Wine Ghosts – Details, episodes & analysis

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 info@wineghosts.com

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 info@wineghosts.com

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

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 |

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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 |

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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:

1:40 - Story of Envinate and its values

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 |

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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:
1:07 - Personal story, Asian market nowadays, Sweet Wine Market

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 | 

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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 contributors to the environmental pollution by a winery, why and which environmental certifications would be beneficial for further development, whether or not the 2030 Bordeaux plan can be achieved, how the appellation evolved in the last decades and how the typical Bordeaux might change in the future, and why you might be the reason that the estate isn’t 100% organic yet. Enjoy!

Timeline:

3:50 - Lagrange’s approach to a sustainable winemaking 

26:43 - How the Lagrange Portfolio Changed in the recent decades 

35:12 - What is happening to the Bordeaux Blend in the future?! 

40:31 - Collection Remarquable - a unique wine box 

45:25 - What about white wine? 

Guest: Matthieu Bordes | Château Lagrange 

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | 

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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 talked about the motivations behind starting the company, the product portfolio, future projects, life as young wine entrepreneur and other silly things. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Lea and don’t forget to order your workbooks on amblewine.com. 

1:30 - Origins, motivations and business model

7:00 - Product portfolio and their making

27:35 - Future Products

29:45 - Wine-Entrepreneur Life

Guest: Lea Gatinois | Amble Wine

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | More content: www.wineghosts.com

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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, his beautiful terroir, why almost no Swiss wines leave the country and his philosophy behind the (self-made) labels.

CONTENT:

0:55 - Swiss market and why you can’t find any Swiss wine in your country?

6:55 - How Burgundy influenced the modern Donatsch craze

16:40 - Mood of Graubünden

30:35 - Completer for the future!

44:00 - Martin’s idea of a great wine

53:15 - Introduction to Swiss wine country

Guest: Martin Donatsch | Donatsch Winery

Wine Ghosts Instagram: @wineghosts | More content: www.wineghosts.com

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