Wine for Normal People

In this show, I continue to take a page out of my own book -- literally! In this back to basics show, I return to review basic wine vocabulary from chapter 1 of the "Wine For Normal People" book and introduce a new series that I'll be doing now that I'm hosting the show alone...   This Back to Basics series is my updated take on some basics, without distraction or interruption, and with the perspective of 20 years in the wine industry and 16 years of teaching others about wine.    In Part 2, I cover "taste" and "structure" words, which are some of the most misunderstood and incorrectly used terms in wine. I try to explain them in a detailed way, so we are all on the same page when we talk about wine, since descriptions are our best form of communication to get more of the wines we want in our lives.   I cover terms for acidity, tannin, alcohol, and sugar/dryness levels. Then I define balance, complexity, extracted, flabby, typicity, and classic.    I hope this review of the basics is helpful! I think it's always great to review the fundamentals of communication about wine so we can get the bottles that will make us happy!    Enjoy this one!  _______________________________________ Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

In this show, I take a page out of my own book -- literally! In this back to basics show, I review some basic wine vocabulary from chapter 1 of the Wine For Normal People book and introduce a new series that I'll be doing now that I'm hosting the show alone...   Taylor Swift has "Taylor's version" of her songs, and similarly, this Back to Basics series is my updated take on some basics, without distraction or interruption, and with the perspective of 20 years in the wine industry and 16 years of teaching others about wine.    This time, I am tackling some essential wine tasting terms that will help you describe what you see and smell in a glass of wine. From science=y to very general, this show covers a lot of ground and will either teach you or remind you of important concepts in wine tasting.   In Part 2, I will be covering "taste" and "Structure" words, which are some of the most mis-understood and incorrectly used terms in wine! I try to explain them in a detailed way, so we are all on the same page when we talk about wine, since descriptions are our best form of communication to get more of the wines we want in our lives!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes        

This is an encore presentation of a wonderful show I did with Serge Doré, importer of French wine (and American via Quebec…) and friend of the podcast, joins us to talk about the Loire Valley. It's especially relevant for those of you who are part of the Wine Access/WFNP wine club, as the "All Serge, all the time" shipment is heading your way soon!  Photo: Serge Doré. Credit: Wine For Normal People   Serge has been visiting the Loire since 1985 and has seen its evolution over the decades. He joins to give us the world of Loire from his perspective, humanize it with stories of producers he imports and some he has just met, and tell us what we can expect from this sometime confusing but wonderfully beautiful and diverse French wine region.   Serge's wines will are available in New England and New York, and on Wine Access! Some of his producers we mention are: Pascal et Alain Lorieux    Domaine Bourillon Dorléans “La Coulee d’Argent”   I love Serge! Having him on is such a pleasure and I hope you enjoy his insights as much as I do. Check out his site to see his selection of wines     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes    

Ok, I know this is an obscure show and I promise we’ll get back to mainstream stuff next week, but there is a reason for doing this show now. PLUS, it's super dorky stuff and that's awesome!   I was putting together the Wine Access shipment with Serge Doré that is going out soon and one of the wines was from the small appellation of Saint Mont. I pride myself on having an awareness of most appellations in France, but I didn’t have a clue where or what Saint Mont was, so this show is as much for me as it is for you!    In the show, I do an overview of the regions, which have a lot in common, so it won't overwhelm you to listen to (I hope!).   Source: https://www.vignobles-sudouest.fr/us/appellations/ _________________________________________________________The foothills or the Pyrénées have six wine regions, all with some similarities. All are in Gascony, a vast area in southwest France that stretches from the Pyrénées Mountains along the French-Spanish border.   The regions I discuss in the show are: Béarn, Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Jurançon, Saint Mont, and Irouléguy. They are linked by common terroir, common history, and common wines.  The grapes are mostly all native, unique, and obscure (albeit often they make really tasty wine!)   Here are what they share: A mild, consistent maritime climate with a regular foehn wind – a dry, warm southern wind that prolongs the growing season. Varied soil types, but many of the vineyards have some pebbles and stones from colluvial wash of the Pyrénées. Grapes: Reds: Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (Bouchy, here), and some Pinenc (commonly known as Fer Servadou) Whites: The main whites are Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng. Other grapes used are Petit Courbu (lower alcohol and acidity tames the Mansengs), Courbu (for sweet wines) and grapes like Lauzet and Camarlet.   In the rest of the show I get into the details of the regions -- from history to terroir to the interesting wines available. If you are looking to dork out and just learn about something new, this is the show for you. I know it's off the beaten path but there is a lot of history and a lot of great wine.     I wanted to learn about this region and I brought you along for the ride -- thank you for indulging me!    Full show notes (with producers!) and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes  

