Looking Into Wine

Rosé wines have taken the world by storm, evolving from a summer indulgence to a global phenomenon. But how did this pink revolution happen? In this episode, we sit down with Rasmus Emborg, author of Rose Revolution, to explore the rise of rosé wines, their growing popularity, and the fascinating stories behind the world's most renowned producers. From the legendary Château d'Esclans, the pioneers behind Whispering Angel, to the elegant craftsmanship of Perrier-Jouët, known for their exquisite sparkling rosé. We also dive into the rich tradition of Viña Tondonia, where rosé is aged like fine Rioja and the boutique excellence of Clos Gibourg. Join us as we uncover the history, innovation in the world of Wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utxaEi4O84A

Over the past decade, the Jura wine region in France has experienced a remarkable surge in interest. But behind the growing acclaim lies a tale of resilience. From the relentless challenges of nature to the encroachment of Burgundian producers seeking new terroirs, Jura's winemakers have weathered it all. How has this small yet mighty region adapted? What does the future hold?   Join us as we delve into Jura's struggles and triumphs.Links to Wink's new book HERE: http://academieduvinlibrary.com/wink_lorch 04:30 Jura Wines, 2010s, exploding into the market.07:40 Jura Wine in Shortage10:50 Climate Change in Jura?16:25 Spring Frost initiatives in Jura25:30 Jura Grape Varieties evolution 31:00 Are we losing Vin Jaune? In the past 10 years?36:40 Burgundy producers' encroachment of the Jura Wine Region - What's happening?42:10 What do you wish people knew more about Jura Wines?#wine #podcast #wineeducation #frenchwine

In this insightful episode of the *Looking Into Wine Podcast*, we are joined by Gus Zhu, Master of Wine, as we dive deep into the science and myths of wine tasting. Gus shares his expertise to explore what we know—and don't know—about the complexities of wine tasting. From debunking common misconceptions to uncovering surprising truths, this conversation will challenge your perceptions of wine and enhance your appreciation for the art and science behind it.  Exclusive Listener Offer:Listeners of the Looking Into Wine Podcast can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on Gus Zhu's book, Behind the Glass, which is available from the Académie du Vin Library. Use code LOOKING15? at checkout - Buy Here https://academieduvinlibrary.com/products/behind-the-glass)Tune in and elevate your wine knowledge today!

**Monthly Podcast: Legendary Napa Valley Winemaker Richard G. Peterson**This month's podcast features an extraordinary guest—Richard G. Peterson, one of Napa Valley's most legendary winemakers. If there's anyone who can tell the story of Napa Valley's evolution over the decades, it's Peterson, whose career has spanned more than half a century. He's witnessed and contributed to the valley's transformation from a quiet, rural region to one of the world's most renowned wine-producing areas. Peterson's journey began in 1948, when he started as a home winemaker in Iowa. This early passion for winemaking sparked a long and illustrious career that would take him from the Midwest to the heart of California's wine country. After earning a B.S. in Chemical Technology from Iowa State University in 1952, Peterson moved to California, where he earned an M.S. in Food Technology from UC Berkeley in 1956 and a PhD in Agricultural Chemistry. In 1958, Peterson joined the iconic E. & J. Gallo Winery, initially focusing on new product development and research. His tenure at Gallo lasted for a decade, during which he rose to become the Research Director and Assistant Production Manager, responsible for overseeing winemaking operations. This experience provided Peterson with invaluable insights into the wine industry and laid the foundation for his future leadership roles.In 1968, Peterson moved to Napa Valley, where he took on the role of Winemaster at Beaulieu Vineyard, a prestigious estate located in Rutherford. He served at Beaulieu until 1973, honing his skills and deepening his connection with Napa Valley's terroir. His next major venture was at Monterey Vineyard, where he served as Winemaster and President from 1973 to 1986. At Monterey, Peterson gained recognition for producing innovative wines, including California's first Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc and Botrytis Pinot Noir, as well as unique harvest wines like the January Harvest Gamay Beaujolais and December Harvest Zinfandel.From 1986 to 1990, Peterson served as Winemaster and President of Atlas Peak Vineyards, and was also Chairman from 1989. His leadership in these roles further cemented his reputation as one of Napa Valley's most respected winemakers.This podcast episode offers listeners a rare opportunity to hear from a true pioneer of Napa Valley wine. Peterson's deep knowledge, combined with his rich history in the industry, provides a unique perspective on the valley's development and the art of winemaking. Whether you're a wine enthusiast or simply curious about the history of Napa Valley, this conversation is one you won't want to miss.

Uncorking Success: Maximizing Your Winery's Potential Through Strategic Distribution Channels"Episode Description: In this episode, we dive deep into the essential role of distribution channels in expanding your winery's reach and reputation. Whether you're a boutique winery just starting out or an established brand looking to grow, understanding and optimizing your distribution strategy is key to long-term success. Join us as we explore the various distribution options available, from direct-to-consumer (DTC) models to traditional wholesale, and discuss how to choose the right mix to elevate your brand.Episode Highlights:Introduction to Distribution Channels:Overview of what distribution channels are and why they matter for wineries.The evolution of wine distribution in the digital age.Wholesale Distribution:The role of wholesalers and distributors in expanding your market reach.How to choose the right distributor for your winery and what to look for in a partnership.Negotiating terms and building strong relationships with distributors to ensure your wine gets the attention it deserves.Online Marketplaces and Retail Partnerships:Leveraging online marketplaces like Vivino and Wine.com to increase visibility.Strategies for securing shelf space in brick-and-mortar retailers and forming partnerships with restaurants and hotels.The importance of branding and packaging in retail environments.International Distribution:Expanding your winery's reach beyond borders and navigating the complexities of international trade.Understanding export regulations, tariffs, and the importance of choosing reliable importers.Tailoring your marketing strategies to different cultural tastes and preferences.The Power of Data in Distribution:Utilizing data analytics to track performance, understand customer behaviour, and refine your distribution strategy.Case studies of wineries that have successfully leveraged data to drive growth.Subscribe to our podcast! If you are a winery looking for support and strategy, email me at Mattiascarpazza@Lookingintowine.com Don't forget to leave us a review and share this episode with fellow wine enthusiasts and industry professionals! Thank you to our guest Guest: Sid Patel of Wine Competitions 

Welcome back, listeners! After a few months of hiatus, we're thrilled to announce that the podcast is back in action.We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who reached out and asked when we'd return. Your enthusiasm and support mean the world to us.  This season, we're shaking things up with monthly episodes, each filled with fascinating topics, engaging conversations, and new focuses on the podcast. We are going to explore the wine business and the decision-makers in the industry.To kick things off, we're diving into Piedmont wines with David Way, the esteemed author of "Wines of Piedmont."  Get ready for a deep dive into the rich history, unique terroirs, and exquisite Flavors that make Piedmont wines special. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or just beginning your wine journey, this episode promises to uncover new insights and appreciation for this celebrated wine region.  Explore the region's wines with David Way, author of Wine of Piedmont. We talk about alto Piemonte, Gavi di Gavi, Nebbiolo, and the small varieties entering David's favourites! Nascetta, Timorrasso and many more.  David published his book on the Wine Library Series, and he is also the co-author of the WSET Diploma Book.  So, pour yourself a glass, sit back, and join us as we toast to a new season of captivating content.Cheers and on with the show!

Join us in this captivating episode as we venture into the heart of Penedés, Spain, a region renowned for its contribution to the world of sparkling wine, particularly Cava. Our special guest, Pepe Raventós, scion of the esteemed Raventós family, takes us on a journey through the picturesque vineyards that have been integral to the family's legacy in winemaking.Family Heritage:- Pepe shares insights into the rich history of the Raventós family and their longstanding connection with the Penedés region. Learn about the traditions that have been passed down through generations, shaping the family's approach to winemaking.Cava Origins:- Delve into the fascinating tale of how Pepe's family played a pivotal role in formalizing the recipe for Cava, Spain's iconic sparkling wine. Discover the meticulous methods employed to craft this effervescent elixir and the significance of Penedés' terroir in its production.Terroir Talk:- Explore the unique terroir of Penedés and its impact on the flavor profile of the wines produced in the region. Pepe discusses the interplay of soil, climate, and grape varieties that contribute to the distinctive character of Penedés wines, particularly Cava.Sustainable Practices:Gain insights into the Raventós family's commitment to sustainability in winemaking. Pepe sheds light on their eco-friendly practices, emphasizing the importance of preserving the natural balance of the vineyards.Innovations and Future Trends:- Pepe shares his thoughts on the evolving landscape of the wine industry and the innovative approaches embraced by the Raventós i Blanc winery. Learn about their experiments with different grape varieties and winemaking techniques to create wines that captivate the modern palate.Tasting Notes:- Experience the sensory journey as Pepe guides us through a virtual tasting of some exceptional wines from Raventós i Blanc. From crisp and refreshing Cavas to nuanced still wines, discover the diverse expressions that emanate from Penedés.Life Beyond Wine:- Beyond the vineyards, Pepe opens up about life in Penedés, sharing anecdotes about the local culture, gastronomy, and the unique charm of this Spanish wine region.Whether you're an avid oenophile or simply curious about the world of Cava and Penedés, this episode promises to be an engaging exploration of history, tradition, and the dynamic evolution of winemaking in one of Spain's most celebrated wine regions. Tune in and let Pepe Raventós be your guide to the enchanting world of Penedés wines. ¡Salud!

