In The Vineyard With Podcast

In this episode, I was talking to Father and son team of Paul Cluver Senior and Junior about their Elgin vineyards and wines. It is a fascinating account filled with brave and visionary decisions and visions. Planting a vineyard against all professional advice, in times when South African wines were not exported in any volume and when there was no other vineyard planted anywhere in the valley. We...

In this episode I was chatting with Yiannis Paraskevopoulous from Gaia Wines on the island of Santorini and the Nemea region in Greece about his personal journey into wine, making wines in Santorini, experimentation with ageing white wines on the sea floor, off the coast of the island, the main characteristics of Nemea as a region and Aghiorgitiko, its main grape. We discussed Assyrtiko and its qu...

In this live webinar, Cathy Van Zyl MW and I hosted Hannes Storm (Storm Wines) and Richard Kershaw MW (Richard Kershaw Wines) for a comprehensive discussion about the Pinot Noir wines of Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde in South Africa. We heard from them about the unique terroir in each zone, their choices of vineyard sites, clones, rootstock as well as the challenges, such as disease and pests (watch ou...

Listen to my chat with Kate McIntyre MW from Moorooduc Estate, in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Kate was telling me about her parents' decision to buy land and plant a vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula in the early 80's. About the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir they're making. Her way through wine and her long journey to become a master of Wine. Her inspirations from elsewhere in th...

In this episode (part2 of 2), Ben was able to address some question presented by some friends of the podcast and the Etna Wine School. Issues we covered: growing vines and making wines on an active volcano, the different aspects of the mountain and the micro climates, soil types, training methods... Pistachios, favourite food and wines pairings, global warming, sparkling wines of Etna and more. Pr...

In this episode I was talking to Benjamin Spencer about the wines of Mount Etna, in Sicily, Italy. This is part 1 of 2, you can hear Ben telling us about his love affair with Sicily and Mount Etna in particular. The grapes and vineyards of the mountain. Nerello Mascelese, Caricante and much more...

My original conversation with Anselme and Guillaume Selosse. My questions in English, answers are in French.

An interview (in English) with one of the world's most original and visionary winemakers, Anselme Selosse and his son Guillaume Selosse. We discussed his early days beside his father, the decisions that led him to move to biodynamic viticulture. A fascinating description of his wines from individual plots (lieu-dits) and his view of retirement.

In this conversation I was talking with Cedric Mousse, from the Champagne of Mousse Fils in the village of Cuisles in the Vallee de la Marne. Mousse is a Meunier specialist with incredible terroir driven Champagne ( and a beautiful Ratafia too!) that has followers the world over.

One of the rising stars of Champagne, Jean-Marc Sélèque was talking to me about his vineyards and wines, his Polish origins, convincing his family that investing in the vineyards and a new winery are justifiable long term decisions, the uniqueness of the Coteaux Sud D'Epernay and what is behind his winemaking philosophy.

In this episode, I was chatting to Arthur Larmandier about the family estate their beautifully crafted wines. You can read more about the visit and the wines on the website or via Instagram @in.the.vineyard.with www.inthevineyardwith.com www.larmandier.fr

In this episode I hosted two of the leading experts on the wines of the East Mediterranean. Demetri Walters MW and Adam Montefiore. We hear about the ancient wine routes and the fame those wines achived in the ancient world. Fast forward to the more recent history of the last 400 years and the Ottoman rule and how it affected the region. The 60's and 70's with East European tankers filling up on c...

In this conversation, Justine Tesseron, of Chateâu Pontet-Canet in Pauillac, Bordeaux, is telling the story of the family's arrival from Cognac back in 1961. The purchase of Pontet-Canet and raising it to one of the most desired Pauillac wines in the last 20 years with glowing reviews. We talked about the decision to go organic and the move to full biodynamic viticulture; the experimentation with...

I visited Thibault Liger-Belair in the beautiful ''Les Saint Georges'' Vineyard and in the cellar of his new winery on the edge of Nuits-St-Georges , in December 2019. We discussed Biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy, his decision to abandon Paris at an early age and move back to his ancestral vineyards of Bourgogne. His mission, to give Nuits-St-Georges its first Grand Cru vineyard, changing the s...

