Greg Norman needs very little introduction. In addition to being one of the greatest golfers of the modern era, he is also one of the greatest entrepreneurs. Gottannins interest in the Shark has to do primarily with his Wine Estates (we also happen to be huge fans of his golf game).  Mr. Norman was kind enough to offer our readers his insights into wine. This week you can catch him competing for the green jacket in Augusta at Masters.com. 

The interview covers a wide variety of topics and a very funny story.  Enjoy it and let us know what you think by posting a comment. 

What was the first memory you have of wine?

Playing golf in France and Europe for the first time in 1977 -1978.  

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

One of the first wines I started to really drink and enjoy during my travels as a young golfer was Montrachet. But I remember being given a bottle of Penfold’s Grange in 1976 for winning the Westlakes Classic in Adelaide Australia. It is amazing how it has come full circle for me ultimately being led back to the regions of Southern Australia where we now produce the Greg Norman Estates Shiraz.  

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Of course I like to drink a good tasting wine, but the entire experience behind drinking wine, the people you are sharing the bottle with, the food you will be eating alongside it, the location where you might be drinking it- comfortably at home or in another country- all heighten the experience of wine and make the memory of that wine last in your memory much longer.

How big is your cellar? 

I have a decent size cellar (approx 1300 bottles) that holds a variety of wines from all over the world, as well as representing a few decades of vintages. I am always adding new wines I learn about through my travels, which keeps it pretty well stocked with exciting wines. 

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)?

I typically drink Chardonnay from all over the world, but mainly Californian and Australian with dinner but if I am grilling up a nice steak, I will reach for a nice Australian Shiraz or California Cabernet Sauvignon.    

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)? 

Of course I love all the wine regions in Australia and am pulled to Napa for its peaceful nature  but recently I visited Stellenbosch in South Africa and Mendoza in Aregentina and fell in love with their beauty as well. All the wine regions of the world hold such a unique feeling about them. They are all so different yet all so similar in a sense.  

What is your favorite vineyard or brand? 

Besides Greg Norman Estates, especially our Reserve Shiraz , I love to visit Stag’s Leap Winery in Napa and enjoy some of their beautiful wines.  

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year) 

I am a fan of a Penfolds Grange, but I must say one of my favourites is my Shiraz reserve – it was ranked #8 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2004.

What wine are you saving for a special day? 

I have a few bottles of 1982 Chatuex Margaux in my cellar in Florida which is the year my daughter was born. We have enjoyed a few of these during special occasions in the past. But typically, I like to enjoy my wine when I want it and do not tend to save wine for the future. 

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

Since my daughter, Morgan, lives in Napa Valley and is the Marketing Manager for Greg Norman Estates, she tends to send me not only the wine I know and like but new and interesting smaller production wines that she discovers being a local. Otherwise, I pick up a few cases here and there while I am visiting different countries for golf tournaments or golf course design. 

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it? 

Yes. The Greg Norman Estates’ Camatta Hills Reserve Syrah is farmed completely organic and in our line-up of wines, this is a true beauty that I really enjoy.  I do not discern any difference in an organic to non-organic wine though.  

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine? 

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)? Since my daughter is a trained and talented chef, one of my favorite experiences is to sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine, watching her cook a dinner for the family to enjoy, while sharing a bottle of wine that she has paired up with her dish. Also, my wife and I love to have a wine or two at the end of the day, just catching up on the happenings in our respective worlds.  

Do you have an embarrassing or funny experience to share?

Not embarrassing, but funny. At one President Cup ( a golf tournament, between an International team and the USA) we were on the bus heading back to the hotel, post our golf for the day, and the ladies wanted some wine, but forgot to bring a wine opener, so I volunteered to open the bottle without an opener. No one thought it possible, but I succeeded by taking off my shoe and hitting the bottle of wine forcing the cork out with the pressure of the wine. To say I was a hero at that time would be an understatement. 

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try? 

Not one wine. Just do not be afraid to go out of the box and experiment with many different varietals. Broaden your wine experience. 

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now? 

Given the state of the economy on a global basis, you will see a retraction from the super premium wines to the premium wines as people attempt to save, but still enjoy satisfying their palates. So, wines that have not been noticed as much before and have great value for the $ will be noticed more. Especially with the fluctuation in the currency rate. Countries such as Australia will benefit with the weaker Aussie $ to the US $. 

What created your passion for wine making?

Growing up in California provided the exposure to wine from a young age. When I went to U.C. Davis for college in 1979, I discovered that the school had a world-renowned program in Viticulture and Enology, and that prompted additional interest for a lot of students at Davis (kind of a sense of pride in the program). I also had a friend at Davis whose family grew grapes for Joseph Phelps, and he would bring wine on occasion to different functions. I could taste the difference in these better wines. They were more flavorful, interesting and exciting. Each new wine experience brought more enthusiasm. 

Wine has such complexity of aromas and flavors from different varietals, appellations, producers, techniques and the like that it is a never-ending discovery that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. And there is no other beverage that pairs as well with food!

What is a typical day like for a wine maker? 

