The Wine Makers – Robyn Sebastiani, Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance

This week we welcome Robyn Sebastiani from the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. Robyn serves as Executive Director of both the alliance and its charitable foundation, and she joins us to talk about what the SVVGA actually does and how it all got started. We also get into a couple of upcoming events, including Sonoma Valley Western Reserve at the private Wing and Barrel Club this May, along with the 129th Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, which takes place every year during the last weekend of September. Now’s a good time to start planning for both. www.sonomavalleywine.com

This is one we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. We finally sit down with Mick Unti from Unti Vineyards and get into what makes his wines and his approach so different. Unti sits right in the middle of what most people think of as Zinfandel country, but that’s not what you’ll find in the glass. Mick has built the winery around Italian varieties like Vermentino and Sangiovese, and he talks about why those grapes work so well where he is and how they’re farmed and made. You can tell pretty quickly this isn’t just business for him, it’s something he genuinely loves. We also get into music, vinyl, and everything else that comes up when the conversation gets comfortable. By the end of it, it felt less like an interview and more like hanging out. There’s no wine club, the wines tend to sell out, and the mailing list is the way in. Trust us on that. We had a great time with this one and learned a lot along the way. [Ep 405] untivineyards.com thewinemakerspodcast.com

Spring has arrived in Sonoma, the sun is out, and the new releases are finally coming out of the cellar. This week we sit down and taste through the latest wines from Dane Cellars, Jambe des Bois, and Winery Sixteen 600. Along the way we talk about where the fruit comes from, the vineyards behind the wines, and how each bottle was made. The lineup gets a lot of attention, including the JDB Gamay, Bart’s Silver Cloud Sauvignon Blanc, and Sixteen 600’s Steel Plow Grenache. After about the tenth wine the conversation loosens up a bit. We tried to spit most of them, but a few were just too good to let go. All of the wines we tasted are available now through the wineries’ websites. [Ep 404] jambedeboiswines.com winerysixteen600.com danecellars.com

For a long time, it was easy for some to dismiss the wine world that Tyler Balliet and Morgan First have spent the last 20 years carving out for themselves as frivolous or unserious. Second Glass, the zine Tyler started while working one of her first wine jobs, was a far cry from the glossy or stodgy wine publications that ruled the day. Their blockbuster tasting events, Wine Riot, sold out cities across the country but were often overlooked by the wine establishment in favor of posh Food & Wine festivals or a leading critic’s “master class.” Their Rosé Mansion pop-up experience was packed day in and day out by an audience much of the wine world didn’t realize it needed… until it was almost too late. Now, fresh off Tyler’s James Beard Award nomination for her book The Rebel School of Wine, mainstream wine is finally listening. We sat down with Tyler and Morgan during a California tour that included speaking engagements at the DTC Wine Symposium (perhaps you’ve heard of it) and the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, along with a party with friend of the pod Stacy Buchanan of Blood of Gods fame. We talked about how they’ve been working to make wine more fun, more colorful, and more accessible since long before those were buzzwords in the industry. We also reminisced about the chaos of the Wine Riots, where they graciously included Winery Sixteen 600 back when Sam was as wet behind the ears as the ink on the first Stanley Mouse labels. Most importantly, we talked about how, despite the setbacks they’ve faced, Tyler and Morgan have continued to succeed by putting their heads down and believing in their vision. It might look like its all rainbows and mirrorballs from the outside, but underneath it all are two people deeply knowledgeable about wine and completely dedicated to sharing it with anyone curious enough to show up. This one’s a fun ride. Bust out a sticker book, some colored pencils, grab a couple bottles you love and buckle up. [Ep 403]

We wrap up our time at the Direct to Consumer Symposium with a relaxed final recording, catching up with friends and talking about what’s been happening lately in Monterey and back home. We sit down with Jason Haas to catch up on everything happening at Tablas Creek Vineyard, then check in with Grant Wood about what’s new in his world at Patz & Hall. Kelly Cornett joins us alongside Jessah Diaz to talk about The Ultimate Hospitality Challenge game show, which Jessah won. It turns into a fun look at what actually makes someone great at hospitality and how you leave a lasting impression. Big thanks to the Direct to Consumer Symposium and Free the Grapes for having us as the official podcast. We had a blast and already look forward to doing it again next year. Cheers. [Ep 402]

Marketing Strategy & Brand Storytelling from Outside the Wine Industry One thing that sets the DTC Wine Symposium apart from most wine conferences is how many speakers come from outside the wine industry. Our friend Barbara Gorder taps into her Chicago ad-world network and brings in people who’ve spent their careers on the front lines of marketing, brand building, and cultural storytelling. The result is a perspective small wineries rarely get access to. Basically, we got a day at Leo Burnett University courtesy of Dean Barbara Gorder. As you might expect, the stories are as good as the insights. Lane Soelberg was on the early digital frontier at Leo Burnett and has been building narratives ever since. His work has shown up on your TV, inbox, computer, and phone for brands like GM, Pillsbury, and the Olympics. Today, based in Southern California, he helps shape global storytelling and innovation at the XPRIZE Foundation. Louie Monoyudis built his career at the intersection of fashion, brand, and entrepreneurship, from Leo Burnett to Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and John Varvatos. No doubt about it, if DTC handed out a Best Dressed award, Louie wins in a landslide. Today, through Groove Jet Luxury Travel, he applies that same eye for detail and design to crafting deeply personal, highly curated experiences around the world. He has plenty to say about wine and luxury positioning. Mike Siska comes out of the creative agency world, where he helped shape culturally resonant brands and was one of the creators behind the iconic “Mayhem Like Me” campaign. His work lives where strategy meets humanity, exploring how ideas spread, how attention is earned, and how stories shape the way people connect. Three conversations from outside the wine world, all circling the same reality. Wine does not compete with other wines. It competes with everything. If we want people to care, we have to tell better stories, tell them in better places, and pay much closer attention to who is actually listening. Grab a notebook. Open a bottle. Class is in session. [Ep 401]

