Grape Culture

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim flick through the fantasy-filled pages of Gillian Anderson's collection of anonymous female sexual desires, Want.

Join Sam and Kim as they crack a crisp white wine and delve into the murky mines of Susan Stokes-Chapman's The Shadow Key, a Gothic mystery that's perfect for spooky season.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim crack open a flavourful French white wine and dive into the BookTok sensation, Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tann. How does it deliver the romantasy fantasy? Are clouds the new Uber? And did you see the big twist coming? Find out on Grape Culture.

#theideaofyou #podcast #moviereview

Join Sam and Kim as they talk about Lucy Cooke's vibrant and joyful exploration of the female sex in the animal kingdom, Bitch.

Join hosts Kim and Sam for an episode of cosy chaos, and find out some truly useless facts about them, such as what their WWE walk-on music would be; what's on their bucket lists; and which fictional character they wish they could be.

On this episode, Sam and Kim keep it classical with Natalie Haynes' Medusa retelling, Stone Blind, as well as a broader look at the burgeoning market for feminist retellings of famous Greek myths.

Step back into 18th century Mysore with Sam and Kim as they explore Tania James's "Loot", a novel inspired by the creation of the automaton known as Tipu's Tiger.

The gang is back for Season 6, and this time, they're kicking off with a punchy red and Nida Manzoor's feisty female-led flick, Polite Society. Join Kim and Sam as they discuss different representations of feminine rage, the importance of friendship, and THAT surprising ending.

On the final episode of 2023, Sam and Kim open a bottle of fizz and delve into Catered All the Way, the queer holiday romance from Annabeth Albert. What makes a good holiday romance? How would we write ours? And what is the most off-putting word to read in erotica? Find out here.

Lush costumes, cutthroat social climbing, and scandalous cartwheels abound in Apple TV's adaptation of Edith Wharton's unfinished novel, The Buccaneers. Join Sam and Kim as they give their thoughts on how to finish an unfinished story, why Christina Hendricks is a scene-stealer, and the fate that should befall the awful Lord Seadown

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim drink orange and see red as they discuss the trials and tribulations of emotional labour. How does it affect our lives? Is there a crossover with masking? And how do you shake a lifetime of people-pleasing? Find out on this week's show.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim embrace their inner twattery (more than usual) and crack open a cold couple of ciders to talk about Dawn French's new sort-of memoir, The Twat Files. What makes one a twat? What does this book teach us about failure? And is mixing cider and red wine a good idea on a random Wednesday an example of prime twat? Give it a listen and find out.

On this week's episode, Sam and Kim discuss the hit BBC drama series, The Woman in the Wall. What does the show say about redemption and sin? How does it balance multi-generational trauma? And why does this week's wine taste like cider? Find out here.

Strap in for our most rambling episode so far. Join Sam and Kim as they chat about pumpkins, October TBRs, and... well, anything else they feel like!

What draws women to gardening? That's what Alice Vincent delves into in her newest book, Why Women Grow - and Sam and Kim are here with a bottle of wine in tow to offer their thoughts on horticulture, womanhood, and the need to cultivate.

What happens when you take a 50-year-old woman going through the menopause, and drop her in the middle of the Forest of Dean? Bridget Christie's sitcom The Change forefronts one woman's battle to rediscover herself after years of putting other people's needs first - oh, and there are eels. Join Sam and Kim as they pop open a middle-of-the-road merlot and get stuck in.

The Barbie movie - AKA the first female-directed movie to top the $1bilion box office mark - hit the screens this summer. To celebrate, Sam and Kim grab some pink wine, and settle in to talk about how the show addresses womanhood, the patriarchy, and an unsettling lack of horses.

R.F. Kuang's smash hit novel, Yellowface, has taken the bestseller lists and BookTok by storm. But how does it satirise the publishing world while tackling racism, cultural appropriation, and cancel culture, while still being darkly funny? Join Sam and Kim on this week's episode to find out.

