interviews

Herbert König: I’m Just a Passenger

Oh, come on, South Styria, this is just not fair. Not only are you one of the most picturesque regions out there, with your lush green hills dotted with cute yellow houses, but you also have no shortage of talented people who transform this natural richness into really incredible wines. Like Herbert König, the gentle yet determined presence at the helm of Wachstum König.

Piri Naturel: Organic Is Not Enough

Our very "farming-first" interview with Christine Pieroth, the Nahe pioneer of regenerative agriculture and fellow fan of trees, Pinot Blanc and burning less fuel.

Joe Swick: Everyone's Song Is Different

Breaking the bread on the need for varietal, style and life diversity with my esteemed colleague who makes idiosyncratic wines in the Pacific Northwest of the U. S. of A.

Lammidia: Blind Tastings Are the Best

Candid exchange with Marco Giuliani of the iconic Abruzzo winemaking duo that has an extraordinary path both behind and ahead of them.

SOMA VINES: Crossing Borders

British-French couple making and importing wine in Germany, Daisy and Antoine attest to the compelling cosmopolitan cross-pollinations inherent to the natural wine world.

Nikolas Juretic: Finding the Balance

From art through Simonit & Sirch to farming the family vineyards – and making art again.

Markus Altenburger: Don’t Jeopardise Deliciousness Because of Dogmatism

Geeking over all things Blaufrankisch with my Burgenland colleague and fellow BF enthusiast who likes to keep things elegant and balanced.

Fabrice Domercq, Ormiale: Winemaking Is Too Serious to Be Left in the Hands of Experts

Designer, artist, sculptor, poet, winemaker, dreamer, thought-provoking wine sage… Fabrice Domercq, the creative force behind Ormiale wines, truly is one of a kind. Since starting their niche, experimental and now cultish winery in Saint Emilion (of all places) with his friend and fellow designer Jasper Morisson back in 2007, they have been doing things their own way, which is even more fascinating given the reality of that area.

Eddie Chami, Mercel Wines: Seeking the Lebaneseness

Meet an Australian-born Lebanese trailblazer who swears by high-altitude vineyards and indigenous Levantine grapes in order to capture the true spirit of his country in the bottle.

Franz Strohmeier: Trust the Plant, Trust Yourself

My interview with the Styrian legend proves that Franz is one of the most intriguing and warmest people in the wine world. No wonder his wines procure as much pleasure and feel-good vibe as his very presence and ideas.

Filip Nagy: The Time, The Place, The Human

Interview with the driving force behind Zlatý Roh winery and 7 riadkov and one of the most interesting (and closest to my heart) members of the Czecho-Slovak wine scene.

XOXO, Samsa: Nestarec meets La Degustation, again

A gift that keeps on giving: almost exactly a year after the start of our beautiful friendship with La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise, our collab with this innovative restaurant in Prague bears two new exciting fruits.

Slobodné Vinárstvo: You Reap What You Sow

At this point, our Slovak friends from Slobodné Vinárstvo don’t need much introduction - their wines travel around the world as much as ours, so funnily enough, we cross paths more often at wine fairs like La Dive or the recent RAW in Montreal than on our home turfs. Yet, their fascinating, century-spanning family history and “from lawyer to farmer” personal stories remain a bit less known. Which is a shame, so I'm grateful to our mutual friend Valentina Kasper Rosputinská for digging deeper in this interview with Agnes, Katarína and Mišo, three of the fab family four that is Slobodné.

Corentin Houillon: Don't Go in the Vineyard if Your Mind Is Elsewhere

Congenial talk with the young prodigy from Savoie who radiates energy to people and vines alike – and his wines are just as #goodvibesonly.

Mike Bennie: Shifting the Landscape

While the northern hemisphere is busy with harvest, things are no less in movement Down Under. Diving into the Australian wine scene with the multi-hyphenated wine globetrotter with Czechoslovak roots.

Jas Swan, Katla Wines: Underdogs & Safe Spaces

Opinionated and full of energy, my Mosel-Valley colleague Jasmin is a vocal supporter of the queer community and part of the "new German wave". Intrigued by her freethinking mind and the fearlessness with which she creates her own world and rules, I wanted to hear more of her story.

Nate Ready, Hiyu Wine Farm: Diversity Makes You Nimble

Located in the Alpine climate of Northern Oregon, a stone's throw from the snowy peak of Mt. Hood, Hiyu Wine Farm is one of the most idiosyncratic wine & farming endeavours in the US – or maybe worldwide.

The Mushroom That Strives to Get Out of the Box

David Minařík is truly a renaissance man – originally a painter with a degree from the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and a promising art career in Denmark, he has (with a stopover as cider and lemonade producer) become a mushroom tamer aka the CEO and co-founder of the biotech start-up Myco.cz.

15 Seconds of Fame for a Blown Tyre

Brno-based street artist Timo is known for his subtly subversive interventions in the public space of the Moravian metropolis and beyond. I've always enjoyed his humour, his witty play with language and his voluntary distance from fame – which is why we're happy to display his ideas not only on the walls of our Betonarka, but also in this interview.

Good Design Shouldn't Be a Luxury

Brno-based designer Josef Rozehnal is a friend whom I appreciate not only for his passionate upcycling vision or his boundless creativity when turning our old auto-repair shed into something resembling an actual winery; I mainly enjoy how he always comes up with interesting questions, pushing me to search for genuine answers. So this time, we switched sides and made Josef the first "hypha" of our Mycorrhiza, a series of interviews with people beyond the wine world whose work I enjoy and get inspired by.