Podcasts about wine for normal people

In this show, I continue to take a page out of my own book -- literally! In this back to basics show, I return to review basic wine vocabulary from chapter 1 of the "Wine For Normal People" book and introduce a new series that I'll be doing now that I'm hosting the show alone...   This Back to Basics series is my updated take on some basics, without distraction or interruption, and with the perspective of 20 years in the wine industry and 16 years of teaching others about wine.    In Part 2, I cover "taste" and "structure" words, which are some of the most misunderstood and incorrectly used terms in wine. I try to explain them in a detailed way, so we are all on the same page when we talk about wine, since descriptions are our best form of communication to get more of the wines we want in our lives.   I cover terms for acidity, tannin, alcohol, and sugar/dryness levels. Then I define balance, complexity, extracted, flabby, typicity, and classic.    I hope this review of the basics is helpful! I think it's always great to review the fundamentals of communication about wine so we can get the bottles that will make us happy!    Enjoy this one!  _______________________________________ Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

In this show, I take a page out of my own book -- literally! In this back to basics show, I review some basic wine vocabulary from chapter 1 of the Wine For Normal People book and introduce a new series that I'll be doing now that I'm hosting the show alone...   Taylor Swift has "Taylor's version" of her songs, and similarly, this Back to Basics series is my updated take on some basics, without distraction or interruption, and with the perspective of 20 years in the wine industry and 16 years of teaching others about wine.    This time, I am tackling some essential wine tasting terms that will help you describe what you see and smell in a glass of wine. From science=y to very general, this show covers a lot of ground and will either teach you or remind you of important concepts in wine tasting.   In Part 2, I will be covering "taste" and "Structure" words, which are some of the most mis-understood and incorrectly used terms in wine! I try to explain them in a detailed way, so we are all on the same page when we talk about wine, since descriptions are our best form of communication to get more of the wines we want in our lives!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes        

This show is listener driven, which makes sense since we have always had a listener focus at Wine For Normal People! We take some amazing questions about the podcast from listeners and reveal some fun facts about the show that you may not know.   We cover things like:  What experience did we have going into the podcast? How do we select guests and plan shows? How should a first-time listener approach 500 episodes? What regions do we like now that we didn't at the outset? What has changed with the show over the years?   And much more. Lots of laughs and good fun, with some wine education and entrepreneurial advice to boot! Thank you to all listeners for being so loyal, kind, and all around awesome over the years -- especially the Patrons! And thank you to Wine Access for its continued support of the show!! Here's to 500 more episodes!  Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ We couldn't have gotten to 500 episodes without my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can't find locally. The holidays are almost upon us -- don't forget to stock up for your holiday feasts and get a Wine Access gift card for everyone in your life!  Get 10% your first order with my special URL.    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

October 12, 2023 With 19 distinct AVA's, numerous quaint downtowns, incredible restaurants, a cheese trail, and a total acreage more than twice the size of Napa Valley, Sonoma has a lot to offer. But that also makes it a complicated region to navigate. Wine For Normal People Host Elizabeth Schneider joins Amanda to discuss their can't miss spots. From a hidden highway bar under eucalyptus trees to their favorite wineries that are still under the radar, this is the roadmap to Sonoma stops you won't want to miss. Wine Featured on This Episode:

Cheers! Hear Michael chat with Elizabeth Schneider - a listener of the program, sommelier, wine specialist and author of "Wine for Normal People: A Guide for Real People Who Like Wine, but Not the Snobbery That Goes with It." Original air date 24 January 2020. The book was published

Happy Thanksgiving/Harvest Meal 2022. For this episode, we're discussing wines that will give you great bang for your buck, pair perfectly with the meal, and impress your guests. Photo: Pumpkins & Pais! (c) Wine For Normal People These pairings are really for any traditional western meal – Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any sort of food that celebrates autumn flavors.    Here's the list for 2022... The Welcome Wine Sparkling options: Sekt from Germany (Riesling is best), South African Cap Classique, Lambrusco Sherry: Our favorite type of Sherry is Amontillado. It's great with nuts and generally well liked by people when they try it. Good producers: Hidalgo la Gitana, Valdespino, Lustau, Osbourne, and Bodegas Dios Baco are some great producers. Dry white wines Wines that complement a buttery, savory meal: Grillo from Sicily Pinot Blanc from Alsace Soave from Italy A blend from Lisboa (around Lisbon, Portugal) Verdejo from Spain OR More acidic whites -- better with acidic food with a lot of citrus/acidity or for contrast: Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Tuscany) Australian Riesling from the Clare and Eden Valleys Finger Lakes Riesling Off Dry Whites for dishes with fruit or with sweetness (yams, corn): Mosel Riesling from Germany Off-dry Finger Lakes Riesling Vouvray from the Loire Valley, France   Light Reds and rosé (good with turkey, ham, pork): Frappato from Sicily País from Chile (similar to Beaujolais) Zweigelt from Austria Rosé: Tavel from Rhône, Côte de Provence, or something from your local winery Heavier reds (for non-turkey meals): Bordeaux – general Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur for MVP, Right Bank (St. Emilion, Fronsac) and Côtes de Bordeaux for meats or heavier vegetables with more delicate, herbal flavors, Médoc for more robust meats with more charred notes Primitivo for robust meats Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon or Carménere for heavily flavored, braised, charred meat   Dessert: Ruby Port for chocolate desserts Muscat-based wines – Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Muscat de Rivesaltes for fruit or custard desserts Bring back the off-dry Sekt or Lambrusco from the beginning of the meal to enjoy at the end of the meal. Lambrusco is good with berry or cherry desserts, Sekt with apple and custards   Tips: Don't buy too much wine. If you have a limited number of drinkers, limit the choices for the meal. If you plan to serve dessert wine, don't go overboard with options at the beginning of the meal or you'll have no takers. If your meal has a theme – it's very savory or is very vegetable focused, stick to the wine that will best suit those dishes and don't offer too many choices   Check out the Wine For Normal People book for more tips on pairing!    Have a safe, happy, healthy holiday. We are so grateful to you for listening and for your continued support!!   _______________________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Wine Spies uncovers incredible wines at unreal prices - on every type of wine in a variety of price points. It's not a club and there's no obligation to buy. Sign up for their daily email and buy what you want, when you want it. They have a build-a-case option, so you can mix and match wines while enjoying free shipping on every purchase. Visit www.winespies.com/normal you'll get $20 credit to use on your first order! Check them out today!   If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes  

Vinho Verde, the DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) Region, has made wine since Roman times. This region is one of the largest DOCs in Europe but within its boundaries there are vast differences between the nine sub regions. In this show,  Mafalda Teixeira Coelho, co-owner of Quinta da Raza and Pedro Campos, winemaker clear up a lot of the misconceptions about Vinho Verde. We learn about the terroir of this old and complex region, the various subregions, and how serious, and sometimes ageworthy wine is being produced here.   Photo: Mafalda Teixeira Coelho, co-owner of Quinta da Raza and Pedro Campos, winemaker (c)Wine For Normal People  In September 2021, I visited the region and I just loved the wines of Quinta da Raza, I adored Mafalda and Pedro, and I thought they were perfect representatives to tell us about their corner of this big region, in Basto, and what they are capable of making in this unique terroir.   Here's what we discuss in the show: The diversity of Vinho Verde, it's 9 sub regions and how proximity to the sea, position in the mountains, and soil type make big differences in the grapes you can grow and the resulting wines. Map: Vinho Verde Commission   Pedro tells us about the Basto subregion, where Quinta da Raza is located. It is inland, on granite, schist, and clay soils. The location is a bit more continental with warmer summers and cooler winters than places near the coast, meaning grapes can get fully ripe and quite flavorful.   To understand Vinho Verde, you must understand the nuance between the granite terroir v. the schist terroir. Pedro tells us what the differences are and why they matter.   Mafalda shares the history of the estate and how it was passed down to her husband Diogo, who she manages things with today. Mafalda Teixeira Coelho, co-owner of Quinta da Raza and her daughters, (c)Wine For Normal People  Pedro tells us about the main grapes of the region: Azal, Alvarinho, Avesso, Arinto, Trajadura, and the reds Padeiro and Vinhão. He tells us about the various brands of Quinta da Raza Dom Diogo is the traditional brand that is sold mainly in the Portuguese market Quinta da Raza is a more international style, and where you'll find those more serious whites like Alvarinho, Avesso, and Gouveio Raza is the very traditional, fizzy Vinho Verde of Arinto, Trajadura, and Azal, with the Rosé made of Vinhão, Padeiro and Espadeiro Nat their line of Pet Nat (Petillant Naturel), sparkling wine made in the ancestral method with a single fermentation happening in the bottle from which you drink it   We discuss some of the important techniques they use to get high quality wine – traditional things like hand harvesting grapes and foot treading in stone lagares, and then more modern things like using stainless steel tanks and modern winemaking techniques. Hand harvest at Quinta da Raza (c)Wine For Normal People  Pedro tells us Alvarinho and Avesso are good candidates for aging, with Gouveio as a possible third.   We finish the conversation by talking about Quinta da Raza's commitment to sustainability and the bright future for the Vinho Verde region and for the winery.   Quinta da Raza's wines are fantastic. Seek out the basic Raza, but try to find the single varietals, they are inexpensive and drink way above their price point!   ________________________ From our Sponsors... Wine Spies uncovers incredible wines at unreal prices - on big names or boutique brands from all over the world at up to 75% off! It's not a club and there's no obligation to buy. They have a build-a-case option, so you can mix and match wines while enjoying free shipping on every purchase. Visit www.winespies.com/normal you'll get $20 credit to use on your first order! Don't forget to go to the store page to see what wines I love with descriptions I have written.    If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Cairanne is an 877 ha/2,167 acre appellation in the southern Rhône Valley that has been farmed since the time of the Greeks. It is not just a regular appellation, it is a cru of elevated status in the Côtes du Rhône. It doesn't get the credit it deserves! After tasting much of it at a wine fair in the southern Rhône, I found it unbelievably delicious. A cru with acidity and a lighter profile but still so much character? YES. And after speaking to a few of the other producers in the appellation, I found Jean-Etienne Alary and his father, Denis. Jean-Etienne has a worldly view, after spending time in Australia and New Zealand, and Domaine Alary's wines are some of the best Cairanne out there. Combining old techniques and newer ideas, Domaine Alary makes spectacular wines, with Jean-Etienne taking over the main winemaking duties from his father, Denis, who helped lead the charge to make Cairanne a Cru. Photo: Denis and Jean-Etienne Alary. ©Wine For Normal People   Here's a quick look at the topics we discuss in the show:  1. Jean-Etienne gives us a full education on Cairanne. We cover: Cairanne's location and its proximity to places like Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Rasteau, as well as the Rhône River The main grapes that are grown, typical blends of Cairanne, and how a small percentage of Cinsault, Counoise or Carignan can go a long way. We discuss the whites, which are a small but very important part of the wines of Cairanne The three main types of terroir and what grows best on each The climate and the strong Mistral effect, which helps keep disease off the grapes. We hit on climate change and drought, and what it means for certain grapes in the appellation The elegance that defines Cairanne versus all other Cru of the south   2. Then we discuss the 11 generations of the Alary family, their history in Cairanne and their essential role in Cairanne The Alarys have been involved in wine in Cairanne since 1692 and have farmed exclusively in this area since, surviving wars, phylloxera, mildews, to be what it is today We discuss Denis Alary, Jean-Etienne's father and how he started to make significant changes when he graduated from oenology school in the 80s. We talk about the age of the big wine critic and how the Rhône bent to the will of certain critics but has come back to its roots. discuss how Denis and the close-knit wine community of Cairanne fought to get the appellation to cru status for decades, finally achieving the goal in 2016. Finally, we cover how Denis moved Alary to a certified organic property in 2009, years before it became trendy!   3. We discuss the cru system and how, even though all cru are equal in the eyes of the law, they are not treated the same. Jean-Etienne talks about his aspirations to make Cairanne as well recognized as other cru     4. We discuss Jean-Etienne's experiences in winemaking in Australia at Henschke and New Zealand at Seresin and the differences in how things get done in France vs the New World.   Photo: The Wines of Domaine Alary. ©Wine For Normal People 5. We talk about the wines of Alary: The Cairanne from Alary, and the role of Carignan and how it can be made in a lighter, elegant style The whites, although only 5% of the AOC, are 20% of Alary's production and based on the Clairette grape, from which Alary makes stunning whites that are reminiscent of Sauvignon blanc. Winemaking philosophy and the use of technology versus intuition The future for Cairanne and for Alary   If you haven't had a wine from  Cairanne, seek it out, especially the wines of Alary. These wines are elegant, drinkable, and fantastic with food! ____________________________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week:  Wine Spies uncovers incredible wines at unreal prices - on big names or boutique brands from all over the world at up to 75% off! It's not a club and there's no obligation to buy. They have a build-a-case option, so you can mix and match wines while enjoying free shipping on every purchase. Visit www.winespies.com/normal you'll get $20 credit to use on your first order! Don't forget to go to the store page to see what wines I love with descriptions I have written.      If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

