Ep 532: The Wines of the French Pyrénées (obscure but very tasty and cool!)
Release Date: 08/14/2024
Ep 543: The Rioja Series - the Rioja Alta Zone with Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner of La Rioja Alta S.A.
Wine for Normal People
This show kicks off a multi-part, in-depth series on the Rioja DOCa. We will look at the three major zones of Rioja in the podcasts that follow. In each, I host top producers to tell us their perspectives on their zones and on Rioja at large. To get you up to speed before my conversation with Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, the Deputy General Director and Director of Public Relations for I start out the show with a quick primer on Rioja. I cover everything from climate and terroir, the grapes, the aging criteria, and the terroir driven designations that were introduced in...
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Ep 542: Franciacorta -- Italy's Elite Sparkling Wine Region
Wine for Normal People
With the holidays coming, I thought it would be a good time to do a show on a different kind of sparkling wine, so this time I cover Italy’s premier traditional method sparkling wine, Franciacorta. Map: Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta Franciacorta is a high quality Italian sparkling wine made in the area of Brescia in Lombardy (the Italian region where Milan is located). Franciacorta, as a sparkling wine, came into being in the 1960s but it didn’t take long for it to gain a favorable reputation, which still holds today. With very distinctive geographical features and...
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Ep 541: Top Tips for Attending a Wine Event with Patron Monica G.
Wine for Normal People
In this show we answer a question I get asked all the time: how do I even begin to approach a wine event with dozens of producers? Patron Monica G. from @wineshenanigans and @wineopardy (and the Celebrity Wines podcast!) joins to help me break it down! We cover: Finding a worthwhile event to attend Preparing for the event -- both from a logistics and research standpoint What to do at the event Post-event items And we add a bonus section for professionals attending trade events! We hope this is a fun and useful show for anyone interested in going to a wine event. ...
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ENCORE Presentation: Ep 396 - A Tasting of Halloween Candy Pairings (and why candy and wine don't mix)
Wine for Normal People
From the archives, I am relaunching the funniest show I've ever done: Ep 396 -Halloween Candy Pairings with Patrons Kelsey and Colby Eliades. We scoured the internet to find commonly recommended pairings, so we could actually try them and tell you if any of these things actually work. The news isn’t great (candy and wine are HORRIBLE together), but we did find a few diamonds in the rough, including an extremely surprising combo that I thought could be lethal! Here are the combos we tested… Pop rocks with Prosecco Candy corn with Prosecco and Moscato d’Asti Gummy...
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Ep 540: Chile Overview -- The Update
Wine for Normal People
I haven't done an overview show on Chile in more than a decade so this show is an update on the unbelievable wines of Chile -- I cover new regions, new viticulture and styles, and all the wonderful things this South American gem has to offer. If you haven't had Chilean wine in a while, it's time to take another look. Especially in the last decade, the wines and vines have matured and the diversity, quality, and breadth of what this country has to offer has improved by leaps and bounds. In the show cover: A history of Chilean wine Climate and the east-to-west climate zones Grapes and new...
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Ep 539: The Grape Mini-Series -Sauvignon Blanc Refresh
Wine for Normal People
This is the third in the series of Grape Miniseries Refreshes to complete the trifecta of Cabernet Sauvignon and parents – Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. The short of it: Sauvignon blanc has character!! Love it or hate it, you know what you’re getting when you have a wine made from this grape. Whether it be citrusy, acidic, and minerally from Loire, fruitier and sometimes oak aged from Bordeaux, or pungent, spicy, and grapefruit-noted from New Zealand, this grape makes and impact wherever it goes. Photo: Sauvignon Blanc. Credit: Grown in more than 30 countries,...
