Like it or not, there are a multitude of reasons behind why we drink what we drink. What may at first seem like an expression of personal preference is, in fact, a result of the complex interactions between financial markets, social and political movements, climate change and too many other factors to name here. Basically, what you drink is a reflection of the moment you live in.
Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large and spirits reviewer Kara Newman may not have a crystal ball, but she's been reading the tea leaves and recently shared her predictions for how we'll be drinking in 2025. While some build on this past year's trends (tequila’s not going anywhere, nor are zero-proof cocktails), others caught us by surprise.
In this episode, we dig deeper into three of those predictions.
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Professional wine tasting is an extreme sport. Like an athlete, a wine pro’s body goes through a lot. And while the recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption are murky and ever-changing, we know one thing for sure: nothing about drinking 3,000 wines a year screams moderation.
This realization led wine reviewer Michael Alberty to reassess his chosen profession as he shared in a recent article for Wine Enthusiast. Spoiler: Alberty didn’t step away from wine. If anything, he leaned in.
In this episode, we hear from Alberty himself on what it’s like to taste wine for a living and what it means for his health. He shares first-hand insight to his daily tasting routine, the unignorable implications it has on his physical health and how he manages it.
He also shares his experience finding balance on the extreme side of drinking—a gentle yet encouraging reminder that this looks different for everyone and at different periods of time, including the holiday season.
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Do you believe in ghosts? If the answer is no, these wine-soaked stories might change your mind.
In this episode, we explore spooky tales from some of wine country’s most well-loved destinations. First, we take a trip to Trefethen Family Vineyards in California’s Napa Valley, where mother and son duo Janet and Lorenzo Trefethen share the backstory of their winery’s haunted grounds. Next, we travel to Miles Wine Cellars in New York’s Finger Lakes region, where owner Susan Hayes recollects some of her most memorable yet friendly encounters with visitors from the afterlife. Lastly, we visit Belvoir Winery in Missouri, home to its own population of “boos” and booze.
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In this episode, sponsored by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, MacPhail—the winemaker of The Calling and a Wine Star Award nominee for 2024 Winemaker of the Year—talks about how winemaking became his calling.
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Wine that is canned and bottled is the same, but packaged in different vessels. Right? Not quite.
In the episode, we explore the state of the canned wine industry and whether it’s turning a corner. We also dig deeper into the differences between canned and bottled wine, and how the industry can leverage alternative packaging with single-serving offerings in a way that still lowers its carbon footprint.
Listen as we sit down with Leitner to explore these questions and more.
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In this episode, podcaster MJ Towler chats with iconic NYC couple Robert Dentice and Renee Patronik about everything from terroir to pairing DRC with New Haven pizza.
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Have you ever noticed a bottle’s label prominently displayed during a pivotal scene in a favorite television show or film, and wondered: “Was that on purpose?” It just might be. That’s increasingly thanks to people like Anastasia Tarasova, the founder of Bottles on Set, a product-placement agency that delivers expertise in wine and liquor to film and television productions.
To learn about how this all works, we sat down with Tarasova to hear more about her agency’s projects. Listen as she shares tricks of the trade and some of her juiciest anecdotes. You probably won’t look at drinks on film the same way again.
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On the surface, aperitivo is a pre-dinner ritual centered around small bites and a sensible amount of booze. But the true meaning runs deeper.
In this episode, we talk with Stef Ferrari, author of Stuzzichini: The Art of Italian Snack, to better understand what constitutes the “magic” of aperitivo and how to recreate it at home. We discuss why gathering is fundamental to Italian life, how the ritual of aperitivo can help fulfill the basic need and desire to connect with others and how a little bit of alcohol can be part of a healthy, enriched life. Plus, Ferrari shares some of her most memorable aperitivo bites in Italy that fueled the inspiration behind the recipes in her book.
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In this episode, we sit down with Tyler Balliet, aothor of the new wine book Rebel School Of Wine: A Visual Guide to Drinking with Confidence, to discuss his mission to make wine more fun and introduce more drinkers to it. Whether you're a seasoned Italophile or simply curious about what makes this country so special, this episode is not to be missed.
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In this episode, we explore the concept of "Italianality" with newly minted Master of Wine Andrea Lonardi and journalist Jessica Dupuy. The pair are writing a book that explores and explains the subject and why it has never been more important—not just to Italy, but to the world. Together, they seek to distill the beauty, culture, history, food, wine and regional differences found throughout the country via stories with winemakers, chefs, cultural icons and more.
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In this podcast episode, Wine Enthusiast’s Chief Education Officer Marshall Tilden III sat down with the Global Business Development Director and Executive Director of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET for short) of the Americas, Dave Rudman to get the skinny on the current happenings.
We learned a lot about the evolving education landscape, and exciting programs now available for lovers of wine, spirits, sake and, most recently, beer. Plus, Rudman and Tilden performed a WSET-style Systematic Approach to Tasting in-depth analysis of a wine.