After a trip to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, M.C. Ice and I have a casual discussion on "What I learned on my school vacation"

Why are orange wines appealing to beer drinkers? Why does it pay to be promiscuous when shopping for wine? Why is there so much confusion around natural and raw wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm being interviewed by Elizabeth Schneider on the Wine For Normal People podcast. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights Why is there so much confusion around natural and raw wine? What is the natural wine movement about? What makes a good celebrity wine? What's the problem with diet and alcohol-free wines? How is global warming affecting the wine world? Are prominent wine regions taking proactive steps to mitigate the effects of climate change? What makes orange wines great for beer drinkers? How has the wine industry evolved from celebrity-type critics to wine influencers and beyond? What do you need to know about finding a good bottle of wine? Is the wine industry dying? Why do Elizabeth and I love a good wine in a box?   About Elizabeth Schneider After graduating from Wesleyan University (CT) and starting my career in Boston, Elizabeth quickly realized that her heart was more in her hobby than in her high-tech job. Trips to the wine shop often yielded awesomely poor (but hilarious) results, so Elizabeth and her sister finally took a course at the Boston Center for Adult Education to learn how to taste and appreciate wine. And that kicked it all off. A stint in St. John in the Caribbean to wait tables and just unwind for 8 months (yes, she quit my high-tech corporate job, packed two bags, and hopped on a plane), was followed by a great two years completing my MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where she met M.C. Ice, her podcast partner, and husband) and since then her career has been solely about wine.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/149.

What are the latest trends in wine, from blue wines to raw wines? And should you be drinking them? Why are high-tech and wine a perfect pairing? What's it like behind the scenes of the wine writing industry? How do you recover from devastating professional and personal attacks? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm being interviewed by Elizabeth Schneider on the Wine For Normal People podcast. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights What happy accident introduced me to the world of great wines? How did I go from visiting wineries on the weekend to becoming a wine writer? Why do I think wine and tech are a perfect pairing? What was unusual about my journey to publishing my first book? How have I used storytelling as a common theme throughout my work? What's the real story behind the challenges and attacks I faced in 2021? How do Canadian and American wine palates compare? Which Canadian wine region am I most excited about right now? Where can you find the best Canadian Pinot Noir? Why is it so difficult to access Canadian wine in Canada?   About Elizabeth Schneider After graduating from Wesleyan University (CT) and starting my career in Boston, Elizabeth quickly realized that her heart was more in her hobby than in her high-tech job. Trips to the wine shop often yielded awesomely poor (but hilarious) results, so Elizabeth and her sister finally took a course at the Boston Center for Adult Education to learn how to taste and appreciate wine. And that kicked it all off. A stint in St. John in the Caribbean to wait tables and just unwind for 8 months (yes, I quit my high-tech corporate job, packed two bags, and hopped on a plane), was followed by a great two years completing my MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where she met M.C. Ice, her podcast partner, and husband) and since then her career has been solely about wine.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/148.

After a few conversations, it became clear that M.C. Ice has been very confused about the differences between classification systems in France. Isn't Bordeaux the same as Burgundy? What’s the terminology -- it's it Premier Cru? Grand Cru? What exactly is each place ranking? And why do they do it at all? In this show we get in the weeds on the five classifications of Bordeaux (read the Wine For Normal People book or listen to Ep 59 and 60 to get up to speed on Bordeaux before attempting this!). We talk about their history, what they aimed to achieve and the criteria each use. We try to clear up what each is ranking, how they are ranked and why it all matters. MC Ice was clear by the end, we hope you are too!   Here are the classifications of Bordeaux mentioned in the show: 1855 Classification (with Sauternes and Barsac): The terminology for each level is “Cru”, there are five levels: First-Growths / Premières Crus Second-Growths / Deuxièmes Crus Third-Growths / Troisièmes Crus Fourth-Growths / Quatrièmes Crus Fifth-Growths / Cinquièmes Crus Sauternes and Barsac have first and second growths, and Château d’Yquem is a Great First-Growth / Grand Premier Cru   And the 1961 Proposed classification   Graves Classification Grand Cru Classé de Graves   St Émilion Classification:  Premier Grand Cru Classé 'A'   Premier Grand Cru Classé 'B' Grand Cru Classé St Émilion Grand Cru     Cru Bourgeois Crus Bourgeois Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels   Cru Artisan Classification (only Médoc)   __________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   Wine Access      Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed! Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Cut through snooty wine talk! (And the banter between Elizabeth, Scott and Michelle BEFORE the recording is almost better than when they decided to be "official.")  Guest Elizabeth Schneider, creator of Wine for Normal People (podcast, book and website of the same name) joins Scott & Michelle. Elizabeth talks about how she got her start into the wine business – which was kind of a rocky start. Of course, the three of them get into the debate of what price level signifies a “good” bottle of wine. (No one agrees with Michelle – still) Plus, a lot of talk about how wine is an agricultural product and Elizabeth dives into the neo-temperance movement. Scott quizzes Elizabeth on wine pairings for a variety of foods. Oh – and don’t do the “Tour de Franzia.” Elizabeth’s many wine recommends made during the show: Guru – the $14 bottle of wine that tastes like a $50 bottle. https://egobodegas.com/wines/goru-monastrell-ingles/ Spain and Italy are great places to find a good bottle for a great value. Scott thew Michelle under the bus about Merlot, so now her assignment is to find a bottle from Cotes de Bordeaux region, Castillon region or Saint Emilien region Get Elizabeth’s book at WineforNormalPeople.Com Listen to her podcast Join her Patreon channel Get Scott’s Recipes at SportingChef.Com Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube Follow Michelle on Instagram

Chris chats with fellow podcaster Elizabeth Schneider who hosts the hugely popular show Wine for Normal People.

Cut through snooty wine talk! Guest Elizabeth Schneider, creator of Wine for Normal People (podcast, book, website, more) joins Scott & Michelle. You will laugh and learn!

Elizabeth Schnieder is the host and author of Wine for Normal People. She is a certified sommelier who has worked in everything from winery brand management to creating waitstaff programs, and perhaps most famously, hosting one of my favorite podcasts, Wine For Normal People. Today we’re going to talk about everything from the scandal surrounding the sexual abuse and misogyny within the Court of Master Sommeliers and sexism the wine industry as a whole to debunking the myth that natural wine is as great as all the cool kids make it sound. I know you're going to fall in love with her humor and candor, just as I did years ago when I first listened in to her show. Be sure to give us a follow over on Instagram @kristasimmons @forkintheroadmedia for the latest. Cheers!

Magali Guyon has been the technical director/ winemaker of Château La Cardonne in the Médoc of Bordeaux for more than 20 years. Having worked in Bordeaux for some of the biggest names – she is the former winemaker at Château Lynch-Bages – she represents the best of the best in Bordeaux. Château La Cardonne was recently awarded the prestigious Cru Bourgeois Supérieur title as well.  In this show, we take a different look at the Médoc (the prestigious Left Bank of Bordeaux) and approach it as a proposition of growing and terroir – not of pretty chateaux and expensive wines. Magali helps us reframe the discussion of Bordeaux to show us that the true essence of Bordeaux is the vineyard and the land.   Here are the show notes/discussion topics: The location, size, and the major water, soil, climate, and other influences in the Médoc Map from Vins du Médoc The soils and the differences between the various types of gravel, the clay-limestone, and the limestone bedrock that could be particularly suited to white wine in the future (yes, we do discuss the possibility of a Blanc appellation for Médoc)   The flat aspect of Bordeaux and how diurnals must make up for what it lacks in altitude or slope The grapes of the Médoc – mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. We talk about what type of land is well-suited to each grape and what matters when it comes to good viticulture   The many separate areas/AOCs –Margaux, St. Julien, Pauiilac, Listrac, Moulis, St. Estèphe, and the wider areas of Haut-Médoc and Médoc. We talk about the similarities (the oceanic climate) and the differences (nuances in climate and soil)   I ask Magali about why there are no wines that tout “old vines” or Vieilles Vignes on their labels in Bordeaux. She explains why that could be. Climate change and the challenges of strictly organic or biodynamic viticulture are a big topic. We also talk about the new grape varieties – Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Arinarnoa, and Castets – and the potential for a few of them. We address the importance of tradition and how keeping wines stylistically true to the region is a priority   After an in-depth conversation on Médoc, we discuss Château la Cardonne. Magali explains why she vinifies each lot separately – plot by plot. We discuss how important it is for a vigneron to be in charge of both vineyards and winemaking. We talk about the use of oak and how it is viewed in Bordeaux (as a way to provide controlled oxidation and tannin stabilization, NOT as a “spice rack” as it is in the New World) and why many vigneron are trading barrels for amphora     Château La Cardonne ages the wines before release in their famous “Cathedral” . It is 2020 at the time of the show and they are just releasing their 2010 wine Photo credit: Vins du Médoc We discuss the “caste system” of Bordeaux and how frustrating it is that the classification systems suppress the reputation and excellent wines of places not included in these old rankings. On the positive side, we discuss how that translates to value for us as wine lovers (La Cardonne is a mere US$25)   We wrap with a brief discussion of women in Bordeaux, the benefit of foreign investment in Bordeaux (Château La Cardonne is owned by a Hong Kong-based company), and how the future for Bordeaux is exciting and full of possibilities.   The show is a great new way to look at Bordeaux. Forget chateaux: look at the land! *Unless specified otherwise all photos from the Instagram feed of Chateau La Cardonne ____________________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more! And get an eGift Card for the holidays and Wine Access will donate 10% of the proceeds to one of my favorite charities: No Kid Hungry.  It's a great charity that helps end childhood hunger.  Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed! Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal    Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   To sign up for classes (now for UK and Euro time zones!) please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes! To get a Gift Certificate for a Wine For Normal People class for your loved one go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes! And for a customized, signed bookplate for a gift, send your receipt to hello (at) winefornormalpeople (dot)    com

Today we have Elizabeth Schneider, an author and award winning podcast host! We have a real convo on the world of wine and how Elizabeth got into wine and her brief stint living in St. Thomas. 

