The Wine is Talking

Don't get us wrong... We can get pretty fanatical about wine at times, too. We just want to make sure that folks who just want to enjoy wine for its pure pleasure, rather than it's immense intricacies, don't feel alienated when the venture out into the world of wine. We haven't been able to locate any meaningful study that breaks wine consumers down into catatgories ranging from "casual drinker" to "hardcore wine geek," but we're pretty certain that the vast majority are consumers who truly enjoy their wine but don't care to overthink it too much.

Hence, when you find yourself in a tasting room trying to discover something new and delicious to enjoy, you may not need to have that enthusiastic person behind the bar drill down to the minute details that may not matter to you. That being said, it is actually a courtesy to let the person assisting you know what your level of interest is so that you fan both be on the same page. And if you feel that you're now getting less information than you want, you can always say, "Tell me more."

Those of us who make our living in the wine business or are perhaps avid collectors, can sometimes get overly enthusiastic about our fermented fare, so never be afraid of saying "TMI." That may be all it takes to have a much more pleasant wine exploration experience.

Do you sometimes get the feeling that there are more rules when it comes to wine consumption and wine pairing than there are statutes in the Tax Code?

Well, that may very well be the case! It is also one of the main reasons that so many wine enthusiasts feel isolated and intimidated! Not only are there a ton of rules, these rules change depending upon who you talk to. That's why we like to have people like Zina the Cheese Lady (also know as Zina the Cheese Goddess) on the show to keep things in perspective.

On today's episode of The Wine is Talking, Zina and David dive into the pool of conventional wine and cheese pairing wisdom and come up with some pearls that will surely take a whole lot of pressure off of you and allow you to enjoy you wine so much more!

Give a listen and let the Goddess of Cheese set you free! Remember, The Wine is Talking is here to set you free! And virtually no one has been harmed or arrested so far! On the contrary, our listeners have a little extra bounce in their step because the don't have to worry about a lot of things that are unnecessarily absurd! Enjoy!

On this week's episode of The Wine is Taking, your host, David Wilson, makes a strong case for changing up your wine loyalties on a regular basis; arguing that we sometimes get to entrenched with old habits an familiar names. Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the show:

Well, there's no question that I'm a big fan of metaphors. I guess it's because they elicit an emotional reaction that enables me to better express how something feels that I have difficulty putting into words. Well, every time I go out to a nice restaurant, I'm reminded of the laser jet printers in my office. You know the printers that cost as little as 50 bucks until you have to buy your first set of cartridges... at around $129! Yep! The printer is your meal. The product of ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of what people really want. Unfortunately, the ink is the wine. It's an essential companion to the meal, but it's usually the single most expensive item on your ticket and just like wine, the ink always seems to run out far too soon. I'm David Wilson with another edition of The Wine is Talking, entitled, "If you can't be with the wine you love, love the wine!

Having traveled extensively around the world, I can say with a measure of confidence that my metaphor works far better in America than other parts of the world where wine is viewed much more as a necessity than a luxury item. There are exceptions, however Now, certainly in places like France where collectors have created a market for luxury wines that are nearly unobtainable by mortals, you'll see spectacular vintages on wine lists that are going to send you into cardiac arrest, metaphorically speaking of course But you're also going to discover that the house wines and many other offerings on the list are sensibly priced and surprisingly sumptuous. Meanwhile, back in America, far too often, budget wines are scarcely a good value. After all, if a wine brings you no pleasure, it's not worth a penny in my book. While most countries produce some form of bulk wine in America, the lion's share of affordable wine is produced millions of gallons at a time.

Yes, it's drinkable and even satisfying, but in my mind it's far better suited for tailgate parties and backyard barbecues than fine dining at a restaurant or dinner party at home. We Americans excel at producing things in great volume, whether it's buying pancake syrup in 55 gallon drums at a big box club store or taking pride in serving umpteen zillion customers under the golden arches. Wine is a massive business in America and the corporatization of our favorite adult beverage has divided wine into two camps; cheap, bulk, and sometimes boring, versus exceptional and expensive. All right. Now before you accuse me of being too black and white about all of this, let me voluntarily admit that there's plenty of middle ground that I'm glossing over to keep things simple. However, true wine lovers tend to have a great deal of disdain for mediocre wine. As for me, I have one and only one position when it comes to consuming wine that I really don't love or at a minimum appreciate. I don't drink it and neither should you. I've devoted the entire second half of my life to helping wine enthusiasts find great wines at great values, and if the price of your wine consistently overshadows the price of your meal and that disparity doesn't work well with your entertainment budget, it's time to get a new game plan! Listen up to learn more!

It happens every day: Wine lover’s remorse. It’s when pricey bottles of wine purchased at the winery just don’t seem as exciting as they were when you were standing in the tasting room talking about terroir, vintages and varietals. That wine couldn’t have been more delicious and you were determined to score a case of it, even if you had to give up lattes for six months to help pay for it.

So what happened? How could something that was so irresistible just a few days before suddenly be singularly unimpressive? Actually, it may not be a problem with the wine. Instead, your disappointment could be the result of a variety of other factors that can have a profound impact on your Wine enjoyment. Once you understand them, there’s a lot you can do to turn something bad into something good, and something good into something great.

