{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":300,"width":600,"title":"Strikes, Somms, and Screwups: Schulner\u2019s Wild Ride Beyond Hollywood","description":"I am pretty sure you didn't catch the article in the Somm Journal written by David Schulner. And if you did, you were not as jealous as I was. Well, let's call it inspired. Trading the glitz of Hollywood for the chaos of the restaurant floor, David Schulner doesn\u2019t just pour wine\u2014he pours gasoline on the genteel myths swirling around it. You\u2019ll hear what happens when a successful TV showrunner, fresh off the picket lines of the 2023 writers\u2019 strike, crashes headfirst into the closed ranks of Michelin-star restaurants. Forget those dreamy drone shots over gleaming vineyards; David Schulner exposes the cutthroat realities of wine service, the humiliations of being the new kid at 50, and why, even with a TV resum\u00e9, you can\u2019t buy your way onto the restaurant floor. If you still think wine is all velvet gloves and romantic stories, think again\u2014this is one guest who\u2019s happy to spill the dirty secrets, right alongside the Pomerol. In this episode, you\u2019ll discover what hospitality really means in an industry obsessed with pedigree, why most people\u2014Sommeliers included\u2014are entirely faking it, and who gets left behind when Napa and Bordeaux \u201cevolve.\u201d David Schulner and Paul Kalemkiarian aren\u2019t afraid to torch the sacred cows of the wine world, from pretentious tasting rooms to the sanitized myths of customer service. Instead of parroting the party line, you\u2019ll get a front-row seat to the raw, awkward, ego-bruising reality of what it takes to serve, sell, and survive when the masks come off. If you\u2019re tired of wine podcasts that sound like a sommelier\u2019s TED Talk\u2014or shows that make the industry look like a playground for privileged insiders\u2014this conversation will rattle your cage. David Schulner lays bare why most restaurants won\u2019t hire a middle-aged rookie with Hollywood connections, why real hospitality is an act of rebellion against wine snobbery, and how every industry he\u2019s loved is \u201con the death knell\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what makes them magic. The result? An unfiltered, sometimes uncomfortable, ultimately inspiring blueprint for anyone who\u2019s ever wondered if there\u2019s a place for outsiders in one of the world\u2019s most insular trades. You won\u2019t just walk away with surface-level talking points. You\u2019ll come away with forbidden knowledge and questions that might keep you up at night. Here\u2019s your table of contents\u2014open these books at your own risk: \ud83d\udcd6 What really happens when you trade TV scripts for wine lists\u2014and why most in the business never see it coming \ud83d\udcd6 Why restaurant jobs are harder to land than a first break in Hollywood, no matter your resum\u00e9 \ud83d\udcd6 The dirty secrets of wine certification, and why being a \u201cCertified Sommelier\u201d doesn\u2019t mean you actually know anything \ud83d\udcd6 How high culture and humble hospitality are always at war behind the scenes\u2014plus who gets trampled in the process \ud83d\udcd6 Why Napa\u2019s \u201cdownturn\u201d might just be the shake-out the wine world desperately needs\u2014and who stands to lose their shirts \ud83d\udcd6 The myth of the red carpet: why the best service isn\u2019t about knowing the bottle but about making everyone\u2014even a broke, muddy waiter\u2014feel royal Consider this episode your permission slip to crash the velvet rope, ignore the script, and step backstage to where the true drama\u2014and the best conversations\u2014actually unfold.   YouTube:  https:\/\/youtu.be\/LsTL52ewBGI Websites of Companies Mentioned Netflix: https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/ Juilliard: https:\/\/www.juilliard.edu\/ William Morris Agency (now WME): https:\/\/wmeagency.com\/ Court of Master Sommeliers: https:\/\/www.mastersommeliers.org\/ Napa Valley Wine Academy: https:\/\/napavalleywineacademy.com\/ Gwen Restaurant (by Curtis Stone): https:\/\/www.gwenla.com\/ Maude (by Curtis Stone): https:\/\/www.mauderestaurant.com\/ Silver Oak: https:\/\/www.silveroak.com\/ Caymus Vineyards: https:\/\/www.caymus.com\/ Opus One Winery: https:\/\/www.opusonewinery.com\/ Grgich Hills Estate: https:\/\/www.grgich.com\/ Robert Sinskey Vineyards: https:\/\/www.robertsinskey.com\/ Wine Paris: https:\/\/www.wineparis-vinexpo.com\/ Stagecoach Vineyards (now owned by Gallo): https:\/\/www.gallo.com\/ Vieux Ch\u00e2teau Certan: https:\/\/www.vieuxchateaucertan.com\/ Ch\u00e2teau Cheval Blanc: https:\/\/www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com\/ AdVini Global: https:\/\/www.advini.com\/ Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape (general region info): https:\/\/www.chateauneuf.com\/ Wine Masters TV: https:\/\/winemasters.tv\/ SOMM TV: https:\/\/www.sommtv.com\/ Strand House (Manhattan Beach): https:\/\/thestrandhousemb.com\/     ","author_name":"Wine Talks with Paul K.","author_url":"https:\/\/www.winetalkspodcast.com","html":"