The Wine Conversation

Listen in to hear Sebastien Pradal talk to Elin McCoy on how he came to be the wine consultant to the hit Apple TV series “Drops of God”. As the wine consultant, he worked with the script writers and actors to ensure that all the facts and wine details were correct, as well as choosing the wines and winery locations. A fascinating conversation on how this hit wine TV drama came together. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Jane Anson discusses the extraordinary relationship between the USA and Bordeaux as the US begins to celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence. Listen in to hear about the Founding Fathers' love of Bordeaux, and why Jane believes that Benjamin Franklin rather than Thomas Jefferson was the true advocate for Bordeaux. Discover the châteaux which had US connections and meet the extraordinary people in Bordeaux who helped the War of Independence.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Join David Gleave MW for a deep dive into the wines of Barbaresco in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. Discover the vineyards to look out for on the label, the best producers and the upcoming names to watch. Expert advice from one of Italy’s foremost authorities.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in for our latest 10-Minute Masterclass on Chassagne-Montrachet with Burgundian guru Jasper Morris MW author of Inside Burgundy and www.insideburgundy.com. Discover the vineyards to know, the producers to watch, the four bands of Premiers Crus, its terroir – and find out why it is frowned upon for producers to marry someone across the main road!Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

“We are having a reckoning of the US wine industry.” Elin McCoy reports. Vineyards being pulled up, wineries for sale, wineries closing, exports falling, grim news from the US in this month’s Omnibus. There is, however, a bright spot – Taylor Swift’s love of Sancerre has made the wine fly off the shelves. Elsewhere, John Stimpfig reveals that the EU and New Zealand have concluded trade agreements with India (the first took two decades, NZ’s agreement took 9 months), a big market opens up for and Indian wine lovers can look forward to more choice. In Argentina the government has torn up 973 out of 1207 wine regulations. Plus get your running shoes out for the first Napa marathon. Listen in to Omnibus to hear all the latest wine news and views.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

“I would say St Estèphe is one of Bordeaux’s most exciting appellations right now” Listen in to our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson to find out why she believes this is an appellation worth looking out for. Find out about its history, the producers and the names to look out for.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

He is known around the world as “Mr Riesling”. He fired the workforce during his first vintage, threw a book of how to make wine at the one person left, and started his mission to restore Riesling’s fine wine reputation. The man, of course, is Ernst Loosen and he talks to Sarah Kemp for our “Great Wine Lives”  series. Frank, funny and totally unmissable.More information at wine-conversation.com

Discover the amazing people visited and great wines drunk when Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp visited Tuscany on the inaugural Tuscany Connoisseur Week. Find out which wines (and producers) captured their hearts and why Tuscany is now top of the list for wine collectors. Glorious armchair travel to one of the wine world’s most exciting regions.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to our first Omnibus in 2026 for all the latest wine news and views with John Stimpfig, Elin McCoy and Sarah Kemp. This month, we look at Michelin’s new wine guides where they are reviewing producers, not wines, and ask how are they actually going to work? Artificial intelligence has entered the wine world with ChatGPT recommending wineries to visit, with predictable results. Burgundy has had a bumper few months in the auction world, we review the main events of 2025, say goodbye to some great wine names, check out the fraud scene and welcome terroir-driven Chinese wine in the US. A bumper edition to start the New Year!Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp discuss their 2025 Wines of the Year. After a year of travelling the vineyards, going to tastings and dinners, they have both chosen eight wines, and a few are on both of their lists. Jane’s top 50 are on her site www.janeanson.com and full tasting notes of Sarah’s choices are on www.wine-conversation.com From legendary wines to good value wines, find out what has thrilled them this year.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Time to clear your shelves, or build some more, as Brian St Pierre recommends the best wine books to buy this Christmas. Whether you want to armchair travel, start learning or deepen your knowledge, he has found a great book for everyone. The perfect Christmas present for a wine lover, or even better, yourself. Listen in to hear The Wine Conversation’s best wine books to buy in 2025.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Another action-packed Omnibus with John Stimpfig and Elin McCoy reporting on the latest news from the wine world. This month we look at the 2025 harvest in Europe and North America, find out why Chablis is selling out in the US, and discover the latest research presented at The Old Vines Conference, plus the industry hits back at the anti-alcohol lobby and much more.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

