Friends of the Pod Series -- Ep 267: Leo Hansen of Leo Steen Wines, The Dane who Mastered California Chenin Blanc
Release Date: 03/11/2019
Ep 565: Back to Basics – 8 Ideas to Break Your Rut and Discover New Wines
Wine for Normal People
As part of the Back to Basics series, in which I update previous podcasts on practical topics that can be helpful to everyone, I update podcast Episode 28 from September 2011! Rick was the co-host then and it was a much shorter, less detailed show. Image: Assembled on Canva by WFNP Some of the suggestions from those many years ago were great, and some have changed or I’ve augmented them. The goal of this show: to give you some ideas to motivate you to try new wines and new ways to explore. Ideas include: exploring different grapes from the same regions you like, joining a...
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Ep 564: The Greats – Taurasi DOCG
Wine for Normal People
On the heels of my trip with a group of Patrons to Campania, I wanted to do a show on Taurasi while it was still fresh in my mind. Taurasi, a small (472 ha / 1,166 acres) DOCG region, is indisputably one of Italy’s greatest red wines along with Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Chianti, Vino Nobile, and Montefalco Sagrantino. Taurasi, made of the ancient Aglianico grape, is in Campania, more specifically in hills northeast of Irpinia/Avellino and is centered around the town of Taurasi, a small town with a 10th-century castle that was rebuilt by the Normans. Over the 17 towns within...
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Ep 563: Alentejo, Portugal -- Original Blends, Great Value
Wine for Normal People
This week I go in depth on one of the best value regions of Portugal -- Alentejo. These wines are mainly blends and they are as easy on the palate as they are on the wallet -- a perfect combo! Photo: Vineyards in Alentejo outside of Évora. Credit: WFNP Located in southern Portugal, a two hour drive east of Lisbon, Alentejo is huge -- representing almost one-third of the Iberian nation. Although in the past the region was known only as the breadbasket of Portugal and as the world's largest supplier of cork (nearly half of the world’s corks come from Alentejo's cork...
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Ep 562: The Greats of Bordeaux – Margaux
Wine for Normal People
This is the second in the Greats series on Bordeaux. This time, the first, most southerly, and most famed commune of the Médoc, Margaux. Surely this is one of the world’s greatest regions, with the only major appellation with a château named after the region, Château Margaux. Margaux is a 1,500 ha/3,700 acre communal appellation on the Left Bank of Bordeaux, 25 km/15 miles north of the city of Bordeaux in the Médoc. Margaux is the largest Médoc AOC, representing 9% of Medoc vineyards and an average of 6.5 million bottles yearly, depending on vintage. Due to its size, the region has...
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Ep 561: Fred Peterson of Peterson Winery on the (d)Evolution of Soil Health Over the Last 40 years
Wine for Normal People
has been making wines in Sonoma County for more than 40 years. While attending UC Santa Cruz, he took a job in a classmate’s family vineyard in Mendocino County and he found his passion. He left Santa Cruz, and used the rest of his GI Education benefits to attend UC Davis. . Credit: Wine for Normal People Fred got his bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology in 1978. And after managing vineyards for a large winery in the Central Coast, he moved to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma in 1983. That same year, he planted a vineyard and built his house on Bradford Mountain....
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Re-release of Ep 230: The Biz of Small Wineries with Jim Morris and Oded Shakked of Longboard
Wine for Normal People
On the heels of the tariff show last week, and news that wine consumption is at its lowest point in 60 years, I thought it may be interesting to revisit the US industry structure in more depth. As I say in the freshly recorded intro (the show is edited for relevancy too, so it's not a straight re-release) I wanted to carve out the issues for small wineries that are every bit as relevant today as they were when I launched this show in 2018 with and Jim Morris, the Sonoma Wine Guy and frequent pod guest. (left) and Jim Morris (right) As I point out in the...
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Ep 560: Wine Tariffs and their Dire Consequences for American Wine Businesses with Ben Aneff, President of the USWTA and Daniel Posner of Grapes The Wine Company
Wine for Normal People
Tariffs have been a hot topic in recent weeks, but this issue has been ongoing. During President Trump’s first term, the wine industry was caught flat-footed when, in 2019, the administration put a 25% tariff on still wines from France, Germany, Spain, and the UK (notably, Italy and Portugal were not included) as part of a trade dispute with the EU over subsidies given to Airbus. It was then that my guests – Ben Aneff and Daniel Posner started to organize and get industry leaders together to lobby Congress and try to explain why these tariffs were so harmful to wine. Those tariffs...
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Ep 559: 12 Great Wines Under $20
Wine for Normal People
I think people are feeling a bit of a worry about the economy worldwide, so I thought I’d make some suggestions for inexpensive wines that taste like expensive ones! Almost every wine is below $18, although I put under $20 in the title because it seemed punchier! I did lots of research to make sure these were way below US$20 in markets across the US and around the world. For inclusion in the list they had to be great wines that I would buy even if they weren’t such great values (and with tariffs, they will be less good values, but still inexpensive). These are wines I drink...
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Ep 558: The Grape Mini Series -- Sagrantino
Wine for Normal People
In this grape miniseries, I cover one of the greatest yet little known red grapes of Italy: Sagrantino. Photo: Sagrantino. Source: This grape is likely native to Umbria in Central Italy, although there is speculation that it is from more far-flung parts of the globe. Nevertheless, most of the world’s plantings are in Montefalco and the surrounding areas and it is firmly rooted (literally and figuratively) there. With outrageously high polyphenols, Sagrantino is dark in color, high in tannin, and needs lots of heat to ripen. Its brambly berry notes contrast with...
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Ep 557: The Greats - Saint-Émilion of Bordeaux
Wine for Normal People
As part of the series on the greatest wines in the world, I cover Saint-Émilion on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. With its legacy of winemaking, its unique terroir, and its small producers who are constantly innovating and improving, this region is indisputably one of the top in the wine world. As with all the regions in "The Greats" series, I go in depth on the fascinating history of Saint-Émilion, the complex terroir, the (convoluted) classification, and the grapes and flavors that are possible from this outstanding "Great." As promised, here are the Premiers Grands Crus...
info_outlineOriginally from Denmark where he grew up as the son of a chef and hotelier in the happiest country in the world, Leo Hansen started in the hospitality world at the ripe old age of 12 and hasn’t stopped since.
First he was a certified European sommelier working for a Michelin starred restaurant and that brought him to the US where he immersed himself in the world of New World winemaking. In 2004 he started Leo Steen Wines, which concentrates on divine Chenin Blanc (AKA Steen in South Africa, but ironically a family name as well!) but also makes Cab Franc, Chardonnay, and Grenache.
He has been in California for 20 years but he maintains a European palate and focuses on traditional European winemaking techniques like foot treading, natural yeasts, lower alcohols and less new oak. He’s the perfect balance of professional winemaker and sommelier and a fascinating guy all around.
And a few show notes:
- Leo tells us about his early life as a the son of a chef and hotelier, including some notes about Danish cuisine!
- We learn about Leo\'s career path, especially his time at Kong Hans in Copenhagen, a Michelin Starred Restaurant
- We discuss the difference in sommelier culture in Denmark v. the US
- Leo takes us through his journey from a harvest worker at Clos du Bois to owner of Leo Steen.
- Finally, we discuss his specific philosophies and wines and why site is so important to his wine.
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