Barrels & Roots

What if wine was never really about what's in the glass? In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Yannick Benjamin, a New York City sommelier and founder of Wine on Wheels, to explore the deeper meaning of wine, hospitality, and human connection. We talk about how wine culture has evolved, why the wine industry is struggling to connect with younger generations, and why the stor...

I sat down with Aaron Pott, a Napa Valley winemaker with over three decades of experience and Food & Wine's 2012 Winemaker of the Year.  After earning his degree at UC Davis, Aaron worked in Bordeaux at Château Troplong-Mondot and Château La Tour Figeac, then returned to Napa to lead winemaking at Beringer Wine Estates and Quintessa Estate.  Today he makes his own Pott Wine and serves as...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with wine marketing consultant Aliye Melton to talk about what the wine industry may be getting wrong about marketing, luxury, hospitality, and connection. We explore why great wine alone is not enough to build a memorable brand and why authentic storytelling matters more than polished drone shots, perfect tasting rooms, or expensive bottles. Aliye...

I’m still learning about wine, and one of the things I love about Barrels & Roots is getting the chance to sit down with people who understand wine at a completely different level than I do. In this episode, I’m joined again by Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser for a conversation about how we actually learn to taste wine and why becoming a better wine taster has far less to do with having some magic...

Wine tasting doesn't have to be complicated! Join Sean and Chang on Barrels & Roots as we taste our way through Albariño, rosé, Italian Lambrusco, and Pinot Noir, sharing honest reactions, a few laughs, and some surprising discoveries along the way. From discovering the fun of sparkling red wine to testing whether a decanter really changes the taste of Pinot Noir, we're keeping wine...

I sat down with Kristina Filippi, the winemaker at Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards in Temecula, California.  We talk about why Temecula’s hot days and cool nights make it a surprisingly great wine region, which Mediterranean varietals thrive there, and why Petite Sirah deserves way more love. Kristina walks me through regenerative viticulture, from cover crops and no herbicides or pesticides to...

I sat down with Mike Anderson, the owner and winemaker behind MTGA Wines and Blair Patent Wines in St. Helena, to talk about growing up in a Napa Valley wine family and why he swore he'd never get into the business.  Mike shares how a punk rock kid who wanted out of Napa found his way back through Raymond Vineyards and the community behind every bottle. We get into why he built MTGA around Me...

I sat down with French-born winemaker Julien Fayard to talk about something I think the wine world desperately needs more of enjoying wine without overthinking it. Julien grew up around wine in France before building his career in Napa Valley and Sonoma, and what I loved about this conversation is how quickly we moved beyond scores, price tags, and all the rules people think they need to know. We...

I sat down with Napa Valley winemaker and organic farmer Steve Matthiasson to explore what really happens before a bottle of wine ever reaches the table. We talk about Steve’s journey from wanting to become an organic farmer to building a winery in Napa, and why he believes healthy soil, biodiversity, and traditional farming practices can lead to better grapes and ultimately better wine. Steve exp...

What’s the real difference between Champagne and sparkling wine? It turns out Champagne isn’t simply a type of bubbly, it’s a place. In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I explores what separates Champagne from California sparkling wine, what Blanc de Blancs actually means, and how relationships between winemakers can shape what ends up in the bottle. And somehow, Kevin Bacon is involved. I sta...

I sat down with Kelly Mantel, director of marketing at Harney Lane Vineyards in Lodi. We got into why so many people freeze up in a wine shop, paralyzed by choice, convinced they'll pick the wrong bottle.  We talked about finding your brand's "vibe" to find your "tribe," why family wineries lose when they copy their competitors instead of leaning into what makes them...

Wine can be complicated, but does enjoying it really need to be? In this episode of the Barrels and Roots Podcast, I sit down with Erin Kirschenmann, managing editor of Wine Business Monthly and WineBusiness.com and founder of Novel Pairings, to talk about why wine culture has become so intimidating and how we can make it more approachable.  We explore wine education, tasting notes, wine myths, el...

