The Vincast - a wine podcast with The Intrepid Wino: Recent Episodes
James Scarcebrook
A podcast about wine, wine culture and wine people. Every episode a different guest from the wine industry joins host James Scarcebrook (aka The Intrepid Wino) to share their backgrounds, their influences, and their philosophies on wine. Nothing too technical, just a casual chat between a few people who happen to work with wine. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the new episode as soon as it is available, and please rate review and share! Visit James at http://intrepidwino.com and feel free to get in touch at thevincast@gmail.com, follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube on @IntrepidWino. Let me know who you would like to hear from! Support the podcast on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thevincast
Born in England, Gary Walsh moved to Australia with his family and after completing his studies moved back to the United Kingdom. Working in London in the IT industry, he discovered a love of wine and an interest in discussing it. Once back in Australia he launched his own wine review site before joining forces with Campbell Mattinson and launching The Wine Front. This website was ahead of its time in providing content behind a paywall, and it has become one of the most active and visited wine websites in the country. He joined me in September of 2020 to chat about his story.
Growing up, Giuseppe Russo didn't have much interest in the vineyards his farther and grandfather lovingly tended on the northern slopes of Mt Etna, particularly as the wine they made in the cellar under their house was being sold as bulk wine. He followed his passion for music, studying in nearby Catania then nurturing young musicians as a teacher, the same way his father Girolamo tended the family vines. When Giuseppe's father passed away suddenly he made the decision to honour him by not only taking over the family contrade, but also starting his own project, naming the label after Girolamo. Initially working closely with neighbouring farmers who knew these soils and vines intimately, and with recent arrivals in the region like Frank Cornelisson and Andrea Franchetti, in the last fifteen years Giuseppe has become one of the regions most celebrated wine producers.
When James Audas became part of the sommelier team at Noma (one of the top restaurants in the world) it caused a bit of a stir back home in Australia, particularly as he was then only 24 years old. In fact he had already earned his stripes working for Tetsuya Wakuda both in Sydney and Singapore, before taking a position at Black by Ezard. Upon returning home from Denmark he launched an imports company with fellow sommelier Tom Sheer named Lo-Fi Wines, that tapped into a small but growing market for low-intervention wines. In the years since they have grown the business to include both Australian and imported wines, as well as their own range called Das Juice. James and his family now live in Gippsland where they are behind their own project called A.R.C. Wines.
Though not born in Australia, Dave Bicknells family most certainly embraced their Australian life when they brought him here as a child. He is a self-professed lover of a good time, so after initially starting a career as an EMT it's perhaps unsurprising that he ended up working in the wine industry. Formative years as a winemaker working with Steve Webber at De Bortoli clearly had a lasting impact, as he has been Yarra Valley based since then, for most of it as the Chief Winemaker at Oakridge based in Coldstream.
For the past 30 years the Pizzini family have been at the forefront of Italian grape variety based wines, not only in the King Valley where they are based, but for the whole country. Working with respected viticulturist Mark Walpole and Tuscan consultant Alberto Antonini, they established a stronghold and pedigree for varieties like sangiovese and nebbiolo. Much of the success of Pizzini Wines is owed to Fred Pizzini, who not only converted the family property to viticulture, but also saw the potential of embracing his Italian heritage by planting then unknown and untested varieties. They are today considered not only one of the largest but also most experienced producers of wines made from Italian varieties, now made by Fred's son Joel.
Though it was working in hospitality in Yorkshire that first introduced her to wine, working for Majestic Wine gave Curly Haslam-Coates more opportunity to explore. It was also here she began her wine education in WSET, something she has continued to put great value in, as she has been one of the most important wine educators based in Tasmania. Her love of the Apple Isle and sparkling wine has recently seen her join the team at The Wine Front.
Though initially interested in the study of horticulture, after being introduced to wine, Jim White very quickly transferred to viticulture. After a few years he gained employment near where he grew up, managing the vineyard on the headquarters of Chandon Australia in the Yarra Valley. His next step was to take the Viticulturist position at sister winery Cape Mentelle, on the opposite side of the country no less, in Margaret River. Finally Jim relocated to Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, where he now has the position of Technical Director.
Growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, David Clarke's interest in wine came initially from his time working in state government. His wine career proper started working in the Harrod's wine department in London, which is where he met his wife Jeanette. Upon his return to Australia, he followed a career as a sommelier, before he and Jeanette returned to her birthplace, South Africa. Since relocating they have established a business distributing independent wine producers both domestically and also to Australia.
After being politely asked to leave his university degree in Adelaide, Nick Ryan found himself living in Sydney in need of a vocation. He spent many years in wine retail where he cultivated a passion for communication. Since then he has become one of Australia's foremost freelance wine writers, bringing an acerbic wit and a personal flair to his craft.
Mark Walpole has been one of the most influential people in the alternative variety scene in Australia, particularly Italian varieties, mostly stemming from his time working for the Brown Family, the Pizzini family, and then the Greenstone project in Heathcote. He has consulted to many growers and producers over the years, and been heavily involved with the importation of new varieties and better clones as well. His focus now is on his own vineyard and winery in Beechworth, Fighting Gully Road.
Nick James-Martin had a long and varied career in wine before ending up in the Margaret River in 2017, freshly relocated with his family from Adelaide. Due to unforeseen circumstances Nick found himself with an opportunity to launch his own project, which he did under the Wines of Merritt banner. In only a few vintages he and his wife Sarah have gained a cult following and much acclaim for their wines that break the mould of one of Australia's most prestigious (but also conservative) wine regions. He joins me on this episode to talk about his journey and influences that led to making wine his way.
Marco Tinessa was a wine enthusiast for many years before he decided to start making his own wine. Though he was based in Milan working in the finance industry, he originally hailed from the Campania region in Italy's south, and he was determined to produce something from his area. Until recently this wasn't easy, initially relying on the assistance of Frank Cornelissen on Etna, then making his wines in a cellar under a restaurant in Milan. He has now quit his 'day job' and relocated back to Campania where he is better able to manage the vineyards and work in his own winery.
For the 150th release of The Vincast I thought it might be interesting for the listeners to find out more about the host of the podcast, James Scarcebrook aka The Intrepid Wino from Vino Intrepido. Recently I caught up with Marc Malouf from Wine Worth Writing About via Zoom, as he was keen to interview me. With his permission this is the audio from that interview, touching on my own background, influences and my recent exploits in winemaking. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions yourself!
After a very long hiatus, I'm thrilled to finally be able to release this interview with Jane Lopes recorded last year, who at the time was the sommelier at Attica restaurant in Melbourne. In the time since we recorded this chat, Jane's book Vignette has been released to much acclaim, but she has returned to the United States of America with her husband Jon. It was fantastic to listen back to our conversation about her journey, particularly having read her book and knowing more about her.
For cricketing fans the name Sir Ian Botham should be very familiar as one of the most famous all-rounders in English test cricket history. Not as many know that Sir Ian has long been a passionate wine lover, having taken advantage of both the proximity of European regions from England, and a touring schedule that took him to many new world wine producing countries. I was invited late 2018 to a tasting of his recently released range of wines from a number of premium Australian regions, and I was honoured to have the opportunity to sit down with him to find out more about his love of wine and enthusiasm for crafting his own.