Entering the world of wine as a career path can be as challenging as it is rewarding. It's a realm where passion meets precision, where tasting, talking, and writing about wine is not just a job but a lifelong journey.To shed light on this fascinating but demanding field, we recently had the privilege of hosting a guest who knows the wine industry inside out a prestigious wine magazine editor from Decanter Amy Wislocki.Her insights are invaluable for those seeking a path in the world of wine.The Complex Landscape of Wine Careers:The wine industry is not just about sipping exquisite vintages; it's a multifaceted world encompassing viticulture, winemaking, marketing, journalism, and more. Finding one's place in this vast terrain can be daunting. The competition is fierce, and building a successful career often requires dedication, perseverance, and a deep love for wineEnd don't forget to pick up a copy of the latest Decanter Magazine and to check out their digital website here: https://www.decanter.com/

The #huntervalley Zone is around 200km north of #Sydney. It contains one o Australia's oldest, simply called Hunter which, with plantings exceeding 2,300 ha, covers a slightly smaller area than the Hunter Valley Zone but the region is also often split, unofficially, into Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter. Lower Hunter is closer to the coast and benefits from some sea breezes, which means it is slightly cooler than the Upper Hunter. The landscape is made up of undulating hills at relatively low altitudes. Soils range from sandy loams to clay loams, often over a clay baseSemillon was first planted here in the 1830s. Hunter Valley Semillons are renowned for their ability to improve with age. The better examples develop in bottle for more than 15 years.In the theme of long maturation, we are exploring today the hunter valley with Mount Pleasant, that have been keeping alive their heritage vineyard from 1880, I connected to the @MountPleasant thanks to the work of the Old Vine Conference and is thanks to them that I managed to connect to Mount Pleasant. Maurice O'Shea's established Mount Pleasant as the only top-quality wine in Australia and inspired the likes of Penfold's Max Schubert, Hunter Valley legend Max Lake and countless others who would go on to make Australian wine what we recognize today. With the help of my guest we explore the region unique growing condition, how is like to work with 100 plus vines and how hunter valley climate affect the style of the wines produce. If you are enjoying the show remember to subscribe and to share the show!Find More information on the winery here:https://www.mountpleasantwines.com.au/About the region:https://www.winecountry.com.au/About The Old Vine Conferencehttps://www.oldvines.org/

An underdiscussed and under-appreciated part of the wine journey from the cellar to the end consumer is its storage which often is the cause of wines mature too quickly, losing freshness and downright oxidise.Storing wines in ideal conditions of 12 to 13 degrees with high levels of humidity constant year-round for a long time is not as easy as it may seem, Octavian Wine Services has done just that for the past 30 years.Logistically fine wine storing comes with more difficulties than one may think, Recognising the need to drive quality and have the most rigorous stock management processes possible, Octavian took the strategic decision to invest heavily in the development of its stock control function.Wine labels and packaging were never designed for stock management, so subtle discrepancies over the vintage or the chateaux are inevitable. Accuracy is vital and each case is treated equally,” she explains.As Vincent explains, for most of the lifecycle of a wine the storage facility is closer to the wines than their owners, trackability services, photos and visits are part of the services that Octavian provides to their customers

What are the many wine flavours found in the various wine aromas wheels with descriptions such as strawberries, apple and vanilla? So, when you smell wine, the alcohol volatilises and carries these lighter-than-air aroma compounds into your nose. Each wine can contain hundreds of different aroma compounds and each compound can affect the flavour of a wine. From a chemical perspective, flavours are the manifestation of compounds that are released at different stages during the wine life cycle. When we smell these compounds, a stimulus is transmitted to our brain that compares it to a “memory” of known sensations – eventually conjuring a final impression.Being fascinated by science and empirical research, in this episode, I spoke to Sietze Wijma a MSc Sensory Science graduate and founder of the art of tasting who will walk us through some of the major flavours compounds, their names and chemistry, explaining how they come about and some of the faults in wines and what are the key compound that one should know.Specific anosmia of flavour compounds Specific anosmia (smell-blindness) is the phenomenon where a person is unable to detect a specific flavour compound, where they otherwise have an intact sense of smell. For example, 30% of the population is unable to detect rotundone (black pepper-like aroma). β-ionone (violet-like aroma) has a 50% specific anosmia rate. Isoamyl acetate (banana-like aroma) has a

For more than 350 years, the cultures of Africa, Europe and the East have mingled in Cape Town, the gateway to the South African Winelands, a city rich in colourful history and culturally vibrant. It was here that Nelson Mandela, in 1990, took his historic walk to freedom.Today South Africa, a country of enormous diversity, is a peaceful democracy, home to the 'rainbow nation' From the very beginning, nearly 400 years ago, winemaking in South Africa has been on a zigzag course, pulled one way by considerable promise, and pushed in other ways by incompetence, self-interest, and a brutally opaque bureaucracy, to the point where, even now, it still seems to be reinventing itself.At least, and at last, it seems to be on a more enlightened path, on matters of politics—always a strong factor there—and wine, though not without a variety of hazards, many serious. As my guest today Jim Clarke, author of the book The wines of South Africa notes, “there is an entire story of winemaking and wine growing to be told.” His aim is to provide context and wide-reaching information for appreciating South African wines, and he achieves that with ease and clarity In this conversation, we covered the post-1994 movement, why Chenin Blanc is so popular in South Africa, what is the cape doctor and why is it vital to South Africa wine. The Cape Doctor is a south-easterly wind during spring and summer and extends the impact of the Benguela current. It also has the advantage of inhibiting disease and bringing some occasional rain to the South Coast. It can, however damage leaves, thus affecting photosynthesis and ripeness, and severely affect the flowering process and berry set, reducing yields. Remember to subscribe!Here are some links to learn more about the book and South Africa Wines: https://infiniteideas.directfrompublisher.com/catalog/book/wines-south-africahttps://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-south+africahttps://www.wosa.co.za/home/

Skin contact, maceration pelliculaire in French, winemaking operation with the aim of extracting flavor compounds, flavor precursors, and anthocyanins from grape skins into grape juice or wine Partly inspired by the likes of Gravner in FRIULI, and traditional winemaking techniques in Georgia (see QVEVRI), winemakers have been experimenting with FERMENTATION and AGEING in modern copies of amphorae, made from CLAY or, occasionally, CONCRETE The term ‘orange wine' was credited to David Harvey of UK wine importer Raeburn Fine Wines back in 2004. He wrote: “The quest for a name arose from my concern that there was no name, let alone category for these wines, which are visually, aromatically and structurally divergent from white wines, and would therefore risk rejection in both the on- and off-trade.” During this final stage, the skin and stems slowly float to the bottom of the qvevri in a natural process of filtration. Bitarishvilli then pumps the clear orange wine into smaller qvevries for storage and aging. The winemaker says: “Longer maceration means many different ingredients go from the skin into the wine - phenols, and tannins. These work like natural conservants so we have a stable wine. We don't need to use sulfur - or just a little bit.” In 1995, Radikon switched his entire production of Ribolla Gialla to seven-day skin contact - and lost many customers as a result. It took years to painstakingly rebuild the business but his family's orange wines are now considered to be among the very best in the world. With Today's guest Simon Woolf author of the book Amber Wines we explore the history of the style and how it traveled the world, what considerations need to be taken when producing amber wines, and the recent classifications of Amber wines. If you are enjoying the podcast remember to Subscribe and leave a comment we love to hear your ideas for future episodes! Here are the links to some of further reading about the topics and Simon Woolf Book – Please consider buy a copy as it is a fantasist book! Https://amber-revolution.com/#:~:text=Amber%20Revolution%20is%20the%20rags%20to%20riches%20story,half%20a%20century%20later%20amidst%20controversy%20and%20misunderstanding. Https://felixir.com.au/what-is-amber-wine/ Https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-amber-wine/ Https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/you-say-orange-wines-the-georgians-say-amber-heres-what-they-all-have-in-common/2018/10/05/9a707aae-c805-11e8-b1ed-1d2d65b86d0c_story.html

In the second episode dedicated to Cotes du Rhone's, we explore the sustainability program and the research that is taking place, other geeky episode just what we like! Inter Rhône has three main missions: economic support, promotion of the appellations, and technical support. The latter is embodied by the ‘Institut Rhodanien', where all our Research & Development is being carried I spoke to Julie Coutton, Intern Rhone, public relations manager to discover what research is taking place in the region.Wine sustainability refers to a range of vineyard and wine production practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. Sustainable farmers may be certified (organic or biodynamic) or non-certified. Every vineyard site is different to get the best results in the bottle. Producers make decisions around certification based on how best to make their wine given the soil, climate and surroundings. Converting a site to fully organic and biodynamic also needs to be done in stages over time so the land gets used to new practices. We talked with Julie about how the region is looking to mitigate the stress from drought, a tool for estimating water stress in the vineyard is the apex method. Based on the observation of the end of the branches, it is a simple method, which characterizes a growth dynamic, itself linked to the water constraint of the vine. It is to be carried out regularly, on a weekly basis.Extensive research into new varieties is being conducted at the ‘Institut Rhodanien.' Recently, four varieties have been accepted for experimental authorisation for Côtes du Rhône AOC due to their “adaptation to drought and late maturity.” These are white hybrid Floréal, Rolle (Vermentino), indigenous Carignan Blanc, and red hybrid Vidoc. Other, topics that were part of the conversation are the study of sites and rootstock research, and winemaking practices to be more energy efficient. Intern Rhone holds talks and seminar for its member ensuring that they are always up to date to their scientific research Remember to subscribe and leave a review if you find this episode valuable to you! Reach us on –Instagram Mattia.lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