On the way to work I’m on the phone with either our senior vice president of sales, red winemaker, vice president of production, vineyard managers or growers catching up on the latest news. Once at the winery, I pop into the lab to look over the previous days analysis – free sulfur dioxides on finished chardonnay barrel lots, malic acids on chardonnays undergoing malo-lactic fermentation, pH’s and total acidities on chardonnays finished with malo, and bottling chemistries. I also am writing adjustments or additions for our production manager to execute in the winery. I write up blending trials, findings and other schedules for taste evaluation. Normally, I taste what is being bottled and typically five to ten other wines in various stages of winemaking each day, deciding the next steps for each wine. Many days we’ll taste upwards of forty wines doing blending trials, fining trials, oak evaluations, etc. The rest of the day is a blur of phone calls, emails, looking at sales projections versus estimates, inventory levels, vineyard estimates and other relevant information to plan production. I read quite a lot from journals, industry news and other related fields. The next thing I know, I’m back in the car and on the phone on my way home!

In other industries, you usually want to leave your work at home. Is that possible in the wine making business? 

I enjoy my job, and when I get home, my wife, two daughters and I will sit down to a dinner that my wife or I have made, and normally we crack open a bottle of wine. Regardless of where I am, I always think about what I’m tasting, where it’s from, how it might have been made, what is different about it, and if there is something I taste here that could benefit the wines that J. Lohr makes and so on. I think about my work all the time, but fortunately, I can enjoy a glass of my creation at the same time.

What’s your best wine story? 

I had a really good friend that I met originally at J. Lohr, who moved on to other employment, but always kept in touch. I can’t remember the year, but I think it was 1988, and Brett (my friend), his wife Doreen, my wife Kathi and I went to Mt. Shasta for a short weekend water skiing vacation. The last night in Mt. Shasta, we went to dinner at the local resort restaurant – the Whales Tale.  I packed along a bottle of 1985 Chateau Canon from St. Emilion, France that a gentlemen had given me in exchange for some lab analysis. After paying a meager $5 corkage fee, we watched the waiter pull out the longest cork any of us had seen to date. He poured us all a glass – no taste and swirl before pouring for everyone – and as we all put our noses into the wine and took our first taste, we looked at each other, speechless. It was for all of us the most elegant, delicious wine that we had ever tasted and was a fitting end to a great weekend with close friends. I have the label of that wine and the description in my “Wine Album” book at home!

What’s your advice for new wine enthusiasts?

Try lots of wines. Find a local wine shop that does in-store tastings, and go to a few. See if you find some wines you enjoy. Find a store attendant and tell them the wines you like and then ask them to recommend others that you might enjoy. It doesn’t have to be expensive. My local wine shop in Pleasanton, CA – the Wine Steward - carries some really neat wines in all different price categories. Be adventurous, and if you’re disappointed in most cases you haven’t invested a lot of money!

What do you love about your job? 

There are many things to love - the lack of routine, being outdoors, the differences that each vintage brings, creating something that captures the essence of each year’s weather (and you can drink and enjoy it), the merger of art and science.

What do you do when your not around wine?

I like to do a lot of different things including cooking, spending time with my family, hiking, softball, playing guitar, listening to music and woodworking.

How did you end up working with J. Lohr wineries? 

At UC Davis, my professors said that this winery in San Jose was doing some good work, and after selling wine for a year and a half after graduating, a job posting came up for crush help at J. Lohr. I went to work for a harvest and never left!

J. Lohr often says it is run like a boutique winery, with the technology and equipment of a large scale operation. Can you tell us a little more? 

At J. Lohr, we take the detailed approach of a small winery, breaking each vineyard into blocks with similar soil types, choosing appropriate variety and clone and rootstock for each site, assessing appropriate water, fertilizer and soil amendments.   We do lots of hand work in the vineyard from shoot positioning, leafing, veraison thinning to hand harvesting our premium blocks. In the winery, we keep each block separate through fermentation, assessing quality along the way. We experiment with different yeasts, malo-lactic bacteria, temperatures, pumpover techniques, barrel types and makers. The list is endless. But unlike many smaller scale wineries, we are able to afford higher tech equipment from the laboratory such as FTIR technology for wine analysis (using no chemicals), automated color and phenolics evaluation during red wine fermentation, processing equipment of automated berry sorting tables, and automated additions of grape acid and sulfur dioxide and fruit analysis. All in all we pay attention to the details as a small winery, but with larger lots.

J. Lohr is a well known winery. Is there anything that we don’t know about the winery that we should? (secrets, facts, etc.) 

One important secret to J. Lohr’s success is the longevity of our staff. Many of the positions at J. Lohr winery and the people in those positions are the original hires. We have a few staff with 30 years experience, a larger group with greater than 20 years with the winery and a huge number with greater than 10 years at J. Lohr. The consistency and success of J. Lohr in large part is due to the dedication and service of its employees.

J. Lohr has developed three tiers of wine, J. Lohr Cuvee Series, J. Lohr Vineyard Series and J. Lohr Estates; what should we expect when trying each? 

I’ll speak in reverse order starting with the Estates wines. These wines are all blends from our ranches, dutifully grown by our vineyard managers. They are meant to be fruit driven, complexed with barrel age, approachable wines upon release with the exception of our White Riesling and Valdiguié which are stainless steel fermented and aged. Typically the whites are a vintage ahead of the reds in the market (2007 whites and 2006 reds). Our Vineyard Series wines represent the best fruit for each variety in our vineyards. The reds are hand picked, destemmed, sorted and fermented in open-top stainless tanks using punch downs or pumpovers. They are barrel aged in a high percentage of new French oak barrels for greater than 18 months and are at least a vintage behind their Estate wine counterparts (Hilltop Cabernet 2005 and Estates Cabernet 2006). The whites are treated in a similar fashion, but are barrel fermented in a high percentage of new French oak with 15 months on the lees before bottling. The exception being Carol’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc which is stainless steel barrel fermented and aged on the lees. Our Cuvée wines represent the best of the best with an eye towards French texture and are only made in exceptional years.  They are only reds, and represent blends based on Cabernet Franc for Cuvée St. E, Cabernet Sauvignon for Cuvée PAU and Merlot for Cuvée POM with a little Petit Verdot and Malbec thrown in for good measure. They will be run through the same sorting system as the Vineyard Series reds, but will spend a little more time in the best French barrels made. They also will spend a full year in bottle prior to release.

