From our perspective, the smaller the winery the more interesting the wine. Barlow Vineyards is in Calistoga and Zach Smith is the Vineyard Manager as well as National Sales Manager. Barlow makes the kind of wines that they like to drink. And large production is not what they do. They focus on the wine, not huge production. Zach was in town and visited the Life Between the Vines studio a few weeks ago while doing a tasting tour and we were able to sit down with him to chat. A wine family can extend generations, so it is here you get to listen to the future.

Learn more by visiting www.barlowvineyards.com

Back in October 2011 we interviewed a man who helped bring great change to Napa Valley. Volker Eisele worked to protect the Valley preventing unwanted development in the farming community. That was podcast #43 (October, 2011). It’s worth a listen today as well. But for this podcast we interviewed Molly Lyman who is the Winemaker for Volker Eisele Family Estate. We met with Molly at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville, where they crush. This was harvest and a very busy time for Molly. It was touching to see how great of an impression Volker left on Molly.

Learn more by visiting www.volkereiselefamilyestate.com

Watch our brief video from Crush 2018 at Acumen Wines.

Pinot Noir certainly dominates the landscape in much of Sonoma especially since the movie Sideways was released years ago. Freeman Vineyard and Winery benefitted from the heavy press that Pinot received, but right along side that is Chardonnay. Ken Freeman and his winemaker wife Kiko have manged to create a winery making exceptional wines hidden away in Sebastopol. We caught up with Ken a few weeks ago to learn about Akiko’s special way of making her wines. The wines will more than please when visiting this winery. Just follow the hidden road and you’ll be right there…

Learn more by visiting www.freemanwinery.com

Exploring the nooks and crannies of wine country can be just as much fun as drinking the wine itself.
Almost. You can spend days seeking out tiny mountain roads and lesser known AVA’s. Pope Valley is a hidden gem just to the east of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. Worth the drive, Pope Valley is a peaceful bit of grape heaven. Gratus Vineyards is located in a stunning little hideaway in Pope producing some very impressive wines. We spoke with owner Thomas Wargovich about the challenges of owning a wine brand, along with the rewards.

Learn more by visiting www.gratusvineyards.me.com