Building Wine Experiences: Kerrin Laz on Napa, Innovation, and Giving Back

About this episode

Kerrin Laz shares her energetic approach to the wine industry and her innovative ideas for building wine experiences.

Relentless in her pursuits would be an understatement because Kerrin Laz is a force of nature. Kerrin is the type of person the wine trade needs...now. She is chock full of energy, a plethora of ideas, and a cavalcade of pathways to get there. She will be on the show again; there were too many subjects we never discussed. Sitting down with Kerrin Laz was like flipping open a well-loved journal and discovering a handful of stories you'd forgotten you needed to hear. There's a warmth to the East Coast energy she carries with her, this tenacity blended with familiarity—sort of like sipping an old-vine Zinfandel that carries the sun of California but has the grit of Long Island soil. Right out of the gate, Karen Laz reminded me of those early, stumbling steps we all take in our careers. She grew up in New York, knew Dean & DeLuca as an iconic place—couldn't resist popping in for a cup of coffee, even though her resume, as she freely admits, "had, like, nothing on it" 00:06 . When asked if she preferred food or wine, she just sort of shrugged and said, "Wine, I guess." That honest uncertainty? I find that refreshing. Most people will fabricate a grand narrative about their calling…

People in this episode

Guest: Kerrin Laz

Topics covered

• wine experiences
• Napa
• innovation
• giving back

Keywords

• energy
• ideas
• career
• New York
• Zinfandel

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Merlot, 09:01

Books & works: Building Wine Experiences: Kerrin Laz

Places: East Coast, California, Long Island, New York, Long Island, the North Fork, Napa

More episodes of Wine Talks with Paul K.

• Breaking Barriers: Millennials, Diversity, and the Future of Wine with Isis Daniels · April 16, 2026 · 1h 1m
• How Time, Terroir, and Biodynamics Shape World-Class Sparkling Wines in Penedès · April 14, 2026 · 50 min
• Independent Filmmaking and Wine: Chris McGilvray on Craft, Passion, and Perseverance · April 7, 2026 · 58 min
• From Ribera del Duero to Tokaj: The Global Journey of Vega Sicilia With Pablo Alvarez · April 2, 2026 · 46 min
• Beyond Classification: Château Quintus, Wine Passion, and Reimagining Saint-Émilion's Legacy: Nils Vaincot · March 26, 2026 · 54 min
• From Air Force Dreams to Napa Icons: Trevor Duling's Unexpected Wine Journey · March 24, 2026 · 54 min