Malvasia isn't a grape variety, nor is it a family of grape varieties: it's a group of grape varieties which happen to have the same name. Some of them are related, some of them are not. Every style of wine is made, from white to rosé to red to sweet to fortified to sparkling. Welcome to the strange world of Malvasia!

Muscat isn't a grape variety, but a family of related varieties all with different features. There are also many styles of wine made from the Muscat family: dry, sweet, fortified, and sparkling, made all over the world. This episode explores all the different aspects of the styles of wine made from the Muscat family.

Interview with Amanda Barnes, author of The South America Wine Guide. We discuss grape varieties which are largely only found in the diverse continent: País/Criolla Chica, Torrontés, Vischoqueña, Quebranca, and others. A great insight into the wines of South America, not just Argentina and Chile, but Bolivia and Peru too.

The southern Rhône is a large region where many styles of wine are produced - red, white, rosé, and fortified. There are also lots of different appellations to understand. In this episode, Paul Yanon guides us through the region's wines, terroirs, and trends.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has been one of the extraordinary success stories of the last forty years, creating an entirely new category of wine. In this episode, I interview Bruce Taylor, winemaker at Kono which is entirely Māori owned. We talk about the region, Sauvignon Blanc, current trends and styles of wine, and what makes Marlborough so distinctive.

Italian white wine has improved greatly over the last 30 years, with much fresher, crisper wines. There are lots of different varieties which are associated with specific regions. This episode explores varieties from Pinot Grigio to Verdicchio to Zibbibo. Dive into the world of Italian white wine!

Sémillon is an historic Bordeaux variety, although plantings have fallen over the last 50 years. But it remains important, producing a range of styles: full-bodied and oak-aged, light-bodied and acidic, dry and sweet, and blends with Sauvignon Blanc. This episode explores the grape and the regions it's grown in: Bordeaux, Hunter Valley, Margaret River, California, Washington, and different parts of South Africa.

My recent visit to Mediterranean France and Spain gave me a chance to explore the possibilities of Carignan. It's a contradictory variety: younger vines producer high yields while older vines produce low yields for completely different levels of quality. It can be a minor or significant part of a blend, or a single-varietal wine. But one consistency: warm Mediterranan climates, which is what this episode is all about.

Priorat is one of Spain's most prestigious regions, the vines grown on steep slate slopes. Garnatxa (Grenache) and Carinyena (Carignan) are the two most important varieties, often from old vines. The wines of Priorat are known as big and full-bodied, but as I learnt on a recent visit there's a lot more diversity than that.

Mourvèdre is a grape best known as part of a Rhône blend with Grenache and Syrah, but it makes fantastic wine in its own right and in a wide range of styles. Originally from Spain where it's known as Monastrell, it's also planted in California and Australia where it's sometimes called Mataró. Whatever its name, Mourvèdre prefers a warm Mediterrean climate - in Spain, France, California, Australia, and California.