In this bonus episode, Mark and Jessica catch up with four winemakers in various countries in the Southern Hemisphere to see how everybody celebrates Christmas in warm weather.  So many interesting traditions are revealed in this fun episode: barbecues and brai's, bubbles, and Santa gets a can of beer in NZ!  Merry Christmas and happy holidays from us at Another Bottle Down!

Notes:

30 degrees Celcius = 86 Farenheit

Big thanks to our guests:

Niels Verburg of Luddite Wines in Bot River, South Africa

Sebastian De Martino of De Martino in Isla de Maipo and Itata, Chile

Laura Catena of Catena Zapata and Luca in Mendoza, Argentina

Rosie Finn of Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson, New Zealand

*****Another Bottle Down is proud to be the exclusive Media Sponsor for Big Reds and Bubbles Get $20 off by using code:  ABDP23, Purchase tickets here. Info on The Wine and Food Foundation here.

On today's show, Mark and Jessica catch up with Marc Hochar, 3rd generation of Chateau Musar.  Marc touches on the history of winemaking in Lebanon and digs into how his family winery has become an icon in the wine world and a model for non-intervention winemaking .  Lebanon boasts fantastic growing conditions, perfect winemaking soils, and high elevation viticulture in the Bekka Valley, which all add to the character of Musar.  Plus, Marc elaborates on how the family keeps the wine 'alive' through the winemaking process and catches us up on where the winery is headed in the years to come with the 4th generation.

https://chateaumusar.com/

Book on Chateau Musar:  The Story of a Wine Icon

Another Bottle Down is proud to be the exclusive Media Sponsor for Big Reds and Bubbles

Get $20 off by using code:  ABDP23, Purchase tickets here.

Info on The Wine and Food Foundation here.

 

On today's show, Mark and Jessica take a deep dive into all things Beaujolais.  Instead of spending too much time on Nouveau, they focus on the various Cru (the 10 villages in the north of the appellation) and all the other points that make Beaujolais serious yet approachable and fun wine.

Additional commentary from Erik Segelbaum and Stephane Lardet (audio compliments of Sopexa)

Erik Siegelbaum is founder of the consulting firm Somlyay.

Stephane Lardet is partner of Maison Le Nid.

Discover the 12 sub-appellations of Beaujolais

More on the 10 year study of the soils of Beaujolais

Public Service announcement by Justin Vann: Barbera Baby!

Thanksgiving can be one of the most intimidating holidays when it comes to selecting and pairing wines.  Join Mark and Jessica for a discussion of their favorite picks for the holidays along with 6 other notable Sommeliers from around the US.  Tune in to learn all the secrets and bring this year's Thanksgiving to the next level!

Commentary by:

Dan Pilkey- Scoperta! Wine

June Rodil- Goodnight Hospitality and June's Rose

Ray Sholes- Royal Vines

Paul Ozbirn- Neighborhood Vintner

Vilma Mazaite- Donnachadh Winery

And, of course, Public Service Announcement by Justin Vann, Nancy's Hustle

For Menu inspirations:  United Tastes of Texas, by Jessica Dupuy, and Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto

 by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay

In this episode, Mark and Jessica discuss the results for the Texas Vintner's Cup, an evaluation of more than 200 Texas wines organized for the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas Monthly magazine. 

The goal: Narrow down a case of 12 Top Texas Wines for 2022. 

Joining Jessica for the evaluation were Master Sommeliers Craig Collins of Vintus wine imports and Jack Mason of RNDC. They'll discuss their impressions of the evaluation and some of their thoughts on Texas Wine in general.

Below are the winners of the 2022 Texas Vintner's Cup: 

2019 Adelphos Cellars Chenin Blanc 2019 C.L. Butaud Blanc de Noir 2021 Lost Draw Cellars Picpoul Blanc Rising Sun Vineyard Morning Dew White (Non Vintage)  2021 Hilmy Cellars Rosé 2019 Château Wright Liévre Red Blend 2019 Longhorn Cellars Petit Verdot  2019 Pebble Rock Cellars Sagrantino 2019 Llano Estacado Winery Sangiovese 2019 McPherson Cellars Petite Sirah 2019 Pedernales Cellars Texas Tempranillo Reserve 2019 Pedernales Cellars Touriga Nacional    Honorable Mention:   Hilmy Cellars, 2020 Tempranillo Reserve, Kubacek Vineyards McPherson Cellars, 2019 Syrah, Lahey Vineyards Newsom Vineyards, 2019 Malbec Pedernales Cellars, 2018 Valhalla Peters Prairie Vineyards, 2019 Barbera Ron Yates Winery, 2019 Tempranillo, Friesen Vineyards Spicewood Vineyards, 2019 Tempranillo William Chris Vineyards 2018 Mourvèdre, La Pradera Vineyards William Chris Vineyards 2018 Syrah, High Cross Vineyard Wine For the People, 2020 La Valentia Dolcetto Rosé Arché Winery, 2021 Rosé Becker Vineyards, 2021 Provençal Rosé Adega Vinho, 2020 Chardonnay, Texas Hills Vineyard English Newsom Cellars, 2021 Moscato Duchman Family Winery, 2020 Roussanne, Oswald Vineyard Llano Estacado Winery, 2020 Chardonnay, Dell Valley Vineyards Llano Estacado Winery, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Signature Series Pebble Rock Cellars, 2020 Roussanne

On today's show, Jessica and Mark break down all facets of wine education, from the three major certification organizations to self-study and everything in between.

