Hello everyone, my name is Anthony Metzger Winemaker and Sommelier today I have a really
cool fun interview with a winemaker named Alaks.
Alaks has traveled the planet and made wine in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Chile,
and California.
He is from California and he is joining me live via Skype to tell me about his experiences
traveling the planet and making wine.
Alaks, welcome to the show Thanks Anthony It's a pleasure having you on.
So, you're a traveling wine maker from California, is that correct?
I am yup based… from southern California based in central California
So where have you traveled to make wine?
Ah lets see man well I got my first start in California and after that my cellar master
recommended I go abroad just to get the experience in the off season, so from that new Zealand
was the first choice.
He's like go to NZ its easy to get the visa. he said to hop on down there and work 3 months
to a year, whatever you want to do and come on back.
That was the first step and dude I was just bitten by the bug, you know you couldn't
get enough international traveling wine makers.
From there I came back up to the states but then down to AUS and then from AUS most recently
went over to Germany so had the opportunity…
Australia?
yea Australia its called AUS as well yea
um yea but yea that was interesting yea the most interesting wine making episode of my
life.
You know awesome wines over there.
Stuff you never really get to try cause it doesn't make it on to market sometimes.
what in Australia you mean?
yea in Australia for example what kind of wine are you talking
about?
oh man they just have some big big reds in the (barasa valley) but if you get into some
of these smaller more particular wineries that are basically supplying the Australian
and asian markets sure
that never really get the chance to be shipped over, you know you can't really find it
in specialty bottle shoppes over here.
So yea its just really cool taking some side trips on the weekend when your not really
working yea
and you get to try some pretty unique stuff.
nice nice, so you have been to NZ, Australia, and you have been to germany
yea that is correct but your from California and you started from
there.
So that is what I was going to get to, How do you become a traveling wine maker?
dude yea good question, uh I mean I guess people can go around in different ways.
You know some people are more full time in the industry and cant really afford to travel
abroad and do this.
yea other people like myself I was fortunate enough
to…
I didn't study, I didn't go to school for wine making but the best thing you can
do, the advice that was told to me, is to just get as much experience as you can in
the cellar so you can find new techniques and stuff.
So yea man I set out and the advice was look online for the job boards for NZ, you know
some people have contacts, but being so fresh its difficult finding smaller producers so
you kind of have to get stuck with the big guys which can be good or bad depending on
your own experience and what you want to go for.
But essentially you research a place you want to go and send out an application, some of
them are pretty easy and then make sure your passport is in check and your off to a different
country to make wine.
What was working in germany like? it was definetley the most unique wine making
experience ive had really?!
Australia was cool and new Zealand was my favorite by far just because I love the country
and the people and culture.
But germany was just sort of a different experience.
yea germany is more of a different experience then the southern hemisphere has to offer.
oh yea, yea, especially there was a (devino wines) in (Franconia) wich is mostly white
wines.
First of all ive never worked with so much white wines in my life.
Yea just a variety of grapes ive never worked with, never heard of as well.
We associate germany with greisling.
I was getting thrown out like (short ribert) or sauvana or moritow) and just grapers where
I was like are you saying a word right now?
laughs uh but uh it was really cool you know a real
difference in working experience with people from all over the world as well.
People from south Africa, parts of germany, states, Australia, NZ, people were coming
from all over wich made it really fun to embrace these different cultures, while in this totally
different country.
yea that's the thing is you in germany you were part of an international team of wine
makers is what they called it, and so what that means is for the harvest because of the
place you worked produced about five million bottles a year.
So they hire people from all over the world and created this team of international wine
makers to come assist with the harvest.
yea So you had people from NZ, Australia, there
was one from namimbia, south Africa, finland right?
Hungry!
The states.
So that's pretty wow.
So you show up in this winery and you've never been there before and never met these
people from all over the world before, I mean now your all living under the same roof to
and sharing the same room to from im hearing.
I mean that's just got to be a wild wild adventure in itself and also getting the pleasure
to talking to different people from around the world, so your really getting an understanding
of how the wines of the world goes.
Tell us about that, I mean living and meeting up with all these people you never met?
yea you know again its I think its this job, something I should have added before, its
not for the faint of heart you know your going to be putting yourself into different settings
all over the world.
I mean theres winery regions where you can be in eastern Europe where they don't even
speak much English if at all.
So you can go to these forgeign places and you just have to have an open mind, you just
have to be the personality type to go with the flow.
It makes it all a lot easier, it makes it easier on yourself the progression of the
experience.
