Exploring the world of wine can be a fun and exciting journey. From discovering the different varieties, to learning about the production process, to finding the perfect bottle for your palate, the possibilities are endless. Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a novice explorer, the thrill of discovering new wines and tasting them is sure to be a memorable experience. Let's take a listen at this episode as Curtis Stephenson shares how he and his partners started a wine business that brings in w...
Mar 22, 2023•36 min•Ep. 20
You are sure to have a great conversation when you feel the passion of the person in front of you. That's Ana Reis for you, sharing the fun, excitement, and enjoyment that wine has brought to her life and what comes with it and the people she encounters every day in the career she has chosen and loves dearly. Listen in now as Ana shares fascinating facts about the beautiful city she lives in, the country she loves so much, and the wine industry she is so passionate about and finding so much fun ...
Mar 08, 2023•26 min•Ep. 19
As you grow grapes and achieve your desired outcome, you get to test your patience as well. Risk is involved, and those brave enough to take that risk succeed. Take a look at Akis Papadopoulos' foray into winemaking. At first, he didn't think winemaking was for him. At the back of his mind, he wanted to give it a try so that's exactly what he did. Then he started studying in France and honing his knowledge in the wine industry, specifically winemaking. Having gained experience and knowledge abro...
Feb 22, 2023•30 min•Ep. 18
It's fun to work when you enjoy what you do and are passionate about it. No matter your struggles and challenges, you will find joy, happiness, and meaning in everything surrounding you. It also rubs off on those around you. It's no wonder this family-owned winery radiates that kind of feeling. Because of her passion for wine and winemaking, Konstantina Goula left everything to study wine and winemaking to gain more profound knowledge. That is how dedicated she is to making wine a business. Addi...
Feb 08, 2023•29 min•Ep. 17
As a result of studying winemaking in Europe, Aniruddha Rajagopalan has traveled around the world, experiencing different cultures and learning different languages. Along the way, he built friendships and a network of passionate wine enthusiasts. Passion and hard work are behind the best wines he tasted and enjoyed. After working for both big and small wineries, his experiences showed him that wine-making is nothing like what is romanticized in movies - he got a real understanding of what the ac...
Jan 25, 2023•26 min•Ep. 16
Tinkering with coconut water and life in the laboratory was not what Aniruddha Rajagopalan was meant to do. Instead, he became a winemaker. The funny thing is, he had no exposure to wine growing up. The alcoholic beverages that he knew were popular in India were spirits and beer. Indian people consume far less wine each year than you might think, plus Indian culture discourages drinking alcohol. As unusual as it may be, meet an Indian winemaker. In this episode, Ani talks about how he was fortun...
Jan 11, 2023•29 min•Ep. 15
We are all looking forward to what the new year has in store for us. However, now is a good time to reflect on what we have accomplished during this year. What makes the wine industry worthwhile is the people, passion, and experiences that come with the pleasure of tasting, drinking, and enjoying wine. Laurel Simmons rounds up her top 10 best experiences on today's Wine Behind the Scenes episode. Here are those that made it to the list: #10: Wine in Costa Rica #9: Crete #8: I4C – the Internation...
Dec 28, 2022•23 min•Ep. 14
Passion plays an important role in the success of a winemaking business. Continuous education, further study, and research contribute to consistent innovation. Growing your business is a great opportunity for you to grow as a business owner as well. As new wineries sprout, you need to stay relevant by continually evolving. That said, doing other businesses related to winemaking can also be considered. In this episode, Anne Kokotos discusses the ways she followed in developing her business - taki...
Dec 14, 2022•18 min•Ep. 13
Getting on that flight to Greece many summers ago changed Anne Kokotos' life. Along with meeting a Greek husband, she fell in love with Greece. Soon, she began learning the language, which led to a life spent in vineyards, winemaking, and running her own business. Despite not knowing much about winemaking at the start, she and her husband have kept it going with much passion and dedication to grow it to what it is today. Anne tells the story of how she made her way to Greece, stayed and found he...
Nov 30, 2022•22 min•Ep. 12
Most of us overlook our sense of smell, but not for those in the wine industry. Learning what something tastes and smells like takes a great deal of practice. And that is something of importance to sommeliers. Grape varieties vary widely from region to region and country to country, so it pays to practice and train a lot. And this is where work and fun come together. The more you learn about your craft, the better you are at what you do. As Jose Obregon’s case illustrates, furthering his educati...
Nov 16, 2022•32 min•Ep. 11
It’s interesting to note that in the process of making wine, grape vines planted within a meter distance of each other taste differently. Which means winemaking can be as fascinating as growing grapevines. This week is the story about the origin of a place, Prince Edward County and how it came out to be what it is now, telling a unique story, land found nowhere else in the world. The story of one of its wineries, Closson Chase wouldn’t be complete without mentioning its topography, soil structur...
