The Wine Conversation

It has been a particularly busy month in the world of wine, in Omnibus XXIII we discuss all the major events. We report on the FBI raiding Sherry Lehmann, take a look at Bordeaux 2022 prices, say fond farewells to wine world greats Jean-Michel Cazes, Alexander Lur Saluces, Paul Dolan, Jackie Blot and Sarah Morphew MW. We look at the first US purchase of a British vineyard, and Frescobaldi buying i...

How many wine glasses do you need? How do they affect the taste of the wine? Sarah Kemp talks to Maximilian Riedel, the eleventh generation of his family, who have been making glass since 1756. His grandfather was the first to make wine-specific glasses, his father created varietal glasses and Maximilian talks about the new range of lighter and thinner he is about to launch,  and answers the...

Sue Hodder talks to John Stimpfig about Wynns Coonawarra John Riddoch Estate, one of Australia’s First Growths. Listen in to hear the remarkable story of Scottish pioneer John Riddoch, who founded the estate, the story of the Wynn family who bought it in 1957 and invested heavily in the vineyards, as well as Sue’s own story as chief winemaker for 25 years. Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Jamie Kutch is known for his stylish Pinot Noirs. He tells Elin McCoy how he became interested in wine at college when a Jesuit priest gave him a glass of Riesling. When he was a trader in New York for Merrill Lynch he became an active member of the Robert Parker bulletin board and enjoyed wine tastings with other enthusiasts. After one such tasting he wrote to Michael Browne of Kosta Browne sayin...

One of the wine world’s most remarkable stories – discover how Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi came to make wine with the prisoners on the island of Gorgona, off the Tuscany coast. Sarah Kemp travelled there with Marchese Lamberto to find out how the enterprise came about, speaks to their chief winemaker and discovers from the Governor of the prison the impact it has had on the inmates working there...

How well do you know Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux’s most famous appellation? Listen in to our 10-Minute Masterclass for all the key facts with Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp. Discover its varied terroir, land prices, its classification (controversial) with who is in and who is out, star names, upcoming names and our obscure fact. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Trevor Durling, Chief Winemaker of Beaulieu Vineyard in Napa Valley talks to John Stimpfig about the winery’s illustrious history and how Georges de Latour persuaded André Tchelistcheff to leave Paris to join him in California, where he became Father of the California wine industry. In 1936 André kept aside some exceptional barrels to make Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Calif...

Jane Anson talks to Ben Kinmont, the rare bookseller who specialises in wine and food books. He recently sold Sean Thackery’s collection of wine books to Domaine Clarence Dillon. Listen in to hear the fascinating story of how Sean Thackery became a collector of rare wine books, why he sold, and how the books have found a new home in Château Haut-Brion’s library. Ben also gives advice on how to col...

Listen in to Omnibus 22 to hear this month’s wine news from around the world. In the US, Elin McCoy discusses the reaction to the collapse of Underground Cellars and the unhappy customers who cannot retrieve their wine from the company’s Cloud cellar.  She also reviews the Apple TV plus series “Drops of God” and Ferran Adrià’s new eight-part book series on wine, the first two volumes (weighin...

Excitement is rising amongst The Wine Conversation team as the Royal Opera House Wine Gala Dinner and Auction approaches. John Stimpfig talks to Sarah Kemp about the world-class wines which will be poured, including Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, 2014 Montrachet Domaine Jacques Prieur, Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Reserva 1999, Château Lafite 2007, and Taylor’s 30-year-old Tawny Po...

Italian experts Nelson Pari and Federico Moccia talk to Sarah Kemp about Bolgheri, the wine-producing area located in the province of Livorno. Bolgheri contains some of Italy’s most famous names including Sassicaia and Ornellaia. Today it is attracting a generation of talented and dynamic winemakers who enjoy the freedom of the DOC rules to produce blends and mono-varietals. Listen in to hear all...

Véronique Sanders of Château Haut-Bailly is one of Bordeaux’s most admired and liked personalities. In our Series “Great Wine Lives” she talks to Sarah Kemp about her remarkable career. Listen in to hear her discuss how she grew up helping her grandfather Jean Sanders in the vineyards as a little girl, never dreaming that one day she would run the estate. She discusses her great relationship with...