What should our readers be trying from J. Lohr right now? 

Try the 2006 J. Lohr Estates South Ridge Syrah and the 2007 J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 Hilltop Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 October Night Vineyard Chardonnay in our Vineyard Series lineup are worth a special search.

Do you have a favorite we should seek out? 

I still am a lover of our Chardonnays. The 2007 J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay and the 2006 October Night Vineyard Chardonnay are really delicious wines. But I also love the 2006 Tower Road Vineyard Petite Sirah.

What’s the biggest challenge you have in making wine for an internationally recognized brand?   

Patience! Wine takes time and I often have to curb my enthusiasm for wines that aren’t released yet.

When Jerry Lohr started planting wines in the Central Coast, it was relatively unknown. How do you think the central coast ranks now? 

I think that Monterey is recognized for outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir now, and Paso Robles is continuing to emerge as a stellar red wine producer – just ask Robert Parker.

Has the wine industry changed in the last few years, if so how? For instance, has the internet changed the wine industry? 

The industry continues to be comprised of fewer players with the consolidation of wineries through acquisition by bigger wine companies. This leads to more fierce competition of the remaining entities. Multiple winery bonds within a single winery have allowed for the emergence of many micro-brands producing as little wine as 2 barrels. The internet and high-end, hungry oenophiles have allowed many micro-brands to exist with full retail marketing of a small number of cases at high prices and avoidance of the three tier marketing system. Additionally, consolidation in distribution and retailers have greatly reduced the number of outlets for wine sales.

How do you think the economy is affecting the wine business? 

The economy has impacted wine industry sales, particularly on-premise (or in restaurant) sales and higher retail priced wines. Consumers are trading down in price with the $5 to $20 per bottle price segments remaining the least impacted. For higher priced wines, only iconic brands - of which there are very few – are immune to a downturn in sales.

Any predictions for the wine industry in the next 5 to 10 years? 

Globalization of the industry will continue with increased pressure on retail wine pricing that will be good for the consumer, but not so good for the producer. The U.S. will become the number one wine market in the world. There will be a huge turnover in California winery ownership in the next decade with the passing of the founding matriarchs/patriarchs.

So Alan Kropf first got in touch with us in the Fall of 2008, just before the launch of his new rag focused on the beverage industry. The publication is called Mutineer Magazine.

At first I wasn't quite sure to expect. Once I read the first issue, I figured it out pretty quickly and we decided that we didn't just want to do a quick post announcing the launch of the magazine. We wanted to get a full-blown interview with Alan to share with all you guys.

Alan and his team are now on issue #3 and the full magazine, which features Gary Vaynerchuk on the cover is available for viewing online here.   (It is a .pdf).  The magazine is going national soon but if you'd like to subscribe before it hits the newstands near you, please visit the subscription page directly. 

We've enjoyed reading the witty articles which are aimed at opening up the palates of a younger generation. 1WineDude called Mutineer a "most promising up and comer" and Martini Groove said "Take a bit of Maxim, add some A.D.D, throw in some comic book stylings, then get drunk. Now you know how they came up with Mutineer Magazine."

Here is a picture of Alan so if you run into him on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles you can ask him for his autograph!

On to the interview...

What was the first memory you have of wine?

I remember drinking wine at church when I was young, which always really intrigued me. You could only have a very small sip, and I would hold this sip in my mouth for a good minute before swallowing. The wine was simple but very tasty to a ten year old experiencing a pleasure beyond his years. 

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

That is such a tough question to answer. I can definitely tell you the first wine I had that resulted in an almost sexual experience for me, and that was a 1994 DRC Richebourg while working at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This was after working at the hotel for about five months, during which I had enjoyed a ton of incredible wine, but that Richebourg took things to a whole new level for me. It was perfectly aged had a complexity that stopped me in my tracks. I had a similar experience with 1985 Krug rose Champagne around the same time.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Definitely the experience, because an enjoyable experience is able to make the most rustic and simple wine taste spectacular.  

How big is your cellar?

My cellar is quite small. I travel and move a lot for my writing, so hauling a bunch of wine around doesn’t make sense, and there is ample wine for me to enjoy wherever I’m headed. I wish I had a more extensive cellar to age bottles, but it just doesn’t make sense for me right now. I do a have a case that I drag around with me that I am aging, but that is about it.

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

I like varietals with noticeable character. For red, cabernet franc, nebbiolo, and syrah come to mind. I’m not a big drinker of your typical big California cab unless it has some years on it. Give me a Sonoma Pinot Noir or Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from the early 90’s and I’m in heaven. For white varietals I am a fiend for riesling; I can’t get enough of the stuff. I really like sauvignon blanc for its transparency. Sauvignon blanc from France tastes a universe away from a New Zealand version, and the same goes for California, New York, and everywhere else the grape is grown.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

I could make an argument for every wine region in the world being my favorite, though I’ve always been drawn to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and am fascinated by what they are doing in Southern Oregon right now.  

