Ep 545: The Rioja Series - the Rioja Alavesa Zone with Tao Platón of Península Vinicultores
Release Date: 12/03/2024
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...
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Ep 556: Back to Basics -- European Classification Systems
Wine for Normal People
This week I take a fresh look at European Classification Systems, going into detail on the history of how and why they evolved, what the current EU scheme is based on, and what the major wine nations’ systems are structured (and how they differ from what the EU would like them to look like!). I discuss: How Europe classified its wines to protect the names of specific products and link them to their place of origin, to the benefit of consumers and producers. A history of wine classifications from the monks in medieval Burgundy to the winemakers of Tokaj in the 1600s to...
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Ep 555: Château Talbot - The Saint-Julien 4th Growth Bordeaux Estate with GM Jean-Michel Laporte
Wine for Normal People
is a 4th Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Julien in the Médoc of Left Bank of Bordeaux. It’s an historic and large property – its vineyards extend over 110 hectares/272 acres in a single block. The story of Talbot is a long and interesting one, but the chapter being written by the current family and management of the Château may be the best yet. With extreme dedication to quality, an eye towards the environment and careful winemaking, Talbot has a focus on making unbelievable wine that overdelivers for the price, vintage after vintage. In this show, General Manager of , Jean-Michel...
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Ep 554:The Wines of Alto Adige, Italy
Wine for Normal People
Alto Adige, in the far northeast of Italy, is a small wine region that makes incredibly high quality reds and whites. In this episode I discuss the unique terroir, grapes, and mixed culture of this region, with its heavy Germanic and Austrian influences. I cover: The long history of Alto Adige wine The varied soil types and geology The range of climates and growing conditions The unique grapes (including Kerner, Schiava and Lagrein) The DOCs and subzones of Alto Adige A truly beautiful and unique Italian wine region, and one I hope I've convinced you to...
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Ep 553: The Grape Mini-Series -- Malvasia(s)
Wine for Normal People
This is a grape mini-series like no other! This time I untangle Malvasia, which I share is not a single grape at all, nor is it even a family of grapes. This ancient grape has unknown origins and, in many respects, is more of a brand name than a grape. I cover the history of how the many Malvasias got their single name, discuss some commonalities in growing conditions (they are at least all Mediterranean!), and then call out the specific Malvasias of quality from Friuli, Tuscany, and Sicily in Italy; in Madeira, Douro, Dão and Colares in Portugal, and in the Canary Islands and...
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Ep 552: The Greats - Napa Valley
Wine for Normal People
Napa Valley is unquestionably one of the great wine regions of the world. Located about 50 mi/80 km north of San Francisco, Napa is renowned for its decadent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and its glamourous, fancy and expensive tasting rooms. Napa only represents 4% of California’s wine grape harvest, but it holds the highest reputation among all US regions. But the region isn’t all show – it has excellent terroir to make world class wines. Photo: Napa Valley Vineyard. Source: Pixabay Napa Valley stretches southeast to northwest for approximately 35 miles (60 km) from just...
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Ep 551: How to Make Your Wine Shop Work for You with Steve Tocco, Wine Buyer and Retailer
Wine for Normal People
This week, I'm joined by Patron and friend Steve Tocco is the wine buyer and manager of a fine wine store near Boulder, Colorado -- (yes, I've been there!). He is great at what he does -- creative, community oriented, great palate -- basically he is the wine guy we all want! I asked him to come on the show to share tips on how to best work with a local wine retailer to create great relationships that lead to better wines. We discuss: How to figure out your shopping style How create a relationship with your wine shop person How to glean what someone knows so you can decide...
info_outlineThis is the second installment of an in-depth series on the Rioja DOCa, where I do a close look at the three major zones of Rioja. I host top producers in each show to tell us about their areas and the challenges they face.
In Episode 544, we heard about the Rioja Alta zone and this week we hear from Tao Platón of Rioja Alavesa, who presents a completely different perspective on the region.
Tao Platón graduated in Enology from the University of Valladolid, holds a WSET Diploma and is an Master of Wine (MW) candidate. He has made wine in Bordeaux, Burgundy, New Zealand, and Rioja and in 2016 he joined Península Vinicultores as head winemaker and technical director.
Photo: Tao Platón. Credit: Península Vinicultores
He leads the production of a new generation of terroir-driven wines from Rioja Alavesa at Bodega Bideona. Bideona cultivates hundreds of individual parcels and makes wine in the Burgundian model – terroir-driven, vineyard specific wines. He joins us as a representative of the zone of Alavesa and as a passionate advocate for the system of terroir-driven, single vineyard wines, a system which Rioja approved in 2018.
We discuss:
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The Rioja Alavesa overview -- terroir, the history of the region, and how Alavesa is made up of many small, family owned wineries.
- The strengths of Alavesa, which are old vines, mainly of Tempranillo. Wineries of Alavesa don’t blend grapes from elsewhere so the wines are very terroir-driven and local in Alavesa. We discuss the various styles of wines, including the production of whites in the region.
- We get to some of the very hard questions regarding Alavesa and its Basque identity. We fill you in on the political independent movement in the Basque Country, the various ideologies and how those are playing out in the politics of the Rioja DOCa.
- The differences between business models (traditional model versus newer, terroir driven producers) in the Rioja DOCa, as well as the tension is between quality producers and those who look to make cheap wine that they can sell quickly, regardless of quality.
- The potential future for Rioja and the DOCa and various scenarios that could exist for Alavesa in the future.
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This show represents a totally different perspective from Rioja Alavesa versus Rioja Alta! Just wait until the next show with Raquel of Bodegas Ontañón from Rioja Oriental!
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