Fredric Hamber

Raised in Napa and San Francisco.


I write about offbeat travel, men's lifestyle, and interesting people with idiosyncratic obsessions.

Winemaker Jesse Katz - Aperture Cellars

With a list of accolades that began with his first vintage and includes 17 100-point scores from five different wine critics, it’s safe to say winemaker Jesse Katz has his act together. But long before he had garnered an A-list fan base (Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel toasted their 2012 nuptials with a red blend Katz custom crafted for them), as a boy he traveled the world and top wine regions with his father, photographer Andy Katz, which is how the memory of his first taste of wine became...

A Gentleman's Guide to the Wine Country Town of Yountville

The Napa Valley town of Yountville isn't big but packs a punch for an excellent Northern California weekend getaway. Here are some of the top treats. At most hotels, within arm's reach of the bathtub there's a towel rack. In your room at Villagio, when you reach out from your tub you'll find a wine bucket on a pedestal. There's a pool table in the lobby bar. While you're there, try the Napa Sour made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Zinfandel syrup. You know the sort of winery that caters to gro