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Another tough one to answer. I’d have to say DuBrul Vineyard in Washinton State’s Yakima Valley. This vineyard is incredible and does well with a range of varietals. It is special to me because I came across it by accident early on in my wine career and fell in love with the wine.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

Haha, IMPOSSIBLE to answer.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

I have two that are particularly special to me. The first is a 2002 Cote Bonneville, which comes from the aforementioned DuBrul Vineyard. The other is a magnum of 2006 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir from a trip to the Willamette Valley with my parents.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

I tend to buy wine at local, independent wine shops. If I’m at the grocery store I’ll pick up a bottle for dinner if I have something in mind. I also buy a lot of wine while visiting wineries. 

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

I’ve had organic wines and found them very enjoyable.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

I don’t think I’ve spent more than $300 on a bottle of wine. I’ve bought quite a bit of higher end Champagne, I have some Harlan, and I have a weakness for great Barolo.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

I had a BLAST at the American Wine and Food Festival this year in Hollywood. The atmosphere was electric and the only thing more impressive than the food and wine was the abundant presence of beautiful women.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

German Riesling, particularly from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. I’m a fan of the Kabinett designated wines myself, as I find these wines to be beautifully balanced and well suited for food pairing.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

I tend to look to entire regions rather than single wineries. Oregon’s Southern wine regions represent an outstanding value with their Rhone varietals. Portugal’s Vinho Verde offers some very tasty and affordable white wines, and regions throughout Spain offer drinkers a wide range of red wine options at affordable prices. These are just a few of the regions out there offering drinkers values.

Any funny or embarassing wine story you care to share?

All of my funny stories are also not only embarrassing, but ridiculously embarrassing, and enough people know about those already!

About Alan Kropf - 

Alan Kropf is among the world's youngest wine professionals and has studied with both the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. Alan spent a year as the Sommelier at the Beverly Hills Hotel before leaving to focus on his writing. Alan has contributed to magazines publications including Sante, The Tasting Panel, and SommSelections and currently writes a wine column for the Wenatchee World. He has also spent time working in the wine program at Gordon Ramsay in West Hollywood. He is currently writing his first book and is a wine consultant to restaurants and collectors.

What was the first memory you have of wine?

Manischewitz Concord grape wine at Passover. My mother claims that even when I was five years old, a) I refused to sip it and b) I said “there must be something better than this.”

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

When I was 19, I tasted a Macon-Villages for the first time.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Much more important than the wine itself is the environment: the people, especially. I have had just ok picnic wines that tasted great because I loved the people at the picnic. I have had extraordinarily fine wines that did not thrill me because I did not enjoy the company (they were wine snobs, for whom there is a special place in Hell).

How big is your cellar?

I have about 500-600 bottles, mostly a bottle or two of this, a bottle or two of that. I am not a collector. My cellar exists to provide pleasure for friends, loved ones, and family.

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

Red: Pinot Noir – so terroir-driven, and so flexible with food.

White: Riesling – also a terroir-focused wine, and dry to off-dry Rieslings are fabulous with spicy foods, which I tend to enjoy. Alsace Riesling I consider a red wine in drag.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

Piemonte, Italy. Barolo and Barbaresco, in particular. 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

I’d have to say the single vineyard Pinot Noir selections from Josh Jensen’s Calera vineyards and winery in the Mt. Harlan AVA. Amazing wines.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

1962 Vega Sicilia from Ribera del Duero, Spain. Tasting that wine created the epiphany that got me involved in wine as a profession.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

I don’t do that, really. When I’m with people I love, everyday is a special day, and calls for a special wine. I’ve never regretted that approach.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

I live just outside of Woodstock, New York, in the Hudson Valley. I’m fortunate that I live literally two minutes from my favorite wine shop, Hurley Ridge Wines and Spirits. The owner, Carol Matthews, and her all-female staff are passionate about wine, and the selection is great.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

I have, of course. I differentiate between “organic wines” and wines produced from organic vineyards. I am a huge fan of organic, biodynamic, and sustainable practices in the vineyard; in the winery, not so much. In the case of the vineyard, it is a matter of conservation and leaving the land in better shape than you found it. In the winery, I have found that completely organic practice can lead to wines that are unstable, especially whites. To me, the issue is all about the vineyard.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

I’m usually not a big spender, but I’ve purchased a few expensive bottles. Once or twice, I’ve blown $300-$350 in a restaurant. Fortunately, because of the work I do, I’ve gotten to taste some very expensive wines on other people’s dime. I always try to remember that even in the most expensive bottle of wine in the world, there is almost never more than $20 worth of actual wine in the bottle. Price is based on (the perception of) scarcity, hype, marketing, and the often mistaken notion that older is better, and more expensive is better.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

While writing a book about the history of Niebaum-Coppola (formerly Inglenook, now Rubicon Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley, owned by Francis Ford Coppola), spending an entire day by myself silently tasting every vintage of Rubicon ever produced. It was a meditation on the history and the pleasure of terroir.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

In warm weather, Vinho Verde from Portugal. In the winter, Gigondas from the Rhône Valley. And always, vintage Cava, fine methode champenoise sparklers from Catalonia, Spain. 

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

I have to say that I have never been disappointed by any wine made by Eric Fry at Lenz winery on the North Fork of Long Island. The wines hover at just about $20, and the quality is extraordinary. For something that is far more accessible nationwide, the “Marques de Casa Concha” line of single-vineyard wines from Concha y Toro; really good wines at under $20.

Any funny or embarrassing wine story you care to share?

