Another Bottle Down

On today's show and the first in a 2 part series on South Africa, Mark and Jessica start off with a quick conversation with Danya Declusin, owner of Cape Bottle Room, a wine shop and tasting room dedicated to 100% South African wine.  They get into what the US consuming public is gravitating to in the South African Category. Next, they dig into the De Wetshof Estate in Robertson with Johann De Wet.  The De Wetshof family has been making wine in the Cape since 1693.  And, after making wine in a variety of other regions, they settled in Robertson to focus predominantly on Chardonnay.  Johann's father was the first to bring Chardonnay cuttings into the country at first illegally, but a landmark court case that ruled in the De Wetshof favor actually spurred a renaissance of new varieties being brought into South Africa.  As a disclaimer, De Wetshof is imported to the US by Broadbent Selections, the company with which Mark is employed. Links: De Wetshof Estate: https://dewetshof.com/ Cape Bottle Room: https://www.capebottleroom.com/ The Wines of South Africa by Jim Clark (One of the most comprehensive resources for South African Wine today)  

Jessica Dupuy kicks off her month long stay in Spain with visiting the wineries of Gonzalez Byass in Rioja and Jerez with fellow writer Brian Freedman.  They share all the super fun stories of eating and drinking their way through the countryside.  Mark stays back in Austin not jealous at all! Thanks to Gonzalez Byass, parent company of Tio Pepe and Beronia: https://www.gonzalezbyassusa.com Brian Freedman's book: Crushed 'How a Changing Climate is Altering the Way We Drink.'  

With over 25yrs in the hospitality industry, Matt Dulle's hospitality career ranges from St. Louis to Chicago to SF/Northern California.  Matt has been, most notably, part of the opening team at SingleThread in Healdsberg, CA, and Beverage Director at Lazy Bear in San Francisco. He's an Anvanced Sommelier and has been involved as part of the mentoring and leadership team at Texsom for the past 6 years. Jessica and Matt catch up at the Texsom wine awards and talk about the role as a beverage director and his journey in the hospitality industry.  Apologies to listeners, we cannot yet announce Matt's next step/ restaurant Links: Single Thread- https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/restaurant Lazy Bear- https://www.lazybearsf.com/ Rhys Vineyards- https://rhysvineyards.com/

In this episode, Jessica catches up with Monica Samuels, VP of Sake and Spirits for Vine Connections, just after the Texsom International Wine Awards judging wrapped up. The two had just completed a flight of award-winning Saké selections that prompted an informative and thought-provoking discussion.    Find out the basics of what you need to know about Saké, how to approach the category in general, and what foods pair well with this diverse, and deliciously complex style beverage.    Monica’s 15+ years of experience in the sake industry include working as a restaurant beverage director, overseeing the category for one of the country’s largest wholesalers, and now directly importing sake and spirits from Japan.  She has been recognized for her efforts in sales and education in Wine Spectator’s “Sake’s True Believers (2013),” Wine Enthusiast’s “40 Tastemakers Under 40 (2014),” received the title of “Sake Samurai” in 2017, and as part of the IWSC and WSET’s “Future 50 Awards (2019).”  Monica’s education in sake includes studying under John Gauntner and his Sake Education Council, where she received both Certified and Advanced Sake Professional distinctions; she is also a WSET certified Educator for the L3 Award in Sake.  She has assessed saké for different competitions internationally and is currently a Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge sake category.   https://www.vineconnections.com/japanese-sake/

Jean Trimbach is one of the icons of Alsace and the 12th generation at the helm this benchmark family winery with his brother Pierre.  Jessica catches up with Jean before an epic dinner at Jeffrey's and chats about all things Alsace.  Hailing from Ribeauvillé, Trimbach is making glorious Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurtztraminer amongst other things.  Jean delves into the soils of Alsace, the balance of the wines even in warm vintages, and how beautifuly these wines are with Asian cuisine, well, really any cuisine.  Plus, he reveals where the winery is going in the future and the 13th and 14th generations that will soon be custodian of their land. https://www.trimbach.fr/vins-alsace      

