Sense of place: High-density wine-growing at Elanto Vineyard
The Burgundy-obsessed Australian wine-grower trying to emulate the nectar of that Pinot Eden is a well-worn trope. But it is one thing to mimic the cellar practices of your idols and quite another to dig down to the root of what makes for memorable, inimitable excellence. And another again to turn that concept into a reality.
Sandro Mosele is the mastermind and co-owner of Elanto, a 2019-planted southeast-facing site that is home to 10.6 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vines are trained 0.5m from the ground and planted at a density of 11,111 vines per hectare in rows spaced 1.2 metres x 0.75 metres. But this isn’t a numbers game; this is a far-reaching farming equation, as Sandro explains.
Know your étiquette! Kamptal, Austria
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This episode is a follow-up to our introduction to Grüner Veltliner. That snapshot came courtesy of the Wachau region; this time we go to the nearby Kamptal Valley and one of Austrian wine’s most revered ambassadors, Willi Bründlmayer. The wine is the family’s single-site bottling from the Lamm vineyard in Kammern.
Know your étiquette! Grüner Veltliner
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This episode focuses on the Grüner Veltliner grape, the signature variety of Austria. We travel to the Wachau Valley to try a single-vineyard wine and see why this variety’s global popularity is on the rise.
WSET Level 2: What’s in it for you?
For many, this is where you'll first dip your toe into formal wine studies. And yet it's more than a toe-dip.
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust's Level 2 in Wine - subtitled "Looking Behind the Label" - is quite the plunge, exposing you to a broad array of wines and concepts.
I'm an accredited WSET educator and strong believer in this course.
It's where I started, and I really enjoyed it.
But this video isn't a sales pitch. Instead, it aims to give a sober account of the territory you'd cover if you, too, decided to dive on in.
Know your étiquette! Wachau Federspiel Riesling
Austria has a very rich wine-growing heritage, and it has made incredible strides in spreading its story over the past few decades. Domäne Wachau is one of the estates that has helped get the message out. Here, I pick up a bottle of Domäne Wachau’s Riesling from the Bruck vineyard to help you decipher the not-so-hidden symbols on a $40-bottle of single-site wine from this special, and highly picturesque, region.
Len Evans Tutorial: Why apply for the greatest wine school on earth?
The Len Evans Tutorial is a wild 5-day ride of intense judging and insane wines. Dubbed "the most exclusive wine school on earth", it has a serious purpose: To propel the Australian wine scene onwards and upwards. Wine writer, educator and 2022 scholar Ed Merrison of Vininspo! explains why anyone with the slightest inclination should strive to take part.
Grapes into wine: Making Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the world's most-loved white grape. It is the most widely planted grape across the planet's wine regions, and is responsible for the world's most sought-after and expensive whites. Ed Merrison of Vininspo! visits a vineyard and winery during harvest to track the grapes from vine to wine to show how a top single-site wine might be made.
Grapes into wine: Making Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir has to be the most romanticised black grape on the planet. Ed Merrison of Vininspo! visits a famous Mornington Peninsula vineyard during harvest to bring you this step-by-step guide to how the grapes become a top-quality, single-site wine.
Grapes into wine: Making Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris is a monumentally popular white wine. Ever wondered how these pinky-purple grapes become an elegant, medium-bodied, cool-climate white wine? Here’s how it happens, from harvest to glass!
The joy of MV6
Clones are among the top turn-offs in wine talk. However, you will notice that they crop up (sorry) a bit with Pinot Noir - and MV6 is never far from vignerons’ lips when you’re on the Mornington Peninsula. So what is it, where did it come from and why should we care? Ed Merrison of Vininspo! attempts to answer that with the help of this grenade picked from the Scorpo family's north-facing, 1997-planted block in Merricks North that makes the Eocene single-parcel wine.
Know your étiquette! Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. Having discussed the VDP and its Grosses Gewächs classification in somewhat abstract terms, this episode looks at something concrete, or should we say slaty? It’s Dr Loosen’s 2021 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling GG.
Know your étiquette! Grosse Lage and VDP Grosses Gewächs
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This episode follows on from our overview on Germany’s VDP to look at the meaning of Grosses Gewächs. The ultimate single-vineyard dry wine from this group’s members, these are well worth seeking out!
Know your étiquette! Gemischter Satz
In this edition from the Know Your Étiquette series, wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of another prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This is a snapshot of Gemischter Satz, a traditional co-fermented field blend from Austria. A lovely wine from Ingrid Groiss is our illustrative example.
Know your étiquette! Rioja Reserva
With Jerez in Andalucía, Rioja is Spain’s oldest Denominación de Origen dating back to 1925. It shares with Calalunya’s Priorat the distinction of being the only Denominación de Origen Calificada. For many, it’s name is interchangeable with the term Spanish red wine.
There’s no doubt that its number one status has been challenged and that it’s had to respond to criticism of certain aspects of tradition.
Telmo Rodríguez is one of those special producers moving things forward - here and elsewhere in Spain - by being sensitive, skilful and intelligent in looking back.
Here, though, is a chance to peer behind the label to get a basic handle on the region via a very tasty 2014.
Know your étiquette! VDP: Easy as ABC!
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This episode focuses on Germany’s VDP organisation to understand its structure and what it means for wine style, quality and providence.
Know your étiquette! Premier Cru Chablis
We’re off to France today to visit something that would be hugely welcome, I’d imagine, on any table this (or any!) Christmas.
Chablis in northwest Burgundy is a region, a wine and a style unto itself, really. A version of cool-grown Chardonnay known its mineral purity, grown on famous limestone soils rich in marine fossils. Those fossils live on in the notions of brine, seaspray, rockpool and oyster shell the wines seem to conjure - and in our desire (or mine at least) to devour seafood while savouring the majesty of this great Chardonnay.
Know your étiquette! Nahe Riesling Spätlese
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. This episode focuses on Spätlese Riesling from the Nahe in Germany, specifically Dönnhoff’s wine from the Kirschheck vineyard in Norheim.
Know your étiquette! Mosel Spätlese
Wine writer and educator Ed Merrison of Vininspo! takes a look behind the label of a prominent European wine to help you decipher clues as to what to expect when you open a bottle. German labels can scare the heck out of people; what a pity if they put you off these delicious wines! This episode focuses on Dr Loosen’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese from the Mosel Valley.