Perez of Victory Wine Group. Finally, Steven McDonald of Pappas Steakhouse discusses how the tariff-pandemmy combo changed the way he builds his BTG program and Burgundy verticals.

Diego Roig & Shaunt Oungoulian run Les Lunes and Populis, two Orinda-based wineries that focus on organically farming old vines in California. Over the summer, they created a BIPOC and LGBTQIA mentorship program, which aims to create a more inclusive and diverse wine industry. Shaunt & Diego chat with Chris about positivity in natural wine, as well as the California wildfires, the evolving identity of their two brands, the importance of biodiversity in old Mendocino vineyards, and the education they received at wineries like Maison Valette in Burgundy and Domaine Léon Barral in Faugères.

Pepe Raventós and his family have been making wine in Penedès for 21 generations. In today's episode, Pepe walks Chris through the family's decision to leave the Cava D.O. in 2012, the Mediterranean climate of coastal Catalunya, his years living as an ex-pat here in the states, the influence of Didier Dagueneau, Emmanuel & Anne Houillon, and Frank Cornelissen on his approach to winemaking, the importance of supporting small farmers and preserving old vines of Xarel·lo, Sumoll, and Montònega.

Rachel Delrocco Terrazas is a freelance wine, spirits, and travel writer. She currently serves as managing editor for The Vintner Project, a collaborative media outlet featuring beverage writers with diverse backgrounds sharing their expertise in an approachable way. Previously, she served as Associate Editor for Wine & Spirits Magazine, where she oversaw the tasting department, led the spirits writing, and served as a critic for the wines from Mexico, Spain and South Africa.

She and Chris linked up before the election to discuss Canadian whiskey and citizenship. Rachel walks Chris through her transition from bartending to writing and outlines what she sees as the future of media, both in print and digital.

Marc Hochar is the third generation of Chateau Musar, Lebanon’s premier winery. Founded in 1930, Musar is a story of perseverance: making wine every year of the Civil War except 1976 and 1984, despite the near constant threat of bombings. Once again, Lebanon has been thrown into turmoil; the August 4 explosion in Beirut has devastated the city, leaving over 200 dead and 300,000 homeless and creating a dangerous political vacuum.

Marc walks Chris through Lebanon and Chateau Musar's shared history of resiliency. They also dig into the country's indigenous varieties, the aging potential of rosé and white wine, the role of volatile acidity, as well as the token wine tent at Munich's Oktoberfest.

Will the Hospitality Industry survive 2020? Bobby Stuckey is in this race for the long haul. In March, he helped create the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) to fight for the 11 million independent restaurant employees in the USA.

Bobby Stuckey is the co-founder of some of Colorado’s best restaurants. The former wine director for The Little Nell in Aspen and The French Laundry in Yountville, Bobby Stuckey earned his Master Sommelier pin in 2004, the same year he opened the Friuli-focused restaurant Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. In the years since, Bobby founded an Italian winery called Scarpetta as well as two restaurants in Denver’s bustling Union Station: Tavernetta and Sunday Vinyl. When Bobby’s not running service at his restaurants, he’s running sub-three hour marathons. He and Chris discuss training for virtual races, logging 100 miles in one week, and lobbying Congress on behalf of the IRC.

Visit www.saverestaurants.com to learn more about the IRC, and follow Bobby on Instagram @bobbystuckeyms.

A bartender and certified sommelier, Charlie Reyes founded Audio Culture LLC, a music curation service for the hospitality industry. He served as the music director for New York restaurants such as Charlie Bird, Pasquale Jones, and Legacy Records. Charlie and Chris discuss the role of hip hop music in dining rooms as well as the importance of authenticity and respect. Along the way, Charlie explains the difference between Logic's albums and mixtapes, the versatility of Jay Z, his love for Zalto glassware, the famous Pasquale Jones clam pizza, the pitfalls of streaming algorithms, and the ideal BPM for brunch service.

Rania Zayyat created the non-profit organization Wonder Women of Wine (WWOW) to advocate for gender equality in the beverage industry. In March of 2019, WWOW hosted its first conference, which featured panel discussions with winemakers, importers, and writers as well as a comprehensive wine tasting. Since then, WWOW has hosted empowerment workshops and created scholarship opportunities. Chris called Rania to learn how her experience working in restaurants and sitting for the Master Sommelier exam led to her decision to start WWOW. With the 2020 conference postponed due to COVID-19, WWOW has launched A.L.L.I.E.S., a partnership to amplify the voices of black women wine professionals.

Rania is an educator and gender equality advocate in the wine industry. In addition to serving as WWOW founder and Board President, Rania also co-owns Vintel, a natural wine consulting agency, and is the Wine Director at Bufalina in East Austin.

Michelle Wallace is the Executive Chef of Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston, TX. With a background in French cooking and high-end catering, Michelle has helped expand Gatlin’s beyond brisket and ribs. She also is obsessed with creating the perfect sandwich. As they drink a bottle of Donkey & Goat Isabel's Cuvée rosé, Michelle tells Chris about her love for bologna, the role of gender in the world of barbecue, and her favorite wine pairing. Michelle is also a big believer in giving back to the community and talks about the importance of supporting black-owned businesses and empowering young women.

She and Chris worked together at Houston's Restaurant and have collaborated on various barbecue & wine tastings. She can be found on Instagram at @betweentheslices, and pickup orders for Gatlin's BBQ can be placed on their website.

This week, Chris talks to Lyle Railsback about the intersection of couture and wine. Lyle is the National Portfolio Manager for Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, one of the most venerable importers of French and Italian wine. He's also one of the most well dressed guys in the wine biz. Through his travel throughout Europe, Lyle has developed meaningful relationships to tailors and winemakers. Amidst their talk of Sbagliatos and Côte-Rôtie, Chris and Lyle hash out their sartorial taste.

What are the differences in British and Italian menswear? How can clothiers and vignerons survive industrialized homogenization? Is there a connection between sprezzatura and natural wine? Where does one find the perfect flannel? All these questions and more are answered this week on By The Glass.

On March 27th, host Chris Poldoian phoned wine writer Jeremy Parzen to discuss the impact of COVID19 on Northern Italy's wine region and the past, present, and future of Italian sparkling wine.

A former rock musician and songwriter, Jeremy Parzen is Houston's preeminent Italian wine scholar. After obtaining his PhD in Italian Literature at UCLA in 1997, Jeremy moved to New York and began editing and writing for La Cucina Italiana. In 2007, he founded his blog Do Bianchi, which offers a historical perspective to Italy's rich gastronomic culture.