Weekly Wine Show

This episode we bring you interesting wine news for Spring 2017, plus our reactions and opinions. Articles we cover:   “Ignore the Snobs, Drink the Cheap, Delicious Wine” by Bianca Bosker. New York Times.  Summary: Bianca Bosker says mass-produced, committee-designed wines deserve love too.   “Wine Legislation Roundup: A Consumer's Guide to 2017 State Politics” by Emma Balter. Wine Spectator. Summary: We touch on bills being considered in Indiana regarding a tax break for beer made with locally grown ingredients, and labeling standards in Texas   “Minnesota wineries challenge state law requiring use of homegrown grapes” by David Chanen. Star Tribune.  Summary: Two Minnesota wineries are suing the MN Department of Public Safety over a law that says 51% of a MN winery's production must come from grapes grown in MN.   “How a biotech start-up is making expensive wines without grapes“ by Chris Morris. CNBC Summary: Ava Winery, a start-up out of San Francisco, is making wine without grapes. The

he first Friday in May is International Sauvignon Blanc Day; to honor this popular grape variety, we’re going to explore major regional Sauvignon Blanc styles and their flavors.   In this week's episode, we discuss: Where Sauvignon Blanc comes from How the vine grows Winemaking styles Food pairings Three main regional styles, where to find them and flavor characteristics  

May is Finger Lakes Wine Month and to celebrate, this episode is all about Finger Lakes!   New York state makes more wine than any other US state after California, and it's centered around the Finger Lakes AVA, which was established in 1982 and includes 11,000 acres of vineyards. It's the largest wine-producing region in New York State, located in Upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario and is home to 130 wineries producing about 90% of the state’s wine.   This week we discuss: The History of Finger Lakes wine region Climate and Geography of Finger Lakes Diversity of wine grapes in the Finger Lakes  

This week is part two of a two part series on Burgundy. This week we continue our journey and talk about one of the best wines we ever had, ever.   In this week's episode we discuss: Modern History of Burgundy Wine regions and wine classifications Flavor characteristics of white Burgundy Food pairings

Burgundy is all about two grapes: pinot noir and chardonnay, which is the only aspect of Burgundy that is simple. Everything else can be complex and confusing to the average wine lover but we are using the next two episodes to break down some of that confusion. Burgundy has such a long history of wine and vine cultivation so we are only going to scratch the surface. We hope you enjoy this episode.   In this week's episode we discuss: Early history of Burgundy wine Climate, Geography and grapes Red Burgundy flavor characteristics Red Burgundy food pairings  

Time for another edition of Four Wines! If you're new to our show, every couple of months we like to pause and take an episode to talk about wines we love that do not fit into an upcoming episode. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed researching for it!

People view Pinot Grigio as a super light, thin, patio-pounder. Well, this may be the case for a good chunk of the mass produced wine coming out of Northern Italy but if you are quick to generalize, you'll miss out on some fabulous wines. There are so many variations of this wine throughout the world that it cannot be boxed into one type or one style. Pinot Grigio (A.K.A. Pinot Gris, which translated from French literally means "grey pine cone"), has so much more to offer the world than how it's often stereotyped. In this episode we dig deeper in the Pinot Gris grape and the wine it produces.   In this week's episode we explore: What countries are the major producers of Pinot Grigio? It's relationship to Pinot Noir History of the Pinot Gris grape in Europe The many styles of Pinot Grigio Food Pairings  

This week is all about the unique grape that is Nebbiolo. Since it's light in color people often mistake it for a tame wine but this wine is anything but tame. It's big acid and tannin structure require some serious aging and don't even think about drinking this wine without some serious decanting or at least opening the bottle a couple hours before enjoying. Although it might not provide instant gratification, this wine is a must try if you are looking for a serious food wine.   In this week's episode we discuss: The History of Nebbiolo grape How's it's grown and where it thrive's Italian Nebbiolo Regions Wine Flavors and Characteristics Food Pairings  

Viognier is an overlooked wine. I think part of the reason is because people have difficulty pronouncing the word and they don't want to sounds stupid. This wine is worth sounding stupid for and do not worry - in this week's episode we say Viognier about 100 times so by the end you'll be an expert.   In this week's episode we explore this revived Rhône variety: History (or lack of) of Viognier How it grows and where it grows Winemaking techniques Styles and Flavor characteristics Food pairings

Clarissa Nagy is the winemaker and founder of Nagy’s wines. She has been making wine through her own label since the early 2000’s in Santa Maria Valley which is located in Santa Barbara County, California. We’ve discussed her 2012 Pinot Noir on episode 50 of this podcast and we look forward to sharing the rest of her wines on upcoming episodes. We got a chance to interview Clarissa recently and learn more about her wine journey.

