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Wine Enthusiast Podcast

Latest episodes

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May 21, 2025 • 39min

Episode 191: The Next Great Nation of Wine Lovers? India, Says the Country's First Master of Wine

Sonal Holland, India's first-ever master sommelier, had a feeling that wine would be big business on the subcontinent back when she first entered the wine scene nearly 20 years ago. "I could see that it was going to grow, and there were no qualified wine professionals in the country," she tells us. "I don't think anyone was sitting there thinking, 'Oh, let's have an MW from India,'" she admits. "But somehow there was a voice inside of me that said, 'No, this, this can be something real.'" That instinct turned out to be wildly accurate. Between 2023 and 2027, Euromonitor predicts an annual growth rate of 12% in wine consumption in India. That could translate to an industry worth $700 million by 2030. Tune into this episode to hear more about wine's rise in India, and what it could mean for the global wine market. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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May 7, 2025 • 50min

Episode 190: In ‘Blood Vines,’ a Tale of Wine Fraud, White Zinfandel and Murder

While rosy-hued bottles of White Zinfandel were fixtures on dinner tables and at parties in the 1980s, the seemingly buoyant beverage sparked an infamous dark story, one involving fraud and the killing of one of California’s most famous grape brokers.  Chris Walker, an investigative journalist based in Denver, Colorado, learned about this story a few years ago and began to unravel the tale. What resulted is Blood Vines, a new nine-episode narrative podcast that dives into the saga. On this episode of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, Chris joins Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Matt Kettmann to chat about making the show and what the story reveals about how we make and drink wine. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Apr 23, 2025 • 47min

Episode 189: Actor Kyle MacLachlan and Dan Wampfler are Pursued by Bear

Actor Kyle MacLachlan didn't just want to slap his name on a bottle of wine, the quality is the most important thing to him. He and his partner/winemaker, Dan Wampfler, join this week's Podcast to discuss their Washington winery, Pursued By Bear, and what makes it and their chemistry so special.  Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Apr 9, 2025 • 50min

Episode 188: Cannabis Beverages Are Actually Really Good Now

Interested in trying cannabis-infused drinks but not sure where to start? This week's episode follows two conversations between Digital Managing Editor Sara Ventiera and two leaders in the cannabis beverage space for expert tips and insights into exploring the growing trend, where to get them and, more importantly what they taste like and how they make you feel.  Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Mar 26, 2025 • 49min

Episode 187: A New Generation in Thailand Is Falling in Love with Wine

This week's episode follows two conversations between writer-at-large Danielle Callegari and an American somm working in Thailand and a Thai somm working in Brooklyn to discuss the  burgeoning wine scene in Thailand. While the rest of the world raises concerns over what's to come for the wine industry, Thailand is newly enthused and excited to learn.  Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Mar 10, 2025 • 24min

Episode 186: Are $30 Margaritas the Future? The Spirits Industry Reacts to Tariffs

In this installment of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, spirits reviewer Kara Newman reveals what industry insiders are whispering about as Trump’s tariffs take hold. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Feb 26, 2025 • 24min

Episode 185: Decoding the Vintage Chart in an Age of Climate Chaos

Every year, Wine Enthusiast releases a new edition of the vintage chart, a tool that's long been critical to collectors. Vintage charts help pinpoint bottles peaking in quality—and those that may be past their prime. The most recent version debuted in the Winter Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  But in a time when climate chaos—unprecedented periods of drought, heat waves, floods, fire and more—is rampant, how should one read a vintage chart? And can we still trust them? In this episode of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, we've tapped Writer-at-Large Christina Pickard for her thoughts. Pickard reviews wines from Australia, New Zealand, England and New York for our publication and has for years been one of the many voices helping craft the vintage chart. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Feb 12, 2025 • 28min

Episode 184: The Big Problem with Anti-Alcohol Studies

Wine’s impact on health has been under the microscope for the past few years, with numerous headlines citing its cancer-causing potential. Sales are down across the industry and consumption has dropped substantially.  These stories certainly are fear-inducing, yet many don’t paint the full picture. It seems for every study that claims that a glass (yes, a glass) a day will kill you, there’s another that has found low- to-moderate consumption of alcohol is fine or can even boast potential benefits.  So, what the heck gives? To better understand wine’s ride on the wellness roller coaster, we spoke to Wine Enthusiast contributor Kate Dingwall about the whiplash. She's been covering these oftentimes contradictory papers for us over the past year, talking to doctors and researchers about the latest news and reports.  Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Jan 29, 2025 • 49min

Episode 183: Is Water Ruining Your Wine?

It’s likely that in many people’s minds, water resonates as a neutral, possibly the ultimate neutral. However, water does contain quite a bit of nuance—everything from tasting notes to mouthfeel. Knowing that means understanding that the water you’re drinking can affect the taste of whatever you’re enjoying alongside it—and that means your wine, too. But to what extent? In this episode, decorated Advanced Sommelier Arthur Hon and Water Sommelier Martin Riese (as seen on Zac Efron’s Down to Earth, Conan and more) enjoyed a curated pairing of Martin’s waters and wines provided by Banville Wine Merchants. The conversation is moderated by Amy Racine, the partner and beverage director of JF Restaurants. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast
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Jan 21, 2025 • 31min

Episode 182: Is a Neo-Prohibitionist Agenda Shaping Alcohol Policy in Oregon?

For more than a year now, Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Michael Alberty has been tracking a story about the Oregon Health Authority and some questionable PSAs it ran at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. At that time, the spots—running widely in Oregon—seemed at the very least heavy-handed and ponderous. At the worst, they indicated a growing influence of out-of-state lobbying groups bent on shaping Oregon's health policy. At that time, another "Dry January" period, we talked about how that particular social media trend had its roots in temperance organizations in Europe and the United Kingdom with much more radical agendas than new year/new you. One of them, Movendi International, traces its beginnings back to the 1800s in America and played a key role in instituting Prohibition (the first one). Alberty's full story, titled "The Neo-Prohibitionists Are Coming," appears in the upcoming Winter Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Here, we delve into some of the details of his investigation. It's a fascinating lens into the discussion of alcohol and health (and politics) into sharp focus, especially not long after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory on a potential link between alcohol and cancer. Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Go to WineEnthusiast.com for the latest beverage industry coverage and all the tools you need to bring your love of wine to life. And wait, there's more! Get over 70% OFF the original cover price by subscribing to Wine Enthusiast magazine today!    FOLLOW US: TikTok: @wineenthusiast Instagram: @wineenthusiast Facebook: @WineEnthusiast X: @WineEnthusiast

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