For more than 30 years, dei Principi di Spadafora has been quietly churning out some of Sicily’s best wines in a tiny enclave of Virzì, about 35 miles southwest of Palermo, on Sicily’s west coast. Photo: Francesco and Enrica Spadafora. Courtesy of dei Principi di Spadafora The Spadafora family has been in Sicily since 1230, and their family came from noble roots but dei Principi di Spadafora (Princes of Spadafora) vineyards and winery didn’t really start until the late 1980s, when Francesco Spadafora decided to concentrate full time on growing grapes and making wine from a family property that had previously been designated only for bulk production. Since then, the organically farmed property and minimalist winemaking facilities have churned out spectacular, estate-grown wine, with Francesco at the helm. His daughter, Enrica, joined her father several years ago, doing the hard work of selling and marketing these very special wines from a remote part of Sicily. Photo: The glorious Principe G Grillo with Francesco's gourmet creation. Credit: Wine For Normal People I had the opportunity to meet Enrica and Francesco when I was with the Patron group in Sicily in May. I welcome Enrica (her father does not speak enough English to do a podcast!) to discuss the storied history, how her father left the life of an aristocrat to become a farmer and winemaker, and how they are able to make such outstanding wines (the Grillo and Nero d'Avola especially are magic!)   Check them out at spadafora.com   Enjoy!   

If you are an avid follower of the show you know that my friend Jim Morris, hospitality guru, and wine industry veteran has been on the show many, many times. His first appearance was on Episode 30 and he has appeared on Episodes 130, 230, and now 530 – as I say, he is the man of the 30s!   Photo: Courtesy of Jim Morris   This time Jim joins to pull the curtain back on how Napa and Sonoma tasting rooms, the original model for all others in the world, have evolved over the last 40 years. We discuss how tasting fees started and how they have mushroomed out of control, and the tough times tasting rooms, tourism, and wineries in general, have fallen on in the most prestigious wine regions of the US. We touch on the rise of other US industries, and why we don’t include Europe in the equation as well.   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes    

Here’s something you probably didn’t know: Vienna is the only major city in the world where serious wine grown, with its own appellation, DAC Wien. In the green belt surrounding this very green city, wine grapes grow as they have since at least the Middle Ages. And it’s not negligible -- 582 ha/1438 acres. It’s also not crappy, tourist wine. It’s high quality, interesting wine that’s tasty and different. It’s become such a priority for Vienna and Austria that Viennese state law states that all existing vineyards must remain vineyards protecting valuable viticultural land from real estate speculation!   Standing side by side with the wine and with the Gemischter Satz blend is the unique tradition of the Heurige wine taverns. These are such an important part of Austria’s list of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2019.   To discuss this amazing tradition that I bet you had little idea even existed, Alex Zahel joins. He's the 4th generation of the Zahel family and is the GM and winemaker of Zahel.   A great, eye opening show!    Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!   www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________     Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes  

I welcome to the show my friend Giulio Abrigo of Abrigo Giovanni Azienda Agricola, who focuses on the exquisite Dolcetto in Diano d'Alba in the Barolo zone of Piemonte. Abrigo Giovanni is a small family operation, operating on just 13 ha or 32 acres mainly in Diano d’Alba -- the site of the winery and the family home. Dolcetto Diano d’Alba is one of a handful of DOCG zones for the grape – stricter controls and the top Dolcetto wines are made in this area. Here, the elevation, the soils, and the exposition are ideal for this highly underrated grape. Abrigo Giovanni focuses on Dolcetto but for the past 11 years they also make a highly rated and awarded Barolo from the site of “Ravello” which has caught the attention of many wine critics, and, although not available in the US, they make the single best nocciole (hazelnut spread) I have ever had in my life.    This is a fascinating look at the passion behind making a wine that is part of a long legacy and tradition, but frequently flies under the radar...for no apparent reason. After this show, you will want to run out and get Giulio's Abrigo Giovanni Dolcetto wines, and maybe even move to Diano d'Alba (his descriptions of it sound like paradise to me!). ______________________________________________________ Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Felicity Carter, a leading journalist focused on wine and health, dives into shocking truths about the neo-prohibitionist movement and its impact on global wine policy. She reveals how temperance groups shape recommendations and why the World Health Organization's guidelines can be misleading. The conversation uncovers biases in alcohol research influenced by funding and the conflicting messages about wine's health benefits. With changing attitudes toward alcohol, Carter highlights the resilience of the wine industry amidst a landscape rife with misinformation.

This is a baffling story that includes a Napa history lesson, an idea of how the Valley has grown and then a jaunt into intrigue, sting operations, and what appears to be an effort to kill the goose that laid the golden egg by the Napa County government. It seems that the County is going after small wineries in an attempt to bankrupt them out of business.  Friend of the pod, Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone joins to discuss and explain the situation -- at least the parts that have an explanation!  If you want background on Smith-Madrone, check out... Ep 253: Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone Vineyards Talks About 48 Years in Napa Valley Please support small wineries! Now, more than ever they need our help!! Stu Smith, Smith-Madrone Vineyard Lindsay Hoopes, Hoopes Vineyard   Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ Wine Access  is my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the first quarter shipment.  Get 10% your first order with my special URL.    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes