not serious wine chats

• the not serious Holly Girven Russell & Gordon Russell

  Succession — it’s not just one of the best tele shows ever created, it’s also something of a challenge when it comes to the wine world of Aotearoa. I recently wrote a piece on how the future of NZ wine might need to look a lot more collaborative as opposed to inherited, and as if to really double down on the idea, our guests for today have embraced both. They’ve only gone and collaborated to make a really special, actually quite spectacular, wine together from the magical fruits of the Two Terraces Vineyard in Hawkes Bay under the Three Fates label. Of course, I’m talking about Holly Girven Russell and her dad, Gordon Russell. These two are a total delight and, as we chatted away, Holly challenged her Pops to a blind tasting of what turned out to be - his very own wine. Did he guess what it was? Did he even guess that he made it? Did any of us manage to guess it? Well, no spoilers but suffice to say the wine was a great nod to Gordo’s experimental and creative wine career. Gordon has worked as winemaker at one of New Zealand’s most respected wine estates for over 30 years and he's an innovator. He spent his winemaking life getting all experimental with new wine varieties and blends that contributed to the evolution of NZ wine. And he played a lot of vinyl. He reckons he just missed the Punk era but to be frank, it feels like Gordo is adept at embracing a bit of counter culture. As if London is some sort of portal to a wine career for this family, Holly was off to live the bright lights, big city life in London town herself and with some wine hook ups from her Dad, she ended up working as part of the wine buying team for Marks & Sparks.Fast forward to 2025 Holly is now a winemaker, making wine in Hawkes Bay on her own terms which has culminated in a role at Decibel Wines and as one Fate of the truly wonderful, explorative, collaborative wine brand Three Fates which Holly started with pals, Hester Nesbitt & Casey Motley.Just like a map of London, this chat departs down side streets and little lanes of family memories, shared experience and how making a wine together has created an incredible opportunity that both Father and Daughter have each brought their own inimitable style and panache.So old chaps, pull your A to Z map book and your tube pass from your satchel, pour yourself a jolly crisp refreshment and Mind the Gap, this is the not serious Holly Girven Russell and Gordon Russell chat. not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:TradecraftBy the BottleAntipodes Water Co. Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend. join the chatinstagram | facebookIf you're struggling to put that glass down, perhaps our chats aren't the right ear candy for you. While the chats are not serious, living your best life is a very serious matter indeed and a life fuelled by addiction doesn't sound dreamy at all. If you think you need a hand, visit the Ministry of Health site for platforms that might help you take the first step towards taking control back. Our warmest wishes for success on that journey.

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• the not serious Dave Verheul

  I had never met Dave but he was born in Dunedin, Otago — and so was I. We bonded quickly over Mosgiel’s Hollywood sign. If you’re from Melbourne, Dave probably needs no introduction. He’s the chef and co-owner of Embla, a wine bar that’s not just popular but cult-following popular. A lot of Not Serious chats seem to involve our guest being in the right place at the right time and Dave is no exception. After a couple of years of kicking off kitchen life in Wellington, Dave meet Chef Josh Emett, who was already ensconced in London but back in NZ to award a certain Chef scholarship. Dave — a carpe diem kind of guy - mentioned he was about to head to London and asked Josh if he might help him with a job. Less than 48 hours after deplaning at Heathrow, Dave was headed to work in his Chef’s White at none other than The Savoy with Josh and that familiar old sweary bastard, Gordon Ramsay. Fast forward to 2025 and Dave has spent 25-odd years in kitchens, pushing plates across the pass. Like many Chef’s his curiosity over flavour has spilled over from food into booze.Saison Aperitifs — Dave’s range of vermouths and amaros that aren’t just drinks, but layered, aromatic creations that walk the tightrope between food and wine are a testament to Dave’s detail-orientated Chef’s mind. If Embla is the mothership, Saison is the offshoot where herbs, spices and botanicals get the same treatment a chef gives prime produce. The result? Bottles that taste like someone bottled up a season, a memory, a feeling — and gave you permission to sip it over ice. The Saison Black Walnut Vermouth that Dave served with chilled Schweppes Ginger ale and a squeeze of fresh lime juice while we chatted really did float my boat. I tried to get to the bottom of how a vermouth is made and I’m not sure I’m any the wiser now but that’s ok. There’s a mystery to this stuff that makes it not only intriguing but also delightfully different despite the fact that you’re still playing in the wine isle. Dave does go some way into explaining how he makes Saison but stops just short of truly sharing his secret. Clever bastard. Now I just want it more. This chat wanders through kitchens, wine bars and herb gardens with the kind of detail perhaps only a chef could give to the craft of booze. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a flavour-obsessed cook decides to capture the rhythm of a season in liquid form then this, you not serious, wine curious, good times seeker you, is your episode. So — chuck a chunk of ice in your wine glass and pour yourself something bitter and bright, floral and funky and settle in for some serious fine art of flavour. This is the Not Serious Dave Verheul chat. not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:TradecraftBy the BottleAntipodes Water Co. Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend. join the chatinstagram | facebookIf you're struggling to put that glass down, perhaps our chats aren't the right ear candy for you. While the chats are not serious, living your best life is a very serious matter indeed and a life fuelled by addiction doesn't sound dreamy at all. If you think you need a hand, visit the Ministry of Health site for platforms that might help you take the first step towards taking control back. Our warmest wishes for success on that journey.

