First Press
First Press is a casual, conversation‑driven, insider’s look at the people, business, and culture of wine. Hosted from the heart of Napa Valley by three wine industry professionals, the show explores what we know, and what we’re learning, about the world of wine.
Each episode blends real world vineyard experience, financial insight, and storytelling from the cellar to the boardroom. Whether you work in wine, dream about wine, or simply love learning what’s in your glass, First Press is your front row seat to the world’s most fascinating agricultural industry.
First Press
The People Behind The Mic
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This is a short introduction to the three people behind The First Press Wine Podcast.
Hello everyone. Welcome to First Press Podcast. This is your casual conversation-driven Napa California Insider Wine Podcast, bringing everything from the vineyard to the boardroom to the cellar, talking all things wine, mainly focusing around here in the Napa Valley, California, but also bringing you some fun information about worldwide wine. I'm Jakob. I was born and raised here in Napa. I work in finance in the wine industry. So I see the industry through numbers, which really gives me a unique background and insight to the world of wine and how, especially for Napa and Sonoma wine is performing and the trends that I'm seeing. I got into wine right out of college when people were learning when I was working, people were learning that I was from Napa and asking me about all these wine recommendations, and I had absolutely no idea. So I picked up a book, learned a little bit about wine, and here I am living and working in Napa now, living the dream.
SPEAKER_02I'm Andrew. I was born and raised in Oakville, Napa Valley. I'm an overly educated wine pourer and a photographer too, I guess. Um, and how I got into wine. So actually, I uh grew up in the valley. My dad's a fifth-generation grape grower in Napa. But I didn't think I would ever get into wine, uh, even though I love the valley and appreciated the industry. And actually, I went to UC Davis by graduated with a degree in evolutionary anthropology and a minor in art history. And I didn't drink in college, which we all make mistakes in life. Um, and God knows I've been atoning for that. But uh I got into wine really because I started working at a wine-centric restaurant after college as I was debating whether I wanted to do graduate school or not. And I started trying more wines and I just got really intrigued with it, and I kind of was drawn to the cultural history of this beverage, and I saw a random posting on Craigslist. Now I'm dating myself, but on Craigslist for a hospitality gig at a winery in Carnaros. And I thought, oh, that sounds like fun. And I got the job and absolutely just loved it. I could not get enough of wine and learning about learning about it. It's cool, like I said, it's cultural history, how it's made, how it's grown, um, and tied into a place that I love, the Napa Valley. Um, and so that's how I got into wine and have not looked back.
SPEAKER_01Hi, my name is Cody. Uh I grew up here in Napa. My family moved here in 2000. I work as a vineyard manager here in Napa with a little bit of experience on the Sonoma Coast. Um, I work for a local farming company. We predominantly farm um from Napa to Calistoga, working in premier high-end wine grape vineyards. I got my undergrad in wine and viticulture from a school here in California. And initially it was not my passion. It was a school in which my girlfriend now wife was studying at. And so I I fought doggedly to get in and uh very quickly realized that uh the blend of of science and and art uh and culture within the wine industry was uh highly intriguing and fascinating and competitive and uh just a really fulfilling hobby and career. So um yeah, Napa truly a a a special place to grow and and uh make wine and grateful to be a part of it.