Sip The Story | Janell Harris | Barrels and Roots

In this episode of Barrels and Roots, I sit down with Janell Harris, creative director for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Col Solare, Antinori Napa Valley, and the Marchese Antinori portfolio in the U.S. We talk about how wine became more than just a drink for her and evolved into a passion centered around storytelling, creativity, food, travel, and human connection. 

Janell shares how she transitioned from television and design into the wine industry, why wine should feel more approachable and less intimidating, and how some of the best wine experiences come from simply sharing a bottle with great people.

We also dive into wine and food pairings, Napa harvest season, sparkling wine, Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine, and the artistry behind winemaking itself. From late-night grape picking in Napa to the social experiences that make wine special, this conversation explores why wine is ultimately about people, place, and creating memorable moments together. What is the one wine experience you will never forget?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

One of the things that needs to improve is making wine more accessible to people. In the past, wine has felt like it's been up on this pedestal, but making that information more accessible, making it more social, having the conversations around wine, where it's not that here we are, we're going to taste this wine, we're going to talk about this wine, it's going to be very serious, we're going to bust out the map, we're going to uh here is a fact sheet about the wine, but making it more of a social thing. Because for me, what wine is in my life is it brings people together, even based on the format that you have. Wine comes in a large bottle. It is meant to be shared. It is not a single-serving beverage. You open it up, you share it with people around you, you smell it, you talk about it, you take a moment versus something that you're going to open up on the go or you're going to have a beer, you know, after doing yard work. Wine is really meant to be shared and discussed lightly, but also discussed as part of a larger social experience. And it's a little harder, I think, because people have changed the way they've socialized due to the pandemic. People who went to college or were in high school and they didn't have those group experiences due to the pandemic and the shutdown. So they're socializing now more over video games and Zoom calls versus getting together and going out to dinner. So taking wine and showing people that it can bring them together and bring the conversation with it around a shared table is something that I think is changing and needs to continue to evolve.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Would you like to tell people who you are and what you do?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Yeah, Sean, thanks so much for having me. Um, it's an honor to be on your podcast and got a lot of past great guests, so hopefully I can live up to that. Um, I'm Janelle Harris. I'm the creative director at Stagsleap Wine Cellars, Cole Solari in Washington, and Antonori Napa Valley. Um, also working on the Marquese Antonori portfolio of wines here in the U.S. market. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Well, you know, you've got such an interesting background in wine, but what first drew you to wine in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 2:39

One of the really interesting things that brought me into wine was sharing it with people. Um, my last year of college, I was working part-time at a TV station um doing graphics for the morning news. And the last Friday of every month, the team would go out to what they called like payday Friday lunches. Um, and I would go with them. And they would have these really amazing, lovely, like Michelin starred lunches paired with wine. And this was my first time really being exposed to wine and talking about wine and pairing wine with food. And I just really enjoyed it. Like I would come home and I mean that lunch would cost me like all the money I made that month, right? And just being able to taste it and paired with food. Um, I found it really interesting and wanting to learn more and more about wine, um, what made it different, if it came from different places. Uh, I always loved geography and weather as well. So then learning like, oh, if it's grown here and it's on a slope and like rain and that affects the product was so fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

That's awesome. You know, one of the things I think people don't realize is the level of the number of things that can change a wine, the number of things that can really affect it when it grows, because it's like I I think people that are new to wine assume that, you know, every single Zenfandel, every single Cabernet is gonna taste the same. But the reality is, is they are so different, you know, and there is so much variation, uh, and not even amongst just the wine like uh winemakers, but just in the grapes grown in different regions. And so it's so interesting to hear that. But um as you were you you were starting to to to learn about wine, what were some of the steps that you took to to become more knowledgeable about wine?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Yeah, um hanging out with them and learning about it from them in a social setting versus like a very structured, like this is how it's made. Um right? Like, we're gonna educate you, um, made it really approachable and less intimidating because we were kind of sharing an experience. And then I started to go to these wine dinners. Um, around the corner from where I was working, there was an Il for Naio that did monthly wine dinners featuring different regions of Italy paired with wines from that region and foods from that region. And you'd sit down in a social setting and kind of talk about the region and what makes the wine there special and the food there special and tasting it together again in a social setting that was not um not intimidating. Um, so doing that and then um just going out and tasting. Uh, I was living in San Francisco, so had easy ability to run up to Napa, Sonoma, Livermore, Santa Cruz, Lodi, and start tasting around and just found it so fascinating that then it became a hundred percent my hobby. That's why I would vacation places and travel to Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Hungary. Like, okay, I'm gonna go to this place because I want to see it and I want to see the landscape and I want to taste the wines in that place um and learn about them that way and talk to people.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