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• the not serious Ashleigh Barrowman

  Ashleigh Barrowman and I first met in Marlborough — Waterfall Bay to be precise. We were hosting hospo folk and wine retailers for a few days foray into MANA Winegrowers — a Marlborough collective of like-minded producers hell bent on sharing the love of the region through the lens of organic farming. At that time, Seresin was still a MANA member, which meant we had the very good fortune of kicking back in the bach of winery owner and Hollywood famous DOP, Michael Seresin (If you’ve watched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, then you know his work). The pad, a piece of perfection by Architect Pete Bossley, set the scene for an extremely memorable few days talking shitski with people from the booze biz. Ashleigh and I clicked. I really enjoyed her company and we threatened each other with keeping in touch after that gig was over. We didn’t. But – I did watch on with deep admiration when she resurfaced a few years later visibly determined to dedicate herself to the craft of making jolly good wine. Ashleigh’s pathway into making her own gear was not known to me at all. She had been working with industry stalwarts, Therese and Hans Herzog, when we met.But it was a chance encounter with a leather-pant clad, pony-tail sporting Frenchman called JJ, also known as Jean-Jacque Morel, who is perhaps most to blame for Ashleigh’s descent into the dark arts of making love potions that transcend the ethereal realms of heavenly nectars to a damn fine daily drop you just want to scoff with a slice of cheese. Burgundian gangsters aside, Ashleigh has made wine in Sicily, Jura and Australia all alongside equally notable makers. Her world had opened up and it was all about to lead to the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough, where she sources the fruit for her Siren wine label — a label of provocative and absolutely pitch-perfect design that colourfully references Tarot cards, eluding to the science and sorcery that is behind winemaking. So, pour yourself a glass of some ethereal elixir, burn a little energy-cleansing sage and get ready to shuffle your cards, this is the Not Serious Ashleigh Barrowman chat. not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:TradecraftBy the BottleAntipodes Water Co. Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend. join the chatinstagram | facebookIf you're struggling to put that glass down, perhaps our chats aren't the right ear candy for you. While the chats are not serious, living your best life is a very serious matter indeed and a life fuelled by addiction doesn't sound dreamy at all. If you think you need a hand, visit the Ministry of Health site for platforms that might help you take the first step towards taking control back. Our warmest wishes for success on that journey.

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• the not serious Paul Pujol

