The Big Vin Theory

We talk with Frances Bentley about buying for the UK on-trade.  How do the different categories differ?  What are the main buying considerations?  What are your private label strategies?  How do we bounce back after COVID?  How do you view consolidations in the industry?  And much more...

We talk to Dr Janice Wang on her research into blind tasting, 'crossmodalism' and more.  What pedagogical approach works best in terms of training? Does learning how to taste wine help with other skills?  What music should you listen to to enhance acidic properties in a wine?  What opportunities does VR hold for the world of wine?

We talk with Andrew Jones of Sunridge Nurseries about everything rootstock related - including his take that rootstocks will change the flavour of a wine more than the clone.  What are the biggest sellers, which are best for higher quality vineyards, are there any scions that do or don't work together?  What are the biggest issues facing rootstock production?  And more...

We talk to Nick Jackson MW, author of 'Beyond Flavour' (US link here).  We ask, from the perspective of the MW exam, how do you construct a convincing origin argument between wines of similar structures, eg Chardonnay?  How can you really distinguish between sub regions within Burgundy, and Germany?  What are the limitations of using structure for tasting?  This is indispensable listening for any MW students.

You can view Nick's webinars here:  https://www.pathlms.com/school-of-taste/courses/25117

We ask Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan MW how to pass the MW tasting exam, so if you want to do that, you should probably listen to this.  Then we ask whether or not tasting wine on TV can ever ben entertaining, what media works well, how does trading fine wine as a commodity benefit the trade and is blind tasting really a useful tool anyway?

Jennifer has very kindly offered a special discount to you lucky Big Vin Theory listeners to her Blind Tasting X Program for a very limited time only!  You can hear more about it and access it here:  https://www.masterwineonline.com/lp/extra-special-mw/

We chat with Tom Wilkinson, Vineyard Manager at Chapel Down Group plc, about all things UK Viticulture.  How do you manage workforce requirements?  How mechanised are the UK's vineyards?  What are the biggest problems and how are they dealt with?  Does he want a helicopter?  Special praise also has to go to Tom for the most dramatic pause in TBVT's short history. 

We talk to Etienne about life as a wine authenticator - what makes wine authentic?  What are the specific things to look out for of a fake wine?   How big an issue is wine forgery?  And, if you've ever wondered what Chernobyl has to do with Ch Margaux 1900, then this is the episode for you!

You can see more of Etienne's work here:  www.aceswines.com / [email protected]

We talk to winemaking legend Brian Fletcher, who everyone should follow on Twitter.  We ask about the history of modern Aussie winemaking, what he thinks of R2 yeast, why he loves tartaric acid and PVPP, how to maximise quality in bulk grape/wine production, how companies like Naked can be a win-win and more....

NB - this conversation was recorded between an absolute gentleman in his late 60s, in the outback, with dodgy internet (next to a place he calls 'Bogan Bay') in the middle of a cyclone, and a questionable gentleman in his late 30s, 10,000 miles away, recording on a cheap laptop with literally no training.  The sound quality isn't amazing but stick with it - it gets better.

We talk to Harry Crowther, founder of Grain to Grape.  Harry is a winemaker and ex-somm who runs Grain to Grape - a wine training company with a difference. We ask how sales can be maximised in the on-trade?  How can and should people up-sell in a restaurant?  How can wine work for mixologists and those without a wine background?  What are the new social media platforms we should be paying attention to?  Follow him on all the social media platforms he mentions with @graintogrape

We interviewed Sabas Joosten, Head Sommelier at De Librije, a Three Michelin Star restaurant in Zwolle, The Netherlands.  De Librije has consistently been considered one of the top 50 restaurants in the world for many years, taking particular pride in its wine pairing for the tasting menu.  We ask Sabas about the Dutch market, how to make sustainable profit in the on-trade, how to curate a wine list for top end food, how a Coravin wine list works and what they have done to 'pivot' during lockdown.