Barrels & Roots

In this Barrels and Roots Podcast episode, I sit down with Adam Martinez, winemaker at Uplifted Winery in Rapid City, South Dakota, to talk about what winemaking actually looks like when you strip away the romance and get into the real craft.  We dig into how he got started through restaurant life and a chemistry background, why wine is the ultimate mix of science, art, and pure luck, and how tiny...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Dan Stotesbery, managing partner at Ladera Vineyards, a family-owned Napa Valley winery he now runs day-to-day with his wife.  We talk about why small, family-run wineries still matter in a world that’s getting more corporate, and how authenticity shows up in the details, from hosting tastings themselves to literally packing shipping boxes and...

I’m talking with Anne McHale about what the Master of Wine path really looks like and why it actually matters for everyday wine drinkers, not just industry insiders.  We unpack what a Master of Wine does, why the qualification is considered one of the hardest in the world, and how Anne worked her way up from a junior office assistant to earning the MW title over a decade of study, tasting, and rea...

In this Barrels and Roots episode, I sit down with Napa Valley native Lailand Oberschulte-Flaherty, VP of Marketing at OrderPort, to talk about wine without the intimidation.  We get into why wine feels “snooty” to so many people, why that idea is outdated, and how to build your palate without pretending you like a cult Cabernet just because the label is famous. Lailand breaks down how taste is pe...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Philippe Bienvenu, who was born and raised in Champagne and has spent over three decades living inside the culture, history, and craft of the region. We unpack what champagne actually is, not as a brand or a luxury symbol, but as a place, a tightly regulated wine region, and a deeply artisanal product shaped by terroir, blending, and tradition....

In this Barrels and Roots episode, I sit down with James Silver, a three-decade wine industry executive whose love for wine started by accident in Burgundy and never let go. We get into why wine hits different, not as an alcohol delivery system, but as an emotional experience, a lifestyle, and a ritual that pulls people together across generations.  We talk about wine as memory and time travel, ho...

In this Barrels and Roots episode, I sit down with David Gibson, CEO and founder of Gibson Wine Consulting in Napa Valley, and this is his 4th time coming back on the podcast, which honestly says a lot because every convo with him somehow makes wine feel both smarter and more relaxed.  We break down sparkling wine in a way that actually feels fun and usable, starting with why champagne is only cha...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Barbara Gorder, a Sonoma Mountain based marketing consultant and the force behind the Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium, for a wide ranging conversation about why wine marketing keeps missing the moment and what it will take to bring people back without talking down to them.  Barbara shares the origin story that made her fall in love with wine,...

Today, I had the awesome luck to sit down with Jeff Arnold, a SOM and the founder of Vines of Napa and the Vine Pass, a Napa Valley wine passport built to help people discover boutique wineries, hidden gems, and truly great tasting experiences. This was a fun one, because we got to explore Jeff’s journey from working in the Finger Lakes and building wine ventures there, to eventually relocating to...

In this Barrels and Roots episode, I sit down with Napa Valley winemaker and general manager Matt Reid of Benessere Vineyards to talk about wine the way real people actually experience it, not as a test, not as a flex, but as a shared, soulful, analog thing in a digital world.  We get into Matt’s path from environmental economics and the EPA to UC Davis viticulture and enology, then into harvest l...

In this Barrels and Roots episode, I sit down with Sonoma based wine journalist, editor, speaker, and WSET educator Stacy Briscoe to talk about making wine accessible without killing the magic.  We get into how she went from fitness and food writing to falling down the wine pairing rabbit hole, and how asking “beginner” questions, like what new oak actually means, turned into a full on career in w...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Ed Feuchuk, General Manager of Tank Garage Winery, a direct-to-consumer Napa Valley winery that lives in a 1930s gas station, releases limited-edition one-off wines, and treats every bottle like a creative drop, not a traditional vintage repeat.  We talk about how Tank’s marketing and winemaking come from obsession and compulsion, not committee...

In this episode of Barrels & Roots I sit down with Napa Valley wine pro David Gibson to tackle something we all secretly dread, holiday family drama.  From Uncle Bob’s 30 minute political monologues and conspiracy theories to body shaming, money fights, crypto disasters and long running family grudges, we walk through the wildest Thanksgiving and Christmas table moments and pair each one with...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Jeffrey Plant, estate winemaker at Round Pond Estate in Rutherford, right in the heart of Napa Valley, to talk about why wine is really a people game. We go back to our shared roots growing up in St. Helena, talk about bikes on vineyard roads, mustard blooms, and how harvest turns the whole valley electric with energy, forklifts, and that crush...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots I sit down with Michael Kennedy, the sommelier turned founder of Fresh Wine Group, to talk about why wine still matters in a world that is moving faster and more digital every day.  We get into his journey from dreaming about the CIA to building small production wineries in Napa Valley, Tuscany, Bordeaux and Oregon, and how old world culture, long dinners and r...

In this episode of Barrels and Roots I fully lean into my inner nerd and step into the Wizarding World of Wine with Napa Valley wine consultant David Gibson as we sort Harry Potter characters and Hogwarts houses into wine glasses.  I am literally dressed as Harry Potter while we match Gryffindor to big bold Cabernet Sauvignon, pair Sirius Black with spicy Syrah and see Ginny Weasley as a powerhous...

In this episode of the Barrels and Roots podcast, I sit down with Oregon winemaker Jessica West of Approachment Wines in the Willamette Valley to talk about wine without the gatekeeping.  We get into how she went from coffee to crush pad, why she makes young, energetic wines that do not need fancy food pairings, and how wine can be as simple as pairing a bottle with Ritz crackers or your favorite...

I sit down with David Gibson, CSW, WSET III and we get real about why wine hits different. From restaurant roots to WSET study sessions, David breaks down how wine is art and science, community and story, not a velvet rope club. We talk Napa Valley culture, Burgundy obsessions, Aussie Shiraz throwbacks, and how to make wine feel welcoming for beginners. I share my own aha moments, the magic of sma...

This episode is me going back to my roots, literally. I grew up in Napa Valley, and returning there reminded me why wine is more than just a drink—it’s time, patience, community, and love bottled up. When harvest wraps and the crush begins, the whole valley smells like wine, and it’s magic. Every glass comes from years of care, work, and waiting, just like anything meaningful in life. Wine teaches...

From grape to bottle with Gloria Ferrer winemaker Kyle Altomare. We go deep on flavor, patience, and why sparkling wine is the ultimate craft. Kyle shares how a former teacher became a Sonoma winemaker, the art of listening to what the vineyard wants, and how tradition and innovation meet in the cellar. We talk analog joy in a digital world, PYPD put your phone down, the slow feedback loop of vint...