Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast @WineWithJon

Eric LeVine found wine "hopelessly intimidating" — until a 1999bike trip through Tuscany changed everything. A few years later, he built CellarTracker during a Microsoft sabbatical. It's now the world's largest wine community: 13+ million tasting notes, 175 million bottles tracked, nearly a million users.

We talk about what two decades of community data reveal about how people actually engage with wine, why he avoided gamification, and what the industry gets wrong about welcoming newcomers.

Guest: Eric LeVine — Founder & CEO, CellarTracker

WineWithJon — new episodes every Tuesday.

Connect: @winewithjon | jon@winewithjon.com

What does a $25,000 bottle of Burgundy have to do with the $14 Pinot Noir at Trader Joe's?

More than you'd think.

Most people assume the fine wine world is a parallel universe for rich people — disconnected from the wine the rest of us actually drink. In this essay, Jon makes the opposite case: the top of the wine world is the reason the rest of it works.

Using the Ferrari-and-Toyota analogy — the kid with the Ferrari poster on his wall who grows up to drive a Civic but still cares about cars — Jon argues that aspiration builds categories. Champagne's mythology fuels its mass market.Bordeaux's classified growths made Napa possible. Burgundy's prestige launched Oregon's 700+ wineries. Remove the top of the pyramid, and the bottom doesn't get stronger — it gets flatter.

"Fine wine and everyday wine aren't two separate worlds. They're the same world at different altitudes. The mountain is the reason the valley has a view at all."

Host: Jon Frutkin (@winewithjon) — lawyer turned collector turned contentcreator, opening Preface Wine in Delray Beach, FL.

Sam Capaldi liquidated her savings at 22 to go to sommelier school. Today she's the "No Snob Somm" — 300,000+ followers, a wine club, a wine label, and a community built by pairing wine with Taco Bell instead of white tablecloths.

In this episode, Sam and Jon get into why the wine industry keeps losing the next generation, what COVID virtual tastings taught her about what people actually want, the role vulnerability plays in her brand, the story behind FaffWine Co., and the advice she gives anyone who's curious about wine but feels like they don't know enough to start.

If you've ever felt like wine wasn't "for you" — this one is.

Guest: Sam Capaldi (@samanthasommelier) — Certified Sommelier, Founder ofSamantha Sommelier, Co-Founder of Faff Wine Co. Website: https://www.samanthasommelier.com Faff Wine Co.: https://www.samanthasommelier.com/faff

Host: Jon Frutkin (@winewithjon) — lawyer turned collector turned wine barowner, Preface Wine in Delray Beach, FL.

Joe Emmett came from music into wine — and landed at Berry Bros & Rudd, Britain's oldest wine merchant. 326 years of history.

He works with a younger clientele, giving him a unique perspective on how a historic institution connects with a new generation. We recorded this in person at their St James's Street original HQ in London.

We talk about what younger clients want, how to balance heritage with accessibility, and what wine can learn from music.

Guest: Joe Emmett — Account Management, Berry Bros & Rudd

WineWithJon — new episodes on Tuesday mornings.

Connect: @winewithjon | jon@winewithjon.com

Chris Zago went from running food and beverage at a premiercountry club in St. Louis to pursuing his true passion — wine. For the past seven years, he’s been the Director of Advisory Services at UOVO Wine, the largest wine storage and collection services network in the United States. He works with everyone from first-time collectors to people with legendary cellars.

In this conversation, we talk about what it actually takesto start collecting wine, the misconceptions that keep people from getting started, and how his hospitality background shaped the way he thinks about making wine feel welcoming.

Topics covered:

• Making the leap from hospitality to wine full-time

• What “Advisory Services” actually means for collectors

• How the wine collecting world has changed in seven years

• The misconceptions that keep people from starting acollection

• What the wine industry gets wrong about reaching newpeople

• Lessons from country club hospitality that apply to wine

WineWithJon is a podcast exploring how we make wineinteresting and compelling for the next generation. New episodes every Tuesday morning.

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Guest: Chris Zago — Director of Advisory Services, UOVO Wine

Website: uovo.art/wine

Connect:

Instagram: @winewithjon

Email: jon@winewithjon.com

The Surgeon General says loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Young people are spending 70% less time together in person. And at the exact same moment, we'veconvinced them to stop drinking — removing one of humanity's oldest tools for connection.

