Sophie Parker-Thompson is a New Zealand winemaker and Master of Wine, living in Marlborough. Sophie and her husband Matt own and run Blank Canvas, a premium wine brand producing high quality varietal wines.

Sophie's MW research paper investigated Biogenic Amines and we asked her to unpack this topic and draw out the key elements to understand. We then discussed the styles and winemaking in Marlborough Chardonnay; this variety is in the shadow of Sauvignon in terms of size of production, but Marlborough is a commercially relevant source of great quality Chardonnay and deserves more recognition. Our third topic was an explanation of Appellation Marlborough and why it is important for producers and wine lovers.

This episode's wine was the 2023 'Tano' Chardonnay, a single vineyard in the coastal subregion of Blind River.

Stephy Terrizzi is a Californian viticulturist and a remarkable figure with her experience and knowledge in the vineyard as well as being highly regarded within her hometown of Paso Robles. She manages the vineyard operations for Giornata, a boutique winery run out of "Tin City". There, they make wine only from native Italian grape varieties. We discussed the history and issues of Italian grape varieties in California, in particular looking at their 2023 Fiano. We talked about organic viticulture and get in depth examples. Finally we discuss irrigation and water use with regards to plant physiology and sustainability. In 2025 Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance named Stephy and her husband Brian as Wine Industry Persons of the Year winners, as recognition for the success of their wines and contribution to their community.

Dr Dylan Grigg is one of today’s most high profile viticulturists.

He offers accessible and digestible information on viticulture and has become a rare person in the wine world, able to offer engaging stories that help open the often opaque world of vineyard management.
We discussed key concepts in understanding old vines and attempted to answer if old vines do indeed make better wine. We asked him to explain layering in the vineyard and what is important to do to get it right. Finally we asked him how he makes his social media presence bring what he does to life – particularly key when so few details make it out of the vineyard.

We tasted the Vinya Vella 2022 Barossa Grenache. A pure and delicate style made, of course, from old vines.