And so like you said your going to be under this roof with all of these different people
that you have never met before.
And the best thing you can do is to just break bread with them.
You just sit down, if you're a drinker you open some wine or open some beer make some
food together and you just start talking.
You just start getting along with these people and learning about them and about where they
come from what their doing here and what they hope to expect.
It's a really unique experience that you really don't get in any other industry in
at least ive ever worker at.
A lot of people I know from back home just site in a desk chair and the only time they
get to travel is for pleasure which is all good.
But uh to be just putting yourself in a small town in germany with people from all over
the world that you never met before, its just a lot of fun you sort of go with it.
You sort of cant explain the feeling of ok so no responsibilities except for just show
up for work tomrow.
You know lets have some fun to tell me about yourself.
yea yea for me a really different experience but
I love talking to people and love traveling so for me it's a little more easier and
a little bit more fun.
sure some people maybe it takes a little while
to open up, but you got to be patient with people like that and just know your meeting
people from different parts of the world.
sometimes you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable
oh exactly what were the german people like compared
to the Australian people compared to the new Zealanders?
oh man I think that every culture is definetley different but um in the wine regions and winerys
everyone is sort of the same.
Sort of this mentality of lets harvest and celebrate this vintage.
But the german people where I mean in my experience have always been great and kind people.
But um in this old village this old school village.
So friendly so open minded so willing to ask questions, like you said this international
wine making team, who are you guys what are you all about, and they have you over for
dinners I mean they will just strike up a conversation on the (fitcha) we had next to
the wine).
And just warm friendly people and you just you would experience something like this unless
you were in this exact same situation cause when you travel it's all a little different
but when your living there you sort of become one of them a little bit you know you have
the dinners and vis versa so I guess between them all their all sort of the same but germany
was by far the most welcoming and the most, yea most welcoming ill say
nice.
What is it about wine making that you love most?
one is travel like I said, just having the opportunity to not only get paid to go to
a new place but also traveling is epiriienceing a part of the world.
But at the same time its creating this product, this may sound a little cliché, but creating
a product that people get to enjoy, you know all over the world.
Its just being like part of um.
Its like the pefect balance of being creative and scientific.
In wine making you have decisions that you know you have to make sure that ( fermentation
temperatures are like this) but at the same time you can introduce oak you can introduce
blending you know theres so many different ways but at the end of the day like I guess
its like (beer) making spirits you just have this creative product that you get to, it
just brings people together, it helps with people not doing the wrong reasons like over
drinking.
You want them to crack open a bottle of wine over dinner.
Just talk about anything, life so that's probably my favorite part is traveling but
also making a really unique product.
so out of the three places why don't you share with us a story.
Something like the craziest story that happened to you involving the wine making or traveling
wine making, or something funny or just one of your good experiences.
I have to say that my favorite experience thus far has been germany actually.
Within the first week there was only about 2 of us or 2 or 3 of us that were early enough,
everyone else sort of came late.
Nut those 2 or 3 of us got really close really quick.
And as it happened a bunch of the locals said " you know why don't you come over for
dinner and lets just hang out and see what happens and how the night goes.
So you know not having any clothes I was sort of like well what else do I have to loose.
But we rocked out the three of us had a great dinner some great wine and then its like who
wants to have a bonfire?
Okay, bonfire sure why not, where are we going to do this?
And they have this mine river which flows through their village in this little section
of the beach so little cabanas big bonfire pit and for hours and hours we sat there playing
music you know starting at one end of the river floating down singing dancing we made
these like little what we would do for smores here, except they were making like home made
bread.
They were on a little stick and we put them into the fire.
And just sharing this experience.
I mean this thing raged until like 5 in the morning.
(laughs) just a casual bonfire by the river until 5 am.
(laughs) yea, I just cant explain it except it was like you would have some drinks and
someone would be like who wants to go float down the river.
And it was a beautiful like full moon as well so you could see everything.
And then we float down this part and their like swim over here, swim over here.
And there was this rope swing and they were like lets do some back flips in the river
and then continue to float down.
So it was just really unreal really unexpected and just fun.
Fun loving fun people fun company, and you cant plan for anything like that it was just
one of those mysterious events that just take place.
that's one of those stories to that um, you I want at the winery working but in the
sense you kind of needed to be the traveler wine maker to do that, because if you do go
and travel for pleasure and you go to a country for a week you usually stay in the hotels
and go to the touristy sites.
Your not really getting in with the locals, your not going for a bonfire late at night
and being personally invited over for dinner where they share with you the traditional
meals and how things are done and sharing your guys own experiences and what not.
