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 of, I realized something pretty quickly: I don’t know a damn thing about wine.

So I’m fixing that one bottle at a time.

Today I’m trying Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, and talking about a bigger question: what actually makes wine good?

Is it the score? The vintage? The region? The terroir? The tannins? What some wine critic says about it?

Or is good wine simply the wine you actually enjoy drinking?

I try a Cava Clos XV Brut Nature Premium Cuvée and immediately start getting green apple, sparkling apple cider, high acidity, and a really light, easy-drinking feel. And honestly? I freaking love it.

The more wine I taste, the more I’m realizing that wine doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t need to know every grape varietal, understand terroir, memorize wine regions, or have the vocabulary of a sommelier to know whether you like what’s in your glass.

I’ve had highly rated wines that did absolutely nothing for me, and I’ve had cheap bottles with friends that created memories I still think about years later.

For me, that’s what makes wine good.

A good bottle makes the moment better.

So whether you’re completely new to wine, learning about Cava and sparkling wine, getting into wine tasting, or you already know way more about this stuff than I do, come taste some wine with me.

And tell me in the comments: What’s a wine you absolutely love, regardless of the price, score, or what anyone else thinks about it?

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 fermentations most people don't even know exist.

We got into the wild technical side of sparkling wine, the riddling, the disgorging, the yeast cultures kept alive year after year, and why harvest days that start at 1am somehow feel more like camp than chaos.

Riley explained why positive attitude matters more than talent when you're 12 hours into a shift, and how patience shapes a career that takes a full decade to actually see its own results reach the market.

What's the most surprising thing you learned about how your favorite drink is actually made?

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 of the most recognized bottles on the planet.

We get into why "champagne is champagne" is a myth, why non-vintage is actually the smartest place to start, and why the most expensive bottle in the room isn't always the one you'll love the most.

Philippe also breaks down why champagne might be the most food-friendly wine in existence, from Indian curry in Singapore to sushi nights gone wrong.

If you've ever stood in a wine shop paralyzed by champagne labels, this one's for you.

What's the wine you thought you were supposed to love but just didn't?

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 into terroir, how soil, climate, sunlight, and location can completely change the expression of the same grape, and why learning about wine doesn’t have to feel intimidating.

Vicki shares her journey from working with Gallo to sourcing wines for major airlines and eventually helping small, family-owned wineries strengthen their brand stories and direct-to-consumer experiences. We also talk about hospitality, storytelling, scent memory, wine tasting, and why wineries need to stop telling people what they’re “supposed” to taste. For Vicki, every bottle of wine carries the story of the vineyard, winemaker, family, and decisions that brought it to life.

Most importantly, we explore a simple idea: wine should be welcoming, personal, and fun.

Has the wine industry made wine more complicated than it needs to be?

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 tasted is actually two plants grafted into one, a survival trick born from a disaster that nearly wiped out European wine over a century ago.

Linsi broke down why cloning grapevines isn't some mad-scientist thing but has been happening for generations, why seeds are basically a genetic lottery ticket, and how an entire hidden ecosystem of fungi and bacteria works underground before a single grape ever forms.

What's one thing you had no idea affected the taste of your wine until now?

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 over, and build a life around wine. Dennis takes me from his early days making small batches in a garage to launching his own winery, navigating stuck fermentations, earning awards, and learning how humbling the winemaking process can be.

We get into the side of the wine industry people don’t always see: self-doubt, adversity, feeling like you don’t belong, dealing with difficult customers, and choosing to keep showing up anyway. Dennis also shares how judo shaped his mindset, why he believes you have to attack a new business with intent, and why wine is essentially history and geography captured in a bottle.

Of course, we also talk about Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Sonoma, wine pairings, underrated grapes, and the bottles Dennis actually loves drinking.

If you had to start over in a completely new career tomorrow, what would you be willing to bet on yourself to pursue?

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 so special and why the wine industry needs to become more approachable, inclusive, and fun.

Jen has spent nearly 30 years in the wine industry, but what I loved about this conversation is how little it was about memorizing tasting notes or knowing the “right” way to drink wine. We talk about Oregon Pinot Noir and Riesling, the incredible community behind Oregon wineries, and why traditional tasting rooms can sometimes make new wine drinkers feel like they don’t belong.

Jen also shares how Brooks Wine is experimenting with experiences like wine and sound, collaborations, outdoor tastings, and more human ways of introducing people to wine. We even dive into the remarkable story of the Oregon winemakers who came together to support Brooks after the sudden passing of founder Jimmy Brooks.

What would make the world of wine feel more fun and welcoming to you?

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 conversations I've had on this show.

Corné spent years in finance before walking away to chase what actually lit him up: wine, metaphysics, and hospice work.

We got into it all: the illusion of the ego, why we identify so strongly with our bodies and minds when neither is really "us," and how a single sip of wine can dissolve that illusion for a moment.

What's one moment in your life where you felt completely present, ego gone, just fully there? Drop it in the comments, I'd love to hear it.