On this episode, I sit down with Doug Shafer, who is a James Beard award recipient, Author of the book “A Vineyard in Napa” and president of Shafer Vineyards. Doug’s father, John, the founder of Shafer Vineyards was an early visionary for for Napa Valley hillside vineyards. Shafer Vineyards is an iconic family-owned winery, named one of the top 25 vineyards in the world by wine publication “wine and spirits” and was named “one of the worlds greatest wineries” by wine critic Robert Parker. But, good things can take time and can occasionally start off bumpy. John, a former Army Air Corps B-24 pilot during world war 2 turned highly successful businessman for the Scott Foresman publishing company in Chicago (which most people know them for their Dick and Jane basic readers), decided it was time to leave Chicago and take the family to Napa to pursue a career in wine. John moved the family on a prayer and a dream, but having had no prior farming experience, things weren’t always so smooth sailing. Today we’ll learn how Doug’s father, John and the Shafer’s were able to turn trial into the true definition of triumph.