Kevin Ecock's WinePod

Kevin Ecock talks wine, explores wine, and tastes wine with experts from across the world of wine. This is the Wine Pod.

Ochoa in Navarra: A distinctly Brilliant Wine Family 09/24/2020

The Brilliant Domäne Wachau in Austria: a Podcast with Winemaker Roman Horvath MW 09/16/2020

The SuperValu French Wine Event 2020 09/01/2020

The SuperValu French Wine Event 2020 In this podcast Kevin O'Callaghan, wine buyer at SuperValu, guides us through their current sale of wines from France - The SuperValu French Wine Event. In addition, Kevin touches on many other aspects of selling wine in 2020 - the challenges and rewards. Superquinn stores across Ireland used to bring us a very fine annual French Wine Sale. It was innovative. At times (before computerised tills made mix and match possible) wine boxes and their bottles were coded with coloured stickers so that customers could work out which offers were compatible with one another! Cute. Fast forward to today. SuperValu has long since succesfully bedded Superquinn into its impressive network of over 200 owner-managed franchised stores. It has also brought forward the fabulous French Wine Event. This year it takes place from Sept 3rd to Sept 16th. While the current sale includes individual spotlights on the wine of each of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone the whole of France is well presented with very good value wines. Most of the great wines made in far flung countries, such as Australia, Chile and others, make wines with grapes of French origin. Sales, such as this at SuperValu, brings us back to their origins. Particular favourites of mine are the Guy Saget Sancerre and Pouilly Fume from the Loire at €14.76, the Alma Cersius Coteaux de Beziers at €9.84 and the Gustave Lorentz Pinot Blanc Reserve from Alsace at the very good price of only €11.80. Many more wines are mentioned in this podcast, ( ... even the most expensive in the sale - the sublime Louis Latour Meursault at €39.35 - is absolutely fabulous value - would make an exceptional Christmas present!!) and we will mention them at WineIreland.blog over the coming weeks of the sale. For now enjoy the podcast. Its a rare and intriguing insight into a fascinating world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- While all restaurants in Ireland were closed until recently many have now reopened. This is great news - Open Again! We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/15835919

Garçon Wines: Leading Sustainability Innovator 08/19/2020

Sebastian Labbé of Santa Rita Estates: Innovation in the Wine Trade 08/04/2020

Maison Champy: Burgundian Aristocracy 07/21/2020

Huia: a Unique Wine Estate in New Zealand 07/20/2020

Santalba : a Rioja Podcast with Bodega Santalba 07/15/2020

Martin Kaiser of Doña Paula: A podcast with 'Viticulturist of the Year in Argentina'. 07/07/2020

Tenuta San Leonardo Podcast with Anselmo Guerriera Gonzaga 06/24/2020

Tenuta San Leonardo Podcast with Anselmo Guerriera Gonzaga is in Trentino. The Alto Adige is to its north while Valpolicella is to the south. In this podcast Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga recounts his family history and how he works with his father Marquis Carlo to produce sensational wines. The Guerrieri Gonzaga family has run the San Leonardo estate for the past 300 years. Across 25 hectares they grow an eclectic mix of classic French grape types such as Carmenere, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In addition they purchase some Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling both of which make exceptional wines. The classic nature of the red wines produced at the estate is due to the family's ability to blend with precision and its complete belief in a style that is soft, elegant and packed full of age worthy elements. The signature label - - is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere and 10% Merlot. Spontaneous fermentation in small concrete vats, 24 months in French oak, will age well for 25 years plus. There are a number of additional fascinating features associated with the estate. We chat about all of these and more in this podcast with Anselmo. For instance the Carmenere is all grown on high pergola's; the estate has a history back to 589; there is a chapel with 12th century frescoes on its walls; the extraordinary Villa Gresti estate house built in 1724 was where the armistice prelimineries were drawn up to end WW1 while the German Wermacht used it as a regional HQ in WW2. The estate of San Leonardo converted to being fully organic in 2015. This is a classic story of one of the world's finest wines. The wines of San Leonardo are distributed in Ireland by . ----------------------------------------------------------------------- While all restaurants in Ireland are closed right now they WILL open again. We all hope that this is soon. We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and when they do reopen they will need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/14947634

Lidl and Richard Bampfield MW: Summer Specials from Lidl 06/17/2020

Sustainability in the Wine Trade: Elena Carretero of the Santa Rita Group 06/09/2020

Sustainability in the Wine Trade: Elena Carretero of the Santa Rita Group Across the world of wine we hear the word 'Sustainable' again and again. Very often it's linked to a 'green movement' of some vague description, 'organic viticulture' and its dislike of artificial fertilisers or just plain old 'keeping the land in a good condition to pass on to the kids'! Sustainability is much more and all of these. In this podcast we hear from Santa Rita that it covers Vineyards, Cellars, Workers and Community, Marketing and Suppliers - effectively everything from the soil to the bottle and all the way to you! Elena Carretero is a leading expert on the subject of sustainability and for many years now has been Sustainability Director with the in South America. In this podcast Elena brings us into her world where every facet of the Santa Rita Group is linked into being a sustainable enterprise that can be Defined, Measured and Managed. "Viña Santa Rita and its subsidiaries were the first of Chile’s major wine groups to attain certification in December 2011, including Santa Rita, Carmen, Nativa, and Terra Andina, covering 2,325 hectares that make up 75% of the vineyards that we own, as well as 500 hectares belonging to our suppliers: .... Enjoy - and next time you crack open your favourite bottle from Santa Rita remember that the logo on the back label really does mean something substantial. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- While all restaurants in Ireland are closed right now they WILL open again. We all hope that this is soon. We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and when they do reopen they will need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/14753180