That's the best way to learn. You know, it's like one of the things that I love is being able to go to the place and experience something, whether that be uh I remember, you know, uh the first time I I loved Vietnamese food, but I remember the first time I moved to Vietnam and had Vietnamese food, it was like, oh, so that's how it's done. That's pretty amazing. You know, when you can go to a place and experience something in that place, it's it's absolutely amazing. And, you know, I I I think that it's so powerful to learn that way. But you know, um, as you were learning about wine, was there a moment when wine became more than just a drink for you? It became something more that you realized you wanted to kind of go down this path in a bigger way.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, definitely. And I just also want to say, I also love Vietnamese food and going to Vietnam and seeing it and then tasting it with these French wines, right? With the French influence and the spice and um amazing time. Um, but yeah, so uh just going out there and trying wine, trying wine anywhere I could. Um, I started buying wine from uh like uh it was a third party where people would sell their their wine cellars at a point in time, and I would buy wine from that list, just like, I don't know what that is, I'll try it. And um I tried uh it was a Crocker and Star 100% Cab Franc at a large format and then tasted that and I was like, whoa, that's delicious. Like, what is what is this? Why is it different than these other wines that I've tasted? And and what is it that I think is so good? Um, and uh that was kind of my wine moment. And um, I wasn't working in wine. I never thought there would be a time when I'd end up working in wine. Um, it was just something I loved and a passion and super fun. Um, and the more I was learning about wine, I started to think, hey, I can take these like storytelling skills and content creation skills that I've really focused working in uh television. And I think I can help wine tell their story a little bit better and reach more people. Um so I looked into okay, well, how can I how can I do that? How can I start working in wine? And really tried hard, reached out to some of the larger companies. They had some openings, like being an in-house designer back in 2018 for uh for a wine company wasn't really a thing. And I met with some larger wine companies uh that had roles, and they said, you don't know wine. You you can't be our social media designer, like you don't have wine experience. So I thought, okay, I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna get some wine experience. So I reached out to some people I knew that were making their own wines, some smaller wineries, and was like, I'll work for wine. You need bottle photography done, send it to me, I'll keep the wine. Uh, you need a website done on wine direct. Okay, like I'll do it. I can do your emails, I'll start doing that. And I learned somebody needed a label and I was like, I'll I'll make it, just let me keep the wine. So I did that for a couple of years and I got some wine experience in my portfolio. Um, and then uh an opportunity in 2020 opened up to start working in wine and jumped on that and had the experience, and uh it's been great. It's so it's been about six years of working in wine now.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

That's amazing. And it's interesting too because it's like um one of the things that I is there were a couple of things that I picked up from that that I thought was interesting is that um the field is evolving, you know, and you know, you said a couple years ago having a a person doing this type of role wasn't a thing. And I've spoken to winery owners that are really savvy business individuals, and they were like, Well, I said, you know, what is you what's your guys' uh strategy? Social media content, marketing content. And they're like, oh, well, you know, we I'm the owner and I run our social accounts. And I'm just like, wow, wow, you know, it's 2026, and that's that's a full-time job. But it's interesting to see that the industry is is catching up, but you know, needed change. Let's just say it that way. Very much needed change. Um, you know, as you look at the way the industry is changing, what are some things that you think are good and what are some things that you think need to improve?

