Bonus Christmas Episode: What's up in the Southern Hemisphere
In this bonus episode, Mark and Jessica catch up with four winemakers in various countries in the Southern Hemisphere to see how everybody celebrates Christmas in warm weather. So many interesting traditions are revealed in this fun episode: barbecues and brai's, bubbles, and Santa gets a can of beer in NZ! Merry Christmas and happy holidays from us at Another Bottle Down!
Notes:
30 degrees Celcius = 86 Farenheit
Big thanks to our guests:
Niels Verburg of Luddite Wines in Bot River, South Africa
Sebastian De Martino of De Martino in Isla de Maipo and Itata, Chile
Laura Catena of Catena Zapata and Luca in Mendoza, Argentina
Rosie Finn of Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson, New Zealand
*****Another Bottle Down is proud to be the exclusive Media Sponsor for Big Reds and Bubbles
Get $20 off by using code: ABDP23, Purchase tickets here.
Info on The Wine and Food Foundation here.
Marc Hochar of Chateau Musar: Past, Present, and Future
On today's show, Mark and Jessica catch up with Marc Hochar, 3rd generation of Chateau Musar. Marc touches on the history of winemaking in Lebanon and digs into how his family winery has become an icon in the wine world and a model for non-intervention winemaking . Lebanon boasts fantastic growing conditions, perfect winemaking soils, and high elevation viticulture in the Bekka Valley, which all add to the character of Musar. Plus, Marc elaborates on how the family keeps the wine 'alive' through the winemaking process. He also catches us up on where the winery is headed in the years to come with 4th generation and a few updates on the vineyards and winery.
Book on Chateau Musar: The Story of a Wine Icon
Another Bottle Down is proud to be the exclusive Media Sponsor for Big Reds and Bubbles
Get $20 off by using code: ABDP23, Purchase tickets here.
Info on The Wine and Food Foundation here.
Beaujolais: soils, trends, and drinkability
On today's show, Mark and Jessica take a deep dive into all things Beaujolais. Instead of spending too much time on Nouveau, they focus on the various Cru (the 10 villages in the north of the appellation) and all the other points that make Beaujolais serious yet approachable and fun wine.
Additional commentary from Erik Siegelbaum and Stephane Lardet (audio compliments of Sopexa)
Erik Siegelbaum is founder of the consulting firm Somlyay.
Stephane Lardet is partner of Maison Le Nid.
Discover the 12 sub-appellations of Beaujolais
More on the 10 year study of the soils of Beaujolais
Public Service announcement by Justin Vann: Barbera Baby!
Thanksgiving with Friends of ABD
Thanksgiving can be one of the most intimidating holidays when it comes to selecting and pairing wines. Join Mark and Jessica for a discussion of their favorite picks for the holidays along with 6 other notable Sommeliers from around the US. Tune in to learn all the secrets and bring this year's Thanksgiving to the next level!
Commentary by:
Dan Pilkey- Scoperta! Wine
June Rodil- Goodnight Hospitality and June's Rose
Ray Scholes- Royal Vines
Paul Ozbirn- Neighborhood Vintner
Vilma Mazaite- Donnachadh Winery
And, of course, Public Service Announcement by Justin Vann, Nancy's Hustle
For Menu inspirations: United Tastes of Texas, by Jessica Dupuy
Judging the Vintner’s Cup: The Best of Texas Wine
In this episode, Mark and Jessica discuss the results for the Texas Vintner's Cup, an evaluation of more than 200 Texas wines organized for the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas Monthly magazine.
The goal: Narrow down a case of 12 Top Texas Wines for 2022.
Joining Jessica for the evaluation were Master Sommeliers Craig Collins of Vintus wine imports and Jack Mason of RNDC. They'll discuss their impressions of the evaluation and some of their thoughts on Texas Wine in general.
Below are the winners of the 2022 Texas Vintner's Cup:
2019 Adelphos Cellars Chenin Blanc
2019 C.L. Butaud Blanc de Noir
2021 Lost Draw Cellars Picpoul Blanc
Rising Sun Vineyard Morning Dew White (Non Vintage)
2021 Hilmy Cellars Rosé
2019 Château Wright Liévre Red Blend
2019 Longhorn Cellars Petit Verdot
2019 Pebble Rock Cellars Sagrantino
2019 Llano Estacado Winery Sangiovese
2019 McPherson Cellars Petite Sirah
2019 Pedernales Cellars Texas Tempranillo Reserve
2019 Pedernales Cellars Touriga Nacional
Honorable Mention:
Hilmy Cellars, 2020 Tempranillo Reserve, Kubacek Vineyards
McPherson Cellars, 2019 Syrah, Lahey Vineyards
Newsom Vineyards, 2019 Malbec
Pedernales Cellars, 2018 Valhalla
Peters Prairie Vineyards, 2019 Barbera
Ron Yates Winery, 2019 Tempranillo, Friesen Vineyards
Spicewood Vineyards, 2019 Tempranillo
William Chris Vineyards 2018 Mourvèdre, La Pradera Vineyards William Chris Vineyards 2018 Syrah, High Cross Vineyard
Wine For the People, 2020 La Valentia Dolcetto
Rosé Arché Winery, 2021 Rosé
Becker Vineyards, 2021 Provençal Rosé
Adega Vinho, 2020 Chardonnay, Texas Hills Vineyard
English Newsom Cellars, 2021 Moscato
Duchman Family Winery, 2020 Roussanne, Oswald Vineyard
Llano Estacado Winery, 2020 Chardonnay, Dell Valley Vineyards
Llano Estacado Winery, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Signature Series
Pebble Rock Cellars, 2020 Roussanne
The World of Wine Education
On today's show, Jessica and Mark break down all facets of wine education, from the three major certification organizations to self-study and everything in between.
*Note: since the recording of this episode, Jessica has passed WSET Level 4 and now holds the WSET Diploma, yay!!!
The top 3 organizations for wine certifications:
The Court of Master Sommeliers
The Wine and Spirits Education Trust
Links and suggestions for learning more: