Barrels & Roots

Dirty Like Wine | Isabel Kardon Neuhaus | Barrels & Roots

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 person to share a bottle with. Isabel walks us through the wines she'd pour for a total beginner, why your local wine shop is the single best investment you can make as a new drinker, and how smell and memory are so deeply connected that a single sip can take you back decades. What's the one wine experience that completely surprised you, and what made it so memorable?

Wine Never Lies | Todd Anderson | Barrels & Roots

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 management companies that he says are quietly killing Napa's old vineyards.  We got into everything: how his father's love of Bordeaux sparked his obsession, why patience matters more than skill once the wine's in barrel, the almost impossible regulatory weight crushing small wineries right now.  Todd also opened up about his father-in-law's deep roots in California wine history, his friendships with legends like Robert Mondavi and Joe Heitz.  This one's about legacy, land, and refusing to fake it. What's a bottle that made you feel like you knew the person who made it?

Wine Isn’t That Deep | Claire Nesbitt | Barrels and Roots

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 about this conversation is how Claire makes wine feel less intimidating. We talk about what actually makes a great wine, from balance and intensity to length and complexity, but we also get into the human side of it: sharing wine, talking with winemakers, visiting regions like South Africa, and realizing that the best wine experiences are often about the people around the table. This episode is for anyone who wants to understand wine without the snobbery and enjoy the journey more. What’s one wine region you’d love to visit someday?

Stop Fearing Wine | Peter Yeung | Barrels and Roots

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, and story, and why a 100-point score does not always mean a wine is right for your personal taste. Peter breaks down why wine can feel intimidating, from endless grape varieties to unclear labels, and why the future of wine needs more transparency, cultural diversity, and better food pairings beyond the traditional playbook. We also get into Gen Z, wine experiences, Asian food and wine pairings, and why the best way to learn wine is still simple: taste with friends and make it fun. What was the first wine, meal, or tasting experience that made you understand why people love wine?

Philosophy Got Tipsy | Corné van Nijhuis | Barrels & Roots

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 talked about why wine brings you back to your senses, how the aftertaste of a wine mirrors the true character of a person, and why the purpose of life - like the purpose of music, was never about reaching the final note.  Corné also introduced me to the concept of venosophy, a word he coined blending vinology and philosophy, and it reframed the way I think about what happens when you slow down long enough to actually taste something. What's one moment in your life where slowing down completely changed how you saw something?