Chats from the Wine Cellar

We're back with the inimitable Charles Curtis MW to kick off the year in style and talk about the region he knows and loves (and drinks) above all others - Champagne.

The author of Vintage Champagne: 1899-2019, Charles has an extraordinarily deep understanding of the region and its wines. In this episode, he  takes us on a tour of the region, painting a verbal picture of the hills, the towns, and the vineyards, and offers his critical insight into current trends, top producers, and typical styles. 

Champagne is increasing establishing itself as a serious wine to be enjoyed as such, not just a fun and fizzy marker of celebration. This shift in perception among collectors is in no small part due to proponents like Charles championing the tremendous quality in these bottles. 

For those who want to learn more about the world of Champagne - the difference between house and grower Champagne, the various terms you'll find on a label, and the key characteristics of the different grapes in the blend - this is an episode not to be missed.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

This week, InVintory launched its newest high-end tier, Opus. A leap above its existing products, Opus is effectively a smart home solution for wine cellars. InVintory builds a custom 3D model of a wine cellar down to the exact wooden case or magnum bottle, which is unlocked on an iPad that is stationed at the cellar door. This allows customers to easily and visually find any bottle at the tap of a button.. 

To discuss this new product and talk about InVintory more generally, founders  Jeff and Josh Daiter (father and son) joined Yule for an in-person interview at Jeff's condo in downtown Toronto.

Learn how Jeff - a retired physician - was inspired to create InVintory after an incident that saw the very bottle he was trying to find in his cellar smash to the floor, and hear how Josh responded to Jeff's request for help and built a rudimentary app over a short family holiday.  The trio also delve into the ethos underlying the company and where they envision it heading in the future.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

In this special episode, we sat down with Precious Achiuwa - NBA star for the Toronto Raptors, wine lover, and - we are thrilled to announce - an InVintory brand ambassador.

Precious joins a host of wine-loving athletes in InVintory’s network, including investors Josh Hart and JJ Redick (NBA), and advisor Will Blackmon (NFL), highlighting the continuing trend of athletes discovering and embracing the world of wine collecting.

In this conversation, we delve into Precious' exceptional background, growing up in Port Harcourt, Nigeria (the only NBA player to hail from that city), moving to New York, and then being drafted by the Miami Heat before being traded to Toronto.

We talk about how Precious first developed a taste for wine at a young age, his rookie role carting Jimmy Butler's wine case between games, what he loves about wine and which regions he favors, and his ongoing commitment to helping other kids from Port Harcourt achieve their dreams through his foundation, What If Unlimited.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

From fine art to fine wine, Eugene Mlynczyk has long had a passion for the beautiful things in life. He developed an initial love of wine while studying at Stanford University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

After returning to his native Toronto, he worked for a time in art before pursuing his wine studies in earnest, earning the Master of Wine credential in 2015. Today, Eugene is National Sales Manager at Principle Fine Wines, the luxury arm of Arterra Wines Canada (formerly Constellation Brands). 

In this episode, Eugene takes us on a tour of Canada's main wine regions - the Okanagan in British Columbia, Niagara in the Ontario, and a touch on Quebec and Nova Scotia - and provides a short history of how these regions evolved and where they are today. He dispels any misconceptions that Canada can only produce icewine given the climate, and shares his tips for where to find styles to suit any palate. 

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

In this episode, we delve into the hot topic of wine as an investment.

More and more platforms are emerging that connect people to wine not as a drink to be consumed, but as an asset to be traded. Vint is one such platform, but a novel one, in that it does not just facilitate investors in purchasing bottles or cases for themselves; it enables investors to acquire fractional shares in thematic collections of investment-grade wines and spirits, to which they might otherwise not have access given the high costs of such wines. For example, to buy a case of DRC would cost tens of thousands of dollars, which puts it outside the scope of most investors. Via Vint, investors can buy shares in such a collection for just $100 each.

We spoke to Vint COO Adam Lapierre (MW) about why wine investment has picked up speed in recent years, what makes wine a strong financial asset, and how to reconcile collecting and investing for those who are passionate about wine.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

Matt Day is the head winemaker at Klein Constantia., the legendary South African estate founded in 1685, that once produced the sweet wine requested by Napoleon on his deathbed.