In this episode, I spoke to Matt Walls author of the book The wines of Rhone about the Southern Rhone with a focus on the Cote du Rhone.To best understand the appellation system is a pyramid with three distinctive stages for the Cotes du Rhone - Cote du Rhone, Cote Du Rhone Village, cotes du Rhone Named village and then the Cru see picture here:https://boutinot-rhone.com/news?start=18With Matt we talked about how to best understand the terroirs of the Southern Rhone, as there are so many of them, it says that it is best to divide the region into three parts based on their geological period, but it has always been difficult for me to remember the various parts but this has helped immensely.We also talked about varieties that are taking afoot in the region in the last few years and their use in the blend, Cotes du Rhone is always a blend!I'm always being curious about the fluidity of the appellation with villages rising to the top of the Cotes du Rhone appellation and then becoming Crus in their own right - Mat has described the process and announced a new (23rd) village that is going to be announced next year!Here is the list of all the VillagesChusclan, Gadagne, Laudun, Massif d'Uchaux, Nyons, Plan de Dieu, Puymeras, Roaix, Rochegude, Rousset, Sablet, Saint-Andeol, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Pantaleon, Sainte-Cecile, Seguret, Signargues, Suze-la-Rousse, Vaison-la-Romaine, Valreas, VisanSome other useful links on the topic https://www.cotesdurhone.com/en/https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-cotes+du+rhonehttps://www.wine-uncovered.com/rhone-info/appellations/cotes-du-rhone-villages/https://www.mattwalls.co.uk/region/rhone/Reach us on –Instagram Mattia.lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Alentejo the largest wine region of Portugal, is also one of the hottest wine region in the world with many sumer days above 40 degrees and is also one of the at most risk to climate change. The region has long known about this risks and formed an association dedicated to its sustanabily and future proofing called Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP)The nine members of the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP) that have received their sustainable production certificates have been working on a diverse range of projects to improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of their businesses. Those projects extend across both their vineyards and their wineries, and also include work in their local communitiesAlentejo covers approximately a third of the country and is best known for its red wine, the best of which are sold under the and Alentejo DOC (Denominacao de Origem Controlada) title.Wine from Alentejo is typically made from Aragonez (Tempranillo), Castelao, Trincadeira or a rich, ripe, jammy blend of the three. Antao Vaz is the white variety of choice here, producing a good level of acidity and tropical fruit flavors.Nick Breez my guests is a climate Journalist and cofounder of the Cambridge Climate Lecture Series (CCLS)Nick is a climate communicator writing and producing filmed interviews with over 200 experts in the field of climate change. He contributes regularly to The Ecologist and envisionation.co.uk. In 2016 he cofounded the Cambridge Climate Lecture Series with Dr Hugh Hunt and Dr Tony Eva (www.climateseries.com) which, in 2018 was screened in over 15 locations globally, and features speakers at the forefront of action on climate change.Nick is also a wine and blockchain journalist linking both topics to impacts from climate change.Some other useful links on the topic https://secretsommelier.com/alentejo-wine https://sustentabilidade.vinhosdoalentejo.pt/en/wines-of-alentejo-sustainability-programmehttps://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-alentejo Reach us on:Instagram Mattia.lookingintowine Twitter Mattia Scarpazza Mail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Brettanomyces, also known as Brett, is a yeast that imparts plastic or animal aromas, such as sticking plasters, smoke, leather, or sweaty horses, to wine. To put it differently, Brettanomyces could cause spoilage in wines via the production of volatile phenol compounds. At first glance, these characters may seem unpleasant. However, many wine enthusiasts enjoy them and do not consider low levels of Brett in wine a fault. Brettanomyces belongs to a family of nine different naturally occurring yeast species (B. lambicus, D. bruxulensis, B. bruxellensis, B. intermidious, among others). Like its cousin, Saccharomyces, the principal agent of alcoholic fermentation, Brett feeds on sugars and converts them into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and diverse compounds that influence the wine aroma, taste, and texture. Unlike the compounds created by Saccharomyces, however, the ones produced by Brettanomyces are not so much appreciated. Some common descriptions could be barnyard, animal sweat, sewage, vomit, Band-Aid, and wet dog. Different Growth Apart from bestowing different aromas to the wine, the two yeasts differentiate in how they grow, too. For example, Saccharomyces multiplies in a must, feasting on all available fructose and glucose. It only dies when the food runs out, the alcohol content gets high, or the winemaker freezes the wine. On the other hand, Brett has steady but slow growth, and for this reason, it appears only months after the fermentation is over. Additionally, it feeds on a range of substrates. Fructose and glucose are favorites, sure, but Brett eats unfermentable sugars, as also oak sugars. Consequently, second-hand oak barrels can be a source of Brettanomyces infection. Here is the link for Clark Smith Chemistry course extremely fascinating!! https://fundamentalsofmodernwinechemistryandbeyond.voomly.com/Some other useful links on the topic https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/sZ3rBkmAXZ/ https://www.internationalwinechallenge.com/Canopy-Articles/brettanomyces-the-most-interesting-of-all-wine-faults.html https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/frequently_asked_questions/brettanomyces-faq/ Reach us on:Instagram lookingintowine Twitter Mattia Scarpazza Mail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Welcome to the first episode of the 3rd season of the Looking Into Wine podcast! Timorasso? What is that you might ask? Timorasso is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. There it is used to make aromatic wine with some ageing potential On the palate, Timorasso is known for an exceptional balance of mouthwatering acidity and characteristically high alcohol. Classically, it's a wine with no rough edges. One that coats the mouth with concentrated flavours through to a memorable finish.We explored the history of Walter Massa and Timorasso with Micheal Palij Master of Wine, He has been visiting Italy since 1995 for his buying trips and he wrote for many years about Piedmont's wines.Timorasso is an ancient Piedmontese grape variety that was on the verge of extinction in the 1980s. Walter Massa of Vigneti Massa carefully revived it and now the yellow-green-skinned Timorasso has enjoyed a resurgence in dry white wine and grappa production.The pioneering efforts, by the late 1990s, other local producers began planting the grape variety themselves and there are now more than 20 firms growing and producing Timorasso.While Piemonte is an Italian wine region revered for its legendary red wines, the region also boasts an array of indigenous white varieties worth your time. If you love a good comeback story, then Timorasso should be at the top of your must-try list. Here's the low-down on the Italian variety capable of producing age-worthy, refined white wines.With my amazing guest Michael Palij MW, who has an extensive background in Italian wines we explore his interactions with Walter Massa, the story of the revival of Timorasso and where the specific of this grapeRemember to subscribe if you haven't done it already and if you have thank you! And then leave us a review! Now on with the show!

We Coming back on the 19th of September on monthly basis and many great guests to joining us.

With the rise in popularity of Rose Wines especially those of the province region,A multitude of look-alike rose' have found their way into the markets, from wineries chasing the sales and to the wine region in which rose' have been traditionally made the style has shifted to mimic this of the Provance.With my guest today Elizabeth Gabay MW we are exploring the effects of the rose sales growth and production and what controversiality she is seeing in the market. From the standardization of Provence winemaking, which is turning into a double edged sword, to the producers outside this region with little to no experience producing Rose reading informational sheets. With the rise of Rose production so is the need to increase the number of cooled tanks to produce them which has effects on the sustainability of the wineries and packaging. We also talked about Champagne rose and what varieties Elizabeth is getting excited about. Elizabeth, just released the book Rosés of Southern France, a monumental task to find incredible rose wines that stand out from the crowd and to educate the reader with maps and infographics the book is available here: Rosés of Southern France: Amazon.co.uk: Gabay MW, Elizabeth, Bernheim, Ben: 9798837338021: BooksIf you are enjoying the show consider subscribing and the leave a reviewYou have listened to the Looking into Wine Podcast, My guest today was Elizabeth Gabay master of wine.This episode marks the end of season two of the Looking Into Wine Podcast after a summer break we will be back for the third season,If you got to this point of the message, thank you so much for your support from the bottom of my heart! Mattia

Pignolo is promising red grape variety native to the friuli region of northeast Italy, probably first cultivated in the hills of Rosazzo in the colli orientali. Pignolo is a very shy bearer and it was generally ignored by local growers who preferred other, more productive grape varieties until, like schioppettino, it was given a new lease of life by a EU decree of 1978 authorizing its use in the province of Udine. Total plantings of Pignolo Nero were only 93 ha/230 acres according to the 2010 vine census.Pignolo is native of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in the northeaster corner of Italy With Ben Little, we talk about the story of Friulan wines and how Pignolo fits or not in what is Friuli wines in the popular minds.First comes the history of Pignolo in the context of the history of its native region, Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy's upper right-hand corner. A really interesting explanation of how Pignolo, wine, and the region evolved. Then the history shifts a bit to author Ben Little's personal experience with Pignolo, which started only a few years ago (2016) but developed quickly and soon involved many others. There is much of a technical nature to learn through Little's first person reports.Ben Little recently release a whopping 492 pages long ode to Pignolo Book called – Pignolo, Cultivating the invisible.In our conversation we talked about Pignolo, the history and the wider geopolitical influences of this deeply dark red skinned variety. We talked about how it can create some of the most soulful wines produced in Italy and much more If you wuold like to learn more about the book and pignolo here are some links https://shop.themorningclaret.com/collections/books/products/pignolo-cultivating-the-invisible-by-ben-littlehttps://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-1524-pignolohttps://www.thenativegrapes.comAs always remember the follow/subscribe to the Podcast and to tell your friends!

