Interview with Jacopo Cossater

Jacopo Cossater is a very prominent wine blogger in Italy based in Perugia. Amongst the many publications he contributes is the website Intravino.com, one of the most important and most visited wine-related websites in the country. Shortly I will be writing a piece about Jacopo and how we crossed paths as I think he is one of the most singular and fascinating people I met on my trip, not to mention incredibly generous and humble. He showed particular interest the unique nature of the journey I took, and my overall impressions of Italian wine, and so he interviewed me for the Intravino website. Google Translate doesn't really do it justice so here is the original English version.

Jacopo Cossater in action

Luciano Sandrone

One of the things I want to write in summarising my trip is to talk about some of the amazing people I met who imparted some of their wisdom and experience in wine and life. I am still in the process of looking back upon my blog archive which is taking me a lot longer than it should. But as it happens one of the people I intended to write about is making his first ever visit to Australia and I was lucky enough to be invited to a masterclass showing his wines here in Melbourne by the importer Bibendum Wines. This man is Luciano Sandrone, and after introducing him I will talk about why he had such an effect upon me.

Luciano Sandrone and myself when I visited in April 2012

Re-adjusting

It's an odd feeling looking back on a sixteen-month trip and trying to remember the places and experiences. Of course the further back I go the blurrier it tends to be, but there are still very clear and strong memories right from the beginning. I also have the benefit of a chronicle to refer to, which I am now in the process of doing. With roughly 200 entries to read through that's likely to take me a while, and so I'm going to ask you to be patient as I'm also trying to organise my life and try and find sources of income.

Petaluma Riesling 1998

Return to Oz

A few days ago I stepped onto Australian soil for the first time in 500 days. It is a pretty surreal experience returning home after having been on the move for so long, and seeing so many amazing and different countries. Firstly there is the fact that I have returned from sub-zero and icy temperatures in South Korea to warm and dry 30+ temperatures in Melbourne, and I can actually walk around in shorts and T-shirts like a proper Australian. I am also experiencing a kind of reverse culture-shock, as I had got so used to being in foreign and fascinating cultures and being somewhat out of my element. It probably doesn't make sense to feel so out of place in my own home town.

I stopped in Seoul on the way home to visit a friend

The last seven months of my trip didn't involve a lot of wine travel, with the exception of four weeks in France, a few visits in Italy and the vintage in Germany. For this reason I am concerned that I am getting a bit rusty, so I'm keen to get back into the swing of things here in Melbourne. The problem is that I'm yet to be gainfully employed, and therefore unlikely to be invited to any trade-related activities such as tastings. Having said that, my immediate plans are to start visiting more Australian wineries and continue writing about them here on the blog. An important realisation came upon me as I travelled that I have visited barely any of the many and varied regions in Australia, and only one in Marlborough, and thus have little first-hand experience with them apart from reading talking and of course tasting. I am excited for any readers who visit this blog to learn a bit more about the great quality and diversity of Australian and New Zealand wine, particularly those not residing in either of those countries who don't know a lot beyond shiraz.

The food in Korea was the deserved highlight

Now that I am back I am trying to collect all my thoughts and experiences from my blog, and periodically I will be summarising various things, including some of my favourite people, regions and wines. I am always looking for discussions and feedback about what I write, and I encourage people to make their voices heard. I am always hoping to learn new things about wine and admit that it is impossible to know enough about wine. I also wanted to let people know that I am thinking of attempting a book about my trip, and am open to suggestions or encouragement (or discouragement) in this endeavour. It's a little bit up in the air for me at the moment as I am still trying to find my feet, but I'll keep you posted on any developments. Thanks again for taking the time to visit my blog, I have had an amazing journey and owe a lot to the people who helped me a long the way, particularly all the wonderful wineries I visited.

The last six weeks of my time in Europe were spent in Italy with my amazing parents