Displaying items by tag: New World

Summary:

Aotearoa is the contemporary Māori language name for New Zealand. Traversing more than 1,100 kilometres (680 miles), from the rainforests of the north, to the alpine plateaus in the south, New Zealand is one of the world’s most alluring wine producing regions. A country of contrasts, a land rich in lore and home to the most southerly vineyards in the world!

In this webinar we journey to the South Pacific and explore Aotearoa’s unique history in viticulture, distinct wine styles and diverse regions. We discuss the impact of climate change and the many stories that make New Zealand wines some of the most intriguing and sought after.

We recommend coming with the following (optional) New Zealand wines to enjoy during the session:

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir (Central Otago/Wairarapa), Chardonnay or Riesling.

Presenter: Marc Checkley, WSET

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Marc is an award-winning producer/director, journalist and host, who has combined his passion for storytelling with his love and fascination with wine. Currently based in Switzerland, Marc is a WSET-qualified wine educator/consultant and hosts various wine tasting and education events in Switzerland, UK and the Asia-Pacific. He also writes about wine and food for international media and works with winemakers in New Zealand, Switzerland and elsewhere.

During the global pandemic, Marc hosted more than 30 public and private virtual wine tasting and team-building events. His Facebook LIVE wine and stories series Drink With Me attracted close to 2,000 viewers each week from more than a dozen countries.

For the past three years, he has worked with Gault&Millau, producing and hosting a popular online food & wine series “In English Please?!” seen by more than 120,000 viewers. Marc was also a finalist in the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge in 2019 and 2021.

He lectures in storytelling and communication at César Ritz Hotel School and has judged at some of the most prestigious wine competitions, including Mondial du Chasselas, Vin Suisse and the International Sparkling Wine Awards, London.

Summary:

Join WSG Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford as he talks to Laura Catena, Managing Director of Catena Zapata, one of contemporary Argentina’s most celebrated and innovative wine-creating companies. 

Interviewee: Laura Catena

Laura’s initial ambition was to help people – hence her medical studies and her continuing work as an emergency and paediatric physician in San Francisco.  From the mid-1990s, though, the energetic and dynamic Laura has combined her medical career with driving the family wine business forward in partnership with her father Nicolas Catena Zapata.

She has been a leading figure in Argentinian wines’ move to ever-higher vineyards, and its search for single-site, terroir-expressive wines.  She is a leading voice, too, in arguing that it is time to move beyond conventional Old World/New World thinking towards a wine scene in which each hemisphere is accorded parity of status -- so that expressive differences between the world's wine regions can be better explored, enjoyed and celebrated.

Summary:

This is the story of a three-century-long beautiful adventure. France and America have had a long and tumultuous history, starting as early as the 17th Century when they discussed the merits of European vines and native American vines.

French emigrants came with their knowledge of grape growing and winemaking, settled in various parts of America and started the wine industry there. In 1976, the Judgement of Paris put American wines in the spotlight and French and American producers started joint ventures (Opus One, Dominus) and luxury houses bought vineyards in California (Chanel, Kering) or launched their own brands (Chandon).

Join us for an exploration of these American wines with a French flavor! 

Presenter: Evelyne Resnick, PhD

Evelyne Resnick, PhD is a wine researcher and author. She has over 25 years of experience in the wine business as the co-founder and managing partner of an international digital agency specializing in fine wines and spirits.

She authored several books in French and English on international wine marketing. She shares her time between America and France. She holds a PhD from the Sorbonne (Paris, France).

Summary: 

Join WSG Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford as he welcomes Elaine Chukan Brown, Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com for a passionate discussion about her life, her career and what lies ahead! 

About Elaine Chukan Brown

Elaine Chukan Brown serves as Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com, and is a James Beard nominee in Journalism. Brown is responsible for reporting on the California wine scene and expanding the site’s coverage of U.S. wineries and sustainability topics, as well as climate action and social responsibility in the context of wine. In 2020/1 IWSC and VinItaly awarded Brown Wine Communicator of the Year, and The Hue Society named them the Legend in Wine Education.

In 2022, WINWSA in China listed Brown as one of the 50 most Influential Women in Wine. Brown also leads seminars and does public speaking on wine, personal empowerment, and social justice and has done so in countries around the world. Prior to their career in wine, Brown was an academic philosopher, but first, they were a commercial salmon fisherman running their own business in Bristol Bay, Alaska. 

Summary: 

Thirty years ago, Nicolás Catena pioneered high-altitude viticulture in Argentina.

While searching for elegance and concentration, the Catena family found a strategy that today can be used for combatting climate change: "go higher". Malbec, Argentina’s leading red varietal was in decline and being pulled out.  

Today, high-altitude Malbec has led to the rebirth of Argentine wine on the world stage.  Ungrafted vines and ancient pre-phylloxera vine selections have something to do with this wine revolution.  Join us to learn about how the Catena Institute of Wine uses science to preserve the culture and nature behind wine.

Presenter: Dr Laura Catena

Dr Laura Catena is a Harvard and Stanford-trained biologist and physician, founder of the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina, and managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata (Est. 1902). Since 1995, the Catena Institute has helped to elevate the Malbec varietal and Argentine wine as a whole. Under Laura’s leadership, Bodega Catena Zapata has earned six 100-point wine ratings and was voted the most awarded world winery by VIVINO WINE STYLE AWARDS.  Laura is author of three books, “Vino Argentino,” “Gold in the Vineyards” and the upcoming “Malbec mon amour.” She lives with her husband and three children between Mendoza, Argentina, and San Francisco, California, where she volunteers as a street physician with the Department of Public Health.