xeco wines founder, alexa keymer

Sherry Week: Xeco Wines aims for a revival with Alexa Keymer, founder

On the occasion of Sherry Week (Nov 8-14 2021), I wanted to talk about Xeco Wines and its founder, Alexa Keymer. I made the interview a while ago but thought that it would be a great time to share it to celebrate Sherry!
Back in 2019, I have done a research paper about the « Sherry Renaissance » for my WSET Diploma. I discovered that this fabulous drink (which I had never heard before, or so little…) has a long-lasting and fantastic history but, for some reason, it lost fashion among consumers. During my research, I came across Xeco Wines and its purpose to revive Sherry around the world.
Created in 2016 by Alexa and two of her friends, Xeco Wines aims to bring the « next generation Sherry » to the table and the world by finally giving some recognition to this underrated drink. They have loved this wine without being able to share about it with other friends for too long!

A l’occasion de la Sherry Week (8-14 Novembre 2021), je veux te parler de Xeco Wines et sa fondatrice, Alexa Keymer. J’ai rĂ©alisĂ© cette interview il y a un moment, mais j’ai pensĂ© que c’Ă©tait le bon moment de la partager pour fĂŞter le XĂ©rès !
En 2019, j’ai effectuĂ© des recherches sur la « Renaissance du XĂ©rès » pour mon WSET Diploma. J’ai dĂ©couvert que ce vin fabuleux (dont je n’avais jamais, ou quasiment jamais, entendu parler…) a une fantastique histoire de longue date. Mais, pour certaines raisons, il n’est plus Ă  la mode parmi les consommateurs. Pendant cette recherche, j’ai dĂ©couvert Xeco Wines and son souhait de faire revivre le XĂ©rès tout autour du monde.
FondĂ© en 2016 par Alexa et deux de ses amies, Xeco Wines a pour but d’amener la « nouvelle gĂ©nĂ©ration XĂ©rès » en donnant enfin ses lettres de noblesse Ă  cette boisson sous-estimĂ©e. Elles aiment ce vin sans ĂŞtre capables de le partager avec leurs autres amis depuis trop longtemps !

Senay Ozdemir in a vineyard

Senay Ozdemir empowers women in wine through her expo

Senay Ozdemir, native from Turkey, is a true storyteller and a great actress of women empowerment. She started as a TV-host, then launched her own magazine to become a publisher. She is also a TEDx speaker, and the organiser of the first WomeninWine Expo in Europe. This 2-day event has been created to gather and empower women in wine from all over the world. Build on partnerships with national wine organisations, the aim is to give the opportunity to like-minded women to exchange on the wine world through networking, education, business and fun. Indeed while women wine professionals are in increasing number, there is still a gender gap in the wine industry: they are both under-represented and under-paid.
The first edition took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium on 23 & 24 May 2019. It gathered 35 women from Holland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey, Lebanon and the US. All were winemakers, sommeliers, buyers, writers, influencers… and talked about things to overcome and opportunities for women in wine.

Senay Ozdemir, originaire de Turquie, est une vĂ©ritable Ă©crivaine ainsi qu’une grande actrice de l’Ă©mancipation des femmes. Elle a commencĂ© en tant que prĂ©sentatrice tĂ©lĂ© puis a ensuite lancĂ© son propre magazine pour devenir Ă©ditrice. Elle intervient Ă©galement dans les conventions TEDx, elle a crĂ©Ă© et organisĂ© la première Expo WomeninWine en Europe. Cet Ă©vĂ©nement se dĂ©roule sur 2 jours dans le but de rassembler et d’Ă©manciper les femmes de l’industrie du vin partout dans le monde. BasĂ© sur des partenariats avec des organisations du vin, le but est de donner l’opportunitĂ© aux femmes d’Ă©changer sur le monde du vin Ă  travers l’interconnexion de rĂ©seaux, l’Ă©ducation, le commerce et l’amusement. En effet, malgrĂ© le fait que les femmes soient de plus en plus nombreuses dans le secteur, il y a toujours des inĂ©galitĂ©s entre les sexes : elles sont Ă  la fois sous-reprĂ©sentĂ©es et sous-payĂ©es.
La première Ă©dition de l’exposition a eu lieu Ă  Rotterdam (Pays-Bas) et Bruxelles (Belgique) les 23 et 24 Mai 2019. 35 femmes venant de Hollande, Belgique, Italie, Allemagne, Hongrie, Moldavie, GĂ©orgie, Turquie, Liban et des Etats-Unis se sont rĂ©unies. Elles Ă©taient toutes vigneronnes, sommelières, acheteuses, Ă©crivaines, influenceuses,… et ont parlĂ© de toutes les choses Ă  surmonter et des opportunitĂ©s pour les femmes du vin.

