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So much of our tasting energy is spent assessing a particular’s wines aromas and flavours using our sense of smell and what we can detect with our indvidual palates. We rarely discuss the role of appearance, how the wine presents itself, the clues that we can derive from examining intently the liquid in a glass. Emily, Jamie and Doug talk about various aspects of visual appreciation, from the quality of light we taste in (daylight versus artificial, for example), to how appearances can sometimes be deceptive, as well as what find appetising when we look at a wine. They touch...

Wine has been viewed by successive governments as a form of alcohol to be taxed. There is little/no understanding of the importance of wine as an accompaniment to food, but also how taking wine, in the right spirit, can be a civilising influence. Not only has wine inspired poetry, music, and art over the centuries, it is the social drink par excellence, bringing people together, acting as the catalyst for making new friends.
 
In a wide-ranging podcast, Emily, Jamie and Doug celebrate the joy of wine drinking, acknowledging how the flavours in a glass of wine may transport to...

In the final episode recorded in 2025, Emily, Jamie and Doug reflect back on a year of podcasting, where they tackled a variety of topics concerning many different aspects of wine, controversial and otherwise, and celebrate the work that growers do to bring their wines to fruition. They discuss why they particularly enjoy the format of the podcast and the dynamic achieved by bringing different experiences and opinions to the table. Both Jamie and Emily talk about their highlights of the year, especially wine regions that they have visited, whilst Doug reveals his wines of the year. They acknowledge that...

The first is fillet of venison with a simple venison sauce, the second a more intense and challenging (for wine) version supplemented by a beetroot fondant & choux farcie with a cherry, rhubarb and venison sauce. The two wines chosen to do battle (or accompany beautifully) were an elegant Hermit Ram Pinot Noir 2019 from North Canterbury in New Zealand and a youthful aromatic Syrah from 120-year-old vineyard, Hervé Souhaut’s Saint-Joseph Rouge Saint-Epine 2023. Both wines shine on the day, but which is the better match with each dish?

The final match/contest features two ribeye beef dishes, one with an...

Tom presents the three with four courses, each featuring the same dish but presented in distinct ways, the first being a simple rendition focusing on a main ingredient, the second featuring additional elements that echo flavours of certain classic wines. He explains the rationale behind this, and we taste two wines per course, noting how the food affects the wine, and how the wine may affect the food.

Opening a bottle of rarely-seen Dard & Ribo’s Crozes-Hermitage Blanc “K” 2023, an energetic mineral-edged Marsanne and an Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2021 (Tom’s suggestion), we assess how these wines...

Doug and Jamie quiz Emily on her various wine buying roles. Firstly, they ask as an importer, whether all her buying choices governed purely by passion and aesthetic appreciation and how important the commercial imperative is in her wine buyer role. They discuss the significance of positive relationships between grower and buyer, ethical sourcing, the importance of mutual respect, good communication and honest feedback, and about what happens when a wine that has been shipped does not measure up for some reason.

The three then talk about her role as a consultant wine buyer for a hotel group and how...

Emily, Jamie and Doug discuss the commonly held perception that ageing a wine necessarily makes it more complex.

Rummaging around in Tom Fahey’s wine room at The Terrace in Ventnor, Doug, Jamie and Emily come across a treasure trove of exceptional rosé wines. These are highly-reputed vinous wines that transcend our notion of what rosé is and has become synonymous with: light, pale, filtered wines that barely detain our attention, the triumph almost of marketing style over substance (although they have place, of course).

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...