The Big Vin Theory

We talk with Rob MacCulloch MW - contract winemaker in Hawkes Bay.  We ask Rob what the main considerations are for growing and purchasing fruit for commercial bulk wineries?  What yeasts work for different varieties?  What processing aids are best, and why?  How do you add complexity and texture to an entry-level wine?  Is chaptalisation really necessary?  And more....

We talk to Matt Wilson, award winning wine photographer, about wine imagery.  What makes a good photograph?  What are the most common mistakes people make?  What's more important, the image or the writing?  What makes a good Instagram image?  How is video changing wine imagery?  And more...

We talk with Justin Moran, co-founder of The Hidden Sea.  We ask whether or not environmental credentials are important in marketing wine?  What metrics should a brand look at when evaluating its strength?  How does social media drive sales?  Does great wine need a great story?  And more...

To learn more about The Hidden Sea, and how much plastic they've removed from the ocean with their partners ReSea Project, visit thehiddensea.com

@thehiddenseawine

#thehiddenseawine

This month is Plastic Free July and The Hidden Sea is promoting it with a Plastic Pledge. Head over to thehiddensea.com/pages/pledge and pledge to reduce the amount of plastic you use, and The Hidden Sea will remove and recycle 100 plastic bottles in your name. Signing the pledge will take seconds, and that simple act will directly benefit the ocean.

We talk to Surina Burger, Quality Assurance Manager at De Wet Wine Cellar, about how to design and implement a QA system in a winery. We ask what the different third party accreditations are, what constitutes a Critical Control Point and how to follow the CODEX flow chart.  What adjustments do they make?  How does preparing a wine for bulk differ from that in bottle?  And much, much more!

We chat to Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, owner of Domaine of the Bee.  We ask what the challenges are in managing very old vines, how they deal with grape moths and wild boar.  We also chat about the new course being run in the South West of the UK on sustainable viticulture; more details here:  https://www.dartington.org/event/introduction-to-viticulture/

We talk with Pauline Vicard, Co-founder and Executive Director at ARENI Global.  We ask what "fine wine" is?  Who is drinking it?  Why?  Where is it growing?  What are the breakdown of consumers?  Should more wine be 'fine'?  And much more.

Here are the various links we reference during the podcast:

The future of fine wine report

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ARENI Twitter

ARENI Insta

Pauline on twitter @labelsandgrapes

We talk with Phil Reedman MW - principal consultant at Phil Reedman Master of Wine Pty Ltd.  Phil has spent over 37 years working in the wine industry. From his start at a Nottingham restaurant in 1982 through to today Phil continues to be captivated by wine’s endless complexity.  We ask does the wine trade need more consultants?  How do you select the right yeast?  What are the new products in fining?  How much does he love natural wine? And more...

We talk with Lia Jones on diversity in wine and the drinks trade more generally.  What does diversity look like?  What steps can people businesses take to create a more diverse atmosphere?  How do other industries compare?  How can we approach a younger generation?  To find out more about what you can do to improve diversity, Lia recommends this website:  www.Google.com

NB - we recorded this only a couple of days before the Woman's Hour episode with Melissa Cole and Charlotte Cook.  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w9td

My assessment of the UK craft beer scene was inaccurate, and I hold my hands up and apologise.  Whilst I could have easily edited this out, it felt more honest to leave it in and admit I'm wrong here.

We speak with Jacques Jordaan, at VinLog, Kuehne+Nagel about the main points of interest in wine logistics.  What are the main considerations when moving in bulk vs bottle?  How much does a shipment cost and how quickly and easily can it be organised?  What are the main geo-political factors affecting wine logistics?  What does technology hold for the future?  And much more!

We chat to Rowena Curlewis at Denomination design agency - a specialist in wine and drinks packaging design.  We ask if the wine industry cares enough about packaging?  How does it compare with other drinks categories?  What does the design process involve?  How does this industry deal with copycats?  What new technology will we see on wine bottles?