Ep 223: North Canterbury, New Zealand's Hidden Gem with Simone Madden-Grey
Release Date: 03/10/2018
Ep 604: Six Alternatives to Expensive Wines
Wine for Normal People
This time I give you six wine regions that make very expensive wines and then provide ideas of less expensive bottles that you could sub in when you don't want to splurge. From Champagne to Barolo, I give you some ideas that hopefully you hadn't considered! The wines I find alternatives for (you'll have to listen to hear the wines I recommend as "dupes"): Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Champagne Pomerol (Bordeaux) Barolo/Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) Red Bourgogne/Burgundy (Pinot Noir) Chablis I promise -- I came up with some unusual and cool wines for this! Enjoy it! Full...
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Ep 603: The Veneto Region of Italy (2026 Update)
Wine for Normal People
I haven’t given an update to the Veneto region in more than a decade. With an upcoming Patron trip to the region, I think it’s high time! Veneto is in northeastern Italy and is famed for wines like Prosecco, Valpolicella (including Amarone), Soave, and Bardolino. With 14 DOCGs, 29 DOCs, and 10 IGPs, covering about 104,400 ha (258,000 acres) of vineyards, the province makes every style of wine imaginable. Approximately 75% of plantings are white varieties—dominated by Glera at around 39% (this is the main Prosecco grape)—while 25% of plantings are red, led by Corvina with...
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Ep 602: Wine Legends - Émile Peynaud, The Father of Modern Enology
Wine for Normal People
This is the start of a new series, suggested by Patron Keith S.! Thank you, Keith! I'll cover people who have made a huge difference in the wine world —figures whose contributions have shaped how wine is made, understood, and appreciated. I felt the best place to kick this off was with a man who ratcheted up the quality of wine in Bordeaux and then around the world. Through his great scientific brain and his quiet and kind yet convincing style of plain-spoken communication Bordeaux-based oenologist, Dr. Peynaud had an enormous global influence on winemaking and wine appreciation...
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Ep 601: Pollak Vineyards – A Leader in the Monticello AVA of Virginia
Wine for Normal People
is a small family-owned winery founded in 2003 when Margo and David Pollak bought a farm west of Charlottesville, Virginia. David’s experience in wine was pretty extensive – he worked in the 1970s in Sonoma's Russian River Valley and was a founding partner and investor in one of Napa Valley’s first Carneros wineries, Bouchaine Vineyards. Years later, when he thought about retirement from the corporate world, he saw huge potential in Virginia and he and Margo took the chance to help shape this emerging region. Photo: Pollak Vineyards. Credit: In this show, I host Ryan Pollak...
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Ep 600: Nine Short Wine Stories -- How WFNP Listeners Got Into Wine
Wine for Normal People
600 episodes of WFNP! I am grateful to you for listening, for reading the book, for learning with me and gracefully accepting the changes over the years, and I’m especially grateful to my sponsors, guests, and travel partners. (thanks Heather and Beppe!) over the last 15 years who have supported this show. But most of all, as I say every week, I’m grateful to the Patrons – the people who directly support the work that I do week after week and who have become my friends, and who have allowed me to join them on their journeys into wine. I’m boring and you all know about me...
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Rerelease and Edit of Ep 181: Laura Catena, The Leading Lady of Argentine Wine
Wine for Normal People
In honor of Women's History Month, I'm rereleasing a show with one of the most dynamic, intelligent, and all around fantastic women in wine: Laura Catena of Bodegas Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina. Photo from Laura's website: We discuss her life as a doctor, a mom, and the head of a wine empire. We cover the history of Malbec and how her family aided the meteoric rise of Argentine wine and of the comeback of the Malbec grape around the world. A fun, sharp-as-a-tack woman, you'll learn a ton about Malbec, Mendoza, and a few life lessons (it's all about the B+!) from...
