The Boozy Biddies Podcast is a fun, irreverent exploration of wine education through drinking wine. Join your hosts, Kara and Calla, two long-time friends (and boozy biddies) for a discussion of all things wine. We'll be going over wine basics 101, and introduce you to different wine regions and varietals. If you've ever wondered: -What the heck is a noble grape? -How is wine made? -Are all wines aged in oak? -How do I make sense of French wine? -How do I pick out a good wine at the liquor store? This podcast is for you. So grab a glass and join us, because the best way to learn about wine is to drink as you learn! Let's learn ALL about wine.
The biddies round out the noble grapes series with Chardonnay – either you love it or you hate it, but this full bodied white takes on most of its characteristics from the winemaker! Learn what to expect from Chardonnays from around the world. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/154
The biddies revisit Super Tuscans! Learn about the big three – Sassichaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello – as well as some more affordable options. Learn why they're cool and how to spot them in the store. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/69
The biddies maybe should have saved the best for last but due to typical organization dysfunction, we're talking about the king of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon today! Tune in to learn about this grapes origins, the France versus California battles, where you can find Cab Sauv today, and how to pick one you'll like. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/153
The biddies finally record the New York episode that got lost from 2021. Tune in to learn about wine in New York state from the Finger Lakes to the Hudson Valley. The oldest operating winery in the United States is in New York, as well as the nation's largest wine cave. New York is also home to cold-hardy hybrids! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/152
The biddies return to the noble grape close up with Riesling – the only noble grape that does not originate from France. Tune in to learn about the different styles, the primary growing countries and how to pick out a riesling that isn't too sweet (or is just sweet enough!). For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/151
On the heels of our Prohibition and the mob episode, we're re-releasing Episode #77 The Queen of the Bootleggers which takes a look at the role women played in bringing about Prohibition, rum-running and bootlegging during Prohibition, and eventually in helping to bring about its end. You'll also meet one of our favorite badass biddies ever, a bootlegger by the name of Cleo Wade. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/77
The biddies take a little detour from their noble grapes series to discuss how prohibition and illegal alcohol to the American public basically made the mob. Tune in to learn more about Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and the other mobsters that helped keep America boozy while raking in MILLIONS. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/150
The biddies continue their tour of the noble varieties with merlot. Merlot produces very smooth wine which is often blended with other varietals to lessen any harshness. It's featured in some of the biddies favorite Super Tuscan wines. Tune in to learn about where to find 100% merlots, the best blends, and the Sideways movie fallout. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/149
The biddies profile a favorite white noble variety of theirs: Savvy B! Learn about the differences in Sauvignon Blanc from different countries and why this crisp white is a perennial favorite. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/148
The biddies are having a time already in 2024, so we thought that instead of recording something new half-a$$, we'd re-release our interview with Mari Jones of Emeritus Vineyards (California) on the heels of our All About Pinot Noir episode. Emeritus Vineyards focuses exclusively on estate grown Pinot Noir. Mari Jones is the President (of Fun) and we loved the conversation we had with her back in 2021. Here's what you can expect: a deep dive on the concept of terroir and why it helps to create interesting wines with a story why Pinot Noir is awesome info about some cool wines Emeritus produces including a white pinot noir a bit about sustainable winemaking and climate change in California and most importantly, why terroir isn't just a word for wine snobs
Pinot Noir is a food friendly, versatile grape that is also kind of a b*tch to grow. The biddies dive into what you can expect from Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France versus the United States versus New Zealand, best vintages and more. If you're wondering how to pick out a pinot, this is for you. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/147