Peter Weinberg has been at the helm of Brand's Laira in the Coonawarra region for almost twenty years, having relocated from the Hunter Valley with experience at Mount Pleasant. Originally from Newcastle his reason for getting into the wine industry was a love of the outdoors and good hard manual labour. On this episode of The Vincast Peter speaks about his journey to becoming the custodian of one of Coonawarra's most historic vineyards and cellars, and how he has guided the brand since he joined the team.
When the Donaldson family established their Pegasus Bay winery in the early 1970s, they were pioneers in the New Zealand region of North Canterbury. Over the past 40 years they have evolved and got better every year, remaining a family-owned and operated business. The second generation of the family are currently at the helm, with all four of their sons in key positions within the business. Paul Donaldson is the General Manager of the winery, making use of his varied experience and expertise in business and finance. I sat down with him when he was in Melbourne recently to hear more about his background and the families endeavours in premium New Zealand wine.
Ashley Huntington is a man on a mission, with great courage of conviction and incredible persistence. Though he has a background as a winemaker and spent many years working in the Languedoc region of France in that field, after purchasing a property in the Derwent Valley perfect for viticulture, he ended up brewing beer. The reason he was so interested in this alternative path was the discovery that the region grew in excess of 80% of the nation's hops, which can only be used for beer production. In spite of this fact there were no local breweries, and thus he embarked on a mission to take the same approach to beer as he had to wine; using well-grown local raw materials, fermenting naturally and not filtering. It has taken many years but he is now held in high esteem as the craft beer market continues to grow in Australia.
In 2018 De Bortoli Wines is celebrating 90 years of wine history in Australia, and as a member of the third generation, Leanne De Bortoli has worked tirelessly with her winemaker husband Steve Webber to take the company to new heights. Growing up in Griffith where the business was founded by her grandfather, she and Steve helped establish their Yarra Valley-based facility in the 1980s and was instrumental in evolving the brand image to a more premium one. In a number of ways and at numerous times De Bortoli have been trend-setters in the wine industry, and as a member of Australia's First Families of Wine they are well placed to continue producing outstanding wines and having a positive influence.
Alice L'Estrange is undoubtedly a lover of culture and language, so it is unsurprising that she got into wines from Chile. While spending a year living in Mexico improving her Spanish, she gained an appreciation for the purity of farming and natural agricultural produce, but it was her friend Lucy who introduced her to wine. After a fateful evening and a fateful bottle, they decided to do something wine-related, and Cultivar Vinos was that something.
Lucy Kendall has managed to fit in quite a bit of winemaking experience in a relatively short amount of time, both in Australia and overseas. Thanks to her BFF Alice she got the opportunity to not only make wine in Chile, but also import some to Australia via Cultivar Vinos and give trade and consumers the opportunity to see authentic traditional Chilean wines. More recently she and Alice have been making wine closer to home and are about to launch them under the George brand.
Growing up in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand it is not surprising that Michael John Corbett ended up working in the wine industry, even though he doesn't come from a wine family. After studying winemaking he had the opportunity to work vintages in Europe, which was where he discovered a great love of the grenache variety. After originally meeting in Hawkes Bay, he joined forces with Burgundian Edouard Maurisset-Latour and his Australian wife Ali to launch Vanguardist Wines, producing incredible wines from the Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale.
Though Jonathan Ross always had competitive tendencies, it wasn't until he discovered hospitality and wine that he truly applied himself and found his passion. From growing up in New Jersey to working at one of the top restaurants in the world, his career has always had an upward trajectory. Soon after relocating to Australia with his fiancée Jane Lopes (who is also a top sommelier), he became a Master Sommelier of which there are currently only 249 in the world. He joins me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his journey, and his new-found love of Australian wine.
Though her parents are Australian, Nina Caplan was born and has been based in the United Kingdom her whole life. It was her father that first introduced her to wine, though writing was her first passion. She began writing about wine after tackling the arts for many years, but found a great affinity with the vinous particularly as it related to travel. Recently she has had her first book published, a personal perspective on the vines journey through Europe during the Roman Empire, mirrored by her own experiences several thousand years later. 'The Wandering Vine: The Romans and Me' is now available via the Bloomsbury website, where you can get a 30% discount on a copy until the end of May 2018, simply by entering the code 'intrepidwino' at checkout.
Loic Avril was destined to work with wine, considering he grew up in one of France's most historic wine regions, and sharing of great wine and food was always important to his family. His love of hospitality and restaurants came very early, from the age of ten in fact, and he was determined to follow a path in fine dining. After gaining experience in restaurants in the Loire Valley and northern England, he joined the team at The Fat Duck - at one point considered the best restaurant in the world - and soon received significant attention when he was named the global best young sommelier. When the restaurant relocated to Melbourne for six months he relocated, and decided to stay and run the wine program when it transitioned to Dinner by Heston.
Late in 2017, in conjunction with Ear Buds, I held the first edition of The Vincast Live at Noisy Ritual in Brunswick East and on Facebook Live. Two former guests of The Vincast - Ben Ranken from Galli Estate (Episode 127) and Dan Buckle (Episode 67) - joined myself and co-host Nevena Spirovska (Quickie Podcast) to talk about grape varieties in Australia: what are they, why are they, where are they and what are the best ones? I hope you enjoy this chat, as much as the live audience did. Please provide us with some feedback and interest in a future edition.
There aren't many people who call Steve Lubiana Stefano, and you merely need to spend a few minutes with him to understand why. He is one of the most affable and soft-spoken Australian vignerons you'll find, very much a product of having grown up in the Riverland, the product of Italian migrants. In spite of his very generous and gregarious nature, he is a philosophical wine grower with a deep passion for not only biodynamic farming but the history of these practices. His imprint on the island state of Tasmania is immeasurable, and has been producing outstanding wines from the Derwent Valley for several decades.
When Jean-Jacques Morel made the decision to move his family from Paris to Burgundy, it in fact wasn't for wine, his entry into the wine industry was merely to earn a living once he moved to the region. It was his previous influences and experience that not doubt led to him finding a true passion for viticulture, and the decision was made to follow a path of wine farming. His incredible journey in life has not only influenced his approach to his wines, but also his approach to life, as his enthusiasm and affability his hard to deny. The fact that he limits interference with his wines is but a small part in his mystique and acclaim, and spending a short amount of time it's hard not to find his love of life infectious.
The Pannell family is one of the most iconic in Australian wine, having not once but twice pioneered the vigneron model in Western Australia. After being one of the first commercial wine producers in the now legendary and substantial Margaret River region (Moss Wood), they had a complete shift East to the still somewhat unexplored Pemberton region, where they established Picardy Wines. Here they focused on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and invited their son Dan to be an important part of the future. With such an incredible wine pedigree and a passion for Burgundy, it's easy to understand why Dan is regarded as one of the most incredible and honest winemakers in the state.
Despite having grown up in Rome and working in hospitality for a number of years, it wasn't until Mattia Cianca was working in Perth that he became interested in wine. The added irony was that he was working in an Italian restaurant, learning about Italian wines, in Australia! Since arriving Down Under he has been on a fast track for sommelier stardom, working at Australia's number one restaurant (Attica), and now with access to one of the most enviable lists in the country (Dinner by Heston). His talent and hard work was recently recognised by Sommeliers Australia, who named him 2017 Sommelier of the Year, and he is on a path to become a Master Sommelier in the next few years.
