Barrels & Roots
Welcome to Barrels & Roots, a journey through the world of wine and food, where every vineyard, kitchen, and cellar holds a story worth telling. Hosted by Sean Trace, this show explores the passion, tradition, and creativity that turn simple ingredients into art and shared moments into legacy.From the heart of Napa Valley to the tables and tasting rooms of the world, Sean sits down with winemakers, chefs, and artisans who live by their craft. Each conversation dives into the culture, the community, and the human stories that give flavor to what we create and share.Whether you are a...
Why Young Winemakers Can’t Afford Napa | Aaron Pott | Barrels & Roots
I sat down with Aaron Pott, a Napa Valley winemaker with over three decades of experience and Food & Wine's 2012 Winemaker of the Year.
After earning his degree at UC Davis, Aaron worked in Bordeaux at Château Troplong-Mondot and Château La Tour Figeac, then returned to Napa to lead winemaking at Beringer Wine Estates and Quintessa Estate.
Today he makes his own Pott Wine and serves as Consulting Winemaker for Pestoni Family Estate Winery. Aaron shares how a glass of wine at nine years old in a Paris bistro star...
What Really Makes Wine Feel Special | Aliye Melton | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with wine marketing consultant Aliye Melton to talk about what the wine industry may be getting wrong about marketing, luxury, hospitality, and connection. We explore why great wine alone is not enough to build a memorable brand and why authentic storytelling matters more than polished drone shots, perfect tasting rooms, or expensive bottles.
Aliye shares her journey into the wine industry and explains why wineries need to focus less on transactions and more on relationships. We talk about direct-to-consumer wine marketing, tasting room hospitality, Napa and Sonoma...
How to Taste Wine Like a Master Sommelier | Barrels and Roots
I’m still learning about wine, and one of the things I love about Barrels & Roots is getting the chance to sit down with people who understand wine at a completely different level than I do. In this episode, I’m joined again by Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser for a conversation about how we actually learn to taste wine and why becoming a better wine taster has far less to do with having some magical palate than most people think.
Tim has spent decades in the wine industry, and we get into his own jour...
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, sharing honest reactions, a few laughs, and some surprising discoveries along the way.
From discovering the fun of sparkling red wine to testing whether a decanter really changes the taste of Pinot Noir, we're keeping wine tasting simple, entertaining, and approachable. We even throw in a few games and food pairing challenges.
Whether you're new to wine or have been enjoying it for...
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 it a surprisingly great wine region, which Mediterranean varietals thrive there, and why Petite Sirah deserves way more love. Kristina walks me through regenerative viticulture, from cover crops and no herbicides or pesticides to treating a vineyard like a living community instead of a single crop.
We also dig into slow food, the microbiome, food as medicine, and why a messy-looking vine...
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 why he swore he'd never get into the business.
Mike shares how a punk rock kid who wanted out of Napa found his way back through Raymond Vineyards and the community behind every bottle. We get into why he built MTGA around Merlot when everyone said it was the wrong move, why Syrah is his one mental block, and how a small t...
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 grew up around wine in France before building his career in Napa Valley and Sonoma, and what I loved about this conversation is how quickly we moved beyond scores, price tags, and all the rules people think they need to know.
We talked about why a great bottle can cost $15 or $300, why some overlooked wine regions offer incredible value, and why your own palate matters more than somebody else's rating...
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 Steve’s journey from wanting to become an organic farmer to building a winery in Napa, and why he believes healthy soil, biodiversity, and traditional farming practices can lead to better grapes and ultimately better wine.
Steve explains why soil is essentially the original microbiome, how organic farming can restore vineyards that have been depleted by years of conventional agriculture, and why many of Napa Valley’s most resp...
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, I explores what separates Champagne from California sparkling wine, what Blanc de Blancs actually means, and how relationships between winemakers can shape what ends up in the bottle.
And somehow, Kevin Bacon is involved.
I starts with the idea of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” before connecting it to the surprisingly small and interconnected world of wine. T...
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, convinced they'll pick the wrong bottle.
We talked about finding your brand's "vibe" to find your "tribe," why family wineries lose when they copy their competitors instead of leaning into what makes them different, and how personalization and CRM data can actually make people feel seen instead of sold to.
