Wine for Normal People

This week I cover Lodi, California, an historic wine region in the Central Valley of California that has been growing grapes since the 1850s. Located 40 miles /64 km south of Sacramento and 90 miles/ 145 km east of San Francisco, Lodi is an often overlooked wine region, despite the fact that it has been recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1986. Lodi AVAs. Source: Lodi Winegrape Commission Lodi certainly doesn't lack for vineyard land --today the region has 100,000 acres/ 40,500 ha planted to wine grapes, with 750 growers, 80 wineries, and about 65 tasting rooms. 20% of California's total wine is made from Lodi grapes. The AVA also has the highest concentration of old vines in California. Photo: Bechthold Vineyard planted 1886. Credit: Randy Caparoso, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Although the region is known for big, juicy, high alcohol Zinfandel Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and red blends, the real secret is that with a library of 125+ different varietals growing, Lodi is doing a lot of experimentation with alternative varietals and some of it is pretty cool. Lodi has a few tricks up its sleeve. In this show, I cover all of the details of Lodi from the history, to the climate and land, to the AVAs, and the wine styles. I mention some key producers, and then I wrap with some of the challenges that Lodi faces and the opportunities it has in front of it. A fun show and a new way to look at a Wine region that you may be thought you knew all about. Source for this show was primarily the excellent site of the Lodi Winegrape Commission: 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

In this show I go back to basics (the last time I covered this topic was in 2011 -- episode 7!!) and discuss the differences between the terms New World and Old World. Although it seems totally basic, there has been controversy over using these terms, with some writers saying they are antiquated, non specific, and need to be replaced. I disagree. I discuss the usefulness of the terms and why they should still exist as terms in wine from three main perspectives: Here are links to the articles that I mention: Climate, Grapes, and Wine: Terroir and the Importance of Climate to Winegrape ProductionA New Reason to Embrace the "Old World / New World" Explanation of Wine by Tom WarkThe anti-flavor wine elite, WineLovers Page 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 show is a refresh of Episode 371 with a new take! In October of 2025, I visited Croatia on a scouting trip with my friend Brett from Walk & Wine Croatia (check them out and take a trip with them! Marija and Barişa are the best guides!) to see if there was a possibility of me hosting a patron trip there! It was a fantastic trip and I learned so much about the country and the wines. Photo: View from Rizman Winery. Credit: WFNP Just two weeks before I went, Patron, listener, wine educator, previous pod guest cohost (Ep 522 -- the Wine Movie Podcast), Bevis Sydney, visited to Croatia on a family holiday. He and I compared notes and they were nearly identical. I enlisted his help to do this show as a look into our shared perceptions -- great and less great. I cover all the basics in a brief review on the country and then Bevis and I do a deep dive into the main grapes of Dalmatia and beyond. We come to the conclusion that the whites Grk and Poşip are the best wines we tasted, and the red Babiç has some potential. Photo: Kastel Sikuli is a great winery in Dalmatia. Credit: WFNP Here are the links to things we reference: Walk & Wine Croatia (check them out and take a trip with them!) Stockists: Croatian Premium Wine Imports (US)Vinum USADanch & Granger (formerly Blue Danube, US)8 wines (UK and US)Wine & More 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