Loved by wine critics but a stranger to broad commercial appeal, Riesling is a light-skinned, aromatic grape of German origin which is also responsible for some of Germany's greatest, and longest-lived, wines. Riesling is made in a range of styles but generally produces crystalline, aromatic white wines with notes of citrus, wax and lanolin, with a light to medium body and plenty of fresh acidity.Although widely associated with the wines of the Mosel and Alsace, Riesling is planted all over the world and has established itself in the likes of Washington and Australia's Clare Valley.Riesling has also been stereotyped as just a sweet grape, used only to make sticky wines. But while botrytized Rieslings are among the finest sweet wines in the world, the majority of global Riesling wines are either dry or off-dry. Young dry Rieslings tend to be very light in colour, sometimes pushing into light gold hints, depending on the region and winemaking. Sweeter styles tend to be considerably more yellow/golden in hue.With today guest we discuss the conundrum that is Riesling, Dr John Haeger is the author of the book Riesling Rediscovered - Bold, Bright, and dry.Riesling come is many shapes and forms and each markets has is own preference to the style that is preferred, this makes it difficult to understand. With DR Haeger we speak about the key markets of Riesling and what is preferred and the regions that grow Riesling.We than discuss the factors that come to play to the early showing of petrol in the development of the wineAnd I question whether the German must weight is still relevant on a warming climate.Remember to hit the subscribe button and to tell your friends about the podcast!About the book https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520275454/riesling-rediscoveredAbout the author https://wineeducationcouncil.org/teachers/john-w-haeger/more about riesling https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-407-riesling Please consider Subscribing and to leave a review Mattia

Chablis has been one of the hardest wine regions to learn for me while studying for the WSET Diploma, in the blind tasting is my Achilles heel I never get it right! Well following my ideas of covering regions and topics that I found fascinating and hard while studying, this episode was bound to happen! Chablis is the name of a town and an appellation that lies in the valley of the River Serein in the northern-most part of Burgundy. 110 kilometres northwest of Dijon, it has a slightly cooler climate than the Côte d'Or. It is well-known for wines made with the Chardonnay variety.In this episode, we speak to Rosemary George MW author of the book The Wines of Chablis. Chablis has experienced major swings in its popularity. In the early nineteenth century, it enjoyed a boom due to its relative proximity to Paris. Plantings in Chablis shrank under the challenges of phylloxera and powdery mildew in the nineteenth century and above all the building of the Paris-Lyons-Marseille railway in the middle of the nineteenth century. As Rosemary says Chablis region is not going through a revolution but an evolution. The rural depopulation after World War I and the devastating frost of 1945 reduced Chablis to a low point of just 500 ha. In more recent decades, demand has led to the land under the vine growing back to 5,500ha. The cool, northerly location means vineyards are susceptible to spring frosts. Which is the last 3 years have more than ever affected the vineyards reducing the production level.Chablis is a fascinating region that hides many unique challenges which are going to be explored in the episode. Remember to follow the podcast to know when new episodes are going to be released.As always remember to hit the follow button to have your inception of wine knowledge directly on your feed.If you would like to learn more about chablis here is the link of the book to Rosemary:https://www.infideas.com/books/wines-chablis/Other useful websites:https://www.chablis-wines.com/https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-chablishttps://winefolly.com/deep-dive/chablis-wine-guide/

Kent is a county in southeast England and one of the leading areas for wine production in the UK. A range of still wines are made, predominantly whites from cool-climate German-developed crossings such as Ortega and Bacchus. However, as is the case for other parts of southern England, the county's traditional method sparkling wines made from the Champagne grape varieties can often reach very high levels of quality.Simpson's Wine Estate is owned and run by husband and wife team Charles and Ruth Simpson.The Simpsons already own and run vineyards in France, they are now producing some top quality wines on the North Downs in Kent and have won numerous awards including a Platinum at the Decanter World Wine Awards for their Roman Road Chardonnay.Simpsons' Wine Estate is located in one of the sunniest corners of the British Isles, and they have further safeguarded their vines against extremes in climate by selecting sloping vineyards that face almost due south, ensuring heat accumulation in the day, and excellent cold air drainage at night. The maritime influence is also crucial to the success of their vines: they are less than eight miles from the coast on three sides, which helps insulate the fruit against intense variations in temperature.In December 2015, Champagne Taittinger announced it was buying a vineyard in Kent and would produce an English sparkling wineThere are around 50 vineyards. Kent is known colloquially as the Garden of England. Cereal crops and fruit orchards are much more common than vineyards, at least for the moment.The same geological layer on which Champagne is situated surfaces in the North Downs in the north of the county. Other vineyards are situated on slopes of the Greensand Ridge plus other areas of the soil type of the same name. The greensand forms a thin strip around the Weald, a diamond-shaped area between the chalk ridges of the North and South Downs. Around two dozen Kent vineyards are situated within this area. Broadly speaking, the northeastern quarter of the Weald corresponds to the southern half of Kent. Soils here can feature varying degrees of sand, shale and clay. The Weald has been promoted as a candidate for its own Protected Geographic Indication.Largely due to climate change, considerable interest has been shown by Champagne winemakers in the long-term potential of Kent. In 2017 Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger planted the first vines for his Champagne house's new venture Domaine Evremond. However wines are not due until the late 2020's.Remember to hit the follow the podcast and as always if you have found listening to this podcast valuable, leave a review! https://simpsonswine.com/ We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Sussex is classified as having a maritime climate and is one of the sunniest and warmest areas in England. Rainfall per annum is typically in the 650 to 850 range (25.5 to 33.5 inches). Projections regarding climate change have prompted optimistic suggestions that Sussex and neighboring areas may in a couple of decades supplant the ever-warming Champagne region as the world center of sparkling wine. Nevertheless, the climate throughout the south of England, remains marginal for still wine production, especially for red grape varieties. With the Wiston Head Winemaker Dermot Sugrue, we explore the sunny Sussex and we took much attention to the use of Oak in Sparkling wine production, both in aging and vinification.As you can see below England has some serious vintage variation, which implicates the quality and quantity of wines produced each season. At Wiston, Dermot has been working on a solera system in the tank for the liquor of tirage which give much character to the Sparkle.2008 – 24 tons2009 – 90 tons2010 – 150 tons2011 – 60 tons2012 – 11 tons (darkest, wettest and coldest summer since 1912)2013 – 186 tons2014 – 330 tons!That's England for you! At the heart of the Wiston Estate story is the Goring family, led by Pip and Harry, who planted their first grapes in 2006 in the South Downs. With years of hard graft and challenges, the real deal clincher was the appointment of Dermot Sugrue as Head Winemaker, following a stint at Nyetimber. Dermot has since laid the foundations for much of modern English winemaking's advancement. The Wiston winery, Dermot, and their clients have almost certainly won more medals, more trophies, and more acclaim than any other winery in England.The venue, Wiston House, is the centerpiece of the Wiston Estate – a true family affair that has been in the Goring family since 1743. Coincidentally, 1743 was also the year that Moët et Chandon was founded. Who would have thought back then that anyone would plant a vineyard in the heart of the Sussex countryside in 2006? The determination of Pip and her husband Harry, and the next generation of Kirsty and Richard, has been an inspirational and ethical driving force for the business. Read Hannah's article Wiston Estate, A Family History, for a closer look into the Goring family story.Some other useful links on the topichttps://www.wistonestate.com/?msclkid=53679b75b04e11ecbbcbc6201fcc7de5 www.winegb.co.uk www.winegb.co.uk/home-visitors/classic-method/https://www.jancisrobinson.com/ocw/detail/england Reach us onInstagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

The third episode of the English mini-series on English wines explores Cornwall with Sam Lindo of Camel Valley Estate. https://www.camelvalley.com/?msclkid=b4bf09daa60a11eca885d38a7ebd41e9A brief history ex-RAF pilot Bob Lindo and his wife Annie planted their first eight thousand vines in 1989, they never dreamed of the phenomenal success they would achieve within 2 decades. They had bought their farm in the heart of the Cornish countryside several years earlier.The second generation, Sam Lindo is now in charge of winemaking and continues to grow and develop the reputation of Camel Valley and our guests today. With him, we discussed what is like growing vines in Cornwall Camel Valley Wines and the. We have paid particular attention to their still wines made from Bacchus the UK call for Sauvignon Blanc, with the First Single-Estate appellation Granted in the UK for a Bacchus.With an excess of 1500 hours of sunshine each year, Cornwall is one of the sunniest areas within the UK, but as Sam explains only a few pockets of land can actually be planted with vines.English wine is growing in popularity and is increasingly recognised as a premium wine-producing region, with more than 450 wineries and around 3.15m bottles produced a year.The most popular grapes varieties grown in English vineyards are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bacchus, as well as Pinot Meunier and Ortega. Whilst vineyards are found across the whole of England, the climate of the South and South-East makes it a particularly popular region for growing vines, especially in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent and Cornwall.The wine industry of Great Britain is now attracting considerable investment and boasts many wineries with state-of-the-art facilities.The nature of the wine business in the UK varies. Some vineyards have bypassed the challenge to produce their own wines and concentrate on growing grapes to sell on to other, mainly larger concerns. Some owners have leased their vineyards to other wine producers, thus reducing the overall number of players in the market. 2003 was a turning point year for English wines with the warmest year to date and amazing crops, for many producers it was the year that they decided to step uo their operations.Rember to hit the follow the podcast and as always if you have found listening to this podcast valuable, leave a review! We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

