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Full Belly Files

Full Belly Files | Coming Out Party for Popelouchum

A weekend trip to San Juan Bautista to celebrate Randall Grahm’s grand viticultural experiment; plus cellar picks, a South African spread, and stories you may have missed.

Full Belly Files | Coming Out Party for Popelouchum

This edition of Full Belly Files was originally emailed to subscribers on September 30, 2022. To receive Matt Kettmann’s food newsletter in your inbox each Friday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.


Even though I love a road trip, I won’t usually endure 10 hours of driving just for dinner.

But when Randall Grahm is finally ready to reveal the earliest results of his ambitious Popelouchum project to the world, you will actually find me cruising up 101 to a hotel in Monterey on a Saturday, hopping in a hired car for 45-minute rides to and from his property in San Juan Bautista that evening, and then jumping right back on 101 at 8:30 a.m. the next morning to head home.

Randall Grahm welcomed friends, family, and fans to his estate on September 24. | Credit: Matt Kettmann