Barrels & Roots

Wine Tasting for Beginners | All About Albarino | Sean & Chang

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, sh

Inside California's Most Overlooked Wine Region | Kristina Filippi | Barrels & Roots

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

Merlot Deserves Better | Mike Anderson | Barrels & Roots

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 w

The Best Wine Isn’t Expensive | Julien Fayard | Barrels and Roots

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

The Hidden Life Behind Great Wine | Steve Matthiasson | Barrels and Roots

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 St

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon | Champagne vs Sparkling Wine

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,

How to Actually Pick a Wine You'll Like | Kelly Mantel | Barrels & Roots

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, convin

Wine Is Supposed to Be Fun | Erin Kirschenmann | Barrels and Roots

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 W

What Makes Wine Good? Plus, Let’s Try Cava

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

Sparkling Wine's Secret Grape Nobody Talks About | Riley Sanchez | Barrels & Roots

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

The Man Behind Jay-Z's Champagne | Philippe Bienvenu | Barrels & Roots

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 o

We’re Making Wine Too Complicated | Vicki Tomiser | Barrels & Roots

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 i

How One Insect Almost Ended Wine | Linsi Luckett | Barrels and Roots

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 tas

The Winemaker Who Refused to Quit | Dennis McCarter | Barrels and Roots

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 ov

The Problem With Wine Culture | Jennifer Cossey | Barrels and Roots

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

The Philosophy of Wine: Ego, Happiness & The Illusion We Share | Corné van Nijhuis | Barrels & Roots

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 conversat

"Harvest Almost Broke Us" | Jeffrey Plant | Barrels & Roots

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

What Winemaking Really Takes | Adam Lee | Barrels and Roots

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 lif

Wine Needs To Change | Molly Bossardt | Barrels and Roots

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 enoug

The Brutal Reality of Wine Harvest | Ben Parodi | Barrels and Roots

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