Kelly also poured his dream flight for a wine ne...
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 Wine Business Monthly and WineBusiness.com and founder of Novel Pairings, to talk about why wine culture has become so intimidating and how we can make it more approachable.
We explore wine education, tasting notes, wine myths, elitism in the wine industry, and why younger generations may feel disconnected from traditional wine culture. We also talk about drinking what you actually enjoy, whether that means expensive Cabernet, 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 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 c...
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 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 ta...
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 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 Sin...
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 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 wine...
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 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 gr...
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 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 k...
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 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 so...
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 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...
"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 warm spring pushed bud break three weeks ahead of schedule, how he found himself racing to pick Chardonnay after a five-gallon bucket sample came back at 19.25 bricks, and why the real stress of harvest isn't the grapes, it's the tanker trucks and logistics nobody thinks about.
We got into robots scanning vineyards, why AI can tell you data bu...
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 life around the craft. Adam takes me from his early days selling wine in Texas to launching his first vintage with just $24,000 and eventually earning recognition from legendary wine critic Robert Parker.
We talk about how beginners can learn to taste wine without getting overwhelmed, why slowing down matters, how price actually relates to wine quality, and which wines everyone should experience at least once. Adam...
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 enough to grow a winery.
We explore how wine marketing is changing, why consumers care more about experiences and emotion than tasting notes, and why wineries need to understand exactly who they are trying to reach. Molly breaks down the importance of brand positioning, email marketing, social media, websites, advertising, and creating enough touchpoints for consumers to actually remember and trust a winery.<...
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 Valley winemaking. Ben shares his family’s deep roots in St. Helena, his journey from studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis to working his way through demanding harvest internships, and why even trained winemakers still have to begin by cleaning tanks, pulling hoses, and scrubbing barrels.
We talk about why great wine begins in the vineyard, how terroir, weather, soil, and fruit quality shape ev...
What Makes Wineries Memorable | Brigid Harris | Barrels and Roots
I sat down with Brigid Harris, co-owner of Bedarra Vineyards in Sonoma County, to talk about what really makes wine and the businesses behind it memorable. From starting a hobby vineyard with her husband to building a wine brand rooted in their honeymoon, their family, and even the memory of their dog Ellie, Brigid reminded me that great wine is often connected to a much bigger story.
We talked about why wine tasting should feel approachable instead of intimidating, how wineries can create experiences that bring people together, and why relationships are one of...
Napa’s Hidden Story | Jeri Hansen | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Jeri Hansen, President and CEO of the Napa Chamber of Commerce, to explore the community that exists beyond Napa Valley’s world-famous wine. We talk about the farmers, winemakers, cellar teams, hospitality workers, entrepreneurs, and small-business owners whose hard work has shaped Napa into something far greater than a travel destination.
Jeri explains how Napa’s agricultural preserve protected the valley from overdevelopment, why collaboration remains one of the region’s greatest strengths, and how wine and agriculture continue to support tourism, restaurants, wellness, recreation, and local...
From Soldier To Winemaker | Martyn Pollock | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of the Barrels and Roots podcast, I sit down with Martyn Pollock, cofounder and managing director of Nine Oaks Vineyard, a family-run English vineyard in Kent. Martyn shares how he went from serving in the British Army and working in East Africa to selling his home, returning to the United Kingdom during the pandemic, and planting a vineyard with his wife.
We talk about the unexpected realities of English wine, including unpredictable weather, frost, vineyard disease, changing consumer habits, and the challenge of building a recognizable wine brand from scratch. Martyn also explains why...
Wine has roots? | Kim Stare Wallace | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Kim Stare Wallace, president and second generation owner of Dry Creek Vineyard, to explore what it takes to keep a family winery independent for more than five decades. Kim shares how her parents founded the winery in Sonoma County, why she returned after pursuing fashion, and how a temporary role became a 40 year career in wine.
We talk about the character of Dry Creek Valley, the influence of fog, soil, and topography, and why the region is known for Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Bordeaux style...
