Dan Fredman is a guy who likes wine and he describes how collecting wine is like collecting music, a narrative unfolding. Although a trained musician and seasoned A + R man, he kept his toe in the wine retail pool throughout the years. In doing so, he amassed a great knowledge and understanding about wine and about the L A wine market. Eventually he was able to parlay his experience into a boutique public relations firm helping wineries and wine-related businesses get their message out. In this conversation, we talk about the L A wine market as he provides a historical perspective. Dan then describes his approach at Dan Fredman Public Relations (DFPR). Messaging for his clients means storytelling. He shows us this through two examples of his clientele and how these wineries have benefitted from the succession of a new generation. We then zoom out as Dan talks about the fragmentation of the wine market that he observes is well-serviced in L A. We conclude with a current report on the status of the Malibu wine controversy which has pitted vine growers against most other stakeholders in the area and which threatens the future of vine growing. Not only does Dan work for the Malibu Coast AVA, he also lives there with some vines of his own.