  The funny thing with social media is you can have these online relationships with people but never ever physically meet them. Paul Pujol was one of those blokes for me. Almost every restaurateur I knew raved about the man and couldn’t believe I’d never met him. Thanks to that raving, voyeuristic portal that is Instagram, to be honest, I sort of thought I had. Turns out I hadn’t — until we had this not serious chat. There are some people you should never meet. You know the saying, “never meet your heroes”? It’s a premise that they never meet your expectations and you leave the encounter deflated and resentful. Well, let me tell you, meeting Paul Pujol in real life is not like that. It is, in fact, pretty bloody dreamy. Armed with a dry wit meets a fiery sarcasm, Paul has this lovely unassuming calm that is balanced by a clearly caring, sentimental take on life while being something of a adrenalin junky — and he makes tasty gear for us all to enjoy — and he comes from Hamilton. The storytelling flows from this dude like the Waikato River cuts a track through that city. Broad and deep and carefree albeit with planned direction. Paul shares a winemaking story during this chat that really takes the biscuit. It’s like the Lottery win of how to kick start your wine career. He talks about how his French Father coped with the cheese selection of 1980’s back country New Zealand, spoiler alert – he describes it as being like soap—which is by all accounts was fair for those days. Mon dieu! At least these days Les fromage is much more fanciful and shares the same attention to craft as our winemakers. Speaking of making wine, Paul gets candid about what it takes to make the Prophets Rock Vin de Paille— a wine that arrives dressed in a striking short bottle eluding to the fact it’s something a little bit different. This little sucker is made from a single parcel of Pinot Gris and takes 21 months to ferment. Now, I may have just gotten technical for the wine curious folk but let me tell you, that’s a shit tonne of time to ferment and by all accounts, what’s left in the barrel at the end of it to be asserted into the aforementioned snazzy bottle is one fifth of fuck all which why it’s sold out. Honestly, listen to this story of winemaking and if you’re not sold on this fella’s vision and his mad passion for the craft then I’m not sure you deserve to drink any of his booze. He has the commitment of a monk trying to beckon God from the sky. It’s close to insanity but also pretty bloody dreamy. So, grip those rosary beads firmly in one hand, grab a glass of some heavenly sweet, sweet nectar in the other and get ready for some enlightenment. This is the not serious Paul Pujol chat. not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:TradecraftBy the BottleAntipodes Water Co. Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend. join the chatinstagram | facebookIf you're struggling to put that glass down, perhaps our chats aren't the right ear candy for you. While the chats are not serious, living your best life is a very serious matter indeed and a life fuelled by addiction doesn't sound dreamy at all. If you think you need a hand, visit the Ministry of Health site for platforms that might help you take the first step towards taking control back. Our warmest wishes for success on that journey.

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• the not serious Jannine Rickards

  Today on Not Serious Wine Chats, Pete and John and I sit down with Jannine Rickards (Ngāpuhi & Ngāi the Rangi) from Huntress Wines. I first met Jannine when she was the winemaker at Urlar in Gladstone, a sub-region of the Wairarapa. This part of the country clearly resonates for Jannine as Huntress shifts from a side hustle to the main act. This wonderful wahine still sources fruit and makes wine in this North Island neighbourhood. The name Huntress comes from an extremely pragmatic, utterly pedestrian point of reference for Jannine herself is a huntress. A childhood spent on a sheep and beef farm in the Coromandel nurtured an understanding for animal husbandry and welfare, alongside an innate awareness of the restorative powers of spending time in nature.Her own grandfather passed on traditions such as ancient practices of net fishing for flounder, and her father shared his passion for growing a garden that can feed the family. So it shouldn't come as such a surprise that Jannine grew up to combine the two by becoming a deeply respectful hunter and a massive advocate for a plentiful table laden with homegrown goodness. These things are, in essence, Jannine and factors that contribute to how she sees wine holistically fitting into our lives.Jannine's practice across her winemaking, her gardening and her hunting is based in Te Ao Māori, where land and spirit are inextricably connected. One thing's for sure Huntress wines sure do taste like they summon the powers of Ra, the sun and the mystical whims of Te Whenua, the land, in a magical balance that best reflects the place they come from. There is something of a nomadic story to the Huntress wines. With no vineyards under ownership or her own winemaking space, Jannine leans into the opportunities that exist around her. Much of the wine story is held up by community and people underneath it, and Jannine's story especially represents this as she sources fruit and facilities available to her each season. It means she must work hard across a lot of levels of the business and sure, one day she'd love to put down roots somewhere of her own but for now this huntress is happy just making the most of what Papatuanuku, Earth Mother and Ranginui, Sky Father have to offer from wherever she finds herself. Luckily for us that the universe provides so we can smash a glass or two of Jannine's explorative and most excellent wines. So grab your tramping boots, put on your waterproof parker and make sure the singlet next to your skin is made from New Zealand wool. We're heading bush for this one. This is the Not Serious Jannine Rickards chat.not serious wine chats would like to thank our supporters:TradecraftBy the BottleAntipodes Water Co. Special thanks to my pal, Benj Brooking of Popular.nz for his help with the editing. An expert filmmaker, editing these chats is being done as one mate helping another. Thanks Benj. You're a legend. join the chatinstagram | facebookIf you're struggling to put that glass down, perhaps our chats aren't the right ear candy for you. While the chats are not serious, living your best life is a very serious matter indeed and a life fuelled by addiction doesn't sound dreamy at all. If you think you need a hand, visit the Ministry of Health site for platforms that might help you take the first step towards taking control back. Our warmest wishes for success on that journey.

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