Ep 1: From One Barrel of Gewurztraminer to over 600 Cases of Wine in 7 Years with Miguel Lepe of Lepe Cellars

Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Wine Podcast. Today we’ll be sitting down with Miguel Lepe, the owner and winemaker of Lepe Cellars who has been making wine in Monterey County for over 10 years. Lepe Cellars is a winery that focuses on making wine from Monterey grapes, and they recently opened their tasting room in downtown Carmel by the Sea. Lepe Cellars wines are characterized by their balanced, right fruit, and food friendly wines. 

In this episode, Miguel shares with us how his relationship with wines began and his experience in creating and building a wine brand in Monterey County. Make sure to stay tuned until the end to know his top 3 wine picks and food pairings! 

[00:00 - 04:31] Opening Segment 

• I introduce our guest for today
• Miguel talks about how he fell in love with wine

[04:31 - 15:42] Getting to Know About Lepe Cellars

• Miguel shares about how Lepe Cellars started
• The concept behind the tasting room at Carmel by the Sea 
• Monterey County as a great location for wines
• Miguel talks about his wine portfolio
• • Working with small boutique vineyards
  • Exploring new vineyards
  • Always open to learning 
• Creating unique and great quality wines
•  Join my wine club and connect with other wine lovers! 
• • See link below

[15:43 - 24:46] Building a Good Wine Brand

• The importance of sharing your story and engaging with customers 
• Why Miguel is passionate about wine 
• Wines and food
• The future of wine for Miguel 
• Separating personal taste and the market’s preference 
• Finding opportunities to give back through wine

[24:47 - 31:00] Wine Picks for the Month

• Miguel shares his top 3 picks
• Food pairings for the 3 wines
• Favorite book about wine
• Favorite wine for fun
• Favorite pairing 
• Final words 

Tweetable Quotes:

“Wine quality definitely starts in the vineyard.” - Miguel Lepe 

“Building that connection between the customer and the brand I think really helps in terms of establishing yourself, building a reputation, and your brand's reputation.” - Miguel Lepe 

“Regardless of what industry you're in, what your background is, food and wine just has a way of just connecting people together.” - Miguel Lepe 

Connect with Miguel on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or checkout his website at www.lepecellars.com/.

Let’s continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.

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JOIN THE CLUB through this link and handpick wines every month, from up and coming wineries, winemaker owned brands and wineries with unique stories while supporting those wineries directly. You can also join our Facebook Group to connect with other wine lovers, get special tips and tricks, and take your wine knowledge to a whole new level.