John Harris – winemaker for Mitchell Harris Wines – was my guest on Episode 122 of The Vincast wine podcast. We chatted about his journey and all the exciting things he and his in-laws have been doing with their wine brand and wine bar in Ballarat. He generously brought a long a few bottles of his wine, and I was glad to open and share my experiences here on the Intrepid Wino channel!
Growing up in Ballarat, John Harris graduated from Charles Sturt University with a degree in oenology in 1999, and soon took up a position at Domaine Chandon. Over the next seven years he gained much experience and by the end of his tenure was in charge of sparkling production for the Yarra Valley-based operation. In 2008, along with his wife’s extended family, he began the Mitchell Harris brand that would eventually be based in their mutual home town of Ballarat.
To suggest that Elaine Chukan Brown has led an incredibly diverse life is a massive understatement. In fact she’s lived several of them. Growing up in Alaska taught her an appreciation for the artisanal and the value of hard work, but it is her love of travel and discovery that eventually led to her becoming one of the most sought after voices in the global wine scene. She is probably most famous for pioneering the illustrated tasting note, something that some wineries have asked her to recreate on their wine labels!
As mentioned before here on Let’s Taste and on my podcast The Vincast, Yeringberg is a very special winery for me as they produced my epiphany wine that led me to follow my career path. For a period of time I would try to find older bottles of Yeringberg wines, and this was the last one I had. The bottle unfortunately wasn’t in great condition, but the wine still looked pretty good. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
There is a soft spot in my vinous heart for Tahbilk, due in some part for the historical significance of the winery, and also the fact that CEO and owner Alister Purbrick was a guest on The Vincast wine podcast. The lovely team at Fireworks PR sent me some samples to taste, and these are my impressions. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
I’ve long been a supporter of the Out of Step Wine Co wines made by former guests of The Vincast wine podcast, Nathan Reeves and David Chatfield. When Dave recently got in touch to let me know that they had released their first chardonnay since 2014, I was thrilled to have a chance to taste it. Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
Winemaker and raconteur Brad Wehr was my guest on Episode 58 of my wine podcast The Vincast. He talked about challenging the status quo of wine, particularly in his base of Margaret River, Western Australia. One of the tent-poles on which he has established himself is the Amato Vino brand, which focuses on alternative grapes, particularly Italian varieties. Not only does he source grapes in WA, but also from the future icon vineyard – Ricca Terra Farms – based in the Riverland, South Australia. The wine I opened on this episode is the Montepulciano 2015 from this very vineyard, let me know what you think in the comments below, be sure to like and subscribe as well!
A bottle from the cellar, in celebration for my beloved Western Bulldogs being in the Grand Final (recorded before the game), my bottle of the Yeringberg Chardonnay 2004. As mentioned on this and other episodes, Guill de Pury from Yeringberg was my very special guest on Episode 100 of The Vincast wine podcast. Unfortunately this bottle had experienced premature oxidation (cork fault that lets air into the bottle and rapidly increases the ageing), so it wasn’t in the best shape. But I hope to taste some more recent releases of Yeringberg here very soon!
Please visit the Yeringberg website to find out more about this historic producer, and follow me on social media!
Simon Killeen comes with quite the pedigree, being a seventh-generation Rutherglen-born winemaker. Growing up in vineyards and cellars very quickly made an impact, he barely entertained any other career apart from wine. After many years of experience in vineyards and wineries around the world, he made the bold decision to start his own project; Simão & Co. It was his intention to champion the Greater North-East of Victoria, purchasing grapes from growers in multiple regions. He joined me on this episode to talk about his journey and how he hopes to change people’s perceptions of this somewhat misunderstood part of the country.
After recording this week’s episode of The Vincast wine podcast with Mario Marson, he gave me a bottle each of his Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2010 & 2011 vintages. Here are my impressions of the wines, and be sure to listen to the episode of The Vincast with Mario here.
