Best Monticello Ava Podcasts (2024)

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EPISODE #6 DR. BRUCE ZOECKLEIN/EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ENOLOGY VA TECH 45:08

23d ago45:08

45:08

Dr. Bruce Zoecklein is nothing short of an Icon here in Virginia. When he was recruited by VA Tech in 1985 to head up their Enology Program the Virginia Wine Industry was just beginning to take shape and form. Bruce brought a level of knowledge about winemaking that would prove invaluable to the growth of Modern-Day Virginia winegrowing. His creden…

1
EPISODE # 5 MICHAEL HENY, "ALL ABOUT VIRGINIA NORTON" 30:00

1M ago30:00

30:00

Michael Heny spent close to 20 years in winemaking at Horton Cellars before taking the position as winemaker at Michael Shaps Wineworks in 2019. As a result of his many years working with Dennis Horton, who was the person responsible for re-introducing Norton back to Virginia, he has a great deal of knowledge regarding the challenges that Norton ca…

1
EPISODE # 4 DuCard Vineyards/Scott Elliff & Julien Durantie "All About Virginia Norton" 30:33

2M ago30:33

30:33

In this Episode I interview my friend Scott Elliff the Founder & Owner of DuCard Vineyard along with his winemaker Julien Durantie. It is an in-depth look at how one small Virginia Estate tackles the challenges of growing and producing world-quality wine from the Norton grape. For my part I say, "and they do produce world-quality wine". DuCard happ…

1
EPISODE # 3 FIFTY-THIRD WINERY & VINEYARD ALL ABOUT VIRGINIA NORTON 36:13

2M ago36:13

36:13

Episode # 3 found me in my studio interviewing the owner of Fifty-Third Winery & Vineyard Dave Drillock and his winemaker Chelsey Blevins who is quickly being recognized as a young rising star in the Virginia wine industry. Fifty-Third Winery & Vineyard produces an outstanding Norton along with a wide range of wines from both vinifera and hybrid gr…

1
EPISODE #2 ALL ABOUT NORTON/JENNIFER McCLOUD FOUNDER CHRYSALIS VINEYARDS 32:28

3M ago32:28

32:28

Episode # 2 features Jennifer McCloud the Founder & Owner of Chrysalis Vineyards at the Ag District in Middleburg, Virginia. Along with producing some of the finest Viognier and Albarino in the country she is the proud owner of the largest single vineyard planting of Norton in the world. It makes up over 40 acres of the 70 acres of vineyard land sh…

1
EPISODE #1 INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF NORTON 31:56

3M ago31:56

31:56

This Episode kicks off my new series of Podcasts focusing on wines produced from the Norton grape here in Virginia. In Episode #1 I recorded a conversation between the judges at the Homestead Norton Cup Challenge the weekend of November 3rd & 4th, 2023. It was during the lunch break before the judges finished judging the Final Four Norton wines tha…

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EPISODE # 6 JAY YOUMANS MASTER OF WINE 37:47

10M ago37:47

37:47

By Fred Reno

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EPISODE #1 INTRODUCTION TO THE FINE WINE CONFIDENTIAL PODCAST 18:20

9M ago18:20

18:20

By Fred Reno

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EPISODE # 44 DENNIS HORTON MONTAGE EPILOGUE 31:06

12M ago31:06

31:06

This Epilogue to my Montage about Dennis Horton and his contribution to the Virginia wine industry you get the opportunity to hear directly from 3 generations of women in the Horton family. It was my intent to give them the last word on Dennis Horton. The interview was at Horton Cellars where I sat with Sharon Horton, his wife and partner, Shannon …

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EPISODE # 44 PART 2/DENNIS HORTON MONTAGE 52:43

1y ago52:43

52:43

Part 2 of Episode #44 Montage about Dennis Horton features my interviews with Jenni McCloud, Owner and Founder of Chrysalis Vineyards who was inspired by Dennis Horton and planted the largest vineyard of Norton currently in the World. Followed by one of the most respected individual in the Virginia Wine Industry, Luca Paschina General Manager & Win…

1
EPISODE #44 DENNIS HORTON MONTAGE Part 1 36:02

1y ago36:02

36:02

Because I never had the opportunity to meet of know Dennis Horton before he passed away, I wanted to include his story and contribution to the Virginia Wine Industry in some fashion. I was given an idea by Bruce Zoecklein Professor Emeritus of Enology at VA Tech. He suggested that I interview a handful of folks in the Virginia wine community and ha…

