This is episode highlights the cold side of Australia with Emma Symington Master of Wine. Emma has been working with Wine Australia for more than 10 years now, and was kind enough to sit down with me for 2 episodes and introduce us first to the cool climate regions of Australia and then to the many faces of Australian Shiraz in the 2nd episode, coming up in 2 weeks. These shows are meant for both professionals as well as keen beginner wine lovers, who want to get an idea about the lesser known corners and strengths of the Australian wine world. Guest: Emma Symington MW Follow the Wine Ghosts ..read more

Today’s episode will focus on a very special and not very well-known Spanish DO, the Vinos de Madrid. This area has started to get more attention thanks to a handful of enthusiastic Garnacha producers, but the region is still far from being well-developed. I sat down with Juan from the Bernabeleva winery that makes distinctive Albillos and Garnachas in the mountainous area west of Madrid. I’ve known his Albillo Cantocuerdas for a couple years now, which always a great surprise ghost at any blind tasting session it appears on, but we will get into more details in the conversation later. Please ..read more

Jorge Nunes is the regional manager of the Symington Family Estates in Asia, providing deep insider knowledge about the making of port wine as well as about the trade itself. Jorge has already appeared on the Wine Ghosts podcast in the 66th episode, when he gave tips about passing the WSET Diploma with an “A”, and I must say, he is an excellent communicator and professional. You can learn about varieties, the vineyard work in the Douro, the different extraction methods and styles, the contradiction around the “beneficio” and about current market trends regarding Port wine. I learned a lot and ..read more

There are about 2 weeks till the next D3 exams in the WSET Diploma Program. On this occasion, I invited Alex Tsui as my next guest to the podcast to give tips and last minute encouragement for those who sit the exam on 25th of October. Alex has passed the diploma with distinction recently and won the SOGRAPE prize for his extraordinary achievement, plus he is the moderator of the most popular and active WSET Study Group on Facebook, and the creator of many helpful study guides. On the side, he is a PhD student at Oxford, so wine is basically just a hobby. I think it tells a lot about ..read more

This episode is one that I’ve been waiting for in the last couple years already. If you want to become a better blind taster, Nick Jackson’s book: Beyond Flavour is a must have in your library. Nick is a young British Master of Wine who studied Theology in Cambridge and now lives in the sunny Florida, where he imports artisanal European wines, helps private wine collectors and much more. In many ways, his approach to tasting is a rather unique, but most certainly a helpful one. But I let him explain the origin story and methodology of the ‘Tasting by Structure’ approach. We talked about the ma ..read more

A couple of weeks ago, dear friends of mine brought a particularly inspiring bottle to our usual blind tasting session: the first Welschriesling from the new venture of Christoph Polz. This wine simply blew me away. So, I was eager to talk to the man behind this magnificent wine and hear his thoughts on Hochgrassnitzberg, this is the vineyard where he works on in Styria, but of course also about the variety and his approach to winemaking. Christoph made the impression of a sincere, modest guy who admires fine details, heritage and exceptional quality overall. If you want to enjoy his wines, th ..read more

Today’s episode is particularly close to my heart. About 4 months ago, I was lucky enough to visit the mesmerising Tenerife, the biggest of the Canary Islands. That’s when I met Roberto Santos, the native Canary winemaker from the Envinate winery. The dreamy weather, warm winds and anywhere you are, you can either see the towering Teida volcano or the vast blueness of the ocean. Hell of a terroir, I would say. I’ve also wrote about my experiences on my new website, you can find the link to the article in the description. Back then, I’ve already decided that I want to interview Roberto on the s ..read more

In this episode you can hear my conversation with Jorge Nunes, who had become the most successful WSET Diploma graduate (winner of the Vintners' Cup) in the 2021 calendar year. As a diploma student myself, I wanted to pick Jorge’s brain about how he got to achieve this honourable title. Most helpful techniques, tasting tips, surprising challenges and the power of motivation are all parts of this episode. Other than that, Jorge is currently working as the Asia Pacific Market Manager at great Symington Family Estates in Singapur, so you can also hear his perspective about the current state of th ..read more

As I’m writing my essay for my WSET diploma about sustainable Bordeaux, I wanted to hear and share with you some insider knowledge from a prestigious chateau in the area. Château Lagrange is a classified Third Growth estate with the largest single vineyard among classified estates in the Médoc. My guest was Matthieu Bordes, general manager and winemaker at the estate since 2006. In this episode, you’ll hear why organic farming might not be sustainable, which are the biggest most surprising contributors to the environmental pollution by a winery, why and which environmental certifications would ..read more

Santa brought a hell of christmas present recently, the wine workbook from Amble Wine. A paramount help for wine students that I certainly wanted to spread the word about on the channel. The founder, Lea Gatinois has missed a comprehensive workbook to practice her knowledge during her WSET Diploma studies, so she created her own. And thanks God she did, because these maps, infographics, varietal descriptions and alike, are great helping hands preparing for the scary D3 exam this year. We’ve talked about the motivations behind starting the company, the product portfolio, future projects, life a ..read more