Charlie Herring: Tim Phillips' Walled Vineyard in the New Forest 06/03/2020

Charlie Herring: Tim Phillips' Walled Vineyard in the New Forest Where to start with Tim Phillips? Rome? South Africa? Montepulciano? The New Forest in Hampshire? It's an interesting list and makes a fascinating podcast! This is very much a story of 'How to When Noone had Even Thought it Possible' sort of podcast. Fabulous and Brilliant. This is . Before our current lockdown travel restrictions the WinePod was due to visit the New Forest in Hampshire to help advertise a number of wine talks due to take place at the .* One of these talks and tastings would have been presented by Tim Phillips, owner and winemaker at the . Charlie Herring is a walled vineyard in the New Forest. It has history! Tim Phillips transformed an old estate garden into a biodynamic vineyard of the most beguiling kind. Is this is 'cutting edge viticulture meets up with garagiste winemaking' or is it 'how to make your dreams come true'? Listen in ... Tim even has a solera .. Rather than let the opportunity to work with two exceptional New Forest businesses slip by I recorded an interview with Tim via Zoom. Let's face it, we need local business to reopen and to survive. Within the world of wine most vineyards across the globe are family owned and small enterprises. The same applies to the hospitality and tourist trade. We must do all we can to help them get back on their feet. These talks/tasting will go ahead at some stage - hopefully soon. * is owned and run by Cheryl and Ciaran Maher. There is a close family connection to everyone here at the Winepod! That, however, is not the story. No, the story is that Daisybank is a uniqe experience. It has won numerous awards and, situated in Brockenhurst, is constantly mentioned as one of the very best places to stay in the New Forest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- While all restaurants in Ireland are closed right now they WILL open again. We all hope that this is soon. We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and when they do reopen they will need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/14680115

Marlings: The Story of a Vineyard in the Extraordinary New Forest 05/27/2020

Marlings: The Story of a Vineyard in the Extraordinary New Forest is a vineyard in Hampshire that makes award winning wine and carries the - 'an accreditation scheme set up to develop and support the production, processing and distribution of local produce from the New Forest'. Before our current lockdown travel restrictions the WinePod was due to visit the New Forest to help advertise a number of wine talks due to take place at another member of the New Forest Marque - the .* One of these talks and tastings would have been presented by Paul Cartmell, owner at Marlings. Rather than let the opportunity to work with two exceptional New Forest businesses slip by I recorded an interview with Paul via Zoom. Let's face it, we need local business to reopen and to survive. Within the world of wine most vineyards across the globe are family owned and small enterprises. The same applies to the hospitality and tourist trade. We must do all we can to help them get back on their feet. These talks/tasting will go ahead at some stage - hopefully soon. Piotr Nahajski- Marlings Viticulturist and Winemaker is a fabulous story of a small vineyard in the UK, England, Hampshire and the New Forest. In this podcast we learn what its like to be at the cutting edge of a new and interesting wine style and region. What to plant? How to plant? What to make? This is 'Farm to Plate' at its best! * is owned and run by Cheryl and Ciaran Maher. There is a close family connection to everyone here at the Winepod! That, however, is not the story. No, the story is that Daisybank is an extraordinary experience. It has won numerous awards and, situated in Brockenhurst, is constantly mentioned as one of the very best places to stay in the New Forest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- While all restaurants in Ireland are closed right now they WILL open again. We all hope that this is soon. We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and when they do reopen they will need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/14585204

Stefano Gagliardo: Barolo and Family, a Class apart. 05/20/2020

Stefano Gagliardo: Barolo and Family, a Class apart. Stefano Gagliardo's family make some of the finest expressions of Barolo from vineyards (Piedmont: NW Italy) that his father Gianni took charge of in the 1970's. The very best land is essential to producing quality Nebbiolo grapes and that's what we find every time we are fortunate to taste a In this podcast Stefano explains the intricacies involved in working the land organically with an increasing emphasis on biodynamic principles. He also tells us how he microvinifies some of his finest plots to make unique wines that answer solely to their tiny terroir, as MEGA designated Cru wines (Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive -additional geographic mentions), why he favours large barrels and lots lots more. The Gagliardo team and family. A class act. Nebbiolo continues to hold sway as Italy's finest grape and Barolo it's finest wine. Alongside these Gagliardo has always worked with the Roero Arneis, Favorita (a Vermentino grown away from the sea!) and Moscato to make white wines, Nebbiolo for Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera for an Asti of that name and now also for the new label from the equally new NIZZA DOC- one of my favourite styles of Barbera ever! "Our land is alive and clean. We take care of our vines one by one, because each one is different from the others. We make wine by seeking the minimum technical intervention, following the principle of knowing more in order to be able to intervene less. In wines we seek balance, elegance, purity of expression. If a wine does not satisfy us, we do not go out on the market". is distributed in Ireland by ------------------------------------------------------------------------ While all restaurants in Ireland are closed right now they WILL open again. We all hope that this is soon. We should remember that many of these, including the wonderful Monty's of Kathmandu, are family businesses. They are often small and brilliant and when they do reopen they will need our support more than ever. Keep Safe and Keep well. Kevin Ecock's WinePod is brought to us with the assistance of the - an excellent place to host your next event or celebration. Contact Shiva at 01 -6704911 or at the Santa Rita Wine Room web page. /episode/index/show/winepod/id/14495525