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Wine Enthusiast Podcast

The Wine Enthusiast Podcast takes you on a tantalizing trip into the world of wine, beer and spirits. Drink up engaging, behind-the-scenes stories reported and recorded by Wine Enthusiast’s editors. In each episode, we explore emerging trends, provide educational tidbits, and introduce you to the passionate people who craft, shake, ferment, and pour their beverage of choice. Inside every bottle is a story.
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Now displaying: 2022
Dec 28, 2022

From curating diverse wine lists to maintaining vendor relationships, three beverage directors from Union Square Hospitality share how they decide what goes on the menu.

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Dec 14, 2022

Tawnya Faulkner, founder of Le Grand Courtâge, explains how she created an affordable sparkling brand that still delivers on French cache and elegance.

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Nov 30, 2022

Appellations, approachability, innovation and sustainability: Future 40 Francophile Katie Melchior discusses all things French wine and culture.

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Nov 16, 2022

Writer at large and wine reviewer Christina Pickard talks with winemaker and sustainability advocate Dr. Irina Santiago-Brown.

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Nov 2, 2022

Jenny Lefcourt, founder of Jenny & Francois Selections, a wine importing company, discusses natural wine.

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Oct 19, 2022

Stacy Briscoe chats with Vivianne Kennedy, winemaker and proprietor of RAM Cellars, and the only openly transgender winemaker. They discuss diversity within the industry, winemaking and more.

 

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Oct 5, 2022

Kara Newman talks with 'Future 40' Dr. Nicola Nice about her women focused gin liquor, Pomp and Whimsy.

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Sep 21, 2022

Talking with the beer tastemakers about education, DEI efforts, collaboration beers, and initiatives that are increasing awareness in the beer space and among drinkers to create an inclusive industry.   

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Sep 7, 2022

Jacy talks with Marvina Robinson, CEO and founder of Stuyvesant Champagne. She is one of the few African American women owning a Champagne brand. 

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Aug 24, 2022

Assistant Editor Jacy Topps talks with Wanda James, former President Barack Obama's 2008 National Finance Committee member and founder and CEO of Simply Pure Dispensary. James, along with her husband, became the first Black people legally licensed in America to own a dispensary. And as a leading advocate in the cannabis industry, she also worked to get sentences dropped for people in jail for cannabis. 

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Aug 10, 2022

Just what is regenerative agriculture? It’s not just another trendy buzzword meant to entice consumers. It’s an ancient form of agriculture that is making its way back into mainstream farming. It’s successful, not only in producing and sustaining quality agricultural products, like wine grapes, but it’s also successful in combating climate change, the effects of drought, and (most commonly overlooked) creating a healthful environment for all living things within the farm—microorganisms, plants, animals, and people. FOLLOW US ON:

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Jul 27, 2022

We talk with husband-and-wife duo Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew, founders of LA’s Greenbar Distillery about sustainability in spirits.

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Jul 13, 2022

In this week’s episode Assistant editor Jacy Topps talks with Iris Rideau who is recognized as the first black woman to establish a winery in the United States. But that’s not where this trailblazing vintner and author's story begins. 

Jacy Topps talks about Rideau’s childhood during Jim Crow, how she became an activist fighting for other marginalized people and how everything came full circle after she opened her winery. They also discuss Rideau's memoir entitled From WHITE to BLACK: One Life Between Two Worlds

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Jun 8, 2022

There’s been a lot of talk about millennials and Gen Z, and what their changing consumption habits mean for the wine industry. In an era that offers an increasing variety of styles to chose from, do younger generations still care about traditional wines like Napa Valley’s iconic Cabernets and Chardonnays?

And, perhaps more importantly, should they?

In this episode, Contributing Editor Virginie Boone talks to Napa winemakers Blair Guthrie and Bertus van Zyl talk about the wine world’s shifting demographics, the impact younger drinkers are are having on traditional production techniques, and what consumers are getting right—and wrong—about Napa Valley wine.

 

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May 25, 2022

As New World regions grow older and more established, and many areas of the Old World not previously known for wine have come into their own as high-level producers, traditional terminology and boundaries have begun to shift. This may be most prevalent in England, where changing climates, heritage grapes and an ascendant sparkling wine scene have created what some are calling the newest of New World wine.

Wine Enthusiast Contributing Editor Christina Pickard talks with Oz Clarke, renowned British wine critic, author, broadcaster and expert on all things fermented grape, about the future of English wine and the how we should approach an ever-changing industry.

 

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May 11, 2022

In 2011, a case of mistaken identity resulted in hundreds of acres of Graciano being planted on California's Central Coast. The problem? Winemakers thought they were getting something else entirely—Mourvèdre.

But in a surprising twist, these vineyards ended up yielding wines more intriguing than anyone expected. Now, thanks to this fortuitous accident, winemakers may have discovered a new superstar grape particularly suited to this California wine region.

Contributing editor Matt Kettmann talks to Andrew Jones of Sunridge Nurseries and Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards about how this strange situation came to be and, a decade later, how the wines have measured up.

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Apr 27, 2022

Clean water is critical—for life, of course, but also for beer. This episode of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast explores how beer's most important ingredient is often overlooked by consumers, and why chemistry, conservation and cleaning are front-of-mind for brewers.

Beer Editor John Holl speaks with three beer professionals who are working toward making water a larger part of beer conversations: John Kimmich of The Alchemist in Vermont, Cody Reif of New Belgium Brewing in Colorado, and Luke Wortendyke of Wrenhouse Brewing in Arizona.