We haven't done a show on this topic for a long time, so here's the 2020 update. We cover what to look for in glassware, decanters, wine fridges, wine openers, preservation systems and more. This is the skinny on what you need and what you don't (and why!).   Our picks are all on the Wine For Normal People store (where I make a tiny bit through affiliate money), but here's the list with some buying tips: Glassware picks, well, I'll make you read this article from epicurious.com ( I wrote it so I believe in it!) Decanters: they are good for removing sediment, aerating a full bottle, and heating up a too-cold wine. Make sure you get one that is easy to wash (forgot to mention that in the show) Aerators: still a no-go for me. If you don't have the time to wait for a wine to unfold, drink something else. Wine openers: the WFNP one, the electric one Wine ice cubes: We like the thin plastic ones because we are the weight and color of stainless steel or rock can mess with the glass (break it) and the wine (discolor it) Wine fridges: The fewer bells and whistles, the better. Make sure you think about how much wine you WILL consume in the future, as opposed to what you drink now. If your wine habit is growing, buy a slightly bigger fridge. The Corksicle: This also serves as an aerator, but you would ignore that function if you take our advice. The main purpose of the device is to chill down the wine quickly. You put it in the freezer and the plastic icicle reaches down through the bottle to chill the wine. I'm not sold on it, but this is the only one that at least ONE of us thinks has promise.  Yeti Wine tumbler: the only stemless that gets my ok, this keeps the wine at a perfect temperature every time. GREAT for the beach or any outdoor drinking! Vacu-vin or other vacuum sealer: It will give you a day or three more with fresh wine, so it's a yes!  Press-n-Seal for sparkling wine -- seriously. Coravin: If you live alone or like drinking different things from your partner, or different things every night, this is worth the $200 - $400 plus the $50 refill cost a few times a year. The money you'll save in wine down the drain is well worth it! Make sure you always remove the foil and you don't use it on synthetic cork. Also, let the bottle stand upright for a few hours so it doesn't leak -- the cork will "heal" but it doesn't do so right away and that can leave a mess in your fridge. Funnel and filter combo: Perfect for getting rid of floating cork, sediment, tartrate crystals -- the filter is a must. I know this may not happen to you, but occasionally you want to go to bed and you didn't finish all the wine in your glass. That's a good time to use the funnel! Are there other gadgets that are fine? Absolutely, but this is our best of the best -- the ones that we find useful and necessary! Let us know if you have additions. _______________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). Check out their awesome wine site with fantastic, hard to find wines -- you won't regret it!    Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople  

In this episode, I talk WINE with Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, MBA, blogger, podcaster, author, wine educator, and normal wine person Elizabeth Schneider.

The grape miniseries continues! This time we cover the grape known as Monstrell in Spain, Mourvèdre in France, and Mataro in other parts of the world. Difficult to grow and make, when treated well the wines from this grape are unlike any other -- herbal, gamy, powerful. The key things to know about Monastrell/Mourvèdre: The grape originated in Spain, and then moved to the Roussillon, Rhône, and Provence in France. It needs a lot of heat to grow, so it can only thrive in hot locations with lots of sun but ample water. Flavors: They vary greatly depending on where the wine is made, but generally it has deep color, full body, is tannic and high in alcohol. Spain: can be more like red fruit -- cherries and raspberries with spice and herbs. France, especially Bandol: the wines have more dark fruit (if any fruit character at all) with spice, olives, herbs (garrigue as they call it in southern France), and a gamy, barnyard or wild animal smell to the wine. With time (3-5 years) that flavor mellows to something more akin to leather or tobacco and the tannins calm. In the new works styles are less tannic and less gamy. In blends: Mourvèdre adds fullness, flavor and structure that complements the more lifted Grenache and the elegant Syrah. In rosé: The grape helps these wines have longevity, lending tannin and great flavor to the wine Food Pairings: Meats or root/hearty vegetables that are braised, grilled, or in a stew. Hard cheeses work too.   Where can you find it? France: Provence: Especially Bandol, where the finest Mourvèdre is made. Producers we mentioned are Domaine Tempier (reds and rosé), Château de Pibarnon Languedoc-Roussillon: one to watch for more varietal Mourvèdre in the future Rhône:  in blends and especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We mention Beaucastel as having a high percentage of Mourvèdre   Spain (called Monastrell) Central and southeast Spain: Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia Main grape in: Alicante, Almansa, Jumilla, Valencia, Yecla, Bullas Producers: Luzon, Juan Gil, Castaño, El Nido, Casa de la Ermita California Northern and Central CA: Contra Costa County (old plantings found here), San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Sonoma Producers: Crux,(They are featured in episode 220) Tablas Creek  (episodes 162 and 281) Bonny Doon Ridge Vineyards Other US:  Washington State, Oregon, Arizona, TX, Virginia, Chile, South Africa   Australia Used as a component in GSMs  -- Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre blends South Australia: Riverland (bulk wine), Barossa, McLaren Vale New South Wales: Riverina (bulk wine area) Producers making single varietal Mourvèdre: D’Arenberg Torbreck Turkey Flat  Hewitson   A link to where I'll be for upcoming Wine For Normal People book signings: www.winefornormalpeople.com  _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Ribera del Duero makes some of the most outstanding Tempranillo in the world. Located in the northwest of the Spain, about two hours north of Madrid, Ribera del Duero has been making wine for 2,600 years but its modern story is one of a dynamic, changing region that is improving every year. This is an exciting region and an example of Spain's willingness to change, improve and go the distance to produce excellent quality wine. Here are the show notes: Ribera del Duero is on an elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. Altitude of more than 2,000 feet, varied soils that include limestone cliffs, and the Duero river are defining features of the region. The region follows the course of the Duero river for approximately 115 km/70mi upstream from the southern plains of Burgos, west to Valladolid and includes parts Segovia and Soria to the south and east. The west has the most aromatic wines, the central has fruitier wines, and the east has big, bold wines. The climate of the region has influences of Mediterranean, Atlantic, and continental climates, but is generally pretty extreme (‘three months of winter and nine months of hell’) with hot summers and huge diurnals that result in slow ripening and a long growing season The wines are usually 100% Tempranillo but are allowed to include up to 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Malbec with no more than 5% of Garnacha or the white that is native to this area, Albillo Mayor. These wines are powerful with a full body, black fruit notes and flavors from oak like smoke, vanilla, and tobacco. The best ones are balanced with acidity and tannin. Along with Rioja, Ribera del Duero is the only Spanish wine region that utilizes crianza, reserva and gran reserva for the aging and labeling of its wines. Top Producers: Aalto, Alión (owned by Vega Sicilia), Alonso del Yerro, Emilio Moro, Pago de Carraovejas, Pesquera, Dominio de Pingus, Vega Sicilia , O Fournier, Hacienda del Monasterio Links: I mentioned my new pod: Up and at Her And the podcast We Like Drinking and the pod I was on! And a link to where I'll be for the book: www.winefornormalpeople.com    And don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

