Altipiano Vineyard's guest appearances

Altipiano Vineyard

San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

Food for Thought with Keith Langhorn

Troy Johnson

Tommy Gomes

Trish Watlington

Denise Clarke

Avonte Hartsfield

Luke Girling

Eric Greenspan

Richard Blais

Michael Mina

Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

Jeff Fenster

Steve Brown

Phillip Esteban

Matt Gordon

Lee Chase

OwlTail

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! While San Diego may be the craft beer capital of the US, we also have a less-talked-about but flourishing wine scene. We’re learning all about it from Denise Clarke, owner of Altipiano Vineyard in Escondido. Altipiano is also the only Black- and female-owned winery in San Diego, and we ran a profile on Denise in the current issue. Denise shares her journey in becoming a boutique winemaker. She worked in human resources for many years, and her family owned an old avocado grove in Escondido. In 2007 a fire destroyed the grove, and in its place Denise decided to pursue her passion for wine and take the leap of starting her own vineyard. She explains how the microclimate in the hills of Escondido is similar to Tuscany, and is the perfect place to grow the Italian varietals she specializes in. The process of becoming a winemaker without classical training was a difficult one, and we learned it can take three years of production for a wine to become commercially viable. Denise says she found mentors along the way, including the group of 15–20 female winemakers in the county who lean on one another for support. There have been challenges, especially with the lack of inclusivity in the wine industry—Denise says people assume her husband is the winemaker at Altipiano, and at times she hasn’t been taken seriously. Over the years, her wines have won awards, and she’s known for producing bold reds like sangiovese and barbera. She also shares that she comes from a family of farmers, and she discovered that one of her relatives was also a winemaker. Tune in to find out more!In Hot Plates, we had a lot to discuss. First, the big news that restaurants in San Diego are allowed to have indoor dining at 25 percent capacity. New eateries recently opened at Westfield UTC: Rice Goban, Wushiland Boba, and Happy Lemon, which has Taiwanese cheese tea. The owners of Puesto bought the former Whisknlade space in La Jolla and are turning it into an Italian restaurant, and Stone Brewing Co. has named Maria Stipp their new CEO.In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Denise said she likes the tournedos Oscar and outdoor dining setup at Carvers Steaks and Chops in Rancho Bernardo. Troy’s pick (which he jokes is more like Two People, $300) is the wagyu beef and caviar bump at Born &amp; Raised. David talked about re-creating the experience of going to a ballgame at Petco Park by getting takeout from Hodad’s. My pick is the fish and shrimp tacos at La Reyna del Sur Mariscos truck in University Heights.Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! While San Diego may be the craft beer capital of the US, we also have a less-talked-about but flourishing wine scene. We’re learning all about it from Denise Clarke, owner of Altipiano Vineyard in Escondido. Altipiano is also the only Black- and female-owned winery in San Diego, and we ran a profile on Denise in the current issue. Denise shares her journey in becoming a boutique winemaker. She worked in human resources for many years, and her family owned an old avocado grove in Escondido. In 2007 a fire destroyed the grove, and in its place Denise decided to pursue her passion for wine and take the leap of starting her own vineyard. She explains how the microclimate in the hills of Escondido is similar to Tuscany, and is the perfect place to grow the Italian varietals she specializes in. The process of becoming a winemaker without classical training was a difficult one, and we learned it can take three years of production for a wine to become commercially viable. Denise says she found mentors along the way, including the group of 15–20 female winemakers in the county who lean on one another for support. There have been challenges, especially with the lack of inclusivity in the wine industry—Denise says people assume her husband is the winemaker at Altipiano, and at times she hasn’t been taken seriously. Over the years, her wines have won awards, and she’s known for producing bold reds like sangiovese and barbera. She also shares that she comes from a family of farmers, and she discovered that one of her relatives was also a winemaker. Tune in to find out more! In Hot Plates, we had a lot to discuss. First, the big news that restaurants in San Diego are allowed to have indoor dining at 25 percent capacity. New eateries recently opened at Westfield UTC: Rice Goban, Wushiland Boba, and Happy Lemon, which has Taiwanese cheese tea. The owners of Puesto bought the former Whisknlade space in La Jolla and are turning it into an Italian restaurant, and Stone Brewing Co. has named Maria Stipp their new CEO. In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Denise said she likes the tournedos Oscar and outdoor dining setup at Carvers Steaks and Chops in Rancho Bernardo. Troy’s pick (which he jokes is more like Two People, $300) is the wagyu beef and caviar bump at Born &amp; Raised. David talked about re-creating the experience of going to a ballgame at Petco Park by getting takeout from Hodad’s. My pick is the fish and shrimp tacos at La Reyna del Sur Mariscos truck in University Heights. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com.