If you're looking to cut back on alcohol for damp (or dry) January, we've got you covered! The biddies dive into a little bit of dry January's history before sharing some of their favorite adaptogenic drinks and mocktail options. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/146
The biddies dive into the story behind Gruet – an American-made champagne-method sparkling wine, and the state with the longest winemaking history in the United States: New Mexico. Need lots of bubbles for your New Years' Eve party? Look no further! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/145
It's a holiday beverage having a moment this year. Whether you love it or hate it, eggnog has a long history and dates back to traditional English beverages called possets. The biddies have some theories about how it should be made if you actually want to enjoy it. Tune in to learn more about how eggs and whiskey (or rum) just might mix. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/144
Join us for a topic near and dear to the biddies: Chartreuse. It's been hard to find lately, so the biddies dive into whether there really is a shortage (spoiler alert: there is), if the monks have stopped making it, and alternative liqueurs to try in your favorite cocktails. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/143
Today the biddies dive into the beer that once had the largest brewery in the world and beat a country to register its national symbol: Guinness. Guinness started out as a family-owned company and quickly became the national beer of Ireland and beloved throughout the world. Tune in to learn why the dark brew is so refreshingly light and how to properly pour a Guinness (it's really important!). Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/142
South African wine is regularly exported all around the world, but what about wine from the rest of the continent? The biddies look into wine from different countries throughout Africa, including from Zimbabwe, where the subject of the documentary Blind Ambition are from. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/141
The biddies talk about the documentary Blind Ambition, about 4 Zimbabwean refugees who flee to South Africa, become sommeliers and participate in the World Blind Tasting Competition. They also detour through the science of blind tasting and ways you can test your own blind tasting skills at home, or at the bar with a bartender who will probably quickly become annoyed. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/140
The biddies talk about Francis Ford Coppola, American film writer, director and producer – perhaps best known for his work on The Godfather, and also someone who became a force in the American wine industry. He and his daughter Sofia Coppola run a veritable wine empire, own a legendary wine estate, Inglenook, and are also credited with being the first to put sparkling wine in a can. Tune in for the full scoop! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/139
We all know it (and maybe love it) – Yellow Tail wine. The biddies talk about how Yellow Tail, out of Australia, was basically invented for the American market. It's a really interesting story and a tour de force of product development and marketing strategy that changed the wine label game worldwide and the Australian wine industry forever. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/138
Goon of Fortune…. That's all you need to know. The biddies revisit Australian wine, its history and regions, and the best worst drinking game you've never heard of, Goon of Fortune. Grab a glass and join us! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/137
The biddies return to the bubble train and take a look at Austrian and German sparkling wine. Both countries predominantly produce bubbles labeled “sekt”, however there are many different kinds and quality levels within the category. Tune in to learn more and hear about 5 too many “sekt” jokes. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/136
This week there was a new wine heist down in Florida. We won't have the full scoop on that one yet, so we're re-airing Wine Heists, Part 1 to share some of the craziest times sh*t got stolen. The full show notes are here: boozybiddies.com/123
The biddies chat with Travis Gale, a friend of Calla's who also imports mezcal from Mexico. We chat about why it's his favorite spirit, the difference between mezcal and tequila, and why not all (in fact not most) mezcal is smoky, amongst other things. Tune in to learn how Calla is responsible for Travis' worst hangover ever and more! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/135
The biddies stay on the bubble train and turn their attention to Italian sparkling wine. Like there is more than Cava in Spain, there is also way more than Prosecco in Italy – including one gentleman who ages his wines hundreds of feet below sea level on the ocean floor. Grab a glass of something sparkling and tune in! boozybiddies.com/134
