Inspired by a question from friend and Patron Amy Payton, this week I cover the history of oak barrels. I go from animal skins in Mesopatamia to modern day barrels, talking about how winemakers decided that oak was the best vessel for wine. I answer her follow up questions too -- How are barrels obtained by winemakers? What happens to them after they are used and are oak barrels sustainable? I learned so much in this show and I thank Amy for the idea.  
 Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 515: The Origin Story of Oak Barrels

A podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it. We talk about wine in a fun, straightforward, normal way to get you excited about it and help you drink better, more interesting stuff. The Wine For Normal People book is available on Amazon! Back catalog available via Patreon membership: www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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These categories of "better for the earth" wines are technical, tricky, and ever-evolving, so I it was time to do an update!   In this show, I do best to break it all down in as simple a way as possible…I cover:BiodynamicsOrganicsSustainable farmingRegenerative agricultureAnd quickly, the loose ends – vegan wine, natural wine______________________________________ BiodynamicI discuss the main principles of biodynamic agriculture – that the farm is a single, self-sustaining organism and the farmer must encourage and guide the vines, as well as protect the soil so provides nourishment for the vines. ​The main certification for biodynamics is DEMETER.   _________________________________OrganicOrganic farming is how farming was always done until the industrial revolution. The new iteration grew out of the biodynamic movement in the 1920s. This method took off in the 1970s and 80s, especially in Europe. Different countries have different definitions of organic…European Union Organic Products/”Bio” in France: Organic wine prohibits most synthetic chemicals or GMOs and uses only certified organic oenological products in the cellar, including organic yeast. Sulfites are regulated. United States. This is a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are prohibitions on the vineyard and the winery, and added sulfites are prohibited. Because of this last prohibition, certified organic vineyards go in and out of the organic certificatioTo make it more flexible, they added the “Made with Organic Grapes” stipulation, which is looser  _________________________________________________________  Regenerative Organic Agriculture Although relatively new, this is likely the future of better for the earth initiatives. Regenerative starts out with the principles of organic but then adds a few other things. Watch this space…    _________________________________________________________   Sustainable Winegrowing  This is the most popular way to do better for the earth viticulture but it’s squishy. Sustainable is a catchall term that has MANY definitions. Examples of certifications:   France… HVE: The French Ministry of Agriculture developed the Haute Valeur Environementale Others... Vignerons Engages Viticulture Durable en Champagne Terra Vitis   California: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing   I end with a quick tour of Natural wine and Vegan wines

 Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! _______________________________________________________________
Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club!

 To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 518: Biodynamic, Organic, Sustainable, Regenerative Wine (and more) -- the Update

This is a special re-release of this very relevant and important show on Earth Day. Jason Haas, perhaps the greenest guy in in wine, joins to discuss the challenges the wine industry faces in becoming gentler on the earth. From regenerative agriculture (which is way less woo woo than biodynamics!) to sustainable transport and packaging, we cover the latest thinking of how to make the wine industry greener and better.
Happy Earth Day all!
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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!
http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
_______________________________________________________________
Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment. As a limited time offer, get $25 off your first TWO shipments of our club! That's $125 for 6 bottles -- an unbelievable deal when go to www.wineaccess.com/normal 

 To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earth Day Encore: Ep 440: Jason Haas of Tablas Creek on Regenerative agriculture, alternative packaging, & improving the environmental footprint of wine

Tax Day in the US has come and gone. Many of us are getting a refund, so if you have a little extra change, here are some great wines to consider.
A few on the list are...Burgundy in red and white: Pinot and ChardPomerol in BordeauxSyrah from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in Walla Walla WashingtonOld Vine Zinfandel from Sonoma, Napa, and Amador CountyChâteauneuf-du-Pape BLANC
 I offer descriptions and explanations of each wine in the show. I hope you enjoy and find a way to spend your tax money! 
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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!
http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

 To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes _______________________________________________________________
Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment (it’s shaping up to be outstanding). 
 Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 517: Wines That Are Worth The Splurge

This week friend, listener, Patron, and wine diva @wineshenanigans and the wine game show @Wineopardy Monica G. joins to  talk with me about wines made by celebrities, aka Celebrity Wines. We run through what they are, how many of them are made and then we discuss specifics. We wrap with our analysis of whether or not we would recommend buying these wines.
We make two caveats:  1.     These are our opinions about these wines – don’t sue me!  2.     Some of these brands are impossible to obtain, so we haven’t had many of them – distribution is spotty
Then we define, explain, and then categorize these wines -- those that are legit and those that are not.
Some of the legit celeb wine brands we discuss are: Francis Ford Coppola, Fess Parker, Brad Pitt/Miraval, Dave Matthews with Blenheim and Dreaming Tree, Pink's Two Wolves, Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback wines, Kyle MacLachlan's Pursued by Bear wines, Kylie Minogue's wines, and Mary J. Blige's Sun Goddess wines.
A fun show! Don't forget to follow Monica on Instagram @wineshenanigans!

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!
http://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

 To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: http://www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes _______________________________________________________________
Wine Access has an amazing selection — once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club in time for the next shipment (it’s shaping up to be outstanding).

 Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 515: The Origin Story of Oak Barrels

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