In this episode, Ryan talks with Ben Justman, founder of Peony Lane Wine, about what low-intervention wine really means and why winemaking is inseparable from farming.
Ben grew up on his family’s self-sustaining orchard in Colorado, left for a time, then returned in his mid-20s to build something lasting alongside his father. Teaching himself winemaking from the ground up, he now produces small-batch, high-elevation Pinot Noir shaped by soil, climate, and place rather than industry additives and shortcuts.
This conversation explores the unglamorous realities of running a small winery: direct-to-consumer sales, working with family, stewarding land across generations, and resisting the pressures of scale. We also dig into why Ben views wine as an agricultural product first, how low-intervention practices affect flavor and health, and why he’s chosen to accept Bitcoin as part of building long-term resilience.
