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 - like the purpose of music, was never about reaching the final note.

Corné also introduced me to the concept of venosophy, a word he coined blending vinology and philosophy, and it reframed the way I think about what happens when you slow down long enough to actually taste something.

What's one moment in your life where slowing down completely changed how you saw something?

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, and why the biggest barrier to entry isn't price, it's overthinking. Lan breaks down the three things that shape a wine's flavor, shares unexpected Vietnamese food pairings that actually work, and debunks the "room temperature" myth that means something very different when you're living somewhere that hits 30 degrees Celsius.

Whether you're brand new to wine or just looking for a fresh perspective, this episode is your permission slip to stop being intimidated and just enjoy the glass in front of you.

What's the first wine that made you fall in love with wine?

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 harvest days that stretch to 60 tons when rain is coming on Monday.

He also shares something I think gets lost in the romance of wine culture: none of it happens without a team, without trust, without people willing to show up at 4 a.m. If that's what the fruit needs.

What's one experience, a place, a person, or a single glass that changed the way you think about wine?

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 they are, and how the best wine experiences are built as much around community and storytelling as they are around what's in the bottle.

What's the wine that made you realize you actually loved wine, and where were you when you had it?

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.

What I loved about this conversation is how much it goes beyond drinks. We talk about branding, distribution, hospitality, cocktail culture, consumer behavior, and why some beverage brands take off while others disappear before people ever notice them. Kristian breaks down what distribution really means, why the right restaurant, hotel, airport, or cocktail bar can matter more than simply being everywhere, and why a brand needs a clear reason to exist if it wants to earn its place on a shelf or behind a bar.

We also get into the power of story, taste, authenticity, and occasion. From Vietnamese botanicals and local gin to Jägermeister’s connection with street culture, tequila’s rise in Southeast Asia, beer as a social leveler, and how history shapes what different countries drink, this episode is a deep look at how culture, place, and emotion shape the drinks we love. For anyone interested in wine, spirits, cocktails, hospitality, beverage branding, or the business behind what ends up in your glass, this conversation is full of insight.

What do you think matters more when choosing a drink: the taste, the story, or the moment you are drinking it in?

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 drinkers to beer and spirits, and what the industry needs to do to stay relevant.

If you've ever been curious about what it actually takes to grow world-class grapes, this one's for you.

What's the wine experience you'll never forget and what made it so special?

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Shawn Phillip, General Manager and Winemaker at Lykan Estate and Brago Cellars in Anderson Valley to talk about what it really takes to make world-class Pinot Noir in one of California's most underrated wine regions.

Shawn shares how he walked away from a career in tech and telecom at AT&T to chase something that actually lit him up, trained in Champagne with an eighth-generation wine family, and came back to California with a completely different understanding of legacy, craft, and constraint. We get into why cool climate growing produces wines with such layered complexity, what wine scores actually mean for the everyday consumer, and how the unglamorous side of harvest, think crashed cooling systems and late-night tank cleaning is just as much a part of the craft as the romance.

What's a moment in your own life where slowing down actually gave you a better result than rushing ever could have?

In this episode of Barrels & Roots, I sit down with Barbara Gross, co-owner of Cooper Mountain Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Barbara breaks down what biodynamic farming actually means, why the Willamette Valley became one of the world's most respected wine regions almost by accident, and how the wine industry lost the plot by making people feel like they need a PhD just to enjoy a glass. Barbara's perspective on long-term thinking as a second-generation winemaker, her commitment to purity in winemaking, and her passion for stripping away the pretension are exactly what this industry needs right now.

When was the last time you just poured a glass and let yourself enjoy it without overthinking it, and what made that moment special?