{"podcast":{"title":"Vininspo! podcast","slug":"vininspo-podcast-7294502","podcast_index_feed_id":7294502,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/4111444.rss","website_url":"https://edmerrison.substack.com/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4111444/b5320a104bbe27e40feb594c508e8567.jpg","author":"Ed Merrison","episode_count":58,"summary":"A weekly multimedia newsletter in plain English about connection through wine—linking nature, time, place and people—to unlock its meditative, restorative, inclusive and expansive potential and brighten the experience of anyone with the vaguest interest.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T10:17:16.011163+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vininspo-podcast-7294502"},"episode":{"title":"Vininspo! Podcast Episode 44: Lorraine Leheny, Bilancia","slug":"vininspo-podcast-episode-44-lorraine-leheny-bilancia","published_at":"2026-06-18T21:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vininspo-podcast-7294502/vininspo-podcast-episode-44-lorraine-leheny-bilancia","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vininspo-podcast-7294502","url":"https://edmerrison.substack.com/p/vininspo-podcast-episode-44-lorraine-leheny-of-bilancia","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/202239204/cce332e4bd0bedcd740d7250473ef1ea.mp3","summary":"Like content like this? Get it straight to your inbox by subscribing to my Substack . Follow on Instagram: @vininspo.wine The simplicity of La Collina’s label is almost as enchanting as the complexity of the liquid inside the bottle. A slender figure, arms stretched out straight on either side, effortlessly bearing evenly weighted scales. An elegantly compact statement, perfect in form, strong and enduring. The silhouette and the Syrah. I’ve long admired the Bilancia wines from afar without having visited Hawke’s Bay or met Lorraine Leheny or her husband, Warren Gibson. I rectified that, to some degree at least, when Lorraine visited Melbourne in May with a handful of fellow growers from the region. I signed up for a double header: a masterclass featuring wines from Two Terraces Vineyard (Bilancia’s sublime 2024 Chardonnay from here is the current release) and a broader regional tasting where Warren would have fronted a masterclass on Hawke’s Bay reds had he not done himself a mischief on the farm that kept him home. In any event, I got to taste the wines, and Lorraine and I made a date for this conversation. I’m glad we did. There’s plenty to enjoy here from this modest and highly accomplished vigneron. The chat is easy to follow, albeit with a few local references demanding further context. On the craft beer front, there is a reference to influential drinks entrepreneur Phil Sexton, who launched the Mathilda Bay and Little Creatures brands. He also established the Giant Steps winery in the Yarra Valley, and duly crops up in episode 11 , which features its founding winemaker. The Traditional Brewing Company pubs in suburban Melbourne that we talk about are the Loaded Dog in Fitzroy North (now closed; named for a Henry Lawson short story), the Geebung Polo Club (after…","meta_description":"Like content like this? Get it straight to your inbox by subscribing to my Substack . Follow on Instagram: @vininspo.wine The simplicity of La Collina’s l…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3645,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/vininspo-podcast-7294502/episodes/vininspo-podcast-episode-44-lorraine-leheny-bilancia/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/vininspo-podcast-7294502/vininspo-podcast-episode-44-lorraine-leheny-bilancia.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}