Unreserved Wine Talk - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Unreserved Wine Talk — Arts
Unreserved Wine Talk

The Unreserved Wine Talk podcast features candid conversations with the most fascinating people in the wine world. Your host, award-winning journalist Natalie MacLean, dives into how it feels to compete in the nerve-wracking World’s Best Sommelier Competition, the shadowy underground of wine forgery, the zany tactics of a winemaker who hosted a funeral for cork, and more. Nestled in these colourful stories are practical tips on how to choose wine from a restaurant list, pair it with food and spot great values in the liquor store.

Every second episode, Natalie goes solo with an unfiltered, personal reflection on wine. She’ll share with you how it feels to be a woman in what is still a largely male-dominated field, her gut reaction to the latest health study that says no amount of alcohol consumption is safe and her journey in writing her next book. She’ll reveal these vulnerable, sometimes embarrassing, stories with tipsy wit and wisdom that she’s soaked up from 20 years of writing about wine.

This podcast is for wine lovers from novices to well-cellared aficionados.

Copyright: © Nat Decants Inc. 2018-2021

Latest Episodes:

23: Randall Grahm: A Californian Blend of Wine, Wit and Wisdom May 08, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode, we're chatting with the rockstar Californian winemaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon winery who blends wit and wisdom unlike any other person in the wine world. He's brilliant both in his insights and his metaphors.

That's why I chose to help him with the fall harvest for my second book "Unquenchable: A Tipsy Search for the World's Best Bargain Wines." His wines are also often favourites of the students of my online courses.

Randall Grahm was born in Los Angeles in 1953 and attended the University of California at Santa Cruz where he was a permanent Liberal Arts major. Sometime later he found himself working at the Wine Merchant in Beverly Hills sweeping floors. By dint of exceptionally good karma, he was given the opportunity to taste an ungodly number of great French wines and this singular experience turned him into a complete and insufferable wine fanatic. He returned to the University of California at Davis to complete a degree in Plant Sciences in 1979, where owing to his single-minded obsession with Pinot Noir he was regarded as a bit of a holy terroir in the hallowed halls of the sober and sedate Department of Viticulture and Enology.

With his family's assistance, Randall purchased property in the Santa Cruz Mountains in a quaint eponymous hamlet known as Bonny Doon, intent on producing the Great American Pinot Noir. The GAPN proved to be systematically elusive but he was greatly encouraged by experimental batches of Rhône varieties, and he has been a tireless champion of the grapes of the Rhône since the inaugural vintage of Le Cigare Volant. His idiosyncratic newsletters and articles have been collected, carefully redacted, and with the inclusion of some timely new material, published as the award-winning book, Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology in 2009.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

22: Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Writing Red, White and Drunk All Over May 01, 2019

Show notes

What role have books played in my exploration of wine regions around the world? What's it like tasting ultra high-end wine? How is wine portrayed in literature? Today we're talking about all that and more in a behind-the-scenes peek at Red, White and Drunk All Over.

Today's show is a little different from the usual. I'm excited to share this episode from the Behind the Bookshelves podcast, where I was interviewed by Richard Davies. Richard has kindly given me permission to include this interview on my show for you. If you love books as much as I do, be sure to check out his podcast where he features interviews with authors about their books and related topics.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

21: Is Wine the Source of Civilization? John Mahoney Thinks So and Here's Why Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode, we're chatting with the author John Mahoney who has written several books on wine, but we'll be focusing on his latest: Is Wine the Source of Civilization?

Spoiler alert, the answer is yes. But the more interesting question is why? He has some fascinating answers, plus some of the best practical tips on enjoying wine that I've ever heard. One has to do with temperature … keep listening for that one towards the end of our chat. Enjoy!