*Note: since the recording of this episode, Jessica has passed WSET Level 4 and now holds the WSET Diploma, yay!!!

The top 3 organizations for wine certifications:

The Court of Master Sommeliers

The Wine and Spirits Education Trust

Society of Wine Educators

Links and suggestions for learning more:

GuildSomm.com

Peter Liem- Champagne Guide and Sherry

 

In this episode, Jessica and Mark talk a bit about climate change in the wine and spirits industry. For more insight, Jessica catches up with Brian Freedman, the author of the new book “Crushed: How A Changing Climate Is Altering The Way We Drink.”

Freedman is a wine, spirits, travel, and food writer, restaurant beverage consultant and event speaker based in Philadelphia. He is a contributing editor at Food & Wine digital, contributes to SevenFifty Daily, writes the Wines of the Week column at Forbes.com and also covers spirits there, has had pieces at Travel + Leisure online, Departures online, Whisky Advocate Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, The Bourbon Review, and more. 

He has traveled to more than 50 countries experiencing the food, drink, and culture for his work. Today we’ll be talking with Freedman about how climate change has affected regions throughout the wine and spirits industries.

Crushed: How A Changing Climate Is Altering The Way We Drink is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 

Follow Brian on Instagram @freedmanreports, Twitter @fdtreport, or through his website, https://www.briandfreedman.com/ 

As the 2022 Texas Harvest begins to wind down, Jessica revisits a trip she took to West Texas at the beginning of the growing season with William Chris Vineyards owner, Chris Brundrett. 

Just along for the ride in a tiny Cirrus Sr22 plane, Jessica shares about visits with grape growers in the Texas High Plains, Sotol producer, Marfa Spirit Company in Marfa, and Dell City, home to one of the state’s most unique vineyards. 

Note: During the podcast, we mention Jay Hill, a partner in the Dell Valley Vineyards in Dell City and his far-reaching Instagram presence. Since recording this podcast, Hill has removed his accounts from social media to focus on family and has stepped back from his central role at the operation. However, his influence within the broader farming industry remains impactful. The Dell Valley Vineyard continues to be a key site for Texas viticulture. 

Handy Links:

GuildSomm Podcast: with Jessica Dupuy

William Chris Vineyards

The Marfa Spirit Company

Cibolo Creek Ranch

Visual Viti on Instagram

Dr. Dylan Grigg (gdylla) on Instagram

Make sure to like and follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

 

 

Justin Vann has been selling wine and spirits in his native Houston for more than 11 years. He started around the age of 22, on the floor at Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse as well as in retail and as a wine consultant for Houston-area liquor stores and restaurants. He was the owner and wine buyer for Public Services Wine & Whisky in the city’s Downtown area, as well as the wine buyer for James Beard Award–winning chef Justin Yu’s Better Luck Tomorrow and Theodore Rex. Today, he is the beverage director for Nancy's Hustle on Houston's east side. 

With a sharp wit and an encyclopedic mind for wine, Vann helps break down the white wines of Spain from Rias Baixas and Rioja, to Txakoli, Sherry, and Cava. 

A conversation wine professionals can sink their teeth into, this episode may have an “inside baseball” feel, but it’s a perfect primer for understanding the white wines of Spain. 

Notable producers mentioned: 

Rias Baixas, Albariño

Bodegas Zarate

Nanclares y Prieto

Do Ferreiro 

White Rioja

R. Lopez de Heredia

Cvne Blanco

Txakoli

Ameztoi Bodega 

Sherry

Bodegas Alvear 

Toro Albala

Cota 45 

Catalunya Cava

Recaredo

Gramona 

Clos Lentiscus 

Godello 

Val de Sil 

Canary Islands 

Las Bermejos 

Mallorca 

Cati Ribot 

Public Service Announcement: Moscato 

Bera 

Paolo Saracco 

Vietti

Revived from a previous iteration in 2022, Another Bottle Down explores the when, what, why, and how of the wine and spirits world. 

Get to know hosts Mark Rashap and Jessica Dupuy as they share a little about their backgrounds and what you can look forward to with Another Bottle Down. 

Follow along:

www.anotherbottledown.com

Instagram: @anotherbottledowncast