Wine Ghosts

Topics:

- Legend of Andrea Franchetti

- The Beginnings on Sicily

- Momentum of Etna & Contradas

- Nerello Mascalese & wine profile

- Etna as a brand and even investment in the future?

- Passopisciaro Contradas in detail

- Visions for the future

Guest: Benjamin Franchetti / Passopisciaro, Sicily

Follow the Wine Ghosts Instagram page for more content here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/wineghosts/⁠⁠ 

Or write me a mail to [email protected]

The Castello di Ama wine ghosts are some of the most elegant bottlings of Tuscany, thanks to their location in one of the highest parts of Chianti Classico. The estate was leading the way in the creation of the ‘Gran Selezione’ and in the single vineyard wines in the area. Oh, and they were also the first ones to bottle single-varietal Merlot in the region! You could also hear Lars Granat Jensen, the CEO of Rare Wine Invest, praising the estate in our last episode, which might leave you with an extra incentive to look into the Castello di Ama wines more intensely.

1:27 - Intro & Terroir & History

11:52 - Gran Selezione

14:27 - Sangiovese and its clones

23:23 - Warming Climate & New Varieties?!

26:54 - Single Vineyards Characters

31:35 - Elevage

35:30 - Who is the typical Castello di Ama drinker?

Guest: Lapo De Santi / Winery Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/castellodiama/ Follow the Wine Ghosts Instagram page for more content here: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/wineghosts/⁠ 

Or write me a mail to [email protected]

Get 20% off your one-time-purchase by using the code 'WINEGHOST20' at the checkout on the ⁠Magic Mind website⁠ here: ⁠https://magicmind.com/

I've been thinking about properly investing in wine for years now. So I thought, I should ask someone who is really on the top of this game. The Danish company, RareWine Invest, is one of the largest and most trusted name in the industry. Mr. Jensen, the CMO of the company, has been delving deep into the topic with me and covered the ABC of wine investing in this hour-long episode. You can learn which allocation they recommend for a well-balanced portfolio, what makes a region or a winery eligible for investment, how it might change in the future, and of course: how you can start to invest. Fascinating insights, I learned a lot.

Topics in chronological order:

- Why and who should invest in wine?

- What are the criteria for investing in certain wines?

- Regions to invest

- Climate Change and what does it change for investment?

- Biggest surprises on the wine market

- How could one start with wine investment?

- Italy as the potential for growth

Guest: LARS GRANAT JENSEN / RAREWINE INVEST

Follow the Wine Ghosts Instagram page for more content here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/wineghosts/⁠⁠ 

Or write me a mail to [email protected]

Get 20% off your one-time-purchase by using the code 'WINEGHOST20' at the checkout on the ⁠Magic Mind website⁠ here: ⁠⁠https://magicmind.com/

The 'von der Vogelwaide' winery counts almost as a rebellion in almost every sense in the region of Wachau. They only use native yeast, planted Syrah, make cuvées instead of single varietal wines, don’t show the vineyard or the ripeness level on the label, vinify in small oak, not afraid of malolactic fermentation, you get the point. They are also one of the few gay vintner couples in the country and they built up their successful winery like a true start-up in the last couple of years by recultivating steep vineyards in often abandoned territories. I love to see more diversity in the Wachau as much as I admire the courage and perseverance of these two guys to bring a new taste to this wonderful region. Enjoy!

Guest: Daniel Vogelwaid & Michael Donabaum / Winery: von der Vogelwaide

Réka Koncz dared to make natural wines where no professional winemakers labelled wine ever before. In this episode, she tells us her story how working in a Danish natural wine bar changed her approach towards wine and winemaking. I also tasted 3 of her vivid wines during the conversation and we talked Kékfrankos, Furmint, PIWI varieties, oak usage and so much more. I really enjoyed our dialogue and the way how her free spirit unfolded in these 50 minutes. Enjoy!