SPEAKER_01 11:07

That's a great question. One of the things that needs to improve is making wine more accessible to people. Um we're hearing that a lot. I've heard that from some of your past guests as well. Um, but we've in the past, wine has felt like it's been up on this pedestal. Um but making that information more accessible, making it more social, having the conversations around wine, where it's not that here we are, we're gonna taste this wine, we're gonna talk about this wine, it's gonna be very serious, we're gonna bust out the map, we're gonna uh here is a fact sheet about the wine, but making it more of a social thing. Because for me, what wine is in my life is it brings people together.

unknown 12:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Even based on the format that you have. Wine comes in a large bottle. It is meant to be shared. It is not a single-serving beverage. You open it up, you share it with people around you, you smell it, you talk about it, you take a moment versus something that you're gonna open up on the go or you're gonna have a beer, you know, after doing yard work. Wine is really meant to be shared and discussed lightly, but also discussed as part of a larger social experience.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

I think people are working on it. I think it is something that's changing. Um and it's a little harder, I think, because people have changed the way they've socialized due to the pandemic, where there's people who went to college or were in high school and they didn't have those group experiences due to the pandemic and the shutdown. So they're socializing now more over video games and Zoom calls versus getting together and going out to dinner. Um, so taking wine and showing people that it can bring them together and bring the conversation with it around a shared table is something that I think is changing and needs to continue to evolve.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

I so agree with that. There's so much that I agree with that. Let me unpack some of it. Um just last night I was reading the news, which is probably something people shouldn't do these days if you want to maintain your sanity. Um, you know, and as I was reading the news, uh it struck me by how many people out there are trying to drive wedges between all of us. Good normal human beings, and there are people that are trying to drive wedges. And I'm not saying why is the answer to every problem on the planet. That's not what I'm saying right now. But what I am saying is that we have to again find our sense of community, find our sense of togetherness, find our sense of, you know, just that ethos of friendship. And I I loved how you talked about my greatest wine experiences have always been with the the people I love the most. And and when I had a bottle of wine presented and I didn't know the people, after we finished that bottle, we were friends, you know, and I think that there's that is so needed these days. And I think if that's something in and of itself that you you market, how you market that, that's that's another different question. But starting to market togetherness and community, I think will go a long way.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Yeah, definitely. I mean, just the other day, I was working on some content creation for us, and it was showing wine in people's hands, showing wine in a group setting, um, that this experience that we're offering is a communal experience of six people around the same table, sharing the wines, sharing the bites, um, and talking to each other and and trying to show people that's what we're doing here, versus always having a bottle of wine, a single glass, and a beautiful view, or a cheese plate and a bottle of wine. As well as trying to show wines with different kinds of pairings, right? We were talking about Vietnamese food earlier. I love Vietnamese food. Um, I also love Mexican food. I'm here in Napa Valley. Um, we have great Mexican, and I think there's a lot of wine that pairs great with the spiciness and the richness of Mexican food and try to show people hey, Cabernet is not just for steak, it goes great with mole.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

What I gotta ask, though, on a different topic, what wine would you pair with Vietnamese food? I mean, I know there's so many types. Were there any good pairings that you found while you were here, like pairing with Vietnamese food? Just one of those flavors though.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

French roses are really what I was enjoying. Um, with just the spicy food. And I was there in December. Um, so it was warm out, and uh I drank a lot of French rose there with like great bombies that I got, you know, from the street. And that was perfect. Um that's awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

That's awesome. That's that's great. I I was thinking about it too. Like someone the other day, I we were having some really good pho, and someone was asking me, what would you pair with this? And I was like, I have no idea. Uh, but you know, there's so many great flavors in there that there's so many ways you could go. And I I'm not a psalm, so I have no idea, and I have no idea what I recommend. But the nice thing is you can experiment and try different things, you know, and and see what works and what doesn't. You know, that's kind of the beauty of wine, you know?

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Oh, yeah, and and I agree. And and yeah, I'm not a psalm either in any way, and I just want to try different things and see what I like. And phu, the first thing that came to mind, what about like a really yummy moscato, right? Like that could be fun.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Um, and it's just what you're in the mood for.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Uh I I love that as well. Yeah, and it depends on the time of day. Like for me, one of the I had a um, oh what was it? Uh I had I had some really great pho. And then afterwards, I had a a glass of Chardonnay and it was chilled, and just because it was so hot out, pho was really warming, and then we cooled it down afterwards because it's a hot summer night. It worked well. I mean, it the flavors were all over the place, but it just hit right, you know, and maybe a different shard wouldn't, but I don't know, man. It was it was fun like that. But I want to ask you though, because um before it was your career, you know, did wine have a very special meaning to you? You talked about how you got into it, but like was wine as meaningful before you got into the career, or or did making it your your work and part of your life make it more meaningful to you?

