Skurnik Unfiltered
No reservations required—listening to these conversations feels like you've been invited to pull up a chair and share a glass with some of the most remarkable dinner guests, giving you a level of access that was previously gatekept for those in the know.
Skurnik Unfiltered is a weekly podcast that curates deep conversations with some of the finest winemakers, distillers, and industry leaders about the world of wines, spirits and hospitality. The show is hosted by Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines & Spirits, a leading importer and distributor of the finest terroir-driven beverages crafted at a human scale.
Episodes are guest-hosted by sommeliers and experts in the subfields of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty beverages.
Skurnik Unfiltered is recorded at Skurnik Wines & Spirits headquarters in the Flatiron District of New York City.
Episodes
46 episodes
José María Dondé Rangel Wants You to Know Your Mezcalero
"Giving meaning to what we pour is really important because otherwise it's just liquid. And this is not only for spirits—this is more like a lifestyle. You've got to give meaning to everything that you do so it feels special, because once you h...
Federico Gambetta is Constantly Evolving
“Every year, the terroir is changing, and we, ourselves, are changing. I’m sure that the Federico of 2026 is not the same Federico as 2022. It’s a way to see ourselves in time, our different vintages. It’s an incredible thing. It’s the magic of...
Pete Stolpman Can't Imagine Running a Vineyard Any Other Way
"The most important thing we've done is establish a soul to everything we do and a why behind each of our cuvées. We want to remind everyone who has a glass of this wine what it's about—it's about the people we're supporting and the quality of ...
Matías Riccitelli is on a Mission to Express the Potential of Argentina
“I’m very passionate about my country and the potential of Argentina. Everyone was talking about Uco Valley and forgot our roots. It’s not just Malbec for me—I decided to start with traditional places to show old vines, and I want to keep this ...
The heritage of Mexico's indigenous spirit with Javier Jimenez of Caballito Cerrero
"This industry is way more antique than everybody thinks. This is an indigenous beverage, an indigenous spirit. We are using the same techniques as the ancient ones because that's what we learned, and that's what the people who live here know. ...
Catherine Kistler of Occidental Wines
"That's the beauty of working with Pinot Noir: it's an incredibly transparent-to-site wine; it shows where it's grown. A perfect wine for me shows that it could not have come from anywhere else, while still keeping things food-friendly, medium-...
David Skurnik and Oren Simon, President and CEO of Skurnik Wines & Spirits
"We will always seek out handcrafted products that are made by people, by families, that have the greatest quality at every price point. That will always be the ethos of who we are.” – Oren SimonSmooth transitions are crucial ...
English Sparkling Wine: Winemaker Marcus Rayner-Ward of Wiston Estate
"It's really exciting to be a part of this new industry that's learning at a rapid pace—and watch out, because there are so many people coming who are making really exciting wines. But what sets Wiston apart is the fact that we're family-owned....
Tasting Lebanon with Sami Ghosn of Massaya
"Massaya means twilight. It's 'el masa.' When you are walking in the street in a village in Lebanon or in Beirut, you say 'masa el-kher,' evening of grace, good wishes, to a passing by person." – Sami GhosnThe story of Lebanes...
Graham Pirtle and Young Stowe of Unified Ferments
“We use fermentation to help you taste tea in a different way, to refract it into something that can live in the same category as wine or higher-end spirits, where you’re tasting this storytelling that tea can do—of places, of regions, of peopl...
Vittorio Zoppi of Antica Torino
"Vermouth rosso is like the skeleton in a human body. It keeps the Boulevardier, the Manhattan, and the Negroni cocktails standing. Our goal was to produce Vermouth di Torino, which is the peak of the pyramid of vermouths." – Vittorio Zoppi...
How Gaetana Jacono pioneered the New Sicily wine movement
"Wine is a culture of the people. This Frappato represents a link between the past and the future." – Gaetana JaconoToday’s guest is Gaetana Jacono, the woman who pioneered a new style of Sicilian wine in the province of Ragus...
Climate Change in the Kamptal: Andreas Wickhoff of Weingut Bründlmayer
“From an historical point of view, every century has always had a crisis, but wine has always survived. Wine culture will always survive. We still have a bright future ahead. There is no doubt.” – Andreas WickhoffClimate chang...
Tegan Passalacqua of Turley and Sandlands
"I love the Europeans for believing that their wines can't be emulated, but if that's a truth, Americans need to have that too. Zinfandel is the one grape that California does better than anywhere else in the world. And I'm proud to say that ju...
Justin Willett breaks down the Santa Ynez Valley
“I think there’s this moment in wine now where people are being more honest with themselves. I want to make the wines I believe in and that I want to consume, and then I’m going to find my audience; I’m not going to make wine for an au...
Matt and Sara Licklider of LIOCO Wines
"We're in the business of making agricultural wines, and I think we need to make a distinction right here between agricultural wine and industrial wine. A lot of these vineyards that have these really amazing histories attributed to them also h...
Tom Jackson of Supergay Spirits
"Spirits, when they are at their best, are about facilitating joy and connection and building community. If we can be a small part of that in any way, then I think we've done our job." – Tom JacksonJune is Pride Month, but Tom...
Nicola Libelli of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
“If you want to make exceptional wine, you have to feel at home because it’s about so many little things—little things that you have to observe and feel and catch over the season to make the wine. It’s always important to be there and to feel t...
Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse of Birdhorse
“I think joyful, colorful people can still make beautiful, classically-styled, serious wines.” – Corinne RichThe standard California playbook of Chardonnay and Cabernet often overshadows a rich history of alternative varieties...
Alex Clark of Fort Hamilton Distillery
"As a brand, you have to have an identity. It's easy to just make products, but why you exist is much more important that what you produce. The "why" for us is recreating this classic New York rye style that hadn't been around for over 100 year...
BONUS: What to expect from Skurnik at BCB
The biggest spirits event of the year is right around the corner. Bar Convent Brooklyn is an annual 2-day festival of tastings and seminars from the best in the spirits business.In preparation for Skurnik’s third appearance at BCB, we’re...
Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines and BloodRoot
"If you're really tapped into what wine is, giving back is a very natural extension of that. You realize that wine exists in this harmony with its environment, and if you're not giving back out to that environment, you're like the dead end in t...
Shane Fraser of Tenmile Distillery
"Perfection in a spirit is to do things very consistently and don't change things. I'm certainly not perfect, but I think what we're doing at the distillery is close to the best whisky I've made for a long, long time. It's grain to glass, and i...
Alice Jun of Hana Makgeolli
"Sool is an ancient style of rice wine. It has over two-thousand years of documented history. Our style is distinctly influenced by the style of brews that I grew up with—a wilder, more natural, more gastronomical style of Korean wine. And for ...
Ricardo Peñalba of Finca Torremilanos
“Wine has always been in change, in movement. The wine that we drink now is not the same wine that was drunk a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago. For a revolution, you have to go back to the past to see what you have missed, and then b...
