The Wine Lab

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Why does Beaujolais Nouveau taste so different from other red wines, and what exactly is carbonic maceration? In this episode of The Wine Lab , we go inside the grape berry to explore the unusual fermentation science behind Beaujolais Nouveau. We’ll look at how intact Gamay grapes can begin producing alcohol before conventional yeast fermentation takes...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Joseph Stalin drank the semi-sweet Georgian red Khvanchkara. Fidel Castro developed an unexpected enthusiasm for Chablis. Nicolae Ceaușescu’s preference for the obscure Romanian wine Zghihară de Huși reportedly helped determine what the communist state planted. Josip Broz Tito produced his own presidential wines. Mobutu Sese Seko accumulated an extraor...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Texas is far too large and diverse to have a single wine climate, grape or style. In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea travels through the state’s major wine-growing regions, from the High Plains and Hill Country to North, West and Gulf Coast Texas, to look at what makes winegrowing here so distinctive. We explore Tempranillo and Tannat, the surpr...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com For thousands of years, winemakers have been trying to solve the same problems: wines that were too acidic, cloudy, unstable, oxidized, or simply didn't taste very good. The solutions, however, could get interesting. Ancient wines were treated with seawater, pine resin, herbs, honey, cedar oil, powdered marble, gypsum, ashes and, in some cases, da...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Thomas Jefferson knew his Bordeaux, traveled through European wine regions taking meticulous notes, ordered Château Lafite directly from the source, and spent years trying - mostly unsuccessfully - to grow European grapes at Monticello. In this episode of The Wine Lab , we follow Jefferson from the vineyards of France and Italy to his own stubbornly un...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What does “dry” wine actually mean? How much sugar can a dry wine contain? And why can two wines with the same residual sugar taste very different? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea explores the science and sensory side of sweetness in wine. We look at residual sugar, acidity, aroma, temperature, and balance; how winemakers create sweet and off...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Cork or screw cap? For many wine drinkers, the answer feels surprisingly personal. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore the history, culture, science, and occasional drama of wine closures. We’ll look at how natural cork became part of the ritual of wine, why screw caps gained a serious following in Australia and New Zealand, how sparkling-wine...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Why is Pinot named after a pine cone? What makes Tempranillo “the little early one”? Why does Saperavi mean “the dyeing grape,” and who decided to call Xinomavro “sour black”? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea Botezatu explores the fascinating origins of grape names across France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Romania, Greece, Georgia, Croat...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Rioja is famous for Tempranillo, oak barrels, and the familiar classifications Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. But behind those words lies a remarkably diverse region shaped by the Ebro River, mountain ranges, changing elevations, and the meeting of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea explores Rioja Alta,...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Alsace is one of France’s most distinctive wine regions: deeply French, shaped by Germanic influence, and known for aromatic white wines that can feel ripe and expressive while still staying fresh and focused. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we travel to northeastern France, between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine, to explore why Alsace wines taste...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com In this episode of The Wine Lab , we travel through the Loire Valley, one of France’s most diverse and historically layered wine regions. Following the river from the Atlantic coast inland, we explore Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Crémant de Loire, rosé, and lesser-known varieties such as Romorantin and Pineau d’Aunis. The ep...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com In this episode of The Wine Lab , we continue our series on the great wine regions of the world with Burgundy, or Bourgogne, one of France’s most influential and fascinating wine regions. Burgundy is famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but its true identity is built around place: villages, vineyards, slopes, soils, and precisely delimited parcels kno...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Bordeaux is one of the most influential wine regions in the world, but it can also feel intimidating. In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea  explains Bordeaux through the features that define it: rivers, climate, soils, grape varieties, blending, classifications, aging, and wine style. The episode covers the differences between the Left Bank and Ri...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Wine is usually described through aroma and flavor, but some of its most important qualities are physical. This episode of The Wine Lab examines wine texture and mouthfeel: body, viscosity, acidity, tannin, astringency, alcohol warmth, residual sugar, carbon dioxide, lees aging, malolactic fermentation, serving temperature, and aeration. Andreea explai...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com A glass of rosé often feels effortless - light catching a pale pink hue, a hint of summer in the air - but its story runs deeper. In this episode, we trace how rosé is shaped, from fleeting skin contact to the saignée method and the precise art of blending in sparkling wines. Along the way, we place rosé within a longer human narrative, from early wine...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Episode description Wine seems like one of the most plant-based products imaginable, so why are some wines not considered vegan? In this episode of The Wine Lab , we look at the cellar practices behind that question. From egg whites, milk proteins, gelatin, and isinglass to bentonite, PVPP, and plant-based alternatives, this is a closer look at fining,...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What happens when wildfire smoke becomes part of the story of a wine? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores smoke taint through the eyes of the consumer. Why do wildfires in places like California and Australia matter so much for wine? How can smoke travel far from the flames and still affect grapes? And why can a wine seem pe...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What does it mean when a wine smells like rotten egg, burnt rubber, cabbage, garlic, or canned corn? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores sulfur and reductive faults in wine, explaining what wine professionals mean by “reduction,” why these aromas appear, and how they can evolve over time. Along the way, she looks at hydrogen...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com  This episode of The Wine Lab explores the long and layered history of women in wine. We move through ancient cultures, literature, religious life, art, Champagne history, and modern wine science to look at the many ways women have influenced how wine is made, understood, and experienced. Some of these stories are well known, others are easier to miss,...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Mousiness is one of the most elusive and unsettling faults in wine. Unlike many defects, it doesn’t appear in the aroma. Instead, it emerges after the sip, lingering on the finish in a way that can surprise even experienced tasters. In this episode of The Wine Lab , Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores the chemistry, microbiology, and sensory science behind m...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Sometimes a glass of wine smells like dark fruit and spice. Other times, something unexpected appears — leather, earth, even a hint of barnyard. For some wine lovers, those aromas add intrigue. For others, they signal a flaw. In this episode of The Wine Lab , Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores one of the most debated microorganisms in wine: Brettanomyces ....

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Why does a wine sometimes smell like vinegar, or even nail polish remover? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea explores the science behind volatile acidity , one of the most confusing aspects of wine aroma. While small amounts can add brightness and complexity, higher levels can shift a wine’s character dramatically. You’ll learn how volatile aci...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Is that wine flawed… or just different? In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea explores the difference between wine faults and flaws before turning to one of the most powerful forces in wine chemistry: oxidation. What causes the bruised apple aroma in oxidized wine? What role does sulfur dioxide play in protection? Why did certain white Burgundies s...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Have you ever stood in the wine aisle holding a bottle and thought, “Am I overthinking this?” In this episode of The Wine Lab , Andreea  unpacks why wine labels can feel so confusing, even to people who work in wine. Why do some bottles list the grape, while others only name a place? What does Burgundy actually mean? Why does Bordeaux rarely tell you t...

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Piquette is one of wine’s oldest ideas and one of its newest obsessions. Made by fermenting grape pomace with water, this light, often sparkling wine has roots in ancient Roman practices, European vineyard culture, and everyday resourcefulness. Once known as a drink for workers and families - sometimes simply called “second round wine” - piquette has r...