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Ep 538: The Grape Mini-Series - Cabernet Franc Refresh
Wine for Normal People
The Cabernet Sauvignon refresh was episode 535, so I thought that on the heels of that it was time to do a refresh Cab Sauv's parents. This week is the Cabernet Franc refresh and next week will be Sauvignon Blanc, so you can have the full picture of the parents and the offspring. Cabernet Franc is an underrated grape and things seem to be changing rapidly with it these days. In the past, it has often been used purely as a blending grape, except in the Loire Valley, but today it’s taking center stage. Producers and wine drinkers have realized that if the best wines of Château Cheval...
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Ep 537: 10 Outstanding White Wines for Fall
Wine for Normal People
According to all the data – both anecdotal and industry –white wines have staged a huge comeback and are on the way to becoming more popular than red wines. The good news is that there are so many underrated, undiscovered white wines that you can enjoy year-round. Many of us drink seasonally, and when the weather cools down, we shift right to reds. It’s hard to get into the idea that there are also whites for cooler weather. In this show I give you a list of 10 white wines that are great for autumn. They are slightly more robust, are medium to full bodied, and are flavorful and totally...
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Ep 536: Cinsault Master Alex Milner of Natte Valleij - A winning breakaway for South African Wine
Wine for Normal People
In this show I host Alex Milner from He is my first South African guest and the first Cinsault-focused producer I've had on the show. Photo: Alex Milner. Credit: I first learned about from a local importer who presented the wine as an option for a wine dinner I put together with a restaurant partner. Among all the wines I tasted that day, the Cinsault from this South African producer stood out and it performed beautifully with the food at the dinner, as well. The wine inspired me to do a Grape Miniseries show on Cinsault (episode 525), and the interest among the Patrons in this...
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Ep 535: The Grape Mini-Series -- Cabernet Sauvignon Refresh
Wine for Normal People
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted wine grape in the world. Loved by winemakers and wine drinkers alike, this grape has the potential to make wines with excellent fruit, power, complexity, and structure with outstanding aging ability. In this show, I do a refresh of a show I did 11 years ago (!), discussing Cabernet in all its glory – from the history, to the vineyard, to the winemaking and regions, it’s a deep dive into this beloved grape. In this show I review: The (relatively recent) history of Cabernet How the grape acts in the vineyard and what growers need to do to get great...
info_outlineOk, I know this is an obscure show and I promise we’ll get back to mainstream stuff next week, but there is a reason for doing this show now. PLUS, it's super dorky stuff and that's awesome!
I was putting together the Wine Access shipment with Serge Doré that is going out soon and one of the wines was from the small appellation of Saint Mont. I pride myself on having an awareness of most appellations in France, but I didn’t have a clue where or what Saint Mont was, so this show is as much for me as it is for you!
In the show, I do an overview of the regions, which have a lot in common, so it won't overwhelm you to listen to (I hope!).
Source: https://www.vignobles-sudouest.fr/us/appellations/
_________________________________________________________The foothills or the Pyrénées have six wine regions, all with some similarities. All are in Gascony, a vast area in southwest France that stretches from the Pyrénées Mountains along the French-Spanish border.
The regions I discuss in the show are: Béarn, Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Jurançon, Saint Mont, and Irouléguy. They are linked by common terroir, common history, and common wines. The grapes are mostly all native, unique, and obscure (albeit often they make really tasty wine!)
Here are what they share:
- A mild, consistent maritime climate with a regular foehn wind – a dry, warm southern wind that prolongs the growing season.
- Varied soil types, but many of the vineyards have some pebbles and stones from colluvial wash of the Pyrénées.
- Grapes:
Reds: Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (Bouchy, here), and some Pinenc (commonly known as Fer Servadou)
Whites: The main whites are Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng. Other grapes used are Petit Courbu (lower alcohol and acidity tames the Mansengs), Courbu (for sweet wines) and grapes like Lauzet and Camarlet.
In the rest of the show I get into the details of the regions -- from history to terroir to the interesting wines available. If you are looking to dork out and just learn about something new, this is the show for you. I know it's off the beaten path but there is a lot of history and a lot of great wine.
I wanted to learn about this region and I brought you along for the ride -- thank you for indulging me!
Full show notes (with producers!) and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!
www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
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