Listen now | I don’t know about you, but I’m insecure when it comes to wine. It’s just so overwhelming. What’s the difference between natural wine and regular wine? Why is some wine super expensive and other wine really cheap? How do you learn all of the things you’re supposed to learn about mouthfeel and terroir and structure? Welcome to Wine Week, my attempt to clear things up for you and me and anyone else confused by wine. I’ve invited two oenophiles with wine podcasts on to walk me through all of the things that I don’t understand about wine. Elle Clifford hosts The Wine Situation, a delightful podcast that I once appeared on, the day that Elle found out she passed the tests to become a certified sommelier. With her expertise and approachability, I ask her all about her obsession with wine, how she affords drinking the good stuff, her entree into the world of quality vino culture, how she chooses the right words to describe what a wine tastes like, and how she retains so much information about so many different types of wine. But first, I invited on Mike Stone of The TallMikeWine Podcast on to talk about his job as a tasting room manager at Nicholson Ranch Winery. How do you go from being a DJ to a tasting room manager? Mike has the story (and voice) for you. He also explains what he does every day, how he describes the same wine over and over again to different guests, and what he’s currently drinking that he recommends.
Apr 17, 2022·edited Apr 17, 2022Liked by Adam Roberts
It was so fun to hear you talking about Georgian wine. I've travelled to 39 countries, and Georgia is one of my favorites for eating and drinking. I keep waiting for Georgian food and drink to be the next big thing. It's coming...
I read two books that taught me so much about wine: "Wine. All the Time." by Marissa A. Ross (funny and mind-expanding in terms of how to describe wine) and "Cork Dork" by Bianca Bosker. I followed Marissa's advice to become a regular at a wine shop and get to know the proprietor so they can make tailored recommendations. My "wine guy" knows my palate now and flags things he'll know I like. Everything he's picked has been great!
I used to reflexively prefer reds, but since I started drinking whites beyond Chardonnay, I have been favoring them. I love Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chablis, Picpoul Blanc, and Gruner Veltliner. One of my favorite wineries is Field Recordings. The winemaker does interesting and experimental stuff, like his canned Morro Dew, styled to be the (non-saccharine) wine version of Mountain Dew. It's refreshing and delightful!
Love all Italian whites but am currently binging on Arneis from Northern Italy. Thinking of traveling to Milan and Turin.
It was so fun to hear you talking about Georgian wine. I've travelled to 39 countries, and Georgia is one of my favorites for eating and drinking. I keep waiting for Georgian food and drink to be the next big thing. It's coming...
I read two books that taught me so much about wine: "Wine. All the Time." by Marissa A. Ross (funny and mind-expanding in terms of how to describe wine) and "Cork Dork" by Bianca Bosker. I followed Marissa's advice to become a regular at a wine shop and get to know the proprietor so they can make tailored recommendations. My "wine guy" knows my palate now and flags things he'll know I like. Everything he's picked has been great!
I used to reflexively prefer reds, but since I started drinking whites beyond Chardonnay, I have been favoring them. I love Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chablis, Picpoul Blanc, and Gruner Veltliner. One of my favorite wineries is Field Recordings. The winemaker does interesting and experimental stuff, like his canned Morro Dew, styled to be the (non-saccharine) wine version of Mountain Dew. It's refreshing and delightful!