Barrels & Roots

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sat down with Barron Beltz, commercial strategy lead at Sonoma Bespoke winery in Napa Valley.  Barron has this rare ability to strip away all the intimidation and complexity that keeps so many people from ever really falling in love with wine, and what he shares in this episode is genuinely game-changing for anyone just starting their journey.  We talk abo...

I sat down with Isabel Neuhaus, a sommelier and wine educator at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in New York City. Isabel breaks down why wine feels so intimidating to most people and why it absolutely doesn't have to be.  We talk about how you don't need to know languages, memorize tasting notes, or spend a fortune to belong in the world of wine, you just need curiosity and the right per...

I sat down with Todd Anderson, owner and winemaker behind Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards and the legendary Ghost Horse Vineyards in Napa Valley, for one of the most grounded conversations I've had on this show.  Todd's been farming his own land for over 44 years, and he still drives the tractor himself, prunes every vine himself, and refuses to hand his farming over to vineyard ma...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots , I sit down with Claire Nesbitt, a former wine critic at JamesSuckling.com who went from studying chemistry at Oxford to tasting hundreds of wines a week.  Claire shares how she left consulting to follow her passion for wine, what it was like learning at Le Cordon Bleu, and how she eventually built a career reviewing wines from around the world. What I loved a...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Peter Yeung, CEO of Wente Vineyards, co-author of Luxury Wine Marketing, and host of the XChateau Wine Business Podcast, for a real conversation about what makes wine so fascinating, confusing, emotional, and powerful.  We talk about why the wine industry moves slower than tech, how luxury wine is built through quality, scarcity, brand equity,...

I sat down with Corné van Nijhuis, the world's first self-described venosopher, and this conversation went places I didn't expect.  Corné spent decades in corporate finance before stepping away and doing something remarkable, he stripped away everything that came with the job, the titles, the learned behaviors, the decorations, and found out who he actually was underneath all of it.  We...

I sat down with Lan, a wine marketing specialist based in Vietnam, and this conversation completely shifted how I think about introducing wine to a new generation. Lan has spent the last five to six years working in the wine industry and now helps a Vietnamese wine importer connect younger drinkers to a world they never thought was for them. We talked about why Gen Z in Vietnam is actually drinkin...

I sat down with Bruce Devlin, winemaker and general manager at Ballentine Vineyards in St. Helena, Napa Valley.  Bruce has been making wine for over 25 years, and what strikes me most about his story is how deeply rooted it is in curiosity, from home-brewing beer as a teenager, to studying fermentation science at UC Davis, to spending a summer peeling mislabeled bottles in a German winery. He brea...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Megan Koolmees, DTC Director at Bonovia Winery in Sonoma County, to talk about everything that makes wine approachable, memorable, and genuinely exciting, even if you've never set foot in a tasting room before.  Megan shares how a semester abroad in France at 19 sparked a lifelong passion, and how her palate evolved from funky old-world...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Kristian Harmston, the founder of Alchemy Asia and one of the most experienced beverage industry leaders in Southeast Asia. Kristian shares how he went from working in restaurants and bars to building a major drinks distribution company across multiple markets, representing global brands like The Macallan, Aperol, Cointreau, Cuervo, Remy Martin...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Chrissie Smith, viticulturist and founder of Intrepidus Wines out of Canberra, Australia, for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.  Chrissie breaks down the real difference between growing grapes and making wine, why Australian cool-climate varieties like Shiraz and emerging Italian grapes are turning heads worldwi...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Shawn Phillip, General Manager and Winemaker at Lykan Estate and Brago Cellars in Anderson Valley to talk about what it really takes to make world-class Pinot Noir in one of California's most underrated wine regions.  Shawn shares how he walked away from a career in tech and telecom at AT&T to chase something that actually lit him up,...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Barbara Gross, co-owner of Cooper Mountain Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  Barbara breaks down what biodynamic farming actually means, why the Willamette Valley became one of the world's most respected wine regions almost by accident, and how the wine industry lost the plot by making people feel like they need a PhD just t...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots , I sit down with Robert Cavanaugh, CEO of Adventure Wine, to talk about how beginners can start enjoying wine without feeling overwhelmed or embarrassed. Robert has spent decades teaching wine, leading staff training, hosting live events, and representing wine regions from around the world, and his approach is refreshingly simple: trust your palate and have fu...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Adam Halsey of Halsey Bottling to explore one of the most overlooked but important parts of the wine industry: the bottling process. Adam shares how his family’s mobile bottling business travels around California helping wineries, distilleries, and producers get their wine safely from tank to bottle, while protecting the quality, flavor, and pr...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Janell Harris, creative director for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Col Solare, Antinori Napa Valley, and the Marchese Antinori portfolio in the U.S. We talk about how wine became more than just a drink for her and evolved into a passion centered around storytelling, creativity, food, travel, and human connection.  Janell shares how she transitioned...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Felix Egerer, a viticulturist farming vineyards on Vancouver Island for Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery. We talk about how a kid from beer country in Germany ended up building a life in wine, why vineyard work is so much more than growing grapes, and what it really means to listen to the land. Felix breaks down the hidden world...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser for a conversation about making wine feel less intimidating and more human. We talk about why so many people feel overwhelmed by wine language, restaurant lists, grape varieties, regions, and tasting notes that do not always connect with real life. Tim breaks down wine in a way that makes it easier to understand, com...

I sat down with Mike Hansen, founder of the Hansen Vineyard and Winery team under Sotheby's International Realty, and this one pulled back the curtain on a corner of the wine world most people never see.  Mike isn't just a broker, he's also a grower farming 14 acres of Chardonnay, and that dual lens changes everything about how he reads a property. We got into what actually makes a...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Ryan and Taylor, the winemakers behind Polemonium Wines, to unpack what’s really happening inside the wine industry and why so many things need to change.  We get into their journey from working inside massive legacy brands to breaking out on their own, driven by a belief that wine should be more transparent, more human, and more connected to t...

I sat down with Clark Smith to explore why wine is not just something you drink, but something that connects people to land, culture, history, and the human soul. We went deep into the evolution of American winemaking, from the early days of trial and error to the explosive growth of thousands of wineries, and how that journey shaped what we drink today.  Clark shared why he believes modern winema...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Linsi Luckett, lead horticulturalist, agronomist, licensed pest control advisor, and FAA-certified drone pilot at Sunridge Nurseries - the largest grapevine-producing nursery in North America.  Linsi breaks down the side of wine most people never think about: what it actually takes to grow a healthy vine before it ever reaches a vineyard. We...

I sat down with David Natali, and what stood out most is that great winemakers aren’t born, they’re built through experience, instinct, and time in the cellar.  From starting with no traditional path to becoming a Napa Valley winemaker, he shared how the craft is less about textbooks and more about doing the work, learning from mistakes, and trusting your palate. It made me realize how much master...

I sat down with Adam Edelman, the mind behind Nisi Wines, and what started as a conversation about winemaking turned into something much deeper.  Adam's journey into wine began completely by chance when he moved from Connecticut to Napa Valley for a harvest internship over a decade ago, bringing with him a background in neuroscience and philosophy that most winemakers don't have. His bra...

I sat down with Junio Vargas Ojeda, winemaker at Cali Custom Crush and founder of Santo Diablo Wine Company, to hear how a kid from a farming family ended up making some of the most interesting wines in Paso Robles.  Junio didn't grow up drinking wine or even thinking about it as anything more than just another job when his cousin got him a position on a bottling line back in 1999. His family...