How much time do you have? One that comes to mind is early in my career appearing on television in a blind tasting, adamantly identifying a red as “ definitely Old World Merlot, definitely a Pomerol, and definitely expensive.” Of course, the wine was a Columbia Crest Merlot from Washington State, which at the time retailed for about $7. At least I got the grape right. A humbling but valuable experience, and in retrospect, quite funny.

If you are interested in purchasing Steven's book, WineWise, you can purchase it from Amazon.com. Published by Wiley on October 10, 2008, list price is $29.95 USA and $32.95 Canada. (Amazon has it for $20 bucks right now).

 Grant Burge Barrel Tasting

Preface

On a night late in July, my wife and I tried a bottle of 2003 Grant Burge Holy Trinity from Barossa Valley at a top French restaurant, Delicias, in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The taste was exquisite and made an amazing night incredibly memorable. 

We were so impressed with the flavor, texture and finish of the bottle, we had to get more information on the Barossa Valley, the wine Holy Trinity and the wine maker Grant Burge.   Luckily for us, he agreed to a conversation during a trip to the east coast in September.

When we spoke with Grant, his car was headed to Connecticut from Manhattan for a wine maker’s dinner. During the hour long trip he entertained us with stories and advice to share with our GotTannins.com readers.

Enjoy!

Interview

Got Tannins: Thank you for taking the time with our readers. Where are you headed and what are you doing in New York?

Grant Burge: I just spent some time in Canada before heading to New York and Connecticut. We have a couple of stops in North America meeting with wine enthusiasts and hosting dinners.

GT: Your family has a strong history in wine making, and in the Barossa Valley. What was your first memory of wine?

GB: This year marks our 150^th year in Barossa and I’m the 5^th generation. On March 3, 1854, my great grandfather, John Burge and his wife moved to South Australia and they started a small winery.

My first memory of wine was when I was a kid, I grew up on a vineyard. When I was two years old I remember moving to the winery and on hot days we used to jump in the concrete fermenters filled with water to cool off.   I grew up in a house right next door to the winery. I used to play in the winery with all the staff as a kid. I remembering heading over there before and after school.

Wine was unique to the Barossa Valley at that time. Wine wasn’t like it is today, it wasn’t an everyday drink. Beer was the everyday drink and wine was a novelty. Not many folks knew much about wine or the wine profession.

GT: When did you know you wanted to go into wine making?

GB: I always wanted to be a winemaker, probably because of my father. When I arrived at secondary school they asked me what I wanted to be and I told them a winemaker, but most people outside of the Barossa Valley had never even heard of winemaking as a profession.

GT: What is your favorite “wine story”?

GB: I went on a trip to the Rhone in 1996. On the way back from Rhone we stopped near Burgundy and went to a producer in Santernac. The winemaker took us to dinner at his home and we had a bottle of 1921 Pinot Noir, Cote de Charlemagne.

We drank it blind so we had no idea what it was. It was the finest and most delicate wine I’d ever had…probably the best I’ve ever had. We had to guess which wine it was and a few of us thought it was a 1982, but were blown away that it was a 1921.

I’ll always remember that; fantastic wine, great food, great conversation, it was perfect.

GT: Barossa has some extraordinary wines. Tell us what makes Barossa such a special place for you?

GB: The community is quite unique. We’ve got some of the oldest vines in the world. Barossa has a lot vines that are over 100 years old, in fact, many vines are 120 to 130 years old. The quality of wine that can be made from those grapes helps Barossa stand out.

GT: Tell us about the ‘old vines” of Barossa? What should a wine drinker be looking for when they are drinking an ‘old vine wine’?

GB: Beautiful color from Shiraz; wonderful flavor and finish. The thing about the old vines is you get so much more concentration, especially in the mid-palate. With the old vines you get a much deeper concentration of flavor from start to finish.

My best advice to understand Old Vines is to try two wines from the same vintage. Vineyards that are maybe next door to one another. One will be made from vines that are 80/90 years old, the other will be from vines that are 18/20 years old.

Old Vines on Grant's Vineyard

GT: Now, talking specifically about Grant Burge Wines, we have tasted the 2002 Holy Trinity and were blown away.   Which ones should we be trying now?

GB: The Holy Trinity as a brand is a great one. We are now offering the 2003. We’d recommend your readers try this one. It is one of the wines made with old vines. The youngest vines are 50 years old in this wine.  One of my basic rules is that if I couldn’t drink it, I wouldn’t put it out there.

GT: What is your favorite varietal?

GB: That’s a hard question. There are days when I love Shiraz. There are days when I love Grenache. I do really like Cabernet Sauvignon!

GT: Grant Burge is a very popular wine, not only in Australia but internationally. What’s the biggest challenge you have in running an internationally recognized wine?

GB: The biggest challenge is funding everything. It’s incredibly capital intensive. I started my vineyards with my father in 1971, almost 40 years ago. Early on I invested in vineyards, which for years were undervalued in Australia. Instead of just buying grapes, I was trying to buy vineyards.

GT: You’ve been growing your company! Where do you want Grant Burge wines to be in 5 years, 10 years?

GB: We’ve got a couple of wineries now. Doing a brand is very expensive, so we’ve tried helping folks with private labeling. We did 80,000 cases recently for a company that did all the marketing, distribution, etc. They went broke, but we lost $8m in their ongoing contract. So we’ve focused on increasing the brand of Grant Burge. We won’t totally drop Private Labeling, but will only do it for a few key folks that we have a good relationship with.

In the next five years we will be concentrating more on quality end of the product, we’re in 40 countries around the world.

I would like to develop opportunities with our more premium brands.