Nov 02, 2022•32 min•Ep. 10
If you were told you could never be an expert, and you are never enough, how would that make you feel? Instead of feeling disheartened, our podcast guest this week, Keith Tyers, felt challenged. Despite being told he can't do anything, he rose above it. And all that doubt? He proved them wrong. Let’s join him in this episode as he shares his journey into his deep fascination with food and wine, from being a sommelier to becoming a quality winemaker producing wines people all over the world love ...
Oct 19, 2022•20 min•Ep. 9
Can you imagine being 17 years old, standing on a stage in your hometown, and being named a Wine Princess? And not having a clue what you're doing? That's the experience of today's guest, Sabine Wagner, who was not only a Wine Princess for two years but ultimately became her town's Wine Queen. From there, Sabine never looked back. She found her calling and realized that the wine business was where she wanted to build her career. So build it she did - from getting a Bachelor of Science degree in ...
Oct 05, 2022•34 min•Ep. 8
Can you imagine being only 11 years old and already know that you want to have a career in the wine industry? That's the experience that Danielle Coetsee had as she watched her uncle work in the vineyard and the winery. And when she got older and applied to university as an engineering student, she realized that she was making a mistake - wine was still calling her. So Danielle took the big step of pulling her engineering application back and going for what she wanted to do, which was learning h...
Sep 21, 2022•32 min•Ep. 7
Today's guest, Rob Statham, is as funny as he is articulate about wine, beer, and why he's doing what he's doing. Rob loves to share his knowledge and make whatever event he's hosting – be it live or virtual – fun, educational, and interesting. Our conversation ranged from how you put on virtual wine tastings (which Rob believes must be an engaging and entertaining experience) to the latest offerings of Retsina from Greece. Then there was beer, Trappist ale, the power of California wineries... t...
Sep 07, 2022•38 min•Ep. 6
Mount Olympus? The Aegean Sea? History and culture going back thousands and thousands of years? Wine that's fit for the gods? That's what we're talking about in my conversation with Alexandra Anthidou, who is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Association of Northern Greek Winemakers. Alexandra has what many would see as a dream job - she gets to travel to over 30 wineries in her region of Northern Greece, she travels to many countries representing her association, she works wi...
Aug 24, 2022•28 min•Ep. 5
Judith Lewis is about as passionate as you can get about wine and food. (Listen to Part One if you want to hear how Judith's mom forced her to taste everything and why she's grateful for it.) Judith loves wine AND chocolate, and she is an international judge of both products. She gives us some insight into how you can improve your taste and smell of, you guessed it! Chocolate and wine. After listening to this interview, you might find yourself rushing out to buy that special bar of chocolate or ...
Aug 10, 2022•17 min•Ep. 4
Nadia Dubeau is going places. She's worked in the wine industry in one way or another for over 15 years and is determined that nothing will stop her. Nadia has travelled the world. She has studied winery and viticulture practices at college in Niagara, Ontario, and has successfully completed Master's level viticulture courses in ITALIAN in Italy. Nadia dreams big, and she's found a great job where she reps for Oyster Bay winery out of New Zealand. That gives her the freedom to do what she wants ...
Jul 27, 2022•23 min•Ep. 3
It's hard to believe that when Jenn Wilhelm started her journey in the wine industry that she was a terrified young woman who couldn't pronounce the names of grapes, let alone the places where the grapes were grown and the wine was made. Yet here she is now, enjoying an unbelievably rich life. Jenn was a member of the first graduating class of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers - and at a time when very few women were in the field. She managed restaurants and learned every aspec...
Jul 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 2
Judith Lewis is about as passionate as you can get about wine and food. Doesn't smell right? Don't eat it or drink it (thanks, Mom). Digitize the world of wine? Judith's passionate about it. Helping wineries handle climate change? – Judith's working on it. Looking to taste wines in Majorca, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Greece, and other European countries? – you might bump into her in those wineries. Going to conferences on communication, SEO, wine, and travel? – Judith's there. Plus… she's an interna...
Jul 27, 2022•23 min•Ep. 1
Do you love wine, food, travel and fascinating stories? Then you're in the right place. Welcome to the Wine Behind The Scenes Podcast where you can escape into stories about wine, and the passion and people behind it. Join me Laurel Simmons! Do you love wine? Are you curious about what's behind a particular wine, or the people involved in getting that wine to you? I have been passionate about wine all my adult life. I love wine. And I love the life I'm creating for myself. That's why I'm launchi...
Jun 17, 2022•6 min
