The Wine Conversation

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

This week we look at the 1855 classification, the world’s first culinary ranking. Find out why it came about, the price bands the wines had be achieve to be in each of the five growths, the story of how Cantemerle became a 5th growth after the initial ranking. Discover what has changed since the original ranking (spoiler alert – the names were classified not the vineyard area) and find out what Jane’s most obscure 1855 classification fact is.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

A special episode of Great Wine Lives – John Stimpfig interviews Sarah Kemp about her memories of working with Steven Spurrier. Sarah and Steven had a great partnership for over 25 years when Steven was the Consultant Editor of Decanter and Sarah was the Publisher and Managing Director. Sarah looks back on Steven’s extraordinary life, one of the wine world’s most beloved and well-known figures.  Steven’s memorial was held on January 19th at St James Garlickhythe, in the Vintry ward of the City of London. Sarah and Mark Williamson, owner of Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris gave the two eulogies. Both are now available to read on The Wine Conversation website.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

This month, Jane Anson on Artificial Intelligence’s role in wine writing – will wine writers be out of a job? John Stimpfig reports on Australia’s  wine industry problem with its 2.3 billion litres of unsold wine, and discusses the possible solutions. We look back on the lives of two of the wine world’s greats, Luciano Sandrone and d’Arry Osborne, who died recently. And no Omnibus would be complete without a weather watch – this month. how the floods in California are affecting the vines, and it is not bad news. Plus wine in India, how Damp January is taking over from Dry January and much more.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

A brand new series – the 10-minute masterclass with Jane Anson. First in the series is Pomerol, an appellation which covers 0.6% Bordeaux’s surface but is one of its most well-known names. Jane covers its terroir, cost of land, its taste profile, the most famous names, new producers to look out for and reveals one obscure fact to impress your wine-loving friends.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Chianti Rufina is not as well known as Chianti Classico, but it certainly deserves to be. Sarah Kemp talks to Lorenzo Portaro, winemaker at Castello Nipozzano, which is owned by the Frescobaldi family and is the largest producer in Chianti Rufina. He talks about the illustrious history of the region, how the style of wine differs from Chianti Classico, and its incredible ability to age. He discusses Chianti Rufina’s new initiative “Terraelectae”, a name for wines made from single crus which are made from 100% Sangiovese and are aged for at least 30 months before release. Listen in to hear him discuss the future of this Tuscan jewel.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com