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 sommelier, a chef, a storyteller, or someone who simply loves the ritual of a good meal and a better conversation, Barrels & Roots invites you to slow down, listen closely, and taste the stories that connect us all.
Barrels & Roots
Family Wine Legacy | Denise McKahn | Barrels and Roots
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In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Denise McKahn, CEO of McKahn Wines, to talk about building a family wine brand, falling into the wine industry from an accounting background, and learning how to sell wine in a world where the market is shifting fast. Denise shares the moment that sparked her son Chuck’s winemaking journey, a bottle of Cabernet opened at Sunday dinner that basically set his whole career in motion, and how that passion eventually led them to focus on Rhone varietals like Viognier and Syrah.
We get into why Rhone-style wines deserve more love, how harder-to-find grapes like Syrah create real sourcing challenges in Napa, and what it looks like to run a small winery during the current wine industry slowdown. We also talk about legacy, family business boundaries, women in wine leadership, wine tasting without intimidation, and why you do not need an estate vineyard to make great wine.
If you care about Napa Valley, Sonoma wine, Livermore roots, Rhone varietals, small winery survival, or the real behind-the-scenes of wine sales and marketing, you’re going to like this one.