In early episodes, we covered some wine news but we haven’t done so lately, so this week we’re bringing you an episode of wine news. We’ve come across some interesting wine news recently which either taught us something new or showcases a fresh perspective worth talking about. Since this is a new episode format, please send us your feedback at [email protected] and let us know whether or not we should do more episodes like this every once in awhile.

Recently we attended the Cold Climate Conference held yearly in Minnesota. This conference is geared towards grape growers and wine makers. During the conference we learned a ton about cold climate grapes, challenges in wine-making and tried some excellent wines.   You might ask, why do cold climate or hybrids grapes need to exist? Grapes like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have been tried and failed in areas like Minnesota even when the vines were buried during the wintertime. It’s simply too cold. Even in places like Vermont and parts of New York state, the large swings in winter temperatures can easily damaging those vines, making it extremely risky to grow and profit from.   Much to our surprise, the cold climate wine industry is starting to boom. A 2014 study found that the cold-climate grape-growing and winery industry is estimated to have a $401 million economic impact nationwide. That number will continue to grow so it's only fitting that we dive a little deeper into this up-and-coming wine industr

Central Coast is a huge wine region spanning 250 miles down the coast from southern San Francisco to the tip of Santa Barbara County. Central Coast is a series of valleys running east to west leaving it open to coastal fog and afternoon breeze. Normally I hear California and visions of hot weather and big wines come to mind, but Central Coast's cool climate gives us wines reminiscent of Old World Burgundy. With high acid and refined fruit, Central Coast Pinot Noir is the ultimate expression of terrior and the winemaker's artistry.

Sicily is know more for than it's beautiful scenery and the Godfather. This island also produces tons of a wine. In fact, it's the three largest producer of wine behind the Veneto and Emilia Romagna regions. In terms of red wine, Nero d'Avola is Sicily's crown jewel of dry, food friendly wines. Brought over over by the ancient Greeks, "Black of Avola" has been a staple of Sicilian wine for centuries and the subject of this episode.

This week we take a trip back to Loire to talk about Vouvray. Vouvray is both a place and a rich aromatic white wine in the middle Loire Valley area made from Chenin Blanc grapes.We did cover Chenin Blanc from South Africa in a previous episode, so if you are looking to learn more about New World and warm climate style Chenin Blanc wines check it out.

This week is another four fabulous wines that we loved! Check out the tasting notes and details. 

Columbia Valley is a special place. It sits in the same latitude as Burgundy but the terrior is so different. Columbia Valley seems like the ideal place to to grown grapes; dry, lots of sunshine and low nutrient soil causing the vines to grow deep. Thanks to it's large size, if it's Washington wine, it's Columbia Valley.   This week we tackle the Columbia Valley AVA and we discuss: The size and scope of Columbia Valley AVA The History of Washington wine Terrior of Columbia Valley The wines of Columbia Valley

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is not just an obscure wine from a tiny part of Italy. It’s the second most planted red grape in Italy (second to Sangiovese) and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is one of the most exported DOC wines from Italy. It’s approachable a

This week's episode we revisit Southern Rhone but focus our attention on white blends and the Costières de Nîmes AOC. This podcast episode we dive into review of Southern Rhone, Costières de Nîmes AOC, major white grapes in Southern Rhone, history in Southern Rhone, and styles of white blends and flavor characteristics.

We launch our podcast in early 2016 and it have been a crazy year. We've learned a lot and drank a lot of tasty wine. It's hard to pinned down what our favorites from 2016 but in this episode we attempt to do just that.