The famed parts of Burgundy make wine that most of us can only read about in books and articles. But Côte Chalonnaise, just south of those famed parts, is a treasure trove of great whites and reds. Although it has been praised throughout history, in recent times it has been overlooked by Burgundy lovers, despite the fact that in many years it makes wine that isn't so different from its neighbors to the north. As a quick overview, the region takes its name from the commune of Chalon-sur-Saône, near the Saône River. It is sandwiched between the Côte de Beane and north of the hills of the Maconnais, and here Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the white Aligoté grape grow on soils strikingly similar to Côte de Beaune, which is a mere 3 miles away.   The Côte Chalonnaise is between the Dheune and Grosne Valleys. With a continental climate, it rolls over gentle hills with many areas that possess the very same limestone prized (and 3-5 times more for) in the Côte de Beaune.   With max’ed out demand for the wines of the Côte d’Or (where the best Pinot is from) and the wines of the Côte de Beaune (the most famed Chardonnay wines, also with excellent Pinot), prices for wines from these areas of Burgundy are simply outrageous. Although the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise are not always as elegant as those from the regions to its north, they are still outstanding wines and better yet, they are wines that we can afford that allow us to taste the land of Burgundy without paying 6 months mortgage for a single bottle.   In the rest of the show, we discuss specific appellations. Here are the notes: Regional: Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise The red of Pinot Noir is dark colored, berry and cherry scented and flavored wines often with a mushroom or earth note. The wine has good tannin, acidity and is lovely to drink. The whites of Chardonnay are light colored, with apple, floral, lemon and honey with good acidity. They are often fermented or aged in oak barrels. The rosé is made of Gamay or Pinot Noir and can be herbal, spicy, full of red berry notes and have great acidity. Cremant de Bourgogne: Although not exclusively made in Chalonnaise, this is the area in which the sparkling wine was first made.     Village: Bouzeron: The only appellation to make wine from the Aligoté grape, which is acidic, aromatic, and silky when made well. Top producers: A & P de Villaine, André Delorme, Chanzy Frères   Rully: The whites of Chardonnay are the best in Côte Chalonnaise and are very often better than comparable wines from the Côte de Beaune for a way better price. Rully is adjacent to Bouzeron and makes excellent Pinot Noir too. The whites of Chardonnay are usually fermented or matured in oak.  The best Crémant is made here as well Top Premiers crus: La Pucelle, Grésigny, Meix Cadot, Montpalais and Champs Cloux. Top producers:  André Delorme, Domaine de la Folie, P & M Jacqueson; Jean-Baptiste Ponsot   Mercurey: The Côte Chalonnaise was once known as the Région de Mercurey, because the area is so large and important. Divided into two parts, there are lots of sub valleys on either side which make research necessary to get good wines. 25% of vineyards are classified as Premier Cru, but these are more legitimate than other communes, because Mercurey does regular reviews, to make more stringent conditions than the appellation's other wines (the maximum yields are closer to those of the Cote d’Or). 90% of the wine is flavorful, earthy, spicy Pinot Noir with chewy, rich tannins, great acidity, and mineral notes. Top Premiers crus: Combins, Champs Martin, Clos des Barraults, Clos l’Eveque, from north of the village, and Clos de Roi and En Sazenay from the other side. Top producers: Philippe Garrey; Michel Juillot, Guy Narjoux, Lorenzo, Antonin Rodet   Givry: Similar to Mercurey, Givry’s production is 90% Pinot Noir. Also like Mercurey, the excellent limestone based soils allow the best Givry producers make wines similar in style to Côte d’Or for a fraction of the price. This is a small area but it has 38 Premier Crus and that means the significance of those climats isn’t always earned – do your research before you buy! Top Premiers Crus: Cellier Aux Moines, Clos de la Barraude, Clos Salomon, Clos du Vernoy, Servoisine Top producers:  Jean-Marc Joblot; François Lumpp; Vincent Lumpp; Domaine du Clos Salomon, Domaine du Jardin     Montagny: With only whites made from Chardonnay, limestone soils are vital to adding minerality in the wines. The wines are generally barrel fermented for depth and complexity. They are rich and full.   The challenges with Montagny: 2/3 of the production is from the local co-op in Buxy . Although they make quality wine, they have a strangle-hold on producers and there are fewer independent domaines here.  The other issue: during World War II the appellation was deemed to be ALL Premier Cru and that isn’t really right. Although some producers volunteered to limit the top sites to the best portion of their climat, many didn’t so the proportion of overpriced, improperly classified Premier Cru wine in Montagny is high. Top Premiers Crus: Les Coères, Les Burnins, Les Montcuchots Top producers: Stéphane Aladame, Caves du Buxy, Domaine Feuillat-Juillot   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Filippo Bartolotta is a teacher, writer, and a wine storyteller. He has had a long career in wine writing for Decanter magazine, helping launch Vinopolis, the largest wine museum in the world, training journalists, experts, and trade on communication, sensory analysis, wine history and anthropology. Since 2010 he has held a Road Show entitled "The Amazing Italian Wine Journey" which each year, among other places, sees him in the White House kitchens and in the halls of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He has worked with celebrities and even hosted  Barack and Michelle Obama in Tuscany. Filippo and his wife have a cooking and wine school of cooking, MaMa Florence, in Florence, and he runs and agency that provides premium travel experiences throughout Italy. Filippo is an excellent communicator and our conversations are always full of ideas that sometimes explain and sometimes question conventional wisdom. Today he joins me to talk about the relatively new movement of Anteprima in Italy, which, as you’ll hear, is a purely Italian take on the famed en Primeur of Bordeaux (which we will also explain).  We discuss the systems of France and Italy, En Primeur and Anteprima respectively and discuss how each country's approach to futures and vintage somewhat mirrors their cultures, and their orientations. We touch on vintage, the importance of small producers in Italy, and offer some golden nuggets on how to take advantage of good and bad vintages.  If you've ever wondered about futures or vintage this is a can't miss show!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Monty Waldin is a British broadcaster, author, and winemaker with a special interest in organics and biodynamics. His first book,  "The Organic Wine Guide”, published in 1999, was voted Britain’s Wine Guide of the Year. He has also written award winning books “Biodynamic Wines” and “Wines of South America.”     Monty has winemaking experiences in both hemispheres, has had a tv show called “Chateau Monty” (2008) in which he chronicled biodynamic winemaking in the Roussillon of France, he is a contributor to the Grape Collective, Decanter, and contributes the entries on organics, biodynamics and sustainability for the Oxford Companion to Wine. He’s also the host of the Italian Wine Podcast and a pretty awesome dude.   A busy guy! In this episode Monty takes us through his journey into wine and clarifies for us the differences between organic and biodynamic wine. He chronicles some of the modern history of biodynamics in Europe and talks about why he sees it as a feasible path for many producers.   We then discuss: The challenges for biodynamics (is it just a hippie thing or is it useful?) The differences between organics, biodynamics, and natural wine and the dogma surrounding each. I ask about whether or not bio wine is a real thing or a marketing ploy for most producers We discuss the hard realities of biodynamic and organic farming – the difficulties in marginal climates, the shackles of certification, and the path to better farming and away from “modern” farming   We wrap by discussing Monty’s AWESOME podcast, “The Italian Wine Podcast” in conjunction with VinItaly. He talks about how he got into Italian wine, biodynamics in Italy, and ultimately whether we are in a better place in wine than we were when he first started.   Thanks to Wine2Wine Verona for inviting me to speak and for allowing me the opportunity to speak with the famous Monty Waldin!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Elena Walch is a winery with an essential role in the quality revolution of Alto Adige, Italy.   Alto Adige is in the northeast corner of Italy and has unlimited variety and wines that offer delicate, unique flavor profiles. Located south of the Alps, in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains (where the ice mummy was found!), vineyards here are planted on steep slopes, river valleys and some warmer plains. The vast differences in microclimates and soils in this sloping terrain make wines that have ample fruit but beautiful acidity that keep them crisp and bright.   In the 1980s and early 1990s a very important figure emerged in Alto Adige wine: Elena Walch. Her story is unusual – she doesn’t come from a wine family or background, nor did she plan to get into wine. But in her job as an architect, fate brought her together with the Walch family and she quickly became the head of the Alto Adige quality revolution, gaining local and international esteem for her efforts  around quality and innovation Now, her daughters, Julia and Karoline Walch, the fifth generation are taking over and today we have Karoline to tell us this amazing story and talk about Alto Adige, the small, gorgeous region in northeast Italy that makes beautiful cool climate wines. The estate is dedicated to terroir-driven wines. In this show, Karoline Walch talks with me about Alto Adige and the Elena Walch story. We discuss: Traditional grapes, the land, and the unique blend of Austrian, Germanic and Italian culture that exists in Alto Adige The long history of Walch family and the modern history of Elena, an architect who saw an opportunity to make a big change in the quality and style of Aldo Adige wine, and took it, despite not knowing anything about viticulture or winemaking.    Karoline's and her sister, Giulia's, path to taking over Elena Walch and how they plan to move forward.   The wines! We discuss grapes from Gewürztraminer to Pinot Blanc to Pinot Grigio, and then reds like Schiava and Lagrein. Karoline gives us detail on Vigna Castel Ringberg in Caldaro and Vigna Kastelaz in Tramin, as well as their Grand Cuvee white, In the Clouds      Thanks to Wine2Wine Verona for inviting me to speak and for allowing me the opportunity to meet Karoline Walch and share this show with all of you!   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Wine Access  Visit: www.wineaccess.com/normal and for a limited time get $20 off your first order of $50 or more!  I’m so excited to introduce Wine Access to you. Wine Access is a web site that has exclusive wines that overdeliver for the price (of which they have a range). They offer top quality wines by selecting diverse, interesting, quality bottles you may not have access to at local shops. Wine Access provides extensive tasting notes, stories about the wine and a really cool bottle hanger with pairings, flavor profile, and serving temps. Wines are warehoused in perfect conditions and shipped in temperature safe packs. Satisfaction is guaranteed!  Check it out today! www.wineaccess.com/normal 

Connie Paur Griffiths is winemaker and vigneron at Tranquil Vale Vineyards in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia joins to educate us about this fascinating region, discuss the bushfires that have threatened it, and to talk about the challenges facing wine and climate in Oz's future. Connie shares how her parents found Tranquil Vale advertised in an Australian paper, while living in London, and took a chance on a total lifestyle change. From there, they moved their lives and two kids, including then 8 year old Connie to the hot Hunter Valley, 2.5 hours from Sydney to begin their adventure. They learned to make wine and grow grapes and have won multiple awards for their Semillon, Chardonnay, and Shiraz. Tranquil Vale makes 3,000 cases of wine and is a family-owned and run boutique producer.    Connie tells us about this unlikely place, which is the oldest wine region in Australia. Hunter Valley characteristics include: A subtropical climate with maritime breezes in some areas, but also with humidity that can cause rot Temps that get above 40˚C/ 100˚F on a regular basis Great diurnal temperature swings that allow for the three main grapes to maintain good acidity and keep alcohol levels lower Gently sloping hills with lower altitude 3 big subregions: Upper Hunter Valley, Broke Fordwich (we discuss how many producers will not harvest in 2020 due to smoke taint), Pokolbin, which has many of the famed wineries and is in foothills of Brokenback Range. The main grapes of the area are: Semillon – which miraculously, with time,  turns into something like Oak aged Chardonnay in spite of the fact that there is no oak and no malolactic fermentation ever done in the winemaking process Chardonnay -- a lightly oaked, lower alcohol versio Shiraz -- which in spite of sometimes punishing heat, still keeps a lighter style, lower alcohol, and a peppery note that is often "baked out" of other styles of Shiraz in regions of Australia   The second half of our conversation focuses on the bushfires of 2019-2020 and the havoc they have wreaked, but also on the endemic climate, infrastructure and land management issues that Australia will likely need to deal with to prevent the kind of historic fires we have seen this year. A fascinating perspective, and a thought-provoking conversation!   Thanks to Connie for reaching out to us and sharing her story!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes! 

There may be no better representative to speak to us about the devastation of the 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia than Kathy Drogemuller of Paracombe Wines in Adelaide Hills in South Australia. Started in 1983, Paracombe Wines started after the Ash Wednesday bushfires when Kathy and her husband Paul bought an old dairy farm and began making wine. Today it is truly a family business, making handcrafted wines. Kathy tells us her story, what is special about the high-altitude vineyards of Adelaide Hills and the diversity of grapes that can grow there and then she gives us great perspective on the large-scale fires that destroyed much of her beautiful region.  She shares what has happened with the fires, why it has happened, and gives us a perspective on how a region copes with fire  we discuss a bit about animal life, and the importance of knowing that there are still people who are open for business. The show is a great opportunity to discover a quality Australian region and to get an idea of what is really going on in Australian wine regions regarding the most destructive wildfires in Australian history.   Kathy gives us the true, somewhat sad picture but gives us great hope with her optimism, her assurance that the wine community is pulling together, and her genuine belief that something good will come from this tragic situation. The easiest way to help is to request wines from Adelaide Hills,  Australia from your local wine shop or restaurant. You can also donate to the following causes: Adelaide Hills Wine Region Fund The Australian Red Cross   Special thanks to Leighton Walker in the UK for helping connect me with Kathy!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!   

