The Wine is Talking

There are few sayings more cliché than "aging like fine wine." The problem is, not all wine benefits from aging. In Fact, these days, winemakers are creating most of their wines for immediate consumption. Why? Because American's are all about instant gratification and a general lack of patience. OK, that doesn't include all of us, but it's why the vast majority of wines on the market were not created with the notion that they would spend a great deal of time in a cellar.

The Good news is, if you want to experience the joys of aging wines that truly will benefit from cellar time, you'll get the basics that you really need to know in this episode of the wine is talking. Which wines age well? Which ones don't? What characteristics should a wine have that will make it a great candidate for an extended nap? Join your host David Wilson for easy to absorb explanation of the things you need to know to successfully tuck wine away for future and greater enjoyment.

Bio-Dynamic wine is one of winemaking's biggest mysteries. It has deep cosmic connects and is based on strong reverence for natural winemaking practices and regard for the planet. This is a great opportunity to learn what it is all about. On this podcast, Host David Wilson takes you to Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. David's Guest is Nate Winters, the National Sales Manager for Troon whose duties, like others on the Troon team, go far beyond his job description. Why do they bury cow horns filed with manure? What role does the moon play in the grape growing and winemaking process? If you're not aware of Bio-Dynamic winemaking principles, this is going to be a very eye-opening conversation for you. Oh, and here's the best part... Even though some consider it to be winemaking hocus-pocus, the results will certainly convince you that there's something truly magical going on here!

Where do great chefs and winemakers get their imagination and work ethic from? In a delightful conversation with Dan Marca, co-owner of Dancin Vineyard, just a mile or two away from Jacksonville, Oregon, revelations run rampant about the influence Dan and David’s little Italian Grandmothers had on the careers they enjoy today.

If you think old-world values and attention to quality are a thing of the past, you’ll be pleased to learn that simply isn’t the truth and plenty of folks in the wine and culinary world take many of their cues from cheek-pinching Grandmas who could churn out a pasta sauce as masterful as a $500 Cabernet.

Join David and Dan as they reflect on days gone bye and consider just how potent that old world influence really was!

It seems like a simple enough question. What makes a wine good? Well, as you'll learn from this podcast, simple questions sometimes have very complicated answers. This discussion will make your head spin and certainly pique your curiosity as David is joined by nationally-renowned wine writer and editor Sara Schneider. Thought provoking. Counterintuitive. Clever. Many thanks to America's leading wine retailer, Total Wine & More for sponsoring this very unusual episode of The Wine is Talking. Be sure to check out our other podcasts at TheWineIsTalking.com.

I’m David Wilson and for the past ten years, I’ve hosted the number one nationally-syndicated wine radio show.  I also operate a very unusual wine bar.  Time in the trenches has taught me that, regardless of your level of expertise,...

You can try on pants or shoes before you buy them. The guy at the mall food court will even give you a piece of his Teriyaki Chicken on a toothpick before you buy some. With wine, it can be quite a different story. Sure, you can taste wine at a tasting room and some wine bars before you buy, but, too often, whey you buy wine from a retailer, you have to roll the dice and hope that $40 you spent wasn't in vain. Well the good news is, even if the wine is not what you expected it to be, there's a pretty good chance you can fix it! We know! That sounds sacrilegious, but even the biggest names in the wine business are okay with the practice and, in the case of legendary winemaker Michael Mondavi, even encourage doing so. Look... It's your wine. You paid for it, and if you can't return it, at the very least, there's no reason to suffer through it. It's an all new way of thinking about wine, thanks to your host David Wilson, who's established himself as quite a maverick in the wine business by way of his 10-years-running nationally syndicated radio program, Grape Encounters.

You thought you were buying a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. But is that really what's inside that bottle? The truth is, there are literally hundreds of things that can be added to wine to make it more Cabernet-ish or more Chardonnnay-ish. It's the dirty little secret of winemaking that most consumers are totally unaware of. Most of the things that are added to wines are harmless. The problem is, if you think that wine you're in love with is the product of meticulous boutique winemaking, there's a good chance it's more about chemistry instead... which means it's not really the result of excellent craftsmanship, but rather, a coverup using all sorts of things to boost everything from acid to fruitiness. Beyond that, so much of the wine that you purchase at national and regional stores may have found its way to the production facility by way of a tanker truck. That may not bother you, and its really a personal choice because, if you like it, none of this may really matter. Nonetheless, its probably good to know what really is going on behind the scenes of highly commercial winemaking and with the help of world-class winemaker Adam Lazarre, host David Wilson unpacks the often untold truth about big league winemaking. This podcast promises to be a real eyeopener that will prove to be enlightening before you purchase and open a bottle that may not be what you think it is. This episode of The Wine is Talking is brought to you by Total Wine & More. They are definitely the REAL DEAL!