In the second episode of the English Mini-series, we explore Hampshire and the English viticulture with Nick Crombie, head Viticulturalist of Hambledon Vineyards. Hambledon Vineyard is England's oldest commercial vineyard which was planted by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones in 1952. In the present day, current owner Ian Kellett has a meticulous, scientific approach to wine production and has researched his vineyards to understand their micro and macroclimate.The wines are made solely Using Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir, The Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are particularly successful alongside sparkling wines carbonated through bottle fermentation in the méthode traditionnelle. With me today is Vineyard Manager of Hambledon vineyard Nick Cran-Crombie, who talks to us about Viticulture at Hambledon and the Hampshire vineyards and the projects that are going on at Hambledon Vineyards. Interestingly Vineyards of Hampshire was the first regional English wine group to be formed, starting in 2015 with the primary aim of creating a strong, place-specific identity for the wines that almost all come from the spectacularly deep chalk soils of the county. They decided that by working collaboratively on events and creating a support network, they would have a far greater impact and a far greater chance of putting Hampshire on the map.  With NICK CRAN-CROMBIE head Viticulturalist of Hambledon Vineyard, undertook qualifications at the Royal Horticultural Society alongside landscape gardening before joining the Hambledon VineyardSome other useful links on the topic www.winegb.co.uk www.vineyardsofhampshire.co.uk www.Hambledonvineyard.co.uk https://magazine.winerist.com/england/hambledon-wines-englands-oldest-vineyard https://www.jancisrobinson.com/ocw/detail/england Reach us on Instagram lookingintowine Twitter Mattia Scarpazza Mail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Great Britain is a premium wine-producing region, with around 650 vineyards in England and Wales covering some 2,750 hectares and producing sparkling and still wines. English and Welsh's wines have won many prestigious awards recently and Stephen Skelton is one of the leading authorities on the wines of the UK who has been working in those vineyards for over 30 years! The wines of Great Britain is a comprehensive survey of the history of UK wines, as well as of the current state of the wine industry and its future prospects.The wines of Great Britain then takes us on a tour of contemporary viticulture and winemaking, examining trends in plantings and vineyard layout, varieties, rootstocks and clones, vineyard sizes, modern wineries and styles of wine. We start off by discussing how has the English wine scene has changed since Stephen planted his first vineyards in the 70s, what are the risks of planting vineyards in England.Why was 2003 a turning point for the English Wines and since then the belief that England could be making world-class wines?Lastly Chalk or Not Chalk? odes it actually matters? Why You have listened to The Looking into wine Podcast with Stephen Skelton Master of wine, The next episode will be with Vineyard Manager @ Hambledon Vineyard discussing viticulture in at Hambledon the oldest commercial winery in the UK in Hampshire.If you enjoyed this episode please consider subscribing and leave a review!

English wine is growing in popularity and is increasingly recognised as a premium wine-producing region,The most popular grapes varieties grown in English vineyards are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bacchus, as well as Pinot Meunier, Syval Blanc and Ortega.According to WineGB, some 3,500ha of vineyards are now rooted in UK soils, with 690ha added in 2019 and the number is growing year by year.One of the two principal reasons for this astonishing turnaround has been the switch in English wine production from still to sparkling wines, The second reason for the turnaround, and for the fact that viticulture is now one of the most buoyant and fast-expanding segments of UK agriculture in general, is climate changeIf the UK now grow satisfactory Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for sparkling wine purposes, it's because summer days increasingly cross the 29°C or 30°C thresholds because summer nights are warmer, because mean July temperatures across southern Britain now routinely approach 18°C rather than struggling to crest 15°C. Whilst vineyards are found across the whole of England, the climate of the South and South-East makes it a particularly popular region for growing vines, especially in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.Over the next 5 weeks, we will explore the world of English wines – The pilot episode where we explore the history and evolution of English wine is with Author Stephen Skelton MW. Every episode we talk to a producer from a region in the UK, Cornwall, Hampshire, Sussex and KentBe sure the check all the other episodes!

We are starting the second part of season two by speaking about something that I wish was available while I was doing my advanced studies in Capstone California. California Wine Institute is offering VIP Access to level the one: ttps://tinyurl.com/CWIUKVIP Leave a comment or review to let us know if you enjoy it! Capstone California is the new website, developed by California Wines under the auspices of Wine Institute, is an up-to-date information resource on California wine with contributions from many of the state's 4,200 wineries along with an outside team of top industry professionals, educators, and authors.Taking into consideration the amount of information available on California Wines, I appreciated the one-stop find all approach. I spoke to Evan Goldstein MS the man behind the formulation of this project to get some insights and while I had him we explored some of the histories of California. https://capstonecalifornia.com/ Capstone also offer Four Levels of California Wine Certification once again for Looking Into Wine listeners, the Wine Institute is offering VIP Access to level 1 follow the link here: https://tinyurl.com/CWIUKVIP Remember to Subscribe and to leave a review! Reach us on –Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Chianti over centuries had become the equivalent of Italian red wine and grew to be a style rather than a wine that represented a place. The key producers in the Chianti Classico region were aristocrat Florentine families with interestingly up to the Second World War, a run their estates with a system known as sharecropping. Landowners allowed farmers the use of the land in return for half of the production, which resulted in little incentive to improve quality. Central Tuscany saw the very first attempt to define a wine production area legally by Grand Duke Cosimo III de 'Medici in 1716, with the boundaries outlined and criminal penalties on any merchant or customer buying wines falsely claiming to be from these areas. This law was never really used, though it was intended to protect the good reputations of these wines and to prevent fraud.The creation of Sassicaia in 1968 and Tignanello in 1971 inspired the category of Super Tuscans and led to similar wines produced in the 1980s in the Chianti Classico region. Chianti Classico became an autonomous DOCG in 1996. In other words, it is no longer a sub-zone of Chianti.My guests today are Frances Di Savino and Bill Nesto MW co-authors of ‘Chianti Classico: The Search for Tuscany's Noblest Wine.' With which we explore the history of Chianti Classico, how those decisions tarnished the images of Chianti and what the contemporary producers are looking to change that.Bill is a Master of Wine who teaches in two colleges at Boston University: Metropolitan College, Fran is a corporate attorney who has a background in medieval and Renaissance studies and is Bill's partner in life and on the wine roadRemember to Subscribe and leave a Review! We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram Looking into wineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.comOnline Recording on studio-level: Squadcast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

As South Africa approaches yet another wave of #Covid, I speak to Testalonga is one of the most progressive producers of the country. This Durban-born winemaker Craig Hawking is all about avoiding stereotypes, an ideology embodied in his self-designed wine labels which we discussed on the show. They are all constructed from various photos that have appealed to him in some way Craig was the first producer to experiment with Amber wines in #SouthAfrica not without any resistance from authorities and critics as Craig tells in the episode. We talked about their new estate the #BanditsKloof #vineyard located in the northern mountains of Swartland and the soils and climate of #Swartland, touch on #Harzeverlu in South Africa.After travelling extensively in Portugal and Austria learning his craft Craig returned to South Africa and became the winemaker at top Swartland estate #Lammershoek. Craig now makes his wines from various small, #organic vineyard sites in Swartland and makes his wine naturally, with as little intervention as possible. The climate is Mediterranean with granite soilsAnd of course, he explained where the name #Testalonga comes from The district of Swartland has a warm dry climate. Rainfall is around 500 mm per year, though a good proportion of it falls in the growing season. Soils are diverse but mainly of low fertility, suitable for grape growing. A range of varieties is grown, as in other regions. Soils are diverse but mainly of low fertility granite and shale, particularly around the Paardeberg, which is farmed by many of the top producers.And a would like to thank Les Caves the Pyrenne to help with connecting to the amazing producerHere you can find further information about Testalonga and the SA wines: http://lescaves.co.uk/lescaves-homehttps://www.wosa.co.za/home/Swartland Wine Regions, Coastal Region, Western Cape - Wines of South Africa (wine-searcher.com)#winecast

Israel is a sliver of a country stretching 424 km/263 miles in length.The north and centre of the country may be divided into the fertile coastal plain and the mountainous region that runs down the spine of the country, which falls away to the Jordan Rift Valley in the east. The quality revolution began in the 1890s with Baron Edmond De Rothschild although commercial operations were in place before as my guest Adam explains in the interest.In this episode we explore the history of Isreal's wines with details in the various phases that it went through, We also explained how and why are kosher wines produced and lastly we spoke about the unique vicissitudes that Israel faces with bombing and some effected in the vineyards Adam promptly ensure that Israel is mostly a peaceful place to live.The regional area is as follow: Judean Foothills (27 per cent) The area between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Galilee (25 per cent) In the northGolan Heights (18 per cent) In the northeast corner; a volcanic plateau Coastal Plain (15 per cent) The hot and humid Coastal Plain was one of the areas first planted in the 1880s by Baron Edmond de RothschildCentral Mountains (11 per cent) Includes Mount CarmelNegev Highlands (4 per cent) Adam S. Montefiore is a wine industry insider turned wine writer. He is the wine writer for the Jerusalem Post, a partner in the Israel Wine Experience and CEO of Adam Montefiore Wine Consultancy. He has been referred to as ‘the English voice of Israeli wines.' He is the author of The Wine Route of Israel and contributes to Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book & Jancis Robinson's The Oxford Companion to Wine. He is a member of The Circle of Wine Writers.Some other useful links on the topic https://www.winesofisrael.com/ https://adammontefiore.com/https://winesisrael.com/en/homepage-mobile/

