Interview with Rui Lucas of Prior Lucas in Bairrada, Portugal. It's a region heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore cooler and wetter than other areas further inland. Baga is the main variety, well-suited to the humid climate, producing tannic, high-acid, ageworthy wines. There's also sparkling wine made, which we talk about in this episode. Bairrada is an interesting, very individual region! priorlucas.pt ..read more

Interview with Peter Andrews of Culture Wine Co, who's importing South African wine into California. Topics covered include Pinotage; Mediterranean varieties; Sauvignon Blanc; the regionality of South Africa; innovative winemakers; racial diversity; and future trends for South African wine ..read more

Gamay: a high-yielding variety associated with youthful, fruity wine but which, in the right growing conditions, makes wonderful, structured wines. This episode explores the areas where Gamay is grown: Beaujolais of course as well as Loire, Savoie, Lorraine, Switzerland, the US, and New Zealand ..read more

Brazil's wine industry has gone through many changes since the 1990s, and is still finding its feet. The focus on quality wine began with sparkling wine, with investment from French producers, and has continued with a focus on grape varieties such as Tannat. The climate changes drastically from region to region, and grape-growing can be difficult. My interview with winemaker Flavio Pizzato explores why Brazil is quite different from other South American wine countries ..read more

Brad Hickey has been making wine in McLaren Vale for over fifteen years, in a range of styles that reflect the Mediterranean climate of the region. This episode focuses on his experiences in McLaren Vale, and the wines being made there. A great insight into one of Australia's most historic but experimental wine regions ..read more

A conversation with Garth Hodgdon of Cage Imports, which imports 15 small Champagne producers into the USA. We talk about trends in Champagne, how to discover those small producers (and who they are), who's drinking champagne, and why Meunier rocks ..read more

Georgia is one of the world's oldest winemaking countries. Traditions—such as amber wine and wine made for home consumption—continue, which make Georgian wine a wonderful trip to the past. But it's also an evolving wine country, with regions producing different expressions from the many local grape varieties. In this episode, I interview Tom Williams of Eat This! Food & Wine Tours, who specialises in explorations of Georgian wine and provides a fascinating insight into Georgian culture. If you're visiting Georgia, then connect with Tom through his website: eatthistours.com ..read more

Interview with Mari Jones of Emeritus Vineyards in Sonoma County, who began the conversion to dry farming in 2008. In tandem with the selection of suitable clones and rootstocks, the vineyards are now well-established without the need for irrigation. Mari tells how they oversaw the conversion and the consequent health of the property ..read more

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Long Island has unique growing conditions heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. I interview three producers: Jenny Smith from Pellegrini (Long Island’s first winery), Roman Roth of Wölffer Estate (also established in the early days), and Jonathan Romberg of RGNY (a much younger winery). Our conversation explores the growing conditions, the styles of wine, and the market for Long Island wines ..read more

Wine has been made in Albania for thousands of years, and grape-growing used to be central to its culture before rule by the Ottoman Empire and then an isolated communist regime led to a centuries long decline in wine production. It's still a predominantly agricultural country and winemaking is coming back, with international varieties and interesting, largely unknown indigenous grapes ..read more