Without knowing it Rory Lane was about ten years ahead of the modern era of the Garage Winemaker in Australia with The Story Wines. In 2004, with only a few vintages experience mostly working in wineries in the United States, he took a punt on starting his own wine project, working out of a rented warehouse in suburban Melbourne. Fortunately he was able to purchase some outstanding Grampians fruit, and capture it in a bottle in an elegant expression that almost immediately began to turn heads. He is now considered to be one of the most exciting winemakers in Australia, and is an important representative for small 'virtual' wineries both here and overseas.
In a way, Ben Ranken's wine career has come full circle. He grew up on a vineyard in Tumbarumba, a region in New South Wales famed for the quality of its chardonnay. Recently he and his wife purchased the Wilimee Vineyard in Macedon, another cool-climate region ideal for chardonnay. In the intervening years he gained considerable vintage experience in Australia and the northern hemisphere, and since 2007 has been making wine at Galli Estate, an incredible Sunbury-based producer that also has a vineyard in Heathcote. We chatted about his winemaking journey, his many influences, and also how important the Lorenzo Galli Scholarship is for educating the wine industry on the nuances of Italian grapes that they work extensively with.
When Marie Doyard says that "Champagne is running through her blood", she's not kidding. Not only was she born in Reims and raised in the region, but her great-grandfather Maurice Doyard was one of the founders of the Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne (C.I.V.C.) during World War II. Her parents brought the Jacquart and Doyard estates together - all based in the Côte des Blancs - and when she took over in 2004 she had some dynamic ideas of how to take Champagne Andre Jacquart into the new millennium. On a recent visit to Melbourne I was able to find out more about her journey and about grower-champagne.
Alice Feiring is without question one of the most passionate and controversial voices in wine today, having spent many years delving into her own love of authentic and natural wine. Through countless articles, blog and newsletter pieces, and several books, Alice has carved a path to not only find but also bring to light some of the rarest gems in the wine world. Whilst her opinions are far from universally welcomed, her integrity is hard to question. She joined me via Skype on this episode to talk about her path and her newest book, The Dirty Guide to Wine.Follow James on Twitter, Instagram and FacebookSubscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!Follow The Vincast on Twitter and download all the previous episodes hereSubscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, PlayerFM or Podbean, and don’t forget to rate and review!Check out the Ear Buds network on Facebook!
Matt Holmes' winemaking career has come full circle. His first short experience as a chief winemaker was at Bannockburn Vineyards, stepping into a role that was vacated just before vintage, but in effect was a caretaker position until the new winemaker was appointed. Following that he gained experience all over the world, before recently returning to Bannockburn to become the permanent chief winemaker. We spoke on this episode about his amazing journey, and what excited him about the new opportunities that Bannockburn and Melbourne offer.Follow James on Twitter, Instagram and FacebookFollow The Vincast on Twitter and download all the previous episodes hereSubscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, PlayerFM or Podbean, and don’t forget to rate and review!Check out the Ear Buds network on Facebook!
Having worked in the Yarra Valley and spent plenty of time driving around it, I'm amazed at how geographically large and diverse it is. Mac Forbes has been one of the most important wine producers that has attempted to show how different each part of the region can be. He does this through the medium of grape variety, having released a number of sub-regional wines every vintage since 2004. I was thrilled to sit down with him and hear more about his journey and what led him to take such a serious risk in choosing this approach.
Growing up in Ballarat, John Harris graduated from Charles Sturt University with a degree in oenology in 1999, and soon took up a position at Domaine Chandon. Over the next seven years he gained much experience and by the end of his tenure was in charge of sparkling production for the Yarra Valley-based operation. In 2008, along with his wife's extended family, he began the Mitchell Harris brand that would eventually be based in their mutual home town of Ballarat.
To suggest that Elaine Chukan Brown has led an incredibly diverse life is a massive understatement. In fact she's lived several of them. Growing up in Alaska taught her an appreciation for the artisanal and the value of hard work, but it is her love of travel and discovery that eventually led to her becoming one of the most sought after voices in the global wine scene. She is probably most famous for pioneering the illustrated tasting note, something that some wineries have asked her to recreate on their wine labels!
Becoming the Chief Winemaker for Mount Pleasant Wines - one of the most important and historic vineyard/winery operations in Australia - is no mean feat. Being only the fourth chief winemaker since Maurice O'Shea is even more impressive. With incredible and diverse winemaking experience behind him, Jim Chatto did this a few years ago. He also manage to find time to produce some outstanding wines in Tasmania under the Chatto Wines label, where he has also recently been appointed Chief Winemaker of Kreglinger Estates.
Greg Lambrecht discovered an interest in wine while growing up in California, but his passion for discovery began when he studied in Boston and met the woman who would become his wife. Through family and friends he was able to taste and learn while he developed an incredible career in medical technology. During his wife's pregnancy he wanted to enjoy a glass of wine but it seemed a waste to open a bottle as she wasn't drinking. Thus he conceived of a device that could allow someone to drink from a bottle without opening it, and the Coravin is now changing the wine industry around the world.
To be an institution in the Melbourne wine trade you need to have been around for at least ten years and retain the elements that made you so amazing in the beginning. After 20 years as the owner-operator of Armadale Cellars, Phil Hude is most certainly an institution. He's been in wine retail for 30+ years, and has seen a great many wine trends come and go, and supported several Australian icons since they were young winemakers. Phil and I recorded this episode down in the wine catacomb of Armadale Cellars, discuss how Phil got into the business, his unique approach to wine retail over the years, and the exciting events that are being run to commemorate two decades of continuous wine retail on High Street.
Like so many in the industry, Brian Walsh got into the wine business almost by accident. As a teenager from the McLaren Vale, he was more interested in surfing that wine, but needing a job he took what was intended as a temporary position with Chateau Reynalla. He spent 20 years working in the McLaren Vale before accepting the position of chief winemaker at Yalumba in the Barossa in 1988. After an incredible 26 years he stepped away from full-time winemaking, and now sits on a number of industry boards, including the chair of Wine Australia.
Eliza and Angela Brown were born into Australian Wine History, being fourth-generation members of the Brown Family of Milawa. Their father Peter discovered a particular passion for fortified wines and the Rutherglen region, convincing the rest of the family to purchase All Saints Estate. He bought his siblings out of that part of the business, and focused all his energy into revitalising this historic brand. His untimely passing resulted in his three children taking over the business, and they have continued his legacy of innovation balanced with respect for tradition and heritage. Peter's two daughters both joined me on this episode to talk not only about the family and the estate, but also their own experiences and perspectives on the business.
When Kate McIntyre was 10 years old her parents established Moorooduc Estate on the Mornington Peninsula, which is not only one of the first commercial producers but considered one of the best. With only a casual interest in wine herself, it was culture and language that enticed her to travel overseas when she was younger. Upon her return she gained employment in the wine industry in a retail position, taking the opportunity to learn. She soon combined her burgeoning interest in wine with her love of Europe, working for a number of years for top Italian wine importer Trembath & Taylor. Eventually she was motivated to return home to join the family business, while concurrently studying to become a Master of Wine. She joined me on this episode to talk about her journey and how Moorooduc Estate is today.
