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!

There are about 2 weeks till the next D3 exams in the WSET Diploma Program. On this occasion, I invited Alex Tsui as my next guest to the podcast to give tips and last minute encouragement for those who sit the exam on 25th of October. Alex has passed the diploma with distinction recently and won the SOGRAPE prize for his extraordinary achievement, plus he is the moderator of the most popular and active WSET Study Group on Facebook, and the creator of many helpful study guides. On the side, he is a PhD student at Oxford, so wine is basically just a hobby. I think it tells a lot about this humble man who I enjoyed talking to very much. You can also find some helpful links in the description that might ease some burden on your shoulders and help you get the most out of your preparation.

Please vote on the question asked in the show notes and share this piece with anyone who might get something out of it. 

4:45 – Why does Alex help others pass the Diploma?

8:45 – How to approach the study material?

16:15 – Flash Cards and other methods to learn

24:45 – Chat GPT and other resources

41:20 – Frameworks and structuring

46:30 – What to do 2-3 weeks before the exam?!

53:40 - Predictions

More info: www.wineghosts.com

Diploma Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/5186994742/

Amble Wine Maps:https://amblewine.com/

This episode is one that I’ve been waiting for in the last couple years already. If you want to become a better blind taster, Nick Jackson’s book: Beyond Flavour is a must have in your library. Nick is a young British Master of Wine who studied Theology in Cambridge and now lives in the sunny Florida, where he imports artisanal European wines, helps private wine collectors and much more. In many ways, his approach to tasting is a rather unique, but most certainly a helpful one. But I let him explain the origin story and methodology of the ‘Tasting by Structure’ approach. We talked about the major updates in the second edition of his book, about minerality, sapidity and the two-texture situation. You hear his criteria for selecting recommended producers, his take on the Florida wine market and of course: how to understand varieties. It was a great experience to look behind the curtains and pick Nick’s brain a bit on how to structure something that probably never meant to be structured, but rather enjoyed.

Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/41PL5v3

2:10 - Starting with wine, Theology, Evolving Palate and wine world

10:24 - The 2nd edition of the book, Tasting for structure

18:26 - Concept of Acid Shape

22:45 - ‘Confusions’ section - One major update

28:10 - ‘Two-texture’ situation

32:37 - Oak Tannin

36:15 - Structure & Skeleton

41:00 - Minerality & Sapidity

52:26 - Producer Recommendations & Nick’s Criteria

54:34 - What Nick is doing nowadays?

58:40 - Florida Wine Market

1:02:00 - Nick’s emerging wine countries

1:05:00 - Is blind tasting getting more difficult?

1:08:25 - How do you take blind tasting skills to the next level?

Guest: Nick Jackson MW | @nickjacksn

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts |

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

Join the Wine Ghosts Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/wineghosts/ |

Wine Ghosts' Channels (Instagram, Podcast etc.): https://linktr.ee/wineghost

A couple of weeks ago, dear friends of mine brought a particularly inspiring bottle to our usual blind tasting session: the first Welschriesling from the new venture of Christoph Polz. This wine simply blew me away. So, I was eager to talk to the man behind this magnificent wine and hear his thoughts on Hochgrassnitzberg, this is the vineyard where he works on in Styria, but of course also about the variety and his approach to winemaking. Christoph made the impression of a sincere, modest guy who admires fine details, heritage and exceptional quality overall. If you want to enjoy his wines, then hurry up, he didn’t make one for everyone.

1:00 - The Polz Story and How it All Began

4:28 - How Christoph acquired his special plot

10:35 - Styria and its sub-regions

13:33 - Ehrenhausen Terroir

19:42 - Morillon

26:40 - How do the wines actually taste?!

31:37 - The origin story of the label

35:15 - Welschriesling and its vineyards

44:10 - Plan for new wines, additional varieties

51:14 - Welschriesling vs Morillon Taste

Guest: Christoph Polz | Styria, Austria

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts |

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

Join the Wine Ghosts Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/wineghosts/ |

Wine Ghosts' Channels (Instagram, Podcast etc.): https://linktr.ee/wineghosts

Today’s episode is particularly close to my heart. About 4 months ago, I was lucky enough to visit the mesmerising Tenerife, the biggest of the Canary Islands. That’s when I met Roberto Santos, the native Canary winemaker from the Envinate winery. The dreamy weather, warm winds and anywhere you are, you can either see the towering Teida volcano or the vast blueness of the ocean. Hell of a terroir, I would say. I’ve also wrote about my experiences on my new website, you can find the link to the article in the description. Back then, I’ve already decided that I want to interview Roberto on the show and spread the word about the magical wines of Tenerife and the honest Envinate bottlings. This time, Roberto was also joined by Alfonso Torrente, a fellow winemaker at Envinate. In this episode, you’ll learn about the centenarian ungrafted vineyards, the indigenous varieties of the island, the story of Envinate, why the Canary wines didn’t reach more fame yet, and which 3 driving forces are the 4 winemakers thrive in a wine for.

My experiences on the island: https://www.wineghosts.com/somm-on-tour/tenerife

Timeline:

7:30 – History and wine culture on Tenerife

18:15 – How come Tenerife is not full of excellent winemakers?

25:00 – Envinate Wine Style & different Approaches in different Envinate Terroirs

30:40 – Native Varieties

Guest: Roberto Santos & Alfonso Torrente | Envinate Winery

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts |

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

Join the Wine Ghosts Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/wineghosts/ |

Wine Ghosts' Channels (Instagram, Podcast etc.): https://linktr.ee/wineghosts

In this episode you can hear my conversation with Jorge Nunes, who had become the most successful WSET Diploma graduate (winner of the Vintners' Cup) in the 2021 calendar year. As a diploma student myself, I wanted to pick Jorge’s brain about how he got to achieve this honourable title. Most helpful techniques, tasting tips, surprising challenges and the power of motivation are all parts of this episode. Other than that, Jorge is currently working as the Asia Pacific Market Manager at great Symington Family Estates in Singapur, so you can also hear his perspective about the current state of the Asian and sweet wine market in the beginning of our conversation. I’ve learned a lot from Jorge during this hour-long talk and I hope you’ll do the same as well.

Please get in contact if you have any questions or comments about the episode.

Timeline:

8:20 - Most Helpful Study Techniques, Power of Tasting Groups, Know Your Bankers

18:55 - Wine Description Advice & Best Sources for Study

35:47 - Revision & Practice

37:03 - What happens when you finish and the road to MW

Guest: Jorge Nunes | Symington Family Estates

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | 

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

Join the Wine Ghosts Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/wineghosts/ | 

Wine Ghosts' Channels (Instagram, Podcast etc.): https://linktr.ee/wineghosts