I’ve been listening to Levi Dalton’s I’ll Drink To That podcasts, having been introduced to them by Stevie Kim on the drive up to the Wine Bloggers Conference last week.  I just heard the Fred Loimer interview and was blown away, partly by Fred’s very clear and articulate answers, but also Levi’s NPR-like well researched questions and delivery.  Terry Gross could learn a lesson by listening.

I’ve prioritized listening to the podcast interviews of people I know, whose wineries I’ve visited or whom I’ve worked with, for or traveled with.  Take Fred Loimer.  I know him from my days working with Willi Klinger and the team at the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and have visited his winery several times.  However it wasn’t till I listened to Levi’s interview that the things I had learned academically about Austrian wine became more personally meaningful:  Primary rock, loess, Gruener’s need for moisture, Riesling’s preference for gneiss soils, the history of individual vineyards, Respekt vs. Demeter.

Same went for Gerhard Kracher and Leonardo LoCascio.  I’ve had the opportunity to talk to both in person and learned things I never knew about them, or their passion for winemaking and wine enjoyment from Levi’s podcast.

Now Levi’s working with Vinitaly on the Wine2Wine project (at which, I’m happy to say, I’ll be speaking) and has a great promo for wine industry buyers. Check it out here:  http://illdrinktothatpod.com/post/126664332455/see-you-in-italy  for how to propose yourself as a candidate for a free trip to Wine2Wine in Verona, Italy Dec. 2/3, 2016.

Every WSET student should include listening to the entire body of work.  Short of meeting the people in person, this is the best way to gain real perspective on the people that help bring you the wonderful world of wine we all enjoy.

So if you’re serious about wine, check out www.Illdrinktothatpod.com

And on a commercial, but related subject,  I’m inviting all wine industry professionals to register for the USA Trade Tasting March 21/22 2016 in NY.  I’m working with Sid Patel of Beverage Trade Network and John Beaudette of MHW Ltd. to rock the wine trade show world in the U.S.  It’s modeled on Vinitaly in that we’ll be connecting buyers and sellers and providing them a way to get their brands into the U.S. market while staying fully compliant with the Three-Tier System.  The event is just about sold out for exhibitors and we’ve got a parallel education program set up with some great speakers including Danny Wirtz of Wirtz Beverage, Scott Ades of Winebow, Marcy Whitman of Palm Bay, Rob Bradshaw of Cape Classics and Frank Shobe,  with Golden Ram Imports.

I’m off to Australia next week to speak at the sister show, Australia Trade Tasting which will be hosting a U.S. market day on Sept. 2.