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Emily, Jamie and Doug discuss the implications of climate catastrophe and assess what strategies producers can use to make balanced, drinkable wines such as replanting vineyards in different locations and changing the mix of grapes. They look at the research into disease-resistant hybrid varieties and PiWis and ask whether planting more of these might assist growers dedicated to low-impact sustainable farming.

To illustrate the nobility of a hybrid variety the trio crack open a bottle of La Garagista’s Vinu Jancu Reserve 2018, a profound amber wine made by Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber in Vermont from the La Crescent grape...

Emily, Jamie, and Doug ask how critics approach the process of judging the quality of an individual wine. The three talk about ratings and marking systems and question their validity. Are they a useful shorthand or a distraction from the real thing (the taste of the wine)? We question what happens when critics taste prestigious cuvées and rare wines and whether feel confident enough to give these low marks when they truly disappoint.They talk about collective tasting and the dynamic of the tasting panel, where a group comes together to calibrate their taste.

Finally, they discuss the language we use...

Wine experts Emily Harman, Jamie Goode, and Doug Wregg talk about the very nature of perception itself, how we may be influenced (and deceived) by the colour of wine, how ambient sound and even our feelings at a given time can alter our sensitivity and receptivity towards a given wine.

They remark on the different approaches to (blind) tasting according to whether you’re a relative novice or a full-fledged wine professional. The trio explore the relative notions of subjective and objective assessment and ask whether it is right for appellation boards and judging panels to set a standard for taste...

Join Emily Harman, Jamie Goode, and Doug Wregg as they talk about why wines are becoming more expensive and ask what constitutes value-for-money these days.

The trio examine wine margins in restaurants, question why they are (undoubtedly) increasing and explain some of the reasons why this may be the case. We mention some of our favourite places to drink good value wine and why progressive mark-ups encourage customers to drink more interesting wines. Conversely, fixed gross-profit margins are pushing more and more wines out of the pocket of the average consumer. They observe that emerging regions and lesser-heralded grape varieties...

Jamie, Doug and Emily look at different types of wine “vessels” ranging from stainless tanks to various types of wooden barrels and finally concrete vats and terracotta pots (amphorae, qvevri and so forth). They talk about the art of the cooper and suggest that (used sympathetically) oak barrels can both shape the wine as well as being the conduit to transmit a sense of terroir, whereas clumsy use of wood will obfuscate the true nature of the wine.

The gang taste three examples of wines fermented and aged in different vessels. Firstly, a clay-fermented-and aged 2013 Muscat from the De...

Join Doug Wregg, Emily Harman and Jamie Goode as they discuss wine icons, wine unicorns, and the secondary market.

Join Doug Wregg, Emily Harman and Jamie Goode as they discuss the pros and cons of the appellation system.

Jamie, Doug and Emily attempt to define the slippery concept of terroir and surmise how a specific place (microclimate, aspect, biodiversity and soil) may be transmitted into the final wine and why it might be desirable for wines to convey their origins.

Join Doug, Emily & Jamie as they dig into the topic of wine flaws and faults.

Meet our three podcast amigos: Doug Wregg, Emily Harman and Jamie Goode. Learn about their journey from humble amateur wine sleuths into the professional wine world. This is a getting-to-know you session; expect plenty of gentle banter. Halfway through the trio taste a 2017 Laski Rizling from Zorjan, a biodynamic and natural producer making wine in Stajerska region (Slovenian Styria) and marvel at its unique golden-amber colour, textural depth and almost rustic soulfulness.