Wine Stories

For this final episode of the 2nd season, I tell you the story of the Ahr valley disaster in July 2021. A tragic sequence of events with dramatic consequences but that will also trigger a great surge of solidarity.Image: @meyernaekel / Instagram

A special episode today with a selection of short stories. Funny, goofy, awkward stories of mistakes, mishaps or weird accidents… #podcast #histoiresdevins #winestories #shortstories #cortoncharlemagne #cross #flood #spill #accident

Today, I tell you the story of Tokaj, the mythical Hungarian wine that Louis XIV deemed “the king of wines and the wines of kings”. An episode where we talk about the House of Habsburg, the Lord of the Rings and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Image: Götz Pincészet

An incredible theft in a Michelin-starred restaurant, a wine bottle with an exceptional history and an unusual duo of thieves: here is the story of the Atrio robbery where we will talk about Game of Thrones, beauty pageants and gourmet cuisine. Image: José Polo & Toño Perez

From William the Conqueror and Eleanor of Aquitaine to the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the birth of Champagne, come with me on a journey exploring the intricate love story between England and wine. And who knows, maybe by the end of this episode, I will have managed to convince you to try an English wine… Picture: Samuel Atkins, The Frigate Watercolour ca. 1787-1808, Victoria & Albert Museum

In the spring of 1951, the quiet village of Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy is being disturbed by an unexpected racket and a young vigneron works hard to restore an ancient vineyard abandoned since the phylloxera outbreak. On this fallow land where cows used to graze, he will recreate a plot destined to become of the most iconic vineyards in the world: the Cros Parantoux. Photo: Christian Bon

Egon Müller, a name that only keen wine lovers will know but what a reputation! This German winery established in the Saar valley not far from the city of Trier makes some of the world’s greatest white wines declining all shades of Riesling from the prestigious Scharzhofberg vineyard. From the French Revolution to the Paris’ universal exhibition in 1900 and record-breaking prices, come with me to discover one of the most celebrated and secretive wineries in the world.

This is the story of an amazing treasure hunt across the world searching for the most formidable and elusive wine cellar in history. Get on board for an incredible adventure full of red herrings, spider webs, century-old bottles and large calibre guns… Photo: John Baker

If you are a fine wine lover or if you have inherited the family collection, you may have already come across one of the Etablissement Nicolas’ lists. For nearly 50 years, this family wine merchant founded 200 years ago has edited almost every year a Christmas leaflet featuring some of the finest and oldest wines in its collection. But more than a mere sales catalogue, Nicolas’ list was a unique object designed by the greatest artists that has now become a true collectible. It is also a testimony to the evolution of the fine wine market in France over the XXth century.

Welcome to this new season of Wine Stories! For this first episode, I tell you the story of a milestone event in the world of wine. Paris, 1976. A young English wine merchant has invited a group of renowned French experts for a blind tasting of California wines. But what was supposed to be a tasting like any other will become be a turning point in the recent wine history. Come with me for a fascinating story where we’ll come across celebrity wine critics, Marshal Tito’s secret police and a young journalist who happened to be at the right place, at the right time. Picture: Académie Du Vin Library