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Apr 13, 2022

From regenerative farming and eco-friendly packaging to water treatment, wellness-centered employee policies and beyond, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to talking sustainability in wine.

In this episode, Assistant Editor Jacy Topps speaks with two industry experts—Katie Jackson of Jackson Family Wines and International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), and Tobias Webb of Sustainable Wine and the Sustainable Wine Roundtable—about the current and future initiatives the wine industry has and/or hopes to implement to mitigate climate change.

 

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Mar 30, 2022

In this episode, the last in our three-part series in honor of Women’s History Month, we take a look at the varied yet related experiences of female winemakers.  

There are many remarkable female winemakers throughout the wine world that blazed new paths to the benefit of generations to come. As the industry evolves, we assess the similar issues several of them faced, versus what points of differentiation may have affected their vision or outcome. 

Senior Editor Stacy Briscoe speaks with Dr. Lucia Albino Gilbert, coauthor of the book Women Winemakers: Personal Odysseys, about the journeys of many of these women, and how they largely demonstrate a commonality of purpose and direction despite occurring in different times and cultures.

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Mar 16, 2022

In this episode, the second in a three-part series on women in drinks history, we take a look at the magnificent grandes dames of Champagne. Many great women have stood behind some of the most prominent Champagne houses in history.

Associate Digital Editor J'nai Gaither speaks with Rebecca Rosenberg, author of Champagne Widows, about the role these leading ladies, especially Madame Clicquot, or Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, played in building such sparkling empires, from work in the vineyard and innovations in the cellar to savvy growth and international marketing strategies.

Who rules the sparkling world? Grab a glass of bubbly and listen in for the remarkable answer.

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Mar 2, 2022

Evidence suggests that humans have been brewing and drinking beer for at least 13,000 years. Whether or not you’re a staunch believer in the theory that it was beer, not bread, that prompted our early ancestors to transition from hunter-gathers to farmers, the beverage has clearly played a key role in mankind’s history.

Additionally, while brewing in the United States is largely a male-dominated field, women have been integral parts of the brewing process throughout history. From goddesses to tavern operators, we see evidence of women and brewing throughout the ages. We can see it in ancient religion, art and texts from around the world.

In this episode, the first in a three-part series on women in drinks history, we take a look at women’s role in brewing throughout the ages.

Digital Editor Kristen Richard, a wannabe history buff, and Travis Rupp, the Beer Archeologist and lecturer in classics, art history, anthropology and mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, talk about the magnificence of women’s history in brewing.

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Feb 16, 2022

While the idea of a warm alcoholic beverage might be generally unappealing to some, there are classics, like the hot toddy or mulled wine, that have stood the test of time and proven themselves to be very necessary wintertime staples.

In this episode, we’re trying to shake off the remaining days of winter by warming up with a tasty hot drink.

Senior Digital Editor Dylan Garret and Spirits Editor Kara Newman have a very real, very candid conversation about the powers—and pitfalls—of this unique category of beverage enjoyment. This lively exchange covers the fun, the fandom, the failures, the fantasies and just about everything else in between when it comes to hot drinks.

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Feb 2, 2022

While winter across America might be unwelcome for those who prefer sunshine and warmth, for others, the frosty conditions present a unique world of opportunity.

For our three guests this week—Dave Breeden from Sheldrake Point Winery, Karlton Graham from KC Bier Co., and Eleanor Leger from Eden Specialty Ciders—the polar temperatures mean the perfect conditions for creating ice beverages like ice wine, cider and beer.

With the help and expertise of our guests, Contributing Editor John Holl leads a curious exploration into this frost-loving category, including talking about the process, history, innovation and flavors.

So grab a glass of your favorite cold-weather pour and listen up to learn more about the magic of ice drinks of all types.

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Jan 19, 2022

If you or someone you know isn't drinking alcohol for any reason at all, you have options. The non-alcoholic drinks space is evolving. Bars dedicated to booze-free hospitality offer creative menus, and there are scores of spirit-free bottles of booze, beer and wine at specialty shops and digital retailers.

In this episode, Associate Managing Editor Emily Saladino explores non-alcoholic drinks culture with John deBary, a semi-retired bartender who is also an author, creator and CEO of Proteau, and cofounder and board president of Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation. They're joined by Dylan Garret, another semi-retired bartender and senior editor at Wine Enthusiast

They discuss how the cocktail lounges of the early aughts and 2010s precipitated the rise of non-alcoholic drinks, and how those of us who do and don't drink alcohol can't raise glasses to a more inclusive scene moving forward. 

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Jan 5, 2022

With the new year here, so are resolutions to make the most of the 12 months ahead. Sure, there are many classic goals to try and achieve a better version of you, but today, we’re talking resolutions for what you pour, sip and enjoy in your glass.

There are countless ways to try and drink more adventurously in the year to come, including popping open precious bottles now; exploring new drink categories or emerging regions, varieties and styles; or learning more about the products you love and the people who make them.

In this episode, we take a fresh look at what lies ahead, specifically for our glasses.

Managing Editor Lauren Buzzeo talks with Tasting Director Alexander Peartree and Beer Editor John Holl about how we plan to drink better and broader in the year to come. Wine, beer, cider, spirit, seltzer or just about anything else—we have a lot of ideas about how we can make the year ahead more delicious than the last.

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