Stories From the Cellar – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This episode is the second half of our interview with Elena Brooks, the winemaker for Dandelion, Sister’s Run, and Heirloom Vineyards. Part 1 tells the story of Elena’s upbringing in communist Bulgaria and how she moved to Australia and started her own wine label in her early twenties. This episode, Part 2, covers Elena’s ambition with Dandelion, the challenges and opportunities that exist today within the Australian wine scene, and the region Elena believes should have ‘Grand Cru’ status.

At the time she started Dandelion, the trend in Australia was big, bold red wines. Elena launched Dandelion to tell a new story, one of acid and tannin and aroma over fruit and alcohol alone. She was also trying to tell the story of place and regional diversity, which she believes is paramount if Australia wants to compete globally. 

While Australian wine today faces plenty of challenges, Elena’s perspective is one of gratitude to be making history, writing the playbook for Australian wines alongside an incredibly talented cohort of peers in the industry. Changing the narrative has always been Elena’s drive. When she started Dandelion 17 years ago, she had one lofty mission: to change peoples’ palates. 

 

01:19 Boutique Wines and Changing Palates

01:50 Wine as a Storytelling Medium

03:05 Food and Wine Culture

05:14 The Aspirational Journey of Wine

09:18 Exploring Unique Vineyards

14:37 Eden Valley's Signature Riesling

17:49 Challenges in the Australian Wine Industry

20:16 Opportunities in the Australian Wine Industry

21:03 Trust Your Palate  

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

In today’s episode, which is part one of two, Elena Brooks from Dandelion Vineyards shares how she went from making pantyhose-filtered wines as a teenager in Bulgaria to a true winemaking visionary in South Australia. Elena has multiple wine brands, including three that we import: Dandelion, Sister’s Run, and Heirloom Vineyards. All of these brands are based in McLaren Vale but feature varietal wines from all over South Australia. Elena makes some of our highest volume wines, but don’t confuse that for low quality. These wines often come from single, old-vine sites, and they are drinkable and acid-driven while staying true to the benchmark styles of their respective regions.

Elena has made quite a name for herself in Australia and the US, and her path to success success was entirely self-made. It involved immigrating from Bulgaria to Australia around the age of twenty and learning the customs and language of a new country. In this episode, you’ll hear how Elena’s first experience with wine was at a 45,000-ton Bulgarian winery that employed 500 people, including her mom. When communism fell in 1990, an influx of foreigners, namely Australians, came to work at this winery for big supermarket brands. At the age of 12, Elena was interpreting at the winery after school, and a few years later she’d move to Adelaide to study winemaking. Elena was drawn not only to the winemaking side but the marketing of wine, as marketing wasn’t exactly a thing in communist Bulgaria. She’s a true entrepreneuer in every sense of the word, diving not only into the product, wine, but the sales, marketing, and philosophy of the product. 

Part one sets us up for part two, which delves into Elena’s wines, the challenges and opportunities in Australia today, and which region Elena would classify as Grand Cru if Australia used the cru system. 

To begin, we have to go all the way back to Elena’s childhood in Communist-era Bulgaria, when she remembers tasting her very first wine, a sparkling herb infused white wine… 

 

00:29 Wine Culture in Bulgaria

01:32 Childhood Entrepreneurial Ventures

03:43 The Analytical Mind Behind Winemaking

06:27 Accidental Entry into the Wine World

15:36 Transition to Australia

18:44 Starting Dandelion Vineyards

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

This episode of Stories from the Cellar gets into Western Australia's wine region, with a special focus on Margaret River. With insights from Ronnie Sanders, founder and CEO of Vine Street Imports and an expert in Australian wines, the podcast uncovers the geographical isolation, diverse climates, and cultural uniqueness that make Western Australia's wine regions so special. Highlighting Margaret River for its Chardonnay and Cabernet productions, the episode explores the region's history, climate influences, and its blend of Bordeaux and California characteristics, alongside a culture that combines luxury with a casual surf atmosphere. The discussion also touches on other important wine hubs in Western Australia like Pemberton, Denmark, and Franklin River, emphasizing the variety of wines produced due to the area's vast size and varied climates.

