Five For Thursday, December 7th

Send us Fan MailThis week I speak with Luis Cota from Tequila Comisario. We will learn where tequila comes from, what the different levels of this premium spirit are, and what hyper-oxigynation is and how it's making this brand all the rage in the tequila market.

Send us Fan MailThis week it's the long awaited interview with one of the most popular winemakers on the planet, Cristiana Tiberio. Her success story is due to her painstaking attention to detail and a wholistic approach to being an organic winemaker. She's a Somm fave, and one of our favourite winemakers to speak with. Cristiana Tiberio’s star has for years been on a meteoric rise, but terroir is not something that the average producer speaks of in Abruzzo, yet it’s the focus at Tiberio. The family has continued to bottle their estate Montepulciano (a blend of their vineyards and one of the best values of the region) but also the old-vine Archivio and the aforementioned Colle Vota. In every vintage, both of these single vineyard wines demonstrate their uniqueness, and are now two of the best reds being made in the region. Pecorino, Trebbiano, Montepulciano and Cerasuolo are her main concerns. Today, we get her insights on organic farming, climate change and the importance of tradition and community. 

Send us Fan MailThis week I speak with winemaker Emanuele Reolon of Isole e Olena about Chianti Classico, Paolo De Marchi and the vineyards of Isole and Olena. After that, on Five for Thursday, you'll get an inside look at what's hot this week. Wines to be highlighted are from: Isole e Olena, Cambria, Castello di Ama and JL Chave. 

Send us Fan MailThis week I speak with Francesca Nonino about the Nonino Grappa Empire her family began building 127 years ago in Friuli, Italy. Also, we will hear from Guillaume d’Angerville about his wine venture in Jura, France under the moniker of Domaine du Pélican and I will have Five For Thursday along with a quick discussion about what’s available in the L.C.B.O.’s Vintages Essentials section. This week I highlight wines from Renato Ratti, Terredora, Copain, Domaine du Pélican  and Castello di Ama. 

Send us Fan MailWe're back! It's 2024 and you can look forward to another season of interviews with wine producers from all over the globe, plus our weekly feature Five For Thursday, outlining the wines you need to know about and how to get them. This week Paul Koster and I talk about wines from: La Cappucina, Roberto Voerzio, Valle Dell' Acate, Tiberio and Casanova di Neri. 

Send us Fan MailWelcome to December 14th. This will be the last podcast of the year, as Halpern will be concluding business for the year as of next Friday, December 22nd. Our Holiday order deadline is officially Tuesday December 20th at 9am. This will give us just enough time to be able to guarantee enough time to get all of those Holiday goodies to your doorstep.  We will be closed December 23rd right through New Years and will reopen on January 3rd.  Today we’re going to do a “year in review” or best of, for those who may not have heard every episode. The upside of doing a podcast for a company like Halpern is that I get to speak to people from all over the globe, winemakers from every wine producing country on this planet. This was our first year, and I got through 64 episodes this year. We talked about wine, wineries, how to make wine and what wines to drink. I think with our 5 4 Thursday segment we introduced you to well over three hundred wines – everything from easy drinking to cellar worthy classics. You also got me meet some of my co-workers, most of them…except for those who are still microphone shy.Let’s listen to some of the people we got to meet this year – including a couple co-workers…

Send us Fan MailThis week on Five For Thursday Paul Koster and I talk Italy and France, and some of the best wines to offer your Holiday Guests this Season. This week  we cover wines from La Cappuccina,  Chateau Lassegue, Castello di Ama, Chateau de Chamirey and Isole e Olena. 

Send us Fan MailSet your sites on 1120 Yonge St this Friday and Saturday for a heck of a Holiday tasting. Join Halpern staff for a "by -the-ounce" or "by-the -glass" tasting of some of the best wines of the Season at The Lobby. Sheila and I discuss wines from; Remoissenet, Gassier, Le Calvane,  Prunotto and Hecht and Bannier. 

Send us Fan MailThis week Paul Koster and I discuss wines from; Benanti, Jermann, Maison Louis Jadot's Chateau Des Jaques, Rizzi and Snowden. Also, Sheila Flaherty is here to remind you about Halpern's handy gifting program that is here to aid you with your Holiday Gifting. 

Send us Fan MailThis week I speak with Antonio Benanti, of Benanti in the Mount Etna region of Sicily, Italy. The region's volcanic soils are know for their ability to produce elegant wines, with racy acidity and finesse beyond all expectations. Antonio discusses the family's history and the wines of Benanti. The wines of Benanti have become sought out by collectors all over the globe.