GT: Has the wine industry changed in the last few years, if so how? Has the internet changed the wine industry?

GB: There is tremendous opportunity in the internet in terms of getting out our message of quality. We have to always explore the channels available to us. Internet, direct mail, and the various mediums of reaching directly to the consumer.

Grant Burge wines needs to work out ways to engage consumers and sell direct. We need to maintain reasonable margins so that I can survive. Sixty five percent of Grant Burge wine is sold in Australia. The remaining thirty five percent is sold in 40 countries. Lots of our business is sold to restaurants, which provides margins for everybody.

GT: Caps vs. corks?

GB: I’ve got nothing against screw caps; they have been around for a long enough time. There was a big comeback from screw caps in the late 90s because of all the issues with cork supply. Technology on screw caps has improved and there’s been a change in attitude amongst drinkers and younger drinkers are more open to the screw cap. Even some Sommeliers are more open to screw caps.

Corks been around for 400 years. We’ve been doing test on our premium wines with some under screw caps and some under corks, then doing blind tasting. So far 80% of the wines are coming out on the side of cork. This is for wines more than five years old.

Right now we are sitting back and seeing how it all evolves. Screw cap manufacturers are working on research to improve their quality and to allow for a little bit more oxygen. There is a big debate in the wine industry about the amount of oxygen to allow into the bottle.

Down the road it could be 100% screw cap. The cork industry has made a big strategic blunder. It should have been more technically minded years ago. Why should a consumer waste money on a cork that is no good. The cork industry should have been a lot more diligent.

GT: your advice for new wine enthusiasts?

GB: Drink what you like. Don’t worry too much what people say. Be open minded and do your own thing. Once you get hooked on wine you’ll come to the conclusion that certain wines may go with certain foods; but that will be up to you. Eat the foods you like, drink the wines you like.

About Grant Burge

Grant Burge is a fifth-generation Barossan vigneron and winemaker, who throughout his career has been one of the most respected and innovative forces in the Australian wine industry.

Grant Burge Wines was formed in 1988 by Grant and his wife, Helen, and is based at the historic, Cellar Door, on the banks of Jacobs Creek, in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The Cellars are one of the most successful and popular in the area, and have together with the wines has been awarded many accolades.

Read More Here on Grant’s Website

Got Tannins is happy to present our readers an interview with Ryan Sproule, the founder of Black Box Wines. Ryan founded the company in 2002; one of his intentions being to reverse the reputation of premium wines always having to be in glass bottles.

Boxed wines are experiencing a renaissance. NPR's recently ran a segment on All Things Considered talking about the growing popularity and the future expecations of boxed wines. You can listen here.

What was the first memory you have of wine? 

My parents used to serve wine when they had guests for dinner. When I was a teenager, my mom sometimes let me taste it. I remember being very unimpressed.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

In my early twenties a friend who worked as a server in a high-end restaurant introduced me to a good and reasonably priced Italian red from Valpolicella. It really changed my perception of wine and resulted in me becoming a regular a wine drinker.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Definitely both. Wine has the good fortune to be prevalent at many get togethers and special meals so it really benefits from this positive association.As wine becomes more mainstream in the US, and people consume it more as an every day beverage, taste becomes the paramount factor.

 How big is your cellar?

I don’t really have one. I have never have much more than a half dozen bottles on hand. They always seem disappear before they have a chance to age.

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

I don’t really have a favorite. I drink about 50/50 red/white depending what I am in the mood for. I usually drink the classic table wine varietals, but I also enjoy sweet dessert wines.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

I do not have a clear favorite, but overall Sonoma County probably offers broadest range of both excellent white and red varietals.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Clearly Black Box ;).  I created Black Box to cater to exactly what I wanted as a daily consumer of wine: unbeatable value and convenience. If I did not own the brand I would be probably be its most loyal customer.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

Nothing stands out. If I am going to drink a really high-end wine I tend to opt for a Napa Cab.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

At this point, nothing. The wines that I hope to save for that “special occasion” always end up being a casualty when friends come over and we open that second bottle.

 
Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from)

Now that I live in the suburbs it’s usually my local Safeway. The have a large selection of quality wines.

 
Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Very rarely. I have never noticed any particular difference from non-organic.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

Probably around $200 for business dinners that were expensed. As for purchasing at a retailer, for my own personal consumption, probably $25. I’m too frugal to spend much more than that.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

When Michael Mondavi was the chairman of Mondavi Wines he invited me to their Napa winery for a private luncheon. He had his chef prepare a gourmet meal and brought out their best wines. The wines were exquisite and the multi-course meal perfectly complemented them.  It was a beautiful summer day and we dined for two and half hours on a private terrace overlooking the lush vineyards.  The combination of food, conversation and atmosphere made this my most memorable wine experience.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

If you were looking for a high quality wine that is affordable for every day drinking and will stay fresh after opening, I would highly recommend Black Box.

How do you think the perception of boxed wine has changed in the last year to two years?  How does this perception vary in regions around the world? 
 

In the U.S. the image of boxed wine is in the process of a very successful makeover. The availability of high quality bag-in-box wines is making the consumer aware that the being in a box no longer means the wine is lower end. Consumers are understanding that the package does not effect the taste of the wine, and they are embracing the benefits of the box which include:  lower price than bottled wine for the same quality; a vacuum sealed pouch that keeps the wine fresh for 4 weeks after opening as opposed to a couple days with an opened bottle; a far more portable and practical package for wine drinkers who enjoy outdoor activities like camping, boating, etc. In Australia and Europe where per capita wine consumption is much higher than the U.S., the revolution has already happened and premium boxed wine has become commonplace. In Australia over 50% of the wine sold is in box.