As a teenager, Fiona Donald sent a letter to Len Evans after reading an article he wrote, asking him how one might enter the wine industry. He encouraged her to study to be a winemaker at the best place in the country at the time; Roseworthy College. Since graduating in 1990 Fiona has worked for some of Australia's most important wine companies in many of Australia's finest regions. Her work since 2009 as the chief winemaker of Seppeltsfield has brought her the most joy and the most acclaim, and has revitalised one of the country's most historic wineries.
The Brajkovich family emigrated to New Zealand from Croatia in the 1930s, bringing with them some experience growing grapes for wine production. After purchasing property just outside of Auckland in the 1940s, the family tended the vineyard for decades until officially launching the Kumeu River brand in 1986. The winemaker is the eldest son Michael, who has not only taken their wines to a world-class level, but also became New Zealand's first Master of Wine in 1989! Michael was my guest on this episode of The Vincast, sharing his family's and his own stories.
For the past few decades Campbell Mattinson has been carving his own path as a writer and journalist; he has maintained a fierce independence as a freelancer, focusing on the stories he has found most engaging; he grew his fledgling newsletter The Wine Front to become Australia's foremost digital voice on wine; and he has written a number of thought-provoking books on wine, most recently the incredible biography of Maurice O'Shea titled The Wine Hunter. I was very humbled to be able to chat with Campbell about his story, and his philosophies on wine communication, on this episode of The Vincast.
Ed Carr is unquestionably Australia's finest sparkling winemaker, but you may not be aware that he has pretty much always had that focus on Australian bubbles. Initially entering the wine industry as a microbiologist (from the milk industry in fact), he found a real interest in the science and process of winemaking. In 1986 he was appointed the sparkling winemaker for Seaview based in the Barossa Valley, where he remained until being offered a position to oversee all sparkling production for BRL Hardy (now Accolade Wines). This was when Arras was conceived of, and through his tireless efforts and a close relationship with Tasmania, he has built it to be one of the finest sparkling producers in the world.
For the past fourteen years, Ashley Ratcliff has worked for arguably Australia's most important family-owned wine business, Hill-Smith Family Vineyards. Over those years he worked in many different elements of the business, from viticulture to marketing, operations to running one of the wineries. More recently he has established a vineyard in the Riverland - considered one of the warm-hot irrigated regions known for large volume grape production - and has been planting more alternative varieties to show the potential for these grapes in the region, particularly for high quality fruit. He has now thrown himself 100% into Ricca Terra Farms, and even has other plans for the future.
Growing up in Sydney Ned Goodwin was really into skateboarding, surfing and listening to the band Kiss. Little did he know that an exchange year in Japan at the age of 15 would combine with a global journey in hospitality to him working for a large restaurant group and becoming the first Master of Wine in Japan. On this episode he joined me to talk about his journey, his influences, his love of authentic Australian wine and his recent role as Brand Ambassador for Champagne Charles Heidsieck.
Sarah Ahmed left a career in law to pursue a passion for wine, particularly for investigating and reading clues in wine, hence the alias The Wine Detective. After working for many years with wine retailer Oddbins, she became an independent wine communicator and educator, and since 2005 has contributed to some of the worlds foremost publications and reference books, particularly in her renowned fields of Australian and Portuguese wines.
Tyson Stelzer should be a name familiar to any wine lover in Australia, as he is one of the most prolific and celebrated wine communicators in the country. A visit to the Barossa Valley in 1998 started him on a trajectory of wine enthusiasm, which he explored both online and in print. Throughout his wine career he has been associated with a number of passions; an affinity with screw-cap closures on red wines; the great Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz; and more recently a close relationship with Champagne. He joined me on this episode to talk about his journey and some of his current projects.
Joe Holyman is an incredibly well-respected winemaker based in Tasmania, producing outstanding pinot noir and chardonnay under his Holyman and Stoney Rise labels. The respect he has garnered has not only come from his years of varied experience in many facets of the industry, but also from the fact that he is one of the loveliest guys you're likely to meet. Joe joined me on this episode of Australia's only podcast dedicated to wine, to share his journey and his passion for Tasmania.
When you consider at least 50% of wine consumers are women - undoubtedly the largest segment - it seems strange that someone hadn't created a community designed specifically for them! That was until Jane Thomson founded The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society in 2012, all about the fun and feminity of wine, running wonderful events to enjoy and learn about wine. More recently Jane has become a campaigner for more women in the wine industry, creating the Women in Wine Awards to recognise the significant contribution many female wine producers and marketers have made to the Australian wine industry. On this episode of The Vincast I chat with Jane about her journey and her passion for gender equality in the wine industry.
Caroline Mooney grew up in the Yarra Valley, very influenced by the wines and other agricultural products of the region. Her family has been farmers for decades and still run the Yarra Valley Dairy. Although inspired by art in her teens, she became more influenced by wine as a young adult, working in a cellar door. This began her journey in winemaking, which has included vintages outside the region and study at Charles Sturt. After working for Yering Station for many years she now has her own brand of Yarra Valley wine, Bird On A Wire.
Growing up in Southern California presented an incredible opportunity to Sierra Reed Milne when she was scouted for a modelling career at a young age, which in turn gave her the chance to travel and experience other cultures. After gaining a following on the 18th season of Survivor, she dreamed of becoming a television travel program host, but couldn't have imagined that it would be realised in New Zealand. It was here that she began her wine journey after working closely with the Family of Twelve, a journey that has led to her marrying an Australian, and making her own wine based in Victoria.
In the latter half of the 19th Century, there were a number of very important arrivals into the Yarra Valley region, less than 100km east of Melbourne, who happened to be Swiss. These were important viticultural who made a name for Australian wine in Paris and London, winning hearts, palates and medals. One of these pioneering Swiss families was the de Purys, who established Yeringberg in the area now known as Coldstream. My guest on this episode is Guill de Pury, the third-generation owner responsible for reviving the wine growing on the property at the end of the 1960s. He shared the important history of the family, the region, the farm and his own journey of (re)discovery.
Sharon Flynn had several periods in her life that influenced what would become her passion and business, but she wasn’t aware at the time. The first experience she remembers having an impact on her interest in fermented foods was making sour dough in Seattle. Her dedication to fermented foods really kicked off when her daughter became ill and she researched good bacteria and their influence in building resistances and immunities. When friends and family started asking for her products and insisting on paying for it, this led her on The Fermentary path, and it’s grown since then to be one of the best places to buy sauerkraut and other amazing products.
Would you believe it if I told you that in spite of being born in New Zealand and having extensive winemaking experience, Sam Connew has never had a vintage across the Tasman Sea! She has however worked in some of Australia’s most famous and historic regions, including the McLaren Vale and the Hunter Valley. More recently it has been in Tasmania where she has started carving out her own identity under the Stargazer brand, and she joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about how her journey informed her passion for cool-climate expressions.
One of the most authentic voices about great restaurants and natural wine comes from somewhere you may least expect; Hobart, Tasmania. This is where for many years Sue Dyson and Roger McShane have been based, travelling and writing about the best places to eat and drink not only on the Apple Isle, but also across Australia and France, for their website Food Tourist. It is also from here that they import some of the most delicious natural wine produced in France for their Living Wines business. We had a fantastic chat about a number of topics on this episode of The Vincast.
