Wine Enthusiast Podcast

In this installment of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, spirits reviewer Kara Newman reveals what industry insiders are whispering about as Trump's tariffs take hold.

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Every year, Wine Enthusiast releases a new edition of the vintage chart, a tool that's long been critical to collectors. Vintage charts help pinpoint bottles peaking in quality—and those that may be past their prime. The most recent version debuted in the Winter Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 

But in a time when climate chaos—unprecedented periods of drought, heat waves, floods, fire and more—is rampant, how should one read a vintage chart? And can we still trust them?

In this episode of the Wine Enthusiast Podcast, we've tapped Writer-at-Large Christina Pickard for her thoughts. Pickard reviews wines from Australia, New Zealand, England and New York for our publication and has for years been one of the many voices helping craft the vintage chart.

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Wine's impact on health has been under the microscope for the past few years, with numerous headlines citing its cancer-causing potential. Sales are down across the industry and consumption has dropped substantially. 

These stories certainly are fear-inducing, yet many don't paint the full picture. It seems for every study that claims that a glass (yes, a glass) a day will kill you, there's another that has found low- to-moderate consumption of alcohol is fine or can even boast potential benefits. 

So, what the heck gives?

To better understand wine's ride on the wellness roller coaster, we spoke to Wine Enthusiast contributor Kate Dingwall about the whiplash. She's been covering these oftentimes contradictory papers for us over the past year, talking to doctors and researchers about the latest news and reports. 

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It's likely that in many people's minds, water resonates as a neutral, possibly the ultimate neutral. However, water does contain quite a bit of nuance—everything from tasting notes to mouthfeel. Knowing that means understanding that the water you're drinking can affect the taste of whatever you're enjoying alongside it—and that means your wine, too. But to what extent?

In this episode, decorated Advanced Sommelier Arthur Hon and Water Sommelier Martin Riese (as seen on Zac Efron's Down to Earth, Conan and more) enjoyed a curated pairing of Martin's waters and wines provided by Banville Wine Merchants. The conversation is moderated by Amy Racine, the partner and beverage director of JF Restaurants.

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For more than a year now, Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Michael Alberty has been tracking a story about the Oregon Health Authority and some questionable PSAs it ran at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. At that time, the spots—running widely in Oregon—seemed at the very least heavy-handed and ponderous. At the worst, they indicated a growing influence of out-of-state lobbying groups bent on shaping Oregon's health policy.

At that time, another "Dry January" period, we talked about how that particular social media trend had its roots in temperance organizations in Europe and the United Kingdom with much more radical agendas than new year/new you. One of them, Movendi International, traces its beginnings back to the 1800s in America and played a key role in instituting Prohibition (the first one).

Alberty's full story, titled "The Neo-Prohibitionists Are Coming," appears in the upcoming Winter Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Here, we delve into some of the details of his investigation. It's a fascinating lens into the discussion of alcohol and health (and politics) into sharp focus, especially not long after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory on a potential link between alcohol and cancer.

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With Donald Trump set to take office in January, many wine industry folks are wondering what tariffs the president-elect might impose and how they could affect the industry. This time around, we have the benefit of experience—Trump's first term—to guide our thinking. Is it all doom and gloom, or is there any hope on the horizon?

We enlisted three experts to share their opinions: Bertrand Leulliette, a leading Burgundy expert and the founder and president of importer Bertrand's Wines; Michael Laudenslager, the General Manager and Wine Director of New York City Italian restaurant Peasant; and Miguel de Leon, the wine director of New York City's Pinch Chinese.

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Incorporating alcohol into baked goods can happen a handful of different ways, says our latest podcast guest, Jessie Sheehan, a food writer, recipe developer and the author of cookbooks including Snackable Bakes, The Vintage Baker and Icebox Cakes. Her latest cookbook, Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes, made its debut this past September.

In this episode, Sheehan shares how she uses alcohol in three wine and spirits-spiked recipes—a flourless red wine chocolate cake, a spiced pumpkin snacking cake with chocolate bourbon buttercream and a classic Kahlúa-soaked tiramisu.

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Like it or not, there are a multitude of reasons behind why we drink what we drink. What may at first seem like an expression of personal preference is, in fact, a result of the complex interactions between financial markets, social and political movements, climate change and too many other factors to name here. Basically, what you drink is a reflection of the moment you live in.

Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large and spirits reviewer Kara Newman may not have a crystal ball, but she's been reading the tea leaves and recently shared her predictions for how we'll be drinking in 2025. While some build on this past year's trends (tequila's not going anywhere, nor are zero-proof cocktails), others caught us by surprise. 

In this episode, we dig deeper into three of those predictions.

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Professional wine tasting is an extreme sport. Like an athlete, a wine pro's body goes through a lot. And while the recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption are murky and ever-changing, we know one thing for sure: nothing about drinking 3,000 wines a year screams moderation.

This realization led wine reviewer Michael Alberty to reassess his chosen profession as he shared in a recent article for Wine Enthusiast. Spoiler: Alberty didn't step away from wine. If anything, he leaned in.

In this episode, we hear from Alberty himself on what it's like to taste wine for a living and what it means for his health. He shares first-hand insight to his daily tasting routine, the unignorable implications it has on his physical health and how he manages it. 

He also shares his experience finding balance on the extreme side of drinking—a gentle yet encouraging reminder that this looks different for everyone and at different periods of time, including the holiday season.

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Do you believe in ghosts? If the answer is no, these wine-soaked stories might change your mind.

In this episode, we explore spooky tales from some of wine country's most well-loved destinations. First, we take a trip to Trefethen Family Vineyards in California's Napa Valley, where mother and son duo Janet and Lorenzo Trefethen share the backstory of their winery's haunted grounds. Next, we travel to Miles Wine Cellars in New York's Finger Lakes region, where owner Susan Hayes recollects some of her most memorable yet friendly encounters with visitors from the afterlife. Lastly, we visit Belvoir Winery in Missouri, home to its own population of "boos" and booze.

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