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I was recently joined by Kyron and Katura Halleday of the philanthropic organisation 8 x 8 to Educate, whose mission is to raise funds and bring educational opportunities to developing communities. 8x8 to Educate was born after Katura travelled to Tanzania and returned home with hundreds of new friends - who she wanted to help. Since then, Katura, with the support of her superstar mother Kyron, has devoted herself to raising awareness and funds for the communities she supports. Circumstances recently caused me to team up with 8 x 8 to Educate to promote their most recent fundraiser – which just so happens to be a wine tasing in collaboration with local artists who will be putting their art up for sale to raise funds for the 8x8 cause. So, I sat down with daughter and mother to discuss the incredible work of 8x8, the details of the event – and the why behind it all! I hope you enjoy the show

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There was a time when wine maker super star Sarah Crowe wasn’t sure that she was going to be a wine maker. Growing up as a beach loving girl in Wollongong, she studied horticulture with the thoughts of opening her own gardening business. However, life had other plans and planted the possibility in Sarah’s mind that a vineyard could hold more than just an arena to satisfy her passion for the outdoors. She soon found herself working vintages in the Hunter Valley - she was more than infected by the wine bug. Nine years at Brokenwood and three years at Bimbadgen and Sarah had cultivated a base upon which big things would grow. And this is exactly what happened when Sarah made the difficult decision to leave the Hunter Valley she knew so well and take an enormous opportunity as wine maker at Victoria’s Yarra Yering. Sarah was stepping into a major role at a winery with history, culture and reputation, built on the legend of Australian Wine pioneer Dr Bailey Carrodus. It was here that Sarah would make her biggest mark. The fruits of her persistence and effort where awarded in August of 2021 when Yarra Yering was awarded Australian Winery of the Year both by the Real Review and the Halliday Wine Companion, as well as wine of the year and red wine of the year for Sarah’s dry Bordeaux blend number 1. Sarah recently joined me to share her story, and the lessons she has learned throughout her wine adventure, from the vineyard to the winery. A massive thanks to Sarah for joining me. 

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It’s interesting to think that once upon a time, multi-award-winning Australian author Max Allen nervously submitted his first article hoping it would be published. It was published. The magazine actually liked it – so they asked Max to write another one. And another one. And another one. Anyone who has ever read the books, articles and other works of Max Allen more or less knows what happened. Max kept on writing and soon he had captivated and entire nation – through the medium of storytelling. After all, when you ask Max what he does – that is exactly what he says – he is a storyteller. But he has the most fascinating stories to tell. Max is constantly on the move, digging through the rich worlds of Australian history, culture, wine and a million other things to find the special and unique – then he shares it with us. Max currently writes for the Australian Financial Review , is Jancis Robinsons liaison in Australia and he still finds the time to author books which are some of the most enjoyable reads I have picked up. Max was recently good enough to sit down with me and share his story, some insights on his most recent book Intoxicating: 10 drinks that shaped Australia, and his perspectives on the relevance and importance of story telling. A massive thanks to Max for joining me. 

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The Hunter Valley, some three hours’ drive north of Sydney, is the spiritual home of wine in Australia. It is where the first Australian vineyards were planted. With a relatively warm climate, mitigated somewhat by humidity and some maritime influence, it boasts world class and unique expressions of many varietals particularly Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillon. Andrew Thomas is a guardian of the Hunter Valley. Interestingly he was born in the McLaren Vale, but an opportunity to work at the renowned Tyrrells Winery caused Andrew to leave South Australia and move to the Hunter. Andrew may have had intentions of someday returning to South Australia, however the longer he spent in the Hunter Valley, the more he fell for its magic. He soon realised that his future lay in the Hunter Valley, and he has dedicated himself to harnessing the Hunter’s potential and expressing it as liquid brilliance in a bottle. Andrew lives and breathes the Hunter. From the strength of his relationship with local growers to his intimate understanding of and focus on Hunter shiraz and Semillon, Andrew strongly believes that the Hunter possesses a magic that gives an unrivalled expression of class and elegance – in short, the finer things. Andrew recently joined me to share his story, from the young wine maker who graduated from Roseworthy and took a job Tyrells, to becoming creating a label that is synonymous with Hunter Valley excellence. A massive thanks to Andrew for joining me. 

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Nestled in a very inconspicuous section of Brisbane’s Albion is a treasure adding to the growing prowess of the Brisbane, cultural, culinary and wine scene. Here lies Wineism, owned and curated by sommelier extraordinaire Ian Trinkle whose reputation for creativity and selection precedes him. Ian, who heralds originally from Philadelphia in the USA, spent his early days watching his grandfather manage restaurants and Ian may have been subconsciously infused with this passion. Ian grew up in the world of American hospitality and along the way fell across the WSET education program, which he remains involved with in this day. Circumstances caused Ian to make a life changing move from the land of the free to the land down under and it wasn’t long before Ian made his mark on the Brisbane wine scene when he was appointed as head somm at Brisbane fine dining restaurant Aria. Ian eventually decided it was time to create his own personal footprint in the Brisbane hospitality scene and he opened his own wine shop where he could give expression to his own creativity - something anyone who has visited Wineism will have experienced – Ian has curated a fine wine list that takes you around the world, in an affordable manner that is also educational. Ian also takes an active role in the Brisbane WSET system and has plans to establish Wineism as a genuine educational hub. Ian recently sat down with me to share his journey from Philadelphia to Brisbane and the story behind a life dedicated to wine and service - in short hospitality. A massive thanks to Ian for joining me. 