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Ep 599: The Grape Miniseries Refresh - Malbec
Wine for Normal People
This week I cover Malbec, or Côt as it’s known in its native home of Southwest France. This old red grape variety has long history in France and was once one of its most planted grapes. But due to pickiness in the vineyard and harshness in the bottle, Malbec fell out of favor in its native country. Despite being a big component in the Bordeaux blend, the grape remained in relative obscurity until it hit South America, particularly Argentina. Although it wasn’t an overnight success, Malbec hung around Argentina for about 150 years and then got its moment in the sun (literally). Today 75%...
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Ep 598: The Médoc and the Haut-Médoc of Bordeaux
Wine for Normal People
This week I cover the regional AOCs of Medoc and Haut-Medoc, which wraps up our exploration of the Left Bank of Bordeaux. These two areas can cover a lot of ground, but they are usually used for discreet geographies in the north and south of the Médoc Peninsula. Because each AOC is so large and varied, I do a deep dive into the whole of the region and then into the particularities of the smaller Médoc AOC in the northwest of the Médoc and the Haut-Médoc in the south, around the city of Bordeaux and to the west of the communal appellations (Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and Saint...
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Ep 597: Lodi, California -- The Past, Present, and Future of this Historic Region
Wine for Normal People
This week I cover Lodi, California, an historic wine region in the Central Valley of California that has been growing grapes since the 1850s. Located 40 miles /64 km south of Sacramento and 90 miles/ 145 km east of San Francisco, Lodi is an often overlooked wine region, despite the fact that it has been recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1986. Lodi AVAs. Source: Lodi doesn't lack for vineyard land --today the region has 100,000 acres/ 40,500 ha planted to wine grapes, with 750 growers, 80 wineries, and about 65 tasting rooms. 20% of California’s total...
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Ep 596: Back to Basics - Defining Old World & New World (and why it still matters)
Wine for Normal People
In this show I go back to basics (the last time I covered this topic was in 2011 -- episode 7!!) and discuss the differences between the terms New World and Old World. Although it seems totally basic, there has been controversy over using these terms, with some writers saying they are antiquated, non specific, and need to be replaced. I disagree. I discuss the usefulness of the terms and why they should still exist as terms in wine from three main perspectives: Geographical and historical perspectives REAL terroir differences that make the wines different Differences in...
info_outlineFresh off an amazing trip to the North Canterbury region, just north of Christchurch on the South Island of her homeland, New Zealand, Simone Madden-Grey let's us in on a little known region that we all need to try (and visit): North Canterbury.
Here are some quick notes from the show:
- The Alps are to the west, the Pacific Ocean to the east.
- Cool, dry climate with high sunshine and a long growing season means pure, flavorful wines -- especially aromatic whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer since the climate is similar to Alsace. Pinot Noir is also stunning from here
- 3% of NZ production
- Wines are grown on the valley floor and vineyards (top ones) are being planted on the hillsides and foothills
- The stunning subregions of Waipara and Waitaki Valleys are the hot spots for quality wine in the region.
- Waipara Valley is 40 minutes north of Christchurch
- About 30 wineries in the valley
- We discuss the beautiful produce of the ares and how the food and wine are so fully integrated into the culture here, as it is no where else
- For a list of all the wineries, with links go here: Wineries and Vineyards of North Canterbury and Waipara
- And the list of wines Simone mentions --
Bell Hill Vineyard – http://www.bellhill.co.nz/
Bellbird Spring – http://www.bellbirdspring.co.nz/
Black Estate – http://blackestate.co.nz/
Greystone Wines – http://www.greystonewines.co.nz/
Pegasus Bay – http://www.pegasusbay.com/
Pyramid Valley – http://pyramidvalley.co.nz/
Tongue in Groove – http://tongueingroove.co.nz/
As a wrap up for Women's History Month, we talk about our experiences as women in wine.
Thanks to Simone and to our sponsor this week:
The Great Courses Plus -- who makes you smarter and more well rounded! With thousands of outstanding video lectures that you can watch or listen to any time and anywhere, The Great Courses Plus is an easy way to stimulate your brain and make you smarter! For a free trial, go to thegreatcoursesplus.com/wine