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Dan Eggleton, is a producer and advocate for small wine makers, and has been a leading voice in generating important conversations and asking hard questions at a grass roots level in Australian wine. He is as true blue as you find, and acutely feels the plight of small producers of premium wines across Australia. Dan felt that he had to become vocal after witnessing the difficulties of particularly the last two vintages, given the urgency of what is at stake. He is humble and genuine, but not backwards in coming forwards. Dan and I had a fascinating conversation in which we discussed the current representation of small producers, the protection of wine making integrity and what is at stake if no change is made. Many of these topics are uncomfortable and difficult to approach, and Dan is worthy of admiration for raising them. These are all topics that need to be further unpacked and talking with Dan has caused me to take a deeper look into many of the issues discussed and my views have accordingly developed even since. However, I hope that Dan and my conversation is food for thought and the greater industry can collaborate to provide meaningful solutions to many of the questions that need to be tackled. A huge thanks to Dan for joining me.
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Nestled in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley is Brave and Maiden Estate, named after a Romeo and Juliet type legend that was passed down by the Americans native to the area. Victor Robaglia is the head wine maker at Brave and Maiden and overseas a program of Bordeaux varietals which he crafts in partnership with the unique Santa Ynez terroir. Despite having French parents, Victor has an extremely international narrative, being born in Canberra and having done vintages in South Africa and the USA. Victor was attracted to Santa Barbara given the unique terroir and the exciting possibilities it presented. Victor invited me out to the winery where he educated me on Santa Ynez and all thing Brave and Maiden. A huge thanks to Victor for joining me.
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Nearly two years ago, I met Priscilla Hennekam, a Brazilian woman with an infectious laugh and an arguably unrivalled passion for wine and the wine industry. Since our first conversation, Priscilla has been working hard to narrow her focus and channel her passion—her new mission being to revolutionize the world of wine communication, to demystify wine, to make it approachable, and to build traction with generations of younger consumers who seem to be questioning whether wine is for them. Priscilla’s vision is most visible through her blog, *Rethinking the Wine Industry*, a forum dedicated to rethinking and challenging the current means of communicating the wine industry’s messaging to consumers. Priscilla has also solidified her position in the consultancy space, where she delivers advice across the globe on wine communication. Priscilla and I recently caught up for a long-overdue chat to hear about the development of her work and her vision for the future. A massive thanks to Priscilla for joining me.
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Cokie Ponikvar loves wine. Her passion is contagious, and she wants to share her passion for wine with the world. She is studying for MW exam while chasing her dream of becoming an MS, and she shares her studies with the world through her online education platform Cokie’s World of Wine. Cokie released early that wine lends itself to a pretentious air that has resulted in the alienation of entire generations of future potential wine lovers. So, she has made it her mission to break down the barriers, thereby creating an attractive and welcoming portal through which all can see the world of wine in its full beauty. She is young, observant, dedicated and passionate - the perfect ambassador to share the word, and the traction she has garnered means her work is being noticed. Cokie sat down with me to share her story, her work and a little bit about herself in this thoroughly enjoyable conversation. A huge thanks to Cokie for joining me.
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David LeMire MW is joint CEO and head of sales and marketing at Shaw and Smith. His experience ranges from being the import manager for Negotiants Australia to taking on the revered Master of Wine accreditation. David also writes for Anthony Madigan’s Wine Business Monthly publication, where David shares his perspectives with panache. David joined me on the show from the Adelaide Hills to share his story, the story of Shaw and Smith and associated wineries including Tolpuddle, and some perspectives on the bureaucratic structures tasked with supporting and advocating for the Australian wine industry. A huge thanks to David for joining me.
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Some weeks ago, I caught up with one of my absolute favourites, Alex Head of the Head Wines label. In typical cool, calm, and collected fashion Alex shared his perspectives on the economic roller coaster Australia is riding and its impacts on the industry, the need for an active optimism and the importance of embracing personal responsibility when it comes to facing challenges. Alex and I also discussed the most recent developments with Head Wines. Alex’s measured and acute observations are valuable and an enjoyment to listen to and consider. A huge thanks to Alex for joining me.
