Wine for Normal People

There are a seemingly endless number of wines made from grapes from all over. But, surprisingly, what remains in the world is just a fraction of what once existed. Before downy mildew, powdery mildew, phylloxera, and the World Wars of the 20th century hit the shores of Europe, destroying vineyards of native vines, there were likely hundreds of thousands of grape varieties with millions of clones. The biodiversity and possibilities for great wine were even greater than they are today.   But there is a movement afoot to revive grape varieties that are nearly extinct. It started in Portugal, spread to Spain and Italy, and now is a badge of pride for regions that are able to bring these grapes back from the brink.    In this show I cover 12 grapes with interesting stories of near extinction and revival:   Italy Whites: Arneis - (Bianchetta), Timorasso, Nascetta, Fiano Red: Schioppettino   Greece: Malagousia    Spain Whites: Godello, Verdejo Red: Graciano Photo: Godello Source: Food and Wine From Spain   France White: Viognier Reds: Carménère, Tibouren   There are so many other grapes out there that have been saved, but these are the stories I find most interesting. Enjoy!   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 show chronicles my recent trip with a group of Patrons to Sicily with my travel partner tour with Tourissimo. I take you through our odyssey, which had us traversing the entire island from west in Palermo to the center of the island to the southeast in Vittoria to Mount Etna.  I discuss the themes I noticed throughout like interesting climatic quirks that the quality regions share, the amazing culture and hospitality, and the uniqueness of the wines on this beautiful island and more.    I hope you enjoy this recap and it gives you a flavor for what Sicily is like and how awesome it is from a wine, people and place perspective!      A special thanks to the Patrons who went on this trip, and to my amazing travel partners, Heather and Beppe, the owners of Tourissimo for making this journey so special!    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 week I welcome long-time Patron and listener, Bevis Sydney, who is not only a wine educator in the UK, but also a movie buff. He and I give our views on the top 8 wine movies, according to a poll of the Patron community and general consensus from the press on the top wine movies.   We discuss: ·      Sideways (2004) ·      A Good Year (2006) ·      Wine Country (2019) ·      Bottle Shock (2008) ·      Somm (2012) ·      A Year in Burgundy (2013) ·      Sour Grapes (2016) ·      Mondovino (2004)   Remember – movies, like wine, are subjective. You don’t have to agree with us, but you do have to be respectful in your comments! You can always skip to the next movie if you don’t like what we’re saying. It’s just wine and it’s just a movie.   Here are some links that we discuss in the show:  Smithsonian video on the Judgement of Paris from 2016    Somm: Elite Wine Group Suspends Master Sommeliers Six Master Sommeliers Can Be Terminated After Sexual Assault     The Wine World’s Most Elite Circle Has a Sexual Harassment Problem     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    

As part of the series on the The Greats (the great wines of the world), I cover the complex world of Hungarian Tokaji. As with all dives into “The Greats,” I spend the first half of the show delving into the history of Tokaj and then discuss winemaking, the grapes, and the complex way in which this wine is made.   Some notes that may be hard to understand (since I obviously know no Hungarian!):     The main grapes in the wine are: Furmint (Foor-mint) 60-70% of Tokaj plantings Hárslevelű (Harsh-level-loo) -- 19% of plantings Sárgamuskotály (Sharga-moose-kah-tie) - 9% of plantings (Muscat Lunel, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains)   Secondary grapes are: Zéta (Oremus), Kabar and Kövérszőlő (Koo-ver-sue-loo)     And just a few words on the wines: Tokaji Szamorodni (sam-or-od-nee) can be dry or sweet. It is made from bunches of grapes with a high proportion of botrytized grapes. These are bunches, not individual berries.     Tokaji Aszú is the world-famous sweet wine. Aszu contains exclusively all botrytized grapes, individually hand picked, trampled, and then turned into a paste/dough. The wine is then macerated in must, wine, or partly fermented must, still fermenting must or wine from the same vintage. Aszú ranges from 3 to 6 puttonyos, which indicates sweetness levels     Tokaji Eszencia: Is one of the most exclusive wines there is. Eszencia means nectar. It is the free run juice of botrytized aszú berries. It is so sweet that the alcohol doesn’t usually exceed 5-6%.     I hope you enjoy this overview of the Great that has one of the longest recorded histories of winemaking!      Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! _______________________________________________________________   Wine Access has 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 in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club!     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: http://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  

