Ep 620: The Greats - The Wachau Region of Austria

Austria is a bit off the radar so you may not know its greatest region: the Wachau. This time I cover the region in detail, from its 2000 year history to its unique geological makeup. I explain the region and why it makes some of best Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. While Austria is most certainly on the rise, there is no other region that rises to "The Greats" status other than the Wachau. A truly unique gem, in the world of white wine, this is a region with perfect terroir, a set of producers who have collaborated to do their best, and a set of wines that rank among the best whites in the world.    In this show, as in all "Greats" I cover:  The history of the Wachau The location, climate, and geography/geology Viticulture that is unique to the area (the dry stone walls, and the inclusion of botrytized grapes by some is fascinating!). The main grapes (Grüner, Riesling) and wine styles Sub regions and their significance Producers Classifications from both the Vinea Wachau AND the DAC system A great show and an even better region. Try these wines and get back to me! A good Smargd is hard to beat!!   Source for this show: Wachau Brochure from Wines of Austria Great pictures of the Wachau: Vinea Wachau   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Liz Gabay, MW and her partner and son, Ben Bernheim, come back on the show as dynamic as ever.   This time they discuss their latest, wonderful book, "The Wines of Provence," which was recently published.    We broaden our conversation from episode 434, to discuss not just rosé, but also Provence, which is far more complex than I ever knew. We discuss appellations, history, grapes, wine types, producers, and a whole lot more! A great show with some dear friends.   Enjoy!     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

In last week's show (dorkfest part 1), we discussed two components of structure, acidity and tannin, and how they are like two sides of a picture frame, structure. In this episode (dorkfest part 2),  I cover the other two sides of that frame, sugar and alcohol, to complete the picture. For me, these components are the fundamentals and although writers are always trying to add more to the frame, they all can be attributed to one of these four elements. In this show I cover the following topics on sugar and alcohol: What are they? What are their roles in wine? Where do sugar and alcohol come from? How are each measured? How do we perceive sugar and alcohol (there is an especially interesting section about what we perceive as sweet, versus the reality! You may be surprised!) No and low alcohol 'wine' – how they are made, what is lost, and why I don't think they are actually wine!   This is really dorky stuff but something that you should dig into if you really want to understand what you're tasting in wine! Enjoy it in all its dorkiness!     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

