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Mike Madaio loves history, sandwiches, and above all, wine—and the industry that brings it to life. A respected wine writer, his long-form pieces have featured in Wine Enthusiast and on his own blog, Life at Table. While Mike has a deep appreciation for traditional forms of media and communication, he is equally attuned to the modern world of user experience (UX)—a factor that can make or break a business.

Mike believes UX is one of the most overlooked elements of the wine industry, and he’s made it his specialty, writing passionately about how it shapes everything from the cellar door to a winery’s website and online presence. In this conversation, we explore his unique perspectives on UX, its role in building meaningful wine experiences, and—of course—his definitive take on the best Philly sandwich.

A big thanks to Mike for joining me on the podcast.

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Stephen Mok is on a mission to make sure the wine industry doesn’t miss its moment with artificial intelligence.

As Founder of Vintage Labs, Stephen has spent the past few years embedded in the practical reality of AI experimenting, prototyping, and testing what actually moves the needle for wine businesses. He has built automations, stress-tested emerging tools, and logged countless hours separating hype from true opportunity.

Stephen didn’t arrive at wine technology through the usual path. His early career in sales drilled home the fundamentals of trust, value, and problem-solving. Later, as a product leader in Seattle, he specialized in turning big, complicated visions into working solutions. At every step, he honed the same craft: translating technical complexity into results that matter.

Now, at Vintage Labs, Stephen applies that discipline to wine. He’s not here to sell a magic AI solution, he’s here to share what works, what doesn’t, and why the time to start experimenting is right now. His message to wine business leaders is simple: don’t wait. Every day, the gap between adopters and laggards grows wider.

On today’s episode, Stephen brings hard-earned insights, stories from the AI frontlines, and a clear-eyed view of how wine can embrace innovation without losing its soul. A massive thanks to Stephen for joining me. 

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Welcome to CDP Insights, a Cellar Door Podcast initiative where we stay up to date with market trends and get sharp industry insights. My guest is Joe Fattorini and in this episode we discuss my recent chat with Mark Ritson and we look forward to an exciting upcoming conversation. 

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Jacob Ner-David is, in many ways, the quintessential entrepreneur. He’s built and led multiple pioneering companies, including DeltaThree, one of the first to offer internet-based telephony, dramatically reducing the cost of international calls, and NomadIQ, which specialised in location-based internet services.

But alongside his startup successes runs a deep and enduring passion for wine. Jacob is the co-founder and chairman of Jezreel Valley Winery in Israel, and managing director of VinoVentures, a wine trading fund. Moshe Weizman, whom listeners will remember from Episode 28 of Season 4 and his groundbreaking company Wining, told me that Jacob’s story is not only fascinating, but essential to hear.

I’ve always found it compelling when accomplished business leaders bring their entrepreneurial vision into the wine world, driven by a desire to see the industry grow, evolve, and innovate. With that in mind, it’s an honour and a privilege to welcome Jacob to the Cellar Door Podcast and share his story with you.

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Everyone in marketing knows Mark Ritson. He’s built a reputation for being direct, sharp, and unapologetically honest in how he approaches both the practice and teaching of marketing. With a career that includes advising major global brands like LVMH, Mark now focuses his energy on the Mini MBA, an online course designed to give students what he sees as the core foundations of marketing and brand building.

I was first introduced to Mark’s work by my friend and mentor Joe Fattorini, who pointed me toward some of Mark’s more pointed critiques of modern marketing thinking. Mark considers that marketing has drifted away from its foundations, losing sight of core principles in favour of flashy tactics and surface-level creativity.

Mark challenges the idea that marketing is just about flair or instinct. For him, it’s a serious discipline—one that requires structure, evidence, and proper training.

As it happens, Mark also has a real love of wine. So I was especially pleased when he agreed to join me for a conversation—not only about how marketing is (or isn’t) working in the wine world, but how it’s faring more broadly across industries.

It was a genuinely insightful chat, and I’m very grateful to Mark for taking the time to join me.

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Earlier this year, while in Sydney, I had the pleasure of grabbing a quick bite with two locals behind one of Australia’s fastest-growing wine communities. I was curious to meet the duo behind the WinedUp podcast—and to see whether their personalities matched their mission.

It was a short but memorable session. Over a bottle of German Riesling and some outstanding Thai food, I came away thinking: they really are who they say they are—two Aussie mates on an unapologetically unfiltered and unpretentious wine journey. No snobbery. No fluff. Just two of the most grounded guys you’ll meet, deeply passionate about sharing their love for wine.

But their work goes beyond wine chat. In today’s industry, wine communicators are increasingly community builders, educators, and even logistical bridges in the supply chain. Trent and Jason understand that. They’ve built more than a podcast—they’ve cultivated a community. And they’ve done it with a clear sense of purpose, a smart strategy, and a strong support system behind them.

Today, I had the chance to dive deeper into how they do it. Their passion for wine is unmistakable, but it’s matched by thoughtfulness and drive. This conversation made me reflect on just how important modern wine communication has become—and I can’t think of two better blokes to be leading the charge.

A huge thanks to Trent and Jason for joining me.

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In 2024 Coles took steps testing its One Brand Brand Strategy, which included the conversion of all Vintage Cellars Stores to Liquor Land. Bill Rooney is the CEO at 6one5 Retail Consulting. He has consulted for a range of companies including Silicon Valley’s Intel. Bill has been watching the Coles transition unfold, from the implementation of the pilot program, to execution and whilst understanding of the foundation strategy, he has been highly critical of its execution. Bill’s thought leadership has been on display recently, with the publication of a series of articles discussing the strategy and execution of the Coles rebranding. I found the articles extremely insightful and was excited when Bill agreed to share his insights on the CDP. This was a thoroughly engaging chat, a huge thanks to Bill for joining me on the Cellar Door Podcast.  

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This is the third and final installment of my conversation with Professor Gerald McDermott. We start by focussing on case studies that demonstrate innovation in action. What can the wine industry, or any industry for that matter, learn from the evolution of Silicon Valley? Or from the crash of the Chilean Salmon Industry? Professor McDermott shares principles that are vital for any industry to keep in mind when facing uncertainty and change. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. This was a fantastic way to bring this series to a close. A massive thanks to Professor McDermott for joining me. 

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In Mid May of this year I had the pleasure of releasing a short chat with Jackson Family winemaker Chris Carpenter in which we spoke about the magic of the Hickinbotham Vineyard, the Hickenbotham label and the wider magic of Clarendon. To get that one in full Check out episode 25 of Season 5. Chris and I discussed a great many things during my time in Clarendon, that we did not include in that initial chat, so we recently caught up for a riveting part two. In this conversation we take a focussed dive into Chris’s background and what makes him a truly unique specimen in the wine world. We talk about Jackson Family Wines, the role large wine operations play in the modern commercial ecosystem and we also talk about the opportunity Chris and the wider Jackson Family see in working in and with the Australian wine community and the genuine excitement that generates. Chris says it as he sees it and accordingly, when he shares his perspectives it's a true pleasure to sit back and listen. A massive thanks to Chris Carpenter for joining me. 

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In this episode Professor Gerald McDermott and I continue our discussion on systems and innovation. With the background and context to Gerald’s Mendoza case study established, we start to go deeper into the foundational concepts, and what a healthy system might look like, along with its different component parts. To start part 2 of our conversation, I ask Gerald whether it's possible to spot telltale signs that a system is ripe, ready for or in need of innovation. We will pick the conversion up with his answer. 

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