The Wine Conversation

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

How do you build a new wine empire? Michael Saunders, the man who co-founded Bibendum and spent 40-years building it into one of Britain’s most dynamic companies, talks to Sarah Kemp about Coterie Holdings, which he joined in January this year as its CEO. Coterie own Lay and Wheeler, Hallgarten and Novum Wines, Coterie Vaults, Europe’s largest bespoke wine warehouse, and Jera, a specialist lending...

Listen in to Omnibus for all the latest wine news and views. This month we cover the fake wine scandal in Taiwan, the latest harvest reports, wine bankruptcies and latest winery sales, the launch of a non-profit foundation for promoting the enjoyment of aged wines, plus Elin heads to the Hamptons with “Sex and City” author Candace Bushnell to taste the latest Dom Pérignon. Find out more at wine-co...

Davie Gleave MW takes a deep-dive into Italy’s most planted grape, Sangiovese. Discover where it grows best, where the grape originated from (spoiler alert, not Tuscany}, whether it can age, and why David believes it has a bright future. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

What is it like to run one of the world’s most prestigious wine estates? Listen in to hear Lorenzo Pasquini talk to Elin McCoy about his life as Estate Manager at Château d’Yquem. Lorenzo was born in Italy and dreamed of being a professional fencer, but wine beckoned after watching his father plant an estate. Lorenzo talks about his mentor Denis Dubourdieu, becoming the winemaker at Cheval des And...

Join world-expert Jasper Morris MW, author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy and the brilliant website www.insideburgundy.com , for his latest 10-minute Burgundy masterclass. This month he is looking at the wines of Gevrey-Chambertin, famed for its nine grands crus. Discover its history, its terroir, the producers to look out for, and its one obscure fact. A deep dive into the famous appellatio...

Baltazar Sánchez, the Chairman of the historic Chilean estate Vina Santa Rita, talks to Sarah Kemp about how Casa Real came to be one of Chile’s flagship wines. They discuss the decision to create Casa Real in 1989, whether it will remain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, why they decided to join La Place de Bordeaux, and the company’s hopes for Casa Real’s future. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

In our latest series of “Great Wine Lives” John Stimpfig talks to Rajeev Samant of Sula Vineyards, the man who is the founder of India’s wine industry. Listen to his amazing story of how he discovered wine as an undergraduate in California, and on returning home to India for a family wedding persuaded his father not to sell a plot of land, as it reminded him of California. From roses and tomatoes...