1:25 - How did Réka get into winemaking?

This is episode highlights the cold side of Australia with Emma Symington Master of Wine. Emma has been working with Wine Australia for more than 10 years now, and was kind enough to sit down with me for 2 episodes and introduce us first to the cool climate regions of Australia and then to the many faces of Australian Shiraz in the 2nd episode, coming up in 2 weeks. These shows are meant for both professionals as well as keen beginner wine lovers, who want to get an idea about the lesser known corners and strengths of the Australian wine world.

Guest: Emma Symington MW

Follow the Wine Ghosts Instagram page for more content here: https://www.instagram.com/wineghosts/

Or write me a mail to [email protected]

Get 56% off your first Magic Mind subscription here:

https://www.magicmind.com/wineghost

Or get 20% off your one-time-purchase by using the code 'WINEGHOST20' at the checkout on the Magic Mind website.

Lebanon wine is intertwined with the legendary Chateau Musar. A winery that survived almost a century of wars and obstacles, while gaining a worldwide reputation amongst the most authentic fine wines of the world with famed ageing potential. I met Marc Hochar a couple of months ago at a masterclass in Germany just before the latest war in the Middle East broke out. The wines were of course amazing and impactful as I expected, but Marc’s gentleman-like aura further elevated the experience with deep thoughts and eye-opening questions. I never took so many notes on a wine tasting before. So please listen to our conversation about Lebanon, a truck-fermented vintage, Sergism, what the future might hold for Chateau Musar and much more.

Please consider supporting the channel with a small monthly contribution on my Patreon channel in return for some extra benefits like submitting your own questions to my future guests, or have a monthly online roundtable with me.

10:09 - Serge Hochar’s heritage - Sergisnm

17:00 - What should Chateau Musar represent?

23:13 - Bekaa Valley

46:30 - 1984 and the truck

51:05 - Elevage

1:02:52 - What does Marc look for in a wine?

1:07:00 - Rosé

1:11:00 - Musar Vintage Library

1:17:05 - New coastal plantings

1:19:55 - Topics in 5 years

Guest: Marc Hochar | Chateau Musar

| Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts

| More content: www.wineghosts.com Support & Get Exclusive on the Wine Ghosts Patreon Site https://www.patreon.com/wineghosts

Today’s episode will focus on a very special and not very well-known Spanish DO, the Vinos de Madrid. This area has started to get more attention thanks to a handful of enthusiastic Garnacha producers, but the region is still far from being well-developed. I sat down with Juan from the Bernabeleva winery that makes distinctive Albillos and Garnachas in the mountainous area west of Madrid. I’ve known his Albillo Cantocuerdas for a couple years now, which always a great surprise ghost at any blind tasting session it appears on, but we will get into more details in the conversation later.

Please consider supporting the channel with a small monthly contribution on my Patreon channel in return for some extra benefits like submitting your own questions to my future guests, or have a monthly online roundtable with me.

Guest: Juan Bulnes | Bernabeleva

Jorge Nunes is the regional manager of the Symington Family Estates in Asia, providing deep insider knowledge about the making of port wine as well as about the trade itself. Jorge has already appeared on the Wine Ghosts podcast in the 66th episode, when he gave tips about passing the WSET Diploma with an “A”, and I must say, he is an excellent communicator and professional. You can learn about varieties, the vineyard work in the Douro, the different extraction methods and styles, the contradiction around the “beneficio” and about current market trends regarding Port wine. I learned a lot and I hope you’ll do the same! To be able to continue making these episodes in the future and keep the Wine Ghosts podcast alive, you can help support the channel with a small monthly contribution on Patreon via the link in the description. In return for 4 dollars a month, you get to know my guest list in advance, you get to submit your own questions for them as well as joining our monthly remote drinking evening when we talk, drink and share our favourite wines with a passionate circle. Any help is greatly appreciated. But now, enjoy Jorge’s insides!