In this episode of Another Bottle Down, Jessica shares a conversation over lunch with Friulian winemaker Daniele Vuerich of Attems winery in Collio and Master Sommelier Craig Collins of Vintus wine importers. The two share about the unique elements of the region and the elegant wines it produces.     Located in the far northeastern corner of Italy, the hills of the Collio DOC are home to some of Northern Italy’s most prestigious vineyards and distinctive grape varieties. The region stretches from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region along the Slovenian border in the east, to the southern mountains close to Corno di Rosazzo and Buttrio.    Defined by the Colli Orientali mountains and mineral-rich soils resulting from shifting alpine tectonics, the region is known for a particular rock, Ponca, which is a unique marl-standstone formed by repeated sedimentary processes. Vineyards are generally at higher altitudes along rolling hills with the Julian Pre-Alps that protect the vineyards from the cold winds of the north and are also influenced by the warmer sea breezes of the Adriatic Sea.   Attems is a name rooted in the history of wine in Friuli Venezia Giulia with documentation confirming ownership of land dedicated to viticulture in Collio by the Attems dynasty dating as far back as 1106. Production of Ribolla Gialla and Refosco can be seen listed in the 1764 general ledgers. The estate extends over 44 hectares of south-facing terraced slopes to the west of Gorizia, protected both from the cold northern winds and the characteristic “bora” wind of Trieste.    Attems promotes both native grapes such as Ribolla Gialla and Friulano, as well as other noble varieties including Sauvignon Banc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Merlot. Given the particularly idyllic environmental conditions, the vineyards flourish and yield their fruits in an ecosystem in which biodiversity reigns.   Attems website.

In this episode, Jessica catches up with Pádraig Ó Graillais of Micil Distillery in Galway, Ireland. A classic story of Irish heritage, Micil is the creation of two brothers, Pádraig and Jimín Ó Graillais, who named the brand in honor of their great-great-great grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra. In the 1840s, he used to make poitín (unofficially) in the Connemara countryside. Six generations later, the family continues the tradition, making beautiful Irish spirits in Galway,   For the record, poitín is the predecessor to whiskey. Both were distilled from malted barley and other grains, and both were known as fuisce in the Irish language. The word fuisce (pronounced ‘fwishka’) derives from the Irish uisce beatha, meaning ‘water of life’. This was later Anglicised to become ‘whiskey’.)   Jessica had a chance to check out the distillery while living in Ireland last summer. At Micil, Pádraig offers a dynamic tasting of Micil spirits, including a heritage poitín made with peat-malted barley and oats, a small-batch peated whiskey blend with a triple cask, a Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey and aged partially in Bordeaux casks, a delicious gin distilled with Connemara bog myrtle, heather, hawberry, and bogbean, and a dreamy Irish cream made with a special family recipe.    In this interview, Ó Graillais shares the story of Micil and how it fits into the heritage behind Irish Whiskey.    The big takeaway was seeing the next generation of Irish distillers committed to sharing the unique heritage of the Irish west. These guys are making everything in this small urban distillery and the hard work shines through in the glass. Can’t wait to share with friends.   For more on Irish Whiskey, you can check out a story Jessica published through Food & Wine here.    'Sláinte Mhaith' - To good health!   Micil Distillery - https://micildistillery.com/our-spirits/micil-irish-whiskey/  Food & Wine article - https://www.foodandwine.com/irish-whiskey-7110616

On today's show, Mark and Jessica interview two prominent winemaker's in the Chianti Classico zone.  Federica Mascheroni Stianti is part of the family that owns the historic hamlet and winery of Volpaia which dates back to 1172 AD.  Their vineyards lie in the Radda UGA at higher elevations and rocky soils.  Alessandra Cascini Bindi Sergardi is current owner of Bindi Sergardi, with their top Chianti Classico estate in the Vagliali UGA. Mark and Jessica delve into the reasons for this breakup and the unique vineyard sites that both Federica and Alessandra showcase in their wines. More information on the rules of Chianti Classico here. More about Alessandro Masnaghetti here. To purchase the Chianti Classico book, here.

Kelli White is a wine writer and educator, currently serving as Director of Education for the Wine Center at Meadowood in Napa Valley.  She also has written one of the most important books on the Napa Valley, Napa Valley Then and Now.  Jessica and Mark could think of no better person to come on the show and break down the ins and outs of Napa Cab.  Kelli digs into the history and emphasizes understanding the diversity when we think of this topic.  Big thanks to Jeffrey's of Austin for providing us with the most elegant of recording spaces! Other resources: Meadowood Napa Valley Elaine Chukan Brown on Instagram Wines of Napa Valley  

On today's show, Mark and Jessica catch up with two very important producers making Vino Nobile around the historic town of Montepulciano in south Tuscany.  Alessandra Cascini Bindi Sergardi (https://www.bindisergardi.it/en/)is the 23rd generation custodian of her family vineyards in Chianti Classic as well as the Tenuta Marcianella in Montepulciano which is a relatively new project for her.  (Located in Pieve Argiano). Andrea Lonardi is Director of Operations for Angelini Wines and Estates with the property Tenuta Trerose in Montepulciano. Remember, don't confuse Vino Nobile which is made in Montepulciano with the Sangiovese grape with the grape Montepulciano which is grown in a completely different area on the east coast of Italy. We dig into the unique growing conditions of this fantastic Tuscan area and really dig into the new Pieve classification, which Mr. Lonardi was directly involved with spearheading.