Christophe Kaczmarek, founder of French Beaches

Christophe Kaczmarek, founder of French Beaches: how to combine audacity, fun and respect for life

Today my guest is Christophe Kaczmarek, founder of French Beaches. He offers both approachable and terroir wines in his range, always respectful of life. His watchwords are audacity, fun and modernity. He wants to create a bridge between the wine worlds through his originality and quirky tone.

Aujourd’hui je suis avec Christophe Kaczmarek, le fondateur de French Beaches. Il propose à travers sa gamme des vins faciles d’approche mais aussi des cuvées de terroir, toujours dans le respect du vivant. Ses mots d’ordre sont l’audace, le fun et la modernité. Il souhaite créer un pont entre les mondes du vin à travers son originalité et son ton décalé.

nicolas lamothe playing his game blind

Mystères et Bonnes Bouteilles: follow the inspiring journey of Nicolas Lamothe

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Nicolas threw himself into Mystères et bonnes bouteilles’ adventure, which is available since 2016.
This concept offers you a range of different tasting flights. The goal is to blind taste the wines, in groups up to 10 people. Then, you will have to discover each wine’s mysteries thanks to a deft blend of concrete questions and information. You will acquire knowledge about wine, the appellations and regions of production.
In other words, an easily accessible, concrete and affordable concept. It has it all…

Nicolas s’est lancé dans l’aventure Mystères et bonnes bouteilles, accessible depuis 2016.
Ce concept vous permet de choisir parmi plusieurs coffrets de dégustation de vins. Le but est de déguster les vins à l’aveugle, en groupe, et jusqu’à 10 personnes. Il faudra ensuite découvrir les mystères des vins du coffret grâce à un subtil mélange de questions et d’informations très concrètes pour acquérir certaines connaissances sur les vins, les appellations et les régions de production.
Un concept facilement accessible, concret et abordable. Tout pour plaire…

how to become a mw: sarah heller mw, glass in hand

How to become a MW: you’ll want to read this one

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Sarah Heller, based in Hong Kong, is a Master of Wine (Asia’s youngest one), visual artist, television host and wine expert. She also makes educational wine videos that millions of people have seen and produces a series of wonderful Visual Tasting Notes.

After graduated from Yale University with a fine art degree, Sarah started to work in the wine industry between New York, Hong Kong, France and Italy. She is a partner and buyer for the Almásy Collection, a brand ambassador and design collaborator with Lucaris Crystal, a member of the faculty of the Vinitaly International Academy, the wine editor for Asia Tatler and Chairman of WINE100, China’s largest wine competition. Finally, Sarah is a wine advisor in her own company and a great writer for both local and international publications…

elizabeth gabay tasting wine

A MW’s unique secrets on wine trade: see here

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Elizabeth Gabay is a passionate about history and wine. She has a degree in history and also holds a Master of Wine.
Elizabeth has spent years working in the wine trade and writing about it. She is specialized in Provence and pink wines, studying their cultural history and evolution. She even moved from England to south-eastern France in 2002 to keep exploring wines from the area. Last year, Elizabeth published “RosĂ©: Understanding the Pink Wine Revolution”…

Aucoeur family above vineyards

Beaujolais: 2 things you need to run a vineyard, with Vignoble Aucœur

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Today, we are going to the oldest wine estate in Morgon, more precisely in the village of Villié-Morgon. This small town is located in the Rhone at the heart of Beaujolais, nestled in vallons, peaceful forests and rivers.
The estate has been founded in 1825 and is now run by the 11th family generation. The vine, wine, discovery and sharing are all true family passions. This is where we are meeting with MĂ©lanie and Arnaud Aucoeur from Vignoble Aucoeur, a couple of wine lovers producing high-quality Beaujolais from several appellations…

Romain Ott observing a glass of wine

Behind-the-scenes of the Provençal winery Léoube, with Romain Ott (winemaker)

Available in English🇺🇸 + French🇫🇷!

Nestled in the heart of Provence, Château LĂ©oube is an oasis of calm between orchards, olive trees… and vines. The vines are nurtured by the ochre soil, the azure of Mediterranean sea and the sun. A peaceful and delightful background to return to your roots.
No doubt that the Bamford family fell in love with this paradise in 1997.
With an annual production limited to 40,000 bottles, Château LĂ©oube’s wines are fine, natural and elegant. They are made with passion by Romain Ott, the estate’s winemaker since 2000.
Romain Ott is a well-known name among the wine enthusiasts…