Because there's more out there than cava! Tune in to learn more about cava and why not every Spanish sparkling wine is actually cava… There are a number of producers making different levels and kinds of sparkling wine. Many of them are budget friendly and all of them are delicious. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/133
It would be these people… the “first families of wine”, also known as the Primum Familiae Vini, consists of some of the biggest winemaking families in Europe, although one American label was amongst their number at one time. Learn all about these 12 families and the rules of this super exclusive club. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/132
On the heels of the cult wine episodes, the biddies take a deeper dive into Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Tune in to learn all about this highly sought after (and very expensive) Burgundy wine. While you may never get to try it, you'll be in the know! And you'll also learn about the time all the vines were almost poisoned by a crazy guy demanding a ransom - yikes!! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/131
The biddies chat with William Allen and Karen Daenen of Two Shepherds. Located in Sonoma County, Two Shepherds focuses on artisanship and quality without excessive manipulation. This mostly means they make the wines they want to drink! Tune into the episode to learn more about Two Shepherds, winemaking, the hunt for bucket list varietals, the Two Shepherds menagerie of animals and why you should never ask William how he came up with the name ‘Two Shepherds' (but don't worry, we did it for you), and more! We had so much fun with these guys and we know you will too. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/112 Two Shepherds website: twoshepherds.com
The biddies take a look at one of the most badass women in winemaking history, the widow Clicquot - and how she created a veritable champagne empire, invented new technologies to get her champagne to market faster, and was just a generally awesome lady. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/76
Be careful, the biddies cannot get enough of gin so they are extra excited about this episode. When it comes to gin, it is defined by juniper berry as the main flavor but as far as other botanicals go, the sky's the limit. Learn more about this aromatic and flavor filled spirit on the next installment of the distillation series. Drinks Featured: Kara: Gin & Tonic with the Botanist Gin Calla: Barr Hill Gin Bees Knees Cocktail For more info: boozybiddies.com/41
The Boozy Biddies welcome their first spirits stud, Jesse Torres, a Denver based bartender who just so happens to be a wealth of knowledge on cane spirits. R(h)um has always been a passion of Jesse's and while it can be a very complicated and seemingly lawless spirit, Jesse helps navigate specific regions, styles, and distillation techniques. Drinks Featured: Jesse: Foursquare Old Brigand Black Label Old Fashioned Kara: Clement VSOP Rhum Agircole “French Martinique 75” Calla: Appleton Estate Signature Rum Hemingway Daiquiri, Appleton Estate Joy on a large Rock For full show notes: boozybiddies.com/40E
The biddies kick off the new year with some favorites, Super Tuscans! Learn about the big three - Sassichaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello - as well as some more affordable options. Learn why they're cool and how to spot them in the store. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/69
Italy is of course known for its wine, and it also has a fair amount of volcanic soil. The biddies wrap up their volcanic wine passport tour and this season of the Boozy Biddies with the land of Mt. Etna and Italian volcanic wine. Spoiler alert: there is more than one volcano in Italy. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/92
The biddies revisit the story of Prohibition with a Women's History Month lens, and women are ALL over prohibition. They were some of the most successful bootleggers, including one worth hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of her career. As many know, women's temperance groups helped start Prohibition, but the biddies also learn that a group of campaigning women also ended it. Tune into Prohibition, round two (and this sequel is better than the first!). Show notes: boozybiddies.com/77
The biddies are on summer break! But, don't worry -- we know there's no rest for the wine and spirits :) This is one of our all time most listened to episodes: the story of Uncle Nearest, Godfather of Tennessee Whiskey, born Nathan Green - an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill. He also made his own delicious whiskeys and his recipes and style has been resurrected by the Uncle Nearest label. Tune in for all the details!
