The Big Vin Theory

Ronald and I chat about what we think we put as answers in this year's practical exam (bear in mind we can only tell you what we remember), and then go through the exam discussing our answers and approach to each wine, as well as some tips we found helpful when preparing for it. After that, Ronald discusses his experiences of the Middle East and The Netherlands, comparing their stances on alcohol consumption. And more...Ronald is a wine writer and educator. After a diverse career (ranging from training hospitality staff to managing a professional theatre group) he came to wine around 20 years ago. He now spends his time as editor and columnist at the Dutch wine magazine Perswijn (@perswijn) and as lead tutor for the WSET Diploma programme at The Wine School NZ (@wineschoolnz), next to teaching for various other wine schools. He gets to travel to wine regions all around the world as part of the job and has a special love for Sherry and Port, as well as for all things sparkling and German Riesling. Oh, and he is currently on Stage 3 of the Master of Wine programme.

We chat to Larry Lockshin about his research on wine marketing. What are the most effective ways to market wines? Are regional bodies effective? What about competitions and awards? How should we promote sustainability? And more...

We speak with the legendary Greg Lambrecht, inventor of Coravin. We ask about Coravin market stats, then about his invention process, whether the wine trade needs more innovation, whether science can take away from the 'romance' of wine and much more!

We chat to Amanda Barnes about all things South America. The first 40 minutes or so are just the major regions and funnels that you should be aware of, so this is crucial for any practical students. The latter part we discuss the roles of wine writers, what kind of language is useful and more...

We talk to Alex Maltman, Emeritus Professor Aberystwyth University, about geology and wine.  We ask how the geology of the vineyard impacts the winemaking practices and final flavour of the wine?  Why does soil pH matter and what can we do about it?  Is 'minerality' a useful word for wine tasting?  And more... Find his book here:  https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Vineyards_Rocks_and_Soils/8vdJDwAAQBAJ?hl=en

We talk to Prof Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University.  We ask what the major flavour compounds produced by yeasts are and how they do them?  How are different compounds (like rotundone) discovered in wines?  What are the potential uses of GMO yeasts and how does gain-of-function research provide practical applications in the winery?  What does the future hold for yeast research?  And more....

We chat with Brad Greatrix, of Nyetimber fame, on all things sparkling winemaking.  What are the best grape varieties to use?  How do you manage pH in a marginal climate?  What factors influence the finished texture?  What does he think abut light-strike? And much more...

We talk to Laura Willoughby MBE - co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement.  We ask what the big trends in no/low are, what the wine trade should learn from and contribute to this, how restaurants can incorporate alc-alternatives to make money and whether or not we should be worried in the world of wine (answer = yes!). Laura Willoughby MBE is co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement. Their aim is to help people drink more mindfully and live well. The inspiration for Club Soda comes Laura’s experience of giving up drinking ten years ago. A campaigner at heart with a background in movement building and politics, she realised that one of the big sticking points was a way to support people to take a self-guided journey to change their drinking. Club Soda https://joinclubsoda.com/ has over 70,000 individual members and nearly 100 brand members who they support through research and collaborative projects. They have built a drinks guide and they run the UK’s only Mindful Drinking Festival which is now in its 8th edition. Laura and here team Opened the pop-up alcohol-free shop in London’s West End in 2022. She is co-author of How to Be a Mindful Drinker published by DK books. Laura is Imbibe’s No & Low ambassador and judge for the IWSC awards.

We chat with K Felix G Åhrberg, Oenologist & Winemaker at Kullabergs Vingård.  We ask what it takes to plant a vineyard in a marginal climate and how climate change is helping them as a region.  We talk about planting the newest generations of hybrids, suitable rootstocks.  Then chat about his preference for heterofermentative yeasts, fining, and 'fine-tuning' his wines. And much more... Felix says he "fosters a sustainable vineyard with healthy soils and biodiversity. Scandinavias coolest cellar exports to Japan, Norway, Italy and represents the next step in vine growing and winemaking."

