The Wine Conversation

The verdict is in! Listen in to our final podcast on En Primeur Bordeaux 2024, where after three weeks of tasting Jane Anson delivers her views on the vintage. Discover how it compares to other vintages, and find out her all-important recommendations on whether to buy or not. Also, don’t miss out on her 15% off offer to new subscribers (open until the end of May) where you can read her detailed ta...

“A challenging year” – total agreement from two of Bordeaux’s most experienced directors, Frédéric Faye of Château Figeac and Alexander Van Beek of Château Giscours. Difficult flowering, rain in September, there was a lot to cope with. They talk to Sarah Kemp about how they approached the 2024 vintage, and why terroir and team work were the keys to success. Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in for Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp’s first impressions of the Bordeaux 2024 vintage after tasting (Jane has already tasted 500 wines, and Sarah over 250). Both agree this is not a vintage to buy blind, and there is much to discuss, as it is a vintage where generalisations are out of the window. Though only 2/3rds of the way through the mammoth tasting, Jane picks out some good value successes...

Justin Gibbs, co-founder of Liv-ex, talks to Sarah Kemp about the Bordeaux market and discusses the issues facing En Primeur, and why the pricing of the 2024 campaign is a crucial moment for the Bordelais. Listen in to hear his views and what he thinks needs to happen for Bordeaux En Primeur magic to return. Find out more at wine-conversation.com

On the eve of the 2024 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Sarah Kemp talks to David Thomas of Bordeaux Index, the man responsible for selling millions of pounds of Bordeaux En Primeur worldwide. He discusses who the Bordeaux buyer today is, how and why En Primeur sales have declined dramatically over the last fourteen years.  Listen in to the man who really knows what Bordeaux lovers think,  ...

In our first En Primeur Bordeaux 2024 podcast Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about the weather conditions that forged the 2024 vintage in Bordeaux. It was a challenging vintage for the producers and Jane discusses which soils she expects will cope best, why it is important to look at the weather conditions and yields before tasting and reveals why she thinks there may be a nice surprise for consum...

“Elbows up” in Canada as the Canadian wine industry reacts to the US tariffs. Sarah Kemp talks to Don Ziraldo, leading Canadian vintner who co-founded Inniskillin, and helped establish the Vintners Quality Alliance. He reports on how the tariffs have propelled the creation of VQA Canada, and how it should be in effect by summer. Listen in to the man who says , “We’re not normally this ag...

Listen in to our latest Omnibus for all the news and views from the wine world. Elin McCoy reports on Trump’s tariffs, and the negative effect they are having on the industry, while John Stimpfig discusses the exciting new developments on combating smoke taint in grapes. Plus John and Sarah Kemp argue over the launch of Grange La Chapelle. John sees it as a welcome spotlight on Syrah/Shiraz while...

Discover the Côte Chalonnaise with Jasper Morris MW in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. Find out the differences between the villages of Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. Listen in to learn about this varied region, which still offers value,  and find out who are Jasper’s recommended producers to seek out. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Some producers say that the quality of their wine is down to their pruning methods. Jane Anson looks at the art of pruning in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. Listen in and discover the different types of pruning, when to prune, the rules and regulations and why it makes a difference to the wine in your glass.  Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to Omnibus for all the latest wine news and views. This month John Stimpfig reports on the 2023 Burgundy vintage, Elin McCoy names her top three value Bordeaux 2022, we look at the state of the US wine industry, Trump update on tariffs, modern slavery in the Langhe vineyards. Plus exciting results from an experiment using dogs to detect vine diseases, and Elin’s Sauternes and sushi revel...

Listen in to another great 10-Minute Masterclass with Burgundy expert Jasper Morris MW, author of Inside Burgundy and the brilliant website  www.insideburgundy.com . This month he looks at Morey-St-Denis in the Côte d’Or. Find out about its terroir, the producers to know and who he recommends keeping an eye out for. 10 minutes of invaluable Burgundy wisdom. Find out more at: wine-conversation...