Beyond The Glass | Tiffany Van Gorder | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of the Barrels and Roots Podcast, I sit down with Tiffany Van Gorder, Director of DTC and Membership for La Serena Winery, to talk about what really makes wine memorable. Tiffany shares her journey from PR and marketing into Napa Valley wine, why tasting rooms matter more than ever, and how wine brands can create real relationships instead of just selling bottles.
We talk about why wine can feel intimidating, how tasting notes can confuse new drinkers, and why the best winery experiences are built around personal touches, storytelling, hospitality, and making people feel s...
Owning Wine Gets Messy | Carol Collison | Barrels and Roots
Owning a winery may look glamorous from the outside, but Carol Collison reveals the financial pressure, relentless sales work, and difficult decisions happening behind every bottle. As an M&A advisor specializing in smaller wine companies and the host of the Small Fortune podcast, Carol has worked with owners who have bought, sold, and closed wineries across one of the most challenging periods the wine industry has faced. In this conversation, I explore why successful wineries require active management, constant adaptation, strong profit margins, and years of investment before a single bottle creates revenue.
We also discuss t...
Uncork The Vibe | Barron Beltz | Barrels & Roots
In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sat down with Barron Beltz, commercial strategy lead at Sonoma Bespoke winery in Napa Valley.
Barron has this rare ability to strip away all the intimidation and complexity that keeps so many people from ever really falling in love with wine, and what he shares in this episode is genuinely game-changing for anyone just starting their journey.
We talk about how to figure out what you actually like before you ever walk into a wine shop, why price means absolutely nothing when it co...
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 b...
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 ma...
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 w...
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 g...
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 - li...
Wine Confidence For Beginners | Lan Nham | Barrels & Roots
I sat down with Lan, a wine marketing specialist based in Vietnam, and this conversation completely shifted how I think about introducing wine to a new generation.
Lan has spent the last five to six years working in the wine industry and now helps a Vietnamese wine importer connect younger drinkers to a world they never thought was for them.
We talked about why Gen Z in Vietnam is actually drinking more wine than millennials did, how street wine bars in Hanoi are changing the culture...
What Harvest Is Really Like in Napa Valley | Bruce Devlin | Barrels & Roots
I sat down with Bruce Devlin, winemaker and general manager at Ballentine Vineyards in St. Helena, Napa Valley.
Bruce has been making wine for over 25 years, and what strikes me most about his story is how deeply rooted it is in curiosity, from home-brewing beer as a teenager, to studying fermentation science at UC Davis, to spending a summer peeling mislabeled bottles in a German winery. He breaks down what winemaking actually looks like from the inside: the 12 touches per vine each season, the gut-wrenching decisions when a heat wave hits at 119 degrees, the h...
Sonoma’s Best Kept Secrets | Megan Koolmees | Barrels & Roots
In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Megan Koolmees, DTC Director at Bonovia Winery in Sonoma County, to talk about everything that makes wine approachable, memorable, and genuinely exciting, even if you've never set foot in a tasting room before.
Megan shares how a semester abroad in France at 19 sparked a lifelong passion, and how her palate evolved from funky old-world natural wines all the way to gracious Pinot Noirs. We talk about what "approachable luxury" really means, why the legs in your glass aren't actually telling you what you think t...
Brands Need Meaning | Kristian Harmston | Barrels and Roots
In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Kristian Harmston, the founder of Alchemy Asia and one of the most experienced beverage industry leaders in Southeast Asia. Kristian shares how he went from working in restaurants and bars to building a major drinks distribution company across multiple markets, representing global brands like The Macallan, Aperol, Cointreau, Cuervo, Remy Martin, Hennessy, and more. He also talks about creating his own gin distillery in Vietnam and how Lady True was born during COVID as a way to capture the flavors, culture, and energy of Vietnam in a bottle.<...
Smashing the Wine Norms | Chrissie Smith | Barrels & Roots
In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Chrissie Smith, viticulturist and founder of Intrepidus Wines out of Canberra, Australia, for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.
Chrissie breaks down the real difference between growing grapes and making wine, why Australian cool-climate varieties like Shiraz and emerging Italian grapes are turning heads worldwide, and how her eight-year-old daughter accidentally gave the most perfect explanation of winemaking I've ever heard. We also get into the oversupply crisis hitting Australian growers hard right now, why wine is losing younger d...
