In the final installment of my Karlo Estates podcast series live from their “Speak Easy” wine lounge I sit down with vintners, Sherry Karlo and Saxe Brickenden. An emotional/funny/educational, and even romantic interview that goes from the toughest moments for Sherry after the tragic passing of her husband to the remarkable bounce back for Karlo Estates with the assistance from Saxe. Tears are shed, laughs are had, and some damn tasty wines are tried. This interview has it all!...
Dec 18, 2023•50 min•Ep. 164
In Part II of my three-part podcast series with Prince Edward County winery Karlo Estates I sit down with Winemaker Spencer Mayer. A self professed "nerd" when it comes to all things wine this was a fun conversation with a winemaker who is in the relative early stages of making a name for himself in the business. Some great stories about his young son helping in the winery, the influence of Derek Barnett and all things Bordeaux blending.
Dec 12, 2023•33 min•Ep. 163
This is Part I of my three-part podcast series with Prince Edward County winery Karlo Estates. What better way to kick it off than with wine legend Derek Barnett, the Executive Winemaker for Karlo Estates. Derek goes over some of the stylistic differences between the wines of Niagara versus Prince Edward County, how he originally got into wine and why he puts up with the drive all the way from Niagara.
Dec 05, 2023•39 min•Ep. 162
The Podcast is going back to Bordeaux, this time to St-Julien with Nicolas Sinoquet the CEO & President of Chateau Gruaud-Larose! Nicolas goes over the importance of patience when it comes to making great wine and their commitment to bio dynamic winemaking.
Nov 25, 2023•27 min•Ep. 161
The ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ gets to sit down with one of the best in the business, Hugo Bernard, the winemaker for Domaine de Chevalier. A wide-ranging interview on all things Bordeaux, his family’s long history with the estate and one of the best white wine portfolios in all of Bordeaux.
Nov 17, 2023•34 min•Ep. 160
On the latest episode I sit down one of the Hosts & Co-creator of the ‘Two Guys Talking Wine Podcast’, Michael Pinkus. This was a really fun interview. I prepared a dozen or so “real” wine questions and we got to about three of them. This is a very different wine interview. Really just two people who love shooting the shit about wine for an hour. Fun times!
Nov 06, 2023•55 min•Ep. 159
The Wine Podcast is heading to Atlantic Canada with “serial wine entrepreneur” Mark DeWolf. The man has so many titles, the best way to describe him is if there is a wine related event going on in Halifax there is an excellent chance Mark is involved including the upcoming ‘Best Canadian Sommelier Competition’ coming soon to Halifax.
Oct 27, 2023•30 min•Ep. 158
On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast I interview Christophe Reitz, Sommelier at Quatrefoil Restaurant in Dundas Ontario. Fresh off his wine tasting victory, winning the 2023 CAPS Cup tasting challenge we chat about prepping for a wine competition and the perils of blind wine tasting.
Oct 14, 2023•33 min•Ep. 157
Matt is going solo in his latest info. Tales of running the Bordeaux marathon, wine tourism in Bordeaux, a fantastic winery in Morocco and remembering Long Dog winemaker James Lahti.
Oct 02, 2023•30 min•Ep. 156
On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast I’m joined by the President & CEO of Liberty Entertainment Group Nick Di Donato. Just how different was the Toronto dining scene when he first came into the picture in the 1980s? How much push back did he get from the community as his background was in nightclubs at the time? From an international perspective how important is a Michelin Star for Canadian Restaurants?
Aug 25, 2023•56 min•Ep. 155
On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast my interview with Joel Wilcox, the Founder & Director of Fourth Wall wines, a projected dedicated to making high quality Niagara wine. We chat about the stylistic differences that can be found in Niagara appellations, how does the classic movie ‘High Fidelity’ fit into his wine philosophy and which iconic Italian wine did he pair with KFC?
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 154
This is Namratha Prashanth. She went from studying hospitality in Bangalore at 20 to being forbidden to work by her husband and in-laws to now becoming the Brand Owner of 'Solicantus' which produces a white and red Bordeaux. It would be an understatement to say her story is not the most unique and the most harrowing wine journey I have heard since I started doing this podcast. Her journey is both inspiration and painful at times and I am honoured to be able to share it with you....
Jul 27, 2023•50 min•Ep. 153
Never thought I would be doing this interview. I’ll be honest after their 2015 ownership change, I stopped buying/drinking the wines of Lailey Vineyards. Then a couple years ago Matt Faik Turkmen bought the property and started the process of returning Lailey back to its place as one of Niagara’s best wineries. I was thrilled to speak with Matt about his journey, the work done in the Lailey vineyards and his other impressive wine project, Stonebridge Vineyards.
Jul 13, 2023•54 min•Ep. 152
Imagine a marathon littered with over 20 wine tasting stations, runners dressed up and more medical staff than at any other marathon. Welcome to the Médoc Marathon, the most fun you’ll have running 42.2 KM. I interview the president of the marathon, Vincent Fabre who also owns two wineries as well.
Jul 03, 2023•29 min•Ep. 151
Winemaker, vineyard manager and the owner of Mason Vineyard, Kelly Mason is back on the podcast! Such a fun interview with a winemaker who truly puts all of herself into her wine. Kelly has the unique skill of humanizing the world of winemaking and her work ethic will blow you away. A must listen episode.