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Uh yeah, I mean, wine was meaningful to me as I as I thought it was just so fascinating. And it's become more meaningful to me as part of my career, especially because I really had to fight to make it my career. I really wanted to make my passion for wine my profession. And I had to convince people. Um, and that gave it a lot of value. And now that I'm working in wine, I have a different understanding of it. And seeing how handcrafted it is, how much work goes into every decision, things that you might think or not even think about, like the capsule, the cork length, what shape glass we're using, um, and the work in the vineyard as well. Just the the multiple decisions that have to be made that impact the wine. And having, I really have a better understanding now of how like winemakers get only a certain number of vintages, right? I have undo in Photoshop. I I can change stuff, I can do multiple photo shoots. Um, but winemakers, they get one. And if they made a decision to prune a different way or change the placement of the vines, that could impact that one vintage.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

You know, and it's like the beauty of like the the the simple actions, the simple things that can be done are uh under not understood enough because the change is constant, you know, every single year, every single vintage, every single like you might have a guy who is running late for work and something happens and it causes a choice to be made that's different, and the wine's gonna turn out different, you know. And it's wild like that because you just don't see this in so many areas, but in wine, you see this very powerful connection between choice and the end product. You know, you don't see that with beer, you don't see that I mean cocktails you do, but like but you know, there's always trying to aim for something, but you know, with wine, obviously the winemakers are aiming to make the absolute best wine they can, but there's variation and it's celebrated. And in the same way, uh I the only other way places that I can think about it, you know, expressing that would be the art world where art is celebrated for its variety. Wine, I believe, is the same thing, you know. We we celebrate the variety that comes with wine. And I think that it's so interesting to me that we can still be I don't care how many wines you've had in your life, I don't care if you are like a master psalm and you've done this for a long time, wine will still surprise you. There will still be a glass that you have poured for you, and you go, I wasn't expecting that. And it could simply be where you're at that day. I had one of my favorite glasses this last, you know, couple years was a glass I had in Vegas. It was a horribly cheap one. Wine. Uh it was a Pinot, and it was nothing fancy, but yet it was the fact that I was there with my wife, and we both had a she had a cocktail, I had a glass of wine. We went up to our room and we had this room facing the sphere, and we just sat there. Sat there for you know a couple hours. I had a second glass of Pinot. She just sat there and enjoyed it, and we watched the sphere until we fell asleep. And that moment, like wasn't great wine, but it was the the togetherness that we had as we shared that. So I I I love the differences that can be in any glass. And certainly it wasn't a bad Pinot, but it was it was, you know, just what was perfect at that moment. And that's one of the things. It's almost like Zen in the art of wine, you know? It's like there's always the right glass at the right time.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

Yeah, and I agree. I I mean it winemaking is an art. And it's these choices, like the winemaker is thinking, what kind of wine do I want to make? They're not thinking this is what I have, what am I gonna do with it, right? They're like, this is the wine that I want to create in the same way an artist is starting a painting and they're thinking, What is this painting that I want for me? Yes. Uh and and same with music, right? Uh it's it's the creative aspect. And I just love that.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

I love it too. Yeah, and it's interesting too because I love that you bring up music because you know, you get some wines that are like a country music song, you know, another wine's gonna be a Beyoncé, you know? And it's like there is something for everyone. And that's one of the things I try to tell people when they go, when they've had a glass, I've tried wine and I'm just not into it. I said, Well, you know what? Keep trying. There's gonna be, you'll find the wine that works for you. My wife is like, I'm not a huge fan of wine. And I said, Okay, well, and then we tried some different wines, and then she tried some rose, and she's like, Okay, all right, well, now we're we're talking a language I can handle. This is fun, this is special, and you know, but it took the process of figuring out to get there. But you know, circling back to you as a creative director, um, how do you tell the story of something as sensory as wine? How do you tell a wine story, you know?