Lance Redgwell learned an appreciation for quality produce from his grandmother, who grew many of her own vegetables that she used in her kitchen. Once an adult he discovered wine and liked how it made him think, and decided to embark on a wine career. His policy was to learn by doing, and over his career he has gained experienced in a number of elements of the industry and in many locations. After much searching he decided to create his own wine in the Martinborough region of New Zealand, and the vineyard he purchased happened to be on Cambridge Road.
Ben Haines wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career, but his father sensed that the wine industry would be a great option. After studies and experience in viticulture, he discovered that quality doesn’t stop once the grapes are harvested, it continues all the way through to bottling. Postgraduate studies in winemaking lead him on a career path that would include vintage experiences overseas, and eventually led he was appointed chief winemaker at famed Grampians estate, Mount Langi Ghiran. Ben spoke about his journey on this episode of The Vincast.
Simon Killeen comes with quite the pedigree, being a seventh-generation Rutherglen-born winemaker. Growing up in vineyards and cellars very quickly made an impact, he barely entertained any other career apart from wine. After many years of experience in vineyards and wineries around the world, he made the bold decision to start his own project; Simão & Co. It was his intention to champion the Greater North-East of Victoria, purchasing grapes from growers in multiple regions. He joined me on this episode to talk about his journey and how he hopes to change people’s perceptions of this somewhat misunderstood part of the country.
Neill Robb’s father was a pioneer viticulturist and consultant, working in such important wine regions as the Hunter Valley and Pyrenees. It was in the latter region that Neill ended up following his father into the wine industry, eventually purchasing an estate with his wife Sally in 1973. Here they established one of the most important estates in this still neglected Victorian wine (and tourism) region, and this year marks the 40th year of the Sally’s Paddock wines being available both in Australia and beyond. Neill shared his story and insights on this episode of The Vincast.
Jane Faulkner is one of Australia’s most loved and respected wine journalists, with several decades of experience and countless tasting notes under her belt. She is also one of the most travelled wine writers, and is considered one of the foremost experts on Italian wine and alternative varieties in Australia. This is in part due to her role as chair of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. She (finally) joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about her background, her insights, her thoughts on wine communication, and the direction she hopes alternative varieties head in this country.
Iain Riggs is one of the most respected winemakers in Australia, with decades of experience making wine from regions across the country, as well as a wine show judge. He has been at the helm of Brokenwood Wines in the historic Hunter Valley for some time, elevating them to one of the top producers of semillon and shiraz in Australia. Having worked closely with the likes of Len Evans and his incredible tutorial, Iain took the reigns of this illustrious institution when Len passed away. Iain joined me on the podcast while he was recently in Melbourne, and we talked about his background and his views on Australian wine.
Jules van Costello got in touch via Twitter to let me know he was enjoying the podcast, and also to introduce me to his Kickstarter campaign for a new book called Aotearoa Nouveau, all about exciting developments in the New Zealand wine industry. Jules has a background in hospitality and writing, and has already run a succesful campaign for a book about New Zealand beer called Brewed. We chatted about how he got into the industry, and why he feels this books is so important.
For those who weren’t aware, China is now the sixth largest wine-producing country in the world, more than Australia in fact. While many may cynically assume that all the wine made in China is of a poor quality, there are some outstanding examples that also reflect their unique terroir. One such example is Grace Vineyard, found in the Shanxi province. Judy Chan, the owner and operator, was recently in Australia and she introduced a number of Australian wine lovers to her wines who were delighted with them. On this episode of The Vincast we talk about the Grace story and the Chinese wine market.
Walter Speller embraced wine in post-Cold War Berlin, particularly from Italy and Australia. After relocating to London, he was asked by Jancis Robinson if he would be interested in writing for her website, mostly as she admired him speaking his mind at a wine event. Since then he has become the main Italian correspondent, splitting his time between the UK and Padova. He has continued his interest in Australian wines, his opinion of Italian-variety-based wines in particular improving all the time. Walter was in Australia partly as a guest of the Melbourne International Food & Wine Festival, where I sat down with him to record this episode of The Vincast.
It was the lure of the exotic that brought Amanda Barnes – a journalist and writer from Hampshire, England – to South America. Surprisingly it wasn’t until she arrived in Argentina that she discovered a passion for wine and food, and was particularly seduced by the Mendoza region. As she discovered Chile and other parts of the continent, she carved a niche in writing about food, wine and travel in Latin America. Now she is embarking on a journey of truly epic proportions, attempting to visit 42 wine-producing countries during their vintages in the space of two years. Every step will be chronicled and communicated extensively, with the idea of subscribers joining the odyssey through a number of different media. On this episode of The Vincast Amanda talks about how she became such an authority of the wines of South America, and how she conceived of this ambitious concept to travel Around the World in 80 Harvests.
When the Thomson family bought the Best’s vineyard and winery in the 1920s they were continuing and building on a tradition that began 150 years ago. Great Western is one of the most historic regions in Australian wine, and it is here that some of the oldest vines and winemaking history continue to this day. Viv Thomson is the fourth generation to run this historic estate, and has been involved with the family business for the better part of 50 years. On this episode of The Vincast he shared with me not only his family’s story, but also how the wine industry has changed since the 1960s.
Most wine enthusiasts and professionals would be familiar with the name Max Allen, as for the past few decades he has been one of the foremost authorities on Australian wine. He has been a contributor to most of the countries important wine and food publications, and has himself penned a number of successful books including The Future Makers and Crush. He is such an advocate for authentic Australian wine that many may be unaware he is actually an ex-pat having emigrated here from England in the early 1990s! This partly explains his great passion for ciders, which we only briefly touched on in this fascinating chat about his background and philosophies on wine and wine communication.
Originally born in Ballarat, Alex discovered an interest in wine helping a childhood friend in his family winery for harvest one year. He then worked vintages in numerous regions and countries, before returning to Australia and commencing employment at Lethbridge Wines in Geelong. Here he started playing around with his own wines, quickly getting some attention for himself with the Byrne Wines brand. More recently he launched Noisy Ritual with some friends. Noisy Ritual is an urban winery that allows people to become members and work together to make wine that they can then enjoy with their friends and family.
Gilles Lapalus was “born in a barrel”, as wine is in his family in the Burgundy region of France. After working for many years in different roles he took a trip to the furthest place he could think of, Australia. It was here that he was not only introduced to the “new world” of wine, but also his partner. Gaining experience in South and North America, he pursued further projects in France and Italy before he was lured back to Australia and became the winemaker at Sutton Grange just outside Melbourne. During his tenure he introduced many elements to the brand, and also launched a vermouth to a thirsty Melbourne bar scene.
Daniel Fischl didn’t find working in laboratories particularly appealing, and whilst completing a PhD in Plant Molecular Genetics at UC Davis (California) he was introduced to viticulture and was seduced with what lay outside. It also helped that the viticulture and winemaking students seemed to have more fun. Fast forward many years of experience consulting as a viticulturist and agricultural scientist, he and his winemaker wife Michelle started the Linnaea Vineyards project with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. As he got work consulting in vineyards around the world he and Michelle discovered more terroirs and made more wines, across a number of continents and expressions.
With a PhD in plant biology Jamie Goode started one of the first wine blogs in the world. Based in London, over the years he took his part-time passion for wine writing and became one of the foremost independent communicators in the UK. His particular interest in wines from around the world that express a sense of place and a soft touch led him to co-writing the book Authentic Wine. He joined me via Skype from London to chat about his background and the current state of wine communication & criticism.
