Mick Craven from Craven Wines was our very first guest on this little podcast when we launched last year. He was back in town, so we sat down for a quick catch up.

In this episode, we talk about the Cravens’ infamous Pinot Gris, which (surprise, surprise) was rejected yet again by the South African Wine & Spirits Board for not conforming to the ‘typicity’ of Stellenbosch. Mick has some things to say about that. We also talk about the exciting things happening in the Polkadraai Hills (a ward of Stellenbosch), the Cravens’ new cement toys in the cellar, and cheesesteaks…

Plus, Mick shares a new wine that might be coming on the Craven horizon!

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

Today, we have Ronnie Sanders, our CEO, and Aaron Meeker, our National Sales Manager, on to remember Josh Raynolds, a wine critic that was extremely influential in the Australian wine world. Josh passed away tragically a few days ago. He was a not only a colleague, but a mentor and a friend to Ronnie. We hope you enjoy listening to these stories about Josh’s deep curiosity about all wines – not just the flashy ones – and the impact he had on championing a new era of Australian wine.

Our deepest condolensces to the Raynolds family.

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

This episode is part 2 of our interview with Peter Dredge of Dr. Edge based in Tasmania, Australia.  If you haven’t listened to part 1, go back and do so, as this is simply a continuation of our conversation. In this episode, you’ll hear the story of Peter’s wine labels, many of which are taken – with permission – from trip hop album artwork. You’ll hear the stories behind the names of some of his wines, like Dr. Ongo and Tryannosaurus Dredge, and you’ll hear how his varietal wines – Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir – stand out from the pack.

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

If you consider the Tasmanian wine industry old enough to be going through a new wave à la Swartland or South Australia, Peter Dredge (a.k.a. Dr. Edge) would be largely responsible for shifting those tectonic plates. Peter is helping to show the world that, rather than just shipping high-acid juice to the mainland for bubbly blends, Tasmania can have its own reputable wine identity. He calls his wines “unashamedly soft handed,” which is an ethos he developed over the course of his time working with Brian Croser at Petaluma, Dr. Loosen in Germany, and Bay of Fires and Meadowbank in Tasmania.

We import six Dr. Edge wines, three of which fall into the “experimental” series including a skinsy Shönburger, a cheerful Pinot Meunier, and a bright Pinot Noir pet nat. The other three – Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir – are more traditional and can be thought of as Tasmanian benchmarks.

This episode is part 1 of two. Part 1 focuses more on Peter’s background, and part 2 dives a little deeper into his wines. In this episode, you’ll hear how Peter decided to take a leap of faith, moving from Adelaide to Tasmania for a job at Bay of Fires before ever having visited. You’ll hear how he started a tongue-in-cheek side project called “Brian Global International” which made wine in both Tasmania and Oregon. And you’ll hear how at the beginning of Dr. Edge, he was making wine out of a cooperative winery located within the Museum of Old and New Art, a museum centered on the themes of sex and death. His journey in winemaking is – as he puts it – like a Game of Thrones plot, hard to keep track of all the twists and turns. But one thing is for sure: it all began on one fateful day during Peter’s senior year of high school in 1995.

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

This episode is part 2 with Callum Powell of Agricola Vintners based in Australia’s Barossa Valley. If you haven’t listened to part 1, hit pause and go back to listen! It gives a lot of context for this episode and shares stories of Callum’s background, starting with growing up running around the cellar of Torbreck which his dad, Dave Powell, founded.

In this episode, we get more into the details of his two Syrah wines, called ‘Flaxman Valley’ and ‘Ebenezer’ – what’s unique about the sites where they were grown, how they were made, how they’re different, etc. We also talk a bit about the business side of things because Callum only recently quit his other winemaking gig and went full in on Agricola.

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

Episode 11 is with Callum Powell of Agricola Vintners based in Australia’s Barossa Valley. This episode will focus on Callum’s background, and the next episode you’ll hear him talk more specifically about his two Syrah wines, which by the way come with very high praise from his winemaker peers, notably Fraser McKinley from Sami-Odi.

It’s impressive because at 28 years old, Callum is one of – if not the youngest winemaker from any country in our book. You might recognize his last name, Powell, as he is the son of Dave Powell, the man who launched Torbreck. In today’s episode, you’ll hear Callum’s coming of age in the wine industry, starting with memories of Torbreck back in the 90s. You’ll hear about all the people who have molded Callum’s perspective, from his dad to Jean Louis Chave to the folks at Tyrells and Jasper Hill, just to name a few. Callum also shares his take on what it means to be a young winemaker in Australia, pruning vines 4 times his age, and how the notion of terroir – or to use Callum’s more literal interpretation – provenance, is viewed in Australia. It’s been quite a journey for Callum, and to begin the story, we have to go back to when he was just a twinkle in his parents’ eyes…

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website

John Seccombe is the legend behind Thorne and Daughters, which is based in Bot River, South Africa. Ask anyone who’s got a pulse on the South African wine industry today and they’ll tell you John Seccombe is one the greats. Tim Atkin named him a First Growth producer of South Africa, Jancis Robinson credits John with being “very much part of the new wave responsible for reigniting interest in South African wine”, and Tim James says, “You can’t really go wrong with Thorne & Daughters whites.”

All that’s to say that John is a fantastic winemaker. In today’s episode, you’ll hear that he’s also a really likeable guy who had to put in a lot of sweat equity to get where he is today. It wasn’t a walk in the park; John wasn’t mentored by any of the industry greats. And with a winemaking degree from a university in England, people didn’t really take him all that seriously when he come back to the Cape after 9 years of living in the UK. In the beginning, John was working harvests and helping his wife, Tasha, with her wedding photgraphy gigs, but that didn’t last long… he was quickly fired for spending too much time “shitting on the clients.”

But slowly, John was granted space for a few barrels in the corner of Chris Alheit’s cellar, and from there, he was off to the races. In this episode, you’ll hear how John came to be known for his textural whites, and how he learned to embrace a model for winemaking that fit his terroir (read: not trying to be a copy/paste version of Bordeaux or Burgundy). You’ll also hear John’s take on why getting South African wine to be mainstream in the US is still an uphill battle, as well as his adoration for Japan and, yes, McDonalds…

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website