Champagne, cucumbers, and estate winemaking with Zeke Neeley

Zeke Neeley, winemaker at Trefethen Family Vineyards, weaves the aromas of baseball card gum, petrol, and mowing the lawn into the story of his fascination with winemaking and the sense of smell.  He lays out the challenges and rewards of estate winemaking, and then tells the story of how Trefethen’s wine, Dragon’s Tooth was created.

Between exploding wine bottles, his failure with Champagne and cucumbers, the animals that work the steep slopes in the Rheingau, and the way Zeke sees love as an integral trait of making wines, he gives us plenty of opportunities to laugh.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Trefethen Family Vineyards and don’t forget to check out  their red blend Dragon’s Tooth
• Bonny Doon Vineyard
• Schug Carneros Estate