239: Wild Yeast and Wine Temperature's Impact on Wine Taste with Carolyn Hurst of Westcott Vineyards

How do wild yeasts help to bring out unique qualities in wine? What’s involved in farming and making wine sustainably? How does changing the temperature of your wine impact the tasting experience?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with winemaker Carolyn Hurst.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Giveaway

Three of you in Canada will win a bottle of one of Carolyn's fabulous wines. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and tell me that you’d like to win a copy. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

How do Canadian shipping regulations impact winemakers?

What can wine lovers do to help with changing overly-restrictive policies?

Which types of wine can you get from Westcott Vineyards?

Why does Carolyn prefer using wild yeast to ferment Westcott wines?

What is it about Lilias Ahearn Massey that inspired Carolyn to name a wine after her?

Who is the inspiration behind Westcott’s Violette wine?

What’s involved in farming and making wine sustainably?

How did Westcott make their wines vegan and vegetarian-friendly?

Which unpopular wine opinion does Carolyn hold?

Why would Carolyn want to share a bottle of wine with a stoic?

Which fun wine tip can you try this week?

Key Takeaways

I was fascinated to hear how wild yeasts help to bring out unique qualities in wine and what’s involved in farming and making wine sustainably.

I agree with Carolyn about how profoundly changing the temperature of wine impacts the tasting experience.

I also agree that liquor monopolies and licensing based on prohibition-era legislation are preventing Canadian winemakers from being able to legally ship their wines across the country. That needs to change, especially for an industry where each producer is so small that they often don’t produce enough to fulfill large liquor store chain orders and so they depend on direct orders from customers.

Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live

Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wed at 7 pm ET on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video.

I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer?

Want to know when we go live? Add this to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/CB262621

About Carolyn Hurst

Carolyn Hurst is president of Westcott Vineyards in Niagara, Ontario, which she founded with her husband Grant Westcott in 2006. Since 2017, she has been the Chair of the Board at Ontario Craft Wineries, representing more than 100 wineries in the province. Previously, she has been the president of three successful technology companies. She also has significant experience in the restaurant/hospitality industry earlier on in her career. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/239.