‘Got Somme’ asks the age-old question: what happens when a master somme and a wine novice walk into a podcast studio?
Being a wine lover is easy. Being a wine expert – that’s a little harder. If you’re an amateur wine lover looking to learn more it can be difficult to find information that doesn’t sound like an alien language. (Sorry but “tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit” means nothing to most people).
Radio man, podcaster and novice wine enthusiast Angus O'Loughlin thought so too, which is why he teamed up with Master Sommelier Carlos Santos (Wine Director at the legendary Vue de Monde and one of only around 269 Master Sommeliers in the world) to create the Got Somme podcast. In each episode, Angus taps into Carlos’ world renowned talent to educate listeners on everything from types, tannins and taste, to producers, appellations and age. The aim of the series is not just to educate, but also to find the best bottle of wine that $30 can buy (so yeah, you’ll hear the Dan Murphy’s name pop up from time to time).
To brush up on our wine knowledge we had Angus sit down with Carlos to answer a few common wine questions we hear all the time. Below, the Got Somme duo tackle cork versus screw-top, which is the best wine country, and even reveal their favourite Australian winemakers.
- Q.Angus: All right, Carlos, we’re going to take a deep dive into wine. Firstly, how does a master sommelier open a bottle of wine?
Carlos: Well, we would want to make sure that the bottle is always kept at the same position so you don't disturb the sediments. First you take the foil off very gently, put it on a cradle and present it to the guests before you open it – again, very gently. Always try to take the foil off of the second lip, further away from the top of the bottle – that way there won’t be any foil left around the edges. Then you just insert the corkscrew easily in the centre – unless you have a screw-top, which makes things very, very easy.
- Q.Angus: You always keep the label towards the guests, right?
Carlos: Yes, correct. It’s important that the label is always facing the guests. Unless the bottle has been stored in a different position – let's say you have a bottle in the wall and the label was stored facing down. You shouldn't shift the bottle to label facing up, even if you want to show the guests, because you would disturb the sediment. When you then decant the wine, all this sediment would be mixed in. Attention to detail like that is important at this level. Whether guests spend $100 dollars or $20,000 on a bottle of wine, they deserve the same treatment. You should respect the wine and the customer.
- Q.Angus: Is wine with a cork always better? Or is screw-cap wine okay?
Carlos: I don't think it's better or worse. It really depends on the style of the wine. As a general rule of thumb, you could say screw-cap wines are for early consumption when they’re younger and good cork wines are meant to be aged – but not always. There are wines that are intended to be drunk in 20 or 30 years’ time that have a screw cap.
As for which of the two is better – that really depends on the style of the wine and the producer. For an expensive wine like a Grange or Hill of Grace, for example, you want it to have a good natural cork that allows a low rate of oxygenation over time. But good cork is very expensive, so that will add to the price of the bottle.
Screw-caps are really, really good because they completely protect wine from oxidation. But sometimes that’s too perfect and it means the wine has no contact with oxygen at all (or at very slow rates) and leads to it becoming reductive.
- Q.Angus: What does “reductive” mean?
Carlos: Imagine if after the gym you leave your wet towel or sweaty socks inside your gym bag for a week. When you open it it's going to smell, and it’s not going to smell good. The same thing happens with wines if they have too little exposure to oxygen. There is a solution though, just decant it to let the wine open up, let it breathe, swirl it around in your glass, and that reduction will go away.
- Q.Angus: This is a hard question – what country makes the best wine?
Carlos: It's a very difficult question because, these days, Australia's making great wine. And very different styles depending on where you are in the country.
France, of course, has always made amazing wines. There was a time a few years ago where I felt like French winemakers were almost a bit too lazy and got too comfortable because they are so well-known and expensive. However, I think there's been a really big rejuvenation of small producers in the French countryside that are making outstanding wines – and I'm very passionate about those.
If I were to pick one country – I mean, I love Portugal because it’s close to the heart – but if I were to be truly honest, I would go with France. There’s so much diversity. It’s easy to get a great French wine.
- Q.Angus: What do you think is the most underrated style of wine?
Carlos: I would say Vinho Verde – it's fresh, crisp, clean and there's so much work that goes into these wines. Everything is handpicked, everything done by hand. And you can get them for $7 or $8 dollars a bottle. When you compare to places where everything is machine harvested, you know, thousands of kilograms of grapes per hour. Back home in Portugal everything is done by hand in small wooden buckets. So I think that's underrated.
- Q.Angus: Nice choice! My final question, who is your favourite Australian winemaker?
Carlos: Wendouree is my favourite winery, even if it can be hard to get because of their super tiny production. Lita and Tony Brady, who have owned the winery since 1974, do not take one step without being meticulously sure of how it should be done – everything has a purpose.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
