Kevin Ecock's WinePod

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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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!)

I met Olly Nolan at the Gifted Fair in the RDS last Christmas. He was showing a range of honeys. I was captivated. Each honey had a captivating scent. Intoxicating even. Olly's Farm Dublin Honey had taken me prisoner! Wine, Tea, Honey, Whiskey, Stout, and on and on can only stand out as being exceptional if they attack our senses in a visceral way. This should be immediate, lasting and memorable. I just had to find out more about Olly's Farm. I paid Olly a visit recently and we recorded in his Honey House up on the edge of the Dublin hills. What a view! My knowledge of bee keeping and honey production is, to be honest, rudimentary to the point of being non existent. Thanks must be given to Olly for guiding me through the process and a lot more besides. Choosing to live the life of a small holding farmer on the edge of Dublin city is not for the faint hearted. That said Olly Nolan has made a fabulous success with limited resources. Olly's Farm Honey is among the very best tasting products on sale today. Enjoy. The Honey House

In this podcast we talk with Zoltán Heimann whose family, HEIMANN & FIAI, has a long and distinguished history of quality winemaking in the southern Hungarian wine region of Szekszárd - on the border between the Large Hungarian Plain and the beginnings of the Transdanubian Hills. Zoltán likes to refer to himself as the 'Kadarka Man'. After this tasting and podcast I'll always be in his debt as knowing my Kekfrankos from my Kadarkas! Each grape is brilliant. Each is unique and completely different to one another. This podcast was recorded at The Lodge at Ashford Castle where Zoltán gave a masterclass food and wine matching meal the night previous. At the tasting we progressed from Village (Szekszárd) to Single Vineyards (Bati Kereszt and Baranya-volgy) to Szivem (a parcel selection wine from Baranya-volgy). These are wines to explore and to support. Really excellent. The Lodge at Ashford Castle : A Red Carnation Hotel

It's a sobering thought to many winemakers that they work at companies and enterprises that, in many cases, are younger than they are themselves! For those lucky enough to work in wineries where age and tradition has seen decades upon decades of continual success they might only contribute to a very limited number of vintages. It is very unusual that a family can trace its lineage back over 250 harvests. That's a very big number. 1772 - Captain Cook sets sail to find the Anti Arctic: Rutherford discovers Nitrogen gas: The American Revolution begins: The Boscaini family gather in grapes for the first time in the Vaio dei Masi, a little valley in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico region, northern Italy. Yes, Masi Agricola by the Boscaini family celebrated its 250th harvest last year. There were events across the world as MASI is one of the greatest names in the world of wine. We were treated to a celebratory dinner at Glovers Alley by Andy McFadden. Giacomo Boscaini opened and poured for us a special label Vajo dei Masi 1997 double magnum produced to honour the 2022 celebrations. In this podcast, recorded in Dublin at last years' celebration, Giacomo Boscaini brings us on the journey that his family continues to travel. It's been a long and extraordinary time and a story with many more vintages to come. ENJOY. Looking forward to visiting our signed bottle in Valpolicella one day! The MASI portfolio of labels is represented and distributed in Ireland by the Findlater & Co.

Recently I met with David Llewelyn at his farm in Lusk, north County Dublin. It's a small holding where he grows a fantastic collection of fruits that include, pear, apple, cherry and grape. It's also a business where David makes truly interesting products. Try his Perry (sparkling pear wine). It's really very good! David has a wine label called LUSCA. It's a collection of red wines and a new sparkling wine. They are genuine finds. In this podcast David tells us his story. Why does he not grow any white grapes? Where did his love of the RONDO grape come from? This a unique story where hard work meets vine growing and wine making talent. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot! Really? On the day David was very generous. It was a tasting for the ages! The Lusca Sparkling Wine is the real deal. Remember, David only grows red grapes so this is a Rose. It's so good that I can see a lot of the vineyards' grapes heading towards it in the future. The Lusca Rondo is a very versatile grape. The wine ages really well and one sample of a Rondo made with semi dried grapes really impressed these taste buds. Mind you that's testament to David's wine making skills. Quantities of the various LUSCA wines are small. Hence you won't find any inexpensive bottles! Google Lusca, though, and you'll find a collection of the finest wine stores in Ireland. They all want a slice of the action because ' the action' is so very good. Read an excellent Producer profile here on the Terroirs wine store web site. Enjoy.

