Stories From the Cellar

Today's episode is with Ronnie Sanders, Vine Street Imports' founder and CEO. In today's show, we discuss the early days of the business, and all the various ways that it has evolved over the last nearly quarter century. You'll hear Ronnie's take on building a business that is rooted in challenging categories – such as Australia, South Africa, and England - as well as what happens when you go into...

Trevor Clough is the owner and head blender at Digby Fine English based in West Sussex, England. Digby is a sparkling wine brand, and they're the first wine producer to operate under the négociant, or blending house, model in England. This means they source their grapes from growers in places like Kent, Sussex, and Dorset, and blend the batches in their cellar at their headquarters in Arendal, abo...

Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager, tells the story of how Digby Fine English came to be in the Vine Street Imports portfolio thanks to a well known wine writer's son. Ronnie Sanders, CEO, chimes in with one very important thing that Trevor Clough (owner of Digby) gets right every time.  Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website  

Frederick Stevenson is the brainchild (and longtime alias) of Steve Crawford. Steve launched this small-scale winery based in Adelaide, Australia as an antidote to the industrial scale and trophy winemaking that he felt had overwhelmed the Aussie wine scene. What Steve prefers to make and drink are the fresher, livelier styles he had become accustomed to drinking while living and working in Europe...

Ronnie Sanders, founder & CEO of Vine Street Imports, recounts how he met Steve Crawford, the winemaker and owner of Frederick Stevenson , for the first time in Adelaide.  Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website  

John Seccombe is the legend behind Thorne and Daughters , which is based in Bot River, South Africa. Ask anyone who's got a pulse on the South African wine industry today and they'll tell you John Seccombe is one the greats. Tim Atkin named him a First Growth producer of South Africa, Jancis Robinson credits  John with being "very much part of the new wave responsible for reigniting interest in So...

How did Thorne & Daughters enter the Vine Street Imports portfolio, you ask? Aaron Meeker, our National Sales Manager/ South African wine aficionado, is here to tell you (and wax poetic about his winemaker man crush, John Seccombe).  Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website  

Today's episode is with Alastair Reed of Konpira Maru , which is based in the Whitlands subregion of the King Valley in Victoria, Australia. Konpira Maru is known for its quirky natural wines adorned with intriguing names like Admiral Ackbar and Square Root of Five. In this episode you'll hear what Konpira Maru really means (no, it's not a japanese whaling vessel) and how owner Alastair Reed and h...

Hear the story of how Konpira Maru came to be in the Vine Street Imports portfolio by way of another Aussie winemaker, as told by Ronnie Sanders, CEO, and Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager.  Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website  

Today's episode is with Tim Wildman of Wildman Wines ​. At Vine Street Imports, we import his two "sibling" pét-nats to the US. Pét-nat is short for 'pétillant naturel' which is a fizzy style of wine that is made by bottling the wine before fermentation is complete so that some of the CO2 is captured in the bottle. We import both his flagship wine, Astro Bunny  (a skinsy "carrot juice-colored" sty...

Ronnie Sanders, Vine Street Imports' CEO, and Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager, recount their first time meeting Tim Wildman of Wildman Wines at a lunch with Zar and Elena Brooks of Dandelion Vineyards in McLaren Vale. 

If you've never heard of Banele Vakele or Tembela Wines , listen to this episode. He's such a charismatic guy, with a smile that stretches from ear to ear, and a soulful chuckle. Tembela Wines is the newest South African producer to join the Vine Street Imports portfolio. He makes a Chenin Blanc and a Syrah, sourced from regions you wouldn't necessarily expect (Durbanville for the Chenin, an area...

Hear Ronnie Sanders, CEO, and Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager, recount their first time meeting Banele Vakele , the owner and head winemaker of Tembela Wines , in South Africa. Plus, hear what profession Ronnie thinks Banele is equally suited for...    

Trizanne Barnard from Trizanne Signature Wines is a force of nature. She's an avid surfer, rock climber, and acclaimed South African winemaker. In her earlier years, she worked as the assistant winemaker for Klein Constantia, and then she helped launch their sister brand, Anwilka, as the head winemaker. In this episode, you'll hear how praise from Robert Parker during her first vintage making wine...

Ronnie Sanders, CEO, and Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager, give a brief explanation on their happenstance introduction to Trizanne Barnard. They share how her Sauvignon Blanc (Aaron Meeker's 17th favorite grape) actually managed to excite him. Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!  Vine Street Imports Instagram   |  Website   Trizanne Signature Wines

Today's inaugural episode is with Mick Craven of Craven Wines based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Craven Wines is known for their single-vineyard bottlings, and their infamous skin-contact Pinot Gris – which, if you've been Keeping up with the Cravens lately, you'll know has yet again gotten the red tape by the South African Wine & Spirit Board. Mick works in the cellar with his wife, Jeanine, to...

Ronnie Sanders, CEO, and Aaron Meeker, National Sales Manager, give a brief explanation on how, in 2015, Craven Wines would change the course of Vine Street Imports as we knew it.  Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website   Craven Wines

On September 7, 2022, Vine Street Imports is launching "Stories from the Cellar," the podcast that tells the stories of the small producers from around the world whose wines we import to the United States. From up-and-coming producers to established legends, you'll hear their life stories, learn about their wines, and get a glimpse into how they see their countries' wine industries. Hosted by Char...