As we look forward to 4th of July weekend, we thought we'd celebrate America's independence by reminding everyone that we're still just a little whippersnapper. There are several alcohol brands still in existence today that are much older than the United States. The biddies dive into it. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/130
The biddies turn from super expensive cult wines to even more expensive rare whiskeys. Tune in to learn which whiskeys command top dollar prices and why! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/129
One name kept on coming up in the cult wine episode, so the biddies decided to investigate! Robert Mondavi helped influence a lot of California's influential winemakers, helped basically invent the wine style that is known as Fume Blanc and helped to both elevate Californian wine and make some super affordable wines for everyone. Tune in to learn more! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/128
The biddies chat with James Beard Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, Natalie MacLean, about her most recent book Wine Witch On Fire. Tune in to this wide-ranging conversation about favorite wines, the writing process, navigating divorce, sexism in the wine and wine-writing industries, mental health struggles, navigating the fine line of indulging in delicious wine and overdrinking, a career-upending moment that Natalie faced and how she came back, and so much more. We had the most fun talking to this biddy and are so excited to share the interview with you! Wine Witch on Fire has just been released in the US! Grab the book with some juicy bonuses from Natalie here: www.WineWitchonFire.com You can also get the free companion reader guide with tips on for book club discussion questions as well as organizing an informal wine tasting with friends here: www.WineWitchonFire.com/Guide Those who want to find out more about Natalie's free online food and wine pairing class and Unreserved Wine Talk podcast are welcome to visit here at www.nataliemaclean.com. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/127
Having gotten into some of the California cult wines (unfortunately not literally), the biddies turn to some international cult-considered wines. Yes, we'll talk about Domaine Romainee-Conti Grand Cru, which averages $25,378. But, we'll also talk about some other options from Europe and elsewhere that you *might* actually be able to afford. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/126
The biddies explore the phenomenon of cult wine. While there are cult wines from around the world, the phenomenon is thought to have started with Californian wines, primarily California cabs. The biddies look at a few of these highly sought after wines, such as Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate and Opus One. Show notes: boozybiddies.com/125
Also entitled “How to Steal Fancy Wine from Restaurants and Warehouses”... the biddies detail some more ridiculous and incredible wine heists from recent years, including one from famous Californian restaurant French Laundry, and one in which the Royal Family's own wine was stolen and the thieves toasted themselves on the spot. Tune in to learn more. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/124
The biddies discuss what it takes to steal $5 Million worth of wine and lay out the details of some of history's biggest wine heists. Tune in to hear all about the seedy underworld of forklift operators as well as the best (or worst) wine thief who literally replaced $370 wine bottles with Charles Shaws' Two Buck Chuck. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/123
The biddies explore a classic cocktail and Kentucky Derby favorite: the mint julep. It turns out there's a lot more to the history of mint juleps than meets the eye. Learn about the origin of the mint julep and how it became the cocktail it is today (and by the way, it wasn't always made with bourbon). (This episode is a re-run of episode #87) In the episode: mint julep's roots in the Arab world how it became a classic and popular cocktail in the 1800s the role of black bartenders in developing the recipe just how many mint juleps are served at the Kentucky Derby Show notes are here: boozybiddies.com/122
The biddies turn to the liquor made from wine (some of the time): brandy. Tune in to learn about the difference between a cognac and an armagnac and some other liquors you may not have even known fall into the brandy category. In this episode: Types of brandy History of brandy How brandy is made Cognac and Armagnac, the two big French brandy styles Calvados Grappa Pisco For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/121
The biddies take another stop on the passport tour to discuss more delicious red wine and possibly the first traditional method fermented sparkling wine. Together Languedoc and Roussillon produce one-third of all French wine. Tune in to hear about this not much talked about wine region. For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/120
The biddies continue the passport tour in the Rhone region of France where delicious red blends (and more!) abound. Home to Chateauneuf de Pape and plenty of other delicious red blends, this is a favorite region of Calla and Kara. Tune in to learn about the mistral winds, grape varietals, history and more! For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/119
The biddies head over to the Jura region of France to drink delicious bubbles and learn more about this little region along the Swiss border. Tune in to learn about Louis Pasteur's adventures in wine and more! In this episode: Cremant du Jura Vin de Paille also known as “straw wine” Grapes and varietals in the Jura region For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/118
(PASSPORT TOUR) The biddies resume the passport tour with a visit to Moldova, one of the oldest wine-producing regions of the world. Moldova has a greater percentage of its land covered with vineyards than any other country in the world – and is home to two sprawling wine caves. Tune in to learn all about it! In this episode: Moldova's long history of winemaking The Soviet Union's role in keeping Moldovan wine largely undiscovered outside of eastern Europe Moldovan native varietals such as feteasca alba and the international varietals grown there Moldova's wine producing regions Wine caves so big and long that you can take a tour in a car (or in a gold plated buggy if you're Vladimir Putin) For the full show notes: boozybiddies.com/117
Wanting a wine break? The biddies turn to cachaca and Brazil, diving into the history to this sugarcane-based spirit. Tune in to learn all about cachaca from the big brands exported to the states to the kind that you can only find in an antique store in Brazil. Full show notes: boozybiddies.com/116
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