Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People

On Part II of my interview with J.P. Colas from 13th Street winery J.P. has some very different takes on biodynamic winemaking, he waxes poetic on the joy of Gamay and the entire Niagara region.

It took me a year of nagging but I finally got 13th Street wineries award winning winemaker Jean Pierre Colas on the Podcast. It was totally worth the wait. This one was so good I had to split it up into two parts. Here is Part One.

Matt’s latest interview is winemaker Laura Rizzotto all the way from Verona, Italy. They chat about how Coronavirus is impacting the Italian wine industry, why volcanic soil helps impart real depth in her Soave and all things about her winery, Balestri Valda. 

Matt is joined by a man who makes wine for Aubert de Villaine and makes his own wine in Sonoma Coast ... winemaker Stéphane Vivier. 

Matt’s Prince Edward County wine tour continues this time with Colin Stanners the winemaker and owner of Stanners Vineyard.

Matt is joined by winemaker & owner of Grange Winery Caroline Granger! Highlights include: Making wine with her kids How being a Ford Model in Paris helped lead her to wine to her wine philosophy A Toronto Star review called have her wine the “Oscar the Grinch Award”. BUT then that same reviewer blind tasted the same wine & gave it a gold medal!

What was supposed to be a quick impromptu chat with Maggie Granger from Grange Estate Winery turned into a wildly entertaining 40 minute conversation about all things wine and the politics of what to order when you are out for dinner with friends. 

On Part II of my interview with winemaker Dan Sullivan from Rosehall Run we discuss  the future of wine in Prince Edward County, the similarities/differences between PEC and Burgundy and what you can learn from a bad vintages.

Some of my favourite quotes from Rosehall Run winemaker Dan Sullivan: “I hopped on a tractor and I prayed I wouldn’t kill myself, the vines or other people” & “If you are making Pinot at 15% you are probably planting your Pinot in the wrong place” This conversation went so well I had to split it up into two parts. 

On the latest Podcast Matthew speaks with Mr. Bernard de Laâge de Meux the General Manager for the iconic Napa winery Sloan Estate.  

On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast I do my second Skype interview. I interview Jamie Paquin, the owner of Heavenly Vines a Tokyo sine store that sells only Canadian wine.

On the latest podcast I'm joined by Mackenzie Putici, owner of the New World Wine Tours. We give tips when touring wine country: -3 wineries is best -Small groups are best -Go on a weekday if you can Plus my "classy" phrase that will guarantees you more free wine!

In Part II of my interview with Thomas Bachelder I learned a lot, mispronounced vineyard names + what does it really mean when a wine is made in the “Burgundian Style”. Also Thomas expands on this insight: "Ontario wine is in a great place as consumers are shifting away from heavy/high alcohol wines. Our grapes can fully ripen BUT still have 12% alcohol." 

In Part I of my interview with legendary winemaker Thomas Bachelder we discuss his journey from getting a winemaking kit from his brother to making wine in Niagara, Oregon & Burgundy. Interesting stuff about what to do at harvest and people telling you lousy wine stories.

On the latest wine podcast Matt is joined by the “ 2002 Winemaker of the Year ” ( Ontario Wine Awards) o wner/winemaker for Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery Sue-Ann Staff. Sue is a 5th generation grape grower operating a 100-acre grape farm in Niagara’s Twenty Valley perched on the top of the Niagara Escarpment.  We go all in on Riesling and I get Sue to expand on some of her recent quotes:  ‘People wh...

In Part II of my interview with Sommelier & Wine Consultant Renée Sferrazza we go over the glory of Barolo, just how bad Renée’s grandfather’s homemade wine was (It was bottled in large plastic Sprite bottles) and comparing wine to both ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Jaws’.

This interview with Sommelier & Wine Consultant Renée Sferrazza was so much fun we had to divide it into two parts. In Part One we learn all about the Piedmont wine region, why Dolcetto is a great “Tuesday Wine”, how Renée went from studying to be a diplomat to getting into wine and tales of trying to order wine when out with a bunch of friends at a restaurant. 

On the latest Podcast Matt is joined by the award winning owner of en Ville Catering Geoffrey Johnson. We chat about the “culinary wasteland” that was Toronto in 1982, Geoffrey’s joy of being in the middle of a busy kitchen plus we pair sake with Jellyfish salad. 

On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Pod Matt interviews wineonline.ca sommelier Sam Fritz Tate. A wide ranging conversation about the dangers of wine reviews, dirty tricks done by large scale wineries, what is the better grape: Pinot Noir or Northern Rhone Syrah and issues with the marketing of “Natural Wine”.

On the ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast Matthew is joined by wine royalty! Anne Francoise Quie owner of Château Bel-Orme, Croizet-Bages & Rauzan-Gassies. We go over all things Bordeaux in a really interesting conversation. 

On the latest episode Matt is joined by multi award winning wine writer Natalie MacLean. Whether it‘s her two books or wildly influential wine website and newsletter Natalie is one of the most important voices in the Canadian (and beyond) wine world. We chat about how a bottle of Brunello started her journey into wine and tasting old DRC with Aubert de Villaine. Also I recommend a fantastic Beaujo...

On the latest episode I’m joined by Pernod Ricard Wine Ambassador Madeleine Lego. She has a fantastic wine origin story involving a first time trip to Paris with her Grandmother. We discuss her wine journey from Barossa Valley to Spain to New Zealand and millennial wine drinking habits. 

On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast Matt is joined by one of the best Toronto comedians Sean Cullen! Sean hosted a season of ‘So You Think You Know Wine’ by WineAlign and joins Matt to discuss what it was like hosting that series and his overall impressions of the crazy world of wine.

Matthew is joined by Valpolicella royalty as Andrea Sartori (Valpolicella Consorzio President & proprietor of Sartori di Verona) for an in depth interview on all things Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone. They also discuss Amarone and some of the controversies that have gone recently in that area.  

On the latest episode I’m joined by Michael Bracegirdle, the GM for L'Unita Restaurant one of the top Italian restaurants in Toronto. We discuss the joy of Aglianico, the importance of transparency for the customer and what is the hardest night Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or Summerlicious???