On this Pride special, Sam and Kim crack open some questionable Lidl rosé wine and talk about the Swedish Netflix drag comedy, Dancing Queens. Does it subvert gender norms, as it claims, or is it just the classic story of a small girl from a Swedish community who loves to dance disco and deliver vegetables? Join us and find out!

To honour the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Sam and Kim get nostalgic over a bottle of rose wine and talk about cosy gaming, the perception of female gamers, and why Tom Nook is our secret overlord.

Sam and Kim dive into Sarah Hawley's debut novel, A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, and the rise in the BookTok romantasy.

On this week's episode, Sam and Kim crack open a bottle of Bruce Jack's The Stream of Consciousness, and dive into Beth O'Leary's romantic novel, The Flat Share.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim crack a bottle of Making Tracks Shiraz and spill the beans on Daisy Jones and the Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid's smash book and the recent Amazon Prime series take a look at the rise and fall of the world's biggest fictional rock band, but does the show do the book justice? Join us on this episode to find out.

Welcome back! In the first episode of Season Five of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim get passionate about Katy Brand's hit film, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. Listen now to find out more!

What do you get when you cross a 1960s cooking show with a determined and brilliant chemist? That's what Bonnie Garmus explores in Lessons in Chemistry, one of the hottest books of 2022. Sam and Kim crack open some Taboo malbec and talk about this blockbusting debut novel.

Champagne on a Tuesday: Your Grape Culture Gift Guide 2022 by Grape Culture

This week, Sam, Kim, and Alex pop some bubbly wine and bust out the grudge talk as they delve into Do Revenge, the Netflix teen vengeance movie with a twist. What do the twisted characters say about the nuances of female friendship? Is Max the worst person ever to grace our screens? And how many 90s romcom references did we spot? Find out on this episode of Grape Culture.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam, Alex, and Kim open a bottle of The Wanderer Malbec and light the black flamed candle to talk about the much-anticipated Hocus Pocus 2. Is this the sequel we needed? How does it shift the narrative around female relationships? And what was with the Elton John opening number? You'll have to listen to find out.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam and Kim dip into some of the world-changing events of the last four years. From the pandemic to Roe v Wade, and Amber Heard to the Women's Euros, join them on this exploration of what it means to be a woman in 2022. Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions of abortion rights, infant and mother mortality, domestic abuse, mental health issues, and eating disorders.

On this week's episode, Sam and Kim step into Wonderland with Marissa Meyer's Queen of Hearts origin story, Heartless. Why do we love a villain origin story? What really makes the Queen of Hearts tick? And why is a raven like a writing desk? Find out on this episode of Grape Culture.

In Alex's first return to the show, the gang bust open some duty-free prosecco to discuss the dark comedy thriller The Flight Attendant. How does it balance comedy and crime? What did we make of the unusual narrative techniques? And what exactly does 'barely a hint of sweetness' mean? Find out on this week's show.

Sam and Kim are joined by Tiff Maddox from Crime & Dine and Trend Lightly to talk about Elinor Cleghorn's Unwell Women. Where did common historical beliefs about women's health come from? How has Western medicine been used as a tool of oppression? And how can you cast a spell to make you travel 20 miles per hour? Find out on this week's episode.

Amy Poehler's feminist movie Moxie is the subject of this week's episode, along with a fiery bottle of red wine. Sam and Kim dig into the movie's place in the canon of high school movies, the treatment of the riot grrrl movement, and possibly the most punchable villain in movie history.

Heartstopper is the Netflix LGBTQ+ high school romance that took the world by storm, but how did it translate from the graphic novel to the screen? This week, Kim and Sam pair this heart-warming British series with a sparkling English wine, and delve into the show's gorgeous cinematography, super-sweet storyline, and ear-worm soundtrack.

Witchcraft, folklore, and a triad of magical sisters: Alix E. Harrow's Once and Future Witches has it all. But what do Sam and Kim make of it? How does it fit into the canon of witch literature? And will Kim's cat disrupt the whole show? Find out on this week's show.