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EPISODE # 43 JASON MURRAY/ARTERRA WINERY 51:57

1+ y ago51:57

51:57

Arterra Winery was founded by Jason Murray in 2013. Jason is a veteran of winegrowing in Northern Virginia for over 20 years. Arterra, which means "Art of the Land" represents Jason's quest to grow wine in a fashion unseen by most of us in the wine business. His Marketing moniker is " Clean Wine." When I first heard that I didn't really understand …

1
EPISODE # 42 COMMON WEALTH CRUSH COMPANY/BEN JORDAN, TIM JORDAN, PATT EAGAN 45:59

1+ y ago45:59

45:59

Common Wealth Crush Company is a new exciting development in the Virginia Wine Industry. Ben Jordan along with his brother Tim and Jordan and Patt Eagan have opened what I term a winemaker Studio in the historic district of downtown Waynesboro, Virginia. Conceptually, it will allow small wine brands to have access to a winemaking facility without h…

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EPISODE # 41 CHRIS PEARMUND/PEARMUND CELLARS 44:51

1+ y ago44:51

44:51

Chris Pearmund has been in the Virginia wine industry for over 30 years. He started his career in 1990 when he managed to snag an entry level position at Naked Mountain. He would then purchase Meriweather vineyard in 1996 which has the oldest Chardonnay vines in Virginia today, planted in 1976. The numerous ventures and positions Chris has held in …

1
EPISODE # 40 LEE HARTMAN BLUESTONE VINEYARD WINEMAKER 42:34

1+ y ago42:34

42:34

Bluestone Vineyard started out as a small family vineyard when Curt and Jackie Hartman were, encouraged by their friends Phil and Lois Kreider, to help them expand their own availability of grapes for the purpose to produce wine for their own personal use in 2003. In 2007 the decision was made to turn it into a commercial venture and in 2008 they b…

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EPISODE #39 CHELSEY BLEVINS/WINEMAKER FIFTY-THIRD WINERY 36:01

2y ago36:01

36:01

Chelsey Blevins would tell you that winemaking found her. It was in 2010 that she visited Horton Vineyards and was given a full tour of the cellars. It was after the tour that Mike Heny, who was the winemaker at that time asked her if she wanted to work the harvest. She said, why not. Thus, her entry into the wine business. Next, she got a position…

1
EPISODE # 38 DAMIEN BLANCHON:AFTON MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS WINEMAKER & VINEYARD MANAGER 45:09

2y ago45:09

45:09

Damien Blanchon was born and raised in the South of France where his family had roots in the Beaujolais Village region of Burgundy. He grew up with wine in his family and when he was 8 years-old he already knew this what he wanted to do--drive a tractor in the vines and be a winegrower. He would go to school to learn the craft of winemaking and rec…

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EPISODE # 37 AFTON MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS/ELIZABETH &TONY SMITH OWNERS 43:42

2y ago43:42

43:42

AFton Mountain Vineyards was one of the first of the early farm wineries in Virginia when it was planted in 1978 by David Medford a Chemist from Richmond, Virginia. However, he named it Bacchanal Vineyards after the Greek god Bacchus. It would be purchase later by Tom & Shinko Corpora and renamed Afton Mountain Vineyards in 1987. In 2009 Elizabeth …

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EPISODE # 36 WILLIAMSBURG WINERY/PATRICK DUFFELER;FOUNDER & MATTHEW MEYER;WINEMAKER 1:01:46

2y ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Patrick Duffeler purchased his tract of land called Wessex Hundred just outside of Williamsburg, Virginia in 1983 and would start to plant his vineyard in 1985. Patrick was born in Belgium and after gaining his degree in Economics & Finance from the University of Rochester, New York he started his professional career with Eastman Kodak. He would go…

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EPISODE # 35 BILL CURTIS/OWNER & CHEF:TASTINGS RESTAURANT, WINE BAR, & WINE SHOP CHARLOTTESVILLE 40:12

2y ago40:12

40:12

When Bill Curtis opened TASTINGS Restaurant, Wine Bar, & Wine Shop in 1990 it was the first of its kind on the East Coast to combine all these elements under one roof. Bill has been involved in the Virginia wine and food scene for close to 40 years and has a tremendous Passion still, for the wine world. He is exceptional in his breadth of knowledge…

