Quench! Archives - WebTalkRadio.net

What does a former porn star have in common with an Italian family that has been making wine for 800 years? They’re both producing wine in the Brunello region of Tuscany, although in very different styles. The Frescobaldi clan, with a legacy going back to the 1300s, is making a cutting-edge blend of Sangoivese and Merlot called Luce Della Vite; Natalie Oliveros, the former Savannah Samson, is involved with an extremely traditional Brunello from La Fiorita. Mark first speaks with Alessandro Lunardi, who is responsible for the marketing of Luce Della Vite, and then has a lengthy discussion with Natalie Oliveros about tradition, innovation, and the relationship between the adult film industry and the world of wine.

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La Fiorita—Link to: http://www.savannahsamsonwine.com

Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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Most of the time, the neighborhood watering hole is far more than a bar: It’s a place for conversation, connection and therapy, a location that knits a community together. For 35 years, Joe Danno’s Bucket O’Suds in Chicago was all those things and more. Danno was one of the legendary barmen of 20th century America, in addition to being a distiller who developed recipes for 80 proprietary liqueurs and a collector who amassed the greatest assembly of pre-Prohibition spirits in the land. Mark speaks with Scott Schiller, Joe Danno’s grandson and a fifth-generation distiller, who is now using that legacy to help entrepreneurs market their spirits through his company, Thoroughbred Brands. During Bizarre Beverage News, Mark explores the parallel story of the decline of the British pub, and what’s being done in that country to revive the institution.

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Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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You’re cruising down the aisles of your favorite wine shop, past hundreds of bottles—some familiar, many not. One label in particular catches your eye. You pick up the bottle, look at it, read the back label, decide to try it and place it in your cart. Was this a random occurrence? Not at all: You’ve just fulfilled the dreams of the person who designed the wine label, and this situation occurs many thousands of times each day. Over the past three decades, wine label design has become both an art and a science. In this episode, Mark first talks to Tom Rodrigues, who designed the famous Far Niente label in 1979 that revolutionized the industry. After that he checks in with Holly Harmon, a designer working in a more modern style, to examine some of the changes and trends that have occurred recently. In both of these conversations, you’ll get an insight into the psychological strategy that makes you reach for that bottle in the wine store.

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Holly Harmon—Link to: http://www.winelabeldesign.com

Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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What do whipped cream, bacon, and peanut butter and jelly have in common? Believe it or not, they’re all popular flavors of vodka. Flavored vodka has exploded in the U.S. over the past few decades, causing some purists to wonder how far the trend will go. Mark interviews Tim Voss, master distiller for Van Gogh Vodka in the Netherlands, to get some insights into how he comes up with the ideas for creating his flavors. He also has a discussion with Charles Steadman, former mixologist for The Breakers in Palm Beach and now owner of Lantana Jack’s, to obtain some insights from the other side of the bar. Are these spirits just gimmicks, or do they form a legitimate part of the bartender’s tool kit?

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LINKS:

Lantana Jack’s—Link to: http://www.lantanajacks.com

Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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Listen to a tale of two Frenchmen. The first, David Henault, is the cellarmaster at Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte; the second is Jean-Jacques Bonnie, son of the owners of Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere in Bordeaux, who is now spending most of his time making wine in Argentina. What do these two men have in common? They are both closely involved with the legacy of traditional wine estates, and they are both adapting to the demands of the 21st century world. Their stories are both similar and different, and both are fascinating.

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Bodega Diamandes—Link to: http://www.diamandes.com

Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

The post Quench! – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte and Bodega Diamandes appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Is the creation and branding of a super-premium spirit any different from marketing potato chips, chocolate chip cookies or nutritional supplements? Gary Shansby, who spent his career developing brands, didn’t think so, and he turned out to be correct. The result was Tequila Partida, one of the finest spirits on the market. Mark explores Gary’s thought processes in an extended conversation, and discusses the steps he took to make his tequila a success. In Bizarre Beverage News, Mark looks at the darker side of branding—the recent decision by Maker’s Mark to water down their bourbon, followed by their public apology, and the effects of the entire debacle on their reputation.

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LINKS:

Tequila Partida—Link to: http://www.partidatequila.com

Iconic Spritis: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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Can the shape of your wine glass affect the aroma and taste of the wine? How can its design impact the way the wine is delivered to your palate? Maximilian Riedel, 11th generation proprietor of the world’s most famous stemware company, expounds his controversial theories to host and skeptic Mark Spivak. On Viewer Mail (emails sent in by listeners who enjoy watching their iPods), we get the skinny on decanting—when you should do it, how long you should do it for, and what the potential benefits are. Interested in the world’s most expensive cocktail, or curious how drinking can extend your life span? The details are revealed on Bizarre Beverage News.

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LINKS:

Riedel stemware and Maximilian Riedel—Link to: http://www.riedel.com

Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to: http://www.iconicspirits.net

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Would you cough up $2,500 for a bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc? That’s what some people are paying at auction for Screaming Eagle: Bizarre Beverage News indeed. On Viewer Mail (mail sent in by people who enjoy watching their iPods), Mark discusses the thorny issue of bringing wine into restaurants. Should you do it, and what is the etiquette involved? After that, he has a discussion with Jim Rutledge, master distiller for Four Roses bourbon in Kentucky, who reveals the strange journey of his brand—from the country’s most popular bourbon to a mediocre brand of whisky and back again, courtesy of the Japanese.

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Yellow Tail, a bottled substance frequently confused with wine, is in financial trouble—could we be lucky enough to see it disappear? Why are the French bent out of shape over a wine served at the Inaugural luncheon? Mark doscusses these stories in Bizarre Beverage News. Then we explore the legacy of Prohibition: Scott Bush describes his quest to re-establish Templeton Rye, Al Capone’s favorite whiskey, as a legal brand; Sean Kenyon discusses the art of bartending as practiced at Williams and Graham, his new American speakeasy in Denver, Colorado.

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Did you know that more than half of the wine sold in the U.S. is controlled by just three companies? Were you aware that there were individuals on the planet spending $1,300 for a bottle of beer? Join Mark Spivak as he explores the ramifications of these strange tales in Bizarre Beverage News. Are you intimidated by a guy wearing a silver tasting cup around his neck? You’ll also hear Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara explain what a sommelier is, what a sommelier does, what it’s like to work at the highest levels of the wine industry, and how he communicates his knowledge to consumers in a clear and understandable way.

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