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Yeah, uh I love being able to tell the stories about our wines and what we're doing. And I really focus on the handcrafted aspect of it, the people behind these wines.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

That they're in the vineyard making these decisions and they're in the winemaking area making these decisions because wine is made by people. And telling that story as well as being able to tell the story of the place, because for me, wine is people and place and art. So, for example, we at Stagsleap Wine Cellars pick our grapes at night. And I was like, cool, I want to come out there and and film this. So, what time should I be there? They're like 2 a.m. Whoa, wait a second. That's pretty that's pretty early. But to be out there at 2 a.m. and feel the stillness of the night, and then watching people hand pick grapes very quickly but very delicately from our vineyard, and then take them right over to the winemaking facility to watch that process and see it and be in the place is so magical. It's one of my favorite things, in addition, and this one I don't know how to tell the story of. At harvest time, there is this like grapey smell in the air.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Yes, I talk to my wife about it all the time. Like, it's my favorite thing about the Napa Valley and and of any wine region. When you are there, and I told my wife about this so many times, but the last time we were in St. Elena and they were in the middle of a harvest, and the whole valley smelled like of wine, and it was wild. And she's like, What is that? I said, That's that's it. It was actually during the crush. And she was like, Yeah, I she I was she's like, What's happening? I was like, That's the crush. They are, you know, getting all that good juice and crushed down. And she was like, That is the most magical thing I ever smelled. And I said, Exactly. And that's one of the most beautiful things about wine. It was super powerful like that.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Yeah, I mean, you drive with your windows down and it's just everywhere in the valley, and it feels so special. Um, and you're seeing grapes on trucks, and uh I love it, it just feels magic.

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Super 100%, 100% agree. When you if you were to go and pick a wine right now, you are you know hosting a party, have some friends coming over, and they're not big into wine, but you need to pick three different types of wine that you're gonna serve at your party for these people who are you know just getting to know wine. What are you serving at that party?

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Oh, that's a great question. I would have a sparkling wine to start. Um I personally love sparkling wine as well, and I think it adds a festive feel. Anytime you hear that cork pop, it's just like right. Um, so I would definitely do that. If it was daytime, I would stick with a lighter style wine. Um maybe a Savion Blanc to start. Um, one from probably one from one of our wineries because I love them. Nice. Um, and if it's daytime again, I would include a rose, or I would do probably a light red, like a Pinot. If it was evening, I would include a cab. Um I think cab is a wine that's very different based on the producer. Um, so having one that people could could get into and try. I think having those three wines on the table give people an option that they would feel comfortable reaching for, as well as wouldn't be intimidating, right? If I sh pour a super dry German Riesling, people might not know what to do with that.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

Right. This is so true. I I think that you have to find people where they're at because they, you know, they might not know how to approach that. And I love the I love whenever my friends that are, you know, don't drink wine come around, I love the bubbles too. Uh, it's something new. One of my guests recommended. I always was like, well, let's go for a good wine, you know, and I'd pull out something really fancy. But then what I noticed was like, I it was I I had this happen with some of my workers. I was like, these are some great wines that some of my guests gave me on the podcast, and I shared them the wine, and they were just like, Oh my god, what is this? And I was like, Well, it's good, you're you're supposed to love it. And they're like, But why? It's so strong, and that this thing is doing this thing in my mouth. I was like, Those are the tannins, they're delicious, you know. And they're just like, But, you know, and then I was like, one of my my friends came on the podcast and he's like, Sean, this start people with with sparkling, like something simple, something chill, give them something with bubbles. And I started trying less of my my last like employee parties. We tried some uh sparkling wine, and they my workers were all like, Oh, wow, this is lovely, this is fun, I can handle this. And I was like, Yeah, and then we tried some whites, and they were like, Oh, I I can handle this too. This is a little sweet, I I like this, and then like toward the end of the evening, I pulled out something that was a little stronger, and they were able to kind of go, not my thing, but I it's it's interesting, you know. And if I had pulled out that big strong tannin balm right at the beginning, they would have just been like, dude, no, never drinking again, never trying this again. So it's it's you know, you gotta figure out how to how to get people through the front door, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Yeah, I and I just love I love sharing wine with people and talking about the wines. And um I think there's some fun and and beauty in that. Um, we did a trip to South Africa to taste wines down there and um just for fun and uh brought like our wine suitcase to bring some wines home. And we thought, why bring this down there empty? And so we grabbed some California wines that we figured would not be exported to South Africa, like some big jammy lodi zins and um some Napa cabs, and brought those down to South Africa, and we would meet people and we would taste with people at the wineries, and then we'd open a bottle that we brought with them, and they'd be like, What, like, what is this? We're used to drinking pinotage, and you've got this like wine from Pasto Robles that's a Syrah and it's 16%. This is like nothing we've ever had before. Um and it just was fun to share and see their reactions while they're sharing their wine with us.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