In this episode Monty Waldin interviews Elizabeth Schneider, host of Wine for Normal People Podcast, a show for wine lovers and learners. Elizabeth tells Monty how the show came about in 2009 and talks about her focus on wine consumers. From the show, Elizabeth also published a book entitled Wine For Normal People, now widely available in print and ebook format. Tune in to also learn more about her outstanding work as a wine educator.

To kick off 2020, we have the original wine grape, the one from which so many were derived: MUSCAT! In the show we discuss the three main types of Muscat and the wines and regions that you need to seek out to get a taste of this ancient, delicious, complex grape.  As M.C. Ice requests in the middle of the show...here are the notes!  What is Muscat? Overview A grape from which derives a complicated family of grapes that includes over 200 varieties of all colors It was most likely a Greek grape, brought to the south of France and Sicily by the Phoenicians It's known for its floral perfume and grapey flavor. The grape is spicy with orange notes, and has relatively low acidity Styles range from dry to late harvest to fortified to sparkling Berries are gold, pink, or black and the variation within vines, mean flavors can vary   The main types of Muscat: 1. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is the oldest grape Needs a long growing season, disease prone, doesn’t like humidity The most refined, classic Muscat, it is small berried, with a delicate but layered aroma Also known as: Moscato Bianco, came to Italy in the 1300s Common grapes derived from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains: Moscato Giallo, Aleatico (red), Mammolo (red)   2.  Muscat of Alexandria Natural cross of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Axina de Tres Bias, old black table grape grown on Sardegna, Malta, Greek Islands Not from Alexandria in Egypt!  Mid budding, late ripening, likes heat, big bunches, big berries, great for heat. Susceptible to powdery mildew, bunch rot, bugs, good with drought Less refined than Muscat à Petits Grains: sweet but not complex, less subtle – more geranium notes. Makes sticky sweet wines, rose- or orange-like or like geranium and lily of the valley Also known as Zibbibo in Sicily.  Related grapes:  Catarratto Bianco (Etna), Grillo (Sicily), Bombino Bianco (Sicily, Southern Italy), Schiava Grossa, Malvasia del Lazio, Cereza (Argentina), Torrontés (both clones) 3. Muscat Ottonel:  Bred in Loire in 1852, earliest ripener, planted in Alsace often  paler, with less aroma than the other varieties -- which can produce a softer wine 4. Muscat of Hamburg Black, table grape, low quality in Eastern Europe   Muscat in the Vineyard:  Hard to grow: Crops erratically, low acidity, can be a tough blender Pink, black, red mutations exist around the world Early budding, mid ripening, susceptible to powdery mildew, botrytis, mites, small berries Climate: Prefers warm Mediterranean climates – south of France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Australia Soils: Different types will yield different flavors. Limestone or calcareous rock, along with sand make lighter, fresher versions.  Clays, granites, can yield richer versions.  If the grape is overcropped it loses acidity and aroma and is a boring mess.    Muscat by Place:  France 18,829 acres in France/7620 ha Almost all Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains Rhône: Muscat de Beaumes de Venise (fortified) Roussillon & Languedoc: Vins doux Naturels of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains in Frontignan, Lunel, Mireval, St. Jean de Minervois Rivesaltes: Vin doux Naturel of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains blended with Muscat d'Alexandria in Rivesaltes Clairette de Die Sparkling of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains Corsica: fortified wines Alsace: Muscat Ottonel and Muscat à Petits Grains. Wines are floral, fresh, grapey, and herbal with spice. Dry.    Italy  32,816 acres/13280 ha – Mostly Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains Piemonte: sweet, Asti Spumante (sparkling), Moscato d’Asti (semi sparkling, sweet, good dessert or cheese wine) Trentino Alto Adige: Use Rosenmuskateller: variation of the Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains -- rose aroma, still wine, Moscato Giallo/Goldmuskateller: orange scented dry or sweet wines Valle d’Aosta: Passito style (grapes dried on mats in the sun, raisined and then pressed) Montalcino:  DOC for dry, sparkling, sweet, late-harvest wines of Muscat Sicily: Zibbibo/Muscat of Alexandria for dry wines, Moscato di Pantelleria – passito style from a small historic island.    Spain  Grown all over Spain as Moscatel –Moscatel d’Alejandria Málaga: sweet speciality of the south Jerez/Sherry:  Moscatel used for color and sweetness, can be made alone as a sweet, passito style wine   Portugal Small amount used in white Port and other fortified wines Setúbal makes a fortified wine from it, tasty dry wines    Other Old World places: Germany, Austria, Greece   Australia Rutherglen and Glenrowan in northeastern Victoria Rutherglen Muscat: Four tier quality system -- basic, classic, grand, rare. Like figs, coffee, blackberry, chocolate, delicious, with acidity   South Africa Vin de Constance from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains: Late harvest Probably the descendents of the famed vines of  colonial days in the 1600s  Worcester, Olifants River: Muscat of Alexandria/ Hanepoot for bulk, used for dry, sweet, fortified, table grapes   US: Central Valley for bulk white. Some Orange Muscat which is a relative of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy. 

While I was in Verona at Wine2Wine, I had the chance to speak with Alessio Planeta, President at Assovini Sicilia and Owner at Planeta Winery. For five centuries and through seventeen generations, Planeta has been active in changing and improving agriculture in Sicily. Alessio Planeta has spent his life dedicated to the study of Sicily and figuring out how to make it a significant force in world wine. With his family, Alessio now has six wineries around Sicily, and they have almost single-handedly put Sicily on the map as a quality player.   Planeta continues its mission to show what Sicily can do and what it’s forgotten varietals can bring to the world of wine. They are one of the big reasons we have access to excellent Sicilian wine today.   Here are the notes: Alessio tells us about Sicily, the history of his family, and how Planeta evolved to become a significant force in the wine world, putting Sicily on the world wine map of quality We discuss the quality revolution in Sicily, begun, in part by Diego Planeta, Alessio's uncle Alessio tells us about the amazing conditions of Sicily  -- the diverse terrain, vast number of native grapes, the skilled workers, the excellent climate, that makes it a garden ideal for viticulture We learn about how the innovative nature of the Planeta family. Alessio discusses their desire to find talent from outside the island (including Giacomo Tachis, Carlo Corino, Giampaolo Fabris and Attilio Scienza) the openness to using "international" grapes, and then the slow introduction of the indigenous wines of Sicily created a category for Nero d'Avola, Grillo, Carricante, Nerello Mascalese and others that is booming!  Alessio addresses the fact that people may still underestimate Sicily and talks about the bright future of Sicilian wine   Thanks to Wine2Wine Verona for inviting me to speak and for allowing me the opportunity to meet Gaia Gaja and share this show with all of you!   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.          

This week, one of the most famous wine producers in the world joins us -- Gaia Gaja from Gaja in Barbaresco in Piedmont, Italy. We discuss the history of her famed family, why their wines are like liquid velvet, and how climate change is forcing new ways of thinking. Her philosophy, outlook, and class show why Gaja has earned its place at the top of the wine world. We discuss: The history of the Gaja family and how they became so important in Barbaresco We discuss Angelo Gaja, his philosophies and how he wound up changing the face of Italian wine by doubting everything, and always looking forward Gaia gives us some insight into how Gaja does things so differently and yield such different, and amazing results  We talk about Barbaresco and Barolo, the nuances of the land, and how those in Piedmont may be best suited to take on climate change. Gaia tells us a bit about Gaja's philosophy of optimism and change helps them take a different outlook on climate change and why biodiversity may be the key to helping things   Thanks to Wine2Wine Verona for inviting me to speak and for allowing me the opportunity to meet Gaia Gaja and share this show with all of you!   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy. 

Tim and Kelly Hightower of Hightower Cellars have been making beautiful wine in Washington State (in the northwest of the US) specifically Red Mountain, for about 2.5 decades. They tell us about the evolution of Washington State wine, their path to owning a boutique winery, and then we discuss some of the reasons Washington wine can and should be so much more popular. This is a real insightful look into the challenges and opportunities of Washington State wine!  Map (C) "Wine for Normal People" book Here are some of the points we hit: Kelly and Tim tell us how they each got into wine at fairly young ages, and what the early years of Washington wine were like  The Hightowers talk about their drive to relocate to Red Mountain. We talk about the terroir of the area -- climate, soils, and terrain and why they are unique. Tim and Kelly tell us the profile of Red Mountain wine and why it is so striking We discuss the business model of many Washington producers and the disconnect between the tasting rooms of the town of Woodinville and the wineries located in the vineyards.  We discuss the role of small and large wineries in Washington State  Tim and Kelly tell us how the market for Washington wine has changed and grown, and how they see great things on the horizon for the state.             Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.      

I’m chatting with Elizabeth Schneider, who has just published her first book called Wine for Normal People. Elizabeth also hosts one of the popular wine podcasts, Wine for Normal People. She’s a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and co-founder of Underground Wine Events, which brings together wine lovers with terrific, small wineries around the US. She talks and thinks about wine in a practical, often tongue-in-cheek way and her info-packed classes and tastings are always informative and fun, never overwhelming and dry. Meanwhile, I’m getting amazing feedback from wine lovers who are taking my new, free online video wine class called The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Dinner and how to fix them forever. You’ll learn about that plus about my new in-depth, paid course called The Wine Smart Course: A Full-Bodied Framework to Taste, Pair and Buy Wines like a Pro. Enjoy! Highlights What are “normal” people when it comes to wine? How are wine and table grapes different? How can you identify regions that produce crisp wines with the jacket-in-summer question? Are the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier programs professional designations or private clubs? What misconception about the lake effect often gets repeated by wine experts? How is Elizabeth’s new book, Wine for Normal People, different from all other wine books? Why would Dom Perignon disapprove of the bubbles in Champagne? What winemaking accident created the effervescence in Champagne? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/51.

As we always do when we hit a milestone, for episode 300 we reflect on three things we each have learned in the last 8 years. We talk about the process of planning, writing, and publishing the book and possible future wine trends. We thank you for all your support over the years!     Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.  

