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Rick Kushman
Substitute Host, Insight

Rick Kushman is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist who was a longtime columnist for The Sacramento Bee. At the Bee, he covered politics, was the national television critic, and wrote about wine and food and their connection to life in Northern California. He continues to write for regional and national media and his writing has appeared in publications ranging from Time Magazine to Sommelier Journal to Daily Variety.
He’s the author of “The Barefoot Spirit,” the bestseller that’s the story of the founding and unique marketing of Barefoot Cellars, one of the top-selling wine brands in the world. His first book is “A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country,” which he describes as “the funniest wine book ever written – competition: zero.”
Rick is heard every month on Insight with Beth Ruyak with his “Kushman by the Bottle” segment, which focuses on wine-related topics. He produces and hosts an Internet radio show that has the same cheeky approach as “Kushman by the Bottle,” called “Bottle Talk with Rick and Paul.” It’s co-hosted by his friend Paul Wagner, a wine industry veteran and a respected teacher. Their show is at: http://www.rickandpaulwine.com/
Rick is also the Chief Judge of the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition and he earned his Certified Wine Professional credential from the Culinary Institute of America. He teaches wine classes to professionals and regular folk, trains wineries and restaurants on how to present food and wine without the gobbledy-speak, teaches culinary journalism, and is a periodic celebrity chef for regional charities, which, he says, seriously stretches the definition of the word “chef.”
Rick is a longtime (translation: aging) competitive runner and lives in Sacramento with his wife, Deborah Meltvedt, who teaches at Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School in Sacramento, and with their cat, Anchovy Jack, who, they’re convinced, used to be a pirate.
Why The California State Fair Is Good For The Wine Industry
July 12, 2017
Wine expert Rick Kushman talks about why the California State Fair, surprisingly to some, is a win for the wine industry.
Television's LGBT Characters
June 23, 2017
Rick Kushman and Fresh Air’s David Bianculli look back at the power of television – and the LGBT characters that shaped how people see and understand what it means to be gay in America.
Harvest Time Brings Out Smell Of Wine And Must At California Wineries
May 17, 2017
Rick Kushman, local wine expert, talks about harvest season and a vineyard tour he will lead at Iron Hub Winery in Amador County.
Insight: Capitol Chat / The Stagecoach / Sound Advice: Cale Wiggins / Lila Downs
August 14, 2014
CapRadio's Ben Adler talks about the new $7.5 billion water bond that lawmakers and the governor agreed on. An author discusses a book about an Old West icon, the stagecoach. Plus music from Lila Downs and Sound Advice with Cale Wiggins.
Insight: Water Bond Update / Waterwise Vineyard / Being A Travel Writer / "The Light In The Piazza"
August 11, 2014
The owner of Parducci Winery explains how he conserves water. Plus, The Sacramento Bee’s Sam McManis talks about being a travel writer. And actors from the Green Valley Theatre Company perform a scene from the “The Light in the Piazza.”
Insight: GMO Labeling / Sacramento's Restaurant Scene / COLOSSUS WEST Jazz Band / Sound Advice
May 1, 2014
Food writer Nathanael Johnson discusses GMO food labeling laws being proposed in multiple states. Plus, Sacramento chefs talk about the restaurant scene in downtown. Sacramento composer Levi Saelua previews the debut of jazz orchestra COLOSSUS.