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Bottle Talk with Rick & Paul drops a new episode every other Wednesday, often over the objections of your local wine snob. Catch us here or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
June 10: New Zealand: Lovely Country, Warm Locals and Great Wine Everywhere
We travel (figuratively) to New Zealand, the other Down Under that’s absolutely worth the long flight to visit. There is beauty everywhere you look, welcoming people and outstanding wine that’s not just Sauvignon Blanc. Plus, listeners ask what wine regions are fun to visit in California, about sommelier certifications, and about what happens to unharvested grapes and vineyards. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has a beam of Linzer Torte and a description from someone who might not understand the concept of “contradiction.”
June 10: New Zealand: Lovely Country, Warm Locals and Great Wine Everywhere
We travel (figuratively) to New Zealand, the other Down Under that’s absolutely worth the long flight to visit. There is beauty everywhere you look, welcoming people and outstanding wine that’s not just Sauvignon Blanc. Plus, listeners ask what wine regions are fun to visit in California, about sommelier certifications, and about what happens to unharvested grapes and vineyards. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has a beam of Linzer Torte and a description from someone who might not understand the concept of “contradiction.”
June 10: New Zealand: Lovely Country, Warm Locals and Great Wine Everywhere
We travel (figuratively) to New Zealand, the other Down Under that’s absolutely worth the long flight to visit. There is beauty everywhere you look, welcoming people and outstanding wine that’s not just Sauvignon Blanc. Plus, listeners ask what wine regions are fun to visit in California, about sommelier certifications, and about what happens to unharvested grapes and vineyards. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has a beam of Linzer Torte and a description from someone who might not understand the concept of “contradiction.”
June 24: Good Service is Everything – So Why is Wine and Food Training Different?
We dig into questions from a devoted, if slightly daffy, fan named Paul Wagner. Wait, that's our Paul. He wondered in a LinkedIn post: Why is wine education any different from food education? Why does the hospitality industry prize deep studying for wine but not food? Plus, listeners ask about wine glasses, why expensive wines are expensive, and whether wine writers just make up those “best by” dates. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing includes a faint whisper, a silken ribbon and a rakish breeze.
April 15: We're back. And the world of wine is trembling: We return from napping on the job to detail how the wine world got into its current mess and why the industry needs to laugh more – laughing at us is totally fine, too. Plus, Truly Horrible Wine Writing returns because, no surprise, there’s still writing out there that’s truly horrible – and good for a laugh.
April 29: How Do You Spell Elitist? M-I-C-H-E-L-I-N
Tragically, Michelin is bringing their hair-splitting fussiness to wine. Just what the wine world needs while it manages difficult times – more snooty, expensive, inaccessible guidance that makes people feel like losers. Plus, we answer questions about wine glasses, natural wine and wine recommendations, and our Truly Horrible Wine Writing is self-disciplined with mushroomy acidity.
May 12
May 13: Time for Wine to Leave the No-Fun Clubhouse
We talk about the inability of some folks in the wine business, including wine writers, to leave their echo chamber, stop listening to toxic gatekeepers, and change a little. Or have fun. And we give props to the few voices trying to burn down what one smart person called the “No-Fun Clubhouse. Plus, listeners ask about the connection of smell and taste and about the meaning of America on a wine label, while our Truly Horrible Wine Writing includes transcending wheels of minerality and a wine that is, apparently, not a wine.
May 27: Chill Out, Snoots: Chardonnay is Popular Because People Like It.
We talk about a wine we love and the cool kids hate, which is also the most popular white wine grape on Earth: Chardonnay. And we try to explain that making people feel like they failed a test when they ask for Chardonnay is the perfect way to drive those people away from wine. Plus, listeners ask about Napa Valley and calories in wine, and our Truly Horrible Wine Writing includes a wine that has some trouble with hallways.
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