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Published on:

8th Sep 2026

Randall Grahm: Popelouchum, Faith & the Pursuit of Terroir

Charles takes us on a faithful journey through Northern California, where an unexpected meeting profoundly changes the course of this story.

A chance encounter with Madeleine Puckette of Wine Folly sets the adventure in motion, leading us through San Benito County, the story of Théophile Vaché, the pioneering spirit of the Rhône Rangers, the lasting impact of the Judgment of Paris (1976), and Oz Clarke's Big Wine Adventures.

In this episode

  • Why Popelouchum is committed to pushing terroir instead of following convention.
  • How the San Andreas Fault, the land's energy, Popelouchum's serene vines, and the traditional gobelet method all become part of the journey.
  • Somehow Nick finds a way to weave Cajun history and Louisiana's French heritage into the conversation.

Wines We Describe

  • Popelouchum Blanc – 2021 & 2022
  • Popelouchum Pinot Noir – 2023 & 2024

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About the Podcast

WineSoul Podcast
Wine Soul is a podcast where two lifelong friends explore wine, stories, and nostalgia with geeky curiosity, zero snobbery, and plenty of laughs.
Wine Soul is a podcast about two childhood friends who became adults—in theory.

Now dads and quintessential millennials, they're still as geeky, passionate, and ridiculous as they were as teenagers. The only difference is they're now bourgeois enough to obsess over wine with the same unhealthy confidence they once brought to arguments about things that never mattered.

They explore wine, history, nostalgia, and travel through thirty years of friendship, relentless curiosity, and a generous amount of humour.

Wine Soul is good wine, the occasional moment of substance, and a lot of laughs—brought to you by two old friends who never take themselves too seriously.

Their taste matured. They didn't.