Micro-oxygenation, or Mox to its mates, is a controlled, periodically continuous addition of tiny amounts of oxygen to the wine, usually red.Forget the new world being leaders in technical winemaking innovation. Mox was devised in 1991 by Patrick Ducournau, of Domaine Mouréou in Madiran, as a way of softening the tannins of his home grape variety Tannant which has legendary tannins.Benefits include the stabilisation of colour, the building up and softening of structure and the lessening of stinky, reductive notes. It's now widely used across the winemaking globe, on tannic grape varieties. Mox and pinot noir are unlikely ever to be best buddies.Since Micro-Oxygenation increases the wine's reductive capacity, it does not reduce ageing time and is not useful for promoting the early release. After the structure is built, if the wine is sent immediately to barrels, frequent racking's may be necessary to prevent the wine from becoming closed and hard. My guest Clark Smith, has been working, researching, and studying the use of Micro-Oxygenation in wines since 1997.We go through some of the myths about Micro-oxygenation and we discuss how most winemakers only use it to stabilise colour and speed up the bottling times but in truth Micro-oxygenation applied at a specific stage can help with the structure of wines tannins.Remember to hit the subscribe button, and if you find this Podcast gives you valuable information's give us a review and tell your friends!If you are enjoying the podcast you can donate on Mattia Scarpazza.comYou can find Looking into wines on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and every major listening app We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram Lookingintowine Twitter Mattia Scarpazza Mail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

In this episode, I talk to Nicole Rolet the co-owner of Chêne Bleu, who has to put Chêne Bleu on the global wine map in just over two decades. Blessed with a convergence of natural factors, Chêne Bleu has the benefit of an exceptional location, multifaceted geology, and a southern Rhône climate with soils more typical of the northern Rhône. Isolated and protected, high in a mountain saddle, Chêne Bleu has its provenance in a unique, four-corner borderland of the department Gigondas, Cotes du Ventoux, Côtes du Rhône and Séguret come together Nicole explains why they felt that it was right for them to not be part of those appellations. The story of Chêne Bleu begins with Xavier Rolet, a Frenchman who has made a big mark in the world of finance. In 1993, he came upon a run-down estate in the South of France. The property was so dilapidated and overgrown, that no one had expressed interest in it for 20 years. His first offer was accepted, and he went to work.In the episode, we explore how the Nicole and Xavier Background has to help to shape the success of Chêne Bleu, their long term vision and having the wit to collaborate earlier on with some of the most important wine specialists in the world. What are the principles of Biodynamic are used at Chene Bleu and what lay ahead for the estate?Remember to Subscribe and leave a Review! We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.comOnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

All over the world old vines get proudly mentioned on labels, in many languages. Such is the value everywhere accorded to old vineyards and the wines they produce.With my guest Sarah Abbot MW who run the Old Vine conference, we looked at what are the values of old vines and why we should care for them? Sarah aims to create a global category for Old Vine which has she say has been successful for South Africa in the last decadeHow does a vine actually achieve old age? This is not as straightforward a question as it seems, considering all of the physical, environmental, social, and economic forces working against agricultural permanence.First, avoiding certain pests and diseases is key. The root louse phylloxera is largely responsible for the lack of truly old vines around the world. But because it is unable to thrive in extremely sandy soils, some regions, such as eastern Washington or much of Chile, still have vines planted on their own roots. Another major debilitating factor is trunk disease. A handful of these plague viticulturists, but they all operate via the same mechanism: a malevolent fungus enters the vine, typically during or after pruning, reduces productivity, and eventually causes death. Because a vine receives a fresh set of pruning wounds every season, it naturally follows that older vines are more vulnerable. That said, some varieties are more resistant than othersIn many countries, less productive vines continue to be ripped out. They might be replaced by other higher-yielding varieties or entirely new crops. Even the most cherished historic plot may have to be grubbed up if it just does not produce enough fruit to be economically viable, given the labour costs associated with the extra attention they often require.Across the south of France in the 1990s and 2000s, foreigners snapped up lots of "unproductive" old vineyards. The old French growers were pleased to set up their retirement by selling plots that had been hard to work. The new owners generally had lower hopes for yield, and higher ones for bottle prices, and farmed accordingly.Perhaps surprisingly, it was possible in the mid 2000s to purchase some of those venerable Barossa parcels. But this was more due to a collapse in buying contracts from multinationals.In this episode, Sarah talks about what she aims to achieve with her conferences. We delve into the hurdles that a vine needs to overcome to get to old age and the Economic factors.Sarah also highlights research that shows how vines DNA mutate in their old age showing that they are adapting to their ‘Terroir' making them vital to the diverse pool of vines and she doesn't fail to mention that many hectares of old vineyards are lost every year.For further information on the fascinating topic: https://www.oldvines.org/https://historicvineyardsociety.org/vineyardshttps://www.savetheold.com/https://oldvineproject.co.za/Reach us on:Instagram LookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.comLeave a comment if you are enjoying the podcast it helps with the growth and is always appreciated by us! Mattia

Welcome to the first episode of the second season of the Looking Into Wine Podcast, is so good to be back - Mattia Today's guest is the Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension in Enology for the University of California UC Davis Anita Oberholster. Today she is here to spotlight the incredibly growing concern that is Smoke taint. In recent years she has focused her attention on Smoke Taint leading field and laboratory research on the topic and working with international researchers to fight this catching problem. In 2020 alone a series of wildfires ravaged parts of Northern California, blanketing much of the West Coast with smoke. This came on the heels of major fire events during the previous three years that burned nearly 3.8 million acres in California alone. Meanwhile, Australia suffered devastating fires in 2019 and 2020 that affected Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. And this year 2021 fires are sprawling around the world from California to France and parts of southern Europe. As the wine world acclimates to changes in weather patterns, the term “fire season” has become akin to hail in Burgundy and bone-chilling winters in Germany. Like harvests ruined by cold, wet, and disease, harvests in fire riddled regions face unique challenges Smoke Taint – what it is and how it affects grapes and wine.Smoke taint is one such adulteration. When wildfires strike, the residue of the smoke can settle on grapevines, leaving a film of volatile phenolic compounds. Where many wines flavours are derived from grapes' phenolics, these compounds are unwelcome intruders. And they infiltrate the grape skin, forming bonds with the sugars just inside the skins. These resulting molecules are called glycosides. The compounds in smoke primarily responsible for the taint are the free volatile phenols that are produced when the wood is burnt. These can be absorbed directly by grapes and can bind to grape sugars to give glycosides that have no smoky aroma. Often these glycosides are described as smoke taint precursors. During fermentation (and also over time in barrel or bottle) these glycosides can break apart, releasing the volatile phenols into the must or wine, and allowing the smoky flavour to be perceived. These glycosides can also release the volatile phenols in the mouth during the drinking of wine, which may contribute to the perception of smoke taint.As promised the here are the links to further readings: California UC Davis https://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/industry-info/viticulture-resources/wildfire-impact-ca-grapesAustralia Wine Institute https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/smoke-taint/Remember to hit the follow the podcast and as always if you have found listening to this podcast valuable, leave a review! We would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

Wine Barrels made from oak are among the oldest technologies used to produce wines.But where all the wood to produce all those barrels, what oak is good for Barrels, what do we do next? With my gest Mel Knox, an international semiretired wine barrel broker with over 40 years of experience in trading and researching wine barrels for winemaking sourcing some of the most esteemed tonnellerie/barrel-maker from France, we explore the ins and outs of this fascinating part of winemaking. There are hundreds of species of oak, all of which can be broadly separated into two categories, red and white. The red oaks are porous and cannot, therefore, be relied upon for watertight cooperage. For wine three sorts of white oak are most important, one American and two European Quercus sessiliflora and Quercus robur, Mel Says, Oak can be divided into two types, red oak--it leaks-- and white oak, which is used for barrels. White oak is found 1/in the area roughly defined by east of the great plains, south of Canada, north of Mexico and Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean. There is also a bit of Oregon oak found...mostly in western Oregon and Washington,Also, he adds' You have different barrel approaches for different varieties. With Pinot, you are trying to beef up the wine whereas with cabernet you are trying to tame the wine. What is done after the right oak plant to make a barrel is chosen? What can affect the resulting style of wine? What are the risks? I went maybe ten years without selling anything but 60 gallon and smaller sized barrels. Now larger barrels and tanks are more popular. But it's still a small part of the business. He also adds on the show how he was working with Robert Mondavi and how he asked to untoasted barrels and used vapour instead that was the first winery to ever do that. Did you know that oak also contains TCA or Cork Taint? Mel uses high traceability systems to ensure that everything is monitored from source to client. We also hear about Mel story of sourcing some of the wines for the famous Judgement of Paris and he pays tribute to the late Steven Spurriel Some other useful links on the topic http://www.knoxbarrels.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCrkmyQtQIM&t=1sThe following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

Recognized as an AVA in 1981, Santa Cruz Mountains was the first California appellation to be defined by its mountain topography.As the name suggests, Santa Cruz Mountains is a mountainous AVA that sits between Monterey Bay and San Francisco. The rugged terroir in the mountains can be extremely difficult for vignerons, but those who persevere are rewarded with some of California's most celebrated wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon. The winegrowing community comprises nearly 300 small growers and wineries, the region is planted to approximately 1300 acres of wine grapes, divided evenly among Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and “Other Varietals” (most notably Merlot and Zinfandel).Small vineyard surrounded by Redwood trees and native chaparral, growing atop an ancient seabed overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These growing conditions give the wines a distinct regional identity, characterized by fresh flavours and bright fruit.Individual and site-specific mesoclimate is an important part of the terroir here. Vineyards planted on western slopes feel the cooling effects of strong winds from the Pacific Ocean. Further inland, vineyards planted on east-facing slopes get some protection from the ocean and are therefore much warmer.With today's guest Prudy Foxx, the leading viticulturist of Santa Cruz Mountain, how has been working in the region for the last 25 years we discussed this region in details, what decisions are important to consider when planning vines on the Mountains, what are the exciting new developments, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are taking the heart of Prudy in the vineyards of the south of SCM and we talked how in the recent years more investments are coming on the mountains from producers from all over California.Some other useful links on the topic https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/https://santacruzmountains.com/wineries/https://foxxviticulture.com/https://wineinstitute.org/The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazzaWe Love hearing from you, get in touch on:Instagram Mattia.lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

