This week I go in depth on one of the best value regions of Portugal -- Alentejo. These wines are mainly blends and they are as easy on the palate as they are on the wallet -- a perfect combo! 

Photo: Vineyards in Alentejo outside of Évora. Credit: WFNP

Located in southern Portugal, a two hour drive east of Lisbon, Alentejo is huge -- representing almost one-third of the Iberian nation. Although in the past the region was known only as the breadbasket of Portugal and as the world's largest supplier of cork (nearly half of the world’s  corks come from Alentejo's cork trees), today the region is experiencing a wine renaissance. After a rocky history, Alentejo has grown and its reputation has expanded with it. 

Known for fruity, lush and plush red blends (about 75% of the wine) of grapes like Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (Tempranillo), Trincadeira, Alfrochero, and Castelão, there are some higher end versions that sometimes contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah as well. The whites are in the minority and are fruity, soft, yet balanced blends as well. The tropical, tangerine noted and soft Antão Vaz is Alentejo’s most important white with Arinto used for acidity, Fernão Pires for aroma and soft textures and Roupeiro for aroma as well. 

Map: Rota dos Vinhos, from the Wines of Alentejo

This show covers all the bases on this fascinating region -- from its turbulent history to the climate, terroir, and the many DOPs that each have a distinct identiy. 

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can’t go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

This is the second in the Greats series on Bordeaux. This time, the first, most southerly, and most famed commune of the Médoc, Margaux. Surely this is one of the world’s greatest regions, with the only major appellation with a château named after the region, Château Margaux.

Margaux is a 1,500 ha/3,700 acre communal appellation on the Left Bank of Bordeaux, 25 km/15 miles north of the city of Bordeaux in the Médoc. Margaux is the largest Médoc AOC, representing 9% of Medoc vineyards and an average of 6.5 million bottles yearly, depending on vintage. Due to its size, the region has varied soils, and that means that as much as people like to generalize about Margaux being elegant and pretty, it’s not as simple as that.

In this show, I cover everything about Margaux -- history, terroir, climate, sustainability, and then the top Châteaux. I break it down into digestible bites and try to convince you that these wines are certainly something that you must try! 

Here is a link to the 1855 Classification

Here are the Châteaux that are open to the public

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can’t go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

Fred Peterson has been making wines in Sonoma County for more than 40 years.  While attending UC Santa Cruz, he took a job in a classmate’s family vineyard in Mendocino County and he found his passion. He left Santa Cruz, and used the rest of his GI Education benefits to attend UC Davis.

Photo: Peterson Winery. Credit: Wine for Normal People

Fred got his bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology in 1978. And after managing vineyards for a large winery in the Central Coast, he moved to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma in 1983. That same year, he planted a vineyard and built his house on Bradford Mountain.

In 1987, Fred hung a shingle on a red barn off of Lytton Springs Road and Peterson was born. The winery is no longer in the red barn, but it remains an important part of their history and is represented on every wine label with a back drop of Bradford Mountain, where the Peterson Estate Vineyard is located.

Photo: Fred Peterson. Courtesy of Peterson Winery

In this (super dorky) show Fred takes us through some of the fascinating history of how philosophies about terroir and soil have changed since he started as a grower and winemaker in the early 1980s and how he has managed to be a leader in sustainable, but not dogmatic sustainable farming and winemaking.  Fred was one of the first voices in Sonoma to promote low intervention farming and winemaking. It shows in the wines!

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can’t go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

On the heels of the tariff show last week, and news that wine consumption is at its lowest point in 60 years, I thought it may be interesting to revisit the US industry structure in more depth. 

As I say in the freshly recorded intro (the show is edited for relevancy too, so it's not a straight re-release) I wanted to carve out the issues for small wineries that are every bit as relevant today as they were when I launched this show in 2018 with Oded Shakked of Longboard and Jim Morris, the Sonoma Wine Guy and frequent pod guest.

Oded Shakked (left) and Jim Morris (right)

As I point out in the intro, the biggest change since 2018? The environment around wine has gotten gloomier: Wineries are closing and being bought up, and small family wineries that aren’t financially viable are done – there are tons of wineries for sale or that are just going out of business. It’s hard to compete in this environment. 

After the tariff show, this show offers another perspective on the wine business – fake brands, ego brands, how the three tier system and score system fails the small producers, and how big wine is trying to take wine to the lowest common denominator – take wine to the lowest level they can get away with to save money. Ultimately, consolidation in American wine is squeezing the producers who built it and who are the backbone of it. Not everyone will make it, and not everyone should make it, but hopefully this show will remind you why we need small producers who are financially viable, and who make unique, great wine. 

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have 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 for wines I select delivered to you four times a year! 