That's so interesting. It's so cool though, too, because one of the things too is like it's fun to see people's reactions to things. And I I love this with wine as well, because I remember um for an employee party I had, uh, I brought in like an old film, not a film, like um one of those disposable film cameras. Like and so I I gave it some workers and some of them was just like they're going in there trying to review the photo, and it's like that's not how it works, you know, and like then I had to show them, like, took a picture, like, why it's not taking it again. I was like showing them how to roll the film, and they're like, Wow, this is different, but like they had a blast, they had an absolute blast, and they had a blast, and they didn't even get to see the result. And I I thought what was really fun and interesting about that was that they were just experiencing life and they were living in the moment, and it was so pure and so authentic. And I thought, well, we just need more of those types of experiences, you know. People give people those experiences so they can go out and have some fun. I wanted to ask you this though, because uh, you know, uh how do you think we can make wine more fun? I mean, I think wine is fun.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

Right, I agree. Um uh, yeah, I mean, wine was fun for me before it was work, and and that's that's where to me it was always about sharing and and being around people. And and maybe with the marketing, we've gotten away from that. And we're not showing people drinking wine, we're just showing the product, and and I think we have to remind people that wine is fun, um, that it's not this, even going wine tasting is super fun. Um but there may have been occasions in the past where it was intimidating and it felt like this old guard was at the gate. Okay, we're gonna taste some wine, it's gonna be quiet, we're gonna make sure, smell, no, no, don't swirl that. Oh, you know, like there were too many rules. Um and I we need to get away from that kind of thinking. And I think we are. Um, we don't need to tell people you have to drink it out of this particular glass, and you know, you're you're not allowed to have that red wine because you got fish. Um just too many rules. Uh, because wine is fun. Wine tasting is fun. Driving around, you know, idyllic wine regions in a convertible and stopping and tasting the wine and um hearing how the different soils crunch under your feet and understanding like this is rocky and it holds water is fun. Yeah. Ordering a bottle is fun. Like I said, the champagne, like I know you're not supposed to open it like that, right? Like, I know that's the rule. Open it quietly. That's not necessarily as fun.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

I I'm with you on that. I think that I I love that I remember in college, some of my first experiences with wine, you know. Luckily, I was going to college in around the Napa Valley, so we had great wine that we had access to. But we didn't understand what we were doing, and I think we broke pretty much every single rule, but we had a blast doing it, it was ridiculously fun, and we were just, you know, just enjoyed it. It was about pure enjoyment, and so for me, I think that's one of the things I'm trying to remember, you know, and try to bring to this channel is like helping people realize how fun this is because yeah, it is fun. And I mean, it's like I don't think there's been a wine tasting that I've been on in the last couple of years that's not ridiculously fun. Like the experiences, the hosts, people are just blah having a blast, you know? And and I think that that to me is um something that people outside the wine industry uh often get wrong about wine, is they have these preconceived ideas, but once they meet it's like uh you you hear like oh, wine is quite pretentious, but when you meet the people that are supposedly pretentious, they're just a bunch of nerds like me, you know. It's like, dude, you know, I I I remember like going to this big martial arts convention, and I was like, wow, all these people are gonna be these crazy elite fighters, and like you they were a bunch of nerds, and I think that that it's it's cool, you know. It's like you go to a Star Wars convention, and you're like, Oh, it's gonna be intimidating. No, it's a bunch of nerds, and like you gotta realize, like, it's cool to be around nerds. I love nerds, but you know, everyone geeks out on their own different things. Like, some people geek out on tennis shoes, like go to a tennis shoe convention, those guys know more about shoes than you could ever think you could ever know. My friend, he would walk backwards places because he didn't want to get a crease in his shoe. And I said, Is there an easier way to do that? You know, like I mean, you know, you're gonna wear these shoes, but like I I I I then kind of cracked up and he's like, No, man, we shoe people are a certain way. You just kind of enjoy them for the being who they are. And I think that's one of the things people get wrong about wine, is it feels um intimidating. But at the end of the day, most of the people that I've met in the wine industry and in winemaking and in the whole field that love wine are just like the most wonderfully down-to-earth people who want to share what they love. And that to me is so special.