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I recently managed to grab Ashley Ratcliff, the owner of Ricca Terra Wines, for a quick update on his recent activities. Ashley is a passionate crusader for the Australian wine cause and also for what is possibly one of the most misunderstood regions in the Australian wine landscape, South Australia’s Riverland. Ashley’s time and travels in and across the industry have given him acute perspectives and an eye for opportunity, and after a recent trip to the USA, Ashley believes more than ever that there is an abundance of opportunity if the industry embraces thinking outside the box. It was a quick chat, but it doesn’t take long to gauge Ashley’s passion and his vision. A big thanks to Ashley for joining me.
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Darren Rathbone is the CEO and head Wine Maker in charge of the Rathbone Group, a family run enterprise responsible for Victoria’s Mount Langi Ghiran and Yering Station and Xanadu in Margaret River, WA. The Rathbone Group entered the Chinese market in around 2007, saw its rise and saw its collapse with the imposition of the Chinese tariffs. Now that the tariffs have been lifted the Rathbone Group is cautiously re-entering the Chinese market. Darren sat down with me to give a snapshot overview of the Rathbone Group’s activities, a history of the Chinese market and his perspectives on the future. A massive thanks to Darren for joining me.
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Giles Cooke MW is one of the industry leaders behind the sensational wave of new age Grenache sweeping across the McLaren vale and Barossa. He also brings bucketloads of perspective given his wealth of industry background developed in the European market - not to mention the big initials MW next to his name. Giles is all about excitement and innovation and doing what it takes to establish his wines in the premium market domestically and abroad. Giles and I talk about Giles’s story, what’s going on with Grenache and what is going on with Australia’s approach to the international market. A huge thanks to Giles for joining me.
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This is my first episode recorded since arriving in Santa Barbara, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start than by getting the Santa Barbara story, plus the story of a winery that forms part of Californian history. Who better to share the story than one of the legends of the Santa Barbara wine scene, Wes Hagen. A huge thanks to Wes for joining me.
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There is nothing as important as going back to basics, so I called on wine rockstar Doug Neal for some education – on the topic of oak and its role in the wine world. As always, its difficult to be comprehensive, especially when you’re on the clock, but the passionate teacher in Doug came out and I found his class very insightful. A huge thanks to Doug for joining me.
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It’s important to tie off loose ends, so I sat down with Jeremy Oliver a second time to cap off the themes in his recently release paper to the wine industry. We discussed China’s decision to lift the tariffs on Australian wine imports, the difficulties posed where a duopoly controls a consumer market and we discussed some of the feedback from our first chat. As always - fun and insightful. A massive thanks to Jeremy for joining me.
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For more than three decades, Huon Hooke has dedicated his pen to the world of wine. Beginning his career as a journalist in the traditional print media, Huon has witnessed the evolution of wine reviewing and criticism from the era of the print media to the digital age and now the uncharted territory of social media. Huon generously shared his insights on the Real Review's work, the current landscape of wine criticism, and the myriad challenges and exciting opportunities that lie ahead for the Australian wine industry. A heartfelt thank you to Huon for joining me.
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Andrew Burchell's vision is to put Mount Gambier on the national and global radar as a premium producing wine region. He has the passion, the love of wine and viticulture, and Mt Gambier provides the perfect conditions, including – wait for it – a volcano – yes Andrew crafts wines in the foothills of Australia’s only inactive volcano which is predicted to erupt in the next 1000 years. But far from loving the limelight, Andrew is a passionate crusader for the Mt Gambier region as a whole and of all those who have dedicated their lives to making wine there. Though he may not like to admit it, he is the perfect ambassador – passionate, enthusiastic, bubbling with personality, bold and all along adopting an approach to wine which is a little outside the conventional box, a bit like my audio in this episode. A massive thanks to Andrew for joining me.
