Unreserved Wine Talk

How did a world memory champion, a theatre director, a voice coach, a TV actor, and a professional magician all help one person win the World's Best Sommelier Competition? How do top performers use nerves and adrenaline to their advantage? What do high achievers do when they accomplish the dreams they've been chasing for years?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Nina and Romané Basset, who have j...

How did Gérard Basset discover wine and then go on to become the World's Best Sommelier? What does truly exceptional hospitality look like in practice? How did a man with no fine dining background develop such a deep understanding of what excellence looked and felt like?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Nina and Romané Basset, who have just published a commemorative edition of the book Tasting ...

Is a fully organic future in agriculture possible or even affordable, or are there limits to how far we can go? Why has biodynamics thrived in wine when many of its founder's ideas were rejected in medicine and education? How much of what you enjoy in wine comes from what's in the glass versus your mental perception of what you're drinking?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Alan Ramey, author of...

What might surprise you about the amount of research on organic versus conventional farming when it comes to winemaking? Why are many strong opinions in wine accepted without much challenge or push for validation? Why are traditional wine regions being forced to balance heritage with visibility and branding in today's market?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Alan Ramey, author of the new book, ...

Why do Irish distillers believe triple distillation creates a smoother, more refined whiskey? What makes a whiskey feel warm and smooth on the palate instead of fiery or harsh? Why does the Belfast origin of ginger ale make it such a natural pairing with McConnell's Irish Whisky?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with John Kelly, CEO of the Belfast Distillery Company, responsible for reviving one of ...

What's the hidden meaning behind the opaque ribbed glass at the bottom of a McConnell's Irish Whisky bottle? What made the opportunity to revive McConnell's Irish Whisky important enough to leave a long and secure career behind? How does a master distiller notice that something is off long before anyone else can spot it?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with John Kelly, CEO of the Belfast Distillery...

If your wearable device knows your cortisol level, your heart rate, and the ambient light in your dining room, should it also choose the perfect wine for you? The Romans raved about Falernian. The Georgians were fermenting in clay vessels eight thousand years ago. Could AI finally let us taste what they were drinking? Conversely, can AI write an accurate tasting note for wine still in the bottle before a single human lifts the glas...

Why do some cultures embrace wine as a cultural expression while others see it simply as a beverage? Why do some cultures embrace wine as a cultural expression while others see it simply as a beverage? Can fine wine actually be defined, or is it something subjective to be debated? Why is it so important to identify both the aroma and structure of wines when tasting?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting ...

Why is spitting essential if you want to taste wine seriously? What made Hong Kong's wine boom in 2010 feel both extravagant and generous? Does formal wine tasting language strip the emotion out of wine writing?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sarah Heller.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.

Highlights

How did Sarah's wine career almost end befor...

Should wine competitions give judges the option to say that none of the wines in a category deserve a medal? Why have some classic regions become inaccessible while others remain within reach for wine drinkers? What does it mean for a wine to gain wisdom as it ages?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Neal Hulkower, a PhD rocket scientist, who has just published his first book, Grape Explications.

How can a single bottle of wine completely change your understanding of what wine can be? What makes a wine so remarkable that you can almost taste it again in your memory decades later? Why are people drawn to tasting notes even when words can never fully capture the experience of tasting and smelling wine?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Neal Hulkower, a PhD rocket scientist, who has just pu...

Why did this author start the book with tasting, rather than history, regions or grapes? Was that because you wanted to get right into the sensory experience, rather than maybe some of the drier knowledge? Why is your experience of what tastes good as personal as a fingerprint? When it comes to wine, what do you mean by structure? Why are these important, these structural components? Do you think they matter more than identifying t...

What makes a wine feel soulful, transporting you beyond taste into a deeper emotional connection? What does experiencing harvest firsthand reveal about winemaking that never show up in books? What makes Northern Rhône Syrah come across as black peppery, smoky, and reminiscent of pastrami?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Jordan Salcito who has published Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me,...

What goes into creating a successful international wine brand that tells a story before the bottle is even opened? What does it look like to build a young wine brand vintage by vintage? What makes Bordeaux such a hard place to break into as an outsider?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of the new memoir Vineyard Melody.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www...

How can a wine story rooted in darkness leave you feeling hopeful about your life? Why is France such a symbol of freedom, possibility and reinvention for her? How can discovering France through art, cinema, and wine become an escape into a completely different world?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, One Grape At A Tim...

How did winemakers first figure out how to remove alcohol from wine without destroying it? Why is it so difficult to perfect the flavours and aromas in wine once the alcohol is removed? Why do some non-alcoholic wines keep their fruity aromas while others seem to lose everything?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institu...

What really happens when the world's most expensive wines are tasted blind, without their labels or reputations? Why is the Len Evans Tutorial considered such a valuable experience in the wine world? How did Grenache go from a filler grape to one that producers take seriously?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute ...

How did one Viognier go from the brink of extinction to being planted around the world? Why is the Mistral one of the most miserable experiences for people, yet a saviour for Rhône vineyards? Why is working with bush vines so much harder than trellised vineyards?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Matt Walls, author of the terrific new book The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to the Rhone Valley.

Yo...

Which French wine region banned flying saucers from landing in its vineyards and why is the rule still there? How did the devastating February 1956 frost reshape the southern Rhône into the vineyard landscape we know today? What sets the northern Rhone apart from the south in terms of grapes and winemaking style?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Matt Walls, author of Read more