Another Bottle Down

Henry Crowson, owner of Crowson Wines, is new to the Hill Country of Texas in Johnson City with his tasting room being open for about 3 months. Henry is quite the dynamic personality with very strong opinions on how he wants to be making Texas wine. He is a proponent of natural fermentations, no use of sulfites, no filtration, and high acid wine-making. He's making some delicious rosé, Malbec aged in oak and concrete, and some dry Malvasia Bianca. Such great conversation about what is possible in Texas! www.crowsonwines.com

Jennifer McInnis Fadel, from Bending Branch Winery, and Ron Yates, from Spicewood Vineyards and Ron Yates Winery, come on the show to talk about the start of the 2018 harvest in Texas. They are part of the Texas Fine Wine association and always have great perspectives on the industry. Early ripening grapes are starting to come in for the Hill Country, with the High Planes still a bit further out. Hear all about the regions of Texas, the hot grape varieties, and the madness of Harvest!

Sergio Cuadra, Winemaker of Fall Creek Vineyards, comes on the show to describe the 2018 Texas growing season so far. This episode was broadcast on KOOP Radio on July 3rd, and Sergio describes what is going on during the process of Veraison. Since then, the growing season has progressed, and some wineries are already starting to harvest early ripening grapes. It's always great to have Sergio on the show, he comes from a background of making wine in his home country Chile, and really believes in the potential of Texas to make world class wine. You can also listen to a previous episode where he describes in detail his research on growing grapes in the Texas climate, CLICK HERE. You can also read Sergio's blog on the growing season so far, HERE.

Barnaby Tuttle is owner and winemaker of Teutonic Wine Company in Portland Oregon. He's doing some crazy stuff in Oregon with cool climate sites and a sort of fearless wine making. Inspired by Riesling from the Mosel, Barnaby became obsessed with showing off how one site could express itself differently than another, the true concept of terroir. He is super fun to talk with, constantly referencing music and how wine (or beer, or weed), can make us all appreciate life a little more.

On today's show, we're joined by Eric Boisseaux, owner of Ch. Vannières, and Laurent Michit, from the importer H. Mercer Imports. We really dig into the tiny region of Bandol, which is right on the Mediterranean coast in between Marseilles and Nice. I learned a ton and I really love these wines. Big reds with a minimum of 50% Mourvedre, structured and complex rosés, and a little white wine as well. Bandol and lamb is one of my favorite pairings, hope you can try it with a nice glass of Vannières!

Andreas Wickhoff is one of three Masters of Wine in Austria and serves as general manager of Weingut Bründlmayer. We get into such great discussion on the geography of Austria with a complete breakdown of the growing regions. Then, we focus in on the Kamptal and the 800 year old cellars of Bründlmayer. Learn about the new Erste Lagen classification, and so much more! Note: we didn't get into it, but they make some killer traditional method sparkling wine! Enjoy!

Jessi Cape, Austin Chronicle's Food Editor, comes on the show to talk about their First Plates issue. Jessi and team have chosen and outlined the 100 restaurants that define Austin now! We get the inside scoop of all that goes into putting this out, and hear about Jessi's top picks and the trends that are going on now in Austin's dining scene. Listen in and check out the feature: https://www.austinchronicle.com/first-plates/year:2018/

Chris Kelly and Rania Zayyat, come on to talk about the cycle of class that they have been planning and hosting. This serves as a conduit to much delicious conversation, such as the ins and outs of rosé, orange wine, transparency in wine, and the wonder women of wine. Chris and Rania are knowledgeable, fun, and an essential part of the Austin wine scene!

Cesare was born with the taste of Sangiovese in his mouth, as he says it. He's 4th generation to be making wine in Chianti Classico, and we dig into so many topics that are very relevant in today's wine world. From the introduction to the Gran Selezione tier to what is happening with the branding of Super Tuscans and how they're involving. I also always enjoy hearing how the next generation is gearing up to take over. Please note, this podcast will sound better if listening while riding a Ducati at 200 mph (actually don't do that, but listen and you'll get it)!

Tony Schlotzhauer, local Austin sommelier, just got back from a month of working harvest on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia. Tony met the owners of the winery Ten Minutes By Tractor during a diner service at Jefferies and invited him out for an invaluable experience. We get a fantastic overview of the wine regions of Australia and a behind the scenes look at the experiences garnered during the most intensive time of year for a winery.