Who decides which wines make it to wine shop shelves and restaurant lists? For decades, importers like Ronnie Sanders have quietly helped shape the way we drink wine. As the founder of Vine Street Imports, Ronnie has spent the last two decades building a reputation for finding overlooked winemakers long before the rest of the industry. In this episode, Ronnie and Eli dig into emerging wine trends, his take on ‘the death of wine’, and explore what actually makes a bottle worth drinking.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Ronnie’s Australian Connection (3:37)

Getting Into Wine (6:11)

Bordeaux and Ronnie’s Father (17:34)

Sourcing Australian Wine (22:20)

The Jakarta Story (30:44)

What's Hot In Wine (45:00)

Australian Pinot Noir And Chardonnay (48:49)

What is Value? (49:59)

Emerging Wine Trends (58:49)

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Bûcheron (French for “lumberjack”) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2025. Last month, Jonathan Ellsworth had the opportunity to attend a Bûcheron dinner, and today, he talks with owners Jeanie and Adam Ritter about their unconventional backgrounds; how they and their team created a restaurant that earned one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world; and what life has been like since.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

What is Bucheron? (3:18)

Minnesota French (5:05)

Jeanie’s Background (7:41)

Adam’s Background (14:47)

Michelin & James Beard (25:10)

Travel & Learning (29:24)

Boucheron's Methodology (31:09)

Cooking in Unfamiliar Places (36:41)

Opening Bucheron (42:58)

Winning the James Beard Award (46:51)

Advice for Success (51:54)

Minneapolis and ICE (56:19)

The Bear (1:03:02)

Eating at Home (1:05:07)

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For decades, Oregon’s winemakers have looked to France as the standard setter for what constitutes great wine. Brianne Day, founder of Day Wines, thinks it's time to stop doing that. Brianne has spent her career exploring what makes Oregon's vineyards unique. Today, we discuss her winemaking philosophy, biodynamic farming practices, and why Oregon's most exciting wines are the ones that aren’t trying to be from somewhere else.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Origin Story & 1,500 Wines (4:28)

Wine Exploration (15:07)

Wine Making Regions (16:30)

American Terroir (27:45)

Creating & Managing Expectations (13:32)

Natural Wine (36:22)

Amaro (49:44)

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Salt Lake City shouldn’t be home to one of America’s best cocktail bars. And yet, despite Utah’s strange liquor laws and its distance from traditional cocktail meccas, that’s exactly what makes Water Witch so interesting. After the Blister team stumbled across Water Witch on a recent trip, Eli wanted to find out how owner / operator Scott Gardner built something so special in such an unlikely environment.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

About Scott (2:54)

Alcohol Laws & Culinary Deserts (7:18)

James Beard Award (13:16)

Changes in Cocktail Competitions (17:51)

Finding Mentors (21:12)

Building Water Witch (24:11)

Defining the Concept (31:06)

Operations Management (39:14)

Control State Woes (47:04)

The Future of Utah’s Bars (53:14)

Why Stay In Salt Lake? (57:10)

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Jonathan just got back from an incredible 12-day trip to Washington DC and Manhattan, and had a ton of notable ‘CRAFTED’ experiences. So he and Eli Brown talk about a bunch of them, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on some of the places we mention — or some additional places you think we need to check out next time we’re in DC / NYC.

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us at: info@blisterreview.com to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Washington DC (2:04)

- The Dabney (6:08)

- Death & Co DC (7:25)

- Filter & Dua DC (16:54)

- Karma Modern Indian Cuisine (24:01)

Manhattan (26:32)

- James Beard Foundation Platform Dinner: Bûcheron (31:54)

- Frozen Margaritas (37:00)

Coffee Spots: (41:07)

- Coffee Project & Hovin He (41:07)

- Hi-Collar & La Cabra (44:41)

- Arcane Estate Coffee (47:09)

- Park at Kim’s (48:37)

- BAZU! by Superwow Coffee (49:25)

- L’Industrie & Scarr’s Pizza (53:30)

- Bar Contra (58:05)

- Linden’s Overnight Oats (1:05:45)

Theater (1:10:33)

- Dog Day Afternoon (1:12:39)

- Proof (1:13:32)

- The Fear of 13 (1:16:32)

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How good is good enough? For those of us obsessed with any craft category (e.g., coffee, watches, wine, knives, audio gear, etc), we can find ourselves crossing the line of ‘diminishing returns,’ where we keep chasing some notion or ideal of perfection. So why do we do this? Today, our CRAFTED co-hosts, Eli Brown, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Simon Stewart discuss.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

JE's Manifesto (1:54)

Eli's Categories For Spending (11:14)

MOMA NYC (16:38)

Status As Return? (20:48)

Rabbit Holes (26:58)

Wine Price Points (30:09)

Craft As Experience (35:45)

Audio Space: Diminishing Returns (37:25)

Headphones (41:12)

Contentment and Curiosity (46:22)

Hario V60 (53:16)

Watches (56:12)

Paying Scarcity (1:04:17)

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Cheese can cost $12 a pound, or upwards of $100 for a wheel of the same size. So what is actually driving that difference in price, and is the most expensive option really worth it? Today, Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese breaks down how to think about value in cheese, from commodity cheddar to cave-aged, small-batch wheels. Along the way, Elizabeth and Eli also get into the history of Murray’s, their unique cave aging program, and explore why inefficiency is often exactly what makes something great.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Murrays Cheese (2:48)

Flagship Cheeses (5:44)

The History of Craft Cheese (7:05)

Elizabeth’s Journey (13:41)

Wholesale (18:00)

Cheese Education (26:38)

Cheese Caves in New York (37:14)

Classes (42:45)

Price Point Differentiation (48:00)

Cheese Clubs (57:52)

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We just wrapped up our Blister Summit at Snowbird, then Jonathan Ellsworth, Sascha Anastas, and Eli Brown spent a pretty amazing 24 hours in Salt Lake City, where we discovered some fantastic restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and bakeries. So today, we’re reporting on what we ate, drank, and saw. Give it a listen, then let us know your thoughts!

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Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Blister Summit / Snowbird:

Fernet (2:41)

Fry Sauce? (12:19)

Realm, ‘The Bard’ (2023) (17:26)

Rice Krispy Treats (19:35)

Tram Club Spicy Fries (25:23)

Salt Lake City:

Bar: Lake Effect (30:55)

Bar: Post Office Place (32:36)

Dinner: Junah (34:33)

Bar: Water Witch (52:16)

New York Sours (55:54)

Underberg (1:03:36)

Breakfast: Central 9th Market (1:06:16)

Three Pines Coffee (1:08:08)

Mono Tape Club (1:12:49)

Eva’s Bakery (1:19:18)

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