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...

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...

In this 2nd episode with Emma Symington, we are solely focusing on Australia’s flagship grape: Syrah. The Master of Wine gives her insides in the evolution of the Shiraz plantings Australia, covers specific regions with particular styles, then highlights market trends on domestic and international markets. You can also get Emma’s personal tips if you are planning to throw a surprising blind tasting on Australian Shiraz! Please enjoy this deep dive into the topic, subscribe to the show if you...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

As I’m writing my essay for my WSET diploma about sustainable Bordeaux, I wanted to hear and share with you some insider knowledge from a prestigious chateau in the area. Château Lagrange is a classified Third Growth estate with the largest single vineyard among classified estates in the Médoc. My guest was Matthieu Bordes, general manager and winemaker at the estate since 2006. In this episode, you’ll hear why organic farming might not be sustainable, which are the biggest most surprising...

Santa brought a hell of christmas present recently, the wine workbook from Amble Wine. A paramount help for wine students that I certainly wanted to spread the word about on the channel. The founder, Lea Gatinois has missed a comprehensive workbook to practice her knowledge during her WSET Diploma studies, so she created her own. And thanks God she did, because these maps, infographics, varietal descriptions and alike, are great helping hands preparing for the scary D3 exam this year. We’ve...

My first encounter with the Donatsch wines was in April 2022 in a masterclass, and I was deeply touched. Martin is a truly honest guy who makes mesmerising Pinots, Chardonnays and Completer in Mali s, Graubünden, Switzerland. He not only wants his own wines to be enjoyed by people who can appreciate great wine made in his exceptional region, but he is also eager to make Swiss wines more known and recognised all around the world. Martin talked about the history of their 125 years old winery,...

Anton Longo is a motivated young man who took over historic vineyards to produce world class wines in Alto Adige. During our hours long visit I´ve had the impression that this gentleman has well-defined goals with his wines, with his line-up and he wants his Baron Longo label to be among the bests in the world. In my humble opinion, he deserves our attention as he is on a good path to leave a mark on his region. We've talked about his favourite variety, we drank his flagship and painfully...

As I've already had some guests on the show, who had a strong opinion about different approaches to farming and certifications, I've decided to highlight the topic of sustainability in this episode. Although sustainable certifications don't enjoy the glorious reputation of the biodynamic or even organic ones, I think it deserves our attention and understanding. For this reason, I invited Mr. Franz Rosner, research coordinator at the Federal Institute of Viticulture and Fruit Production in the...

After a long break, the 60th episode will feature one of my favourite wineries: Pfitscher out of Montagna, Alto Adige. All of the Pfitscher wines carry a fresh Alpine DNA with a perfect ripeness, finesse and precision. My guest was Daniel Pfitscher, the main face of the estate, whose family started making wines in the middle of the 19th century in the leading white wine region of Italy. He will introduce us to his homeland, how his team achieves crispiness together with excellent ripeness at...

In this episode, you can learn about the wine ghosts of a volcanic island: Lanzarote. I got the chance to taste Puro Rofe's white cuvée from the island: Rofe. Since I'm a big fan of volcanic wines, I was utterly excited to get my hands on this exciting wine ghost made by those young, venturesome winemakers.  Let me know what you think of the episode and the wine via e-mail or Instagram! Terroir: Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain Wine: Puro Rofe Rofe 2018 | Wine Ghosts Instagram:...

Chianti is probably known to everybody who shows a healthy interest in Italian wines. This time, we stay in Tuscany, and go to the Maremma region to taste the Amphiarao cuvée from Castello Vicchiomaggio. | Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | 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

The winery came into my radar in the fall of 2021, as I got to taste their two mesmerizing wines: the 2015 vintage of the G, the current vintage of the estate's top wine, and its little brother: the 2013 Echo of G. Well, they took my breath away! Not only the bewitching taste of the juice but the alluring presentation of the wines as well. You can read my tasting notes under my Instagram post from last September. After that, I was keen to talk to the masterminds behind this captivating...

This episode will take you to the wine region of Madrid, Spain as I've tasted an inspiring Albillo, the Cantocuerdas from the Bodegas Bernabeleva. You can learn about the Madrid wine region, about its typical varieties, and hear out my tasting notes about this fantastic wine. | Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | 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...

How can a city have a winery and top it all an outstanding one? Well this time, I sat down with Peter Mandl from the winery Stadt Krems from the Kremstal region in Lower Austria. Stadt means city in German, so this winery word for word bears the name of this artistic town on the shore of the River Danube, just on the edge of the Wachau region. In this episode, you can hear vintage recommendations from the area, learn about the steepest and most cherished cultivated vineyards in Krems and how...