A 24-year-old Dutchman came to pick some grapes in Bordeaux on an estate belonging to a friend of his father Eric Albada Jelgersma. He ended up staying for 30 years. Listen in to hear the remarkable story of Alexander Van Beek, Estate Director of Château Giscours. In a frank interview, he talks about the highs, the lows and the practices he has introduced to take Giscours to new heights. He also discusses Caiarossa, the Tuscan property he runs and his approach to bio-dynamic farming.

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Dreaming of visiting the world’s most illustrious wine estates, being treated as a VIP with tours and fine wine dinners and then owning large format rare bottles? Well, stop dreaming and start bidding. Romané Basset talks to Sarah Kemp about the Golden Vine Auction which is going live online on 20th October. 110 stellar lots from Château Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Le Pin lunch with Jancis Robinson, Colgin, Bonneau du Martray, Dom Perignon, Krug, Henschke to name a few. Listen in to hear about some of the fabulous lots and discover how the money will benefit hundreds of people through the Gerard Basset Foundation.

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Sustainability is the buzzword in the wine industry but where is it today? John Stimpfig talks to Rodrigo Soto, one of the earliest and leading practitioners of organic and biodynamic farming who presents his views on best practice and going forward. Soto worked with some of the pioneers of viticulture in California and now runs his own boutique winery, Far Mountain, in the Moon Mountain appellation in Sonoma.

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Burgundy guru Jasper Morris MW, author of Inside Burgundy,  looks at “Making White Burgundy” in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. There are conferences on Pinot Noir but Chardonnay doesn’t get the same attention. Find out why he believes Chardonnay is more of a rugby grape than the ballerina Pinot Noir, and discover his views on when to pick, fermentation and a lot more.

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Listen in to hear the latest news and views from the wine world in this month’s Omnibus. Stories include harvest updates, wildfires in Europe and US, arrests in Champagne,  controversy over To-Kalon name, World Health Organisation anti-alcohol lobby, Pinot Grigio on the rise in Australia, why you should visit the Finger Lakes, plus Coonawarra’s “Wine and Woof Walk” and the great new trend - matching wine to books. Suggestions please of your favourite wine and book matches. Cheers to that!

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Emergency Bordeaux podcast! Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp discuss the news that has sent seismic waves around the wine world- stellar Château Lafleur will no longer bottle under the Pomerol AOC from the 2025 vintage. Why have they done this, what does it mean for their neighbours, and what does the future hold for the producers of Pomerol. Listen in to hear Jane and Sarah’s views.

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Don St Pierre Jnr founded ASC Fine Wines in China with his father in 1996, and pioneered the introduction of wine to a nation of Baijiu drinkers. In our “Great Wine Lives” series he talks to Sarah Kemp about the challenges and how he overcame them. It started with teaching people how to use a cork screw, but with a team of passionate local Chinese employees he built a business selling 3 million bottles a year. It wasn’t easy, he even got thrown into jail for 29 days, and while there had to plan Robert Parker’s trip to China a few weeks later! Listen in to hear the story of this remarkable man and find out why after selling his shares in the company in 2014, and heading to California to buy the majority share in Vinfolio, he has returned to China and bought back ASC Fine Wines.

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Who are the best producers in Barolo? Who are the up-and-coming producers? What does it taste like young and old?  Best vintages? What type of soil? Find out by taking a deep dive into all things Barolo in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Italian guru David Gleave MW.

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Christian Moueix is the winemaker’s winemaker, the man Hugh Johnson called “a reference point to the Right Bank of Bordeaux”. Usually when you say someone is a legend it is hyperbole, but not in Christian’s case, as he has influenced vintners around the world with the viticultural practices he pioneered. For our series “Great Wine Lives” he talks to Sarah Kemp about his extraordinary life, discussing the influence of his father, being in charge of 38 vintages of Petrus, his work at Bélair-Monange, Trotanoy, La Fleur-Pétrus and Dominus, his life outside the vineyard and his one wish. Listen in to hear the man who has completed 55 vintages on the world’s greatest terroirs.

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The FBI, MI6, CIA and a nuclear physicist - all used to find counterfeit wine by Bill Koch, one of the subjects of this month’s Wine Conversation. Plus, the fall-out of the Bordeaux 2024 campaign, aluminium bottles, vintage reports from Chile and Argentina, and much more. Listen in to hear the latest wine news and views.

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