The Drinking Hour: With David Kermode - FoodFM

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David travels to Castilla y León to explore Ribera del Duero, meeting the winemakers who have put this Spanish region on the fine wine map, including Master of Wine Almudena Alberca and the creator of Pingus, Peter Sisseck. Medal winners featured: Finca Sobreño Ildefonso 2018, Toro (gold) Bodegas Valdubón Honori...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David’s joined by CEO and co-owner of Champagne Bruno Paillard, Alice Paillard, to talk about taking over from her father, who established the house in 1981. Their wide-ranging chat includes extra brut, post-disgorgement ageing, climate change and her role as a female pioneer. Medal winners featured: Charles Hei...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. Bourbon or rye, blended or single malt, the USA and Canada offer a wealth of whiskies, from heritage styles that predate Prohibition or the latest innovations. Dawn Davies MW of Speciality Drinks chats to David about the inaugural IWSC judging in Kentucky. Gold and gold outstanding winners featured: Toasted Kent...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. Continuing his look at what’s in store for 2025, David talks bar trends with Emma Hutchison, Executive Creative Director at Sweet&Chilli - an agency with offices in London, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Paris - to hear more about what the world’s best bars might be serving up this year. Drinks fe...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. ‘The Chief’ is back with his annual predictions for what’s in store for the drinks world. As editor in chief of The Buyer, Richard Siddle, has his finger on the pulse and he shares his insights with David, including tax changes, a stylistic shift in English wine and what a returning President Trump might mean fo...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David’s joined by Laura Willoughby, co-founder of Club Soda and Irem Eren of BevZero to discuss the growing importance of the ‘low and no’ category and the latest innovations for those choosing to cut out, or reduce, their alcohol intake. Drinks featured Edenvale Beverages Premium Reserve Sparkling Shiraz NV (go...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David brings us his favourite moments from the latest series: including two legends of Champagne, Lallier’s Dominique Demarville and Michel Drappier; Rombauer’s head winemaker Richie Allen; Alice Lascelles talks about her new book , The Martini’; Billy Abbott on his passion for whisky; and Fr’um creator, Anthony...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David dives into the rich complexity of Alsace with Master of Wine Anne Krebiehl and Master Sommelier, Eric Zwiebel, who grew up there. They discuss the unique German influence on the region, its famously diverse patchwork of terroir and the world class wines it produces.  Wines featured:  Dopff Au Moulin Gewurz...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. In what has been described as ‘the ultimate experience for whisky lovers’, Chivas Brothers is throwing open the doors of its celebrated Strathisla distillery for exclusive immersive tasting tours. David talks to Jacques Henri Brive, head of luxury development and Director of Blending and Inventory, Sandy Hyslop....

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David talks to the head winemaker at Napa’s Rombauer Vineyards, Richie Allen, who rose from cellar hand to the top job, to hear more about the pioneering producer behind some of America’s favourite premium wines, including a Chardonnay that’s a personal favourite of our host! Medal winners featured: Phillips Dis...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David reports from Belgrade on the contest to be ‘ASI Best Sommelier in Europe, Africa and the Middle East’ and speaks to the winner, Mick Parre, and also the reigning best sommelier in the world, Raimonds Tomsons, plus, Alex Huskinson, tequila category expert at The Whisky Exchange in on hand for a mini masterc...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David travels to the Champagne village of Aÿ to meet Dominique Demarville, general manager and cellar master at Lallier, to toast the launch of two new cuvées and talk about his long career in the region, plus Billy Abbott’s back with Jason Vaswani from The Whisky Exchange, to talk about ‘pre-loved’ whisky. New...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David’s joined by John Hoskins MW, former chief examiner at the Institute of Masters of Wine and Rebecca Palmer, Associate Director at Corney & Barrow to talk about judging South Africa’s wines, in situ, for the IWSC and Billy Abbott of the Whisky Exchange returns for a mini masterclass on the flavours of world...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. Author and FT columnist Alice Lascelles is David’s guest to talk about her latest book, The Martini - a paean to the iconic cocktail, tracing its journey from 1880’s New York to the hottest bars of the moment via 60 different recipes. Plus, Billy Abbott of The Whisky Exchange is back to explore the world of Japa...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David welcomes one of the most famous names in Champagne, Michel Drappier, whose family first settled in the region more than 200 years ago, with the conversation including organic farming, carbon neutral practises and low dosage. Wines featured: Drappier Grande Sendrée Brut 2010 (silver) Henriot Blanc De Blancs...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David is joined by whisky expert, Kristiane Sherry, to talk about her inaugural ‘Scotch whisky report’ for Club Oenologique, tasting around 120 examples, to produce a snapshot of the category. In a double helping for whisky lovers, Billy Abbott of The Whisky Exchange returns, for an Irish whisky mini masterclass...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David delves in the world of whisky with renowned expert, author and judge, Billy Abbott, of The Whisky Exchange, to explore the complexity and diversity of a dram, with a focus on fruit forward whiskies in the first of a series of ‘mini masterclasses’. Featuring four IWSC gold medal and trophy winners:   Tomati...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. From his humble beginnings in hospitality to the bar of Tom Kerridge’s double-starred gastropub, The Hand & Flowers, Anthony Peart achieved his dream of launching his own rum. He joins David to talk about how he made it happen. Rums featured (all gold medal winners) Fr’um dark but fr'iendly Pineapple & Smokey Sc...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David reflects on the highlights of series 15 featuring Perrier-Jouët cellar master Séverine Frerson, Domaine des Tourelles winemaker Faouzi Issa on making wine in Lebanon, organic pioneer Gérard Bertrand and Voyager Estate’s chief winemaker, Tim Shand, Will Hill on Georgian amber wine and Tom Surgey on his new...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David travels to Château L’ Hospitalet in Languedoc-Roussillon to meet Gérard Bertrand, a former rugby star whose passion for his home region has earned it a place on the world’s fine wine map. They talk terroir, biodynamics and a winemaking philosophy that has resulted in a broad range of wines from an innovati...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. Responsible for a mere two percent of Australia’s grape crush, Margaret River really punches above its weight when it comes to premium wines. David finds out more, from Alex Hunt MW, IWSC wine judging committee member and leading sommelier-turned-communicator, Shanteh Wale. Wines featured (all gold medal winners...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. They are all the rage on wine lists, but orange wines have a long and illustrious history, dating back to the birthplace of wine, Georgia, where they are known as amber. David talks to expert and IWSC judge, Will Hill, Managing Director of Novel Wines to find out more. Wines featured (all gold medal winners): Ka...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. A familiar face for his work with ‘The Three Wine Men’, writer and broadcaster Tom Surgey chats to David about his new book ‘How to Drink Wine’, which offers a comprehensive, yet accessible, guide to the world of wine terminology. Drinks featured: Marks & Spencer 5 Times Distilled Vodka (gold) Chapel Down Kit’s...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. Famously where East meets West, Turkey offers a treasure trove of indigenous grape varieties which are well worth seeking out. David finds out more from Sarah Abbott MW and Isa Bal MS, who co-chaired the recent IWSC wine judging in Istanbul, where an impressive 20 gold medals were awarded. Wines featured (all go...

In partnership with Club Oenologique - the world through the lens of wine and spirits. David chats to the winemaker Faouzi Issa from Lebanon’s Domaine des Tourelles, to talk about making wine against the backdrop of conflict and chaos, his passion for old vines and his style of winemaking, focused on freshness and charm. Wines featured: Domaine Wardy Grenache, Bekaa Valley 2022 (silver) Zilzie Win...