If you’re a fan of ’90s alternative music you can thank David Chatfield for bringing out international cult acts like Interpol, Mudhoney and Bon Iver. After 20 years in the music industry, Dave became more and more interested in wine, and decided to pursue a career as a winemaker. Thanks to his music cred he got a job at Giant Steps with Steve Flamsteed, and hasn’t looked back. He joined forces with former university friend Nathan Reeves (my guest on part one of this episode), and formed Out of Step Wine Company in the Yarra Valley.
Nathan Reeves, who originally hails from Western Australia, discovered an interest in wine while working in hospitality to support his music. When the band didn’t pan out he began studying to become a winemaker, and gained experience in Australia and the United States (where he met his wife). Along with Dave Chatfield whom he met when they were both studying winemaking, he started Out of Step Wine Co. with a Sauvignon Blanc that very rapidly got them attention.
David LeMire started his career in wine similar to how I did; working in a wine shop while studying at university. He gained experience working for Oddbins in the UK, and whilst there he was introduced to the Master of Wine via his studies of the WSET. Upon returning to Australia, he spent ten years working for Negociants in sales and exports, and during this period became a Master of Wine. Since 2010 he was worked with Australia’s first MW (Michael Hill-Smith) at Shaw + Smith in the Adelaide Hills. He also has been involved with his own wine project La Linea, and the wine bar Mothervine in Adelaide.
Anna Martens began her wine career just outside of her home town of Adelaide, working with one of Australia’s foremost authorities on winemaking, Brian Croser. After spending almost ten years at Petaluma, she wanted to spread her wine-wings. She spent some time in New Zealand studying for the Master of Wine, but soon ended up working at the prestigious Super-Tuscan estate of Ornellaia. This was where she met her eventual husband Eric Nairoo, and through his own business importing into the UK, she was introduced to natural wines. Eventually they decided to find somewhere she could produce her own wine, and they chose the volcanic slopes of Mt. Etna, where she now produces Vino di Anna.
After discovering a CD of Georgian polyphonic singing in a second-hand record store in Richmond Virginia, John Wurdeman was amazed many years later to randomly enjoy a private performance of the group on the CD visiting Georgia. At the time he was studying art in Moscow, but after visiting Georgia he decided he would settle there and pursue the life of an artist. After many years preserving traditional Georgian polyphonic singing whilst based in the town of Tibaani, John was offered (bullied) into making some wine with the same ideals of preserving tradition. This was how Pheasant’s Tears was born, and since 2007 John has been involved with not only taking Georgian wine to the world, but also introducing visitors to Georgian life and culture.
Adrian Santolin grew up in the Griffith region of NSW, with both parents involved in the wine industry. He began working with wine as a teenager, and after a brief period when he contemplated a career in a completely different field, returned to Griffith to work for De Bortoli. After experience in the Hunter Valley he ended up in the Yarra Valley region of Victoria, where he eventually started his own business producing small batch wines under the Santolin Wines brand.
Shashi Singh moved to Australia from India when she was 21 years old, to marry her husband of over 30 years Devendra. Her family in India to this day are involved with agriculture (growing sugar cane and wheat), but before she left India she completed a Master’s degree in Chemistry. After running a succesful Indian restaurant in Frankston for many years, and having visited many producers on the nearby Mornington Peninsula, Shashi and Devendra decided to purchase a vineyard in the region and carve out their own story. While studying viticulture and oenology with Charles Sturt University, Shashi’s real education came from working with Phillip Jones, the man behind cult pinot noir producer Bass Phillip. Since 2009 the Avani story has been all about syrah, and though small in production has turned a lot of heads.
Sardinia is one of the most unusual wine-producing regions in the world, and there are few producers more unique than Tenute Dettori. The Romania area, located in the northern part of the island, is famous for its cannonau-based red wines; robust, rustic and long-lived. Alessandro Dettori took the mantle of running the estate at a very young age when his grandfather passed away and insisted that he take over. Since then he has been on a constant quest to maintain the traditions set out by his grandfather, whilst making the best most-representative wines he can with as little human impact as possible.
Alister Purbrick, almost on a whim, became the first qualified winemaker at Tahbilk, graduating from Roseworthy College. At 24 he took over at the family winery, not only as winemaker but also as CEO, working closely with his grandfather. He completely revitalised systems in the vineyards and the cellars, and whilst improving the white wine production, retained the iconic style of red wine production. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast after a back-vintage tasting of the 1860 Vines Shiraz, starting with the first one released in 1979, one of his greatest legacies.
Alex Head discovered a love and fascination of wine whilst studying sciences at Sydney University. After travelling on a gastronomic journey across Europe he was hooked. Many years were spent in iconic Sydney wine retail, before a tenure at Langton’s. This experience led a sea-change to the Barossa where he eventually established Head Wines. In the past almost ten years he was forged a reputation for producing some of the most exciting wines in the region, particularly those from Rhone Valley varieties.
Dan Buckle is no slouch when it comes to winemaking, gaining experience at some of the most awarded wineries in Victoria. Having worked for Yering Station & Mount Langi Ghiran he joined Domaine Chandon Australia as the Chief Winemaker several years ago, breathing new life into their sparkling and still wines. Honouring his original entry into wine as a teenager, he also produces some of his own wines from the Mornington Peninsula under the Circe brand. He joins me on this episode of the podcast to chat about his journey.
Patrick Sullivan is one of the most exciting young winemakers in Victoria, and the type of wines he is producing are dramatically changing the discussion about what is wine, what is Australian wine, and what is quality Australian wine. He has recently bought land in West Gippsland and will eventually become the vigneron (both growing the grapes and making the wines) he has so long wanted to be. On this episode he chats about his experiences and philosophies, and why a winemaking degree didn’t really help him much.
Mario Marson has worked in vineyards in Australia for many years, and has been a champion for high quality grapes making high quality wines. When he decided to plant his own vineyard, he chose to do so in the Victorian region of Heathcote, and he chose to plant some grape varieties that were close to his family heritage in Italy. His Vinea Marson wines were some of the first to show how high quality wines from alternative grapes could be achieved in Australia, and today are highly sought after by a market that is embracing difference.
Jeni Port is without question one of the most respected wine communicators in Australia. Not only is she the longest running contributor to The Age Epicure lift-out, she has written articles about wine for numerous other publications including Gourmet Traveller Wine, Wine Companion, Winestate and Wine Selector. Her passion is undeniable, particularly for women in wine and Victorian marsanne. She shares her experience and wisdom on this episode of The Vincast.
Before entering the wine industry, Julian had a successful and diverse career in the film and advertising industries, until he desired a more peaceful life on a vineyard. He scoured Australia for his slice of heaven but “kept coming back to Beechworth” in Victoria, eventually establishing Castagna Vineyard at 500m on granite soils. Due to his fascination with and affinity to biodynamic European wines, he became the first official biodynamic vintner in Australia, and an ambassador for biodynamic agriculture in the country, organising such fantastic events as the Return to Terroir tastings.
