Stories From the Cellar

This episode is the second half of our interview with Elena Brooks, the winemaker for Dandelion , Sister's Run , and Heirloom Vineyards . Part 1 tells the story of Elena's upbringing in communist Bulgaria and how she moved to Australia and started her own wine label in her early twenties. This episode, Part 2, covers Elena's ambition with Dandelion, the challenges and opportunities that exist toda...

In today's episode, which is part one of two, Elena Brooks from Dandelion Vineyards shares how she went from making pantyhose-filtered wines as a teenager in Bulgaria to a true winemaking visionary in South Australia. Elena has multiple wine brands, including three that we import: Dandelion, Sister's Run , and Heirloom Vineyards . All of these brands are based in McLaren Vale but feature varietal...

This is the fifth and final episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.  While the last four...

This is the fourth episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.  Despite being the seventh-la...

This is the third episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.  In this episode, Aaron shares...

This is the second episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.  Located conveniently near Ca...

This is the first episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.  In the next 15 minutes or so,...

  In this episode of 'Stories from the Cellar,' we catch up with Trizanne Barnard of Trizanne Signature Wines from South Africa's Cape South Coast. We discuss current wine consumption trends and Trizanne shares her profound 'aha moment' with wine on a secluded beach, diving for oysters, solidifying her passion for the wine industry. In ten minutes, this episode perfectly captures the essence of wh...

This episode with Vine Street Imports founder and CEO Ronnie Sanders delves into the evolution of Australian wine over the last 25 years. It explores the shift from the '90s highly manipulated, high alcohol content wines appreciated by critics like Robert Parker, to a modern appreciation for natural, lower alcohol content wines. Ronnie contrasts the older, bigger, and bolder styles with the freshe...

This episode with Vine Street Imports' founder and CEO, Ronnie Sanders, discusses the dynamics affecting Australian wine prices. Beginning with an overview of how market demand, rather than production cost, determines pricing, the discussion tracks the shift from the era of 'cheap and cheerful' Australian wines to today's landscape of premiumization. Key factors include the global financial downtu...

This episode of Stories from the Cellar gets into Western Australia's wine region, with a special focus on Margaret River. With insights from Ronnie Sanders, founder and CEO of Vine Street Imports and an expert in Australian wines, the podcast uncovers the geographical isolation, diverse climates, and cultural uniqueness that make Western Australia's wine regions so special. Highlighting Margaret...

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of Victorian wines, featuring Vine Street Imports founder and CEO, Ronnie Sanders. The episode highlights Victoria's distinct climate, geography, and the exceptional wine producers within the region. Ronnie shares his passion for presenting Victoria's cool climate wines, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, which challenge the common perceptions o...

This episode featuring Ronnie Sanders, the founder and CEO of Vine Street Imports, focuses on wines from South Australia. Ronnie shares his extensive knowledge on the subject, discussing the history, key regions like McLaren Vale and Barossa, notable grape varieties, the influence of climate and soils, and the pioneering of the natural wine movement in the Adelaide Hills. He also emphasizes the im...

This episode is the second half of our conversation with Johan Meyer (also known as Stompie) from  Mother Rock  and  J.H. Meyer Signature Wines based in the Swartland, South Africa. Here, we dive into his wines and why the Cape needs to diversify beyond old vine Chenin Blanc. We also talk about the new wine of origin appellation called Picket-bo-berg that he's created at his home estate on top of...

Today's episode is with Johan Meyer (also known as Stompie) from Mother Rock and J.H. Meyer Signature Wines based in the Swartland, South Africa. If you're privy to the natural wine scene in the Cape, you'll know these labels without a doubt. I often hear people say that there are three guys that really put natural wine on the map in South Africa and that is Johan Meyer, Jurgen Gouws of Intellego...

This episode is a compilation of interviews with the Cowley brothers: Ben, the viticulturist, and Luc, the winemaker. For some excellent context on Ben's backstory, go back and listen to the episode just before this one. It tells the story of how he made the switch from the film industry to wine, and how, at the beginning when he moved from Auckland to his parents' new Auntsfield estate, he was li...

Today's episode is with Ben Cowley, the viticulturist at Auntsfield Estate based in the southern valleys of Marlborough, New Zealand. Auntsfield is unique in Marlborough for two main reasons. First, they put a heavy focus on their Pinot Noir production in an industry that is almost entirely focused on Sauvignon Blanc. Unlike many Marlborough vineyards, Pinot Noir makes up half of Auntsfield's vine...

This is the second half of ourconversation with Louis Schofield from Worlds Apart Wines . Part 1 is integral for understanding who Louis is thanks to the mentors, especially Taras Ochota, who helped shape his winemaking identity today. You should really start there if you haven't listened already. In this episode, we go into more depth with Louis' Worlds Apart wines. We cover the extraordinary pla...

Today's episod is with Louis Schofield from Worlds Apart Wines based in Adelaide Hills, Australia. Louis is a jack-of-all trades wine industry legend who spent a decade working in fine wine retail and dining, including at the acclaimed Orana and East End Cellars. He was content in that world, until he met one of his biggest mentors, the late Taras Ochota of Ochota Barrels. Taras was a mover and sh...

This episode is with Matt Gant from  Gant & Co. wines based in Karridale at the southern tip of Margaret River in Western Australia. This is the second half of our conversation with Matt – go back and listen to Part 1 if you haven't already. In this episode, we dive into the wines in more detail as well as the special place that Matt now calls home. Plus, why Australia's past is it's biggest chall...

Today's episode is with Matt Gant from Gant & Co. wines based in Karridale at the southern tip of Margaret River, Australia. Matt has been a friend of Vine Street for the last two decades. We began importing his First Drop line from the Barossa in about 2004/2005. We no longer work with First Drop – nor does Matt – but last year we picked up his newest venture, Gant & Co. These wines come from the...

Ronnie Sanders, founder and CEO of Vine Street Imports, recounts the story of meeting Matt Gant from Gant & Co. , a husband-wife winemaking project based in Karridale at the southern tip of Margaret River. Plus, Ronnie shares the defining thing that he loves about Matt's winemaking style.    Special thanks to  SNACKTIME  for the music!  Vine Street Imports  Instagram   |   Website  

This episode is the second half of our conversation with Martin Dicuzzo from Magna Montis based in Argentina's Uco Valley. In Part 2, we talk about Martin's first vintage that received praise from Tim Atkin, Martin's first time meeting Ronnie and the Vine Street team, the crazy reality of inflation in Argentina, and of course, the wines. To pick up where we left off, Martin explains that with his...

Today's episode is with Martin DiCuzzo, the owner and winemaker of Magna Montis based in Argentina's Uco Valley. Magna Montis is the first Argentinian producer that Vine Street has ever imported. Ronnie was really drawn to these wines because they're so unlike the typical fruit bomb stereotype of wines from Mendoza. They are super fresh and bright, even the ones aged in oak. If you know the rest o...

This episode is the second half of our conversation with Jurgen Gouws of Intellego Wines . If you haven't already, go back and listen to part 1 to hear more about Jurgen's background. In this episode, we talk about how a surfing trip in Bali inspired on of his most beloved wines, the Kedungu red blend, his recent foray into the pet nat world, and the subtle intricacies of working with growers who...