Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform a hillside into a world-class vineyard… or how a biochemist ends up making award-worthy sparkling wine in Virginia's emerging wine country?

Maybe you've tasted Virginia wine and been curious about what makes it so different from Californian or European wines. Or perhaps you're fascinated by the intersection of science and creativity—how chemistry, terroir, and artistic vision come together in a bottle.

You're not alone. So many wine lovers appreciate the final product but have no idea about the journey from grape to glass, or the challenges winemakers face in a region that's still defining itself.

The missing ingredient is almost always the same: understanding from someone who's actually doing the work—farming the land, making the wine, and building a sustainable winery from the ground up.

In this interview, I sit down with Theo Smith, owner and winemaker at Capstone Vineyards in Linden, Virginia, to talk about his journey from cancer research to winemaking, how he's building a premier wine destination, and the unique challenges and opportunities of Virginia viticulture.

## You'll learn:

✨ How a butterfly net changed Theo's career trajectory from veterinary medicine to winemaking

✨ Why Virginia's climate and collaborative culture make it fundamentally different from California wine country—and why that's a good thing

✨ The three methods of making sparkling wine (traditional/Champagne method, Charmat method, and forced carbonation) and why Theo focuses on the first two

✨ How Capstone's unique soil composition allows for precise varietal placement across the property

✨ The reality planting as "a very expensive game of trial and error"

✨ The philosophy behind staying 100% estate-grown and direct-to-consumer only

✨ What "bottle shock" really means and why Theo's new Blanc de Franc (white Cabernet Franc) is so exciting

✨ Why Theo would rather make sparkling and white wines than reds (but makes incredible reds anyway)

If you're a wine enthusiast curious about what really goes into winemaking, or you're dreaming of understanding Virginia wine beyond the tasting room, this episode will give you an insider's perspective on building a winery from the ground up in one of America's most exciting emerging wine regions.

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**Visit Capstone Vineyards** https://www.capstonevineyards.com/

https://www.instagram.com/capstone.vineyards/

https://www.facebook.com/capstonevineyards/

**Learn more about Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute** https://brocku.ca/ccovi/

**Join my email list for more wine country interviews and behind-the-scenes content!** https://www.gardenofmydelights.com/

** Feeling like you don’t have time to pursue the things that light you up? Download my free guide to checking in with your schedule and finding more time than you thought you had. Get my Big Rocks Weekly Tracker HERE**

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to Theo and His Journey

3:47 What Makes Linden Special

7:08 Virginia Sparkling Wine

12:32 Science, Creativity, and Experience in Winemaking

15:53 The Collaborative Linden Region and Future Growth for Capstone

19:39 Wine Education

22:02 Wine Events

27:32 Champagne Method vs. Charmat Method

29:43 Blanc de Franc – White Wine from Red Grapes

32:52 Bottle Shock

33:38 Rosé

35:50 Weather and Insect Challenges

38:26 Cabernet Franc

41:59 Canadian Wines

I’m thrilled that you’ve joined me today for a conversation with Thomas Finch, creator of English Enjoyed, the channel dedicated to exploring formal British English as an art form. Our conversation covers language evolution, the beauty of Victorian prose, the balance between prescriptivism and descriptivism, and how we can all be more intentional with our word choices.

Thomas Finch is an award-winning creative polymath—an actor, writer, and filmmaker who explores the intersection of storytelling, language, and the arts. He is the founder of English Enjoyed, a platform where he treats formal British English as a lived art form, blending ‘elegantly absurd’ grammar lessons with cinematic sketches to guide a global community through the nuances of the language.

An accomplished creator, Thomas’s film work includes the award-winning short Salt and his 2025 SF3 Film Festival finalist Skin Hunger, and he is the author of Victorian Writers Then & Now.

With a linguistic journey that began with French at university and currently includes the study of Spanish, Thomas is also a lover of classical ballet, French cinema, and period dramas. He is dedicated to the idea of using wit and creative performance to make language learning a source of delight.

Links:

Website: www.englishenjoyed.com

YouTube: English Enjoyed

Instagram: @englishenjoyed

TikTok: @englishenjoyed

Facebook: English Enjoyed

Substack: @englishenjoyed

To find the books we discussed: https://bookshop.org/lists/recommendations-from-the-growing-inspiration-podcast

In this podcast episode, Shana McLean engages with a panel of creative writing professors to discuss the significance of creative writing and literature in education and culture. They explore the challenges of teaching creative writing, the importance of humanities in society, and the impact of AI on writing education. The conversation also delves into strategies for engaging students who may not initially be interested in writing, the future of humanities programs, and the personal journeys of the professors as writers. They emphasize the value of storytelling, the writing process, and the importance of community and inspiration in the writing journey.

Matt Ferrence is the author of I Hate It Here, Please Vote For Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay (WVU Press, 2024); Appalachia North: A Memoir (WVU Press, 2019); and All-American Redneck: Variations on an Icon, from James Fenimore Cooper to the Dixie Chicks (U Tennessee Press, 2014). His essays have appeared widely in North American literary journals, including Best American Travel Writing, The Fiddlehead, and Gettysburg Review. He is a professor of literature and creative writing at Allegheny College.

Tracey Lander-Garrett is the editor of The Bridge Lit Journal and author of the Madison Roberts urban fantasy series. An avid gamer and fan of fantasy and science fiction, she holds two degrees in Creative Writing: an MFA from Brooklyn College and a BA from the University of Connecticut. She has had poetry and prose published by Hollow Oak Press, Mid-America Poetry Review, Connotation Press, and others. A former NYC English professor and Teaching Artist with Austin Public Library, she now lives in Oil City, PA with her husband and five cats.

Marc Nieson is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and NYU Film School. His background includes children’s theatre, cattle chores, and a season with a one-ring circus. His memoir, SCHOOLHOUSE: Lessons on Love & Landscape (Ice Cube Press, 2016). He's won a Raymond Carver Short Story Award, Pushcart Prize nominations, and been noted in Best American Essays. He teaches at Chatham University, edits The Fourth River, and is at work on a new novel, HOUDINI’S HEIRS. More @ www.marcnieson.com

Philip Terman’s books include My Blossoming Everything (Saddle Road Press, 2024)) This Crazy Devotion (Broadstone Books, 2020)) Our Portion: New and Selected Poems (Autumn House Press, 2015), and, as co-translator, Tango Beneath a Narrow Ceiling: The Selected poems of Riad Saleh Hussein (Bitter Oleander, 2021). He directs The Bridge Literary Arts Center, a regional writers’ organization in western, PA. Terman conducts poetry workshops and coaches writing hither and yon. He’s collaborated with composers, visual artists, and performs his poetry with the jazz band Catro.

Links:

Bridge Literary Arts Center http://www.bridgeliteraryartscenter.org/

Allegheny College https://allegheny.edu/

Chatham University https://www.chatham.edu/

Clarion University https://www.pennwest.edu/campuses/clarion/index.php