We Learn about San Diego’s Growing Wine Industry with Denise Clarke, Owner of Altipiano Vineyard

"There's nothing like a winemaker having their own footprints in the vineyard," says Denise Clarke, co-owner of Altipiano Vineyard &amp; Winery in North County San Diego. "I come from a long line of farmers and always loved having my hands in the dirt."  Denise tells us the remarkable story of the journey to becoming a respected grower of grapes and winemaker, and one of the 20 female winemakers in San Diego County. We talk about her experience of being the only person of color who owns a vineyard in the area.   When Denise walks into the vineyard, she says it's like a symphony. "The music of wine".  We hope that you enjoy our interview with Denise.  Altipiano Vineyard &amp; Winery is located at: 20365 Camino del Aguilar Escondido CA 92025 (760) 889-7999 Email: Denise@altipiano.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/AltipianoWineryandVineyard Twitter: @Altipianowinery  We are proud to support and recommend Kitchens for Good. Kitchens for Good's mission is to break the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger, through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. The program is a tuition-free, certified culinary apprenticeship program that trains individuals with barriers to employment to launch their career in the culinary and hospitality industry. The program specifically serves individuals who are experiencing significantly high unemployment rates: formerly incarcerated adults, foster youth transitioning out of the system, survivors of domestic violence, individuals with mental health disorders, and individuals with histories of substance abuse. Donate, volunteer, or find more about their event and catering services at https://www.kitchensforgood.org   We hope that you enjoy this podcast. Please like &amp; follow us if you do.  Produced at Studio C Creative Sound Recorders in San Diego CA http://www.studio-c.com

"There's nothing like a winemaker having their own footprints in the vineyard," says Denise Clarke, co-owner of Altipiano Vineyard &amp; Winery in North County San Diego. "I come from a long line of farmers and always loved having my hands in the dirt." Denise tells us the remarkable story of the journey to becoming a respected grower of grapes and winemaker, and one of the 20 female winemakers in San Diego County. We talk about her experience of being the only person of color who owns a vineyard in the area. When Denise walks into the vineyard, she says it's like a symphony. "The music of wine". We hope that you enjoy our interview with Denise. Altipiano Vineyard &amp; Winery is located at: 20365 Camino del Aguilar Escondido CA 92025 (760) 889-7999 Email: <a href="mailto:Denise@altipiano.com">Denise@altipiano.com</a> Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AltipianoWineryandVineyard" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/AltipianoWineryandVineyard</a> Twitter: @Altipianowinery We are proud to support and recommend Kitchens for Good. Kitchens for Good's mission is to break the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger, through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. The program is a tuition-free, certified culinary apprenticeship program that trains individuals with barriers to employment to launch their career in the culinary and hospitality industry. The program specifically serves individuals who are experiencing significantly high unemployment rates: formerly incarcerated adults, foster youth transitioning out of the system, survivors of domestic violence, individuals with mental health disorders, and individuals with histories of substance abuse. Donate, volunteer, or find more about their event and catering services at <a href="https://www.kitchensforgood.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.kitchensforgood.org</a>  We hope that you enjoy this podcast. Please like &amp; follow us if you do.  Produced at Studio C Creative Sound Recorders in San Diego CA <a href="http://www.studio-c.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.studio-c.com</a>

San Diego's Wine Industry- A discussion with Denise Clarke of Altipiano Vineyard and Winery