Category Archives: Podcasts

The Vincast with Gary Walsh from The Wine Front

Born in England, Gary Walsh moved to Australia with his family and after completing his studies moved back to the United Kingdom. Working in London in the IT industry, he discovered a love of wine and an interest in discussing it. Once back in Australia he launched his own wine review site before joining forces with Campbell Mattinson and launching The Wine Front. This website was ahead of its time in providing content behind a paywall, and it has become one of the most active and visited wine websites in the country. He joined me in September of 2020 to chat about his story.

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The Vincast with Giuseppe Russo from Girolamo Russo Wines

Growing up, Giuseppe Russo didn’t have much interest in the vineyards his farther and grandfather lovingly tended on the northern slopes of Mt Etna, particularly as the wine they made in the cellar under their house was being sold as bulk wine. He followed his passion for music, studying in nearby Catania then nurturing young musicians as a teacher, the same way his father Girolamo tended the family vines. When Giuseppe’s father passed away suddenly he made the decision to honour him by not only taking over the family contrade, but also starting his own project, naming the label after Girolamo. Initially working closely with neighbouring farmers who knew these soils and vines intimately, and with recent arrivals in the region like Frank Cornelisson and Andrea Franchetti, in the last fifteen years Giuseppe has become one of the regions most celebrated wine producers.

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Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

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The Vincast with James Audas from Lo-Fi Wines and A.R.C. Wines

When James Audas became part of the sommelier team at Noma (one of the top restaurants in the world) it caused a bit of a stir back home in Australia, particularly as he was then only 24 years old. In fact he had already earned his stripes working for Tetsuya Wakuda both in Sydney and Singapore, before taking a position at Ezard by Black. Upon returning home from Denmark he launched an imports company with fellow sommelier Tom Sheer named Lo-Fi Wines, that tapped into a small but growing market for low-intervention wines. In the years since they have grown the business to include both Australian and imported wines, as well as their own range called Das Juice. James and his family now live in Gippsland where they are behind their own project called A.R.C. Wines.

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Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunesGoogle PodcastsStitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

Support the podcast on Patreon!

James Audas back when he was a sommelier

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The Vincast with David Bicknell from Oakridge Wines

Though not born in Australia, Dave Bicknells family most certainly embraced their Australian life when they brought him here as a child. He is a self-professed lover of a good time, so after initially starting a career as an EMT it’s perhaps unsurprising that he ended up working in the wine industry. Formative years as a winemaker working with Steve Webber at De Bortoli clearly had a lasting impact, as he has been Yarra Valley based since then, for most of it as the Chief Winemaker at Oakridge based in Coldstream.

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Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

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The Vincast with Fred Pizzini from Pizzini Wines

For the past 30 years the Pizzini family have been at the forefront of Italian grape variety based wines, not only in the King Valley where they are based, but for the whole country. Working with respected viticulturist Mark Walpole and Tuscan consultant Alberto Antonini, they established a stronghold and pedigree for varieties like sangiovese and nebbiolo. Much of the success of Pizzini Wines is owed to Fred Pizzini, who not only converted the family property to viticulture, but also saw the potential of embracing his Italian heritage by planting then unknown and untested varieties. They are today considered not only one of the largest but also most experienced producers of wines made from Italian varieties, now made by Fred’s son Joel.

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Fred Pizzini from Pizzini Wines

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The Vincast with Curly Haslam-Coates aka Vintage Tasmania

Though it was working in hospitality in Yorkshire that first introduced her to wine, working for Majestic Wine gave Curly Haslam-Coates more opportunity to explore. It was also here she began her wine education in WSET, something she has continued to put great value in, as she has been one of the most important wine educators based in Tasmania. Her love of the Apple Isle and sparkling wine has recently seen her join the team at The Wine Front.

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Curly Haslam-Coates

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The Vincast with Jim White from Cloudy Bay

Though initially interested in the study of horticulture, after being introduced to wine, Jim White very quickly transferred to viticulture. After a few years he gained employment near where he grew up, managing the vineyard on the headquarters of Chandon Australia in the Yarra Valley. His next step was to take the Viticulturist position at sister winery Cape Mentelle, on the opposite side of the country no less, in Margaret River. Finally Jim relocated to Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, where he now has the position of Technical Director.

Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunesGoogle PodcastsStitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

Jim White from Cloudy Bay

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The Vincast with David Clarke from Ex-Animo Wines

Growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, David Clarke’s interest in wine came initially from his time working in state government. His wine career proper started working in the Harrod’s wine department in London, which is where he met his wife Jeanette. Upon his return to Australia, he followed a career as a sommelier, before he and Jeanette returned to her birthplace, South Africa. Since relocating they have established a business distributing independent wine producers both domestically and also to Australia through Ex-Animo Wines.

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Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunesGoogle PodcastsStitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

David Clarke from Ex-Animo Wines

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The Vincast with Nick Ryan

After being politely asked to leave his university degree in Adelaide, Nick Ryan found himself living in Sydney in need of a vocation. He spent many years in wine retail where he cultivated a passion for communication. Since then he has become one of Australia’s foremost freelance wine writers, bringing an acerbic wit and a personal flair to his craft.

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Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunesGoogle PodcastsStitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

Nick Ryan

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The Vincast with Mark Walpole from Fighting Gully Road

Mark Walpole has been one of the most influential people in the alternative variety scene in Australia, particularly Italian varieties, mostly stemming from his time working for the Brown Family, the Pizzini family, and then the Greenstone project in Heathcote. He has consulted to many growers and producers over the years, and been heavily involved with the importation of new varieties and better clones as well. His focus now is on his own vineyard and winery in Beechworth, Fighting Gully Road.

Follow Mark on Twitter and Instagram

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Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunesGoogle PodcastsStitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

Mark Walpole from Fighting Gully Road

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