Ep. 991 Dan Petroski | Uncorked

Welcome to episode 991 in which host Polly Hammond interviews Dan Petroski of Massican, this week on Uncorked. This week, we welcome one of the true free-thinkers in wine: Dan Petroski, founder and winemaker at Massican. Anyone who follows wine media will know of Dan -- a renowned innovator, self-taught winemaker, a consummate storyteller. Today, we talk about taking chances, tackling big issues, and the myriad possibilities for tomorrow’s wine marketing. Let’s get into it.

More about today’s guest:

Dan Petroski is the founder and winemaker at Massican, Napa Valley’s only white wine winery. Prior to embarking on his wine journey, he spent ten years working in sales, marketing, and finance at TIME magazine, during which time he also earned his MBA from NYU. And there he might have remained, but for the inspiration to leave the publishing life, fly off to Sicily, and intern at Valle dell’Acate. By 2006, he was settled at Napa’s iconic Larkmead, and by 2009, he had launched his own Mediterranean inspired Massican.

Dan was named the SF Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year in 2017, and one of Food & Wine’s Drinks Innovators of 2022.

To learn more visit:

Website: massican.com

Instagram: @massicanwinery

Twitter: @daniel_petroski

Newsletter: massican.substack.com

More about the host Polly Hammond:

Polly is Founder and CEO of 5forests. She splits her time between Barcelona, Auckland, and Napa, consulting, writing, and speaking about the trends that impact today’s wine businesses. She’s an advisor to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, host of Uncorked with the Italian Wine Podcast, cohost of the Real Business of Wine with Robert Joseph, and, occasionally, a knitter.

Polly is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned degrees in International Relations and French. Those studies led to a deep and abiding love affair with behavioral Economics, and her wine work is based on insights into all the crazy and irrational reasons consumers engage with brands.

With over 20 years experience in growing successful companies, Polly knows first hand the challenges faced by independent businesses. She approaches each client experience with empathy and understanding for what it takes to adapt and thrive in the real world.

To learn more about Polly Hammond visit:

Twitter: @mme_hammond

Instagram: @5forests

website: 5forests.com/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!