Situated in beautiful Constantia, just south of Cape Town, the Constantia estate was founded by original Cape Governor Simon van der Stel, shortly after the colony's genesis. It was later split into "Groot" (big) and "Klein" (small). The Sweet Wine of Constantia was favored by aristocrats in 17th and 18th century Europe, before falling into dormancy for a long period characterized by oidium, phylloxera, and quotas under the regulatory system.

In the 1980s, Klein Constantia was revitalized, and since then, has undergone a meteoric rise under the guidance of Bordeaux legends Hubert de Bouard (Chateau Angelus) and Bruno Prats (formerly Cos d'Estournel).

Today, the estate produces a revived version of sweet wine, renamed the Vin de Constance, and specializes in terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc, reminiscent of the great wines of the Loire. In addition, Matt has assumed the helm of sister Anwilka estate to produce exceptional red wine to complement Constantia's whites. The Vin de Constance is considered one of the great sweet wines of the world and is sold on the Place de Bordeaux alongside the likes of Chateau d'Yquem.

Listen in for the fascinating tale of Klein Constantia's long history, and Matt's own story of how he came to be head winemaker at this legendary estate very early on in his career.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

Ian D'Agata will be known to many listeners as the authority on Italian wine. He is a multiaward winning author who has been speaking and writing about wine for thirty years.

His books (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs, and Italy’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive Compendium Region by Region) are considered the bibles of Italian wine and have received numerous prestigious awards such as the Louis Roederer International Wine Awards Book of the Year. His latest book, Barolo Terroir: Crus, People, Places is newly launched and attracting similar accolades.

Ian was a former staff writer at Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Contributing Editor of Decanter, and Senior Editor of Vinous. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the TerroirSense Wine Review and the Chief Scientific Officer of TasteSpirit, China’s leading wine education and media platform, and President of the TerroirSense Wine Academy and Wine Education programs.

You can find him on instagram @ian_dagata and @terroirsense

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright was born into the South African wine industry. She has worked on all sides, from owning a famous estate in Stellenbosch - Warwick - to production, sales and media, and writing. She is also a Cape Wine Master, the highest qualification in wine education in South Africa, and she was the youngest person at the time to have achieved this title. 

In 2018, she moved to Canada, yet she has remained strongly engaged in South African wine and wine in general. She is a freelance writer, international wine judge and educator, and currently works at Peter Igel Agencies in Ontario as a wine buyer.

With her intimate knowledge of the South African wine scene, Jenny well knows every region and producer. In this episode, she shares some of her top tips for those collectors who are new to South Africa, as well as for those looking for some recommendations on great producers to add to the cellar.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

John Baker is a successful Australian wine merchant who recently published a book, titled Stalin’s Wine Cellar.

The book is a personal memoir of John’s adventures in the 1990s pursuing a large, very old wine collection in Tbilisi, Georgia. The collection was rumoured to have belonged to Tsar Nicholas II - the last Tsar of Russia before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917.  The collection was then seized by the Communists as state property and allegedly came to be owned by Stalin himself. 

The book is part Assouline’s The Impossible Collection of Wine, with bottles that a collector can only dream of touching, and part Bill Browder’s Red Notice, giving readers a taste of the Wild West of post-Soviet Georgia, where gun buts sticking out of belts was a common sight.

Find the book on the Penguin Australia bookstore, or simply Google "Stalin's Wine Cellar" to locate a retailer near you.

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.

Bill is the well-loved writer behind the Burgundy Report, which he’s been publishing to share insider tips into the region since 2002.

What makes the Burgundy Report special is that Bill actually goes and works the harvest each year - and spends ample time in Beaune, so has a wonderful connection to, and understanding of, the place, the people, and the grapes behind the bottles.

He is also the author of The Finest Wines of Burgundy, a book published by the famed World of Fine Wines magazine. This beautiful guide offers a brief but informative overview of the history and terroir of Burgundy before taking readers on a tour from North to South, wth stops at every notable producer along the way. It is a fantastic introduction to one of the most complex wine regions in the world, and well worth adding to your bookshelf.

In this episode, we’ll talk through a high-level tour of Burgundy, and get some of Bill's tips on where to look for some outstanding treasures.

Follow Bill on social: @billnanson

Learn more about InVintory and create your account to track an unlimited collection of wines at invintory.com, or download the app on the Apple Apple Store. For more content follow us on Instagram @invintory.