XChateau Wine Podcast

A masterclass on the business of wine. Insights, analysis, and perspectives on news and trends in the wine industry beyond winemaking, such as marketing, finance, and consumer trends. From noted wine blogger Robert Vernick (@wineterroir) and leading wine business consultant and author of Luxury Wine Marketing Peter Yeung (@winebizguy), this podcast navigates the business of wine with unique perspectives and insights.

Recent Episodes

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Bringing Indian food to wine w/ Shekar Sathyanarayana, Nalla
221
June 23, 2026

Bringing Indian food to wine w/ Shekar Sathyanarayana, Nalla

When Shekar Sathyanarayana, founder of Nalla , began visiting wineries in Santa Barbara and talked about Indian food, winemakers loved the food, but had never paired it with wine. Now, Nalla has brought Indian food and wine pairing to over 100 events hosted at wineries and other venues and Shekar shares what he has learned about match Indian food and wine. Detailed Show Notes: Shekar’s background: 1st generation South Indian, grew up in Kansas, was a talent agent and lawyer Nalla founding Starte
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The relationship business w/ Chris Baker, Brassfield Estate
220
June 9, 2026

The relationship business w/ Chris Baker, Brassfield Estate

After retiring twice, Chris Baker, President of Brassfield Estate, was lured back in by a unique opportunity to build one of the world’s largest monopoles in the High Valley AVA of Lake County, California. Its unique volcanic terroir is now being scaled nationally with a 10 year contract and national alignment with Southern Glazers. Chris describes the best practices in working with distributors and partnering together to create a successful brand, built on trusted relationships. Detailed Show N
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Implementing a luxury strategy w/ Matt Crafton, Chateau Montelena
219
May 26, 2026

Implementing a luxury strategy w/ Matt Crafton, Chateau Montelena

As one of the winners of the infamous 1976 Judgement of Paris, Chateau Montelena has a rich history to be proud of. To optimize that legacy, Montelena’s President and Winemaker Matt Crafton has been embarking on more of a luxury strategy for the brand, reducing grocery and chain presence and working towards pricing growth over volume. With the 50th anniversary of the Judgement in Paris and the wine market in extreme flux, Montelena is doubling down on the values that made it victorious. Detailed
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Navigating the choppy media waters w/ Jason Wise, SOMM TV
281
May 12, 2026

Navigating the choppy media waters w/ Jason Wise, SOMM TV

Nearly two decades after filming Somm, Jason Wise, Chief Creative Officer of Somm TV and Director of the Somm movies, has a deep view of wine in the media. Jason shares his perspective on what types of media moves the needle, how to get involved as a brand, the ever changing landscape of media itself. Detailed Show Notes: Update from the last 4 years: filming tons of food & wine content around the world, a couple theatrical releases Somm TV: video streaming services, partners w/ wineries and win
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A discourse in the communications of wine w/ Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible & Come Over October
217
April 28, 2026

A discourse in the communications of wine w/ Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible & Come Over October

As the wine world stumbles through difficult times (in early 2026), Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and co-founder of Come Over October, believes part of the disconnect stems from time. The fastness of the modern, social media fueled world and the slowness of wine. Her solution is to focus the narrative of wine with well-being and wine’s long-standing role as a beverage that brings people together. Detailed Show Notes: Karen’s background: author of The Wine Bible , writer, speaker, teach
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Getting more sales analytics manpower with AI w/ Jeremy Hart, Somm.ai
216
April 14, 2026

Getting more sales analytics manpower with AI w/ Jeremy Hart, Somm.ai

The on-premise side of wine analytics has traditionally been a black hole, not covered by other data services. Somm.ai changed that when they launched in 2021, now covering ~100k on-premise accounts in the US alone. The richness of data allows Somm.ai to help their clients benchmark, prospect for new accounts, and so much more. Jeremy Hart, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Somm.ai , explains how it is more manpower vs a platform to accelerate on-premise sales. Detailed Show Notes: Jeremy
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About the Hosts

Robert Vernick Profile Photo
Robert Vernick

Robert Vernick is a wine blogger and podcaster at night, engaging his passion, while a Silicon Valley executive by day. Robert’s insight into the intersection of technology, social media, and wine provides some of the unique perspectives that XChateau delivers to its audience. His love of sharing wine has led Robert’s WineTerroir Instagram to 50,000+ followers. Robert was a Master of Wine Candidate and also holds the WSET Diploma.

Peter Yeung Profile Photo
Peter Yeung

Peter Yeung (pronounced “young”) is a leading wine business consultant, named one of Wine Business Monthly’s 2020 Wine Leaders. He is the author of award-winning Luxury Wine Marketing and was VP of Strategy & Biz Dev at Kosta Browne in Sonoma and Realm Cellars in Napa. Peter passed Stage 2 Theory of the Master of Wine Exam and holds the WSET Diploma and CIA Certified Wine Professional designations. Prior to wine, Peter was an executive in Silicon Valley and a consultant with McKinsey & Company.