SPEAKER_01 37:46

I agree a hundred percent. I mean, working in wine and meeting the other people that are on this team and and you know, Stagsleep Wine Cellars is a very iconic, prestigious winery. And we are we're having fun here. We really are, and I hope that some of that comes out in everything we do. But um it's it's we're we're having fun at work, we're enjoying what we're doing. Um, we're and and there's no pretension in it at all. Uh, I joked around on the I was doing a food and wine video shoot the other day, and I was joking with the chef because we're plating beautiful plates of food and wine. And I said, you know, I'm sure much like me, you're running on half of a Reese's peanut butter cup and a monster energy drink right now. Um we're we're putting together this beauty, and uh, you know, in the end, we're we're uh we're just having fun and surviving and you know, running out the door and grabbing something to eat before we get to work.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Yeah. But you're enjoying every last minute of it, you know, and that's what I think is like I I try to find the the joy in it. And to me, like when I'm tired and I'm showing up for podcasts and it's late at night for me, um, you know, it can be tiring. But then again, I remember like why I do it because I love the things that I'm sharing, you know, and I think that's the joy that I I I I think I try to bring to all this. But like for you, I want to ask you another thing. Like if you were to uh answer this question, how would you answer it? Uh at this point in your life, why wine? What would you say to that?

SPEAKER_01 39:37

Why working in wine or why drinking it, or let me rephrase that. Why is wine still important? To me, because it's an art. It truly is an art, just like music, photography, paintings, literature. It's something that's so enjoyable and unique to place and time and vintage, and even tasting older vintages of wine and thinking about what was happening at that time almost feels like time travel. Being able to go back in time and talk about what was happening the year that was made, um just brings me so much joy. And and the social aspect of it, I am pretty extroverted. And um, being able to share something that I am so passionate about with other people would be why wine right now in my life. And I wine will always be a part of my life.

SPEAKER_00 40:45

I love that. I love that. If uh after we're done tonight uh or today, you say, hey, you know what? I I I want to go and grab a glass. What glass are you grabbing for yourself today?

SPEAKER_01 40:58

Well, uh, you know what? I don't know yet. After we wrap up here, I'm gonna go meet some friends and do the Napa Valley wine train. Um so we will most likely meet at the train depot and have a probably a mimosa while we wait to board the train. And on the train, uh they have a couple different wine packages. So I'm I'm not sure just yet what we're gonna do. Um, but my first glass will probably be a glass of sparkling wine, and then I will look at the different flights that they offer on the train.

SPEAKER_00 41:38

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

Well, there's six of us, so we're gonna get a couple bottles, though.

SPEAKER_00 41:43

You guys are gonna have some fun. Let's just say it like that. That sounds awesome. And the wine train is such a beautiful scenic trip that I I'm envious right now. But I hope you have a beautiful time. And where can people go to find out more about you and what you do?

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Um so if they want to find out any more about the estates, head over to our websites or Instagram. Um, for me, if they want to find out more about what I'm doing, LinkedIn is a great place to catch up with me there. If they want to nerd out and talk about wine, um find me on Instagram. I love to talk about wine with people uh professionally and personally, and have made a lot of real friends uh from social media interactions, uh, strangers I've met on the internet and talked to about wine and then meet up with in real life and enjoy a wine together. Um though my Instagram in general is mainly my photography hobby of astrophotography these days.

SPEAKER_00 42:40

That's actually rad. I am a huge photographer and love photography, and that sounds awesome. I'm gonna go find your your Instagram when we're done here.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

That was my um 2020 pandemic hobby that I started because you can go out to national parks by yourself and uh be alone and uh did needed to pick up a new art because you know it felt like the world was ending.

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Right. But you know what? Absolutely amazing, um an amazing hobby to have, no matter what, to be able to go out in nature and just chill to me is like the best at the festive times and when the world is in chaos is even better, you know?

SPEAKER_01 43:25

Yeah, and it's nice with the long exposure photography fee because for sure I'm getting all set up and then it's a long exposure, so I'm having a glass of wine, sitting out in I've done it in our vineyards, wet or in Death Valley, um, and sitting there and taking everything in and enjoying a glass of wine. Um, and I love to do it with friends as well.