Bruce Tyrrell was in Dublin recently. His fame and expertise in the world of wine is well known. His wines are among the most awarded. His Semillon considered as among the best ever produced. He was in Dublin behind the Tyrrell Wine's stand at the Cassidy Wines Portfolio tasting serving the wines himself. There are many who would have passed this along to an agency, a distributor or to whoever else. This is Bruce Tyrrell. He tells a fabulous story and continues to work hard at what matters - his customers. Tyrrell's Wines is family owned since 1858 and its website tells us that, 'Having lived and breathed wine growing and winemaking in the Hunter Valley for more than 160 years, we’ve amassed an unrivalled knowledge of what makes the Hunter one of Australia’s, and indeed the world’s, greatest winegrowing regions'. In this podcast Bruce Tyrrell brings us on the fabulous journey this family has taken, the brilliant wine they produce from the most extraordinary vineyards and how keeping an eye on the future is totally dependent on respecting the past. Enjoy Tyrrell's Wines is a founding memebr of of Australia’s First Families of Wine, an organisation that helps to build awareness of premium Australian wines and their heritage.

April the 17th 1853. Who'd have thought back then that it would be a date celebrated the world over as World Malbec Day. After all, back in 1853 it was just an idea presented to the national legislature of Argentina that it might be a good plan to establish a 'Quinta Normal and Agricultural School'. Up to then the wine industry in Argentina didn't have any great focus. As it happens it wasn't until September 1853 that the idea was given the green light and even then it was for the project and had nothing in it specific to Malbec at all!! Fast forward. Malbec today is to the wine industy in Argentina what barley is is to whiskey; what Earth, Wind, Fire and Water are to the elements; what John and Paul were to the Beatles. I could go on. Malbec is Essential and without April the 17th 1853 it may never have been imported to Argentina (from France) at all. Essential, of course, should not be read as singular or indeed as unique. The wine trade in Argentina is diverse with regards to grape types grown, regionality, terroir and wine making brilliance. It is vibrant and fascinating, superb value and totally unique in its offering to the world. No wonder World Malbec Day is so often celebrated as Argentina Wine Day. We are honoured in this podcast to chat with Phil Crozier, Wines of Argentina Ambassador. How do you become an 'Ambassador'. How do you know so much about Argentina? Phil tells it all! Phil Crozier really does talk Argentina. Enjoy. This podcast was recorded in June 2022 in Dublin at the very successful Wines of Argentina tasting titled:

La Kav Wines is the brainchild of Arnaud Clopin. It sells a selection of well sourced wines from France at www.lakavwines.ie. Arnaud's wife is a Kavanagh and he is French - hence La Kav. All straight forward so far! La Kav Wines also has a vineyard on the East coast near Gorey in Co. Wexford. Visit the La Kav website and fly over it in a drone. It is spectacular! When I visited Arnaud at his vineyard the weather wasn't as good as it was for the drone. It was winter. Have a look at what 5,000 vines in Ireland on a couple of hectares looks like. Fabulous. Afterwards we visited the La Kav winery in Gorey town, tasted the wine (white, fresh lemon and thyme, 11.5% excellent) and recorded this podcast. Enjoy the story. It is unique and quite brilliant.

Ashford Castle in Cong Co. Mayo is a Fine Wine destination and a Five Star hotel. It sits in majestic surroundings. Under the ownership of Red Carnation Hotels Ashford Castle offers a unique visitor experience. Robert Bowe has been part of the fabric of the castle for many years and now with Red Carnation Hotels continues to develop Ashford as one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world. This is a fascinating podcast. Robert details his beginnings at Ashford, how the wine cellar was conceived and built. Along the way he has helped to develop the most comprehensive Wine Flights, Wine Events and Wine Dinners that Ireland has ever seen. Robert's attention to detail is a fine one and his love of the customer and guest is now part of the folklore of the Hospitality trade in Ireland. It was our honour to chat with him in the great wine cellar at Ashford Castle. And let's not forget the stories - Robert has a comprehensive collection! Enjoy ******************************************************************** Kevin Ecock’s WinePod would like to acknowledge support received from leading wine distributor Comans Wines whose portfolio is one of the great delights available to the wine trade in Ireland. It is a collection of some of the finest wines available.

Ashford Castle in Cong Co. Mayo is a Fine Wine destination and a Five Star hotel. It sits in majestic surroundings. Under the ownership of Red Carnation Hotels AShford Castle offers a unique visitor experience. None of this matters unless the staff involved are at the very top of their game. Their wine sommeliers are! Paul Fogarty is Head Sommelier at Ashford Castle. In this podcast he recounts his early days graduating from Athlone, a healthy stint as a wine retailer and a return to his native West of Ireland as sommelier at the Castle. We recorded in the extensive cellar at Ashford. It really is a wonderful place and testament to the foresight of Red Carnation Hotels. ENJOY ******************************************************************** Kevin Ecock’s WinePod would like to acknowledge support received from leading wine distributor Comans Wines whose portfolio is one of the great delights available to the wine trade in Ireland. It is a collection of some of the finest wines available.

