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Vininspo! Episode 9: Meg Brodtmann MW
When you’re blessed to know a good teacher, you kind of think other people deserve the benefit of their wisdom.
Meg Brodtmann MW was one of the first people to formally “teach” me wine as a lead lecturer in levels 3 and 4 of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
She was straight-shooting, down-to-earth and amusing; her lack of hauteur belies a fierce intelligence, and tasting wine with her continues to be hugely enjoyable.
As a Master of Wine, Meg reached the pinnacle of wine learning long ago, but she even scaled that peak with distinctly Brodtmannesque whateverness.
As well as leading a vast number of students through all levels of the WSET system, Meg continues to judge, consult and make wine, as well as co-hosting an award-winning podcast, Wine with Meg + Mel.
Most aspects of this hugely enjoyable conversation are self-explanatory, but as always, a bit of context is necessary.
Meg studied at Roseworthy Agricultural College, which PJ Charteris spoke to me about at length in Episode 8. Meg then talks about going to Gaillac in southwest France. The local grapes she mentions are the white grape Len de l'El, the sparkling grape Mauzac and the reds, Duras and Braucol, aka Fer. She refers to these as grapes for “appellation wines”, meaning wines with a more specific designation of origin (or tie to the region). Vin de Pays is a category that generally has looser rules around permitted grape varieties and other things.
Chile also plays a key role in Meg’s life. Her husband, Kiwi-born Pete Mackey, got a job making high-end Cabernet in the Apalta Valley, which is part of the Colchagua Valley, which is in turn part of Chile’s Central Valley. This whole area produces a huge amount of wine to a high standard; in this narrow country with serious influences from mountains and ocean, the shifts in quality potential, style and variety are marked across every nook and cranny. Safe to say, the sky's the limit with the right grape in the right area, and we cover quite a few varieties and regions.
The Yarra Valley winemakers Meg gives a shoutout to are: Jayden Ong, Natillie Johnston of Tilie. J,, Stuart Dudine of Alkimi, Syd Bradford of Thick as Thieves and TarraWarra's Sarah Fagan (Fages to her mates; read more about her here).
To learn more about the Master of Wine and Wine Spirit Education Trust, please refer back to my Substack post on Andrea Pritzker MW (Episode 2). Some of the fellow students Meg mentions are: Xenia Ruscombe-King (née Irwin), who works for high-end British grocery chain Waitrose, wine critic Tim Atkin, Norrel Robertson of El Escocés Volante and New Zealand-based consultant winemaker Alastair Maling. Angela Muir of Cellar World International, which played a pivotal role in Meg's formative winemaking years, is also a Master of Wine.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edmerrison.substack.com/subscribe
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By Ed MerrisonWhen you’re blessed to know a good teacher, you kind of think other people deserve the benefit of their wisdom.
Meg Brodtmann MW was one of the first people to formally “teach” me wine as a lead lecturer in levels 3 and 4 of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
She was straight-shooting, down-to-earth and amusing; her lack of hauteur belies a fierce intelligence, and tasting wine with her continues to be hugely enjoyable.
As a Master of Wine, Meg reached the pinnacle of wine learning long ago, but she even scaled that peak with distinctly Brodtmannesque whateverness.
As well as leading a vast number of students through all levels of the WSET system, Meg continues to judge, consult and make wine, as well as co-hosting an award-winning podcast, Wine with Meg + Mel.
Most aspects of this hugely enjoyable conversation are self-explanatory, but as always, a bit of context is necessary.
Meg studied at Roseworthy Agricultural College, which PJ Charteris spoke to me about at length in Episode 8. Meg then talks about going to Gaillac in southwest France. The local grapes she mentions are the white grape Len de l'El, the sparkling grape Mauzac and the reds, Duras and Braucol, aka Fer. She refers to these as grapes for “appellation wines”, meaning wines with a more specific designation of origin (or tie to the region). Vin de Pays is a category that generally has looser rules around permitted grape varieties and other things.
Chile also plays a key role in Meg’s life. Her husband, Kiwi-born Pete Mackey, got a job making high-end Cabernet in the Apalta Valley, which is part of the Colchagua Valley, which is in turn part of Chile’s Central Valley. This whole area produces a huge amount of wine to a high standard; in this narrow country with serious influences from mountains and ocean, the shifts in quality potential, style and variety are marked across every nook and cranny. Safe to say, the sky's the limit with the right grape in the right area, and we cover quite a few varieties and regions.
The Yarra Valley winemakers Meg gives a shoutout to are: Jayden Ong, Natillie Johnston of Tilie. J,, Stuart Dudine of Alkimi, Syd Bradford of Thick as Thieves and TarraWarra's Sarah Fagan (Fages to her mates; read more about her here).
To learn more about the Master of Wine and Wine Spirit Education Trust, please refer back to my Substack post on Andrea Pritzker MW (Episode 2). Some of the fellow students Meg mentions are: Xenia Ruscombe-King (née Irwin), who works for high-end British grocery chain Waitrose, wine critic Tim Atkin, Norrel Robertson of El Escocés Volante and New Zealand-based consultant winemaker Alastair Maling. Angela Muir of Cellar World International, which played a pivotal role in Meg's formative winemaking years, is also a Master of Wine.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edmerrison.substack.com/subscribe