If you haven't seen the Apple TV Series "Drops of God", you must change that quickly. This is, in my opinion, the single best wine show/movie ever done. It's not hokey, it shows wine in a realistic and good light, and it's a cool story. The show, whose first season dropped in 2023, won the International Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series and has been praised for its beautiful cinematography, skilled acting, and accurate portrayal of certain elements of the wine world. It's actually based on a Japanese manga series of the same name that was wildly popular. Season one was so successful that Drops of God was renewed for a second season, which is currently unfolding week after week on Apple TV. Season one is still available for you to watch if you missed it. In this show, I sit down with Sebastien "Seb" Pradal, who was the man behind all the wine knowledge in this show. He worked with the writers and actors to get all the facts and details of the wines right. Although he won the very prestigious Best Young Sommelier of France in 1997, Seb took the entrepreneurial route instead of working as a somm. He leads a wine distribution and consulting agency, owns the fine dining restaurant La Petite Régalade in Paris, where he showcases French gastronomy and highlights independent producers and cool wines, and he imports French wines into Mexico and Colombia. He was selected by the writers working on "Drops of God" to help them make the series true to the wine world in a non-snobby way. He was charged with making all wine-related activities authentic, and we worked closely with the actors to teach them about wine, wine tasting, and the wine world (he told me offline that the actors now order and drink wine regularly and know their way around a list!). This podcast will give you a rare glimpse into why this show is so successful in portraying the wine world when many others have fallen short. And that glimpse really is all about Seb Pradal and his contributions to the show. He is a delightful person and shares some fun insider information about the inner workings of how a production of this caliber gets made. As promised, here are the links we mention in the show: La Petite RégaladeMarani Ruispiri, Giorgi AladashviniLignage and Clos du Tue-Boeuf 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!

In the show I discuss these two outstanding appellations that once were Greats in Bordeaux and should be once again -- these are wines we should all be drinking more often, especially at the price we pay (you can get a great bottle for US$30). Located at 44.5°N, northwest of the city of Libourne, Fronsac and Canon Fronsac sit on Bordeaux's Right Bank, overlooking the Dordogne River. These two red-wine-only appellations share some of the best limestone terroir in Bordeaux. And despite the beauty and high quality of the vineyards that cover rolling hills and plateaus, AOC Fronsac and the much smaller AOC Canon Fronsac to the south, are praised by critics but virtually unknown by wine lovers these days. This is even more surprising when we consider that historically, Fronsac was every bit, if not more respected than its way more famous neighbors, Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. But after losing most of the top vineyards to the phylloxera epidemic/French wine blight in the late 1800s neither appellation regained the status they once had. That means today they have enormous untapped potential: savory and high-quality wines that aren't sold at prices they merit, and a lack of investment to help the region shine, despite it having all the ingredients to do so. Despite the prime location and the ideal terroir and historic legacy, the wines remain one of Bordeaux's best secrets: fruity, complex, and full of bright acidity that, thanks to the cooler limestone soils and long growing season. With climate change, these wines are poised to be successful – they hold up beautifully even in hot years – but will we give them the chance? Here links to the Expression de Fronsac list of producers and Château George 7, my friend Sally Evan's winery that you should visit! 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!

This week I discuss the current challenges facing wine due to climate change. I cover some strategies the industry is undertaking to address the major issues -- from vineyard and tech solutions to new varieties (Pilzwiderstandsfahige Reben or PiWi grapes!). Then I cover emerging regions that are doing a surprisingly great job making innovative wines! From Normandy, France to the UK, Tasmania, and countries in Scandinavia, you will get a great idea of what is happening on the cutting edge of wine! As promised, here are some names of Danish and Swedish Vineyards: Denmark: Dons Cuvée Brut is award winning Sweden: 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

After 14 years, I felt like it was probably time to do another show on Zinfandel! Known as America's heritage grape, the story of the quest for its European origins is like a mystery novel with an interesting end. It is a great grape and so historic! Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 In this show I cover the massive history of the grape and the unbelievable decades-long search for its origins, which were finally discovered after a dogged group of researchers did a painstaking investigation. I move on to discuss the vineyard and winemaking. Much of the information I got was from one of the kings of Zinfandel in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma, Fred Peterson of Peterson Winery. Fred started his career in wine working under the very famed Paul Draper at Ridge, before starting his own winery. Fred has been making Zinfandel for more than 50 years. His estate vineyard is outside his front door and has Zin in it. He sources from other vineyards, and makes low intervention, excellent Zinfandel in different styles. I share all the wisdom I got from my conversation with him, including the stylistic differences in winemaking and vineyard management and how that shows up in the wine. Check out Peterson Winery! After discussing the grape and cellar, I talk about flavors, styles and where the grape is grown. I end with a disucssion of serving temperatures, aging, and food pairing (Zin is so versatile!). You can call it Zinfandel, Primitivo, Tribidrag, Pribidrag, or Crjenak Kaštelanski, but whatever the name, I wish more people were into Zinfandel. It's such a storied and truly great grape. Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ Check out my 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