In this solo episode, I make a case. Not for drinking more. But for understanding what we've lost, and what wine might help us find again. Wine as social infrastructure. Wine as a practice of presence. Wine as a reason to stay at the table a little longer.

This isn't a defense of alcohol. It's an honest conversation about connection in a world that's starving for it.

JC Restrepo and his wife Joanna came from Colombia with nothing and built one of South Florida's most beloved wine destinations — Happy Wine Calle Ocho in Little Havana. The New York Times named it to their Top 25 Miami Restaurants list in 2024. They did it without marketing budgets or PR campaigns. Just live music every night, graffiti-covered walls, cheap corkage, and a philosophy the Times summed up perfectly: "serious about the wine, but not about how to enjoy it."In this conversation, we talk about what it really takes to build a wine business that feels welcoming, why the biggest threat to wine isn't other alcohol — it's marijuana and health perception — and what gives him hope that the next generation will still embrace wine.

Topics covered:

Building a wine bar without marketing or PR

Why the real competition isn't spirits — it's cannabis and wellness culture

Creating a space where everyone feels welcome

What the wine industry gets wrong about younger drinkers

Advice for anyone opening a wine bar

Wine with Jon is a podcast exploring how we make wine interesting and compelling for the next generation.

New episodes every Tuesday at 5:30 AM.—

Guest: JC Restrepo — Happy Wine Calle Ocho

Location: 5792 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33144

Instagram: @happywinecalleocho

Connect:

Instagram: @winewithjon

Email: jon@winewithjon.com

Lucina Sinclair went from Soho House — one of the world’s best membership organizations — to 67 Pall Mall, one of the world’s best wine clubs. She did it without a traditional wine background. When she joined, she immediately started her WSET certification — learning wine while running membership at a world-class club.Before wine, she worked in the music industry, including with Pete Tong. She knows how to make people feel like they belong. That’s a skill the wine world desperately needs more of.In this conversation, we talk about what membership really means, how to make wine feel welcoming instead of intimidating, and what the traditional wine world could learn from places like Soho House.Topics covered:• Going from Soho House to 67 Pall Mall• Learning wine while running a world-class wine club• How to make people feel like they belong• What the wine industry gets wrong about welcoming new people• What Soho House can teach the wine world• Breaking down the intimidation barrier in wineWineWithJon is a podcast exploring how we make wine interesting and compelling for the next generation. New episodes every Tuesday at 5:30 AM.—Guest: Lucina Sinclair — Head of Membership, 67 Pall MallWebsite: 67pallmall.comConnect:Instagram: @winewithjonEmail: jon@winewithjon.com

Matt Horkey has uploaded over 2,000 videos to YouTube since 2015, building his brand into one of the most respectedwine channels on the platform. His tagline: "Bringing FUN back to the world of wine."

In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to build a wine YouTube channel, why lesser-known regions are more approachable than the classics, and what the traditional wine world still gets wrong.

If wine content can be fun, maybe wine can be too.

Welcome to Wine with Jon, a podcast for wine professionals thinking about the future of our industry.

I'm Jonathan Frutkin—wine educator, collector, and owner of Preface Wine Bar in Delray Beach, Florida. In this first episode, I share my journey from food enthusiast to wine obsessive, and why I believe we need to have honest conversations abouthow to make wine compelling to younger generations.

This isn't your typical wine podcast. We're not doing tasting notes or vintage reports. Instead, each week I'll sit down with sommeliers, winemakers, retailers, importers, and content creators to explore one question: How do we welcome new people into wine?

In This Episode: • My origin story: from cutting vineyard vines to opening a wine bar • The intimidation gap that keeps peopleout of wine • Why I designed Preface as both a wine store and wine bar • How technology and AI can extend (not replace) human connection • What's coming next on this podcast

If you work in wine and you're thinking about these questions, this podcast is for you. Let's figure out the future together.

Follow Wine with Jon: Instagram/TikTok/YouTube: @WineWithJon

A new podcast from @winewithjon. We explore the wine trade with industry leaders. Today we announce or new podcast series. Coming in April! Subscribe now.