Wine for Normal People

For this show I ask my friend with Brian Callahan, small vineyard farmer and co-owner of Crux Winery in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma (the Middle Reach though – the warmer part, so they do Rhône varietals) to tell us what a year in a Sonoma vineyard looks like. He takes us through what he has been doing for the last 18 years in his vineyard, a three acre plot that produces the beautiful fruit that turns into Crux wine. This is a real look at what happens in the vineyard over the year to ensure a healthy harvest. We discuss what he can do and what Mother Nature gives or takes away that he may have to deal with! Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club!To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

These categories of "better for the earth" wines are technical, tricky, and ever-evolving, so I it was time to do an update! In this show, I do best to break it all down in as simple a way as possible…I cover:BiodynamicsOrganicsSustainable farmingRegenerative agricultureAnd quickly, the loose ends – vegan wine, natural wine______________________________________ BiodynamicI discuss the main principles of biodynamic agriculture – that the farm is a single, self-sustaining organism and the farmer must encourage and guide the vines, as well as protect the soil so provides nourishment for the vines. ​The main certification for biodynamics is DEMETER.  _________________________________OrganicOrganic farming is how farming was always done until the industrial revolution. The new iteration grew out of the biodynamic movement in the 1920s. This method took off in the 1970s and 80s, especially in Europe.Different countries have different definitions of organic…European Union Organic Products/”Bio” in France: Organic wine prohibits most synthetic chemicals or GMOs and uses only certified organic oenological products in the cellar, including organic yeast. Sulfites are regulated. United States. This is a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are prohibitions on the vineyard and the winery, and added sulfites are prohibited. Because of this last prohibition, certified organic vineyards go in and out of the organic certificatioTo make it more flexible, they added the “Made with Organic Grapes” stipulation, which is looser _________________________________________________________ Regenerative Organic AgricultureAlthough relatively new, this is likely the future of better for the earth initiatives. Regenerative starts out with the principles of organic but then adds a few other things. Watch this space…  _________________________________________________________  Sustainable Winegrowing This is the most popular way to do better for the earth viticulture but it’s squishy. Sustainable is a catchall term that has MANY definitions. Examples of certifications: France…HVE: The French Ministry of Agriculture developed the Haute Valeur EnvironementaleOthers...Vignerons EngagesViticulture Durable en ChampagneTerra Vitis California: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing I end with a quick tour of Natural wine and Vegan winesFull show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club!To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

This is a special re-release of this very relevant and important show on Earth Day. Jason Haas, perhaps the greenest guy in in wine, joins to discuss the challenges the wine industry faces in becoming gentler on the earth. From regenerative agriculture (which is way less woo woo than biodynamics!) to sustainable transport and packaging, we cover the latest thinking of how to make the wine industry greener and better.Happy Earth Day all!_______________________________________________________________Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club! That's $125 for 6 bottles -- an unbelievable deal when go to www.wineaccess.com/normal To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Tax Day in the US has come and gone. Many of us are getting a refund, so if you have a little extra change, here are some great wines to consider.A few on the list are...Burgundy in red and white: Pinot and ChardPomerol in BordeauxSyrah from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in Walla Walla WashingtonOld Vine Zinfandel from Sonoma, Napa, and Amador CountyChâteauneuf-du-Pape BLANCI offer descriptions and explanations of each wine in the show. I hope you enjoy and find a way to spend your tax money! _______________________________________________________________Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeopleTo register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment (it’s shaping up to be outstanding).

This week friend, listener, Patron, and wine diva @wineshenanigans and the wine game show @Wineopardy Monica G. joins to  talk with me about wines made by celebrities, aka Celebrity Wines. We run through what they are, how many of them are made and then we discuss specifics. We wrap with our analysis of whether or not we would recommend buying these wines.We make two caveats: 1.     These are our opinions about these wines – don’t sue me! 2.     Some of these brands are impossible to obtain, so we haven’t had many of them – distribution is spottyThen we define, explain, and then categorize these wines -- those that are legit and those that are not.Some of the legit celeb wine brands we discuss are: Francis Ford Coppola, Fess Parker, Brad Pitt/Miraval, Dave Matthews with Blenheim and Dreaming Tree, Pink's Two Wolves, Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback wines, Kyle MacLachlan's Pursued by Bear wines, Kylie Minogue's wines, and Mary J. Blige's Sun Goddess wines.A fun show! Don't forget to follow Monica on Instagram @wineshenanigans!_______________________________________________________________Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeopleTo register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes_______________________________________________________________Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment (it’s shaping up to be outstanding).

Inspired by a question from friend and Patron Amy Payton, this week I cover the history of oak barrels. I go from animal skins in Mesopatamia to modern day barrels, talking about how winemakers decided that oak was the best vessel for wine. I answer her follow up questions too -- How are barrels obtained by winemakers? What happens to them after they are used and are oak barrels sustainable? I learned so much in this show and I thank Amy for the idea. 

This week I explore one of my favorite grapes of all time, Fiano! The grape makes some of the most exquisite wines you could imagine -- whites with layered complexity, age-ability, and unadulterated deliciousness. I discuss all aspects of the grape:The historical overview of the grape and how Mastroberardino saved it from obscurity (Check out my podcast with Piero Mastroberardino here)A discussion of Fiano in the vineyard and how adaptable it isSome thoughts about winemaking and its effect on the grapeThe aromas and flavors of the grape Where it grows:Italy: Campania (65%), specifically Irpinia, and within that area the Fiano di Avellino DOCG, with sizable quantities in Sicily and Puglia as well. Listen to my show on my trip to Campania here...New World places: Australia, Argentina, the USI hope I convince you to try the grape if you haven't had it before. It is truly one of my "desert island wines" -- it's very hard not to love it! ______________________________________________________Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!Wine Access has an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Get 10% your first order with my special URL.  To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

I welcome to the show my friend Giulio Abrigo of Abrigo Giovanni Azienda Agricola, who focuses on the exquisite Dolcetto in Diano d'Alba in the Barolo zone of Piemonte. Abrigo Giovanni is a small family operation, operating on just 13 ha or 32 acres mainly in Diano d’Alba -- the site of the winery and the family home. Dolcetto Diano d’Alba is one of a handful of DOCG zones for the grape – stricter controls and the top Dolcetto wines are made in this area. Here, the elevation, the soils, and the exposition are ideal for this highly underrated grape. Abrigo Giovanni focuses on Dolcetto but for the past 11 years they also make a highly rated and awarded Barolo from the site of “Ravello” which has caught the attention of many wine critics, and, although not available in the US, they make the single best nocciole (hazelnut spread) I have ever had in my life. This is a fascinating look at the passion behind making a wine that is part of a long legacy and tradition, but frequently flies under the radar...for no apparent reason. After this show, you will want to run out and get Giulio's Abrigo Giovanni Dolcetto wines, and maybe even move to Diano d'Alba (his descriptions of it sound like paradise to me!).______________________________________________________Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!Wine Access has an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Get 10% your first order with my special URL.  To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes