EPISODE · Apr 28, 2026 · 49 MIN
#93 Steve Matthiasson: What Exactly Does the Wine World Need?
from Serves You Right · host Andrew Roy
That high-alcohol, hot, sticky Napa Cab on your shelf isn't a winemaking problem, it's a farming problem.Steve Matthiason has been quietly proving this for over 30 years. He's been a vineyard consultant to some of the biggest names in Napa…Spottswoode, Chappellet…and the founder of Matthiason Wines, a label that started with five barrels in 2003 and now ships to 46 states and 25 countries. He's a self-described old punk rocker, a UC Davis-trained organic farmer, and one of the most honest voices in the industry about what the words on your bottle actually mean.In this episode Steve breaks down why "sustainable" is the wine world's most abused word and the simple farming shift that makes Matthiason wines purer and clearer than almost anything coming out of his region. He also gets vulnerable about the parts of his own operation that still aren't there yet…including the tractors he hasn't been able to quit.If you sell wine, drink wine, or pour wine for a living, you'll hear the inside of an industry that talks a lot but rarely tells the truth. And you'll learn the one thing to check on a winery's website that tells you whether their values are real…before you ever pull the cork.Expect to Learn:Why "sustainable" is the wine world's most abused word…and what serious producers say insteadThe farming shift that quietly creates the high-alcohol, heavy Napa style most of us complain aboutThe two phases of organic farming most certified vineyards never reachHow Steve runs five harvest passes per vineyard and ends up with 150 separate lots per vintageThe signals on a winery's website that tells you whether their values are realLinks:Matthiason WinesLodi Rules Sustainable WinegrowingThe New California Wine by Jon BonnéService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in bars. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess that can be a life working in bars, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:Doug Frost MW MSJeffrey MorgenthalerET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on IntoxicationAndrew Hurley of Vegas.WineChris Tunstall of A Bar AboveTony Abou-GanimBobby "G" GleasonAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
What this episode covers
That high-alcohol, hot, sticky Napa Cab on your shelf isn't a winemaking problem, it's a farming problem.Steve Matthiason has been quietly proving this for over 30 years. He's been a vineyard consultant to some of the biggest names in Napa…Spottswoode, Chappellet…and the founder of Matthiason Wines, a label that started with five barrels in 2003 and now ships to 46 states and 25 countries. He's a self-described old punk rocker, a UC Davis-trained organic farmer, and one of the most honest voices in the industry about what the words on your bottle actually mean.In this episode Steve breaks down why "sustainable" is the wine world's most abused word and the simple farming shift that makes Matthiason wines purer and clearer than almost anything coming out of his region. He also gets vulnerable about the parts of his own operation that still aren't there yet…including the tractors he hasn't been able to quit.If you sell wine, drink wine, or pour wine for a living, you'll hear the inside of an industry that talks a lot but rarely tells the truth. And you'll learn the one thing to check on a winery's website that tells you whether their values are real…before you ever pull the cork.Expect to Learn:Why "sustainable" is the wine world's most abused word…and what serious producers say insteadThe farming shift that quietly creates the high-alcohol, heavy Napa style most of us complain aboutThe two phases of organic farming most certified vineyards never reachHow Steve runs five harvest passes per vineyard and ends up with 150 separate lots per vintageThe signals on a winery's website that tells you whether their values are realLinks:Matthiason WinesLodi Rules Sustainable WinegrowingThe New California Wine by Jon BonnéService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in bars. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess that can be a life working in bars, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:Doug Frost MW MSJeffrey MorgenthalerET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on IntoxicationAndrew Hurley of Vegas.WineChris Tunstall of A Bar AboveTony Abou-GanimBobby "G" GleasonAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
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#93 Steve Matthiasson: What Exactly Does the Wine World Need?
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