Few people embody the spirit of hospitality quite like John Bailey. As the family representative and brand ambassador for Knights Bridge Winery, he's worn nearly every hat at the winery—from working harvest alongside the cellar team to traveling the country sharing the wines and the family's story with collectors and friends. We caught up with John while he was in the South of France to talk about craftsmanship, hospitality, and what makes Knights Valley unlike anywhere else in California wine country.
Tk: Your role at Knights Bridge Winery has evolved over the years. What does your job look like today?
JB: That's a good question. I think I initially tried to learn every role. It's a family business that I grew up around, but until you've been in the shoes of the winemaker, the cellar master, or our vineyard team, you don't really know what those jobs are like.
I started by working in the cellar with Derek, our winemaker, and Rafael, our cellar master. After that I moved into sales, focusing on wholesale accounts in the eastern United States. Today my role has evolved into what I'd call a brand ambassador, which is a pretty broad title.
Really, I'm the family representative in the market. Whether I'm visiting restaurants, country clubs, or neighborhood bistros, my goal is to bring the Knights Bridge experience to people who may only visit the vineyard every few years. It's about sharing our wines, our family story, and what makes this place special.
TK: From the outside, your life looks like constant travel and incredible events. Is it as glamorous as people imagine?
JB: I'm very lucky, and incredibly grateful, to be in the position I'm in.
But you're absolutely right. We have a wonderful partnership with Cadillac that's brought us to the U.S. Open for the past several years, but while everyone else is watching tennis, my back is turned toward the court pouring wine. I hear the points happening behind me.
The best part isn't necessarily where I am—it's meeting people who already have a connection to our wines. When someone tells you about their visit to the vineyard or how our wines became part of an important memory, that's incredibly rewarding. It's a privilege to have played even a small role in enhancing someone's life.
TK: One of the things that drew us to Knights Bridge was the story behind it. This wasn't an overnight winery—it was built over nearly twenty years. What has that journey looked like?
JB: Like anything handcrafted, you get better over time.
For us, that has meant learning the vineyard. Understanding how different blocks produce different characteristics, how they respond to each vintage, and how to express the site honestly. That's been a twenty-year journey.
My father deserves all the credit. He's had the vision and commitment to focus on making the absolute best wines possible from our seventy-four acres. Since founding Knights Bridge in 2006, everything has come from that single piece of land in Knights Valley. Over the years we've gotten to know it incredibly well, and we've really dialed it in.
TK: Knights Valley feels very different from Napa. Was that intentional?
JB: I think there were a couple of reasons.
My father grew up in rural Tennessee where my grandfather was a sod farmer. I think the agricultural nature of Knights Valley felt familiar to him.
The other piece is that my father spent his career investing, and a big part of that was finding value. He recognized that Knights Valley could produce wines that rivaled—or even surpassed—many of Napa's great wines, while offering the opportunity to build something unique instead of competing with brands that had already been established for generations.
The valley itself is also incredibly special. There isn't a hotel, a gas station, or even a general store. It's vineyards, ranches, and open land. It feels like traveling back in time.
TK: We were saying the drive itself almost forces you to slow down.
JB: It really does.
You don't accidentally end up at Knights Bridge—you have to seek us out.
Driving over the Mayacamas from Calistoga, through the redwoods and pines before the valley opens up in front of you, is one of the most beautiful drives in wine country. The journey is part of the experience.
TK: Hospitality is clearly something you take seriously, but it never feels formal or pretentious. How do you think about it?
JB: We probably over-index on hospitality—in the best possible way.
We're a very small winery, producing fewer than 10,000 cases each year. That means we don't have hundreds of thousands of customers. We have a much smaller community, and every relationship matters.
When someone visits, we want them to have the absolute best experience possible. But it doesn't stop when they leave. We want to continue building that relationship and finding ways to deepen their connection to Knights Bridge and our wines. That level of care is very intentional.
TK: What do you hope people remember after visiting the winery?
JB: I'd say there are two things.
The first is the place itself. You really have to stand there to appreciate all the different exposures, elevations, and microclimates across the property and understand how they shape the wines.
The second is the people.
When you visit, you'll meet Derek, our winemaker. You might see Raphael moving barrels in the cellar. You'll meet our hospitality team, and if you come back again you'll likely see the same faces. I think knowing the people behind the wine makes the experience much more meaningful.
TK: You spend your life around beautifully crafted wine, but you're also interested in tailoring, watches, art, and design. Is there a connection between all of those things?
JB: I've probably inherited some of that appreciation from my mother. She loves art, design, flowers, and gardening, and some of that definitely rubbed off on me.
More broadly, I think we're living in a world where so many things have become homogenized. Everything can start feeling the same.
Wine is one place where individuality still matters. A bottle reflects a specific vineyard, a specific vintage, and a specific winemaker. It changes every year.
The same is true of a great bespoke suit or a handmade watch. You can't replicate something that's tied to a particular place or created by someone's hands. There's a uniqueness—and a gravitas—to that kind of craftsmanship that I find incredibly compelling.
TK: Finally, Sonoma and Napa are often compared. What do you think people misunderstand about Sonoma?
JB: I don't really think of it as a rivalry.
Napa has incredible hospitality, incredible wineries, and some of the best winemakers in the world. But the more we try to become Napa, the more we lose what makes us special.
For us, it's about embracing the rural nature of Knights Valley. There aren't hotels nearby. You have to be intentional about visiting us. There's a slower pace here.
We take the wine very seriously, but nobody around here takes themselves too seriously.
Maybe that's just the Sonoma way.
John Bailey is the family representative and brand ambassador for Knights Bridge Winery, where he helps share the winery's story through hospitality, travel, and enduring relationships. Having worked across nearly every facet of the business, he brings a thoughtful perspective on craftsmanship, place, and what it means to build something meant to last.
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San Francisco
Our San Francisco showrooms are nestled at the crux of an eclectic mixture of Jackson Square, the Financial District, North Beach, and Chinatown.
This showroom is appointment-only.
Palo Alto
Our newest showroom in Palo Alto opened in 2023, and is tucked away at 433 Hamilton Avenue.
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