Texas is one of the oldest winegrowing states in the US, with vines predating California by 100+ years. The first vineyard in North America was by Franciscan priests circa 1660 in Texas and the industry grew throughout the 1800s. Texas is important in another way, as horticulturist Thomas Munson contributed greatly to finding the solution to  the phylloxera epidemic, which effectively saved the European wine industry from total ruin. After Prohibition decimated the industry in the 1920s, Texas jump started it's wine industry in the 1970s and today it's roaring back. Texas has 400 producers and it is growing and growing.   Jennifer McInnis, General Manager of Bending Branch and Ron Yates, the owner and President of Spicewood Vineyards, are part of a marketing consortium representing five of Texas’ most distinguished wineries: Bending Branch Winery, Brennan Vineyards, Duchman Family Winery, Pedernales Cellars and Spicewood Vineyards. Member wineries produce wines from Texas grapes, that try to express the terroir of Texas Hill County and the Texas High Plains.               Here are the show notes: We start off talking about Texas, an area I admittedly (used to) know very little about. We cover: The breadth and depth of areas. Specifically What are the different areas/are there discreet AVAs? Where are they vis a vis the cities? We talk specifically about Texas Hill Country and the High Plains, which create premium wine in the state. We discuss the role of elevation and the similarities to other growing regions around the world (specifically the Duero in Spain, which Texas High Plains resembles). We talk extensively about climate – how it’s extremely erratic and how growing conditions here are unlike anywhere else with extreme heat, thunderstorms, hail, and unpredictable weather events that change each vintage and make winemaking a true challenge. We talk about the grapes that grow here and how over the last 5-10 years, grapes like Tannat, Tempranillo, and southern Italian varietals that are heat tolerant have thrived. We talk about why many growers in the past bought grapes from Washington State or California. We discuss some of the challenges that Texas has faced with the anti-alcohol lobby and how that has been overcome.   Then we discuss the 5 wineries of Texas Fine Wine and their goals of making excellent wine that is known outside of just Texas. Jennifer discusses Bending Branch(if you’re curious, here’s info on cryomaceration (extreme version of cold maceration)and flash détente, that she references!) Ron talks about Spicewoodand then we discuss Duchman,Brennan, and Pedernalesand their styles.     We wrap by talking about the bright future of Texas wine!   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.  

Loudoun County, Virginia is in close proximity to Washington, D.C. -- the farthest vineyards are just over an hour's drive away. But the area has been known more for  big, beautiful farms that are good for weddings rather than as a premier wine region of Virginia. Today, this is changing and Lost Creek is part of that change. About 7 years ago Aimee and Todd Henkle of Lost Creek decided to buy a beautiful property that made mainly sweet wines and change it into a place with elegant, dry reds and whites. Aimee tells her story and that of a region maturing each year.  Here are the show notes:  Aimee is the Chair of the Loudoun County Wineries Association, so I ask her to tell us about Loudoun County. We review:  Where is Loudoun County? How many wineries there are, the terroir types, and what they specialize in We discuss the controversial question of wineries growing grapes v. buying them from the west coast, a challenge that has plagued the legitimacy of Loudoun for years, and how things are changing Aimee tells us how she got into wine from her background in electrical engineering We learn about how the Vineyard at Lost Creek transitioned from sweet wine to dry wine, and how the quality has been improved greatly through vineyard practices We talk about sustainable and organic viticulture and the challenges of farming in this unique mountain area Aimee tells us about their elegant Chardonnay, Merlot and Cab Franc based blends, and why Tannat is a rising start Aimee tells us what she sees for the future of Loudoun County Lost Creek will be at the Underground Wine Event on 11/9/19! Get your tickets before we sell out!.   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.  

Anthony Road Wine Company is a legend in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. It’s one of the pioneering wineries of the area, and it makes wines that reflect the soils and climate of the Finger Lakes. Their wines are made from grapes grown in vineyards owned or managed by the Martini Family and carefully selected by Peter Becraft, the head winemaker. Anthony Road is a family run, family owned, and family operated winery that makes outstanding Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, blends, and a variety of reds and rose, as well as some skin contact wines.      This week I speak with Peter Becraft, a man of many talents. He started out his career as a Fine Arts Masters student, working as a casting director for a famed fashion photographer in Manhattan. As with many of our generation, Peter found himself at a crossroad after September 11, 2001. He realized he needed to do something more fulfilling with his life. Previously finding more common ground and excitement in the folks his pastry chef wife Cary hung out with, he pursued a wine shop job in lower Manhattan and immersed himself in the world of wine. Today, he is the head winemaker at the iconic Anthony Road Wine Company in the Finger Lakes on Seneca Lake.    Here are the show notes:  Peter tells us how John and Ann Martini moved from Baltimore in 1973 and set up their farm. He gives us a great lesson on the history of Finger Lakes – what it was like when the Martinis came, and how things have evolved over the last 45 years.   We learn about the role of hybrid grapes and why they are different from and similar to the grapes we know and love (vitis vinifera)   Peter tells us about the climate and the differences between the Martini Family Vineyard and the Nutt Road Vineyard and why microclimate is so essential to winemaking In the Finger Lakes. Peter gets into really nerdy detail, including glacial movement, silt-loam soils, and how the depth and width of Seneca Lake influences the vineyards   Peter then shares his incredible journey from sculptor to winemaker. He tells us how he went from student in Virginia to fine arts Masters student in New York City to winemaker at one of the premier wineries in New York   Peter tells us how he learned winemaking, the importance of mentorship from former head winemaker Johannes Reinhardt and how he approaches winemaking   We discuss the variety of wines in Anthony Road’s portfolio – Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Vignoles (a hybrid), Lemberger, Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, Merlot   We wrap with Peter’s view on what makes the Finger Lakes so special – its unity, vision, and collegiality   Peter and Anthony Road will be at the Underground Wine Event on 11/9/19!   You can meet Peter and try his wines at the Underground Wine Event in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 2019!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.

Boundary Breaks is located in the Finger Lakes in Central New York. It's the consummate cool weather growing region, where Riesling and aromatic whites reign supreme. Bruce Murray, the founder and creative force behind Boundary Breaks, tells us how he went from newspaper man, to working with Elon Musk, to running a winery so focused on terroir, they don't even have a dedicated winemaker.   Boundary Breaks was founded in 2007 by Bruce on the East side of Seneca Lake. It focuses on Riesling, which range in style from dry and complex to lightly sweet to a true Riesling Ice Wine. In addition to Riesling, small amounts of Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are grown on the estate. The wines are spectacular with a purity of flavor, and excellent terroir expression. Bruce's life is fascinating and Boundary Breaks, indeed, has broken some boundaries in what can be done in the wine world!    Here are the topics we discuss:  Bruce tells us how his life unfolded to bring him back to the area in which he grew up. He tells me how the Donnhoff Riesling from Nahe, Germany in a Thai restaurant in Vegas changed the course of his life.  We talk about the Finger Lakes, how they were formed, why they are so unique and why the east side of Seneca Lake produces such excellent grapes. We get extra dorky, discussing Boundary Breaks' unique drainage system and why "wet feet" are bad for grapes   We discuss Riesling and how vineyard management is so pivotal to getting pure flavor. We detail each style Boundary Breaks makes -- dry, off-dry, ice wine plus aromatic whites like Gewurztraminer.   We talk extensively about the challenges of growing reds in the climate of the Finger Lakes and how quality has been spotty over the years, but is improving by leaps and bounds. You can meet Bruce and try his wines at the Underground Wine Event in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 2019!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today!! _______________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.

Sleight of Hand Cellars is the fulfillment of two dreams. Jerry Solomon was a real estate attorney in San Diego who longed for a small town life and wanted wine to be part of it. Trey Busch was a Walla Walla winemaker who had insane talent but needed a partner to make his dream winery a reality. The two created Sleight of Hand 12 years ago to create exceptional, terroir driven wines that reflect the unique land of Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. Jerry takes us on a journey of the winery, the land, and the beautiful wines they produce!   They will be at Underground Wine Event on November 9, 2019 – don’t miss it! www.undergroundwineevents.com/events   Here are the show notes: Jerry tells us how he and his wife Sandy made the move from San Diego Real Estate attorney to Director of Winemaking at the coolest winery in Walla Walla He talks about the wonderful friendship and partnership between him and Trey Busch, an Atlantan who became a skilled Walla Walla winemaker after working for several excellent wineries We talk about the special role of music at Sleight of Hand and how the winery got its name from a Pearl Jam song Jerry explains why the Columbia Valley, and Walla Walla, in particular, are so special for winemaking. We talk soil (loess, which the Walla Walla folks pronounce "luss" and basalt), sun exposure, latitude and why these wines are so different from those from California We talk about the variety of Sleight of Hand wines from Riesling, Chardonnay, Syrah, and red blends and what makes each so special We discuss why Syrah, in particular, is such a standout in Walla Walla ad why Milton-Freewater Rocks District is so insanely good I ask Jerry if he thinks Washington gets the respect it deserves on the world wine scene and why scores work against Washington wines We discuss why Sleight of Hand wants to stay small We close with how Neil Patrick Harris wound up on the Conjurer label!         Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!

Eric McKibben grew up in Walla Walla, where his dad, Norm, is a founding father of the most important side of Walla Walla – the vineyard side. Norm is known to have helped grow the Walla Walla industry from a few dozen acres in 1989 to 2800 today, around the idea of impeccable quality in the vineyard. The business is truly a family business. Norm is still involved but Eric is a partner. Eric worked for 11 years in Seattle in the telecom industry, earned an MBA and then returned to Walla Walla in 2003, where he is an active partner at Amavi Cellars and Pepper Bridge Winery. In 2004, he assumed the duty of General Manager at Amavi Cellars. He also taught me pretty much everything I know about Walla Walla and is one of the best advocates for the region there is! If you get a chance to try these wines, you should do it -- they are pure Walla Walla and purely excellent!  Here are the show notes:   Eric tells us about the Missoula Floods and why Walla Walla is such a unique growing region, unlike any other in the world. If you want to see a cool PBS documentary on the Missoula Floods, here it is.    We learn about the early days of Walla Walla -- what was here, how grapes supplanted apples, and who the early players were and what they accomplished. We talk about Jean-Francois Pellet, winemaker and partner for both Pepper Bridge and Amavi, and why he was such a believer in this region when he came from Heitz in Napa for a job interview with Amavi and Pepper Bridge.    We discuss the "bowl" valley that is Walla Walla, the soil types and and the styles that different parts of Walla Walla yield. We do a bit of compare and contrast on Napa v Walla Walla styles   Because it's timely, Eric settles our fears about phylloxera that was recently reported on in the wine pubs   Then we spend time dorking out about the flavors that you'll find in Walla Walla -- Syrahs that taste plush, some that taste like licking rocks. Cabernet that expresses terroir without being too full or rich. Semillon that has beautiful acidity. All of these things and how they are achieved.    Finally we dip into the thorny question of why so many wineries are based in Walla Walla that don't make any wines from Walla Walla fruit only (they blend it with things from other part of Columbia Valley) and what that means for the AVA from a marketing and reputational standpoint.    Amavi and Pepper Bridge will be at this year's Underground Wine Event in Washington DC. For tickets, go to www.undergroundwineevents.com            Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!   M.M. LaFleur        If you’ve wondered about these clothes, as I have, I’m here to tell you PULL THE TRIGGER! They are beautiful!! The M.M.LaFleur collection is designed by co-founder Miyako Nakamura, the former head designer of Zac Posen. M.M.LaFleur offers personal styling to help you find the best pieces for your body and lifestyle. Right now, new customers can enjoy $25 towards their first purchase or Bento Box with the code WINE. Visit mmlafleur.com/wine for more details and to redeem this gift.