Neil Prentice has a career in the wine industry both long and storied. On this episode of The Vincast, he tells of coming from dairy-farming stock, working in hospitality since the halcyon days of the late ’80s, planting a biodynamically-grown pinot noir vineyard in Gippsland called Moondarra, and his love of pinot gris for Holly’s Garden.
Gary Mills didn’t learn how to make wine from any studies or books, he learned by doing. After falling into the wine industry in his home state of Western Australia, he got an opportunity to work in California for one of the most fabled vintners in the state, and his fate was sealed. He eventually returned to Australia and settled in Victoria, where he has become one of the most sought after single-vineyard winemakers in the country.
When Brad Wehr began selling wine called Wine By Brad, using very distinctive packaging that was quite different to the more traditional style, and actually marketing it to new customers, it caused quite a stir. As far as wine goes, Margaret River is fairly conservative, in contrast to the surfing image it has. So Brad has definitely turned heads over the years, and has continued to do so more recently as he focuses on alternative varieties with Amato Vino.
After working vintages across multiple continents Andrew (AJ) Hoadley discovered the Great Southern region of Western Australia and decided he wanted to make wines here. He began producing innovative wines from small parcels of fruit, and was quietly thrilled with the results. Many agreed with him, and were seduced similarly with the distinctive La Violetta labels. He joins me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about how he got into winemaking, where his career has taken him, and how he is interpreting this isolated part of Australia.
Campbell Burton has a sincere love of and passion for wines of tradition and minimal intervention, and has the opportunity to introduce people to them in his role as the sommelier of the Builders Arms Hotel. On this episode of The Vincast he talks about his path of discovery, how he began importing some wines of his own, and why he decided to launch an event dedicated to sulphur-free wine called Soulfor Wine.
Tom & Sally Belford are producing some of the most exciting small-batch wines in the Yarra Valley, under the moniker of Bobar. They met whilst studying viticulture at Charles Sturt University, and after gaining experience in vineyards & cellars in Australia and Europe, decided to craft their own expressions from fruit grown in Tom’s home region. Tom joined me on this episode of The Vincast to tell their story, and share some insight on their philosophy of elegant simplicity.
Frankland Estate is without question one of the finest riesling producers in Australia, and it was Hunter Smith’s parents who established the vineyard in an area still very under-appreciated. When he took over the running of the estate he decided to convert to organic viticulture which has had a profound influence on quality recently. Hunter is so committed to the maligned riesling variety that he created the Frankland Estate International Riesling Tasting (now Riesling Downunder) to showcase the quality and continued potential here in Australia.
I’ve been familiar with the work of Tess Brown for a number of years without knowing how extensive her experience in viticulture has been around Australia. As she increased her knowledge and expertise – also as a winemaker – she began to gravitate towards establishing her own vineyard and winery, which she has recently done with her partner in Beechworth, Victoria. Tess joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about her experiences and her plans for the new project.
I make no secret of my love for Italian wines, and also Italian grape varieties planted in Australia. For this episode of The Vincast I was very honoured and excited to talk to Kim & Tennille Chalmers who with their family have been at the forefront not only of importing Italian grape varieties for their nursery which are then made available for sale, but also for producing their own wine from fruit they grow themselves in Mildura and Heathcote. They joined me to chat about the origins of the business, how the Australian viticultural landscape and wine market has changed, and how they are educating trade, media and consumers alike of the potential many of these grapes have in Australia.
Kathy Lane has worked in the wine industry for 25 years, and over the past 12 years she has worked on a range of high-profile, premium global brands, organising launches and events and building media profile for her clients at Fireworks PR. She joins me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about her background, about public relations as it relates to wine, and how she helps her clients – like Australia’s First Families of Wine – reach their audience to tell their unique stories.
Have you ever considered a career in wine business & marketing? Did you know that you can study it academically, to a PhD level? Well Damien Wilson did just that, and currently shares his incredible understanding of markets, consumers and branding with students at the Dijon School of Wine & Spirits. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about how he got into the field and how important understanding about this complicated topic will be in the future.
Two things in Nathan Earl’s life coalesced for him to create (and star in) the innovative wine program Plonk. The first was growing up in the Hunter Valley and several of his family working in cellar doors, giving him an early appreciation for Australian wine. The second was a career in Australian television, much of which was spent working with comedy “guerrillas” The Chaser. Starring alongside Nathan is university friend Josh Tyler and Chaser member Chris Taylor. Plonk is a tongue-in-cheek look at Australian wine and the creation of a fictional wine program, and how things can so easily go wrong.
Randall Pollard is a name in Victoria synonymous with independent fine-wine sales, having worked in the industry for almost 20 years before opening his own wine store in Geelong (Randall’s), and then importing a range of outstanding artisan wines from France and Europe (Heart & Soil). His love of wine stems from sneaking glasses of wine from the cask at the age of 15, enjoying it with cheese and bread. He shared more stories from his career on this episode of The Vincast.
Il Mosnel was only the third domaine created in Franciacorta to make metodo classico wines from chardonnay, pinot noir (nero) and pinot blanc (bianco), way back when the DOC was created in the 1960s. Emanuela Barboglio was the matriarch of Franciacorta as the first woman to run an estate, and distinguished herself by focusing on white varieties – particularly pinot bianco. Her children now run the estate, and daughter Lucia Barzanò joined me on this episode whilst she was in Australia to talk about Il Mosnel and Franciacorta.
Weingut Gunderloch in the Rheinhessen region of Germany is one the greatest wineries in Europe if you are in the know. They are the only winery in the world to have received 100 points for the same wine in three separate vintages, for their incredibly rare trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). Johannes Hasselbach hadn’t intended on running his family’s estate, until in 2010 when his father became ill (since recovered), and his sister who had been involved with the winemaking relocating to Austria to work with her husband. An intrepid philosophy led Johannes to travel and explore, and he has slowly began to introduce this into the winery since then. He joined me in the Treasury Gardens of Melbourne on a sunny morning to talk about his journey.
It’s impossible not to like Bill Downie as he is such a down-to-earth person, a brilliantly talented winemaker, and is also incredibly humble. His skills are not his technical prowess, skills which he picked up for the most part learning on the job, but his ability to simply capture the essence of what nature provides in a certain place. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast to discuss his background, his approaches to wine, and how he imparts as little of himself to his pinot noir for William Downie Wines and the singular 1000 Candles from the Yarra Valley.
Someone like Tom Barry is rare indeed, as he is probably one of only a few third-generation qualified winemakers in Australia. His grandfather Jim Brazill Barry was an early winemaking graduate of Roseworthy college in 1944, the first agricultural college in Australia, and the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley. Tom’s father Peter James also studied at Roseworthy, and Tom himself recently completed the course at the Waite campus of the University of Adelaide which Roseworthy merged with some years ago. Being based in the Clare Valley, one of the most important varieties for Jim Barry Wines and Clos Clare (which he and brother Sam took over a few years ago) is undoubtedly riesling. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his background, the Clare Valley, and how important riesling is.
Alder Yarrow started his wine blog Vinography back in 2004 when the concept of a blog, let alone a wine blog, was still very unfamiliar. In spite of the fact that he quickly became the biggest wine blogger in the U.S.A. and remains so to this day, he still does it for passion and not as his primary source of income. Based in San Francisco, Alder not only receives samples of wines from all over the world but has had the opportunity to travel as well. In 2014 he ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch his book The Essence of Wine, which breaks down various characters of wine through a combination of words and images. He joins me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his journey and passions.