We chat to Cathy van Zyl MW about all things South Africa.  What are the key markers to look out for when funnelling between regions?  How has COVID affected the SA wine industry?  How have the styles and winemaking practices changed over the past few decades?  This episode is absolutely jam-packed with facts and figures, so have a notepad handy!

We talk to Aileen Sevier, VP Strategy & Marketing, Early Mountain Vineyards.  We ask what they plant and what interesting things they do in Virginina as well as the biggest problems they face and what the future holds.  Aileen talks about her previous role at Terlato and metrics she uses to determine the strength of the brand, as well as giving some personal opinions on the three tier system.  And much more...

We talk to Dr Cain Todd and ask just one exam question - "can one wine ever be objectively better than another?"  Cain Todd is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Lancaster University (U.K.) and a visiting Humboldt Research Fellow at LMU, Munich. He primarily works on areas in aesthetics and philosophy of mind and perception. He became seriously interested in wine while on the Cambridge University Blind Tasting Team as a student and has since written a number of research and non-academic papers on the perception and appreciation of wine, on olfaction, on expertise and the objectivity of judgements of taste. HIs book is ’The Philosophy of Wine: a case of truth, beauty, and intoxication’ (Routledge 2010).

We talk to Mags Janjo of MJ Wine Cellars about his work as a diversity ambassador and mentor.  Mags recently won the Golden Vines scholarship, and talks to us about how the industry should approach diversity goals, what placed scholarships have as well as commons he sees made in the name of diversity.  We also talk about fragmentation in the industry, what setting up on his own during a pandemic and Brexit was like as well as new regions he finds exciting.

We talk with Tommy Nordam Jensen - CEO of Wiv.  In what has to be a crucial episode for those who want to look into the medium-term future and beyond, we ask what NFTs, blockchain and cryptocurrency actually mean?  How do they work for wine investment?  How does a shared fine wine investment fund of NFTs work for people?  How can NFTs help share wine information for countries like Georgia?  What is the future of wine in the 'metaverse'? And more....

We talk to Nova Cadamatre MW - the first female winemaker MW in the USA about all things winemaking.  What yeasts and processing aids are best?  How do you rescue a stuck fermentation?  How safe is too safe for SO2?  Why is diammonium phosphate like a bag of crisps?  And more....

We talk with Claudio Martell, CEO of Bevica.  Bevica is an ERP Software platform created specifically for the wine and drinks industry.  We ask what ERP means, how much does it cost.  What are the differences for the drinks trade?  How can it be used to show brand strength?  What does AI hold for the future? And more...

We talk to Millie Milliken about drinks communication.  How do the different drinks categories differ?  What does successful communication look like?  What will be the next big thing in drinks?  Is print dead?  And more... To read more of Millie's work click on this link:  https://www.clippings.me/users/milliemilliken As always, if you're getting any value out of TBVT, please support us here:  https://ko-fi.com/thebigvintheory

For the final episode of Season 1, we thought we'd like to go out with a Big Bang (or should that be 'vin'?), so we talk to the legend that is Robert Joseph!  Has writing about wine helped him make and sell it?  What does he wish he had done differently?  What are the major metrics by which to judge a brand's success?  How have tariffs affected imports to other countries?  What are we not talking about in the wine industry that we should be?  And more...

 We talk to Rod Smith MW of Riviera Wine Academy.  We ask what the wine market is like in the South of France?  How does the yachting industry work?  Do we need more educators?  Are clear glass bottles not a really bad idea? Is the wine trade transparent enough about salaries?  Is DTC growing? And more... NB - apologies for the sound quality at times - there was some interference on the Zoom call I couldn't edit out.

We talk with Katherine Jones of ThinK Wine Group about what it takes to launch a new, lifestyle, low calorie wine brand.  What did the design process look like?  How was the gap in the market identified?  How has it been marketed?  Katherine also runs We Are SN, an influencer marketing agency, so we ask what platforms work best?  How can influencers work best?  And more...