00:29 Welcome to Stories from the Cellar: The Western Australia Wine Episode
01:23 The Geographical and Viticultural Diversity of Western Australia
03:25 Spotlight on Margaret River: A Premier Wine Region
04:34 Margaret River's Unique Climate and Culture
06:12 The Surf-Inspired Lifestyle of Margaret River
07:28 Wrapping Up: Insights and Invitations

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of Victorian wines, featuring Vine Street Imports founder and CEO, Ronnie Sanders. The episode highlights Victoria's distinct climate, geography, and the exceptional wine producers within the region. Ronnie shares his passion for presenting Victoria's cool climate wines, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, which challenge the common perceptions of Australian wines. The discussion traverses through various Victorian wine regions, showcasing their unique soil types, wine styles, and standout wineries. Key areas like the Macedon Ranges, Yarra Valley, Rutherglen, and the Pyrenees are spotlighted for their innovative and diverse wine offerings.      00:29 Exploring the Unique Wines of Victoria, Australia 02:24 The Diverse Wine Regions Surrounding Melbourne 04:33 Highlighting Exceptional Australian Winemakers 04:58 Personal Anecdotes and the Impact of Victoria's Wines  

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

This episode featuring Ronnie Sanders, the founder and CEO of Vine Street Imports, focuses on wines from South Australia. Ronnie shares his extensive knowledge on the subject, discussing the history, key regions like McLaren Vale and Barossa, notable grape varieties, the influence of climate and soils, and the pioneering of the natural wine movement in the Adelaide Hills. He also emphasizes the importance of old vine material, the diverse winemaking talent fostered by the University of Adelaide, and touches on personal relationships and stories intertwined with South Australia's wine industry. The podcast aims to provide educational insights into the complexities and distinctions of South Australian wines, celebrating its significance in the global wine landscape.

00:47 The Genesis of Vine Street Imports
01:07 Exploring Australian Wine: A Series Overview
01:33 Deep Dive into South Australia's Wine Scene
02:28 The Significance of McLaren Vale and Barossa
03:13 The Rich Diversity of South Australian Wines
08:09 Understanding the Impact of Soil on Wine
09:42 The Role of Education in South Australia's Wine Industry
10:42 Personal Connections and Closing Thoughts

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

This episode is the second half of our conversation with Johan Meyer (also known as Stompie) from Mother Rock and J.H. Meyer Signature Wines based in the Swartland, South Africa. Here, we dive into his wines and why the Cape needs to diversify beyond old vine Chenin Blanc. We also talk about the new wine of origin appellation called Picket-bo-berg that he’s created at his home estate on top of the Piketberg Mountain. Plus, we end with the story of why Stompie is called Stompie. We’ll pick up our conversation where we left off, talking about how Chenin Blanc allows him a little bit more creativity than Chardonnay, and why this desire to make something outside the box led him to become South Africa’s first producer to receive the special invite to the ‘Brutal!’ club of winemakers, a label that is very much a part of the global natural wine movement today. 

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

Today's episode is with Johan Meyer (also known as Stompie) from Mother Rock and J.H. Meyer Signature Wines based in the Swartland, South Africa. If you’re privy to the natural wine scene in the Cape, you’ll know these labels without a doubt. I often hear people say that there are three guys that really put natural wine on the map in South Africa and that is Johan Meyer, Jurgen Gouws of Intellego (there’s an episode with him a few back) and Craig Hawkins of Lammershoek and Testalonga.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Stompie got into natural wine, and how it wasn’t always what he did. At the beginning, he was working for a big commercial winery called Sutter Home – you might have heard of it – out in California. After another stint at a smaller winery in New Zealand, plus a transformative experience at Matassa in Southern France – a natural wine project started by Tom Lubbe, a New Zealander who grew up in South Africa South – Stompie returned home determined to do his own thing. He shares how the Swartland Revolution which took place around 2010 helped pave the way for newcomers like himself, and how at that time, there was a huge gap in the market for affordable natural wine made at scale. Enter: Mother Rock Wines. 

That is all part 1 of my conversation with Stompie. In Part 2, we talk more about the wines, including his 'Brutal!' series, which is a natural wine “club” of sorts, to which Stompie was the first South African producer ever invited. You’ll also hear about the new wine of origin appellation that he has established at his high elevation home on the Piketberg Mountain, about two and a half hours north of Cape Town. Plus, stick around for the end of part 2 where you’ll hear why Stompie is called Stompie.

To begin the story, we need to go all the way back to Stompie’s childhood in the Garden Route, where the dominant type of farming was not of grapes, but of cows...

 

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

  

This episode is a compilation of interviews with the Cowley brothers: Ben, the viticulturist, and Luc, the winemaker.

For some excellent context on Ben’s backstory, go back and listen to the episode just before this one. It tells the story of how he made the switch from the film industry to wine, and how, at the beginning when he moved from Auckland to his parents' new Auntsfield estate, he was living in a primitive woolshed on the property that still had the slats for manure to fall through while the sheep were being sheared. You’ll also hear about Ben’s thoughts on how Marlborough became synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, and his take on new wave New Zealand.

Today, we’re diving into the place and the wines. You'll hear about the history of Auntsfield as Marlborough's first commercial winery. You'll hear what makes the Southern Valleys particularly well suited to Pinot Noir, and why it makes less herbaceous styles of Sauvignon Blanc. And you'll hear about the new Appellation Marlborough map that is the first of its kind to highlight the subregional differences in Marlborough. 

This is an excellent episode if you're curious about the climate, soils, and history of Marlborough! 

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

Today's episode is with Ben Cowley, the viticulturist at Auntsfield Estate based in the southern valleys of Marlborough, New Zealand. Auntsfield is unique in Marlborough for two main reasons. First, they put a heavy focus on their Pinot Noir production in an industry that is almost entirely focused on Sauvignon Blanc. Unlike many Marlborough vineyards, Pinot Noir makes up half of Auntsfield’s vineyard area, as it’s particularly well suited to the old clay hillsides found there. Second, Auntsfield was the first commercial winery to be established in Marlborough in the late 1800s. A Scottish immigrant named David Herd planted his first vines in 1873 at a time when most agricultural work had to do with sheep, not wine.

As you’ll hear Ben explain, wine was made at Auntsfield until the 1930s when prohibition kicked in and the vineyard closed. Fast forward about 70 years, and Ben’s parents Graeme and Linda bought the property and restored the wine estate with the help of their sons, Ben, the viticulturist, and Luc, the winemaker. Before getting into wine, Graeme and Linda were movers and shakers in the New Zealand film industry, having been the first people to rent motion picture cameras, which kick started the independent filmmaker movement. Ben followed in their footsteps and was working in the film industry in Auckland before his second career in wine. As you’ll hear, an unsteady freelance paycheck and a newborn baby got Ben and his wife thinking about their futures, and then a house break in was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They packed up their car and headed to the south island on the fateful day of September 11th, 2001.

In this episode, you’ll hear all of those stories, plus we’ll get into New Zealand's wine scene – the challenges, the cool stuff happening, and the balance between old-school and next-gen. We talk about why the Cowleys are so passionate about Pinot Noir, and why Marlborough became synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc. For a deeper dive into the wines and the site, check out the episode just after this one with both Ben and Luc. But first, the story of Auntsfield as told by Ben, who could never have imagined such a dramatic switch from film to wine...

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website 

 

This is the second half of ourconversation with Louis Schofield from Worlds Apart Wines. Part 1 is integral for understanding who Louis is thanks to the mentors, especially Taras Ochota, who helped shape his winemaking identity today. You should really start there if you haven’t listened already. In this episode, we go into more depth with Louis’ Worlds Apart wines. We cover the extraordinary places that they come from, why Louis believes that “in South Australia, the path to Burgundian style winemaking is not paved with Pinot but with Grenach,” as well as his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities present within the Australian wine industry today. 

To jump back in, we’ll start with the meaning behind the name, Worlds Apart.

 

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music! 

Vine Street Imports Instagram  |  Website