Many, many years ago (like 15 years ago when I started the pod! ) I did a bunch of shows to define terroir. This was when there was a lot of controversy over whether or not terroir was "real", with people lining up on various sides – terroir is a bunch of bunk made up by snobby French people, wine from anywhere can be made to taste the same regardless of place, the winemaker is more important than the land, and on the other side – terroir is magic that can't be explained, only European wines have a sense of place, etc., etc. In this show I discuss some of the newer definitions of terroir that most of the world has settled on, as well as the finer points that are still argued. I address how the concept of a sense of place came to be, and specifics of what's included in the definition, and then wrap with my views on terroir. 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 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!

Located about 2.5-3 hours southwest of Washington DC, in the southeast of the United States, the Monticello AVA is making world class wines that you need to know about! Photo: Afton Mountain Vineyards. Credit: WFNP Although California is the state for which American wine is known, the first place to tirelessly attempt to make premium wine was, in fact, Virginia. In the land Thomas Jefferson, the greatest wine advocate in American history, called home, the third president never realized his dream of making great wine. But in 1976 a couple of prominent Italians made a go of it and since then, the wine of the Monticello AVA, located In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia, has gone from strength to strength. In this show I discuss the history of how the Monticello AVA of Virginia finally was able to make good wine on a difficult terroir. I talk about the particulars of the climate and (very diverse) soils, the grapes that grow here (yes, it's mostly Vitis vinifera), the challenges of the business of wine in the Monticello AVA, and then I give my list of top wineries and go into some detail about what makes them great. Monticello is an evolving story, but it only has upside. If you haven't had the wines from here or visited and you get an opportunity to do one or both, I really recommend it! It's beautiful and the wines are world class (if you stick to my recommendations, there are still people learning here…😂). 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

As our last in the series of the Greats of Bordeaux, I tackle Pomerol -- land of the hedonistic, silky, velvety, complex wines. The name of the game in Pomerol is terroir, and what the excellent, dedicated producers do to express it in the glass. I cover the history of Pomerol, its variable terroir and what that means for the wines, discuss the main grapes in the blend, viticulture and winemaking and then go over some of the top châteaux: Petrus, Le Pin, Château Lafleur, Château La Conseillante, Château Trotanoy, and more! 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

Thanksgiving is one of the most difficult meals to pair with, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try! Source: Canva This year, for one of our weekly discussion questions I asked the Patrons how many wines they would be serving with their Thanksgiving/holiday feasts and the answer was overwhelmingly 2-3. Given that, in this show I talk about combinations of two wines you can purchase for your table that will pair with many types of Thankgsivings. Some examples: If your dishes tend to be on the sweet side… honey glazes, marshmallow sweet potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, etc Off-dry Riesling or Vouvray (although butternut squash soup with a kick could do well with a regular Gewurztraminer) Reds: Grenache, GSM blends from Rhône, California, Australia, etc., Garnacha from Spain, Zinfandel Asian-influenced Thanksgiving Aromatic whites: Alsace Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Torrontés, or Viognier Fruity reds with low tannin: For smokey or braised meat: New World Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, Garnacha. For something especially smoky: Saumur-Champigny from Loire Desserts....Pecan Pie: Tawny Port, Madeira, Pedro Ximenez Sherry From Getty Images via Canva There are these ideas explained and so much more packed into the episode. Listen, take what you want leave the rest! Please know that I'm grateful to you for listening and your loyalty to me and the show!! 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

