Inside Winemaking - the art and science of growing grapes and crafting wine
Welcome to Inside Winemaking, your go-to resource for all things winemaking, designed for those already immersed in the wine industry and anyone with a passion for the art and science of crafting the perfect bottle.Inside Winemaking was created to provide direct access to the…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 4
- Latest publication
- Sep 8, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 21, 2026
Latest episodes
221: JJ Naab - L'Amitié Wines (opens the original)
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In this episode I talk with John "JJ" Julius Naab, assistant winemaker at Matthiasson Wines and founder of Lamitié Wines, about his unconventional path from Chicago brokerage and endurance sports into the wine world. JJ traces his move from finance to Santa Barbara hospitality and DTC sales at Brewer-Clifton and the moment he realized he wanted to make his own wine. We dig into his decision to complete the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate, how that "inch deep, mile wide" technical foundation pair
220: Jen Williams - Arrow and Branch (opens the original)
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Jennifer Williams joins Jim to talk about her work as a contract winemaker, leading Arrow & Branch and co-owning Zeitgeist Cellars with her husband, Mark Porembsky. They dig into the design and philosophy of the new Arrow & Branch custom crush facility in Oak Knoll—its flexible tank mix, "white glove" service model, and how it's built to handle challenging vintages and a range of client brands. Jennifer explains the stylistic goals and vineyard sourcing for Zeitgeist, including heritage whites l
219: Elias Fernandez - Shafer Vineyards (opens the original)
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This episode features a conversation with Elias Fernandez, longtime winemaker at Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley. Fernandez, who was raised by migrant farm workers in the Napa Valley, traces his path from studying enology at UC Davis to joining Shafer in 1984, where he became winemaker in 1994. He discusses the winery's evolution under John and Doug Shafer, its shift toward estate-only vineyards with additions like Wildfoote and Altimeter, and the current portfolio, including Hillside Select, TD
218: The Barrel Management Episode (opens the original)
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In this solo episode of Inside Winemaking, Jim tackles one of the questions he gets most often: how to manage empty barrels. Working through the full lifecycle of a barrel, Jim covers receiving and inspecting new barrels on arrival, keeping them hydrated before harvest (his go-to: shrink-wrap them tight and lock the moisture in), and recovering barrels that have dried out. He walks through swelling and leak-testing before filling, the realities of finding and repairing leaks with spiles, and sma
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