This week, InVintory launched its newest high-end tier, Opus. A leap above its existing products, Opus is effectively a smart home solution for wine cellars. InVintory builds a custom 3D model of a wine cellar down to the exact wooden case or magnum bottle, which is unlocked on an iPad that is stationed at the cellar door. This allows customers to easily and visually find any bottle at the tap of a button.
To discuss this new product and talk about InVintory more generally, founders Jeff and Josh Daiter (father and son) joined Yule for an in-person interview at Jeff's condo in downtown Toronto.Learn how Jeff - a retired physician - was inspired to create InVintory after an incident that saw the very bottle he was trying to find in his cellar smash to the floor, and hear how Josh responded to Jeff's request for help and built a rudimentary app over a short family holiday. The trio also delve into the ethos underlying the company and where they envision it heading in the future.
Listen to or watch our very own podcast, Chats From the Wine Cellar.
The official InVintory podcast, hosted by COO Yule Georgieva, where we talk to leading figures in the world of wine about their particular area of expertise, and of course, their personal wine collections.
Wine is more than a drink - it is an experience that is enhanced when we connect to the people and places behind the bottle. That connection is forged with knowledge, so whether you are a seasoned wine aficionado or just getting started, listen in as we bring to life the enthralling world of wine through conversations with the people who know it best.
Matt Day is the head winemaker at Klein Constantia., the legendary South African estate founded in 1685, that once produced the sweet wine requested by Napoleon on his deathbed.
Situated in beautiful Constantia, just south of Cape Town, the Constantia estate was founded by original Cape Governor Simon van der Stel, shortly after the colony's genesis. It was later split into "Groot" (big) and "Klein" (small). The Sweet Wine of Constantia was favored by aristocrats in 17th and 18th century Europe, before falling into dormancy for a long period characterized by oidium, phylloxera, and quotas under the regulatory system.
In the 1980s, Klein Constantia was revitalized, and since then, has undergone a meteoric rise under the guidance of Bordeaux legends Hubert de Bouard (Chateau Angelus) and Bruno Prats (formerly Cos d'Estournel).
Today, the estate produces a revived version of sweet wine, renamed the Vin de Constance, and specializes in terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc, reminiscent of the great wines of the Loire. In addition, Matt has assumed the helm of sister Anwilka estate to produce exceptional red wine to complement Constantia's whites. The Vin de Constance is considered one of the great sweet wines of the world and is sold on the Place de Bordeaux alongside the likes of Chateau d'Yquem.
Listen in for the fascinating tale of Klein Constantia's long history, and Matt's own story of how he came to be head winemaker at this legendary estate very early on in his career.
Ian D'Agata will be known to many listeners as the authority on Italian wine. He is a multiaward winning author who has been speaking and writing about wine for thirty years.
His books (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs, and Italy’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive Compendium Region by Region) are considered the bibles of Italian wine and have received numerous prestigious awards such as the Louis Roederer International Wine Awards Book of the Year. His latest book, Barolo Terroir: Crus, People, Places is newly launched and attracting similar accolades.
Ian was a former staff writer at Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Contributing Editor of Decanter, and Senior Editor of Vinous. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the TerroirSense Wine Review and the Chief Scientific Officer of TasteSpirit, China’s leading wine education and media platform, and President of the TerroirSense Wine Academy and Wine Education programs.
You can find him on instagram @ian_dagata and @terroirsense
Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright was born into the South African wine industry. She has worked on all sides, from owning a famous estate in Stellenbosch - Warwick - to production, sales and media, and writing. She is also a Cape Wine Master, the highest qualification in wine education in South Africa, and she was the youngest person at the time to have achieved this title.
In 2018, she moved to Canada, yet she has remained strongly engaged in South African wine and wine in general. She is a freelance writer, international wine judge and educator, and currently works at Peter Igel Agencies in Ontario as a wine buyer.
With her intimate knowledge of the South African wine scene, Jenny well knows every region and producer. In this episode, she shares some of her top tips for those collectors who are new to South Africa, as well as for those looking for some recommendations on great producers to add to the cellar.
John Baker is a successful Australian wine merchant who recently published a book, titled Stalin’s Wine Cellar.
The book is a personal memoir of John’s adventures in the 1990s pursuing a large, very old wine collection in Tbilisi, Georgia. The collection was rumoured to have belonged to Tsar Nicholas II - the last Tsar of Russia before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. The collection was then seized by the Communists as state property and allegedly came to be owned by Stalin himself.
The book is part Assouline’s The Impossible Collection of Wine, with bottles that a collector can only dream of touching, and part Bill Browder’s Red Notice, giving readers a taste of the Wild West of post-Soviet Georgia, where gun buts sticking out of belts was a common sight.
Find the book on the Penguin Australia bookstore, or simply Google "Stalin's Wine Cellar" to locate a retailer near you.
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