Ep 612: Wine Legends -- André Tchelistcheff, The Father of American Wine

Wine for Normal People

Arts, Food

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

André Tchelistcheff is a wine legend, especially in American wine. A winemaker, viticulturist and teacher, Tchelistcheff raised the standards for California wine, making it possible for it to become a force in the modern wine world.

André Tchelistcheff. Photo: UC Davis Library

A lifetime learner, Tchelistcheff said his highest and best title would be "permanent student of the university of California" because he never thought he knew everything about wine and always wanted to discover new ways of doing things. Tchelistcheff's philosophy on wine aligns with that of most of the listeners in this community...

"Wine is an intellectual beverage. It does not have the toxicity of liquor. Taken in moderation, it opens the mind. I have seen an introvert, after two glasses of wine, open like a flower."
Source: https://byrdvineyard.com/andre-the-voice-of-wine/

In the show, I go over André Tchelistcheff's life and all the contributions he made to first Napa, then wider California, and then to Washington State wine and beyond. A gentle, funny, kind, and giving mentor and teacher, the Maestro is definitely someone you should know about in the wine world.

Enjoy the wonderful story of this great man's life!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Wine for Normal People, the podcast for people who like wine, but not the snobbery that goes with it.
0:15.7	I'm your host Elizabeth Schneider, author of The Wine for Normal People book and Certified Wine Dork.
0:21.7	Today's episode is brought to you by my new sponsor, Grapes, the Wine Company. It is a brick and mortar
0:26.9	store located in White Plains, New York, and owned by my friend Daniel Posner. Daniel's one of the most
0:31.5	knowledgeable, customer-focused wine people I know. And because he's in New York, he has accessed
0:36.2	almost anything imported into the
0:38.2	U.S. Plus, he ships to 40 states. So no matter where you're listening from, he can probably
0:43.6	get you what you want. Go online anytime at grapes the wineco.com and type in WFNP in a special
0:51.5	instructions section when you order for a discount on shipping. Listen in the middle of the
0:55.3	show for more details. This podcast is going to be about the wine legend, Andre
1:02.0	Chelychev, who in many respects is the father of modern American wine. He influenced so many
1:10.4	people who are still making wine today and was just a really
1:14.3	innovative important person. And one of the most important things about him is that his
1:18.9	personality and joy of sharing and generosity of spirit took the wine industry in California
1:26.4	and in Washington and other places
1:28.3	very, very far. So some of it really has to do with the who, also the what, but the who behind
1:35.1	Andre Chelle's Chef. And I hope that you are interested to hear about this. I need to thank Keith
1:40.4	As, who has been a longtime patron and supporter of Wine for Normal People, who made the
1:45.7	suggestion that we do this series.
1:47.7	I am sorry it took me so long, Keith.
1:49.8	Keith and I have met in person.
1:51.6	I will give my plug for Patreon, p-a-t-R-E-O-N dot com slash wine for normal people,
	...

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