Just 40 miles/65 km north of Cape Town lies a large area that makes the most exciting, sought after wines in South Africa. Swartland (Dutch for 'black land') is full of young, passionate winemakers making wines that respect the hot, dry land from which they derive and are able to create wines of such depth, flavor, and nuance that it’s hard to believe so few know about them. In this show, we tell you about the Syrah, Rhône and Mediterranean varietals, the Chenin Blanc and other stunning white blends coming from this area and why you need to seek it out ASAP!   Overview of the region… Swartland was oncea rural backwater, better known for wheat fields than vineyards Vineyards traditionally grew where wheat couldn’t -- on the northern side of Paardeberge Mountains in the south, the plains of Piketberg in the north, and the smaller Ward of Riebeekberg and Kasteelberg Mountains in the east Lots of old vines on slopes where nothing else grows, hand harvested The climate ishot and dry with very low summer rainfall but with consistent afternoon and evening breezes off the Atlantic Ocean. Growers have less concern about fungus and other diseases. They use the ecosystem to keep the vineyards healthy with integrated pest management, bush training of vines, and dry farming   We dork out on plate tectonics! Swartland has ancient geology. The terroirresulted from a combination of tectonic collisions, ancient volcanic activity and continental separation The soils are the oldest in the world and are a mix of shale, arenite sandstone and granite, schist based terroirs. Malmesbury shale on Kasteelberg Mtn is the dominant soil. vertical layering structure caused by tectonic shifts. Water drains away and vines dig deeper for liquid nourishment   Grapes/Winemaking We talk about the grapes and terroir driven wines of the region Red grapes: Syrah/Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Carignan, Cinsaut, Tinta Barocca, Pinotage White grapes:Chenin blanc, Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette, Palomino, Sémillon, Muscat d’Alexandria, Muscat d’Frontignan, Colombard and Verdelho. Viticulture:A lot of natural, noninvasive methods of farming Winemaking:larger barrels that impart less flavor, less racking and stirring to keep earthy flavors, unfiltered, unfined wines – low input wines The Ward of Riebeekbergnear the towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West has vineyards on eastern slopes of the Kasteelberg Mountain make big reds of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay that are complex    We talk about South African and Swartland Wine history We discuss how South Africa lies somewhere between the Old World and New World styles. We discuss the early history in the 1660s, with the arrival of the French Huguenots who planted vineyards. We tell the story of how, in late 1990s, Charles Back of Goats do Roam fame went to Swartland to source grapes and wound up transforming the area by  buying land and hiring Eben Sadie to run his “Spice Route” wines in 1998. We discuss the modern history of the region and why it takes a special person to make wine in conditions withlow rainfall, un-irrigated vines and paltry yields.    Producers and the Swartland revolution We discuss Swartland Independent Producers (SIP), an association that runs the Swartland Revolution celebration every November Their goal: Wines that are a true expression of their origin. Like old world AOPs -- distinctive wines but also making them so as to speak about a sense of place See the list of requirements and the producers here:  https://swartlandindependent.co.za/members/    Top producers AA Badenhorst: AA Badenhorst Family White,  AA Badenhorst Family Red are flagships; Secateurs produced from purchased fruit Lammershoek:Traditional producer Testalonga:“naked” style, funky wines Lammershoek:Libero No. 5 Mullineux: Syrahs and white blends; entry level Kloof Street Porseleinberg  Sadie Family: Columella – Syrah-based blend (famous), Palladius – rich style white; cheaper, co-owned Sequillo range   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!

If you think Vinho Verde (pronounced veeng-yo vaird) is just a fizzy summer sipper, we're about to open up a new world for you in this show. You CAN get the run of the mill stuff but with multiple grapes, regions, and producer styles, if you dig deeper this wine has way more to it than you think!   Overview Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC (wine area) It literally translates to  'green wine' but means young wine – wine released 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested This is one of Portugal’s largest regions: 21,000 ha/51,000 acres of vineyards are planted -- 9% of the total in Portugal 19,000 growers – like Champagne, 600 bottlers 85 million liters of wine each year 86% of the wine from Vinho Verde is white   What wine is here?  Red, white, rosé, or sparkling. Can be late harvest OR brandy! If labeled with grape, subregion or quality level (Escolha, Grande Escolha, Superior, Colheita Selectionada Top white grapes: Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Azal, Batoca, Loureiro, and Trajadura Top red grapes: Amaral, AzalbTinto, Borraçal, Brancelho, Espadeiro, Padeiro, Pedral, Rabo de Ovelha and Vinhão Winemaking: The wine was fizzy because malolactic fermentation took place in the bottle as it sat on the shelf! Today, carbonation is added to finished wine to add sparkle Wine style: Light and fresh whites: high natural acidity, with fruity and floral aromas that depend on the grape variety Have slight sparkle with low alcohol   History Vinho Verde produced wine for over 2,000 years, one of the oldest regions in Portugal Celts and Romas came, then Visigoths and Moors During middle Ages: Vinho Verde may have been exported in the 12th century, to England, Germany, and Flanders – especially from top regions of Monção and Melgaço and Ribeira de Lima Maize arrived in the 16th century alog with regulations to maximise production of it New regulations banished vines to the field margins, where they grew up high, forcing the vignerons to pick them from tall ladders Today most of Vinho Verde Region is now using modern methods, which give larger and better yield. EU in 1986 improved technology – more capital, opened up the markets    Location/Land: Vinho Verde is Portugal’s northernmost wine producing region, above 40° latitude  Series of granite-based plateaus within the valleys of the Minho, Ave, Cávado, and Lima rivers  Most of the Vinho Verde region is at or near sea level -- highest elevation at 2,300 feet Climate: Temps go between 46°F (8°C) in winter and 68°F (20°C) in the summer – green landscape, temperate climate Cooler coastal regions like Lima, Cávado and Ave -- more marine influence with cooler average temperatures and higher rainfall inland subregions - Baião and Basto are both warmer Annual rainfall is high – 47+ inches (1200 mm) in the winter and spring months   Subregions: 9, can be on the label with the name Vinho Verde Monção e Melgaço: Best region, but least typical Vinho Verde Inland DOP subregion, along the hillsides of the Minho River’s south bank White: Alvarinho is best. Fresh but fuller than Rias Baixas, occasionally with some oak Reds: Pedral, Alvarelhão    Lima:  Highest levels of rainfall. Granitic soils and a small area with shale-based soil. White: Loureiro grape: citrus fruits, rose notes, can be full like Alvarinho  Use whites Arinto and Trajadura Red: Vinhão and Borraçal – crunchy, crisp fruity aroma   3 Similar regions: Cávado, Ave, Sousa -- Mild Sea winds, irregular topography, low altitude, mild climate, Whites: Arinto, Loureiro and Trajadura with moderate acidity, citrus fruits and ripe apple and pears. Reds: Vinhão and Borraçal grapes (not in Ave but in Cávado and Sousa) Sousa: Espadeiro is often used to make rosé wines.   Basto: inland – HOT with high rainfall High altitude, cold, wet winter, balls hot summer White:  Azal is lemony with green apple notes Reds: Espadeiro, Rabo-de-Anho  Amarante: Inland White: Azal, Avesso -- higher alcohol, more body because of heat Red: Amarante sub-region is famous for its red wines: especially Vinhão variety   Paiva:  Red: Vinhão gets great maturity and produce some of the most sought-after red wines   Baião: Inland/continental On the border of Douro demarcated region, longer season  Whites: Azal and Avesso (best ones from Avesso, creamy, fruity, with acidity) Red:  Amaral    Food Pairing: Salads, Asian cuisine, bacalao (cod) and other seafood, in cream sauce or breaded; pork and potato dishes   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!   M.M. LaFleur        If you’ve wondered about these clothes, as I have, I’m here to tell you PULL THE TRIGGER! They are beautiful!! The M.M.LaFleur collection is designed by co-founder Miyako Nakamura, the former head designer of Zac Posen. M.M.LaFleur offers personal styling to help you find the best pieces for your body and lifestyle. Right now, new customers can enjoy $25 towards their first purchase or Bento Box with the code WINE. Visit mmlafleur.com/wine for more details and to redeem this gift.  

If you had no interest in Riesling or in Rheingau previously, this show will change your mind completely and make you jump out of your seat to try Georg Breuer's exquisite wines. Theresa Breuer is a young woman who found herself (sadly, earlier than she expected) at the helm of one of the most respected, highest quality Riesling producers in the Rheingau region of Germany.  I had the pleasure of spending the day with her a few years back and she is brilliant, poised, kind and a genius vigneron and cellar master, but more than anything, at 30-something, she is one of the best fresh faces and ambassadors for what Rheingau wine is, was, and should be.  This show should give you a perspective on why Rheingau is so special and make you understand why a dork like me loves this place so much!  Here are the show notes:  HISTORY Theresa shares Weingut Georg Breuer's nearly 140 years in wine -- from her great grandfather Peter's involvement in the business side of wine, to her grandfather after whom the Weingut is named, to her dad, Bernhard, and then to her.   We discuss Bernhard Breuer's obsession with quality, bringing the reputation of Rheingau back from a less than stellar period, and her involvement in the business.  Theresa shares her (beautiful) philosophies about wine and why it means so much to her. Rheingau Education! I have rarely found anyone who can educate on a region as well and succinctly as Theresa Breuer and we are lucky to have her explain stuff like:  Where is Rheingau and what makes it so unique for wine? The parallels with Burgundy in terms of Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village, Regional sites and why it is so easy in Rheingau Why Riesling is so dominant in Rheingau and why it does so well here (hint: reflection from the river, slate/quartzite soils, slopes!) How climate change has affected the region, what a hot year like 2019 means for the wine, and what really matters to vintage How oak is used in Rheingau (and it is used, a LOT!) Theresa gives us the deep dive into site specific info. It's fascinating:  Theresa shares detailed and excellent information about George Breuer's sites and the why and how behind the differences in the wines. We discuss their beautiful Grand Cru sites in Rüdesheim – Berg Schlossberg, Berg Roseneck and Berg Rottland and their wholly owned site, Nonnenberg in Rauenthal (in the eastern part of Rheingau Theresa talks about her commitment to organic viticulture and her vision for the wines -- to let the vineyard produce the best wines and to let the Riesling show its home in the glass!  We talk about what makes Theresa's wines elegant and age worthy. We discuss the generational shift in Rheingau and what it does and will mean for wine in the future. Theresa unveils big news: Weingut Georg Breuer bought some land in the (very different, Mittelrhein-type) wine area of Lorch, to the west of their Grand Cru vineyards. They will be learning more about the sites, and making wine from them soon!  Check out the videos on my YouTube Channel -- you will love Theresa even more!    Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!  