1
EPISODE # 34 JENNI McCLOUD/CHRYSALIS VINEYARDS AT THE AG DISTRICT 37:47

2y ago37:47

37:47

Jennifer McCloud's journey and pursuit to reclaim Norton as Virginia's native grape began in the mid-1990's when she found herself in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Eastern conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture, (A.S.E.V.) where Dennis Horton and his winemaking consultant at the time Alan Kinne were speaking about Viognier…

1
EPISODE # 33 TIM & PETER RAUSSE/GABRIELE RAUSSE WINERY 38:41

2y ago38:41

38:41

Tim & Peter Rausse were involved in the planting and development of the Gabriele Rausse winery beginning early in their youth. Although Tim went off to school shortly thereafter, he would return and immerse himself in the operation and winemaking and hasn't looked back. Peter calls himself the unofficial GM these days and recounts in this Episode h…

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EPISODE # 32 MIKE HENY/WINEMAKER: MICHAEL SHAPS WINEWORKS 37:12

2y ago37:12

37:12

Michael Heny graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Comparative Literature from University of Virginia in 1990. Hardly, the typical training or studies that would lead to a successful career. He was in need of a job just out of college when he answered and ad for a position as a cellar worker at Montdomaine Cellars where Shep Rouse w…

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EPISODE # 31 JUSTIN ROSE/WINEMAKER ROSEMONT VINEYARDS 35:09

2+ y ago35:09

35:09

Rosemont Vineyards was established in 2003 by Stephan and Chandra Rose on a farm that had been in the Rose family since 1858. When Stephan retired as a successful Dow Chemical executive, he was interested in returning to the family farm and get back to land, so to speak. With the help of a family friend, he was introduced to Lucie Morton the world-…

1
EPISODE # 30 JON WEHNER/CHATHAM VINEYARDS AT CHURCH CREEK 38:41

2+ y ago38:41

38:41

In 1999 Jon Wehner and his family established Chatham Vineyards at Church Creek located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Jon is a second-generation winegrower following in the footsteps of his mother and father who had a small home vineyard for over 30 years in Great Falls, Virginia. The quality of the grapes from that vineyard produced a Vidal Bl…

1
EPISODE # 29 Sharon Horton & Shannon Horton/Horton Vineyards 32:37

2+ y ago32:37

32:37

Dennis and Sharon Horton planted a small hobby vineyard at their home in Orange, Virginia in 1983. That hobby turned into the full-time pursuit in winegrowing and in 1989 they planted their first commercial vineyard. In 1993 their Viognier stunned the experts and was proclaimed the best Viognier in the country. That quick fame and Dennis ambition t…

1
EPISODE # 28 CORRY CRAIGHILL/SEPTENARY WINERY & ASHLEIGH WHITE/GLEN MANOR VINEYARDS 42:02

2+ y ago42:02

42:02

Both Corry Craighill & Ashleigh White have had an interesting start to their careers in the wine industry. Corry has made wine all over the world and Ashleigh has worked on the West Coast and the East Coast of this country. While Ashleigh had the good fortune to have her uncle, Jeff White turn the family farm into a vineyard, thus providing her wit…

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EPISODE # 27 ENOLOGY PROFESSOR EMERITUS BRUCE ZOECKLEIN/VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY 42:04

2+ y ago42:04

42:04

Bruce Zoecklein began his career in Enology on the staff at Fresno State University in California. He was recruited in 1985 by the University of Virginia to head up a new initiative to support the Virginia wine industry. His West Coast friends thought he was "crazy" as they couldn't fathom that quality wine was being produced in Virginia. Bruce too…

1
EPISODE #26 KIRK WILES/CO-FOUNDER & CEO PARADISE SPRINGS WINERY 41:46

2+ y ago41:46

41:46

Paradise Springs Winery was founded in 2007. However, the Fairfax County Board challenged the Wiles family's right to open a winery and start a vineyard. There was over two years of litigation which Kirk and his mother eventually prevailed and won. During that two year period Kirk was so confident that with the help of consultant and Virginia vintn…

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EPISODE # 25 JOY TING/WINEMAKERS RESEARCH EXCHANGE COORDINATOR 46:01

2+ y ago46:01

46:01

Joy Ting fell for the wine bug after a trip visiting here boyfriend, now her husband, while he was stationed in Northern California during his stint in the Air Force. They took a trip to Napa Valley and that experience intrigued the both of them. When they settled in Charlottesville, Virginia because he got a position at University of Virginia in t…