Helping military veterans overcome  PTSD, giving young disadvantaged people a chance to enter the wine world, scholarships for individuals caught up in geopolitical conflicts, just some of the causes The Gerard Basset Foundation financially supports. Romané Basset talks to Sarah Kemp about the work being done by the Foundation in memory of his father, the late great Gerard Basset, an amazing...

Italian guru David Gleave MW takes a look at Sicily in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. He takes us through its varied landscape and five different wine regions, guides us through its different grape varieties and advises which producers to look out for. A great deep dive into one of Italy’s most exciting regions. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to our special festive edition of Omnibus. John Stimpfig and Sarah Kemp both name their top five wines of the year and Elin McCoy names her top champagnes. Brian St Pierre lists The Wine Conversation’s books of the year, and reveals it is a vintage year for great wine books. We look back at some of our most memorable podcasts and our greatest trips. Sarah has banned bad news, so there is...

As war in the Lebanon yet again fills our news channels Sarah Kemp talks to Marc Hochar of Chateau Musar for our series “Great Wine Lives”.  Listen in to hear his earliest memories of Chateau Musar, the conversations he had with his father Serge and Musar’s philosophy of non-intervention. Discover what it is like to farm in the Beka’a Valley, and the responsibility he feels every time he send...

Listen in to Omnibus 33 to hear all the latest news and views from the world of wine. This month we start by looking at three great wine-friendly restaurants definitely worth a visit. Astonishing news comes in the report of the theft of an entire vineyard crop in the Jura just before harvest (spoiler alert- it happened in the Jura last year too). Over in the US Elin McCoy discusses what Donald Tru...

Which country in Asia is going to be the next hot spot for fine wine? Listen in to hear Timothy Goh of Vinum Fine Wines talk to Sarah Kemp about the dynamic fine wine market in South-East Asia.  Discover his tip for the region he believes has the best future and find out which South-East Asian country has as many women collectors as men – plus his view on the future of Hong Kong and Singapore...

Listen in to another brilliant 10-Minute Masterclass from Jasper Morris MW. In this episode, he looks at Chablis premiers crus and discusses its history, the different styles depending on which bank of the river you are on. Find out who he recommends, where to find value and the best up-and-coming producers. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Philippe Guigal is the third generation of the illustrious Guigal wine family from the Rhône. He talks to Sarah Kemp for our series “Great Wine Lives” about growing up in Ampuis with his grandfather Etienne who started the company in 1946 and his father Marcel who took over at 17 years old when his father became blind. Philippe discusses the “La Las”, of which there is about to be a fourth, why he...

John Stimpfig reports on how vintners are coping in the Bekaa Valley, Elin McCoy discusses the sale of Duckhorn Portfolio for 1.95 billion dollars, plus Weather Watch and North Hemisphere Harvest reports. We also report on the launch of Taittinger’s English Sparkling wine, Berry Brothers entering the auction world and the chance for all of us to buy a little bit of Burgundian history when the BIVB...

Join us for a 10-Minute Masterclass on Montalcino, home to the famous Brunello di Montalcino. Italian expert David Gleave MW guides us through the region’s diverse terroir and  explains the different  wine styles from north to south, where picking can differ by up-to 10 days. He recommends the top producers as well as his hot tips for producers to watch out for and where to find value. U...

In our latest “Great Wine Lives” series Elin McCoy talks to Lenz Moser about how his curiosity took him from his family estate in Austria to China, California, Hungary and back to Austria to launch a new company based on Gruner Veltliner. Listen in to hear his views on Chinese wine and why he thinks the wine industry is losing consumers.   More information at wine-conversation.com

Take a deep dive into Chile with our Founding Sponsor Santa Rita Estate’s viticulture manager, Gerardo Leal. Find out which regions he thinks suit which grape variety best, discover Santa Rita’s Estate’ new project in the south of Chile and why Maipo is still the most important region for Cabernet Sauvignon. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Discover what makes Volnay so special with Jasper Morris MW in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. Discover its history, its terroir, the vineyards to know, and Jasper’s tip for producers who are excellent value and still under the radar. Plus probably our best obscure fact to date. A must-listen for any Burgundy lover. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com