Just in time for the holiday season, I review the five ways to get fizz in a wine (on purpose) -- and the wines that result. I discuss regions and styles of different wines in each of the three major categories: Ancestral Method/Pétillant Naturel, Méthode Champenoise/ Metodo Classico, and the Martinotti/Charmat/Tank Method. From Col Fondo to Method Cap Classique to German Sekt, I offer you new possibilities and sparkling wine types you may not know or think of off the top of your head, but which are all great in their own right and many which are ridiculously affordable (and yes, it's way more than just Prosecco and Cava!). Photo: The "Underground Cathedrals" in Canelli, a UNESCO site Source: Alta Langa DOCG 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

At the suggestion of Patron John D., in this show I give you a list of 10 great winter whites and review each in detail! I discuss the varied styles, since most regions have multiple versions of these wines, and how to get the bone warmers, not the light sippers. I offer food pairing ideas to boot! From white Burgundy to Poşip to Savienníeres and Fiano, I've suggested a great white bottle for almost every week of winter! I hope you find the list useful. 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 time in the grape miniseries -- a refresh on one of my all time favorite grapes -- Riesling. This versatile grape has a long history of quality, and is highly misunderstood by most people. I review the long and noble history of the grape, starting in 1435 and talk about how it wound up in places like the US and Australia, where it makes world class examples. I cover Riesling in the vineyard, in the cellar, and what makes a wine sweet or dry. I even explain a bit about the International Riesling Foundation scale! I hope this overview gives you a new apprecaition for this grape that can be dry, sparkling, off-dry, sweet, and everything in between. 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!

Lying just south of the city of Bordeaux is one of the oldest winemaking regions in the Bordeaux AOC -- Graves. Graves, along with it sub appellation of Pessac-Leognan are covered in this show as two of the great of Bordeaux. Graves has a wine history stretching back to 100 BCE when the Romans first settled this area and realized that its gravelly (graves=gravel) soil was excellent for viticulture. That was the start and Graves has been continuously making wine for more than 2000 years. I discuss this wonderfully historic area, some of the challenges that it has faced, and the things that make it so special. Map: Vins de Bordeaux After discussing Graves, I take on Pessac-Léognan, the northern area of Graves, just south of the city of Bordeaux. It is the home of the most famous châteaux of the southern Left Bank including Haut Brion, the first growth in the 1855 classification. As with all "The Greats" shows, I cover the history, terroir, grapes and winemaking, and then discuss key châteaux but after this show I encourage you to seek out a bottle of the larger Graves AOC and Pessac-Léognan to see the similarities and differences between each of these regions. I think you will then understand why Pessac-Léognan is so different, in spite of the fact that it is part of Graves! 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

I happen to be in Sicily with a group of Patrons (this could be you if you join Patreon!). While I was in Verona at Wine2Wine, in 2019, I had the honor to speak with Alessio Planeta, President at Assovini Sicilia and Owner at Planeta Winery For five centuries and through seventeen generations, Planeta has been active in changing and improving agriculture in Sicily. Alessio Planeta has spent his life dedicated to the study of Sicily and figuring out how to make it a significant force in world wine. With his family, Alessio now has six wineries around Sicily, and they have almost single-handedly put Sicily on the map as a quality player. Planeta 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 time I revisit a show from long ago on Wine Etiquette. In this Back-to-Basics episode, I cover the three main places you would use etiquette - a dinner party, a restaurant, and a tasting room. I address: The Dinner Party: What to bring a host, a good welcome drink, whether or not to open a bottle that a guest brings, the etiquette of what to do with the last glass in the bottle, and the point in the night to serve your best wine. I also talk about the proper way to pour, how high to fill a wine red or white wine glass, and whether or not to display a bottle you have decanted. Source: Des Moines Register The Restaurant: I review every step of wine ordering from perusing the menu to looking at the cork to approving the wine. I discuss the interaction with a sommelier and what to do with large groups, and how to handle a restaurant that serves less than fresh wine by the glass. I touch on giving the waiter a taste of a special wine and some ideas of what to do at a BYO restaurant. Tasting rooms: When to make a reservation, what to wear, tasting room fees, spitting, commenting/ask questions, and the most pressing question people have: what to tip tasting room staff. I tried to cover everything, but if you still have questions, feel free to reach out! 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