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EPISODE # 24 JAKE BUSCHING/JAKE BUSCHING WINE & HARK VINEYARDS 44:08

2+ y ago44:08

44:08

Jake Busching got his start in Virginia winegrowing after he moved to Richmond Virginia and was a struggling musician working in the restaurant business to make a living. Eventually he would move to Charlottesville and take a position at Jefferson Vineyards working for the Woodward family. When Chris Hill, the consulting viticulturist at Jefferson …

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EPISODE # 23 NATE WALSH: WALSH FAMILY WINE FOUNDER & WINEMAKER 40:48

2+ y ago40:48

40:48

Walsh Family Wine was birthed when Nate and Sarah Walsh had the opportunity to lease Bethany Ridge Vineyard and produced their first wine, a Sauvignon Blanc in 2014. Several years later they entered an agreement with the owners of North Gate vineyard and winemaking facility where they had been sharing space since 2017. They would end up purchasing …

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EPISODE # 22 GLEN MANOR VINEYARDS:JEFF WHITE/FOUNDER &WINEMAKER 39:51

2+ y ago39:51

39:51

The Glen Manor property has been in Jeff White's family since 1901. However, it was Jeff who saw the potential that the family property had as an ideal site for a vineyard. He planted his first vines at Glen Manor Vineyards in 1995. A mere 1.2 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. At the time Jeff was working for and learning about winegrowing from Jim Law at …

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EPISODE # 21 PROFESSOR TONY WOLF 42:36

2+ y ago42:36

42:36

Tony Wolf by all measures has contributed a significant amount of research and experience that has advanced winegrowing in Virginia during the past 35 years. He has been the Director of the Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center for the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, (VA Tech) since 2004. He has publish…

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EPISODE # 20 KESWICK VINEYARDS: STEPHEN BARNARD WINEMAKER & VINEYARD MANAGER 43:13

3y ago43:13

43:13

Keswick Vineyards was established by Al and Cindy Schornberg in 2000 on a property that has Virginian historical roots dating back to 1727. Stephen Barnard joined them in 2002 which was their first vintage and jumped right into making the wine. He left in 2004 and rejoined Keswick in 2006 and has been the winemaker and vineyard manager ever since. …

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EPISODE #19 KING FAMILY VINEYARDS:MATTHIEU FINOT/WINEMAKER 47:41

3y ago47:41

47:41

Matthieu Finot was born into a winegrowing family in Crozes-Hermitage, France. In 1995 after graduating with his degree in enology from the university in Beaune he proceeded to work in multiple wine regions in France including, Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence, and Jura. He did stints in Italy and South Africa before arriving in Virginia …

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EPISODE # 18 EARLY MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS:BEN JORDAN/WINEMAKER 43:22

3y ago43:22

43:22

Ben Jordan began his winemaker career in California and would move back to his native state of Virginia in 2012 where he took the position as winemaker at Michael Shaps Wineworks. He was then recruited by Early Mountain Vineyards and became their winemaker in 2015. He is recognized as one of the most respected upcoming winemakers in the Virginia Wi…

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EPISODE #17 EARLY MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS, AILEEN SEVIER VP STRATEGY & MARKETING 32:38

3y ago32:38

32:38

Early Mountain Vineyards was established in 2012 after Jean and Steve Case, the founders of AOL, purchased a vineyard in Madison County, at that time called Sweely vineyards, when it went on sale in 2011. Jean Case took the lead on the project with the goal to not just produce world class wine at Early Mountain but to promote Virginia winegrowing a…

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EPISODE #16 TRUE HERITAGE: GEORGE HODSON/CEO & EMILY PELTON/WINEMAKER 33:15

3y ago33:15

33:15

True Heritage is the new wine project of the brother/sister team, George Hodson/ CEO & Emily Pelton/Winemaker at Veritas Vineyards. They created this new Brand with the expressed intent to showcase Virginia wine on a more National and Regional scale. There is no tasting room, hospitality center or any of the Agritourism trappings that a vast majori…

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EPISODE #15 BLENHEIM VINEYARDS/KIRSTY HARMON WINEMAKER & GENERAL MANAGER 36:23