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Brandon Farrell travels the world tasting the world’s finest wines so that he can present them at events and as part of specially curated lists at dinners put on through his company the Brilliant Wine Co. Brandon’s travels recently brought him to Australia’s sunny shores. His intentions had originally been to get some sun and enjoy the surf, but when his network put him in touch with some of Australia’s finest producers, Brandon abandoned leisure and decided the do a blitz of the Australian wine trail, from the Hunter south to Tassie and across to WA. To summarise Brandon liked what he saw. I spoke with Brandon shortly after he returned to the US and he joined me to share his story, and insights of the current state of play in wine world. A huge thanks to Brandon for joining me.
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The stars are aligning for Stephen Cook of Eisenstone Wines. Stephen modelled his project at Eisenstone on the production of small batch Barossa Shiraz, where success would follow Stephen’s attention to detail and captivating his audience with the resulting quality wines. Since I last spoke with Stephen, his range has grown to 12 subregional Barossa Shiraz expressions, all which tell a different story of the region and the producer. His wines continue to receive accolades and international recognition and Stephen’s success may be a blueprint for small producers to follow. As always, a huge thanks to Stephen for joining me on the show.
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Brenden Robnik is a hard-working tradie by day, but when the sun goes down and he downs tools he morphs into the Wine Animal – who’s passion for wine and desire to share knows no limits. It doesn’t take long talking to the Wine Animal for his passion to shine through – but what is just as, if not more captivating, than the Wine Animal’s passion – is the story behind it. The Wine Animal’s story, aka the story of Brenden “Brenno” Robnik, is a story of difficulty that almost ended in tragedy, but Brenden’s love of wine shone through and forged a path that created the Wine Animal and set Brenden on an adventure that brings meaning and continual passion to him and all those he meets. Brenden “Brenno” Robnik joined me recently to share his story – and the story of the Wine Animal – A massive thanks to Brenden for joining me.
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Melania Battiston was already an advanced Sommelier at the Court of Master Sommeliers by age 24. In 2021 Melania was rated in the top 100 most influential women in hospitality. In 2023 Melania was award young UK Sommelier of the year. In 2024 Melania was on the Decanter panel as a judge for the Decanter World Wine Awards. During COVID, Melania worked at Modena’s 3 Michelin Star restaurant Osteria Francescana – but after a tough first attempt at the Master Sommelier exam Melania checked herself- because her relationship with wine began to strain – so Melania set out on a mission to rekindle her love of wine – and this journey has taken her across the globe, from the UK, to Greece and onto Thailand – Her motto is dream it – make it and she was good enough to sit down with for a few minutes to share her story and her infectious passion. A huge passion to Melania for joining me.
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Wine personalities don’t come much bigger than Jeremy Oliver. Widely considered to be not only Australia’s top wine authority, but also one of the top critic’s on the global stage, Jeremy Oliver’s wine story dates back to when he was a mentee of Dan Murphy at the first Dan Murphy’s store in Chapel Street Prahran. Now, with over 36 years as an independent wine critic, he has published over 30 books and has published in and been featured in numerous publications across the globe. Jeremy is extremely passionate about Australian wine but is also fearless in callings things as he sees it when the occasion demands. Jeremy recently released a paper in which he sought to summarise what he considers to be the current issues plaguing the Australian industry, from the oversupply of wine to the variance in quality, all facilitated by a systematic lack of considered oversite dating back many years. Jeremy Oliver joined me for two hours in which we sought to unpack the background to his paper. There were several topics in his paper that we did not discuss, but there is so much food for thought in what Jeremy shared. A huge thanks to Jeremy for joining me.
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This year I fell in love with the wines of Barolo. I have long been fascinated by Italian wine, all its history and the specific characters that the diverse Italian terroir confers. Barolo is unique. Now Federica Boffa, 5th generation Pio Cesare, agrees that Barolo is indeed special and the slopes, soil and altitude confer a rare magic that those lucky enough to taste Barolo wines get to experience. The timing of this conversation was just perfect as for me - Barolo is Christmas in a bottle – beautiful, ethereal and bloody complex. Federica Boffa of the Pio Cesare wine family took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down with me to record the last episode before Christmas, in which she shares the Pio Cesare story, the story of a family with a history stretching back to 1881 and a continuous link to the town of Alba. I couldn’t think of a better way of bringing 2023 to a close for the Cellar Door Podcast. A massive thanks to Federica for joining me.
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