You will get no better primer on Santa Barbara wine country than in the show. Wes Hagen comes on to school us on his region. Ask anyone in Santa Barbara wine about Wes Hagen and they'll tell you he is a legend. He has worked in Santa Barbara wine for 30+ years as a vineyard manager, winemaker, hospitality specialist, wine educator, and sommelier. He has run prestigious vineyards , made wine in amazing wineries (Clos Pepe, J. Wilkes Wines, Miller Family Wines), and then became the go-to guy for creating American Viticultural Areas in Santa Barbara, writing and getting four AVAs approved between 1997-2019. He is also a noted educator, having lectured at many of the top viticulture and enology schools in the US and he is known for his famed TED talk on the History of Wine. Image: Wes Hagen. Credit: Wes Hagen Wes is currently the brand ambassador for Native9 wines, a brand representing the Ontiveros family’s 9 generation of California farmers. In the show Wes educates us on Santa Barbara geology and climate, the various Santa Barbara County AVAs and what each grows, the process of petitioning for an AVA, the Santa Barbara wine country culture and how the movie "Sideways" affected it, and his reasons for believing that a downturn in the wine industry is "doom and room", rather than "doom and gloom"! You are guaranteed to learn a ton about Santa Barbara in this show! Info on how to contact Wes: Wes Hagen is available through to help guide you through planning a Santa Barbara Wine Adventure: wes@native9.com or text him at 805-450-2324. Wes's web site: www.weshagen.com Learn more about Native9 Wines at www.native9.com Vineyard Tours and 'Deep Dive' tastings with Wes are available at Native9 by appointment: BOOK A TOUR - https://www.exploretock.com/native9 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!

It’s been 13 years since I’ve done a grape miniseries on Tempranillo, so it was high time! This grape has come a long way in a decade +, proving that it has more nuance, terroir driven finesse, and versatility than it gets credit for. Tempranillo is now the third most widely planted wine grape in the world, at 231,000 ha/570,000 acres. It is not widely grown outside of Spain but there are growers in 17 countries making a go of it. That said, 88% of Tempranillo’s vineyard area is in Spain and most of it is in the northern central parts, with Rioja and Ribera del Duero as the shining stars. Photo: Getty Images via Canva In this show, I go over the DNA and history of the grape and I discuss the many, many names it has. I talk about how it reacts to terroir and its behavior in the vineyard, and why it is so uniquely suited to the special areas in Spain where it thrives. I talk about winemaking and its effect on the grape and then I dive into the aging criteria of Spain (Generico, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva) before going over the specific regions in Spain, Portugal, and the New World in which this grape does amazing things. This is one of the most important grapes in the world, and the mini-series is packed with info! Enjoy and go try some different wines, you will be surprised at how different they are based on all the factors I mention in the show. You can test yourself to see if you can figure out if it’s the land or the hand of man that has an effect! 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 finish up the communal appellations of the Médoc for our "Greats of Bordeaux" series with Moulis! Map: Wines of the Médoc Although the communes of Moulis and Listrac are often seen as one in the same because both are inland and neither is adjacent to the Gironde River/Estuary, this grouping is a mistake. The wines of Moulis, especially from the Grand Poujeaux plateau next to Margaux, can rival or exceed the quality of the wines from the big name communes on the river -- Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac, and Saint-Estèphe. Moulis is varied and not all the wines grow on the top terroir, but those that do make exquisite, ageworthy wines that are undervalued. Châteaux like Poujeaux, Chasse Spleen, and Maucaillou make top wines for relatively low prices. I spend most of the show on Moulis but also cover Listrac. Listrac, in my mind is not one of "The Greats" but it is historic and important. I review the commune and try to point out some of the main reasons I think Moulis and Listrac are so very different, with Moulis earning top billing over Listrac. This is the final in the Médoc Greats! We have covered Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac, Saint Estèphe, and now Moulis. We will move to Graves and Pessac-Leognan next, before ending where we began this series, on the Right Bank! Enjoy!! 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