It's a Jubilee year here in the UK, so to celebrate 70 years of Queen Liz, Sam and Kim crack open some regal wines and discuss all things queenly. What is the monarchy good for? How have British female rulers been seen throughout history? And how has the word 'queen' itself evolved? Join us on this week's Grape Culture to find out. #feminism #podcast bh6qKlOH2a9HmGZaDQCw

Crack open a bottle of Le President du XV and join Sam and Kim as they delve into the world of women in politics, why representation is important, and the link between politics and wine.

On the first episode of season four, Kim and Sam grab some European white wines and get stuck into the Bridgerton-eqsue novel Reputation by Lex Croucher. How does it fit in the Regency literature canon? What does it say about nineteenth-century morality? And why is everyone wearing pastels? Find out on this week's episode.

For the final episode of 2021, the gang mull some wine and mull over the best and worst things about Christmas movies. Are they magical excursions in storytelling, or as fake and damaging as Instagram? Are Christmas adverts the new Christmas movies? And does Die Hard really count? Find out on the season 3 finale of Grape Culture.

King Arthur is one of the most iconic figures of British legend, but how much do the Grape Culture team know about the court of Camelot? This week, they crack open a couple of bottles of red wine and dive into Sword Stone Table, a new collection of Arthurian retellings.

What's a logical Halloween topic to follow on from witches and lesbian necromancers in space? Ghosts, obviously. This Halloween, Sam, Kim and Alex talk about representations of female spirits in folklore and literature, and in particular, Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. TW: Infant mortality. #halloween

When the Grape Culture gang decide to watch Aisling Bea'a BAFTA-winning comedy, This Way Up, they thought it would be a light-hearted look at life, love, and families. They couldn't have been more wrong. Join Sam, Kim, and Alex as they talk about the show's many layers, its approach to various mental illnesses, and why Tobias Menzies can never be a romantic lead.

Whether you're a clubbing veteran like Alex, or more of a wine-bar-and-chill person like Kim, chances are you've found yourself whiling away the small hours of the morning in an over-priced and unnecessarily loud nightclub at some point. On this episode of Grape Culture, the gang chug some cheap'n'cheerful wines, and talk about their experience of 'club' culture. What could clubs do to make all their customers feel safer? What would the ideal nightclub look like? And why is the smoking area the best place to hang out? Find out on this week's show.

On this episode of Grape Culture, Sam, Kim and Alex celebrate women within the music industry. What constitutes a musical icon? Why are female performers so commodified? And how many times does Kim mention Taylor Swift? Find out on this week's show.

S3E5 - The Athena Protocol: Teenage Angst & Repeating Blackberries by Grape Culture

On this episode of Grape Culture, the gang grab a bottle of wine and share their thoughts on Emerald Fennell's Oscar-winning movie, Promising Young Woman. How does it fit into the revenge thriller genre? How does the casting impact the storytelling? And was it the movie we were led to expect? Find out on this week's show. #GrapeCulture

It was the show that drove the biggest boom in chess set sales since Benny and Björn's 1986 musical (probably), but just how feminist was The Queen's Gambit? On this episode of Grape Culture, the gang crack open a few bottles of Shot in the Dark Cabernet Shiraz, and delve into the world of 1960s competitive chess.

One year on from the first UK lockdown, Sam, Kim, and Alex reflect on the hobbies that experienced a resurgence during the pandemic. Why did we return to the activities of our childhoods? How does this domesticity feed into the narrative of the "female homemaker"? And why does Kim's wine taste like mushrooms? Find out on this month's episodes. #grapeculture #lockdownlife #podcast

Grape Culture is back for its third season, and kicking off with a bang, the gang delve into Talia Hibbert's smash romance novel, Take a Hint, Dani Brown. How does the story hold up within the romance genre? Why are sex scenes in books so much hotter than on screen? And does Dani ever take the hint? Find out on this week's show.

Lego versus My Baby All-Gone? Dreamphone versus Hungry Hungry Hippos? Join Sam, Kim, and Alex for the final episode of 2020 as they talk about the best toys from their childhood, the effect of gendering toys, and how much they loved a good Furby.