For this show I ask my friend with Brian Callahan, small vineyard farmer and co-owner of Crux Winery in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma (the Middle Reach though – the warmer part, so they do Rhône varietals) to tell us what a year in a Sonoma vineyard looks like. He takes us through what he has been doing for the last 18 years in his vineyard, a three acre plot that produces the beautiful fruit that turns into Crux wine.    This is a real look at what happens in the vineyard over the year to ensure a healthy harvest. We discuss what he can do and what Mother Nature gives or takes away that he may have to deal with!      ___________________   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    

These categories of "better for the earth" wines are technical, tricky, and ever-evolving, so I felt that it was time to do a comprehensive update!   In this show, I do best to break it all down in as simple a way as possible…I cover: Biodynamics Organics Sustainable farming Regenerative agriculture And then, quickly, the loose ends – vegan wine and natural wine   I start with an overview of the Pre- and Post- Industrial Revolution types of farming: Traditional farming is original agriculture, by the industrial revolution introduced inorganic sprays, applications, etc --  most of which were not well developed and had serious side effects.  This type of farming is called Conventional farming. All current eco-methods of farming are reactions to conventional farming   ______________________________________  Biodynamic Wine  I discuss Rudolf Steiner's philosophies and the main principles of biodynamic agriculture – essentially that the farm is a single, self-sustaining organism and the farmer must encourage and guide the vines, as well as protect the soil so it stays healthy and provides nourishment for the vines. ​The main certification for biodynamics is DEMETER. It was founded in 1928, and is the world’s oldest sustainable agriculture organization.  _________________________________ Organic Organic farming is traditional farming – this is how farming was always done until the industrial revolution. The new iteration grew out of the biodynamic movement in the 1920s and then experiences more growth in the 1970s. This method took off in the 1970s and 80s, especially in Europe. Different countries have different definitions of organic… European Union Organic Products/”Bio” in France: Organic wine prohibits most synthetic chemicals or GMOs and uses only certified organic oenological products in the cellar, including organic yeast. Sulfites are regulated. Organic wine has the EuroLeaf Logo with a code number of the certifying body or the French AGRICULTURE BIOLOGIQUE label (created in 1985, has been around for longer)  United States. This is a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are prohibitions on the vineyard and the winery, with the biggest difference with European organics: Added sulfites are prohibited. Because of this last prohibition, certified organic vineyards go in and out of the organic certification To make it more flexible, they added the “Made with Organic Grapes” stipulation, which is looser  _________________________________________________________  Regenerative Organic Agriculture   Although relatively new, this is likely the future of better for the earth initiatives. Regenerative starts out with the principles of organic but then adds a few other things. Watch this space…    _________________________________________________________    Sustainable Winegrowing  This is the most popular way to do better for the earth viticulture but it’s squishy. Sustainable is a catchall term that has MANY definitions. It can refer to production, or it can talk about conserving energy. It can be about good relations with employees, or economic viability of the winery. Some of these certifications are better than others. Here are some examples:   France… HVE: The French Ministry of Agriculture developed the Haute Valeur Environementale Others... Vignerons Engages Viticulture Durable en Champagne Terra Vitis    And in California... Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing   _________________________________________________________  I end with a quick tour of …Natural wine and Vegan 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  

This is a special re-release of this very relevant and important show on Earth Day. Jason Haas, perhaps the greenest guy in in wine, joins to discuss the challenges the wine industry faces in becoming gentler on the earth. From regenerative agriculture (which is way less woo woo than biodynamics!) to sustainable transport and packaging, we cover the latest thinking of how to make the wine industry greener and better.   Happy Earth Day all!   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  