Four hundred episodes. In classic Wine Makers Pod style, this one sorta snuck up on us. Technically, we breezed past our 400th episode somewhere in the Monterey fog while recording at the DTC Wine Symposium. So we decided to package two of our favorite DTC interviews with two of our favorite people on the planet, Elaine Chukan Brown and Duskie Estes. Both delivered keynote addresses, bringing the outside perspective we love so much about this conference. Elaine took us on a deep dive into California wine history, showing how past challenges mirror today’s conditions and reminding us that this industry has always found its way forward through collaboration and innovation. Duskie’s story, full of grit and infectious enthusiasm, laid out a path to success built on perseverance and community. On the show, the conversations were mostly what you’d expect from old friends at a great conference; a chance to catch up, laugh, and reflect. To mark the milestone, Brian, Bart, Sam, and Jasmine sat down to reminisce about eight years and 399 episodes. We revisited a few favorites and took a moment to appreciate just how far this little project has come. Most importantly, we raised a glass to everyone who helped us get here, the hundreds of guests, the thousands of listeners, and of course, our dear friend John Myers. So sit down, pop something special, and get ready for the next 100 shows. Thanks for being part of this wild ride. [Ep 400]

Brian, Bart, Danielle and Sam sit down with the rest of the SORBET (Sonoma Organic Regenerative Biodynamic Educational Tasting) crew, Morgan Twain Peterson, Katie Bundschu and Alli Badar, along with special guest Ryan Woodhouse of K&L Wines, to discuss two new SORBET developments. If you missed last year’s event at Fort Mason, don’t worry. SORBET will be back. But first we are turning our focus to friends in the industry who want to learn how to begin incorporating organic, regenerative and biodynamic practices into their viticulture. Morgan and Katie break down what to expect from the first ever SORBET Field Day on February 18. The day begins with a seminar at Abbott’s Passage covering animal integration in vineyards and the One Block Challenge, followed by a quick hop over Madrone Road to Bedrock Vineyard to see mob grazing in action. Sign-ups are open now. Then the really big news. We are taking SORBET to LA. Ryan Woodhouse of the esteemed K&L Wines joins the crew to talk about how SORBET caught his eye, why these wines matter more now than ever, and what guests can expect when we take over the K&L Culver City store on May 3. Stay tuned for more details and a ticket link. Until then, grab a glass, pop a bottle of organic, regenerative or biodynamically grown wine, and get ready for some witty banter, moderate shit talking, and a deep dive into obscure Sonoma Valley history. We also talk about good farming and great wine. From muddy boots in Sonoma to pouring glasses in Los Angeles, this episode is about what happens when farming, community, and wine all live in the same conversation. [Ep 399] https://www.sorbetwine.org/ https://regenerativeviticulture.org/resources/rvf-initiatives/one-block-challenge/ https://www.klwines.com

Steve Gross, Honore Comfort & Mark Barden Wine Institute Monterey, Calif. — Sitting down with Steve Gross has become one of our favorite DTC Wine Symposium traditions. Not only does he have one of the best radio voices in the wine business, but he’s spent nearly four decades on the front lines of wine shipping battles nationwide. Largely thanks to his efforts, residents of 49 states can now receive direct-to-consumer wine shipments. Steve is always ready to update us on the latest state-level shenanigans aimed at limiting consumer access to their favorite wines. But his role has recently grown even bigger. Last month, he stepped into the role of interim president of the Wine Institute. Frankly, we couldn’t feel more confident having Steve Gross leading this crucial organization at such a pivotal moment. One of the big-picture initiatives coming out of the Wine Institute is the Share Wine Co-Lab. To dig into how and why it came together, we were joined by a familiar face for Sonoma County folks, Honore Comfort, Vice President of International Marketing at the Wine Institute, along with marketing consultant Mark Barden. Together, we unpacked the market research that led to the creation of Share Wine Co-Lab, and explored how wineries of all sizes, in any region, can use it to better promote themselves, their communities, and wine in general. Sit down, pop a bottle, and get ready to go deep into the wine business. The dispatches from DTC Wine Symposium 2026 are just getting started. [Ep 398] Learn more: https://dtcwinesymposium.com/ https://freethegrapes.org/ https://wineinstitute.org/news/share-wine-colab/

While Evan Roscoe is a Napa native, he grew up far from Napa’s wine culture. So far, in fact, that his family’s mountainside cabin was technically on the Solano side of the county line. There wasn’t wine on the table growing up, and his family had no connections to the wine business. Evan left Napa for college in Chicago and eventually found his way into hospitality and bar management. He returned home after the 2017 fires to find a wine industry already reeling, at the beginning of what would become a long stretch of calamities, corrections, and a few brief booms over the next eight years. In that time, Evan formed some strong opinions about how the wine industry presents itself to the public and how it operates behind the scenes. With a keen sense of aesthetics and a sharp instinct for storytelling, he has turned his creative director skill set into a mirror held up to the industry itself. Evan now posts provocative, thought-provoking reels nearly every day on Instagram @Evan__Roscoe, punctuated with taglines like “Wine is fucked” and “Wine is boring.” After months of sharing, reposting, and commenting on his work, and watching colleagues across the country do the same, we realized we needed to hear directly from Evan Roscoe himself. Sit down, pour a glass, and settle in for this one. Evan has a lot to say. [Ep 397]