A transformation has been taking place in the vineyards and wineries of Portugal during the last twenty years, bringing hundreds of new wines onto the international market.Indigenous grape varieties that were once obscure are now becoming mainstream. Thought of as a country that produced mainly red wine, Portugal is now proving that it has producers capable of making world-class white wines while tapping into its long history for the production of wines.With my guest, Richard Mayson, author of The Wines of Portugal, we spotlighted where and how those changes are taking place, most important change for many regions has been moving from Co-operative based production to private ownership of wineries as Richard explains.He expertly divided the country into four broad areas: Atlantic Wines, Mountain Wines, Wines of the Plains and Wines of the Island. Portugal's temperate, predominantly maritime climate has a great deal to offer winemakers. And there is significant variation nonetheless between its mountains, river valleys, sandy littoral plains and limestone-rich coastal hills.We explored those areas and what are the key changes that are taking places and what it is that one should know about them. We also explored the ancient Vinho de Talha and what are the category Encruzado and Garrafeira and more.Remember to hit the follow the podcast and as always if you have found listening to this podcast valuable, leave a review! The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!The wines of Portugal, By Richard Mayson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1999619315/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mattiascarpaz-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1999619315&linkId=599cebffa5d909969186e44fa987133fAudio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazzaWe would love you hear from you! Reach us on: Instagram Mattia_lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

The historical area between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in Veneto, has been promoted to Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene to DOCG in 2010.After a decade on the making, Valdobbiadene is setting itself apart from the wider Prosecco Doc produced in Both Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene has many factors that are unique to the region for one there is increasing interest in the Valdobbiadene terroir and landscape, awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2019. In this episode with Sarah Abbot Master of Wine, we define what they are, with a great interest on the soils and hills. In another innovation, for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, changes to the regulations in 2019 now allow for a new style of extra brutAlso, we talked about the innovations, such as Classic Method and Prosecco col Fondo and the ban of Glyphosate pesticide usage in the region and Sarah thoroughly explains the rather convoluted labelling system - Lastly, I asked to Sarah what else is she seeing happening in the region? Some other useful links on the topic https://www.valdobbiadene.com/?lang=enhttps://www.decanter.com/wine-news/prosecco-consorzio-launches-superiore-afternoon-campaign-411420/https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-conegliano+valdobbiadene+proseccoSwirl Wine Group: https://swirlwinegroup.com/ The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazzaReach us on –Instagram Mattia.lookingintowineTwitter Mattia ScarpazzaMail Info@mattiascarpazza.com

At the foothills of Biblical Mount Ararat, at altitudes between 1400 and 1600 meters above sea level and just a stone through from the world’s oldest winemaking facility Areni 1 cave.The vineyards of ZORAH can be found in the rural village of Rind in the heart of Vayots Dzor, Armenia’s classic winemaking region.Zorah aims to re-establish the long history of Armenia for wines and to bring the nation to the global market. It's not an easy task but thanks to some very clever choices the success is coming to their way. Armenia much like other countries has a few hundred varieties that are believed to the of local origin and Yeraz Gharibian, knew that working with those varieties would have been essential to the success of his wines.With today’s guests Yeraz Gharibian. we talked about why he decided to open his winery in Armenia, what are the difficulties that he encountered along the way. We spotlighted the wines Yeraz Wines produced at Zorah,Yeraz (dream in Armenian) is the dream for the revival of ancient wine culture and the rediscovery of forgotten places and lost native grapes. It is the dream for a passionate wine future and the creation of great wines from Armenia which will tell the story of this age-old land and it is the dream to trust in the potential of this incredible terroir with a sense of responsibility for future generations.High altitude viticulture the grapes for Yeraz come from ultra-centennial semi-abandoned bush vineyards ‘older than time’ at altitudes of 1600 meters (5250 feet) above sea level. Raw and remote, pure and authentic, these vines reflect the difficult history that has defined this land and the spirit of its people; resilient yet with great inner tenacity, they have somehow survived against all oddsKaras the ageing vessel of choice, the local Armenian Amphorae that typically are ¾ buried compared to those found in other countries, Zorik, explains why in the interview.Also explore the unique region of Vayots Dzor with its high altitude, and the Karas the Armenian Amphorae used for ageing and how he uses them. We also spotlighted, what other regions are producing wines in Armenia. Some other useful links on the topic https://www.zorahwines.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_wine The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazzaMake sure to connect with us on:Instagram Mattia.lookingintowineTwitter/LinkedinMattia Scarpazza

The Adriatic Sea, is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto to the northwest and the Po Valley. The sea affects many wine regions in Europe but is in the northernmost part where it’s most visible, winds coming from the south channels through the whole sea into Friuli, Slovenia and Istria. For Paul Balke author of the Book North Adriatic, those regions are now separate only politically but are connected by their climate and could be considered are a wide over different states wine region. We centred our attention on Friuli Venezia Giulia as it represents well the climatic condition of the North Adriatic and the incredible diversity of grape varieties. We have talked about the interesting story of how producers after the 2nd World had vineyards in both Italy and Slovenia and were the only ones allowed to cross the border on daily basis.We talked about the historical importance of those regions both locally and internationally, we discussed why in Friuli we should not consider the plains are A and B sites, what grapes are grown in those regions. Use the code to receive a 10% discount on North Adriatic Book on Paul Website https://paulbalke.com/north-adriatic/If you are enjoying the podcast consider leaving a review! Some other useful links on the topic https://italianwine.guide/regions-en-gb/friuli-venezia-giulia-en-GB/https://www.shelvedwine.com/all-about-wines-of-friuli-venezia-giulia/ The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

In this episode, we explore Furmint a noble grape of Hungary, with Caroline Gilby Master of Wine. Furmint is undoubtedly one of Hungary most valuable white grape variety. Is unique, distinctive with a flavour profile quite unlike any other grape variety I have ever tasted. With Caroline Gilby MW, who has been visiting Hungary since the 90s, we discussed one of favourite variety. Gouais Blanc is the parent of Furmint, making it half-sibling to Chardonnay and Riesling and it is no surprise when one start to look at the styles that are produced today one can see the similitudes with those varieties. Until relatively recently, the traditional style of Hungarian Furmint has been sweet, more often than not blended with Hárslevelű, most notably in the blend for tokay.Furmint ripens late, is prone to botrytis, retains high acidity and builds lots of sugars – everything that one needs to produce sweet wines.But around the turn of this century, dry, varietal Furmints started appearing and gaining traction, the hot and dry 2003 vintage is the pivotal vintage for dry wines says Caroline in the podcast. Producers quickly saw the potential. Caroline explains what styles are can be found today, Furmint is a grape that not only makes a high-quality wine at all sweetness levels but can be used to make good sparkling wine too. It responds to Chardonnay-like winemaking techniques such as lees ageing, bâtonnage, malolactic conversion and ageing in barrel. We also talked about viticulture used to train Furmint and where in-country is grown successfully aside Tokaji. I commented how Furmint is one of the few grape varieties in the world that can produce such an array of style, a tasting idea is to have a journey through the styles produced by Furmint. I’ll definitely try it at some point soon. Since the dry styles of Furmint are becoming more common among producers, so is the growing interest in the grape around the world and is definitely now a good time to learn everything that you need to know about it Furmint! I would like to thank Wines of Hungary UK for helping to organise this episode. Some other useful links on the topic https://winehungary.co.uk/https://www.thewinesociety.com/explore-furmint-wine-grape-hungaryWhat I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

Randall Grahm, one of California's most innovative vintners, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard and Popelouchum is the guest of Looking Into wine.We started by talking about his early days. After three years studying philosophy at Santa Cruz University, and completing a winemaking degree at UC Davis, Grahm acquired a vineyard site at Bonny Doon in the Santa Cruz mountains. His first dream was to make Pinot Noir, but he soon realised that it was too warm on the mountain. He then moved to Syrah with a great deal of success. Grahm recalls how it was to work with the grape in the 70s, and how difficult it was to find good cuttings.Continuing with Rhône varieties Grahm started to grow Grenache and Mourvedre. ‘I thought that if I blended those grapes maybe something good would be produced’, his beliefs were well-founded. In 1984 he produced the first vintage of the wine with which he will forever be associated, Le Cigare Volant (the story of the name features in the interview). Cigare, a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre (Since 2017 changed to Cinsault), Syrah, and other classic Châteauneuf grapes. During his high time, Randall produced more than 30 wines on any given vintage. I ask which wine he was most proud of and impressed by the quality. His writings constantly return to the concept that has dominated his life: the search for a true vin de terroir, not a vin d’effort.Randall's accolades are as numerous as the risks that he took over the years, including producing one of the first dry roses of California in the 90s, staging the "funeral" of Mr Bouchon aka Cork, using Demijohns (all the reasons are discussed in the interview) and he even managed to be interviewed by Oprah. We then discussed his latest project Popelouchum (Poh-puh-loo-shoom), a "New World grand cru" experimental vineyard in which Grahm hopes to breed 10,000 new grape varieties. He explains how he's using natural cross-breeding to find a variety that is 100% suited to the growing condition of the site. The project will take generations and so the restless experimentation continues. We will have to wait a long time to see the results of the San Juan Bautista project but whatever sort of wine it produces it will be nothing less than interesting. And Grahm will be that much closer to his goal of creating a true vin de terroir.Randall Grahm is truly a maverick winemaker that has inspired many others in California.

