361: How Can Carbon Offsetting Claims in the Wine Industry Be a Form of Greenwashing?
Release Date: 10/29/2025
373: How Do You Create A Successful International Wine Brand? Nam Stanley Tells The Story of Solicantus
Unreserved Wine Talk
What goes into creating a successful international wine brand that tells a story before the bottle is even opened? What does it look like to build a young wine brand vintage by vintage? What makes Bordeaux such a hard place to break into as an outsider? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of the new memoir Vineyard Melody. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Namratha Stanely's terrific new book, Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, One Grape At A Time. To...
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372: How is Namratha's "Vineyard Melody" memoir the wine version of Eat, Pray, Love?
Unreserved Wine Talk
How can a wine story rooted in darkness leave you feeling hopeful about your life? Why is France such a symbol of freedom, possibility and reinvention for her? How can discovering France through art, cinema, and wine become an escape into a completely different world? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, One Grape At A Time. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Namratha Stanely's terrific new book, Vineyard Melody:...
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371: Why Do Some Non-Alcoholic Wines Keep Their Fruity Aromas While Others Lose Everything?
Unreserved Wine Talk
How did winemakers first figure out how to remove alcohol from wine without destroying it? Why is it so difficult to perfect the flavours and aromas in wine once the alcohol is removed? Why do some non-alcoholic wines keep their fruity aromas while others seem to lose everything? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. You can find the wines we discussed at . Highlights How was the German winemaker, Carl Jung, a pioneer in the field of no and low...
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370: Wes Pearson: What Happens When the World’s Most Expensive Wines Are Tasted Blind
Unreserved Wine Talk
What really happens when the world’s most expensive wines are tasted blind, without their labels or reputations? Why is the Len Evans Tutorial considered such a valuable experience in the wine world? How did Grenache go from a filler grape to one that producers take seriously? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. You can find the wines we discussed at . Highlights How did a curiosity for astrophysics shape Wes’s mindset as a wine researcher...
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369: How Did One Viognier Go From the Brink of Extinction to Being Planted Around the World?
Unreserved Wine Talk
How did one Viognier go from the brink of extinction to being planted around the world? Why is the Mistral one of the most miserable experiences for people, yet a saviour for Rhône vineyards? Why is working with bush vines so much harder than trellised vineyards? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Matt Walls, author of the terrific new book The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to the Rhone Valley. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Matt Walls' terrific new book, The Smart Traveller's Wine...
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368: Why did the Rhone region ban flying saucers? Matt Walls reveals the story behind why that rule still exists
Unreserved Wine Talk
Which French wine region banned flying saucers from landing in its vineyards and why is the rule still there? How did the devastating February 1956 frost reshape the southern Rhône into the vineyard landscape we know today? What sets the northern Rhone apart from the south in terms of grapes and winemaking style? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Matt Walls, author of The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to the Rhone Valley. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Matt Walls' terrific new book,...
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367: Why Are So Many Swiss Vineyards Planted on Dangerous Terrain? Simon Hardy Reveals Why in the Smart Traveller's Guide to Switzerland
Unreserved Wine Talk
Why are so many Swiss vineyards planted on dangerous terrain? How do the “three suns of Lavaux” shape the ripeness and character of Chasselas? Which unexpected historical figure owns the world’s smallest vineyard in Switzerland? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Simon Hardy, author of the terrific new book The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Simon Hardy's terrific new book, The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland. To...
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366: The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland with Simon Hardy
Unreserved Wine Talk
Why You Can't Buy Switzerland's Exceptional Wines Abroad? Why does Switzerland grow so many grape varieties, and which ones are the key players that define the country’s wine regions? What makes high-altitude wine regions uniquely capable of producing wines that balance great concentration without being too heavy? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Simon Hardy, author of The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Simon Hardy's terrific new book,...
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365: Why did Cha McCoy create her own flavour wheel rather than rely on traditional wine-tasting vocabulary?