How do expect this to change over the next few years? 
 

As consumer awareness in the U.S. increases, the category will continue to grow. Lower packaging and shipping costs allow boxed wine producers to sell the wine at a lower price than the equivalent quality bottled wine and the greener environmental foot print of boxed wine appeals to persons concerned about the future of the planet.  These factors have resulted in premium-boxed wine becoming the fastest growing product category in the wine business. 
 

What was the first memory you have of wine?

The terrible stuff we drank at Christmas and Easter when I was a child, usually from the same box.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Brunello when I had graduated from university: sublime... in a small Italian restaurant.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?

 Both, one infuses the other... they're inseparable.

How big is your cellar?

1500 bottles.

What is your favorite varietal(s)?

Whichever wine someone else is buying...Pinot (Noir) if I have to pay, its seductively silky.

What is your favorite region for wine?

No favorites, I’m eclectic.

 
What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Too many to name.

 
Do you have a favorite bottle?

No.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

I have some 1966 Bordeaux to celebrate a future birthday.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

 I buy mostly from my local retailers.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Yes, I recommend them frequently.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$800. 

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

Visiting Oregon, its beautiful.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Kim Crawford Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

What is an up-and-coming wine region you think is a good value right now?

Argentina Malbec.
 

About Natalie MacLean

To fund her late-night vinous habits, Natalie MacLean holds down day jobs as a wine writer, speaker and judge. An accredited sommelier, she is a member of the National Capital Sommelier Guild, the Wine Writers Circle and several French wine societies with complicated and impressive names. Funny, brainy and unapologetically tipsy, her goal in life is to intimidate those crusty wine stewards at fine restaurants with her staggering knowledge… Read More Here

What was your first memory of wine?

Occasional wine with Sunday dinners when we were kids.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Gallo Hearty Burgundy in college ($1.55 a gallon); Mateus Rose when courting my future bride; 1966 La Mission Haut Brion after I learned something.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

All of the above. Start with a dozen wines in a blind tasting as one way of picking a good one (to your particular palate) and then match wine with good food and great company. Sharing wine with others is the greatest pleasure.

But don’t think it’s just the taste.  A major part of our appreciation is in the nose.  I can remember tasting a barrel sample of the 1985 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 in early 1986 at the winery long before it went into barrel aging and bottling.  The nose exploded with fruit – an amazing concentration of Cabernet plus a few nuances from the terroir. It was packed with Cabernet character on the palate, hidden behind the tannins. But the nose got me. Two or three years later it received top scores from many critics. Also, if you do a blind tasting with Cabernet or Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from different countries and regions, be guided by the nose (aroma of the fruit, bouquet from the terroir, barrels, style of the winery, etc.).  Very fun.

How big is your cellar?

About 1,000 bottles. 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

For consistency, I’d recommend several from different parts of the world, while avoiding the ultra-expensive cult wines.  California: Caymus, Beringer, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Hanzell, Phelps Insignia, Mondavi Reserve Cabernet.  Bordeaux: Lynch Bages, Cos d’Estournel, Pichon Lalande, Pichon Baron, L’Angelus, Palmer, Clerc Milon, Carraudes de Lafite, La Mission Haut Brion, Mouton.

 
Do you have a favorite bottle?

1975 La Mission Haut Brion, 1985 Stag’s Leap Cask 23, 1982 Mouton.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

1970 Dow Oporto, 1985 Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Magnum, 1989 Mouton Magnum.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

Different retailers: San Diego Wine Company in San Diego; the Wine Club in Santa Ana; K&L in San Francisco.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Just the Bonterra.  Good value. 

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$200.  I’ve been fortunate to get into futures. 

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

Too many to count.  The best usually involve a so-called gourmet group of five couples that we have enjoyed supping and sipping with for more than 25 years.  We get together every quarter to try cuisine from a different region, with wines to match.  Each couple is charged with bringing one of the courses and appropriate wine. The mixing and matching is spectacular and ranges from a $12 bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a clam appetizer up to a $100 Napa Cabernet with the beef Richelieu (if you haven’t done this, please do).

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Try one new wine a week to go with food, take notes on what you like and don’t, and continue the quest.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

 Malbec from Argentina, Cabernet from Chile, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

 
Did we miss anything?

Wine needs company – good food and great people. Don’t get hung up in wine-worshiping or buying labels. As noted above, continue the quest.

About Tom Gable

Tom Gable, a native Californian, has been writing about wine for more than 30 years.  He began during his tenure as business editor of the San Diego Evening Tribune in the 1970s. He was syndicated through Copley News Service and also contributed frequently to travel, wine and inflight publications before moving into a full-time career in public relations.  He continues to cover wine as contributing wine editor for San Diego Magazine and also writes about wine, food and travel for magazines and newspapers.

Tom has judged at major wine competitions and traveled extensively in the winemaking areas of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and New Zealand. He is a member of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and the Commanderie de Bordeaux. 

Tom is CEO of Gable PR, San Diego, one of the west's leading public relations and marketing communications agencies.  He is the author of The PR Client Service Manual, now in its fourth edition and the No. 1 book sold through the Public Relations Society of America on PR program planning, implementation and managing for results. 

A graduate of San Diego State University, he served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and as a war correspondent with Pacific Stars & Stripes. Prior to starting his first firm, The Gable Group, in 1976, he was business editor of the San Diego Evening Tribune and a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and other business, travel and regional magazines. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting and holds many awards for writing and public relations.