I just got back from filming my Napa harvest documentary, and after spending time around vineyards, winemakers, harvest crews, and grape varietals I had never even heard of, I realized something pretty quickly: I don’t know a damn thing about wine. So I’m fixing that one bottle at a time. Today I’m trying Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, and talking about a bigger question: what actually makes wi...

Riley Sanchez almost became an Amazon researcher studying leaf-cutter ants before a mentor nudged her toward winemaking, and ten years later she's running secondary fermentations most people don't even know exist.  We got into the wild technical side of sparkling wine, the riddling, the disgorging, the yeast cultures kept alive year after year, and why harvest days that start at 1am some...

Philippe Bienvenu has spent 35 years in the champagne world and helped create Armand de Brignac, the Ace of Spades, working directly with Jay-Z and Beyoncé to build one of the most recognized bottles on the planet.  We get into why "champagne is champagne" is a myth, why non-vintage is actually the smartest place to start, and why the most expensive bottle in the room isn't always t...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with wine industry veteran Vicki Tomiser to talk about what makes wine memorable beyond what’s inside the bottle. We dive into terroir, how soil, climate, sunlight, and location can completely change the expression of the same grape, and why learning about wine doesn’t have to feel intimidating. Vicki shares her journey from working with Gallo to...

I sat down with Linsi Luckett, lead agronomist and drone-flying pest advisor at Sunridge Nurseries.  We got into rootstock and why almost every vine you've ever tasted is actually two plants grafted into one, a survival trick born from a disaster that nearly wiped out European wine over a century ago.  Linsi broke down why cloning grapevines isn't some mad-scientist thing but has been ha...

In this episode of the Barrels and Roots Podcast, I sit down with winemaker Dennis McCarter to talk about what it really takes to leave a familiar career behind, start over, and build a life around wine. Dennis takes me from his early days making small batches in a garage to launching his own winery, navigating stuck fermentations, earning awards, and learning how humbling the winemaking process c...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Jennifer Cossey, General Manager of Brooks Wine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, to talk about what makes Oregon wine so special and why the wine industry needs to become more approachable, inclusive, and fun. Jen has spent nearly 30 years in the wine industry, but what I loved about this conversation is how little it was about memorizing tasting...

I sat down with Corné van Nijhuis - the world's first "vinosopher" for an episode that started as a casual glass of wine and turned into one of the deepest conversations I've had on this show.  Corné spent years in finance before walking away to chase what actually lit him up: wine, metaphysics, and hospice work.  We got into it all: the illusion of the ego, why we identify so...

I sat down with Jeff, winemaker at Round Pond Estate in Napa, right in the middle of one of the earliest and wildest harvests he's ever seen.  We talked about how a warm spring pushed bud break three weeks ahead of schedule, how he found himself racing to pick Chardonnay after a five-gallon bucket sample came back at 19.25 bricks, and why the real stress of harvest isn't the grapes, it&a...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots , I sit down with veteran winemaker Adam Lee to unpack what it really takes to understand wine, make great Pinot Noir, and build a life around the craft. Adam takes me from his early days selling wine in Texas to launching his first vintage with just $24,000 and eventually earning recognition from legendary wine critic Robert Parker. We talk about how beginners...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Molly Bossardt, founder of Bread and Butter Digital Marketing, to talk about why great wine alone is no longer enough to grow a winery. We explore how wine marketing is changing, why consumers care more about experiences and emotion than tasting notes, and why wineries need to understand exactly who they are trying to reach. Molly breaks down t...

In this episode of the Barrels and Roots Podcast, I sit down with Ben Parodi, assistant winemaker at Vineyard 29, to explore what really happens behind the scenes of Napa Valley winemaking. Ben shares his family’s deep roots in St. Helena, his journey from studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis to working his way through demanding harvest internships, and why even trained winemakers still ha...

I sat down with Brigid Harris, co-owner of Bedarra Vineyards in Sonoma County, to talk about what really makes wine and the businesses behind it memorable. From starting a hobby vineyard with her husband to building a wine brand rooted in their honeymoon, their family, and even the memory of their dog Ellie, Brigid reminded me that great wine is often connected to a much bigger story. We talked ab...