Category Archives: Podcasts

January 22, 2015 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Alder Yarrow from Vinography

Alder Yarrow started his wine blog Vinography back in 2004 when the concept of a blog, let alone a wine blog, was still very unfamiliar. In spite of the fact that he quickly became the biggest wine blogger in the U.S.A. and remains so to this day, he still does it for passion and not as his primary source of income. Based in San Francisco, Alder not only receives samples of wines from all over the world but has had the opportunity to travel as well. In 2014 he ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch his book The Essence of Wine, which breaks down various characters of wine through a combination of words and images. He joins me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his journey and passions.

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Alder Yarrow

Alder Yarrow

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January 20, 2015 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Brad Hickey AKA Brash Higgins

After working for many years as a sommelier with some of the best lists in New York City, Brad Hickey had a chance to work vintage in Australia, and fell in love not only with the lifestyle but also his eventual partner Nicole Thorpe. He had the opportunity to create his own expression from the Omensetter vineyard that belonged to Nicole’s family, and the name he chose for the brand was a nickname he’d been given by the locals; Brash Higgins. In only a handful of vintages he has gained a reputation for making some of the most interesting wines in the McLaren Vale and beyond, sometimes working with unfamiliar varieties like Nero d’Avola and Zibibbo. He shares his story and how he came to make the wines he does.

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Brad Hickey

Brad Hickey

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January 15, 2015 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Jacopo Cossater

In 2007, with only an avid interest in wine, Jacopo Cossater decided to chronicle his wine journey and education via a blog called Enoiche Illusioni. Initially it was only a way for him to record his experiences tasting wines, but eventually he began to notice people reading and commenting on his posts. He was asked to become a contributor to a new kind of wine blog – a communal wine blog – called Intravino, that continues to be both popular and controversial. Now Jacopo has set his sights on sharing unique Italian wine stories written by Italians with the rest of the world, which he intends to do with English-translated Settembre. We chatted about his background and what he hopes this new publication will be.

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Jacopo Cossater

Jacopo Cossater

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January 8, 2015 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Peter Scudamore-Smith MW

Peter Scudamore-Smith was Australia’s second ever Master of Wine, the most illustrious title and qualification one can receive in the wine industry. He has led a fascinating life of wine, and he joined me on the first episode of 2015 to discuss his origins in wine, working in both Australian and European wine markets, and how his love of Italy and France has led him to take tours there as part of his business Uncorked and Cultivated.

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Peter Scudamore-Smith MW

Peter Scudamore-Smith MW

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December 31, 2014 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Anthony D’Anna from Boccaccio Cellars and Mondo Imports

Many Melbourne-based wine lovers would be familiar with the name Boccaccio Cellars, as they have regularly advertised in the Epicure lift-out of The Age every Tuesday. The Balwyn-based retailer has been selling wines for nearly 40 years, specialising in Italian wines. Anthony D’Anna, second generation Italo-Australian, has been heavily involved in the family business for many years, not only with Boccaccio but also their winery in the Yarra Valley (Hoddles Creek Estate) and more recently, Mondo Imports working with some outstanding small producers from Italy. He joined me on this episode of The Vincast to talk about his upbringing and work in the family business, and his perspective on Italian wines in Australia.

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Anthony D'Anna

Anthony D’Anna

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December 24, 2014 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Christina Pickard

If you’ve ever wondered what my biggest influence was for this podcast, it was listening to The Crush podcast, hosted by Christina Pickard and Whitney Adams. The podcast was a very relaxed fun look at wine and incorporated guests and very entertaining segments. They started the podcast when Christina was in London, and Whitney was in Los Angeles, but after Christina relocated to her husband’s home town of Perth, it became more difficult to record the show. She continues to write and present, but she has also more recently started The School of Wine to educate Perth wine lovers in a fun environment.

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Christina Pickard

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December 11, 2014 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Dave Brookes aka Vinofreakism

Dave Brookes is currently one of the most accomplished and sought after wine judges in Australia having been awarded dux of the Len Evans Tutorial in 2011. He was also one of the first voices for sustainable and natural wine in the country, writing about his passion for these products on his popular blog Vinofreakism. He joins me on this episode to talk about his journey, his philosophy and his unique perspectives.

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Dave Brookes

Dave Brookes

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November 20, 2014 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Owen Latta from Eastern Peake

Owen Latta from Eastern Peake joins me on this episode of The Vincast, talking about growing up with the vineyard his parents planted when he was born, taking over from his father at a young age, and discovering new projects along the way.

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Owen Latta

Owen Latta

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August 23, 2014 · 7:29 pm

The Vincast with Giorgio de Maria

The one and only Giorgio de Maria joins me on the show in this episode. As one of the leading lights of the natural wine movement in Australia, Italian-born Giorgio is behind such Sydney institutions as Vini and 121BC. He is also one of the organisers of the Rootstock Festival, this year held in Sydney for the second time, and next year to be held in Hong Kong. He share a bit about his background and how he came to work with wines of this calibre.

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Giorgio De Maria

Giorgio De Maria

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July 14, 2014 · 8:00 pm

The Vincast with Adam Foster of Syrahmi and Foster e Rocco

To say that Adam Foster has had an interest in food and wine for a long time is an understatement. Having grown up in Bendigo and beginning his career as a chef, a love of wine and a desire to make it himself led him to studies, travel and working vintage in numerous regions in Australia and France. When he began to make his own wine he worked as a sommelier to support himself, working at the famous Lakehouse in Daylesford, but now his winemaking is his full-time job. Three varieties have captured his attention; syrah for his Syrahmi project, sangiovese for his Foster e Rocco project, and grenache for his L’Imposteur project in France.

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Adam Foster

Adam Foster

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