362: What Surprises Did a Magical Dom Pérignon Champagne Tasting of 60 Rare Vintages Reveal? Elva Ramirez Shares Her Story in "Sparkling"
Release Date: 11/05/2025
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...
info_outline
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:...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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 did a magical Dom Pérignon Champagne tasting of 60 rare vintages reveal the surprising depth and aging potential of sparkling Rosé? What surprising role did the British play in the discovery of sparkling wine? What makes the Porn Star Martini one of the most crowd-pleasing cocktails?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Elva Ramirez, author of the award-winning books "Sparkling" and "Zero Proof."
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Elva Ramirez's terrific book, Sparkling: Champagne and Sparkling Cocktails for Any Occasion. 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
What happened when Elva accidentally triggered an alarm at Veuve Clicquot’s private estate in France?
How did her career as a Wall Street Journal reporter lead her into the world of cocktails and Champagne?
How did years working in restaurants teach Elva to “speak bartender” and shape her storytelling style?
What was it like attending an exclusive Dom Pérignon Rosé dinner featuring decades of rare vintages?
What did that tasting reveal about how aged Rosé Champagne evolves and expresses itself over time?
How does Elva’s book, Sparkling, showcase the creativity of world-class bartenders and Champagne houses?
What surprising history did she uncover about who truly discovered sparkling wine?
Why did Champagne dominate New York’s Gilded Age, when most of America’s supply was consumed in just a few city blocks?
How did bartenders in the 1800s turn Champagne into a cultural symbol of luxury and celebration?
What are the stories behind Prince Albert Edward’s “Prince of Wales” cocktail and Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon”?
How can you choose the right sparkling wine for cocktails?
Why should Lambrusco be reconsidered as a serious, fruit-forward sparkling wine?
Key Takeaways
March 2016, Dom Pérignon was releasing a new Rosé vintage and threw a portfolio dinner serving every Dom Pérignon Rosé ever released. The aha moment for Elva was, up until about the mid-80s, it's still a fresh, sparkling rose that we know, but from the 80s, all of a sudden, the colour completely deepens, and all these Pinot characters just come out of it. The fact that it had aged so well surprised her.
The Champagne region has been famous for wine for a very, very long time, and it's believed that people have been making wine there since before the Roman era but the English are actually credited with “discovering” sparkling wine. They figured out how to make the bubbles happen and that they liked it.
The Porn Star Martini features vanilla vodka, passion-fruit purée and then separately, you're served a very cold shot of Champagne or sparkling wine. Instantly, it was a hit because the combination of vanilla and passionfruit, people get it right away. So this is like a cocktail and a shot. You can drink one and then drink the other, or you can take the shot and pour it in the glass.
About Elva Ramirez
Elva Ramirez is an author, journalist and brand strategist. She is the author of "Sparkling" and "Zero Proof," which were both finalists for Best Cocktail Book at Tales of the Cocktail in their respective years. "Sparkling" is a finalist for IACP's 2025 Best Cookbook Awards. Elva holds an MBA from CUNY Baruch College and a Master's in journalism from Columbia University.
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/362.