After working for many years as a sommelier with some of the best lists in New York City, Brad Hickey had a chance to work vintage in Australia, and fell in love not only with the lifestyle but also his eventual partner Nicole Thorpe. He had the opportunity to create his own expression from the Omensetter vineyard that belonged to Nicole’s family, and the name he chose for the brand was a nickname he’d been given by the locals; Brash Higgins. In only a handful of vintages he has gained a reputation for making some of the most interesting wines in the McLaren Vale and beyond, sometimes working with unfamiliar varieties like Nero d’Avola and Zibibbo. He shares his story and how he came to make the wines he does.
In 2007, with only an avid interest in wine, Jacopo Cossater decided to chronicle his wine journey and education via a blog called Enoiche Illusioni. Initially it was only a way for him to record his experiences tasting wines, but eventually he began to notice people reading and commenting on his posts. He was asked to become a contributor to a new kind of wine blog – a communal wine blog – called Intravino, that continues to be both popular and controversial. We chatted about his background and what he hopes this new publication will be.
Peter Scudamore-Smith was Australia’s second ever Master of Wine, the most illustrious title and qualification one can receive in the wine industry. He has led a fascinating life of wine, and he joined me on the first episode of 2015 to discuss his origins in wine, working in both Australian and European wine markets, and how his love of Italy and France has led him to take tours there as part of his business Uncorked and Cultivated.
Many Melbourne-based wine lovers would be familiar with the name Boccaccio Cellars, as they have regularly advertised in the Epicure lift-out of The Age every Tuesday. The Balwyn-based retailer has been selling wines for nearly 40 years, specialising in Italian wines. Anthony D’Anna, second generation Italo-Australian, has been heavily involved in the family business for many years, not only with Boccaccio but also their winery in the Yarra Valley (Hoddles Creek Estate) and more recently, Mondo Imports working with some outstanding small producers from Italy. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his upbringing and work in the family business, and his perspective on Italian wines in Australia.
If you’ve ever wondered what my biggest influence was for this podcast, it was listening to The Crush podcast, hosted by Christina Pickard and Whitney Adams. The podcast was a very relaxed fun look at wine and incorporated guests and very entertaining segments. They started the podcast when Christina was in London, and Whitney was in Los Angeles, but after Christina relocated to her husband’s home town of Perth, it became more difficult to record the show. She continues to write and present, but she has also more recently started The School of Wine to educate Perth wine lovers in a fun environment.
Dave Brookes is currently one of the most accomplished and sought after wine judges in Australia having been awarded dux of the Len Evans Tutorial in 2011. He was also one of the first voices for sustainable and natural wine in the country, writing about his passion for these products on his popular blog Vinofreakism. He joins me on this episode to talk about his journey, his philosophy and his unique perspectives.
Owen Latta from Eastern Peake and Latta Vino joins me on this episode of The Vincast, talking about growing up with the vineyard his parents planted when he was born, taking over from his father at a young age, and discovering new projects along the way.
The one and only Giorgio de Maria joins me on the show in this episode. As one of the leading lights of the natural wine movement in Australia, Italian-born Giorgio was behind such Sydney institutions as Vini and 121BC. He is also one of the organisers of the Rootstock Festival, this year held in Sydney for the second time. He shared a bit about his background and how he came to work with wines of this calibre.
To say that Adam Foster has had an interest in food and wine for a long time is an understatement. Having grown up in Bendigo and beginning his career as a chef, a love of wine and a desire to make it himself led him to studies, travel and working vintage in numerous regions in Australia and France. When he began to make his own wine he worked as a sommelier to support himself, working at the famous Lakehouse in Daylesford, but now his winemaking is his full-time job. Three varieties have captured his attention; syrah for his Syrahmi project, sangiovese for his Foster e Rocco project, and grenache for his L’Imposteur project in France.
Ed Merrison has a very unique perspective on wine, particularly Australian wine. Firstly as a freelance journalist with an open mind, a thirst for a unique angle, and a desire to tell a story rather than simply the facts. Secondly, as an Englishman with very little family background in wine. He moved to Melbourne in 2002 with his Australian wife, and through being introduced via the local wine culture and also travelling to a number of wine regions, found Australian wine and the people who work with it to be authentic, vibrant and honest. On this episode of The Vincast he talks about his journey and his passions.
Gembrook Hill was established back in 1983 in the most southern part of the Yarra Valley, and over the past 31 years has built a reputation for producing some of the finest cool-climate expressions in Australia, whilst maintaining an artisan cult status. The second of three children Andrew was the one to follow a career in the wine industry which has led to him working for wineries large and small all around the world. Although he is now very involved in Gembrook Hill with his parents he has more recently started his own winemaking project under The Wanderer moniker and also started producing a gin (Melbourne Gin Company), which all tie together with his own philosophy influenced by his upbringing and experiences.
Burch Family Wines, although new in name, originates back in the mid 1980s when Howard Park was first established in the Denmark area of Great Southern in Western Australia. In the last 30 years or so it has gone from strength to strength, expanding to the Margaret River and recently becoming a member of Australia’s First Families of Wine, an initiative designed to highlight the unique regions and families behind some of the countries best loved producers. Richard Burch is one of the ‘next gen’ of the group, and he joins me to talk about what this means to him as well as some of the exciting initiatives the group is engaging in to get the message out to the world.
The Jimmy Watson Trophy is one of the most coveted and prestigious prizes in Australian winemaking, and for the first time since the 1950s a Pinot Noir has recently taken it out. On this episode I welcome the trophy-winning winemaker from Yabby Lake Tom Carson, who over the past 20 years has established a place in the industry not only for his exceptional skills as a vigneron but also his innovative business insights. We cover his origins, his studies and his path in the industry that has led him to putting pinot noir back on the map.
The Italian region of Friuli is possibly one of the most diverse in the world, with many distinct areas and vineyards planted to numerous varieties. Within the unique area of Oslavia on the Slovenian border can be found Azienda Agricola Fiegl where my guest Martin Fiegl’s family have grown grapes for many generations and have made wines under their own label since 1992. We chat about the winery, his responsibilities in the family, and his views of Italian wine in the global market.
Yarra Valley based Luke Lambert joins me on this episode of The Vincast. Originally from Brisbane he discovered a love of elegant food-friendly wines early on and after being inspired by Italian wines decided to become a winemaker, applying for university from a phone box in London. He explains how he has become one of the leading lights of small batch “hands-off” winemaking in Australia in the space of ten years.
On the fourth episode of The Vincast I sat down with Daniel Honan, originally from Newcastle with a background in journalism. Whilst working for a wine bar in London he discovered ‘Real’ wine, wines made using organic, biodynamic and/or natural practices. When he returned to the Hunter Valley earlier this year he wanted to learn more and share his passion with the world, and now writes about Australian wines in this vein. We attempt to dissect what these wines are whilst talking about his past present and future.
On this the second episode of The Vincast we have our first get-to-know-you. Our special guest is David Bowley, the owner, operator and marketer of Vinteloper Wines. Dave makes wines from a number of different varieties that best express their region and site, some are single variety and some are blends. On the episode we talk about how he got into wine, his reason for initially pursuing a “day job” in the industry, and what ultimately led him to start the Vinteloper project.