The Rhône Rangers began as an informal band of like-minded renegades who were convinced that the grapes traditional to France’s Rhône Valley would thrive in the Mediterranean climate of California. As recently as the late 1980s, there were only a few dozen such producers on the entire West Coast. The ideas of those pioneers caught on rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s, and the 31 wineries that gathered for the Rhône Rangers’ first grand tasting, held in 1998 in San Francisco, grew to 90 by 2000. During the organization’s nearly two-decade history, more than 450 wineries have counted themselves as members, and tens of thousands of Rhône-loving tradespeople and consumers have attended Rhône Rangers tastings in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., thus changing deeply the way of American drinkers. Over the years the Rhone Movement has lost its influences but is still very much there, it’s evolving and moving to other varieties and there still passioned producers. In this episode, I spoke to author Journalist Patrick Comiskey. He, however, never lost his passion for either the true Rhone wines produced in the Rhone Valley in the south of France or the American Rhones being made primarily in California and Washington. Comiskey, a writer and critic for Wine & Spirits magazine, has penned the definitive work on the Rhone movement, "American Rhone, How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink."Comiskey, a gifted writer and storyteller, spent the better part of six years by his estimation researching the topic, conducting interviews, tasting the wines and eventually writing the book.We have also talked about the difference between Syrah and Petite Syrah and the new styles that contemporary Rhone Ranges are exploring.Randal Grahm and the white horse – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/357543657887272599/The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!AMERICAN RHONE, HOW MAVERICK WINEMAKERS CHANGED THE WAY AMERICANS DRINK https://amzn.to/3r4X0mJWhat I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

In 1924, Rudolf Steiner presented his Agriculture Course to a group of 111, farmers in Poland. Steiner spoke of agriculture to ‘heal the earth’ and he laid the philosophical and practical foundations for such differentiated agriculture. Biodynamic agriculture is now practised internationally as a specialist form of organic agriculture.Steiner’s Agriculture Course comprised just eight lectures presented over a ten-day period. The path from proposal to experimentation, to formalization, to implementation and promulgation played out over a decade and a half following the Course.It needs to be understood that in the 1920s chemicals usage in agriculture was growing exponentially and concern started to grow in the agriculture circles.Biodynamic agriculture is now practised in 47 countries (Demeter, 2011) and, while it is nested within the broader organic agriculture movement, it has been at the forefront of organic farming developments, including, for example, the participation in founding the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) (Paull, 2010), and taking one of the earliest stances against synthetic nanomaterials by excluding them from Demeter’s biodynamic food and agriculture standards (Paull, 2011a).In this episode, I spoke with Douglas Wregg director of Les Caves de Pyrene,on what are the principles of Biodynamic farming and how are the famous composts are created and what’s their indented usage, How important it is Demeter and why? Lastly, I asked where some producers may use Bio for a second reason as for Marketing.A deep dive into the topic of how and what are the practicesSome other useful links on the topic http://lescaves.co.uk/lescaves-home https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/the-spray-preparations/https://vinepair.com/articles/biodynamic-wine-explained/The following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!If you are Looking to Lear more about the procedures used in Biodynamic I would suggest Biodynamic Wine by Monty Waldin - https://amzn.to/3qeZXQT What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

In this episode, I spoke to Jane Lopes. Jane is the author of Vignette, in her book jane opens up about many great moments of her life and she put a great deal of effort in explain how stress and anxiety have dictated many part of her life. And outside the book, she has been recently been part of an expose article about sexual harassment from senior members of the then heads of the Court of Sommelier. It transpires while talking to Jane that the problem extends to other parts of the business. (find the link for the expose below). This episode differs from others that have been released so far, in that it is focused on the life story of the author in and out of the book but nonetheless, I wanted to shine a light on it and I invite everyone to listen to this inspiring story. I believe that in her book, many people can relate to her stories, and while Jane tells her story she connects that specific moment in time to a style of wine and explains it. In the first part, I spoke with Jane live, about some of the events and emotions that she had gone through. From the beginning, when she first became interested in wine, through to the stress of her examinations to become one of the few Master Sommeliers in the world, only to see it taken away. She shows amazing resilience and devotion and through her story, there is something that many people can relate to. In the second part, we spoke about the recent sexual harassment exposé article in The New York Times, that Jane and other 20 women were part of, regarding the malpractice of senior members of The Court of Sommeliers in the USA. Jane shares with me how the long-planned and researched article came together, how she had felt about it all and what she hopes for the future. I can only thank her for sharing her story here.Expose article from Julia Moskin of The New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/dining/drinks/court-of-master-sommeliers-sexual-harassment-wine.htmlThese following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!Vignette: Stories of Life and Wine in 100 Bottles https://amzn.to/37pZMMl What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording at studio-level quality:SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

Modern and traditional are words that many wine aficionados, students or professionals have heard off but what about postmodernism? In this podcast, Clark Smith the author of Postmodern Winemaking touches upon how modern winemaking changed the wine industry. For modern winemaking is generally referred to as wines that have developed after the second world war when electricity had become widely available in every winery in the world. We have talked about how winemaking is becoming a dogma, and it is believed that winemakers do nothing, but as the saying goes it’s hard to do nothing. Clark has a deep knowledge of winemaking and its Science. His book explores what modern techniques can add to the tools of a winemaker and how to best utilise them, and Clark explains that most of those tools need mastering and may or may not be utilised. Who are postmodern winemakers? For Clark, postmodern winemakers are those who make wine in their own vision and he is not a single filed line but is goes in many directions. We talk about the changes in modern wines in particular for white wine production, the influence of oxygen winemaking and the principles of micro-oxygenation. Clark challenges consumers to speak to winemaker and get to know them. On a personal level I know there are many winemaking techniques and instruments that may be used in winemaking, regardless of their controversy, that are worth exploring and understanding as they play a part in the final product that we much enjoy. Also for those who are pursuing higher levels of wine-education winemaking covers a big part of the examinations.Read More about this topic here: https://whoisclarksmith.com/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/These following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!Postmodern Winemaking https://amzn.to/2ZkpfCk What I use to make the podcast: Audio Interface: Zoom H6 https://amzn.to/3qnz7Ht Microphone: Shure SM58 https://amzn.to/3bcfbACBoom Arm Mic Stand with Pop Filter: ShureSM7B https://amzn.to/3tWlMYROnline Recording on studio-level: SquadCast https://squadcast.fm/?ref=mattiascarpazza

Welcome to the second producer profile this time we are in southern France, Languedoc specifically in Fitou with Owner/Winemaker, Katie Jones of Domaine Jones. Katie moved to southern France from England to work for the local Co-operative, as the years passed she decided to open her own winery in 2008, starting off with a mere two hectares of old vine Carignan, something unheard of in her village of Touchon. Katie looks for vineyards no-one else wants would only be a slight exaggeration. Most other growers in the area wouldn’t be interested in her modest twelve hectares of vines spread across vineyards in Maury and Tuchan.. she looks for low yields with high quality, and the rather poor, sloping ground that the very old, traditional vines cling to gives her just that.Katie's tell us how she managed to acquire those many micro old vines vineyards in her villages it was a bit of luck that they weren’t uprooted in the early 2000s when the local regulatory body ripped up many hectares of vineyards. Katies has now a collection of rare varieties that she uses for her wines.Wine cooperatives in France started in the late 1800s, mostly out of economic necessity, and continue to flourish today particularly in southern France, and that’s why it is more difficult to find independent grower, winemakers in the region.We also talked about why the Fitou viticultural area is, unusually, got split into two separate zones for historical reason. They are both finger-like enclaves stretching northwards into the larger Corbieres viticultural area. Each measure around 13 kilometres (8 miles) from north to south and less than half that from east to west. The two areas have a combined vineyard area of around 2650 hectares (6500 acres).The inland 'finger' is known unofficially as Fitou Montagneux ('mountainous Fitou'). This area is relatively hilly – vineyards here lie anywhere between 100m and 400m (330ft to 1310ft).The low-yielding vines here can produce fruits of great quality. In recent years this is being more reliably achieved.Its coastal counterpart, Fitou Maritime, is situated on slightly flatter land at the transition point between the Pyrenean foothills and the coastal plain. Vineyards here rarely sit above 150m in altitude.To read more about D Jones and Fitou: https://domainejones.com/https://www.languedoc-wines.com/en

The challenge of identifying an unknown wine can be thrilling, and hearing that you got it is a huge satisfaction but no easy task.Blind tasting can be a dreaded topic for anyone who wants to test their skills or preparing for it as part of a examination. It often involves tasting very many wines in a day which may sound fun but the pressure to identify the wine correctly can counteract this.My guest Nick Jackson, Master of Wine and author of Beyond Flavour, discusses his approach to blind tasting, through focusing on the structure of wine. A system that Nick perfected in the last few years while practicing for his blind tasting exams for the Master of Wine and which have proven successful for him. Nick explains on the episodes how each variety and country has is structural pillar and by learning them one can more confidentially identify wines. And I’m keen to stress that as Nick tells on the episode, one should leave behind the aromas. Blind tasting is still subject to personal feeling, but this approach is something that resonates with me and my own experiences with the WSET Diploma examinations and the way I tasted wine for these.To learn more about this go to: https://vintagevariation.com/schoolhttps://imbibe.com/news/nick-jackson-mw-launches-new-online-wine-education-platform/ https://vintagevariation.com/beyond-flavourAmazon Affiliate Link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1709965703/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1709965703&linkCode=am2&tag=mattiascarpaz-21&linkId=aa268f82a3e4de31fe9b4e1189734cb0