Tax Day in the US has come and gone. Many of us are getting a refund, so if you have a little extra change, here are some great wines to consider.   A few on the list are... Burgundy in red and white: Pinot and Chard Pomerol in Bordeaux Syrah from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in Walla Walla Washington Old Vine Zinfandel from Sonoma, Napa, and Amador County Châteauneuf-du-Pape BLANC   I offer descriptions and explanations of each wine in the show. I hope you enjoy and find a way to spend your tax money!   _______________________________________________________________ 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 week friend, listener, Patron, and wine diva @wineshenanigans and the wine game show @Wineopardy Monica G. joins to  talk with me about wines made by celebrities, aka Celebrity Wines. We run through what they are, how many of them are made and then we discuss specifics. We wrap with our analysis of whether or not we would recommend buying these wines.   We make two caveats:  1.     These are our opinions about these wines – don’t sue me!  2.     Some of these brands are impossible to obtain, so we haven’t had many of them – distribution is spotty   Then we define, explain, and then categorize these wines -- those that are legit and those that are not. Some of the legit celeb wine brands we discuss are: Francis Ford Coppola, Fess Parker, Brad Pitt/Miraval, Dave Matthews with Blenheim and Dreaming Tree, Pink's Two Wolves, Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback wines, Kyle MacLachlan's Pursued by Bear wines, Kylie Minogue's wines, and Mary J. Blige's Sun Goddess wines.   A fun show! Don't forget to follow Monica on Instagram @wineshenanigans!   _______________________________________________________________   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      

Inspired by a question from friend and Patron Amy Payton, this week I cover the history of oak barrels. I go from animal skins in Mesopatamia to modern day barrels, talking about how winemakers decided that oak was the best vessel for wine. I answer her follow up questions too -- How are barrels obtained by winemakers? What happens to them after they are used and are oak barrels sustainable? I learned so much in this show and I thank Amy for the idea.  ______________________________________________ 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 week I explore one of my favorite grapes of all time, Fiano! The grape makes some of the most exquisite wines you could imagine -- whites with layered complexity, age-ability, and unadulterated deliciousness. I discuss all aspects of the grape:   The historical overview of the grape and how Mastroberardino saved it from obscurity (Check out my podcast with Piero Mastroberardino here) A discussion of Fiano in the vineyard and how adaptable it is Some thoughts about winemaking and its effect on the grape The aromas and flavors of the grape Where it grows: Italy: Campania (65%), specifically Irpinia, and within that area the Fiano di Avellino DOCG, with sizable quantities in Sicily and Puglia as well. Listen to my show on my trip to Campania here... New World places: Australia, Argentina, the US Photo: Fiano in Irpinia (Campania). Source: Consorzio Vini di Irpinia   I hope I convince you to try the grape if you haven't had it before. It is truly one of my "desert island wines" -- it's very hard not to love it!   ______________________________________________________ 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

