The Wine Conversation

Discover Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp’s view of the 2022 vintage – what did well, what didn’t, and what they were most surprised by. A year where the talent of the winemaker in handling the tannins was essential. 2022 the vintage of surprise.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

As En Primeur tastings are in full swing,  Sarah Kemp gets Jane Anson’s first thoughts on Bordeaux 2022 after her first week of tasting. Recorded on the D2 motorway, Jane talks about the vintage conditions and the importance of how the samples are prepared by the châteaux. Was she surprised? Find out in this special on-the-road production…. and look out for another En Primeur episode later this week when Jane and Sarah will reflect on what they have discovered so far.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. As 6,000 of the wine world’s trade and journalists descend on Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage, Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp take a hard look at the system. They discuss how it works, its history, the number of châteaux involved. They ask whether there is a financial advantage in buying En Primeur and explain who actually owns it until it is delivered: 10 minutes to get you up-to-speed before the offers arrive in your inbox. The first in our En Primeur week podcasts.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to Omnibus 21 for another packed programme of news from the wine world. This month Kylie Minogue wows Prowein, new research shows the birthplace of Vitis Vinifera as the Levant. Big moves afoot too, Michel Rolland hangs up his consulting hat and Axel Heinz leaves Ornellaia for Château Lascombes. Financial troubles a plenty, Sherry-Lehmann’s licence revoked, and Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse affects 400 Northern California vintners. Latest harvest reports from the Southern Hemisphere and weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. Elin attends the DRC 2020 tasting and declares their Montrachet as the finest chardonnay she has tasted in her life. Glitz and glam abound at Biondi-Santi and Beaulieu’s Rarity tastings and Kosta Browne launch a Burgundy range. Plus, our intrepid contributing editor John Stimpfig tells us how he is getting on his bike for a charity 200km bike ride over 2 days across Bordeaux for Hospitality Action. To support him please go to our website. We will be reporting back on his knees in a future episode.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. Today’s topic is Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of grapes. Find out how much is planted (spoiler alert – China has the most), its parentage, the best regions where it is grown, most well-known names, the rules and regulations about being labelled Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Jane’s one obscure fact about it. We marvel at how she digs them up…Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Applications to the second edition of the “Bordeaux Mentor Week” have just opened. Last year over 100 young people applied from 28 countries, out of which 7 were chosen to be mentored by Jane Anson and co-founder Chinedu Rita Rosa. Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about the importance of mentors and the diverse activities the successful candidates will encounter, from harvesting to startup entrepreneurs. Listen in to hear about this amazing opportunity for young people.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

In the latest in our Great Wine Lives series Richard Geoffroy talks to Elin McCoy about how he rebelled against his wine family background by becoming a doctor before returning to his roots and joining Moët Hennessy, becoming Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave for 28 years. He discusses his time there, how he collaborated with Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons, and why he decided to leave and launch his own Sake brand IWA 5 – where assemblage is key to its identity. A fascinating interview with one of the world’s most philosophical and thoughtful creators.More information at wine-conversation.com

This month, Elin McCoy reports on the big environmental win in the Napa Valley – the Walt Ranch controversy ends after a 17-year battle. John Stimpfig and Elin report on the devastating wildfires in Itata and Bio Bio in Chile and the floods in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. There is also plenty of wine theft news and fraud this month, 4.6 million bottles of Spanish wine passed off as Bordeaux results in jail sentences and more “stolen to order” fine wine robberies in Austria and Norway. Still, in Norway, we report on the determined wine lovers who camped out in tents in Oslo for a month to ensure they got their burgundies. We salute them, all this and plenty more in this month’s edition.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in to our 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson on Pauillac – a deep dive into this famous commune which boasts three First Growths, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild and Latour, plus some of the wine world’s most loved names. Find out which Pauillac wine Michael Broadbent used to buy, how much it costs per hectare, its terroir and taste profile. Plus an obscure Pauillac fact to impress your friends.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Have you ever wanted to own your own vineyard or blend your own wine with a top winemaker? Elin McCoy talks to Michael Evans the man who makes it possible for several hundred wine lovers– listen in to find out about how he started Vines of Mendoza and Vines Global – clubs for wine lovers who dream of being winemakers. He talks to Elin about how it started when he went to Argentina for a holiday and ended up spending 18 years there. Since then he has built a resort, named one of the best in South America, and recently expanded the enterprise to offer the chance for wine lovers to blend their own wine with the aid of some of the world’s most renown winemakers in Montalcino, the Mosel, Argentina, Priorat, Champagne, Napa Valley and Oregon.Find out more at wine-conversation.com