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Two years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, nightlife goes on. Investigative reporter Adam Robb has been traveling into the country to talk to locals and document everyday life for everyday citizens who have been living amongst the backdrop of war.
Along the way, he learned how living amongst drone and missile attacks, drafts and daily deaths and injuries “brings out a real selflessness.”
Listen as Robb goes deep on his experience of the Russo-Ukrainian War through the lens of the country’s hospitality industry, how drinks professionals create safe spaces for their communities amidst crisis, why the Ukranian mixology scene warrants a place in the international spotlight and how he plans to help it garner the attention is deserves.
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In this episode, natural wine importer Jenny Lefcourt shares her response to the USDA's new regulations on organic agricultural products and what it may mean for the wine industry moving forward.
With many leaders in the space left in limbo, we can't help but ask:
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Anna-Christina Cabrales, Tasting Director at Wine Enthusiast, delves into the world of sobriety in the wine industry with guest Abe Zarate, known as @sober_somm on Instagram. Together, they examine sobriety and explore the idea of enjoying wine culture while abstaining from alcohol, emphasizing that being “sober” can mean different things for different people.
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What is a private label, exactly? Think Costco’s Kirkland; Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw, or Two-Buck Chuck; or Target’s California Roots. Sometimes these private labels are easy to pick out, while other times they hide in plain sight.
In this episode, Alison Crowe, vice president of winemaking for Plata Wine Partners, a leading private-label producer in the heart of California, gives us the inside scoop on everything from grape sourcing to wine production, marketing, branding and the pros and cons of the category.
Explore more from Plata Wine Partners here.
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20 years after the release of the award-winning book, Sideaways, author Rex Pickett reflects on its film adaptation and poignant statement against Merlot producers.
Like Miles Raymond, the main character in the book and film, Pickett was an unpublished author living in L.A. and a devoted disciple of Pinot (which he spent hours talking about with Richard Sanford). Listen as he shares how the success of Sideways launched an unexpected journey into the wine world and the creation of a beloved cinema classic.
And before you ask: No Merlot was consumed in the making of this episode.
Shop Pickett's new release, Sideways: New Zealand, and the complete Sideways collection here.
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Armenia is considered one of the birthplaces of winemaking, with archaeological evidence dating back at least 7,000 years. Tragically, the country’s wine culture was decimated under Soviet rule. Things finally started changing about a dozen years ago: Today, more than 200 wineries are operating in the country, and their bottles can now be found in markets and restaurants around the United States and Europe.
In this episode, Writer-at-Large Matt Kettmann speaks with two leaders of the Armenian wine renaissance, father-daughter duo Vahe and Aimee Keushgerian. In 2021, the pair also made the first commercial wine from grapes grown in Iran in more than 40 years.
Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
On the surface, winemakers appear to lead a glamorous, jet-setting life of international travel, fancy wine dinners and a never-ending supply of enviable bottles. But what is it really like to work in wine?
Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Christina Pickard speaks to three well-respected winemakers from Australia and New Zealand on their entry into the industry. Hear from Paul Pujol, whose early experiences include a too-close-for-comfort experience with toxic chemicals; Jenny Dobson, who punched through the glass ceiling to produce her own wine label; and Helen Masters, who improbably scored a gig at a lauded winery, where years later she became the head winemaker.
Is there a guest you want us to interview? A topic you want us to cover? We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@wineenthusiast.net. Remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
What drinks trends will reign supreme in 2024? To know our future, we must know our past. Wine Enthusiast’s Tasting Director, Anna-Christina Cabrales chats with our spirits reviewer and writer-at-large Kara Newman about the important things like: Will the espresso martini fall out of fashion? Will canned wine continue its reign? Find out where they land with year's predictions after a candid round of "Love Its" and "Hate Its" of 2023.
Some of the longest-living people in the world drink upwards of two glasses of wine daily, according to Dan Buettner's research for the best-selling Blue Zones books and program, which are also the basis of a Netflix documentary, ' Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.'
As some of us cut back on our alcohol consumption during 'Dry January,' Wine Enthusiast producer Sam Sette talks to Buettner about whether temporary abstinence is the answer to long-term health. Listen to find out how Buettner’s findings from the Blue Zones can shape a more informed approach to drinking in the new year.
Despite early naysayers who suggested she develop a different kind of sparkling wine, the award-winning actress, writer–and now Viarae Prosecco creator–Issa Rae believes in the drink’s power of authenticity.
In this episode, she talks to @Jacy Topps about why she prefers Prosecco over Champagne, whom she’d most like to share a glass with, and what it’s like to break into the wine industry.
Cara Morrison of Sonoma-Cutrer shares what she wishes more people knew about the disputable grape and how her team continues to craft a wine for the ages.
Writer at large, Christina Pickard sat down with Maureen Downey, to discuss the latest on one of the largest wine fraud cases in modern history. In 2013, Rudy Kurniawan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling millions of dollars in fake rare vintages.
For the full back story, check out Wine Enthusiast’s true crime podcast, Vinfamous.