The Wine Conversation

Listen in to our brand new series of 10-Minute Masterclasses on Burgundy with Jasper Morris MW, the world-leading Burgundy authority and author of the award-winning book Inside Burgundy. First in the series is a look at Nuits-St-Georges. Find out about its terroir, where to find value for money and much more. Jasper, whose subscription website www.insideburgundy.com is essential reading for any serious Burgundy lover, believes the appellation deserves more attention, tune in and discover why. 10-minutes of brilliant and entertaining wisdom.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Gary Boom of Bordeaux Index talks to Sarah Kemp in our series “Great Wine Lives”. Listen in to discover how he left South Africa as a beer drinker and ended up falling in love with wine and building one of the world’s largest fine wine companies. He talks about his successes and failures, opening an office in Hong Kong a year before the duty was abolished, why he expanded the company’s portfolio to include spirits, and much more. He has just relaunched Live Trade, the wine trading platform, now open to anyone who wishes to sell their wine. A fascinating interview with the outsider who is now seen as part of the fine wine establishment.More information at wine-conversation.com

Join us for a “10-minute masterclass” on Cabernet Franc. Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp take a deep dive into Bordeaux’s oldest grape. Discover where it is grown (spoiler alert – China has more than you think), find out which famous varieties it parented and why there is concern about clonal diversity. Find out Jane’s recommended producers and be ready for her obscure facts – including which vintage of Cheval Blanc is 98% Cabernet Franc.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Giampiero Bertolini, the CEO of Biondi Santi talks to Sarah Kemp about Italy’s iconic estate. He discusses its history and reveals the new developments in the vineyard since it was bought by the EPI Group (owners of Charles and Piper Heidsieck) in 2017. Find out how the tennis court has been turned into an experimental nursery with different mother clones, how Pedro Parra came over to map the soil and the new vinification by parcel. As he releases the famed Riserva Storica 1988 and 2010, he says “It’s evolution, not revolution”.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Sarah Kemp meets Marcheses Francesco and Marchese Filippo Mazzei of Castello di Fonterutoli, who have 600 years of winemaking history in the family. As their Super Tuscan “Concerto di Fonterutoli” celebrates its 40th anniversary, they discuss Tuscany’s quality revolution. Listen in to hear about  the changes they made in the vineyard and cellar, and the new generation of wine lovers and sommeliers who are putting Tuscany firmly on collectors’ map.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Join us for our 10-Minute Masterclass on Pessac-Léognan with Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp. Discover the appellation’s history, price per hectare, its classified growths, its terroir and its most famous châteaux. A deep dive into one of Jane’s and Sarah’s favourite appellations.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to Omnibus XXVII to hear John Stimpfig and Elin McCoy’s predictions for the main wine trends in 2024. As usual, news aplenty including France’s reaction to Dry January (Spoiler alert – Alain Ducasse reduced the price of his top Bordeaux and Burgundy to encourage people to drink more), the new ingredient labelling required for wines marketed in the EU, reaction to the Burgundy 2022 campaign, Naples Charity Wine Auction raises over US$ 33 million dollars and much more. For those in the freezing northern hemisphere, Elin has researched the new luxury wine experiences in Chile – find out where she recommends wine lovers should go and how she found her night in the room entitle “Shape of Women”.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Celebrated but not classified, Château Siran is one of Margaux’s most loved properties. Elin McCoy talks to Edouard Miailhe, the 6th generation of his family to run the estate for our series “Great Wine Lives”. Listen in to hear how he returned from the Philippines to take over from his parents, and how friends knew before he did that he would return as they saw Siran was in his DNA. Edouard recounts many anecdotes, including why the property was not classified (spoiler alert – the previous owner was a royalist and didn’t like Napoleon 111 who organised the 1855 Exposition de Paris) and how he heard that there was a restaurant in the Napa Valley with an extraordinary list of old vintages of Siran – it turned out the owner had bought the authentic Rudi Kurniawan cellar. A great interview with the man whose heart is firmly in the Margaux appellation.More information at wine-conversation.com

600 years of winemaking runs through the blood of Giovanni Mazzei, son of Marchese Filippo Mazzei of Castello di Fonterutoli. Sarah talks to him for our Next Generation series about his life with his wife and three young boys at the Il Caggio estate where he runs Ipsus, the wine he wants recognised as the finest Sangiovese in Italy. “I wasn’t sure I was given the responsibility, I asked for it” he tells Sarah as he describes why he believes that the Sangiovese at the Il Caggio estate is second to known. A fascinating interview with one of Italy’s most dynamic and passionate personalities.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

What is the next thing for wine collectors should look out for? Nick Pegna, the new head of Sotheby’s wine and spirits, talks to Elin McCoy about the fine wine and spirit market. He reminisces about his early days in the wine trade, where he started out as a shop assistant at Lea and Sandeman before going on to join the newly formed Berry Brothers and Rudd’s broking department. He discusses setting up the Berry Brothers’ Hong Kong office with chairman Simon Berry and how he watched the interest in fine wine in Asia explode. 100 days into his new job he reveals some of his plans for the future and predicts the areas he thinks are worth investing in.Find out more at wine-conversation.com