Bottle Talk with Rick & Paul - Seasons 1-7

Harvest set records for starting early, weather was complicated, everything ripened at once, and the crop was small in California, the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic region, Europe, and, well, pick a spot in the Northern Hemisphere. The verdict is still out on quality – every winery says the vintage will be great, because they have to – but the reason is not in doubt: Our changing, deteriorating climate is just getting started messing with us.

We explain how wine competitions and judging work, how those gold medals get awarded, and what they mean to people looking for wine. Plus, listeners ask about cooling breezes, decanters and why most wine labels don’t list calories. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing features a wine that’s a bit of a flirt and another that needs air traffic control.

We poke at the worn out – and meaningless – words many wine marketers use to allegedly promote themselves but mostly confuse their customers. As always, our insights are distinctive, artisan and iconic with a deep commitment to being passionate. (Any of that put you to sleep yet?) Plus, listeners ask whether critics have guidelines for their wines scores, what to do about servers who overpour the wine, and what might happen to wine prices while the industry struggles. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing is piquant yet rich and features an incoherent blogger copying marketing material.

In part two of Wine & Restaurants, we talk about wine costs, corkage and how to deal with them. (Spoiler: The least costly bottles on a list are usually very good.) Plus, listeners ask the eternal cork vs screwcap question and about leaving wine in the fridge, and our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has muscular brawn and a huge dose of expensive snootery.

This is the start of two episodes trying to help folks feel a little more comfortable with wine lists and restaurant wine in general. One hint: you don’t have to pretend the novel-length wine list is comprehensible. It’s their job to help you. Plus, listeners ask about secondary flavors and how much wine to order for a group, and our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has one description so long, it, too, could be a novel, and another so short, it might as well be an abbreviation.

We talk about the good/bad of giving number scores to wine. Do they really help or make wine even more confusing? And we hear a few alternative proposals – a 1,000-point scale anyone? Plus, listeners ask if wine thermometers are a croc, if some grapes could ever earn 100 points, and how much is climate change affecting wine quality. Pus, our Truly Horrible Wine Writing includes sensual melancholy, orbiting characteristics and, of course, scaffolding.

A respected research group showed that the wine industry continually tries to sell new wine drinkers wines they don’t like, and it disparages what they do like. The group also showed that one bad experience with wine can put people off for years. So, uh, way to go, wine industry. Plus, listeners ask about old vines, European wine labels, and is it douchey to hold your wine glass by the stem all night. (Of course it is!) And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has purpose and grit and takes on mountain airs.

We talk about using AI to help you choose wines you like, even if it doesn’t wear a fancy suit – yet. (Spoiler alert: Human sommeliers hate the idea but we kind of like it.) Also today, listeners ask why writers talk so much about a wine’s color and if it’s OK to put ice in your wine. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing involves a newspaper, a choir of schoolchildren and what we think was a writer with an overactive imagination.

A new record for a bottle of wine was set at a recent auction, which prompted a listener to ask, “WTF?” We poke at that and wine auctions in general. Plus, other listeners ask about heavy bottles and for tips on how to ask for a moderate priced bottle in restaurant with mostly expensive wines. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing has some alluring flavors like tar, hot stones and gentian (Rick had to look that one up).

We dig into questions from a devoted, if slightly daffy, fan named Paul Wagner. Wait, that's our Paul. He wondered in a LinkedIn post: Why is wine education any different from food education? Why does the hospitality industry prize deep studying for wine but not food? Plus, listeners ask about wine glasses, why expensive wines are expensive, and whether wine writers just make up those “best by” dates. And our Truly Horrible Wine Writing includes a faint whisper, a silken ribbon and a rakish breeze.