Episode Details

Welcome to Book Club and Episode 2691 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Richard Hough. In this episode, Richard is in conversation with Kevin Ferguson on the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris to discuss Kevin’s forthcoming book, “Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge, a memoir about health, aging and winemaking”.

Topics of conversation include:

• The 1976 Judgment of Paris and its impact on the California wine scene
• Kevin’s personal connection with the Judgement
• The history of the Gemello Winery in California
• Prohibition and its aftermath
• Well-being, longevity and coping with loss and ageing

Further reading:

Judgment of Paris by George M. Taber.

Follow Kevin’s Substack at: https://gemello.substack.com/.

The Book Review by Richard Hough:

“Kevin Ferguson’s forthcoming book, “Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge, a memoir about health, aging and winemaking”, promises to be a fascinating account of the history of one of Californian’s most interesting historical wineries, the Gemello Winery. Across three generations, the iconic family winery experienced the highs and lows of winemaking in America in the 20th century, from Prohibition and the Great Depression to Gemello’s extraordinary triumph at a 2002 reenactment of the Judgement of Paris. Intertwined with the story of migration, loss and longevity it’s a book I’m looking forward to reading soon.

About today’s guest:

Kevin Ferguson worked as a journalist for over a decade, covering sports, business and politics in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He’s currently writing a memoir about his bond with his grandparents, California winemaker Mario Gemello and his centenarian widow Kay. The forthcoming book is called, “Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge, a memoir about health, aging and winemaking”.

Connect: 

Substack: https://gemello.substack.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinferguson1/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemellowinery/ 

More about the host:

Richard Hough is the editor, translator and project curator behind The Art of Wine Storytelling, Wine Democracy and Vine and Prejudice. He has also published several books about life in Verona, chronicling the city’s history, culture and daily life, not forgetting, of course, its wine, including Verona Campione, published in May 2025. With a long-standing passion for whisky and beer, he’s a relative newcomer to the world of wine and is now desperately trying to make up for lost time! He is the host of Book Club on the Italian Wine Podcast.

Connect:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rickhough.bsky.social 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verona_campione 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickhough/

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