So that also plays a facture as a part of a traveling wine makers life style.
Its not always just about stomping grapes with your feet its also about going to float
down a river at 3 in the moring with some of the locals because your going to be working
a harvest with them so you might as well get to know them.
absolutely, yea like you said when you go to travel just for pleasure you don't get
a chance to be embraced, for the most part embraced by this local culture and that where
they see you yea as and international but at the same time.
You know its like baby steps you just make this relationship with them and then from
there its all awesome theres events.
We had a few times an international wine tasting event where there was people from all over,
everyone was told to just bring some wine from their respective countries and you get
together and share wines from all over and you might be able to do that if you go to
a (bethal tasting) or something like that, but for the most part you would never get
to try these unique wines with a bunch of strangers so to speak.
And its just all fun you get to talk about stories like wheres your wine from and what
are we doing tonight.
So itas just an awesome industry and Im glad that I fell into it.
alright alex well thanks for joining the show today and best of luck with your future adventures
and in Chile.
I appreciate it man.
you know Im always looking forward to if you ever find yourself in that part of the world
or for the viewers out there just look me up and lets share some wine together but thanks
Anthony for having me man and im excited to see where wines of the world takes off to
as well im following you close over there.
yea my pleasure and we will have to have you back on after your Chilean harvest and find
how that was.
yes I would like that man perfect
aight man cool dude thanks for having me yes thanks Alaks
Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Wines of the World.
Make sure you check in next week as I will be interviewing another winemaker
If you have any questions you like me to ask a winemaker during any of my interviews just
reach out to me through my social media accounts which you can find on my website winesoftheworld.info
Be sure to check my website tomorrow and every single day this week as I will be releasing
some really unique and fun wine stories thank you an please be sure to subscribe
For more infomation >> Learn Colors with Yogurt Surprise Toys Finger Family Nursery Rhymes and Balloons - Duration: 9:21. 
For more infomation >> MOTIN . Supernova (Prod. PUNTOBEATS) [FOSILES] (2014) - Duration: 1:28. 
For more infomation >> Pokemon X Shiny Hunts - Duration: 1:46:06. 
For more infomation >> Dolan Twins - BRAIN FREEZE CHALLENGE (Subtitulado en español) - Duration: 8:10. 
For more infomation >> Klopp ya se pone la venda por Coutinho - Duration: 3:22. 
For more infomation >> Drop Dead {ANIMATION MEME} Ft:Eddsworld - Duration: 0:28. 
For more infomation >> 浦和、アントニオ加入内定 DF補強で堅守再建に期待、救世主なるか - Duration: 3:55. 
For more infomation >> Smino - Netflix & Dusse
For more infomation >> Painted-over mural on I-95 re-tagged with graffiti - Duration: 1:47. 
For more infomation >> Toyota Verso 1.8 VVT-I DYNAMIC 7P. - Duration: 0:54. 
For more infomation >> Berati qyteti historik i 1000 dritareve - Duration: 10:47. 
For more infomation >> MY NEW GAMING/EDITING SETUP!! (PART 1) - Duration: 5:33. 
For more infomation >> The Secret Crystals in My Little Blacksmith Shop - Let's Play My Little Blacksmith Shop Live Stream - Duration: 2:44:15. 
For more infomation >> Efterlysning BPA - Duration: 1:07. 
For more infomation >> Como RECLAMAR de um COLEGA de trabalho PARA o CHEFE? - Duration: 4:01. 
For more infomation >> 1 milhão a menos na Poupança?😨 | Ghaio Finanças Pessoais - Duration: 7:14. 
For more infomation >> O poder da Confiança - Duration: 3:24. 
For more infomation >> Banda para Casamento | Iris Instrumental Goo Goo Dolls | Músicos para Cerimonial - Duration: 1:59. 
For more infomation >> BOXDEL POKAZUJE PRZEDPREMIEROWO FILM Z JETCREW! - Duration: 5:51. 
For more infomation >> Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon | Wii | Só Gameplay | Parte 12 - Duration: 26:07. 
For more infomation >> MEGA SENA 1954 Results - Duration: 1:44. 
For more infomation >> BOXDEL ROBI RAJD DO DANIELMAGICAL! - Duration: 4:29. 
For more infomation >> ECHARLE VINAGRE A UN PAN Y TIRALO EN EL BOTE DE LA BASURA LO QUE PASA AL DIA SIGUIENTE ES INCREIBLE - Duration: 6:36. 
No comments:
Post a Comment