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.

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Winemaker and Founding Partner of Corison Vineyards, Cathy Corison, has had an indelible impact on the Napa Valley over her 50 year-tenure. Her winemaking has set the standard for decades, and now she discusses what exactly she is (or isn’t) worried about in the coming years. Having experienced many of the natural ebbs and flows of the industry, she shares her experience and perspective on the state of the wine industry in 2025.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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