John J. Mahoney is a Certified Wine Educator and a Literature Professor. He is the author of eight books, including his most recent, Wine: The Source of Civilization and he is Chancellor of the Dionysian Society International, a member of the American Wine Society, a Chevalerie du Verre Galant (Knights of Cognac), President of New Jersey Club Zinfandel, Director of the Tri-State Wine College, and the voice of "Weekend Wine Tips." A respected scholar of Shakespeare and Chaucer, he uses classic educational techniques when teaching about wine. He hosts corporate wine seminars and is presently the World Ambassador for the Grand Vin wine glass series for Chef & Sommelier.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

20: Why You Need to Know Malbec Truly, Madly, Deeply Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Have you tried Malbec? Did you like it? Which ones are your favourites? From Argentina to France, Malbecs are not all created equal. For me, it was an Argentine Malbec that first piqued my curiosity, leading me to start buying more. I followed that curiosity down to Argentina itself in my second book, Unquenchable: A Tipsy Search for the World's Best Bargain Bottles.

On this episode, in honour of World Malbec Day, I'm taking you with me on a journey to the Bodega Catana Zapata winery in Argentina to explore all things malbec and chat about why Malbec is a deep, dark, delicious red wine that you need to get to know better.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

19: How to Become the World's Best Sommelier with Arvid Rosengren Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

Arvid Rosengren is one of the most merited sommeliers in the world, holding a range of competition wins and titles, the crowning achievement being the 2016 A.S.I. Best Sommelier of the World, a competition held every three years for candidates representing sixty countries. It tests theoretical knowledge, blind tastings of various beverages and practical service skills

Born and raised in the south of Sweden, Arvid initially studied Nanotechnology Engineering but figured out half-way through that working with his true passion – food and wine – would be preferable to wearing a lab coat. After a brief time in Stockholm and a period at the Hotel du Vin in the UK, Arvid settled in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he spent the next six years growing from the floor sommelier of a busy restaurant to wine director for an ambitious group of almost a dozen establishments. Arvid was born and raised in Sweden and initially studied Nanotechnology Engineering, but decided to change his career path to food and wine. He has worked at several of the world's best restaurants in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Britain and New York City.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

18: Wine and Keto, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Atkins, South Beach and Other Diets (Does Wine Make You Fat?) Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

Does wine make you fat? Can you drink wine while you're on a diet? What about diets like paleo, keto, South Beach, Atkins and gluten-free? In recent years some winemakers have started producing or re-labelling low-carb and low-calorie wines that cater to or many and varied special diets. Are they really worth it or is it just a fad?

That's exactly what we're going to dive into this week as we explore how our bodies process alcohol, the surprising statistics about weight gain and wine and whether you should buy a bottle of low-carb wine on your next trip to the store.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

17: Organic and Biodynamic Wine with Thomas Bachelder Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

Thomas Bachelder is a Canadian winemaking superstar on a mission when it comes to cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. After studying in France and having a successful winemaking career in Canada, Thomas started his own label where not only does he make wine in Ontario, but he also has vineyards in Burgundy and Oregon. The Bachelder project started with the 2009 vintage with the three terroirs series: Three regions; Three wines. As he describes it, the hands, techniques and the palates remain the same, only the terroirs change.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

16: Are Organic Wines Better for You? Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

What exactly is organic wine? Is it better for you? In recent years, organic wine has moved from the realms of health nuts and hippies to the mainstream, where it now represents one of the fastest-growing categories in the liquor store. But is it really that different from conventional wine?

With Earth Hour coming up on March 30 and Earth Day on April 22, I'm dedicating today's episode to organic wine, with a deep dive into what it is, its history and what the research shows about its benefits.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

15: What to Ask the Sommelier with Lesley Brown, Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

Lesley Brown has been a part of the Canadian Wine Industry for the past 17 years and works with several high profile wine agencies. She holds an International Sommelier Diploma and has taught wine courses to hundreds of students. Lesley is currently the BC Regional Sales Manager for The Bacchus Group and she also sits on the board of directors for the Import Spirit and Vintners Association and has recently taken over as the President of CAPS BC and the Vice President of the CAPS National Board.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

14: Bottle of the Sexes: Women v Men on Wine Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Are men from Bordeaux and women from Burgundy? In my 20 years of studying and writing about wine, I've encountered a lot of differences in how men and women approach the subject. There are also several studies that show the same thing.

In honour of International Women's Day this week, I'm diving deep into "women's wines", whether they're actually any good and how wines marketed to women are affecting the industry.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Related Podcasts