Discover Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp’s view of the 2022 vintage – what did well, what didn’t, and what they were most surprised by. A year where the talent of the winemaker in handling the tannins was essential. 2022 the vintage of surprise. Find out more at wine-conversation.com

As En Primeur tastings are in full swing,  Sarah Kemp gets Jane Anson’s first thoughts on Bordeaux 2022 after her first week of tasting. Recorded on the D2 motorway, Jane talks about the vintage conditions and the importance of how the samples are prepared by the châteaux. Was she surprised? Find out in this special on-the-road production…. and look out for another En Primeur episode later th...

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. As 6,000 of the wine world’s trade and journalists descend on Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage, Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp take a hard look at the system. They discuss how it works, its history, the number of châteaux involved. They ask whether there is a financial advantage in buying En Primeur and explain who actually owns it...

Listen in to Omnibus 21 for another packed programme of news from the wine world. This month Kylie Minogue wows Prowein, new research shows the birthplace of Vitis Vinifera as the Levant. Big moves afoot too, Michel Rolland hangs up his consulting hat and Axel Heinz leaves Ornellaia for Château Lascombes. Financial troubles a plenty, Sherry-Lehmann’s licence revoked, and Silicon Valley Bank’s coll...

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. Today’s topic is Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of grapes. Find out how much is planted (spoiler alert – China has the most), its parentage, the best regions where it is grown, most well-known names, the rules and regulations about being labelled Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Jane’s one obscure fact about it. We marvel at how she digs th...

Applications to the second edition of the “Bordeaux Mentor Week” have just opened. Last year over 100 young people applied from 28 countries, out of which 7 were chosen to be mentored by Jane Anson and co-founder Chinedu Rita Rosa. Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about the importance of mentors and the diverse activities the successful candidates will encounter, from harvesting to startup entrepren...

In the latest in our Great Wine Lives series Richard Geoffroy talks to Elin McCoy about how he rebelled against his wine family background by becoming a doctor before returning to his roots and joining Moët Hennessy, becoming Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave for 28 years. He discusses his time there, how he collaborated with Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons, and why he decided to leave and launch his own Sake...

This month, Elin McCoy reports on the big environmental win in the Napa Valley – the Walt Ranch controversy ends after a 17-year battle. John Stimpfig and Elin report on the devastating wildfires in Itata and Bio Bio in Chile and the floods in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. There is also plenty of wine theft news and fraud this month, 4.6 million bottles of Spanish wine passed off as Bordeaux results i...

Listen in to our 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson on Pauillac – a deep dive into this famous commune which boasts three First Growths, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild and Latour, plus some of the wine world’s most loved names. Find out which Pauillac wine Michael Broadbent used to buy, how much it costs per hectare, its terroir and taste profile. Plus an obscure Pauillac fact to impress your friend...

Have you ever wanted to own your own vineyard or blend your own wine with a top winemaker? Elin McCoy talks to Michael Evans the man who makes it possible for several hundred wine lovers– listen in to find out about how he started Vines of Mendoza and Vines Global – clubs for wine lovers who dream of being winemakers. He talks to Elin about how it started when he went to Argentina for a holiday an...

This week we look at the 1855 classification, the world’s first culinary ranking. Find out why it came about, the price bands the wines had be achieve to be in each of the five growths, the story of how Cantemerle became a 5th growth after the initial ranking. Discover what has changed since the original ranking (spoiler alert – the names were classified not the vineyard area) and find out what Ja...

A special episode of Great Wine Lives – John Stimpfig interviews Sarah Kemp about her memories of working with Steven Spurrier. Sarah and Steven had a great partnership for over 25 years when Steven was the Consultant Editor of Decanter and Sarah was the Publisher and Managing Director. Sarah looks back on Steven’s extraordinary life, one of the wine world’s most beloved and well-known figures. &n...

This month, Jane Anson on Artificial Intelligence’s role in wine writing – will wine writers be out of a job? John Stimpfig reports on Australia’s  wine industry problem with its 2.3 billion litres of unsold wine, and discusses the possible solutions. We look back on the lives of two of the wine world’s greats, Luciano Sandrone and d’Arry Osborne, who died recently. And no Omnibus would be co...