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: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Tariffs have been a hot topic in recent weeks, but this issue has been ongoing. During President Trump’s first term, the wine industry was caught flat-footed when, in 2019, the administration put a 25% tariff on still wines from France, Germany, Spain, and the UK (notably, Italy and Portugal were not included) as part of a trade dispute with the EU over subsidies given to Airbus. It was then that my guests – Ben Aneff and Daniel Posner started to organize and get industry leaders together to lobby Congress and try to explain why these tariffs were so harmful to wine. Those tariffs remained in place through 2021, and although there was relief for the last few years, the US Wine Trade Alliance, which was the body that formed out of the initial tariff crisis, continued to exist with Ben at the helm. 

In this show, I am honored to have the very busy and very awesome Ben Aneff, a native Texan who now lives in NYC and is the Managing Partner of Tribeca Wine Merchants in New York City, named one of “America’s Best Wine Shops” by Food & Wine Magazine, and an “Editor’s Favorite” by Wine Spectator. Ben has been actively involved in the fight against wine tariffs – working with all parts of the industry and Congress, and testifying about tariffs’ effects at the International Trade Commission.  He is the president of the US Wine Trade Alliance

Ben Aneff, President of the U.S. Wine Trade Alliance (USWTA) & Managing Partner of Tribeca Wine Merchants

I also have previous guest and Patron Daniel Posner, owner of Grapes the Wine Company in White Plains, NY. Daniel serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Wine Retailers, a national trade organization founded in 2006, for which he served as President from 2011 to 2019. He helped form the USWTA.

Daniel Posner of Grapes, the Wine Company & Industry Insider

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can’t go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

I think people are feeling a bit of a worry about the economy worldwide, so I thought I’d make some suggestions for inexpensive wines that taste like expensive ones! Almost every wine is below $18, although I put under $20 in the title because it seemed punchier!

I did lots of research to make sure these were way below US$20 in markets across the US and around the world. For inclusion in the list they had to be great wines that I would buy even if they weren’t such great values (and with tariffs, they will be less good values, but still inexpensive). These are wines I drink regularly. Even though there are inexpensive versions of some wines (Fiano, Chianti, etc), I did not include them because I don’t think the inexpensive versions of those are good enough. This list is the cream of the crop below $20.

For each wine I discuss the background, the flavors, and why they are inexpensive (in case you are suspicious!). Some wines included: Picpoul, Crémant de Loire, Côtes de Bordeaux and Argentinean Malbec from Cafayate (different from Mendoza)

Enjoy the list! 

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have 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 for wines I select delivered to you four times a year! 

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: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

In this grape miniseries, I cover one of the greatest yet little known red grapes of Italy: Sagrantino.

Photo: Sagrantino. Source: Arnaldo Caprai

This grape is likely native to Umbria in Central Italy, although there is speculation that it is from more far-flung parts of the globe. Nevertheless, most of the world’s plantings are in Montefalco and the surrounding areas and it is firmly rooted (literally and figuratively) there.

With outrageously high polyphenols, Sagrantino is dark in color, high in tannin,  and needs lots of heat to ripen. Its brambly berry notes contrast with savory herb, smoke, tobacco, and baking spice aromas and flavors to give this wine a sweet yet savory profile that you’d be hard pressed to find in any other bottle.

In the show I review the history of the grape, its behavior in the vineyard, its flavors and aromas, and the various regions in which it is grown, including Australia, warmer parts of the US, Argentina, and Brazil.

Although it requires age to live up to its true potential, Sagrantino is a grape you should try – it is truly one of the great reds of the world and as winemakers learn more about making dry wine from it, it’s only getting better every year.

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can’t go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up! 

As part of the series on the greatest wines in the world, I cover Saint-Émilion on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. With its legacy of winemaking, its unique terroir, and its small producers who are constantly innovating and improving, this region is indisputably one of the top in the wine world.

As with all the regions in "The Greats" series, I go in depth on the fascinating history of Saint-Émilion, the complex terroir, the (convoluted) classification, and the grapes and flavors that are possible from this outstanding "Great."

As promised, here are the Premiers Grands Crus Classes A & B from the 2022 Classification...

PREMIERS GRANDS CRUS CLASSES AChâteau Figeac Château Pavie 

PREMIERS GRANDS CRUS CLASSES B

Château Beau-Sejour Becot Château Beausejour Heritiers Duffau Lagarrosse Château Belair Monange Château Canon Château Canon la Gaffeliere Château Larcis Ducasse Château Pavie Macquin Château Troplong Mondot Château Trottevieille Château Valandraud Clos Fourtet La Mondotte

Sources used:

"Inside Bordeaux", Jane Anson

Les Vins de Saint-Émilion

The Wine Cellar Insider

"St Emilion: True grit", James Lawther, MW Decanter

"Ian D’Agata on the Great Wines of Saint-Emilion: Terroir and Grand Vins, to Be or Not to Be…" TerroirSense

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have 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 for wines I select delivered to you four times a year! 

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: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

This week I take a fresh look at European Classification Systems, going into detail on the history of how and why they evolved, what the current EU scheme is based on, and what the major wine nations’ systems are structured (and how they differ from what the EU would like them to look like!).