3y ago36:23

36:23

Kirsty's story of how she fell into winemaking begins as almost a fairly tale. At the young age of 24 early in her career working as a microbiologist she decided to leave the lab and devote her time to a side project she had as a calligrapher and wedding planner. In the course of that business she planned the wedding for none other than Patricia Kl…

1
EPISODE #14 LUCIE MORTON 1:04:38

3y ago1:04:38

1:04:38

Lucie Morton is recognized today world wide as one of the foremost Viticulturist and Ampelographer in the Wine Industry. She started in winegrowing back in 1971 when her Dad asked her to take a gap year as she was finishing up grad school to be his farm manager and look into planting vines at Morland their family farm. She never looked back. She wo…

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Episode # 13 Claude Thibaut/ Thibaut-Janisson 43:25

3y ago43:25

43:25

Claude Thibaut was born in a Gran Cru village in the Champagne region. His grandfather once worked as a vineyard manager for Moet-Chandon and his father was among the first of the grower champagne producers as they have become to be known in the country today. Claude received his winemaking degree from the university in Reims which at that time was…

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EPISODE #12 DuCard Vineyards, Scott Elliff Founder & Owner. 44:50

3y ago44:50

44:50

DuCard vineyards was established in 2001 after Scott and Karen Elliff purchased property on the eastern slope of the Shenandoah National Park west of the historic town of Madison, Virginia. The property, at an elevation of 1,000 feet was once the site of a thriving Apple Orchard at a time when Virginia was the leading state for apple growing. Scott…

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EPISODE #11 ANKIDA RIDGE, CHRISTINE, DENNIS, & NATHAN VROOMAN 41:26

3y ago41:26

41:26

Ankida Ridge was established by Christine & Dennis Vrooman with the planting of their first vines in 2008. Lucie Morton was their vineyard consultant and she brilliantly, in my opinion, advised them to plant Pinot Noir. She believed that the southeastern facing slope at 1800 feet nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains along with the granite soils ga…

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Episode #10 Andrew Hodson/Founder & Owner of Veritas Vineyards and Winery 41:17

3y ago41:17

41:17

Veritas Winery was established in 1999 by Andrew Hodson and his wife Patricia. They both had successful careers in the Medical field but asked themselves is this all there is? So, during a folk tour after meeting a couple who had moved to Virginia and described how they had never been happier and that Virginia had a budding winegrowing industry. An…

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Episode 9 RDV Vineyards/Rutger de Vink 38:02

3y ago38:02

38:02

Rutger de Vink the founder of RDV established is Vineyard in 204 after having working as an intern with Jim Law and Linden in the early 2000s. He credits Jim for a fortuitous trip he took at Jim's invitation with a group of winemakers to travel to Bordeaux in 2002. It was during that trip that he met a fellow Dutchman, Kees van Leeuwen, when they v…

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Episode #8 Shep Rouse /Rockbridge Winery 42:54

3y ago42:54

42:54

Shepherd (Shep) Rouse is Virginia through and through. His ancestors roots trace back to the 17th century in Virginia. Shep was a Fulbright Scholar and after spending time in Germany he fell in love with their wines and Riesling specifically. When he returned to the U.S. he decided to take up the art of winemaking and headed to the West Coast where…

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Episode 7 featuring Jim Law owner and winemaker at Linden Vineyards 43:47

3y ago43:47

43:47

Jim Law began his quest to produce wine in Virginia when he and his family bought a long-abandoned apple orchard in the Northern part of Virginia in 1983 after several years of searching for a parcel of land that had high elevation and had eastern facing slopes. His first vineyard experience was with a small Ohio vineyard and in 1981 he had two dis…

1
Episode 6 Jay Youmans, Master of Wine 37:47

3+ y ago37:47

37:47

In September of 2020 I had the opportunity to interview Jay Youmans MW. Jay owns the Capital Wine School in Washington, DC. and is responsible for overseeing and conducting the Virginia Governor's Cup wine Competition. He shares how he originally got involved in the competition and describes the inter-workings and criteria that is required to parti…

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Episode 5 Chris Hill Virginia Viticulturist 40:39

3+ y ago40:39

40:39

Chris Hill is one of the most accomplished and noted Viticulturalist in Virginia. Many of the clients he has worked with in advising and planting vineyards are amongst the who's, who of the successful modern day Virginia winegrowers. That list includes Michael Shaps, Pollack, Barren Ridge, Veritas, King Family Vineyards, Keswick, Lovingston, and Pi…

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