Jun 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 150
Some podcast interviews are carefully planned for and some you just stumble on. This one is the latter. While on a mini vacation in small town Orillia we stumbled across this is incredible wine bar, the Provenance Wine Bar and Commissary. This episode of the ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast is with the owner, Doug Cooper. The selection was as good as any Toronto wine bar, the prices were even better, and the service was fantastic. This wine bar is for all types. From...
Jun 16, 2023•47 min•Ep. 149
The Podcast is heading to Amarone, but the interview is in person! I sit down with Armando Fumanelli, the owner of Marchesi Fumanelli winery which can be found right in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico district of Northeast Italy. We discuss the art/science of making Amarone, the transition the winery went through after he took over and racing vintage cars.
Jun 07, 2023•31 min•Ep. 148
On the ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast I interview Valérie Beyer, the Co-Owner of the impressive Alsatian winery, Domaine Emile Beyer. Beyond talking about their Riesling and tasty Pinot Noir program we get into her wine journey and wine education … her story is a remarkable one.
May 25, 2023•32 min•Ep. 147
Working at the impressive Alsatian winery Domaine Justin Boxler is a family affair! My guest on the latest pod is Charlotte Boxler the Operations Manager for Domaine Justin Boxler. Charlotte discusses the importance of listening to family which is key since she works were just about every family member at the vineyard! This family makes textbook Alsatian Riesling, Gewurztraminer and a tasty Pinot Noir.
May 25, 2023•28 min•Ep. 146
Had the immense pleasure of joining some of the brain trust behind 80x Wine Company, makers of killer Niagara Chardonnay & Rosé. On the podcast wine writer and co-owner Andre Proulx comes back for his record third appearance on the pod plus winemaker Adam Kern. This episode was a lot of fun as we did the interview at Archive Wine Bar as the guys were getting set to preview their latest ‘When Pigs Fly’ Rosé (2022 vintage)! So much fun talking with people so passionate about showing just how g...
May 02, 2023•46 min•Ep. 145
The Podcast is heading to Okanagan with the winemaker for Martin’s Lane Winery, Shane Munn. We discuss the Martin’s Lane Pinot Noir program (Damn, so good!), drinking good Burgundy while working in Barolo and his preference for tough vintages.
Apr 22, 2023•35 min•Ep. 144
On the latest ‘Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People’ Podcast I interview Christine Brotte, the Technical Director for the Southern Rhône winery Maison Brotte. Through the translation help of her son Thibault, we discuss the families long history in Southern Rhône, what is it like working as a family and the importance of having both men and women being involved in the wine making process.
Apr 11, 2023•31 min•Ep. 143
This is Florence Quiot, the General Director for Château du Trignon located in the Southern Rhône. On the podcast we discuss all the gains made by women in the vineyard of Rhône from oenology diploma graduates to where they are with women in positions of power. A good interview to learn more about the wines of Southern Rhône.
Apr 02, 2023•24 min•Ep. 142
You want a cool wine story? May I present Beaujolais winemaker Mee Godard. How many South Korean, female winemaker, whose family does not come from a wine background do you know? If the answer is “zero” well you’re in luck! I was lucky enough through @rangerwine to try four different wines from Domaine Mee Godard all sourced from prestigious sites in Beaujolais. Some killer expressions of Gamay where even the Village Level wines came with far more depth than I was expecting. A unique story and s...
Mar 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 141
The first winery I visited during my trip to Mosel/Rheingau was the famed Weingut Markus Molitor. I interview their Export Director and the 2015 winner of Germany’s Best Sommelier, Daniel Kiowski.
Mar 09, 2023•28 min•Ep. 140
Just how historic are the wines of Borgogno? Back in 1861 a bottle of their Barolo was drunk as part of a celebratory lunch over the … wait for it … Unification of Italy! On the latest wine podcast, I interview from Piedmont Luca Collia, the Export Manager for Borgogno one of Italy’s most famed wineries.
Mar 02, 2023•37 min•Ep. 139
You wanna hear an inspirational story about a kick-ass woman? Then I have the Podcast for you! Meet Jen Pelka the CEO and Co-Founder of Une Femme Wines. Jen went from running a couple bicoastal champagne bars that got swallowed up by COVID to now having her line of sparkling wine served on Delta Airlines. Yeah, you’re going to enjoy her story.
Feb 24, 2023•36 min•Ep. 138
The podcast is heading back to Scotiabank Arena as I interview Anne Martin, the head Sommelier for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Anne’s impressive journey took her from working in the most famous locations in the world for cheese, coffee and eventually wine. A fun conversation about what it’s like running one of the most impressive wine programs among any team in North America.
Feb 14, 2023•45 min•Ep. 137
My latest interview is with winemaker Daniel Twardowski whose ‘Pinot Noix’ (yes Noix) are some of the most stuffing examples of German Pinot you will ever try. This is not hyperbole, from Jancis Robinson to James Suckling to everyone in between these are some most of highly prized German reds out there. We chat about making Pinot in the land of Riesling and just what were the reaction of his neighbours when he undertook this venture.
Jan 27, 2023•36 min•Ep. 136
The podcast goes on a slightly different direction as I’m joined by the Senior Culinary Director for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) Chris Zielinski! Yes we chat about the various wine programs that are connected with MLSE but we also get into what’s it like to feed 1000s of sports fans from popcorn to foie gras and everything in between.
Jan 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 135