In recent years, there has been a lot of buzz around “volcanic wines.” The term makes it sound as if these are wines that are spawned from a volcano, but in reality these are wines that many people believe have special qualities because they grow on volcanic soils.    In this show, I define the types of volcanoes before discussing the ecosystems they form.Here is the list of wines/places I discuss in the show:   Italy   Mount Etna, Sicily: Reds (Rosso of the Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio grapes), whites (Bianco, mainly of the Carricante grape)   Soave, Veneto: Whites grown on specific hillsides (Garganega, Trebbiano di Soave grapes) Photo: Mount Etna. Source: Pexels   Campania Vesuvius: Whites of Coda di Volpe, Caprettone, Falanghina, Greco. Rosés and reds of Piedirosso, Aglianico, Sciacinoso Irpinia:  Taurasi DOCG and Aglianico del Taburno DOCG: Reds of the Aglianico grape. I mention Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino: May or may not be affected by the volcanic soil Greco di Tufo DOCG: White of the Greco grape, the sulfur and compressed volcanic ash (tufo),and volcanic sand and clay, give the wines an acidity, minerality & flintiness that has clear volcanic influence    Basilicata: Aglianico del Vulture. Reds of Aglianico  Piedmont: Alto Piemonte. Red blends in Gattinara, Boca, Bramaterra Umbria/Lazio: Orvieto. Whites of Grechetto, Trebbiano Toscano ______________   Greece: Santorini - White of Assyrtiko. Lemnos -Red of Limnio   Spain: The Canary Islands/Las Canarias - Whites of Malvasîa Volcánica, Malvasîa Aromática, Listán Blanco. Reds of Listán Negro   Portugal: Açores islands (the Azores). Whites: Arinto, Verdelho, Fernão Pires, Terrantez    Hungary:  North of Lake Balaton in Somló, whites of the Juhfark grape Tokaji – sweet and dry whites of mainly the Furmint grape   US: Oregon's Willamette Valley Some parts of Napa, Lake County in California __________________________________________________________ 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    

The Hunter Valley is the OG -- the first place where Australian grape growing took place. For 200 years there has been continuous winegrowing and winemaking among the rolling hills and green valleys, which are peppered with iconic wineries, many of which have been around for more than 100 years. Although other types of wines are made, the Hunter has one crown jewel -- Semillon. In this show I give detail on the history, background and terroir of the Hunter before discussing the Semillon and why it is so special and is truly a GREAT!!   I give an overview of the Hunter Valley, which is one of Australia’s most popular wine destinations. It is just over a two hours' drive north from Sydney in New South Wales – about 160 km/100 mi north. It is very near UNESCO World Heritage National Parks, which are popular tourist destinations. With its low latitude (32°S), viticulture would not be possible without some mitigating factors The Hunter Valley is SMALL - it's 2% of Australian vineyard area. The region focuses on quality, premium wines, not bulk Plantings are 47% red (mostly Shiraz), 53% white (mostly Chardonnay and Semillon, with Verdelho of Portugal. This white-heavy mix is unusual for Australia!  Photo: Semillon. Credit: Wine Australia   I discuss the subtropical climate, the varied land and what works best for Semillon, and the GIs   I spend the rest of the time talking about the alchemy involved in making a living wine like Hunter Valley Semillon -- truly one of "the greats" of the wine world!   _______________________________________________________________________ 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, again, and this time for a much longer and more thorough conversation, Luca Paschina, the head winemaker and GM of Barboursville, the historic property in the Monticello AVA of Virginia. Luca was on the show in 2016, originally on episode 162.   Barboursville has a long history, which starts around the same time as its current owners’ wine history -- the Zonin family of Veneto (found 1821). We discuss Thomas Jefferson and his role in trying to get Virginia wine started. Luca tells us about Gianni Zonin, who purchased Barboursville in 1976 and created the first world class winery in Virginia. He is still the owner today.   Luca has been the head winemaker of Barboursville since 1990. He gives us an excellent retrospective on what he has learned in these decades and the key terroir points about the Monticello AVA. tell us the . We also touch on some of the challenges and the advantages of the region and we are pretty honest about separating the wheat from the chaff. This is a very honest look at Virginia, and frankly a great way to tell if a winery you visit knows what they are talking about. If they don’t follow Luca’s advice, likely the wine isn’t going to be very good! This is a great show and I hope it motivates you to look more into the excellent wines of Virginia!   _______________________________________________________________________     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    