This podcast with Morgan VanderKamer is the first in a series that chats with sommeliers working in Ireland. Their expertise is invaluable and enriches our dining experience in a very immediate way. Morgon is a Canadian, has been in the hospitality industry for twenty years, the last nine of which have been in Ireland. Today, with her partner Stephen McArdle, Morgon is the co-owner of UNioN Wine Bar & Restaurant in Waterford city . Morgon is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, has Level 3 Certification with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and is the current President of the Irish Guild of Sommeliers. ENJOY. ********************************************************************* Kevin Ecock’s WinePod would like to acknowledge support received from leading wine distributor Comans Wines whose portfolio is one of the great delights available to the wine trade in Ireland. It is a collection of some of the finest wines available.

It was never our intention or plan to publish our podcast with DIABLO at Halloween! Perhaps the brand decided for us ....... When (the fabulous) Concha y Toro launched the DIABLO brand a few years ago it was hard to see where it might fit into the market. That's the way with leaders and those 'first to the table'. They often see hidden and emerging gaps on our shelves long before the rest of us know they are there! In this recording we were honoured to speak with DIABLO winemaker Tito (Hector Urzua) and with Lynn Balaresque (Global Marketing Manager for both Diablo and Casillero del Diablo). Together they give us insight into how the brand came about, who it was aimed towards and how brilliant it's performance has been. Importantly, Tito guides us through the grapes, soils and climate that gives DIABLO it's unique character. Mind you, the packaging and pricing are also fabulous and everyone MUST have a peek HERE at the promo video! Since this podcast was recorded both the DIABLO Volcanic Cab and the DIABLO Golden Chardonnay now sit on our shelves beside the DIABLO Dark Red and the DIABLO Cabernet Sauvignon. Now it really is a case of the DIABLO you know! ENJOY.

Trivento has been acknowledged by the very best wine writers as the Best Value High Quality label from Argentina. The name means Three Winds. In this podcast chief winemaker at Trivento, Maximiliano Ortiz, brings us to the heart of what makes Trivento so good. We have two of Maximiliano's labels in sale on Ireland - the Trivento Reserve Red Malbec and the Trivento White Malbec. It's unusual to describe Malbec as the 'Red' Malbec but in Trivento's case it's necessary because they are unique in bringing us a white version of this dark skinned grape! Both wines are quite fabulous. The red Reserve Trivento is rich, handsome and rewarding while Trivento White is inviting, bracing and memorable. Both have tremendous depths of fruit, structure and quality. Maximiliano is an engaging personality and just like his wines we can 'hear' him smiling throught our half an hour together. Enjoy. Trivento is a member of the Concha Y Toro stable of world renowned brands.

Vinho Verde has been on our shelves as long as I have been in the wine trade - a long time! That said, I always thought of it as a wine and not a region. A few brushes in the past with poor quality Vinho Verde styles then led me away from both wine AND region. Poor choice. My loss! On a recent visit to Ireland the good folk from Aveleda transported me to the fabulous quality that the region is capable of. Indeed, I was introduced to wine styles that completely blew any notion of 'green' wines' away for ever. Vinho Verde is one of 14 demarcated wine regions in Portugal. It sits in the Minho region above the Douro river, below the Minho river and with the Atlantic ocean to the west. It is primarily a white wine region with a load of permitted grapes, most of which we have never heard of! Of these the Alvarinho and Loureira make up the majority of exported wines. Red and Rose wines are also produced. In the podcast Teresa Olivera (see above) of Aveleda guides us through the region and the fabulous wines made under the Aveleda label. These are wines made by the same family for the past 150 years. These are really top class. Aveleda is distributed in Ireland by the award winning Mackenway Wines.

Jonathan Mitchell is among the most likeable, knowledgable and enduring personalities in the drinks trade in Ireland. His family business, Mitchell and Son, is not just the longest running of its kind but is unique in its offering. In this podcast Jonathan guides us through the remarkable history of his family from an early 1800's bakery in Fairview to a coffee emporium on Grafton Street to their long established presence on Kildare Street in Dublin. Along their journey to their current flagship stores in Glasthule and the IFSC the Mitchell family has continued to develop its world renowned Spot Whiskey collection along with a multi faceted wine agency and retail business. The New and the Old. A recent Mitchell and Son Portfolio Tasting and the original 1887 lease for the Kildare Street premises. Will we ever see another family business of its kind again? I fear not. So, let's celebrate the remarkable and fascinating Mitchell and Son. Just as this podcast recording was completed Jonathan produced a 1978 Spatlese Riesling from their long standing association with Deinhard. This is so typical and generous of this family. It wasn't for show. No. It was for opening! Robert, Jonathan's son, was called in and I had the honour of watching two generations help each other to carefully remove the ancient cork. ..... and it drank beautifully!