I discuss:

• How Europe classified its wines to protect the names of specific products and link them to their place of origin, to the benefit of consumers and producers.
• A history of wine classifications from the monks in medieval Burgundy to the winemakers of Tokaj in the 1600s to Chianti, Port, and Bordeaux in the 1700s and 1800s.
• A detailed look at the evolution of the French classification system. I go through the steps that the French took to prevent fraud, protect the origin of their wines, and ultimately create the system off which the EU system is based.

I address the EU system with its two main categories:

-Wine without a geographic origin (table wine)

-Wine with a geographic origin:

Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): At least 85% of the grapes used have to come exclusively from the geographical area where the wine is actually made. These wines cover large areas, and a lot of grapes and winemaking methods are permitted. There is only a minor influence of place of origin

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO): Every part of the production, processing and preparation process must take place in the specific region. Grapes have to come exclusively from the geographical area where the wine is made. Origin and terroir are essential to the identity of the wine.

Then I review the major countries’ classification categories

France:

• Vin de France=Table wine
• IGP, indication géographique protégée (PGI)
• AOP=appellation d’origine protégée, often called AOC (contrôlée) (PDO)

Italy:

• Vino=Table Wine
• IGP=indicazione geografica protetta, producers frequently use the old IGT = indicazione geografica tipica (PGI)
• DOC = denominazione di origine controllata (PDO)
• DOCG = denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (PDO)
• DOP = denominazione di origine protetta, the new name, conforming to the EU standard that includes DOC and DOCG. DOP is rarely used (PDO)

Spain:

• Vino de España=Table wine
• IGP / VT = indicación geográfica protegida, usually called vino de la tierra (VT) (PGI)
• VC = vino de calidad con indicación geográfica (PDO)
• DO (DOP) = denominación de origen, sometimes called DOP (PDO)
• DOCa = denominación de origen calificada (PDO)
• VP = vino de pago (PDO)

Germany

• Deutscher Wein =Table wine
• Landwein =PGI
• Qualitätswein (also called Qba from the 13 regions, PDO)
• Prädikatswein – Prädikat means special attribute and refers to the ripeness of the grapes and the type of harvest. Pradikat levels:
  • Dry or sweet: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese
  • Sweet (expensive and rare): Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein

Other terms: Trocken is dry, Halbtrocken is “Half Dry” or “Off-Dry, “Feinherb” is an unofficial term for off-dry wine

The VDP is a German marketing organization that includes many of the country’s top producers. Producers can use the VDP eagle and the VDP classifications WITH “Qualitätswein” or “Prädikatswein”

• ·       Gutswein: First wines of a wine year to be bottled and sold, Estate-grown grapes
• ·       Ortsweine:  Village wines
• ·       Erste Lage:  Premier Cru wine from first-class vineyards
• ·       Grosse Lage:  Grand cru  or highest quality German vineyards. Dry wines within this category are called Grosse Gewächs or GG

Portugal (I don’t discuss in the show because it follows the French/EU model)

• Vinho=Table Wine
• IGP = indicação geográfica  protegida, often called vinho regional (PGI)
• DOP = denominação de origem protegida, still sometimes called DOC, denominação de origem controlada (PDO)

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have 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 for wines I select delivered to you four times a year! 

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: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Château Talbot is a 4th Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Julien in the Médoc of Left Bank of Bordeaux. It’s an historic and large property – its vineyards extend over 110 hectares/272 acres in a single block. The story of Talbot is a long and interesting one, but the chapter being written by the current family and management of the Château may be the best yet. With extreme dedication to quality, an eye towards the environment and careful winemaking, Talbot has a focus on making unbelievable wine that overdelivers for the price, vintage after vintage.

In this show, General Manager of Château Talbot, Jean-Michel Laporte, joins to discuss Saint-Julien and Talbot.

Photo: Jean-Michel Laporte. From  Château Talbot. 

We discuss:

• Saint-Julien and it's terroir. We talk about how it stacks up to the other communes on the Left Bank and even discuss comparisons with the Right Bank, where Jean-Michel got his start
• The history and terroir of Talbot. The château is hundreds of years old, but got it's name from an English general who won Bordeaux back from the French in the 1400s!

Photo: The Chai of Château Talbot. From the Château site. 

• Winemaking, aging, their amazing chai (barrel room, pic above), spectacular vintages and how long to hold both the Grand Vin -- Chateau Talbot and the second wine, Connetable de Talbot. We also discuss Caillou Blanc, their fascinating white wine!

Château Talbot makes excellent wines. They are around US $70 and although that will set you back, it is so high quality and over delivers for the price. If you have some extra money at some point, and want to invest in a wine to age,  this is one to seek. I love the floral and dark fruit aromatics, the complexity, the medieval church notes, the earth, and the perfect tannin and acidity.  Saint-Julien is indeed, incredibly balanced, and Château Talbot is a great example of the AOC.

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have 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 for wines I select delivered to you four times a year! 

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: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes