JC Restrepo and his wife Joanna came from Colombia with nothing and built one of South Florida's most beloved wine destinations — Happy Wine Calle Ocho in Little Havana. The New York Times named it to their Top 25 Miami Restaurants list in 2024. They did it without marketing budgets or PR campaigns. Just live music every night, graffiti-covered walls, cheap corkage, and a philosophy the Times summed up perfectly: "serious about the wine, but not about how to enjoy it."In this conversation, we talk about what it really takes to build a wine business that feels welcoming, why the biggest threat to wine isn't other alcohol — it's marijuana and health perception — and what gives him hope that the next generation will still embrace wine.

Topics covered:

Building a wine bar without marketing or PR

Why the real competition isn't spirits — it's cannabis and wellness culture

Creating a space where everyone feels welcome

What the wine industry gets wrong about younger drinkers

Advice for anyone opening a wine bar

Wine with Jon is a podcast exploring how we make wine interesting and compelling for the next generation.

New episodes every Tuesday at 5:30 AM.—

Guest: JC Restrepo — Happy Wine Calle Ocho

Location: 5792 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33144

Instagram: @happywinecalleocho

Connect:

Instagram: @winewithjon

Email: jon@winewithjon.com

Lucina Sinclair went from Soho House — one of the world’s best membership organizations — to 67 Pall Mall, one of the world’s best wine clubs. She did it without a traditional wine background. When she joined, she immediately started her WSET certification — learning wine while running membership at a world-class club.Before wine, she worked in the music industry, including with Pete Tong. She knows how to make people feel like they belong. That’s a skill the wine world desperately needs more of.In this conversation, we talk about what membership really means, how to make wine feel welcoming instead of intimidating, and what the traditional wine world could learn from places like Soho House.Topics covered:• Going from Soho House to 67 Pall Mall• Learning wine while running a world-class wine club• How to make people feel like they belong• What the wine industry gets wrong about welcoming new people• What Soho House can teach the wine world• Breaking down the intimidation barrier in wineWineWithJon is a podcast exploring how we make wine interesting and compelling for the next generation. New episodes every Tuesday at 5:30 AM.—Guest: Lucina Sinclair — Head of Membership, 67 Pall MallWebsite: 67pallmall.comConnect:Instagram: @winewithjonEmail: jon@winewithjon.com

Matt Horkey has uploaded over 2,000 videos to YouTube since 2015, building his brand into one of the most respectedwine channels on the platform. His tagline: "Bringing FUN back to the world of wine."

In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to build a wine YouTube channel, why lesser-known regions are more approachable than the classics, and what the traditional wine world still gets wrong.

If wine content can be fun, maybe wine can be too.