How does your perspective change when you start looking at life one vintage at a time, divided into seasons? What does it look like when wine is so deeply connected to a region that it shapes work, landscape, community, and what a culture values most? Why is Languedoc becoming a popular choice for organic, biodynamic, and natural winemaking? What makes a “bon moment” and why is it worth taking seriously?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Steve Hoffman, who has written an award-winning memoir called A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

 

Giveaway

Three of you are going to win a copy of Steve Hoffman's terrific new book, A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

 

Highlights

What was Steve’s favourite aperitif discovery in France?

How did a funny mispronunciation lead to an embarrassing introduction?

How did stuffed cuttlefish challenge Steve’s ideas about strong flavours and aromas in food?

How does the historical connection between wine and work show up in French culture today?

Why has the Languedoc remained in the shadow of Bordeaux and Burgundy, despite having the largest vineyard area in the world?

What surprised Steve the most about the process of blending wine?

Why does the latitude of a vineyard matter when learning about tasting wine?

How can you have the best experience while visiting the Languedoc?

 

Key Takeaways

How does your perspective change when you start looking at life one vintage at a time, divided into seasons?

You start thinking about the unfolding year as not months and days, but as seasons, and you look forward to the next season. And you participate fully, and then you let that season be done, and don't mourn it, because you know it's going to come around again. It forces you to be present in the moment, because it's not like, if I just wait long enough, things are going to get better.

What does it look like when wine is so deeply connected to a region that it shapes work, landscape, community, and what a culture values most?

In wine country, wine is not just a pleasant accompaniment to life; it literally forms everything. The vines themselves actually form the landscape and just becomes a part of everything. It's work, it's what creates revenue that the village can survive, but then it's also something that you have with almost every meal.

Why is Languedoc becoming a popular choice for organic, biodynamic, and natural winemaking?

It's still an affordable place to buy a hectare of vines, and so young winemakers can come in and they can afford to experiment with organic, natural or biodynamic winemaking. A lot of the chemicals to avoid spoilage - the Languedoc naturally doesn't have much of that.

What makes a “bon moment” and why is it worth taking seriously?

It's translated as a good moment, but in France, it has all kinds of other connotations. I think everybody who's listening will recognize one of those moments where you're sitting with people that you care about, where there's good wine and there's good food. That’s the centerpiece, that's the excuse to be together. But then the moment unfolds into something greater than itself.

 

About Steve Hoffman

Steve Hoffman is a Minnesota tax preparer and food writer. His writing has won multiple national awards, including the 2019 James Beard M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. He has been published in Food & Wine, The Washington Post, and The Minneapolis Star Tribune, among other publications. He shares one acre on Turtle Lake, in Shoreview, Minnesota, with his wife, Mary Jo, their elderly and entitled puggle, and roughly 80,000 honeybees.

 

 

 

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/349.