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Lindsay Wright walked into a wine store looking for a job when he was 20. He doesn’t boast enormous wine pedigree, though he has researched that his family has heritage stretching back to the Geelong and far off Champagne of many years ago – so it may very well be in his DNA. However, when Lindsay walked into that wine store on that fateful day, something happened, and it changed Lindsay’s life more or less for ever. Lindsay had caught the wine bug, or it could be said that the wine bug caught Lindsay. He has since devoted countless hours to perfecting the art of hospitality and fine wine retail whilst fine tuning his own wine knowledge through the WSET. Lindsay went so far as to attain the WSET diploma which is one of the most respected qualifications in the world of wine – but Lindsay is no ordinary person, and anyone who has per chance happened upon Lindsay in the fine wine establishment he manages will note his perfect blend of passion and respect for wine  coupled with fun and a down to earth enthusiasm. If you lucky enough to encounter Lindsay, it is downright fun and downright educational. Lindsay recently shared all of that passion and fun with me over a couple of bottles of wine in a conversation that was truly memorable. A massive thanks to Lindsay for joining me. 

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The wine world is full of hidden treasures - hidden wineries that you stumble across and have a great experience with, both tasting the wines and meeting the people. But many of these hidden gems lack the financial backing to purchase recognition – and yes, for the most part, unless you are extremely lucky, you must purchase recognition. Unfortunately, marketing costs are quite steep for small business who put all their resources into primary production – Now enter the Local Batch, a unique bunch of individuals who saw the plight of small growers and producers and have made it their mission to respond to the call. John and Albert from the Local Batch joined me to tell me the story of the Local Batch, a unique and quite a multicultural group of people who came together to champion the small wineries of the Barossa and beyond. John Lange has been growing grapes for reputable wineries for some time. Albert Jeziorski managed to convince John that his wine was good enough to sell – but the problem was John didn’t have a platform. So, Albert came back a couple of days later with a proposal – and that was the start of the Local Batch, a growing cooperative of small growers and wine makers who want to bring their wine to the forefront. John and Albert tell their stories, and the story of the local batch. A massive thanks to John and Albert for joining me.

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I think the first ever social media platform I recall hearing about was Myspace. Can’t ever say I got amongst that one when I was at school, but in the blink of an eye, its out with the old and in with Facebook. And it was all Facebook. For a long time. Until it wasn’t – and then it was Twitter, Pintrest Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok – you get the picture – this world ditches and upgrades pretty rapidly and if you want to be part of the conversation, then the world really demands quite a lot from you – you need to keep up. This requires constantly monitoring the online world around you, reading the wind and adapting or anticipating where possible. This stuff is really time consuming and even then you might just have misread the room. Now just imagine trying to be a small business trying to stay relevant in this conversation. It’s kind of tough. Yet there are some people who are particularly good at reading and picking the changes, and who have created a passion out of sharing and promoting brands in this rapidly evolving landscape. I recently sat down with Ella Pradella who runs the Cheeky Vino website – the mission of which is to simplify wine for the consumer and make it fun. Ella is also passionate about producers and loves promoting their products in this fast-paced online world. And it takes a lot to keep up with the flow – just ask her. Ella was kind enough to share her story, the story of the Cheeky Vino and her insights on just what it takes to stay relevant in the fastest and most volatile conversation going around. A massive thanks to Ella for joining me. 

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The Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria’s Geelong region is one of Australia’s magical maritime subregions. Together with the Mornington Peninsula to the southeast it separates Port Phillip Bay from the Bass Strait. Here wine makers craft exceptional pinot noir, shiraz and Chardonnay and capitalise and the regions ancient soils. Now it would be a might task to find someone who knows Bellarine better than Robin Brockett. Robin has been producing world class wines in the Bellarine area for over 30 years. He has also been the wine maker at the world class Scotchman’s Hill winery in Bellarine for over 30 years. Many wine makers have told me how important understand terroir is to ensuring quality wine, and this principle is captured in the often-said axiom “Wines are made in the vineyard”. When talking to Robin, one quickly realises how intimately he understands the region’s terroir and how best to harness it to craft exceptional wines. Robin was good enough to sit down with me to share his perspectives on wine in the Bellarine region, his own work and the activities at the wonderful Scotchman’s Hill winery. 

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The wine market is a buzzing production line of activity, from the vignerons and wine makers on one end, through to the consumers on the other end, all teaming together like a complex echo system to keep the world of wine pulsing and spinning around. Now an integral and complex part of this process is guiding consumer choice. This goes very much to upholding the integrity of the wine economy through ensuring that consumers and buyers can make informed buying decisions and that the consumer gets bang for their buck. So for example, for the most part, a $15 - $20 wine will give you a different experience to say a $80-$100 dollar bottle. I do say for the most part. It’s a matter of quality, effort, precision, of attention to detail, all traits that definitely express themselves in the final product. Now wine reviewers are integral in identifying, evaluating and describing wines, the idea being that when a consumer goes to buy a wine they can rely on the work of the reviewers to make an informed decision. These reviewers have been in the game a long time, have very attuned palates and know how to identify the good stuff from the stuff that may not be a great return on investment. Steve Leszczynski is one such reviewer, being the Editor of QWineReviews. Steve started QWineReviews more or less after some people identified that Steve had the requisite eye for the details. Fast forward a few years and Steve, who works full time as a teacher, will review on average 700 wines a year. Not bad for a part timer. Now for full disclosure, when Steve and I sat down to chat in Brisbane’s Mowbray Park, the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing. So I do apologise if the you get a few gusts of wind in your ear over the course of this interview. I learn for next time. We could however look at it as an authentic expression of the place. I’ll leave that to you. A massive thanks to Steve for joining me.

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