When home winemakers go pro, everything changes. Making great wine is one thing but selling it is entirely another. Steve Gower and Brian Callahan are founders and winemakers at Crux Winery in Geyserville and I caught up with them at their tasting room and cellar a few weeks ago. These guys have developed a loyal following by making great wine and therefore their customers become their friends. Wine always makes great friendships.

You can hear Steve on our Vino Lingo segment defining the term “Cluster Inverter”

Learn more by visiting www.cruxwinery.com

Knights Valley is found just above the town of Calistoga as you enter Sonoma County and it is simply a slice of heaven. Most of the traffic you see is local. While there are plenty of tasting rooms in this valley, tourism does not clutter the roads. Brandon Muller and Gregory Roberts are the Founders of Brandon Gregory Estate Wines and Knights Valley is where they staked their claim to wine business. We met at their beautiful Airbnb cottage just before the Sonoma County Barrel Auction to talk about this magnificent property, and most importantly, the wine that comes from there.

You can also hear Brandon and Gregory on our Vino Lingo segment defining the term “NFL”.

Learn more by visiting www.brandongregorywines.com

This week on our Vino Lingo Video Podcast 603 we feature Charlie Smith of Smith-Madrone, Spring Mtn, Napa Valley, defining the term “Minerality”. Learn more by visiting www.smithmadrone.com

George Christie is Founder and CEO of Wine Industry Network and Wine Industry Advisor and was given the Innovator Award at the Sonoma County Barrel Auction 2024. George was kind enough to give us a few minutes to talk about how he arrived at this moment. Learn more by visiting www.wineindustrynetwork.com or wineindustryadvisor.com.

I was lucky enough to spend a few minutes with Katie MacMurray, daughter of film and tv star Fred MacMurray, during the Sonoma County Barrel Auction last week. Katie took me on a tour of her dad’s home and told some great stories. The video was shot at MacMurray Ranch, Russian River. Learn more at www.macmurrayestatevineyards.com or www.sonomawine.com