Kevin Ecock's WinePod Kevin Ecock

Mead. Timeless, ancient and exceptional. This is a fabulous drink made with Honey, Water and Fruit. Simplicity is often the hallmark of brilliance and this is certainly true of the Kinsale Mead from the Atlantic shoreline of Co Cork in southern Ireland.
Mead is versatile and makes a wonderful gift. How about the Kinsale Red Mead - Smooth with Irish Blackcurrants and Cherries

or the Kinsale Atlantic Mead - Citrus and Crisp. Versatile!
The expertise at Kinsale Meadery is world class. In this podcast founder owner Kate Dempsey brings us on a journey from setting up the Meadery in 2016 , with her husband Denis, to the present day .... and here they are ...

The faint hum in the background is the Kinsale Meadery at work - wish it was the bees!
One final note. A Kinsale Mead Christmas Gift Pack makes a genuine and fabulous surprise. Brilliant in front of the log fire or with warmed leftover turkey sambos!

We all know where Moldova is? mmaybe not  ...   We all know that Moldova is historically a very important player in how the world trade in wine developed. Right? mmaybe not .... OK, how about the underground cellars that stretch for 200kms? They even hold an underground marathon through them!! Nope? So much to learn!

This year The National Office for the Vine and Wine (in Moldova) held a Fair in Dublin. I don't usually talk about events that don't have product in the market but make an exception here. Why? Because it is truly an interesting story and a genuine part of our wine heritage. Oh, Moldova is pretty much land locked and sandwiched between SW Ukraine and NW Romania down by the Black Sea -a challenged piece of geography.

At the Fair Parascovia Ignat, Head of wine Marketing for Moldova gave us a fabulous presentation and then sat down for a podcast chat. Did you know that winemaking in Moldova dates back to 5,000BC? or that the Milesti Mici winery has the world's most extensive wine cellars - 200kms! That Moldova has Local,  International and Caucus grape varieties across 122,000 hectares of vineyards - this is extraordinary for a country the size of Belgium.
Let's listen to Parascovia tell us the story of Moldovan quality or, as they like to say themselves, Moldova Uncorked : a Wine Adventure.

 

In this episode we visit and chat with David Dennison of Viking Irish Drinks in Co. Waterford.
It was a beautiful summer day in his vineyard. Everything promises well for another fine vintage of the grapes that Dennis grows for his Viking Irish Wines.

The vineyard is fascinating for the variety of grape types that David has in the ground. It is, in effect, a magnificent experiment that will inform present and future Irish viticulturists. Remember, folks, you must have quality grapes to make quality wine. Ireland may not grow a lot of grapes but what is grown is of a very high quality. In this podcast David tells us what he has planted and why.

We are brought here on a journey that has had its ups and downs. He is a genuine pioneer who has an unwavering passion to make wines in Ireland from grapes grown on his own land. It helps that he doesn't seem to mind the hard work involved! 

Viking Irish Drinks also has  wide range of Craft Ciders in the market along with an intriguing small batch annual production of a Blackcurrant Liqueur.

 

Kevin Glastonbury, affectionately known as KG, is Senior Red Winemaker at Yalumba in the Barossa Valley of South Australia.
The Barossa is one the world's premier red wine making regions and Yalumba one of its most respected wineries.

Back in 2019 we had the honour here on the podcast to chat with Yalumba owner (Barossa legend) Robert Hill-Smith. (Listen Back HERE) His family has owned and operated Yalumba for over 170 years!
The Hill-Smiths are proud members of Australia's First Families of Wine, have pioneered Viognier beyond what anyone thought possible and brings us The Caley one of finest expressions of red wine making anywhere. 

In this podcast recorded in Dalkey at the Grapevine and hosted by Irish agents Cassidy Wines KG brings us on a Barossa journey where Winemaking, Barrel Making, Sunshine, Skill and History combine to bring us special wines.
It's a great story. Enjoy.

Riedel has a special place in the world of wine. It is one of Respect for a family that has worked tirelessly to perfect how we can further our ability to taste many types of drink but especially that of wine.
Riedel stemware is known the world over as being completely brilliant. It is also a family that firmly believes in designing and producing glassware to perfectly suit individual grape and wine styles.

To emphasise this Maximilian Riedel spends a lot of his time touring the world with a quite fabulous roadshow. At these he presents, through interactive tastings, how to capture the very best from a wine by using the appropriate Riedel wine glass.

Recently Maximilian commanded the attention of an Irish audience of many hundreds (both wine professionals and consumers alike). His presentation was brilliant. His glassware memorable.

The result is that Riedel and Respect are intertwined by Quality and Brilliance.
 
Enjoy our podcast recorded while Maximilian was in Dublin.
The Riedel Wine Glass and Decanter Collections are distributed in Ireland through Mitchell and Son and by Hospitality Products.

Last year we were very fortunate to have had a zoom podcast chat with Dave Phinney and the remarkable wines he has created, most notably under the Orin Swift label. Dave is a very busy man!

So how cool was it to meet him in person in London and spend a further 30 minutes chatting. Very cool indeed!

Orin Swift is one of the great wines from the Napa Valley in  California. Fruit expression in Orin Swift has been elevated to an art form. Just as well then that the labels Dave Phinney designs are among the funkiest and most personal in the world of wine.
Orin Swift wines are collectable, age worthy and very, very drinkable.

Enjoy our latest chat with one of the really great wine maker personalities.
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Many thanks to the team at E&J Gallo who made this visit possible, to Dave Phinney for his generosity and wines and also to Ireland agents Pembroke Wines (to whom I continue to apologise for accidently blocking them in my WhatsApp!)