A very special podcast. Listen in to hear Jane Anson describe the historic tasting of Bordeaux’s 1945 First Growths at Kensington Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 11. Jane was the only journalist present and she gives her impressions of the wines, the background to the vintage, and the extraordinary people who made it (including German prisoners of war). Plus, your chance to taste the 1945s by bidding for the 1945 tasting lot at the Golden Vines Auction taking place on Friday 7th November. Liquid history!Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

A 24-year-old Dutchman came to pick some grapes in Bordeaux on an estate belonging to a friend of his father Eric Albada Jelgersma. He ended up staying for 30 years. Listen in to hear the remarkable story of Alexander Van Beek, Estate Director of Château Giscours. In a frank interview, he talks about the highs, the lows and the practices he has introduced to take Giscours to new heights. He also discusses Caiarossa, the Tuscan property he runs and his approach to bio-dynamic farming.More information at wine-conversation.com

Dreaming of visiting the world’s most illustrious wine estates, being treated as a VIP with tours and fine wine dinners and then owning large format rare bottles? Well, stop dreaming and start bidding. Romané Basset talks to Sarah Kemp about the Golden Vine Auction which is going live online on 20th October. 110 stellar lots from Château Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Le Pin lunch with Jancis Robinson, Colgin, Bonneau du Martray, Dom Perignon, Krug, Henschke to name a few. Listen in to hear about some of the fabulous lots and discover how the money will benefit hundreds of people through the Gerard Basset Foundation.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Sustainability is the buzzword in the wine industry but where is it today? John Stimpfig talks to Rodrigo Soto, one of the earliest and leading practitioners of organic and biodynamic farming who presents his views on best practice and going forward. Soto worked with some of the pioneers of viticulture in California and now runs his own boutique winery, Far Mountain, in the Moon Mountain appellation in Sonoma.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Burgundy guru Jasper Morris MW, author of Inside Burgundy,  looks at “Making White Burgundy” in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. There are conferences on Pinot Noir but Chardonnay doesn’t get the same attention. Find out why he believes Chardonnay is more of a rugby grape than the ballerina Pinot Noir, and discover his views on when to pick, fermentation and a lot more.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear the latest news and views from the wine world in this month’s Omnibus. Stories include harvest updates, wildfires in Europe and US, arrests in Champagne,  controversy over To-Kalon name, World Health Organisation anti-alcohol lobby, Pinot Grigio on the rise in Australia, why you should visit the Finger Lakes, plus Coonawarra’s “Wine and Woof Walk” and the great new trend - matching wine to books. Suggestions please of your favourite wine and book matches. Cheers to that!Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Emergency Bordeaux podcast! Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp discuss the news that has sent seismic waves around the wine world- stellar Château Lafleur will no longer bottle under the Pomerol AOC from the 2025 vintage. Why have they done this, what does it mean for their neighbours, and what does the future hold for the producers of Pomerol. Listen in to hear Jane and Sarah’s views.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Don St Pierre Jnr founded ASC Fine Wines in China with his father in 1996, and pioneered the introduction of wine to a nation of Baijiu drinkers. In our “Great Wine Lives” series he talks to Sarah Kemp about the challenges and how he overcame them. It started with teaching people how to use a cork screw, but with a team of passionate local Chinese employees he built a business selling 3 million bottles a year. It wasn’t easy, he even got thrown into jail for 29 days, and while there had to plan Robert Parker’s trip to China a few weeks later! Listen in to hear the story of this remarkable man and find out why after selling his shares in the company in 2014, and heading to California to buy the majority share in Vinfolio, he has returned to China and bought back ASC Fine Wines.More information at wine-conversation.com