We tackle a wine style that is adored in certain hip, wine "in-crowd" circles: "orange" wine, which is actually white wine made like a red -- there is long contact with the skins and seeds that give the wine a darker, orange-ish color, and VERY different flavors. M.C. Ice and I are not big fans, but we do our best to explain the phenomenon of these whites made with skin contact.   Here are the show notes:   You know it's time to cover a topic when, in Europe, the supermarket chain Aldi sells a bottle of skin-contact wine for less than $8 US!    WHAT THE HECK IS ORANGE WINE?? First and most importantly, it's not from oranges but from grapes!  Made exactly like a red but with longer maceration (the time during winemakig when the grape skins and seeds stay in contact with the juice)  Reds with skin contact are red wines, reds with little contact are rosés; whites with skin contact are “orange”, without contact they are whites Rosés usually undergo less than 12 hours macerating on their skins before the juice is pressed off  Orange wine is the opposite of Rosé Can make skin-contact wine from any grape – length of time with the skins will matter to flavor and the longer the time the more likely the wine is to mask terroir Length of time varies, but maceration is LONG – days, weeks, months Not all are orange so it’s better to call them “skin-contact wines.” WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MACERATING WHITE JUICE WITH SKINS? The wine takes on a darker colored/orange-ish white color, as well as phenols, pigment.  Aromas: Bolder and more intense same grapes vinified as traditional white – like rose v red Flavors: Nutty, oxidized flavor, very sour with a cider note. Can be bold, nutty, like old apples, sourdough bread Textures: Dry, tannic, intense (not very pleasurable sometimes)   Different styles: Lightest ones, are acidic, aromatic wines, with fresh apricot, herbs Medium ones – slight oxidation, some acetone notes, old apple Then full-bodied, boldly tannic, and often smoky, nutty, lots of VA, off notes   Regions:  The Republic of Georgia: Qvervi—underground vessels sealed with beeswax or oil soaked clothes. The practice of skin contact whites likely originated here 6,000 or more years ago (the practice still goes on today, although the Greeks and Romans quickly realized the best wines were those from free-run juice/whites not macerated, which is our "traditional" style today). Rkatsiteli is the main grape Listen to the Georgia Podcast!   Italy: Most prominent in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, often called  ramato “copper-colored” wines from Pinot Grigio but Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano are often used.  Fruili producers who re-started the orange wine movement: Radikon, Gravner Sicilian producers: Cos, I Vigneri    Slovenia: Goriska Brda in Slovenia has a long history of skin contact wine Listen to the Slovenia show!   United States Long Island: Channing Daughters, Shinn Estate California: Some Sonoma   Others: Australia – Sauvignon Blanc, Greece, South Africa, Croatia, France   Food Pairing: Skin Contact wine is versatile with food pairing but it depends on the weight and the treatment of the wine (length of maceration, barrel v. stainless steel, etc).  Serving temps – 50 – 55˚ warmer side   Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!  ____________________________________________________ Thanks to our sponsors this week: Thanks to YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople And to sign up for classes, please go to www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes!    Last Bottle    I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.   Coravin  Coravin is the first and only tool in the world that lets you pour wine without removing the cork. You can pour wine in any amount and preserve what’s left of the bottle for weeks, months of even years. Thousands of wine professionals, from sommeliers to winemakers, around the world have tested and trust Coravin with their wines and it will change the way you drink wine too. For a limited time, visit Coravin.com and enter NORMAL at checkout to get $20 off your purchase of $50 of more!   M.M. LaFleur        If you’ve wondered about these clothes, as I have, I’m here to tell you PULL THE TRIGGER! They are beautiful!! The M.M.LaFleur collection is designed by co-founder Miyako Nakamura, the former head designer of Zac Posen. M.M.LaFleur offers personal styling to help you find the best pieces for your body and lifestyle. Right now, new customers can enjoy $25 towards their first purchase or Bento Box with the code WINE. Visit mmlafleur.com/wine for more details and to redeem this gift.    

Elizabeth Schneider, host of Wine for Normal People, joins me to talk about her journey into wine. One class would lead to the podcast that has influenced so many in the wine community.

While Bartenders can not be expected to have Sommelier level wine education, we certainly need to be knowledgeable about what we are serving and how to make recommendations to our guests. We chat with Monika Elling, author of Wine 123: All you need to know about wine in 90 minutes or less It’s the Bartender Journey Podcast #233. Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio. Over the past 232 episodes of Bartender Journey we’ve only talked about wine once.  Way back in show #105 we spoke with Elizabeth Schneider of the Wine For Normal People podcast. Wine 123 packs a lot of knowledge into a small package that is very easy to digest. Of course Monika Elling’s Wine 123: All you need to know about wine in 90 minutes or less is our Book of the Week.  It’s a perfect crash course on wine. For our cocktail of the week I suppose we could have come up with something obscure, but Sangria makes people so happy.  Searching for a way to make it à La Minute, I found the answer on Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s site. He uses Red Wine, Grand Marnier, Fresh Orange Juice, Simple Syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters.  Brilliant!  It’s delicious and a real crowd pleaser.  I’ll let you experiment with the proportions for making one glass.  Suffice to say, a little bit of each modifier goes a long way - the drink should be mostly wine in the end.  Mix it all in a big wine glass, and an orange, lemon and lime wedge and then add ice at the end.  This same recipe works with white wine, for a nice White Sangria. If this show has helped you, entertained you, etc and you’d like to see it continue, please consider leaving a little something in our Tip Cup.  Please help support this show and help keep the audio flowing. Also, if you work for a brand or other business that would benefit from reaching our community of Bartenders and Enthusiasts, please get it touch to find out about sponsorship opportunities.  Use our contact page. Toast of the Week: Here’s to water...water devine- It dews the grapes that give us wine.

To usher in 2016, we bring you a poem to make you smile and laugh. Thank you for listening in 2015 -- you are truly the best audience in the world!

Elizabeth Schneider -TodaysLeadingWomen.comELIZABETH Schneider, is the Chief Normal Wine Person of Wine For Normal People, which translates wine into normal terms that you can relate to through an award-winning podcast, popular, internationally followed blog, and in acclaimed public speaking events and industry consulting. Her goal is to bring Wine For Normal People to wine lovers everywhere through the podcast, blog, books, video, TV, and anything else that makes wine fun, easy, and normal. See her beautiful infographic show notes, plus her top tips and advice for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs at www.TodaysLeadingWomen.com or by clicking here!

Wine knowledge is an important part of Bartending.  This week on Bartender Journey its a "joint podcast" with the Wine For Normal People podcast!We chat with Elizabeth Schneider - a professional speaker, wine industry consultant and trainer.Elizabeth gives us a fresh, honest look at wine and great advice on how to serve our wine drinking guests.Also a brief review of the book:  Death & Co – Modern Classic Cocktails.As mentioned in this week’s podcast, we previously did a show called The Secret Language of Bartenders which you can find here.Pour a nice glass of wine and take a listen!  Use the player below, or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

For our 100th episode we share some details about us -- both personal and wine-related. From talking about our childhood experiences with wine to M.C. Ice's passion and how he used to mow the lawn to my revelation of a type of wine I really hate and a cameo from the podcast founder, we use this time to share some good stuff about us! We raise a glass to you, our loyal listeners, for being such a great community. Here's to 100 more!    

Tonight, we will talk to Elizabeth Schneider, author of "Wine for Normal People" on All About Wine!   Join tonight's guest and show host, Ron, during this informative and entertaining show.  Call (646) 727-3235 during the LIVE show and talk on-air with us, or email the show anytime at allaboutwine101@gmail.com

We had so many topics to banter about before we got to the meat of the show — we talked about some wine flicks we recently saw, how Mad Menmay have stepped on Wine For Normal People’s toes, and my stance on the recent CostCo wine buyer interview with MSNBC that caused a little stir among blog readers/Facebook followers. After shoutouts (with a very special birthday wish for Scott Hoynoski — a fabulous listener), we get to the main topic — what is my definition of “sink” when I do the “Drink or Sink?” portion of my wine reviews…aka, what makes a wine bad. And by bad, we’re talking about wines that are not made well, not ones we don’t like because of personal preferences. We talk about the concept of balance and the three main tenets: tannin, acid, and alcohol and how each can affect the mix. Oak, fruit, and sugar are covered and how they can mess up balance or contribute to it. The grape of the week is… [...]

After some fabulous shout outs (thank you so much!) and a great listener question on “why do wines go on sale? (a little inside the industry on this one!), this week we cover Spain. First we brush up on history, covering how the Phoenicians, Moors, and a Facist dictator affected Spain’s wine industry Then we talk about the different quality levels — we explain the differences from table wines to the top quality designation, all of which will appear on the bottle Finally, we do an overview of what you can get expect from some of the top regions. If you are interested in Spain, but don’t know where to start, this podcast is for you! If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment on the Wine For Normal People blog, or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine! Also, if you’ve got a question you want us to answer, post it on any of those places and we’ll include it on the show [...]

Wine Traditions around the world are pretty interesting. In this episode we discuss the coolest ones. First we take a listener question from @mjgraves on Twitter about when to drink Cabernet Sauvignon. (Write in or call us and you’ll be on the show!!!  Anything goes! Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and they’ll answer it in an upcoming episode!) Spanish Traditions and Cava Italian Traditions and Prosecco/Franciacorta Chilean Traditions and gold rings in the bubbles, Portuguese Traditions and Vinho Verde, Germany and Sekt, French Champagne, English speaking countries = boozing it up and fireworks. Grape of the week: Pinot Meunier Listen and you’ll get why I’ll be lugging a suitcase around my block at midnight, while shoving some grapes in my mouth! If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment on the Wine For Normal People blog, or join [...]

Just in time for the holidays: Wine Gift Ideas!!! This week, Elizabeth and MC Ice talk about 4 kinds of gifts to get for the wine lover/liker/drinker in your life… Gadgets: The most useful, must-haves (not just random crap you buy just to buy!). Credit to listener Sayle Milne who provided the suggestion on wine charms! Glassware: The three kinds someone really needs and a few recommendations on what to look for and what to avoid. Books. From Facebook friend Brandon Robinson, they cover books: Elizabeth’s aversion to “Fun” wine books, three reference books for real wine dorks, and a shameless plug for the upcoming “Wine For Normal People” book (and shout to Elizabeth’s fabulous agent Myrsini!). And, drum roll…you didn’t think they’d cover all this stuff and forget the WINE, did you? They discuss strategies for shopping for wine as a gift — from in-store selections to wine clubs to the horror of wine shipping law [...]