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 champagne if it comes from Champagne, France, and how the traditional method works, including secondary fermentation in the bottle, aging on lees for those brioche and yeasty notes, and what disgorgement really means. David walks me through the main sparkling wine styles people see in the wild, Prosecco and the Charmat method, Cava from Spain, French cremants, and the wild-card world of pet nat, plus how sweetness levels like brut nature, brut, extra dry, demi-sec, and doux change what you taste. I also share a real-life story about celebrating the end of a brutal day, why bubbles can make regular people feel fancy for a minute, and how I’m trying to bring wine culture back to something lighter, less intimidating, and more human.

We get into the best glassware myths, food pairings like champagne with fried chicken, easy sparkling wine cocktails like an Aperol spritz, New Year’s resolutions we actually might keep, and the bigger point, you don’t need perfect tasting notes or a perfect setup to enjoy great wine, you just need a reason to celebrate being here.

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, an art history trip to Chateauneuf du Pape, a 2000 year old cave, and a single glass that flipped a switch, then connects that sense of wonder to the practical reality wineries face today, more competition, higher acquisition costs, and outdated communication habits that still show up on websites and in tasting rooms. We talk about why wine should stop trying to control the language consumers use, why age based targeting is lazy compared to psychographics, and how the industry can rebuild connection through experience, hospitality, better storytelling, smarter media, and collaboration instead of repeating the same tired tropes.

We also dig into what DTC really means when you strip away the tech stack, how wineries can expand the tent with more accessible pathways like second labels and organic positioning, and what Barbara is most focused on heading into the DTC Wine Symposium in Monterey, January 20 to 22, from actionable sessions to hands on boot camps designed to help real operators build the future.

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 theNapa Valley. Along the way, we talk about a wide range of topics, from what makes Napa’s terroir so special, to how we can make wine more accessible for Gen Z and newer wine drinkers, without losing what makes it meaningful.

We also dive into Jeff’s current favorite varietals, including Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Sangiovisi, and why he thinks Cabernet Franc might be the next big thing.

If you love Napa, Sonoma, wine travel, and wine tasting, and you want to learn more about wine without all the extra snobbery, this is a really fun conversation for you.