Ep 581: Wes Hagen - Santa Barbara Expert & Native9 Wines Brand Ambassador

Ep 581: Wes Hagen - Santa Barbara Expert & Native9 Wines Brand Ambassador

Author: Elizabeth Schneider October 8, 2025 Duration: 52:52

You will get no better primer on Santa Barbara wine country than in the show. Wes Hagen comes on to school us on his region. 

 

Ask anyone in Santa Barbara wine about Wes Hagen and they'll tell you he is a legend. He has worked in Santa Barbara wine for 30+ years as a vineyard manager, winemaker, hospitality specialist, wine educator, and sommelier. He has run prestigious vineyards , made wine in amazing wineries (Clos Pepe, J. Wilkes Wines, Miller Family Wines), and then became the go-to guy for creating American Viticultural Areas in Santa Barbara, writing and getting four AVAs approved between 1997-2019. He is also a noted educator, having lectured at many of the top viticulture and enology schools in the US and he is known for his famed TED talk on the History of Wine. 


Image: Wes Hagen. Credit: Wes Hagen

 

Wes is currently the brand ambassador for Native9 wines, a brand representing the Ontiveros family's  9th generation of California farmers.

 

In the show Wes educates us on Santa Barbara geology and climate, the various Santa Barbara County AVAs and what each grows,  the process of petitioning for an AVA, the  Santa Barbara wine country culture and how the movie "Sideways" affected it, and his reasons for believing that a downturn in the wine industry is "doom and room", rather than "doom and gloom"! You are guaranteed to learn a ton about Santa Barbara in this show! 

 

Info on how to contact Wes:

Wes Hagen is available through to help guide you through planning a Santa Barbara Wine Adventure:  wes@native9.com or text him at 805-450-2324. Wes's web site:  www.weshagen.com  
 
Learn more about Native9 Wines at www.native9.com 
Vineyard Tours and 'Deep Dive' tastings with Wes are available at Native9 by appointment:  BOOK A TOUR - https://www.exploretock.com/native9
 

 

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can't go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

 


Elizabeth Schneider hosts Wine for Normal People, a podcast built on the idea that you can enjoy wine deeply without the pretension. It’s for anyone who finds the world of wine intriguing but is put off by the jargon and gatekeeping. Here, conversations about wine are just that-conversations. Elizabeth approaches topics with a fun and straightforward perspective, aiming to spark genuine excitement and help you discover more interesting bottles to enjoy. Roughly half of the episodes feature guests, but these aren’t formal interviews. Instead, they’re relaxed, educational discussions with passionate friends from the wine world, all people Elizabeth knows personally or through close connections. This creates a uniquely authentic and comfortable atmosphere, as if you’re listening in on a chat between friends who happen to know a lot about what’s in your glass. The focus is always on practical knowledge and shared enthusiasm, stripping away the snobbery to make wine feel accessible and endlessly fascinating. Tune into this podcast to hear honest talk about regions, grapes, and tasting, all designed to make your own journey with wine more rewarding and a lot more fun.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 93

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