The Big Vin Theory

Ronald and I chat about what we think we put as answers in this year's practical exam (bear in mind we can only tell you what we remember), and then go through the exam discussing our answers and approach to each wine, as well as some tips we found helpful when preparing for it. After that, Ronald discusses his experiences of the Middle East and The Netherlands, comparing their stances on alco...

We speak with the legendary Greg Lambrecht, inventor of Coravin. We ask about Coravin market stats, then about his invention process, whether the wine trade needs more innovation, whether science can take away from the 'romance' of wine and much more!

We chat to Amanda Barnes about all things South America. The first 40 minutes or so are just the major regions and funnels that you should be aware of, so this is crucial for any practical students. The latter part we discuss the roles of wine writers, what kind of language is useful and more...

We chat to Larry Lockshin about his research on wine marketing. What are the most effective ways to market wines? Are regional bodies effective? What about competitions and awards? How should we promote sustainability? And more...

We talk to Diana Snowden Seysses - winemaker at two illustrious houses from other sides of the pond.  We ask what her approach to viticulture is, how she is mitigating the effects of climate change and why she thinks glyphosate is "The Devil's Spunk".  We talk about whole cluster fermentation, inoculation, acidification, oak treatments and more...

We talk to Alex Maltman, Emeritus Professor Aberystwyth University, about geology and wine.  We ask how the geology of the vineyard impacts the winemaking practices and final flavour of the wine?  Why does soil pH matter and what can we do about it?  Is 'minerality' a useful word for wine tasting?  And more... Find his book here:  https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Vin...

We talk to Dr Christopher Chen, the UCCE Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor for the North Coast region of California.  Chris's research focuses on Climate- Adaptive viticulture practices, so we ask all things viticultural.  What are the main considerations when selecting rootstocks and what species look promising in the future?  How can vinegrowers mitigate some of the effects...

We talk to Prof Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University.  We ask what the major flavour compounds produced by yeasts are and how they do them?  How are different compounds (like rotundone) discovered in wines?  What are the potential uses of GMO yeasts and how does gain-of-function research provide practical applications in the winery?  What does the fu...

We chat with Brad Greatrix, of Nyetimber fame, on all things sparkling winemaking.  What are the best grape varieties to use?  How do you manage pH in a marginal climate?  What factors influence the finished texture?  What does he think abut light-strike? And much more...

We talk to Laura Willoughby MBE - co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement.  We ask what the big trends in no/low are, what the wine trade should learn from and contribute to this, how restaurants can incorporate alc-alternatives to make money and whether or not we should be worried in the world of wine (answer = yes!). Laura Willoughby MBE is co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindfu...

We chat with K Felix G Åhrberg, Oenologist & Winemaker at Kullabergs Vingård.  We ask what it takes to plant a vineyard in a marginal climate and how climate change is helping them as a region.  We talk about planting the newest generations of hybrids, suitable rootstocks.  Then chat about his preference for heterofermentative yeasts, fining, and 'fine-tuning' his wines. And muc...

We chat to Cathy van Zyl MW about all things South Africa.  What are the key markers to look out for when funnelling between regions?  How has COVID affected the SA wine industry?  How have the styles and winemaking practices changed over the past few decades?  This episode is absolutely jam-packed with facts and figures, so have a notepad handy!

We talk to Dr Rachel Allison about her research at Cornell University into canned wines.  We ask how reductive compounds can be avoided and what the issues are with wines in cans.  Are there any wines that are not suitable for canning?  Is it a more sustainable packaging?  What steps can winemakers take to avoid VSCs?  And more.... Here are a link to a couple of her papers...

We talk to Aileen Sevier, VP Strategy & Marketing, Early Mountain Vineyards.  We ask what they plant and what interesting things they do in Virginina as well as the biggest problems they face and what the future holds.  Aileen talks about her previous role at Terlato and metrics she uses to determine the strength of the brand, as well as giving some personal opinions on the three tie...

We talk to Dr Cain Todd and ask just one exam question - "can one wine ever be objectively better than another?"  Cain Todd is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Lancaster University (U.K.) and a visiting Humboldt Research Fellow at LMU, Munich. He primarily works on areas in aesthetics and philosophy of mind and perception. He became seriously interested in wine while on the Cambridge Universi...

We talk to Mags Janjo of MJ Wine Cellars about his work as a diversity ambassador and mentor.  Mags recently won the Golden Vines scholarship, and talks to us about how the industry should approach diversity goals, what placed scholarships have as well as commons he sees made in the name of diversity.  We also talk about fragmentation in the industry, what setting up on his own during a pandemic a...

We talk with Tommy Nordam Jensen - CEO of Wiv.  In what has to be a crucial episode for those who want to look into the medium-term future and beyond, we ask what NFTs, blockchain and cryptocurrency actually mean?  How do they work for wine investment?  How does a shared fine wine investment fund of NFTs work for people?  How can NFTs help share wine information for countries like Georgia?  What i...

We talk to Nova Cadamatre MW - the first female winemaker MW in the USA about all things winemaking.  What yeasts and processing aids are best?  How do you rescue a stuck fermentation?  How safe is too safe for SO2?  Why is diammonium phosphate like a bag of crisps?  And more....

We talk with Claudio Martell, CEO of Bevica.  Bevica is an ERP Software platform created specifically for the wine and drinks industry.  We ask what ERP means, how much does it cost.  What are the differences for the drinks trade?  How can it be used to show brand strength?  What does AI hold for the future? And more...

We talk to Millie Milliken about drinks communication.  How do the different drinks categories differ?  What does successful communication look like?  What will be the next big thing in drinks?  Is print dead?  And more... To read more of Millie's work click on this link:   https://www.clippings.me/users/milliemilliken As always, if you're getting any value out of TBV...

We chat with Ben Smith, founder of Freerun PR, about how to judge whether or not a brand is strong, whether or not supermarkets are a force for good on the global stage, whether or not new products are necessary for survival, how to get journalists to write about your products and much more... As always, please support TBVT here:  https://ko-fi.com/thebigvintheory

We talk to Geoffrey Moss MW about all things BC, including a SWOT analysis of the region, what the future may hold for it.  We also discuss his work as a marketing consultant at https://lithica.wine/  around marketing for DTC models, competitions and trade shows and much more... As always, if you can, please support TBVT here https://ko-fi.com/thebigvintheory

We talk to Peter Yeung and Robert Vernick from X Chateau podcast https://www.xchateau.com/ , which every MW student should subscribe to!  We discuss how social media has changed wine marketing and transparency and how can influencers and new tech be used by the trade.  We discuss Peter's excellent book https://g.co/kgs/wcDh9U , what the more commercial end of the market can learn from th...

For the final episode of Season 1, we thought we'd like to go out with a Big Bang (or should that be 'vin'?), so we talk to the legend that is Robert Joseph!  Has writing about wine helped him make and sell it?  What does he wish he had done differently?  What are the major metrics by which to judge a brand's success?  How have tariffs affected imports to other countries? &nbsp...

 We talk to Rod Smith MW of Riviera Wine Academy .  We ask what the wine market is like in the South of France?  How does the yachting industry work?  Do we need more educators?  Are clear glass bottles not a really bad idea? Is the wine trade transparent enough about salaries?  Is DTC growing? And more... NB - apologies for the sound quality at times - there was some...