Unreserved Wine Talk

In honour of Canada Day on July 1st, we're doing a deep dive into Canadian wine, including some colourful history and surprising facts that you can drop casually at your barbecue gathering as you crack open a bottle. What do Canadian wine regions have to offer visitors? Why do Canadian wines make up only 1/3 of the wine we buy in Canada? We're also testing your vinous savvy with The Great Canadian Wine Quiz. I'd love to hear how you did - email me or tag me on social media. Highlights What were the Canadian wines of the 70s and 80s like? Why are Canadian wines often less expensive than imported wines? What is the Celine Dion-Shania Twain Syndrome that Canadian wines are suffering from? Why do Canadian wines only account for 1/3 of the wine purchased in Canada? What experiences can you have when visiting a Canadian winery? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we're chatting with Maureen Downey, a.k.a. the Wine Detective, about wine forgeries, fakes and scandals. You'll learn tips on how to spot a fake wine based on the label and more. Enjoy! Highlights Why did Maureen become interested in wine fraud? What aspects of the wine does Maureen consider to determine its authenticity? How does Maureen use technology when testing a wine's authenticity? How pervasive is wine counterfeiting? What is blockchain and how can it help us to trace the provenance of a bottle of wine? What are some of the simple information mistakes wine counterfeiters have made? How can the average wine buyer avoid becoming a victim of wine fraud? What role does the wine industry play in perpetuating wine fraud? About Maureen Downey Maureen Downey, DWS, CWE, FWS is known as the Sherlock Holmes of wines and is considered the world's foremost expert in counterfeit wine identification. She is an expert on rare wines and an authority on wine fraud, counterfeit and fine wine authentication. She earned a degree in hospitality from Boston University and she took the advanced sommelier exams at the age of 23. Over the past 20 years, she has inspected hundreds of millions of dollars worth of both authentic and counterfeit wine. She advises some of the world's top collectors in purchasing, selling, and managing their collections with her firm Chai Consulting based in San Francisco. She has assisted the government prosecution in the biggest wine counterfeiting cased, ever tried by the US government and continues to work with law enforcement to investigate wine fraud cases. You can also catch her in the Netflix film, Sour Grapes. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

This Sunday is Father's Day, so I'm going to get downright practical on this episode with some terrific gift wines suggestions that you can buy dear old dad. So, how do you choose the perfect gift bottle? And is there such a thing as "man's wine" versus a woman's wine"? Of course, it's all awash once you're on to your third glass of Pinot or Cabernet. Let's dig in, shall we? Highlights Does the research show a difference in wine consumption between men and women? Why has it taken so long for wine companies to target their marketing towards men? What approach do wine companies take when marketing to men? How are canned wines marketing themselves differently from bottled wines? What are my top wine picks for Father's Day gifts? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we're chatting with Esther Mobley, on the gripping stories that catapulted her to become the columnist for one of the most prestigious wine columns in North America, the San Francisco Chronicle, at just 24 years of age. Enjoy! Highlights How did Esther's college admissions essay end up in the New York Times? Should wine writers all experience winemaking? What has changed about California winemaking since Esther started writing for the San Francisco Chronicle in 2015? What is Esther's opinion on natural wine and its growing popularity? How did Esther connect with Alecia "P!nk" Moore and end up interviewing her? What does the $315 million sale of Meiomi wines mean for the wine industry? Can a brand be authentic without owning a vineyard? What are some interesting insights that Esther uncovered in her exploration of food and wine pairing with Ali Bouzari? About Esther Mobley Esther Mobley is a staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. She writes primarily about wine, and her beat also includes beer, spirits, drinking culture and, occasionally, doughnuts. In her regular Drink Up column, she reviews Bay Area bars. Before joining The Chronicle, Mobley was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York. She has worked two harvests, in Napa, California and Mendoza, Argentina. She studied English literature at Smith College. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Welcome back for Part Two of an audio essay to celebrate National Wine Day, this past Saturday, May 25. Most of what I'm going to share with you today is based on a magazine piece about wine and civility that I wrote two months after 9/11. On this episode we're looking at the role wine has played in some of the greatest conflicts our world has ever seen from French winemakers' fight against the Nazi wine trade, to the impact of 9/11 on the US wine economy. If you missed part one, please go back and have a listen to Episode 24. I hope this is drink for thought for you. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we're chatting with Morgan Perry who pairs wine and yoga in her Vino Vinyasa classes. More than marketing or whimsy, it's actually rooted in a holistic lifestyle philosophy. Enjoy! Highlights What is a yoga vinyasa class experience like? What are vinyasa and shavasana? Why does Morgan believe yoga enhances the wine tasting experience? How does Morgan make her classes accessible for students at all levels? What's the most interesting feedback Morgan has gotten about her class? Is the wine and yoga crossover a growing trend? Morgan shares some fun wine and yoga pose matches About Morgan Perry Morgan Perry is the founder of Vino Vinyasa Yoga. Morgan's wine experience started in wine marketing and PR at an agency in New York City, but it wasn't until she took a trip to Chile that she truly fell in love with wine. She returned to New York and began taking Wine and Spirit Education Trust classes to learn more. She now has her Advanced Certification, which she passed with distinction. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

May 25 is National Wine Day and in honour of that, I think it's worth exploring how wine, as a beverage, has influenced our culture. Wine has been an integral part of human history from ancient civilizations right through to the modern day. It has become deeply associated with culture, power and prestige in a way that no other beverage has. Most of what I'm going to share with you today is based on a magazine piece about wine and civility that I wrote two months after 9/11. However, the search for civility in everyday life has more resonance than ever, with the seemingly daily mass shootings in various places around the world, the ongoing threat of ISIS, and the aggression that many women and others face daily on social media. I'm going to break this topic up into two episodes, with today's show being part one, and part two will be published on May 29. I welcome your thoughts on this audio essay! To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the 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.

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.

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.