Wine is a very complex consumable; rich with nuances that work together to give us enormous pleasure. Unfortunately, those same nuances are tremendously vulnerable to a host of both environmental and psychological factors. Being aware of some of these factors can empower you to enhance your wine enjoyment in a significant way. One final word of caution, however: Overthinking it might be the very worst thing you can do.

Oh goodness! Wine is almost always the perfect adult gift for the holidays... or for practically any other occasion. But if you're not sure what you're doing, or follow the leading of the maddening crowd, there's a good chance that you could end up giving a gift that is singularly unexciting. You don't want that to happen, do you?

That's why we've created this podcast just for you. In this episode of The Wine is Talking, David is joined by the former long-time chef from the Playboy Mansion, William Carter. William has some stunning credentials that make him the perfect go to guy when it comes to getting holiday wine-giving advice. In around 30 minutes, you'll become an expert when it comes to the in and outs of gifting wine.

The discussion includes tips on what varietals to buy, which regions offer great values, and even how to present the gift so that it doesn't get lost among other less inspired selections from less informed givers. Give a listen... then pass this information along to someone you hope will invest in a nice bottle for you! This episode of The Wine is Talking is brought to you by Total Wine and More; the ultimate place to do your holiday wine shopping!

Oh, how far we have come!  There was a time not so long ago that we wouldn’t have even considered drinking a wine with a screw cap, let alone wine sold in a box.  The times, however, are changing… and...

Why are Italian wines such a mystery? Well, consider this... There are actually more than 2000 grape varietals grown in Italy; the number one wine producing country in the world. We're familiar with a small handful of these varietals, but probably 99% of the grapes grown there are completely off our radar.

One fellow who has come to know an awful lot about Italian wines is Paul Cullen. If his name sounds familiar, then perhaps you are a Bad Company fan. Yep, Paul was the bass player for the mega rock group for several years until his passion for food and wine pulled him in a very different direction. Oh, Paul is still playing and singing... but he's doing it while he's pouring your wine and preparing your supper! Paul is still boarding tour busses. They just happen to be in Italy where he takes droves of wine lovers in search of a deeper knowledge of wines from the home of Pasta and Primitivo!

On this edition of The Wine is Talking, Paul joins David in a discussion that will hopefully help you navigate the basics of Italian wines. Oh, to be sure, you won't be an expert by the end of the podcast, but you will most certainly be in a much better position to move up to the next rung of the Italian wine ladder. So uncork a Barbera and let's take off on a whirlwind trip to Italy. The Pasta-bilities are endless!

Rarely will you ever walk into a wine retail shop that doesn’t proudly display shelf talkers calling out the medals won and high scores earned by an elite ensemble of select wines. These accolades can do much to boost a wine’s popularity and countless consumers rely on scores and medals to help guide their buying decisions.

There was a time when Host David Wilson was very wary of what awards really mean. Do they serve as an honest assessment of what awaits us under the cork, or are they random and unreliable?

Over the years, David’s opinions have changed and, in this episode, he pulls back the curtain and shares some of his own insights as a wine judge as well as insights from American winemaker Mark Carter of Carter Cellars who has earned an amazing number of perfect 100 point scores from the world’s most revered wine critic.

By the time this podcast is over, you’ll be able to look upon medals and scores with a great deal more confidence. By and large, there are some very able-bodied folks out there, tasting through tens of thousands of wines and offering their evaluations in hopes of making it less likely that you will spend your hard earned dollars on a stinker.

For the past few years, Rosé wines have been coming on like gangbusters, causing us to think not just about red and white, but also about pink. But just as we've gotten used to separating wines into three major catagories, here comes a hot and heavy 4th! Is orange the new red, white or pink?

Yep, you heard right... orange wine and no, it is not made from oranges! It's actually a method of winemaking that dates back around 6000 years but certainly did take it's sweet time to catch on. Today, however, especially among a growing cult wine following, orange wines are the thing. Think of them like white wines on steroids.

On this episode of The Wine is Talking, David visits with Michael Kirkpatrick of Ruby Cellars; a small boutique winery on California's Central Coast which has become widely known for innovation. Join David and Michael as they give you the colorful tale of an unlikely wine color!

With wine, it’s often all about age. With beer, freshness gives brewers bragging rights. But not so fast! These days, craft beer makers are watching winemakers very carefully. In the world of wine, the term barrel-aged is downright magical… Wines that are barrel-aged definitely cost more money and takes more time to produce, and in recent years, more and more brewers have found a lot to love by studying winemaking success.

Fine wine, particularly reds, can improve appreciably with barrel aging. Not only does the process impart some unique flavors, but it also adds a measure of complexity to the final product. Today, aging beer in whiskey and wine barrels is has become immensely popular, but the relationship between beer and wine gets tighter and tighter every day, and in some very unusual ways.

On this episode of The Wine is Talking Host David Wilson and his guests will look well beyond barrel aging and share with you why the beer and wine relationship has become so significant. Just how tight is that kinship? Well, consider this; The latest movement afoot in the wine and beer realm is the creation of hybrids… yes, beer/wine hybrids.

Joining David in the conversation is the producer of a documentary who visited 80 breweries in 30 days. He’s Jeff Smith, a fellow who offers a ton of insight into the craft beer tsunami, but also the unlikely kinship between beer and wine.

Kicking off the conversation is renowned “Sommelier to the Stars” Christopher Sawyer, who David turns to for the answer to the question, “Has the relationship between beer and wine gone too far? You’ll soon hear the answer on Episode 11 of The Wine is Talking!