Israrel's most eminent wine ambassador, Adam Montefiore spent an engaging hour in the lead up to the Jewish New Year talking to me about the evolving Israeli wine scene. We discussed the history from the mid 19th century, before the first Jewish settlers arrived and brought with them European Viticulture. Kiddush wines (sweet reds) and how the industry emerged from their unsophisticated image in t...

It's the perfect weather for a chilled bottle of something fizzy. In my glass, a delicious Methode Cap Classique (MCC) Rose from Paul René in Robertson, South Africa. To many of us MCC is a relative newcomer on the ever-growing traditional sparkling scene but next year South Africa will celebrate  50  years since its creation. Unable to use the term Method Champenoise (or any mention of the Champa...

The second part of our Greek wine odyssey- Naoussa! Greece's most important red wine region. The land of Xinomavro . Green hills, sleepy villages, a patchwork of old vineyards growing this unique northern Greek grape. In this conversation, I hosted Stelios Boutaris, CEO of Kir-Yianni, one of the most important estates in Naoussa and neighbouring Amindeo and a beacon of Greek winemaking. We were jo...

The first leg of our Greek Wine Odyssey! On Wednesday 1st of July, our journey began in the northern Greek regions of Goumenissa and Amyndeo, in Macedonia. Laurens Hartman (Domaine Karanika) and Chloi Chatzivariti (Ktima Chatzivariti) shared their passion for these regions with us.

In this session,  I hosted Cathy Van Zyl MW, Christo Le Riche, Cellar Master at Le Riche Wines and Chairman of the Stellenbosch Cabernet Collective and Alastair Rimmer, Cellar Master at Kleine Zalze winery. We discussed the intricate details of the Stellenbosch Vineyards. Their complex geology, topography, soils, vineyard aspects, wind influences and of course, how all that translates to the liqui...

Caroline Gilby MW is the world's highest authority on Eastern European wines. In this interactive discussion, Caroline took us through the region's turbulent past, from pre-communism wines to the exciting present day. We heard about the major grape varieties, the complex and diverse topography, the vineyard areas, the production levels, import/export and much more. If you find the discussion inter...

The Leafroll virus is a global issue and a hot topic amongst winemakers and Viticulturalists all over the world. In this discussion, my Co-Host, Cathy Van Zyl MW and myself, hosted Professor Gerhard Pietersen from the Stellenbosch University and Aidan Morton from The Takora Wine Estate for an informative, up to date seminar about the topic. Other notable professionals that joined us in an open con...

Listen to Cathy Van Zyl MW and Me in conversation with two of South Africa's most respected winemakers. The charismatic "King of Chenin" Ken Forrester and one of Swartland's biggest ambassadors, Andrea Mullineux. Comparing Chenin from their regions, the terroir characteristics, preferences in the vineyard and in the winery. This is a first in a series of conversations with Cathy and myself, coveri...

Elizabeth Gabay MW a leading expert on Rosé wines and myself, were talking via zoom to a fascinating group of Natural winemakers from 4 different regions of Europe. Amongst the issue we discussed: What is Rosé wine? Can Rosé age? Can Rosé be classed as a terroir wine? What are the differences between Natural Rosé and standard Rosé? What is the history of Rosé in the 4 respective regions? Grape var...

This Saturday, I had the pleasure of talking to a true giant in the world of wine and one of the greatest ambassadors of Bordeaux. Jean-Michel Cazes is a pioneer and deserved part of Bordeaux history. A true gentleman and a great storyteller, Jean-Michel joined us from his home in Pauillac, during lockdown. It was a tonic to us all to hear his anecdotes and thoughts. Thank you to those who joined...

Following our immensely successful first session, featuring Priorat with Miquel Hudin, it's certainly left a taste for more! Listen to the interactive Zoom interview recorded on Tuesday evening 05/05/20 at 19:00 GMT as Sara Perez and Rene Barbier joined me and Miquel Hudin for a chat about working alongside their inspirational fathers, as well as their projects of passion. Watch the video .