This time it's Back to Basics -- describing two of the four main components that make up the structure of wine - Acidity & Tannin. It's both simple, and very dorky (I quote the NIH at one point, worth a listen!)   In this show I go back to basics and talk about structure. As I said in the book, I think of wine like a picture frame -- the sides have to be even for it to work. I liken the structure of wine to art and talk a little about the Mona Lisa and how it relates to the four main elements of structure: tannin, acidity, alcohol, sugar (or lack of sugar) plus the flavors of wine in my favorite wine analogy.   Then I discuss acidity and tannin: What they are Their roles in wine Where they come from How they are measured How we perceive them Examples of grapes with high and low acidity/tannin How these sturctural elements interact with other structural elements in wine     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Although the Loire Valley is most famous for the Sauvignon Blancs of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (especially after Taylor Swift drove tons of people to buy Sancerre – thank you Taylor!), there is a white grape that has a longer and more prestigious history in the Loire:  Chenin Blanc.   Map: Loire Valley Wines Along the longest river in France (the Loire), Chenin can make every style of wine on a multitude of terroir. As part of my series on the greatest wine regions of the world, there is no doubt that Chenin must be featured. And the three regions of the Middle Loire Valley that showcase the greatness of this grape in all styles are: Vouvray, Savennières, and Quarts de Chaume.   In Touraine, Vouvray has a long history for making every style imaginable of Chenin. Since Roman times, wines have been made in this region and since the Middle Ages, the area has produced top drawer Chenin Blanc that caught the eye of everyone from Dutch traders to French royalty to the bourgeois. Today more than 50% of what is made is sparkling wine, but Vourvray also produces every style from bone-dry(sec) to very sweet (sec). In the show I talk about how this region can make such a variety of Chenin styles.   The other two great regions for Chenin Blanc are west of Touraine in Anjou. The styles couldn't be more diverse in this section of the Loire. Savennières, grown on schist, produces the region's best dry Chenin, with excellent fruit, minerality, and a multitude of other interesting aromas and flavors, which I describe.   In the Coteaux du Layon, the grand cru of Quarts de Chaume produces Chenin's best sweet wines. Special conditions make it possible for Botrytis to develop most years and, although they have been praised and famed for centuries, these wines are some of the least known, yet best sweet wines that exist in today's wine world.   These are wines you need to know about (and try!). They are truly some of the greatest wines in the world and certainly the most prestigious of the Loire Valley.   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Felicity Carter a journalist, researcher, and analyst who's spent more than 20 years covering the global drinks industry. Not one to shy away from controversy, Felicity covers some of the thorniest issues in wine: health and alcohol policy, alcohol research and bias, the mainstream media and alcohol, the effect of GLP-1s on drinking, and global wine industry trends overall.  She is the best writer in wine – well researched, truthful, credible and very balanced. Felicity was on Ep 509 in 2024 discussing these issues and revealing the link between the World Health Organization and the temperance group, Movendi. She is on the forefront of investigative journalism for wine and health and she is a persistent and thorough researcher who looks at all sides of the story before writing up what she finds. She's also awesome. And we're friends. So, you know how the intro says that we're wine friends and this is a conversation and we'll interrupt each other and stuff? That's what you're going to hear. We are both excited, passionate and both kind of forgot we were recording because when we catch up with each other, we have these conversations. Take it for what it's worth – a little insight into what two very honest people, each with two decades in wine, have to say about various issues from the WHO to the UN and EU policies, to junk science, and the economics of wine.  I loved recording this and listening to it! Hope you do too!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Although the best-known wines of Piemonte are in the south — in Alba, Roero, Cuneo, and Asti – there is a treasure trove of excellent Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo blends northeast of the famed Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe. These are small DOCGs and DOCs in the foothills of the Italian Alps that are collectively called Alto Piemonte  – "higher (or upper) Piemonte."   Greatly reduced in status and size, Alto Piemonte today is a collection of small appellations across the foothills of the Alps, in and around the Sesia River and a swath of forests. The region sits in the shadow of Monte Rosa, which at 4,634 meters/15200 ft is the second-highest peak in the Alps.   Map: Alto Piemonte. Credit: Skurnik Wines   Because of the cooling breezes and lower nighttime temperatures, Alto Piemonte is cooler than the Langhe and Roero. That means that some Nebbiolo producers are starting to look northeast for new frontiers for growing grapes. Changes are afoot, which make this region worth knowing about now, whereas before it was more of a novelty! In this show I cover it all.     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Nebbiolo is one of the oldest and finest red grapes of Italy. Native to Piemonte (Piedmont) in the northwest of the country, it was first mentioned and described by (my boyfriend) Pliny the Elder in the first century AD. After a time of being known exclusively on its home turf, starting in the 1700s, Nebbiolo began to gain status as a wine of Piemontese royalty. When a dry version was made in the mid-1800s, the wine's place as a great of the wine world was cemented. Nebbiolo sparkles in the epic wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, along with other neighboring areas. But it's not a good traveler. Others have tried to grow it and make wine from it, but the magic of Nebbiolo is often elusive. So it remains small. With less than 15,000 acres/ 6,070 ha of Nebbiolo planted globally, this is a rare grape and we are lucky to have access to it! Photo: Nebbiolo grape in the Langhe. Source: https://www.langhevini.it/en/i-vitigni-del-territorio/nebbiolo/   In this show, as in all grape miniseries, I talk about the history of the grape, how it behaves in the vineyard and winery, there terroir that best suits it, and the places it is grown. I also talk about climate change and what that will mean for Nebbiolo in the future (I'm hopeful. There are lots of options in Barolo and Barbaresco, so don't get all gloom and doom!).   If you've never had a Nebbiolo from Piedmont, please do yourself a favor and get one. It's unlike anything else in this world – pure magic in a glass when it's from a good producer.   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

André Tchelistcheff is a wine legend, especially in American wine. A winemaker, viticulturist and teacher, Tchelistcheff raised the standards for California wine, making it possible for it to become a force in the modern wine world. André Tchelistcheff. Photo: UC Davis Library A lifetime learner, Tchelistcheff said his highest and best title would be "permanent student of the university of California" because he never thought he knew everything about wine and always wanted to discover new ways of doing things. Tchelistcheff's philosophy on wine aligns with that of most of the listeners in this community... "Wine is an intellectual beverage. It does not have the toxicity of liquor. Taken in moderation, it opens the mind. I have seen an introvert, after two glasses of wine, open like a flower." Source: https://byrdvineyard.com/andre-the-voice-of-wine/   In the show, I go over André Tchelistcheff's life and all the contributions he made to first Napa, then wider California, and then to Washington State wine and beyond. A gentle, funny, kind, and giving mentor and teacher, the Maestro is definitely someone you should know about in the wine world.   Enjoy the wonderful story of this great man's life!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/       

I said in episode 604 that if you wanted my other 6 suggestions, I would do a follow up show! You told me this is what you wanted, so this time I give you six MORE wine regions that make very expensive wines and then provide ideas of less expensive bottles that you could sub in when you don't want to splurge. From Châteauneuf to Brunello I give you some ideas that hopefully you hadn't considered!  The wines I find alternatives for (you'll have to listen to hear the wines I recommend as "dupes"): Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grosses Gewachs Riesling (I tell you what it is 🤣) Hermitage (Northern Rhône Syrah AOC) Condrieu (Northern Rhône Viognier AOC) Brunello di Montalcino Margaux (Bordeaux)   Enjoy it! And go to Grapes the Wine Company to shop for all of these!    Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/