Tom and his wife, Laura, live in Del Mar, California, and have three grown children.

Gary was awesome enough to share some time with us and do a phone interview for our readers, providing his insight into the world of wine. Gary, who is from Jersey and is a huge Jets fan, was driving around San Francisco on his way to lunch with Kevin Rose (of Digg fame) and then to dinner with Mark Zuckerberg (of Facebook fame). Between that and TV appearances on the Big Idea, Conan, and MadMoney, we say, Tough Life!  :-)

We at Got Tannins encourage you to go out and support Gary's new book - 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World.

What was the first memory you have of wine?

My first memory of wine is Manischewitz wine at a passover dinner when I was 13 years old.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Before I even truly liked wine I had already taking the family business from $3m (1997) to $10m. I was obnoxiously booksmart. The first "good" wine was an Amarone.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Easiest question ever!  its totally about the people you share it with. Sometimes its mindset, the day; the emotions you go into it with.

How big is your cellar?

A bit tough to answer given my business. My cellar is really tied into inventory of Wine Library. 

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

At this specific moment Cab Franc from the Loire Valley.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

I tend not to fall in love with any specific region, I like trying and experiencing new things.
 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Don't have one favorite vineyard or brand.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

1994 Bryant Family Cab. 1st birthday in New Jersey after I finished college at a family dinner (I went to Mt. Ida )

What wine are you saving for a special day?

Cases of birth year wine.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Yes, I think everybody has, but don't realize it. Lots of wineries don't publize it. They will all start now. Perception in industry was organic wines were not good. On the flipside, organic or sustainable wines will be the norm within a decade.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$700-$800 range, for older Burgundy's at Cru in NY, great wine restaurant.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

The impromptu flash SXSW wine party (2008) at the Marriott that everyone found out about via Twitter.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

A wine that is a varietal that they've never had before. Period. That my friend is how people will get into wine and learn about wine. 

It's almost summertime, what's your take on Rose?

I like rose, but am more of a fan of white crisp white wines.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

Douro region in Portugal is where its at. Classic varietals, portuguese indigenous grapes. 

Did we miss anything?

Getting into wine is easier and better than ever before. Most importantly, people need to try different things. Too many people find a specific grape and have too much of it, for example, pinot noir, what they should be doing is trying as many varietals as they can.

You can follow Gary Vaynerchuk at Twitter - Garyvee

You can follow us at Twitter - Samirb

Ernie was kind enough to sit down and share with the Got Tannins community, his personal thoughts on wine. We at Got Tannins encourage you to go out and try some South African wines!

What was the first memory you have of wine?

To be honest, it took a while before I discovered wine. You have to bear in mind I grew up in Johannesburg, which is a long way from South Africa’s wine country. Also, my dad never drank alcohol so we didn’t have any wine in the house. It was only really when I met Liezl and then went to visit Jean Engelbrecht [a good friend and partner of Ernie Els Wines] at his family vineyard that I started to taste wines and really enjoy them.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine? 

I don’t know that I can remember an exact bottle or anything like that, but I’ve always enjoyed good Bordeaux. I guess that’s helped shape my tastes and the way I think about wine. You can see it reflected in the wines we offer now.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good? Why?

I think it’s a bit of both. I mean, the two kind of go hand in hand and if one element is not right it can easily spoil the other.

How big is your cellar?

We have 46 Ha (114 Acres) of vineyards on the property in Stellenbosch, and the winery has the capacity to handle 300 tonnes (331 tons) of grapes every harvest. I would think this is a small-medium size, which suits us nicely.

What is your favourite varietal? Why?

I’ve always loved red wine, as I said, especially your classic Bordeaux-style. Our flagship wine, the Ernie Els, is a Bordeaux-style blend of five different varietals and it has been a huge success around the world.

What is your favorite region for wine?

I’m biased, obviously! But I’d say we’re very lucky in South Africa because the wine is very special. The weather gives us the perfect growing conditions and I think it’s fair to say we’ve come along way in a short space of time. We’re catching up with some of the other New World wine regions like the Napa Valley and Australia, and even giving some serious competition to the established countries such as France. We’re producing some great wines in the Stellenbosch area these days. It’s very exciting to be a part of that success.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

My opinion is obviously not very objective, but I just love drinking the new vintages from our three wineries that we are involved in. With the portfolio currently at 14 wines, there is always something new to try.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

Stellenbosch 2003 reds are very good. 2006’s are exciting but time will tell how they mature.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

Although we are a young wine brand, our first wines are getting close to optimal drinking and I am looking forward to trying our maiden vintage, the 2000 Ernie Els Bordeaux blend again. Being a wine built around a 60% Cabernet Sauvignon base, the wine should have opened up beautifully in the last year or so.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from)

To be honest, Liezl and I buy our wine from a variety of retailers, normally on short notice for my airplane or a braai [barbecue] with friends.

Have you ever had an organic wine? Did you like it?

I have had very few organic wines, but I think I need time to understand them a little better.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

The best wines I have had were actually gifts from friends, so I have been very lucky.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

I think it’s hard to beat sitting down with a few friends after a game of golf and sharing a nice bottle of wine. You know, it makes you feel good about life. And being a South African, for me a good steak on the braai with a nice red wine is a great combination; that’s probably my favourite meal.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

One of our friends from Franschoek, L’Ormarins, has just released the A. Rupert collection, and the Cabernet Franc is outstanding.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

My friend Greg Norman has always delivered great wines at all price-points.