Another Bottle Down

Federico Lombardo di Monte Iato runs the Sicilian winery Firriato. He comes on the show to talk about how far Sicily has from its recent history of supplying bulk wine to Northern Italy and France. I learned a ton from Federico, from the various zones of western Sicily and even the island of Favagnana to the mountain wines of Etna. If you can't bask in under the Sicilian Sun, may as well listen to this podcast and dream about it!

Olive and Anthony Hamilton Russell, owners of South African wineries Ashbourne, Hamilton Russell, and Southern Right, come on the show to talk about their little nook of the Cape South Region called Hemel-en-Aarde. They are pushing the boundaries of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, understanding their vineyards and soils, and garnering attention world-wide to put South African Pinot and Chard on the map. We also have insightful conversation around Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc, and so much more. Check it out!

I welcome sommeliers Rania Zayyat and Chris Kelly on the show to field Thanksgiving wine questions from the Austin public and beyond. Rania and Chris have tons of experience in top Austin restaurants and breakdown their classic turkey pairings as well as some non-traditional ones that might bring us out of our comfort zone. How does smoking vs deep frying vs roasting a turkey change the pairing? Check out the show for their commentary, and here are some producers and wines that they recommend: Rania and Chris's consulting company: www.vintelwine.com Wine recommendations we talk about: Riesling- A.J. Adam, Julian Haart, Fritz Haag, Willi Schaefer. Gewürztraminer: Domaine Ostertag and Domaine Weinbach from Alsace Moscato d'Asti: La Spinetta 'Bricco Quaglia' Bugey-Cerdon: Patrick Bottex, sparkling red (delish) Piedmont: GD Vajra Rosso & Langhe Nebbiolo, Roagna Dolcetto d'Alba Northern Rhone: Andrea Calek 'Babiole', Franck Balthazar, Hervé Souhaut Syrah and Gamay Texas Wines: William Chris Pét-Nat, Doug Lewis Tempranillo, Cruz de Comal, Calais Roussanne Vin de Liquor: Macvin du Jura: Jean-François Ganevat & François Rousset-Martin

On this week's show, we talk Prosecco with Alessandro Samogin from Borgoluce in the Valdobbiadene. He grew up on the property and his wife is now the winemaker; they grow all their food for the restaurant and estate as well as produce all their electricity on site. What a crazy operation! We talk about how Valdobbiadene is unique and special, how Glera is king for them, and how there is now becoming awareness of the Rive (similar to cru). And, so much more!

Messina Hof, founded in 1977, is currently making 90 different wines from 33 varieties, wow! Paul and Karen Bonarigo, second generation owners, come on the podcast to talk about the evolution of Texas wine, the history and future of Messina Hof, and so much more. Check it out!

We're continuing to interview Texas winemakers who are innovating and raising the bar in celebration of October being Texas Wine Month. Doug Lewis of Lewis Wines is certainly positioned in the vanguard and has his finger on the pulse of what is really going both in the Hill Country and the High Plains. I always enjoy chatting with Doug, and I'm sure you're enjoy listening!

Continuing to feature Texas wineries during Texas Wine Month, we welcome on Jennifer McInnis, general manager of Bending Branch Winery. We have a great conversation about some of the varieties that Bending Branch champions, Tannat and Picpoul at the top of the list. They also use some innovative winemaking techniques, such as Cryo-maceration and Flash Detente. Check out what it's all about!

As continued coverage of Texas Wine Month, we catch up with Ben Calais at his winery in the Hill Country. This was a great conversation about this year's harvest, his focus on the Bordeaux varieties, how Ben is coaxing the most flavor out of his grapes, and so much more! Ben has a cool thing going on in his underground cellar, selling only direct to consumer, and cultivating a strong following! Santé!

We kick off our coverage of October as Texas Wine Month with January Wiese, Executive Director of the Hill Country Wineries Association. Then, we hear from Lewis Dickson, and how he is producing some magical 100% Estate wines from his vineyard in Canyon Lake, just west of New Braunfels. Lewis is a staunch proponent of natural or "hands off" winemaking, never adding yeast, sulfites, enzymes, or anything. We learn about the path he's taken to focusing on the two Texas hybrid grapes, Blanc du Bois and Black Spanish, and how wine should be the whole film, not just a snapshot.

Noah Ullman, owner of Vino Z Czech (pronounced "vee-nos check"), comes on the show to talk about Czech wine and the business of importing and promoting in the US. I learned a ton from this conversation: how there is a long history of winemaking in what is today's Czech Republic, how the south facing slopes of South Moravia are special for winemaking, and how diverse the wine culture is there with many unique grapes (Cabernet Moravia, Blauer Portugueser, and Pálava). To quote Noah, quoting someone else, "somewhere between Austria and Alsace."