The Wine Conversation

Sarah Kemp talks to Anthony Hanson MW about the 2019 vintage. They discuss the quality of the vintage and how the lack of the annual January Burgundy tastings will affect the wine producers, the trade and consumers.

The story behind how Australia became a world-class wine producer, the people, the stories, the setbacks and the triumphs.

Sarah Kemp and John Stimpfig 2020 news review, Elin McCoy on the impact of the Northern California fires, Best new wine books and novels, Jane Anson's favourite spot in Saint Emilion and the best Sparkling Wines and Champagne for Christmas.

The first in our series of Great Wine Lives, we speak to the legendary Jean-Michel Cazes.Jean-Michel was born in the Bordeaux region, where his family owned the fifth-growth Pauillac estate, Château Lynch‑Bages. When he left school to study engineering in Paris he didn’t think he was going to return. The wine industry was struggling and he saw little future. However, he did return and was a leading figure not only in implementing modern wine techniques, but also, introducing Bordeaux to wine-lovers all over the world.

Listen to Steven Spurrier discuss his first trip to Uruguay – find out which grapes he thought had a future, the producers he admires, and why he thinks the wines are more European than South American.

Listen to Hugh Johnson talk about his magnus opus, “The Story of Wine,” which has just been republished by the Académie du Vin Library. Sarah Kemp interviews him about his remarkable book, which is full of stories from Noah to the present day.

Great wine is made in the vineyard but the decisions taken on which lots make the final blend of the Grand Vin is crucial not only to the quality but the finances of the estate (as the Grand Vin can go for up to three times as much as the second wine).Listen to Lilian Barton Sartorius of Ch Léovillle Barton, Hervé Berland of Ch Montrose and Eric Kohler of Ch Lafite discuss what they look for when blending the world’s greatest wines.

The first in our series of Great Wine Lives, we speak to the legendary Jean-Michel Cazes.Jean-Michel tells us how in 1973 he returns to Pauillac with his young family to join his father in running the insurance agency, as well as the family properties of Château Lynch Bages and Les Ormes-de-Pez. His father had suggested selling the châteaux as they had lost money for many years, but Jean-Michel persuaded him to keep them on. It was the start of a new era in Bordeaux.

Jane Anson gives her personal recommendations of where to go and what to see if you only have 48 hours in Bordeaux. From visiting the building where the 1855 classification was signed, to heading out into the vineyards, Jane reveals her ideal itinerary for wine lovers.

The first in our series of Great Wine Lives, we speak to the legendary Jean-Michel Cazes.Jean-Michel talks about how he joined his friend Claude Bébéar to create AXA Millésimes and buys some of the world’s most sought-after names; Château Pichon-Baron, the second-growth Pauillac estate; the legendary Port house, Quinta do Noval; and the Tokaji-producing Disznókő estate in Hungary – all whilst running his own family businesses which were rapidly expanding.