In The Vineyard With Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

An episode that was a long time in the making. Cathy is my wine mentor and a great friend.

I am a big fan of the modern wines coming out of South Africa. So after a very long time away from the podcast, I was delighted when Cathy said yes to this interview.

Cathy has been a Master of Wine for 20 years, the first from the African continent to become an MW.

After a few years on the IMW committee, mainly heading the educational committee, Cathy served as the Chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine for two years, finishing her role just over a year ago, in Autumn 2024.

She regularly lectures and judges wines internationally.

For the last 20 years, Cathy has been involved with producing the fantastic Platter's Guide to the Wines of South Africa. First, as a taster and about 12 years ago, as an Associate Editor, alongside the Editor, her Husband, Philip Van Zyl.

More recently, Cathy has taken the role of Director of The Old Vine Project.

She has started a company called Master-Classes, with her friend and business partner, Natasha Hughes MW, where they run seminars preparing candidates and students who are already on the programme to the demands of the Master of Wine studies. Their site can be reached at www.master-classes.org

In our conversation, we chatted about her role as Associate Editor of the Platter's Wine Guide,

Her involvement with the Old Vine Project, her latest venture of Master Classes, and things she recommends to look out for from South Africa's vineyards in 2026!

As it is a week before Christmas, I was curious as to what would grace Cathy and Philip's table.

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Moshe

I waited a long time for the opportunity to record this conversation. Iro is a good friend, but she's a very busy lady! Working in the Summer season as a Sommelier in a seafood restaurant in Chania, and the rest of the year as an Ambassador for the Wines Of Crete Association can be two very demanding roles!

In this conversation we talked about the history of Cretan wines, what grapes are the key grapes and what wines they can make, the key figures (well, apologies for many that were left out. We love you all!), the geography of this big island and more.

So let's go! Join us to the coast, hills, mountains, stunning vineyard, wines and people of Crete!

In the episode I was in the vineyard with Alex Starey, winemaker at Keermont Vineyards, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Keermont is located in a long narrow valley that is tucked between the Helderberg and the Stellenbosch Mountains. Right at the tope of his vineyards, near an open pool feeding from the local spring, we sat on a sunny mid-winter day to chat about this relatively new estate.

Keermont was bought by current owners Mark and Monica Wraith in 2003. they originally planned to plant vineyards and sell the grapes but a chance introduction to Alex changed that.

A single barrel was made in 2007 and since the results were so good the green light was given to make more wine under the Keermont label.

Since 2007 the estate under Alex's leadership is going from strength to strength with emphasis on Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot with some petit Verdot and malbec too. The range includes an excellent Chenin Blanc as well a white blend that includes seven varieties.

Enjoy hearing the personal story of a wine maker returning home from making wines abroad to make wines in his childhood valley and the story of an estate that is less than 20 years old.

In this episode I chatted to Nic Van Aarde, winemaker at Oldenburg Vineyards in Banghoek, Stellenbosch, South Africa. You can hear all about the mystical Rondekop Hill, the centrepiece vineyards at the heart of this beautiful estate.

We discussed the Grenache, each vine supported by a rock, against the ferocious wind, the Cabernet Sauvignon, with putting green grass between the rows of vines, the Stone Axe Shiraz and why the valley was called 'Scary Corner' by the Dutch settlers. Join us for a visit to one of the most beautiful High valleys in the Cape, Banghoek. Make sure you hold on to something solid once the wind come rushing over the mountains!

In this episode I was chatting to Christiana Von Arnim CEO of Warwick Estate in Stellenbosch and JD Pretorius, her winemaker.

On a sunny, midwinter afternoon, we sat in the winery's garden to talk and taste their superb range of wines.

It was a pleasure discovering their vision and plans for the future of the Warwick estate as well as how they preserve and maintain what was started by the iconic winemaker Norma Ratcliffe.

In episode 52 we conclude a short visit to northern California, where I already spoke to Cathy Corison, Dave Gates from Ridge Vineyards and Rebekah Wineburg from Quintessa Estate.

Bertus van Zyl, winemaker at Tank garage ( a cool converted Gas station), as well as James Cole Winery and his own project Belong Wine Co, which he started 5 years ago with his wife Alli.

From Stellenbosch to California, through the eyes of Bertus.

Can a bottle of wine change your life? If you are in a receptive mode, the stars are aligned for you and the right questions asked, Yes says Rebekah Wineburg, winemaker at Quintessa. In our latest episode she recalls such an encounter with a bottle of Ornellaia 1998 while having lunch in San Francisco, with her father.

This bottle started her very own 'Butterfly Effect' that led her eventually to be at the helm of one of California's premium estate, Quintessa.

50 Episodes! In this milestone episode, I was chatting with Dave Gates, Head of Vineyard Operations and VP at Ridge Vineyards in Northern California.

We discussed his interesting route into wine from his home farm in Central Minnesota, through agriculture in Southern California, to eventually Viticulture in UC Davis.

Dave is now in his 34th year in Ridge and his encyclopaedic knowledge of vineyards, soils, climates, fruits and the wines they are able to produce is simply awe inspiring.

I asked him about his favourite site (''like choosing children'') and what excites him about Zinfandel in particular, as it is the grape most associated with Ridge (65% of production).

Of course, we mentioned the legendary Paul Draper, founder of Ridge, now in his mid-80's, who is still involved in some key events in the winery's calendar.

we also talked about the challenges of water shortages, the old, engrafted zinfandel vines, his experience as a wine blender and as tradition of the podcast dictates, his Desert Island wines of choice. Enjoy!

In this episode, I chatted with a real Californian pioneer, Cathy Corison, of Cathy Corison Winery in Napa Valley.

Cathy is a champion of Cabernet Sauvignon, who always managed to marry the qualities of power alongside elegance and finesse beautifully. Not an easy fit.

You can hear about her early years as a young winemaker. She spoke of taking on complex and big operations, for which in hindsight, she is happy to admit, they (her and other 20-something-year-old winemakers of the time) should probably not have been responsible.

In our conversation, Cathy was telling the story of what it was like, standing by your fruit and not bowing to the 'Parker trend' of big, overripe and extracted Cabernets of old, in the process forgoing any salary for a decade!

She also described her 'Bench' Terroir, what it is like and how it translates in her wines.

We discussed the challenges of fires and water shortages and the obligatory question of what wine she'd be happy to take with her to a desert island (Cabernet-Sauvignon?... you might be surprised!).

This episode is the first of 4 episodes exploring the people and wineries of Northern California.

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Moshé

''If you include white grapes in a Rosé you can do longer maceration, you can get more texture, more concentration, more roundness, keeps the colour pale. Provence Rose is different, often because of that.''

And that concisely is the whole secret according to Rosé Specialist Liz Gabay MW.

In this conversation we discussed all things Rosé and her brand-new book about the Rosés of South of France. We covered grape varieties, various terroirs, countries, and regions hot on her list of exciting rosé discoveries in 2022 and her own Rosé wine, which she is producing in Slovakia using traditional methods and local grape varieties.