As a follow up to Felicity Carter's show last week, in which we mentioned referenced the work of Christopher Snowdon often, I am re-releasing Episode 274 to give another perspective. This was originally released April 29, 2019. We raised all sorts of red flags in this show and Christopher has been consistent on his blog about how moderate drinking is still good for you and why wine is NOT the new tobacco...This is a great supplement and another viewpoint on this subject and dovetails perfectly with last week's show.     The show notes are simple this week: his two articles -- “The campaign to make alcohol ‘the new tobacco’” March 28, 2019 (Scroll down to see the article on this page) "A glass of wine won't shorten your life -- moderate drinking is still good for you" April 17, 2018   More on Chris: Snowdon is author of five books: 'Polemics' (2020) 'Killjoys' (2017), 'Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism' (2015), 'The Art of Suppression' (2011), 'The Spirit Level Delusion' (2010) and 'Velvet Glove, Iron Fist' (2009). He has also written more than a dozen reports for the Institute of Economic Affairs including ‘Drinking, Fast and Slow’, ‘and ‘Closing Time: Who’s killing the British pub?’. He blogs at The Snowdon Substack   Full show notes and all back episodes of the podcast are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   _______________________________________________ THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!!   Wine Access has 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 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    

My guest Felicity Carter is probably the most brilliant journalist in wine, and certainly one of the only ones doing vital investigative work in the field of wine, health, and the neo prohibitionist movement. From 2008 to 2021, she was editor-in-chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, a global, English-language magazine, one of Germany’s oldest publishing houses. She reported from 22 countries in that position. She writes for Decanter, The Guardian, and pretty much every major prestigious wine publication out there. Photo: Felicity Carter. Credit: https://felicitycarter.com.au/miscellaneous/   Felicity is the foremost authority on wine and health and has information about what is ACTUALLY going on with the “new” data on wine and health…talk about a malevolent hand. HOLY SH&T when you find out what is behind the WHO’s recommendation. Your jaw will drop…   Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   _______________________________________________________________ Wine Access has 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 in time for the first quarter shipment (it's shaping up to be outstanding).  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

In this show we explore the world of Armenian wine, which has roots in the ancient world and may be the oldest winemaking region in Europe.   To tell us about these wines, the terroir, and the regions, I welcome Keush Managing Director & Zulal Founder, Aimee Keushguerian. Aimee educates us on Armenian wine and tells us about the projects she and her family are undertaking to shape the modern Armenian wine industry, which is definitely getting noticed for its high quality and interesting grape varieties.   Aimee Keushguerian, founder of Zulal, Managing Director of Keush   Armenia is located in the Caucasus region bordering Georgia, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. Vineyards are in the mountains with very high elevations -- some of the highest in Europe. Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Armenia#/media/1/35178/208378   As a guide, here are some of the grapes we mention: Areni is the spicy, medium bodied, lovely main red grape. Vayots Dzor is the main quality region for Areni. Tozot from Vayots Dzor is like a Grenache and has great potential Voskehat is Armenia’s most promising white grape. Producers can make sparkling, still, and dessert wine all from Voskehat. It is non aromatic. Chilar: is another promising white grape with great structure that does well with oak From geopolitical concerns to terroir studies, this podcast has it all! Take a listen -- you will learn a TON!  Photo: Zulal. Credit: Wine For Normal People  Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   _______________________________________________________________ Wine Access has Armenian wines before they even made a splash in the wine magazines! They have their finger on the pulse and connect with wineries and regions you need to know about! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the first quarter shipment (it's shaping up to be outstanding AND one of the shipments is likely to have an Armenian wine...hint, hint! ).  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

Food and wine pairing is complex. But as many of us are trying to eat healthier, more plant-based diets it becomes an exercise in frustration. Traditional outlets barely ever talk about how to pair red wine with vegetarian dishes, beyond eggplant and mushrooms. Wendy Narby, a wine educator and writer in Bordeaux and Sally Evans, a winemaker and owner of Château George 7 (sette) aim to change that. This week they talk about their new site, which  helps us learn to pair the wines of Bordeaux and wines like them with vegetarian dishes. This podcast and their site, Wineand2veg.com, gives great ideas for pairings that prove you don't have to give up bold wine if you decide to eat a plant-based meal.   Knowing you can have a meatless day and still have a great wine pairing makes it a little more appealing to try it, no?   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 (it's shaping up to be outstanding!).  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