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 brand name, Nisi, comes from a Latin term meaning "unless," representing the constant conditions and adaptations winemakers face when Mother Nature throws curveballs at even the best-laid plans. What struck me most was how Adam describes his work as neurophilosophy, this beautiful intersection where science meets art, where data meets intuition, and where the human element of decision-making becomes the soul of the wine.

We talked about the Enso circle, that Zen Buddhist brushstroke that appears on his label, representing the pursuit of perfection while accepting that every moment is already perfect. Adam makes wine that speaks to his palate while staying open to learning from Burgundy, from Napa Cabernet, even from grocery store bottles, because there's wisdom in every glass if you're willing to listen.

What's one moment in your life where following your intuition led you somewhere completely unexpected, and would you make that same leap again?

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 worked strawberry fields and vineyards, but wine itself wasn't part of their culture. What changed everything was meeting his mentor Etienne Turlington, a Navy SEAL turned winemaker who didn't just teach him how to clean tanks and punch down caps, but showed him the why behind every decision in the cellar. We talked about that moment when Etienne had to deploy for eight months mid-harvest, leaving Junio to figure it out on his own, and how that trial by fire built the confidence that would carry him through fifteen years as a cellar master before finally stepping into the winemaker role.

This conversation gets into the reality of winemaking, the importance of starting from the bottom and mastering the basics like cleaning before you ever think about blending, and why wine's ability to evolve in the bottle makes it something special that connects us to thousands of years of history.

What's the one thing you've been too scared to start, and what would it take for you to finally pull the trigger on it?

In this episode, I sat down with Josh Trowbridge, the general manager of Benovia Winery, for a conversation about wine, storytelling, and what gives something lasting value.

From discovering wine in college to building a career across sales, harvest, cooperage, and executive leadership, Josh shared a journey that eventually brought him back to the heart of wine country. We talked about Russian River Valley terroir, the importance of expressing place, and why the real power of wine is not just what is in the bottle but the conversations and memories it creates around the table.

This episode also touches on the tension between modern convenience and timeless craft, and why some things still matter more because they take more care.

What is one product, place, or experience that feels more meaningful to you because of the story behind it?