Unreserved Wine Talk
Why do certain spices and dishes show up far from their origins, and how can tracing these cultural “foodways” change the way we think about wine and food pairing? Why did Cha create her own flavour wheel rather than rely on traditional wine-tasting vocabulary? How can expanding your flavour vocabulary through travel, food, and culture help us describe wine in ways that feel relatable? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Cha McCoy, author of the new book Wine Pairing for the People. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Three of you are...
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364: Why Are Most Wine Pairing Rules Wrong for Global Cuisine? Cha McCoy Reveals What Really Works
Unreserved Wine Talk
How can you pair wine with spicy dishes in a way that enhances their flavour profile? Why do most wine-pairing guides ignore the traditions of global cuisines? How can you use wine pairings to explore under-the-radar wine regions instead of reaching for the same rosé or sparkling wine every time? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Cha McCoy, author of the terrific new book Wine Pairing for the People. You can find the wines we discussed at . Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Cha McCoy's terrific new book, Wine Pairing for the...
info_outlineHow can carbon offsetting claims in the wine industry be a form of greenwashing? How does the natural fermentation process in winemaking create one of the most concentrated sources of CO₂ emissions in any industry? Can yeast selection and fermentation techniques make winemaking more sustainable?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Andrew Neather & Jane Masters.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway
Two of you are going to win a copy of Andrew Neather & Jane Masters' terrific new book, Rooted in Change: The Stories Behind Sustainable Wine. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose two people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!
Highlights
How is the Familia Torres winery treating CO₂ as a resource instead of waste?
How are yeast choices and co-inoculation helping winemakers reduce energy use?
Why are some wineries implementing modern updates of old, low-tech winemaking techniques?
How are importers and producers utilizing rail and sea transport to reduce their carbon footprint?
What can the Nordic wine monopoly, Systembolaget, teach the rest of the world about sustainable practices?
How does greenwashing appear in wine marketing, and why should consumers be wary of carbon offsetting claims?
Which certifications and labels can wine lovers actually trust when choosing bottles?
How does social sustainability, from fair wages to housing, shape the future of responsible winemaking?
How do these issues of climate change and sustainability affect people’s lives beyond the vineyards?
Key Takeaways
How can carbon offsetting claims in the wine industry be a form of greenwashing? For a consumer, I would be suspicious of anyone who is using carbon offsetting to claim they’re carbon neutral. The company will pay for trees to be planted, low-energy lightbulbs or stoves in the developing world. it's fine if it actually adds to capacity. The tree planting, it's highly questionable how much good it does. it's really better for a company to ask themselves, how can we reduce our carbon emissions?
How does the natural fermentation process in winemaking create one of the most concentrated sources of CO₂ emissions in any industry? The yeast carries out the alcoholic fermentation. So as they do that, they're metabolizing the sugar, creating ethanol, which is alcohol, creating a load of heat and carbon dioxide. The thing about wine is that the emissions that come out of the top of a wine tank are the most concentrated CO2 emissions of any industry at all.
Can yeast selection and fermentation techniques make winemaking more sustainable? Yeasts have been selected over years for certain traits, such as particular flavors, producing less compounds such as acetic acid, which we call volatile acidity. At the end of the day, sustainability also includes economic sustainability, so we need to maximize everything that we've grown in the field to get the best possible quality wine.
About Jane Masters and Andrew Neather
Jane Masters became a Master of Wine in 1997 and was elected as Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine in September 2016. She is an independent wine consultant with over 30 years of experience and clients around the world as well as working with the Majestic Wine Grp in UK. She has also filmed several wine shows and written sections for Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine and Wine Opus.
Andrew Neather is a freelance British journalist. A former academic historian, environmental campaigner, political speechwriter and newspaper journalist, he was the London Evening Standard’s wine critic, 2005-15. He now blogs weekly on wine and food at A View from my Table, writes a regular column for Tim Atkin MW’s website, and has contributed to publications including The Independent, Harpers and Club Oenologique.
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/361.