What's the Problem? – Details, episodes & analysis

Master Sommelier Laura DePasquale has had an impressive and winding career through both hospitality and distribution that led her to her current role as Senior Vice President of Artisanal Wines for the largest wine and spirits distributor in the country, Southern Glazers Wines and Spirits. She is deeply invested in guiding the next generation of wine professionals, including involvement with the Court of Master Sommeliers as an active lecturer, a board member for ASI USA, and Vice Chair of the Women's Leadership Council for WSWA. Few people have a better view on consumer demands for wine in the US, giving her powerful insights into the challenges and opportunities that she sees in the industry today.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation of “What’s the Problem?”

Dan has, perhaps unwittingly, found himself in the position of cultural authority for a new generation of both winemakers and consumers, leading by example with the enthusiasm and sincerity that we needed. During his time as Winemaker at Larkmead he demonstrated what was possible for legacy estates to achieve in progressive winegrowing and production, all while simultaneously developing Massican, a white wine brand focussing largely on Italian varietals that has become itself the near definition of a new domestic wine category. In 2023, E. & J. Gallo purchased Massican, allowing Dan to focus entirely on growing and developing the brand. As someone who sees value in a diversity of grape varieties, wine styles, and the importance of communicating with the consumer, his point of view on the problem is illuminating and inspiring.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

As Founder and CEO of Vital Wines Limited, Johnathan Yi has had his finger on the pulse of the Korean fine wine market for years, and he shares with us here the unique perspective this experience has afforded him. For as frequently as we talk about wine as a global market, we rarely have the opportunity to feel the scale of what that means in reality. It is humbling to say the least!

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

For more than 20 years Tim Martin has been at the center of the luxury wine branding space, producing some of the most well-known labels in Napa and beyond. Having started at the bottom, his desire and integrity for storytelling through brand design has brought him uncommon insight to the mechanics of finding identity and meaning both as producers and consumers. With such a wide capacity for perspective, it is no surprise that his company, Gauge Branding, has found such influence within the industry.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

Russell’s fascinating path to becoming the most 100-point awarded winemaker in Napa started with a selling wine to grocery stores for Gallo. In the 1990s, he expanded his reach by writing a wine column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, gaining access to some of California’s finest winemakers, many of whom would later mentor him. In 2004, he and his partner, Victoria De Crescenzo, founded Bevan Cellars which quickly gained an avid following amongst luxury wine collectors. As a skilled winemaker and consultant, Russell is deeply aware of the ongoing challenges facing the wine industry today.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

Dr. Jan Krupp is a former internist who sold his practice in 1998 to pursue his dream of creating a great vineyard to rival that of Chateau Margaux and Ridge Montebello. He has been systematically planning the site and working the land ever since. He took his scientific background and added to it with a wealth of vineyard-specific wisdom from consultants, viticulturists, and winemakers to transform Stagecoach’s formidable terroir into a world-renowned vineyard. As a physician, he provides thoughtful insights into the neo prohibitionist movement we are facing currently, as well as the state of the industry as a whole.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

Ric Forman is one of America's true wine pioneers, bringing to the country several of what are now considered industry standard practices in fine wine production. Over the decades, he has had a front seat to Napa's transformation from a small farming community to an international powerhouse, with his wines serving as the benchmark. His command and knowledge of the industry are profound and he delivers his thoughts about how we got where we are today and where he thinks we should go from here in no uncertain terms, there is no mystery as to why he is regarded as a living legend.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

Both a winemaker, and beer brewer, Nile Zacherle has spent decades fermenting in the Napa Valley. As the founder of Mad Fritz Brewing Co, he focuses on growing their beers by malting and brewing with a ‘Farm to Foam’ approach. The sourcing of single variety barleys that are craft-malted with an origin, as well as hops and water sourcing defines the beer styles in what they call ‘Origin Beer’. His expertise in both the world of wine and beer provides him with perspective on the problem in the wine industry from a larger alcoholic beverage industry lens.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

Maryam Ahmed, founder of Maryam + Company, is a social impact entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and community builder who is making waves in the world of food and wine. Maryam is the creator and co-founder of the biannual Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, which helps connect diversity initiatives in the wine industry to foster collaboration and problem solving among advocates and leaders. She also serves as an advisor to Black Wine Professionals and Bâtonnage Forum; a program advisor to the Wine Writers' Symposium; and is an active member of the San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. She has been awarded many accolades for her work in wine, including Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemaker. Her unique perspective, and extensive involvement in the industry inform her answer to “What’s the Problem?”

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”

John Caldwell is a winegrowing legend. Over the last 40 years, John has been an integral part of the North American wine scene, providing foundational knowledge of and access to clonal vine material. In conversation with Adam Casto, he shares his perspective on the state of the wine industry now. Living up to his reputation as a bit of a maverick, his voice may be more important now than ever.

We want to hear from you! Join the conversation about “What’s the Problem?”