
Free Daily Podcast Summary
by Elizabeth Schneider
A podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it. I talk about wine in a fun, straightforward, normal way to get you excited about it and help you drink better, more interesting stuff. About half the shows feature guests and are informal but educational discussions between me and a passionate wine friend – they aren't interviews. All guests are personal friends or friends of friends in wine so like any conversation between friends, we'll talk back and forth, interrupt each other, laugh and have fun, debate tough questions, voice our opinions, and most of all, enjoy sharing our time together and with you!
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This is part two (Ep 609 is Part 1)of a two-part series on the history of Champagne, which tells the story of how Champagne became Champagne! Photo: Champagne Vineyards Credit: WFNP I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole when I discovered an entire encyclopedia of the history of Champagne on the Union des Maisons de Champagne site. It was the equivalent of 200 pages of information on Champagne from its origins up until the 1980s and was detailed and fascinating. In this show I cover: The innovations of the 1800s that made Champagne sparkle on purpose with consistency and the contributions of the Veuve (widow) Clicquot The effects of phylloxera on Champagne The Champagne Riots World War I and German occupation part 1 The Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, and the effect of Prohibition World War II and German occupation part 2 Post war, rebuilding, UNESCO status, and a commitment to the environment Enjoy! Source of all this fascinating info is... 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! Go to wineaccess.com
This is part of a two-part series on the history of Champagne, which tells the story of how Champagne became Champagne! Photo: Champagne vineyards before mechanization. Source: Union des Maisons de Champagne I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole when I discovered an entire encyclopedia of the history of Champagne on the Union des Maisons de Champagne site. It was the equivalent of 200 pages of information on Champagne from its origins up until the 1980s and was detailed and fascinating. I tried to cull it down, but the information was just too vast and too interesting not to share! So this will be a two-parter. In this show I cover: The origins of the Champagne vineyard with the Romans in the late 400s through the Middle Ages The 13th Century when Champagne was used in the coronation of the French kings and began its life as a wine for royalty The changes from feudalism to sharecropping through the 1500s, with all the ups and downs in the fortunes of the region The grapes of the time and the first major innovation for Champagne – Vin gris – making white(ish) wine from red grapes The contributions of Dom Perignon to Champagne Photo: Statue of Dom Perignon Source: Victor Grigas, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The role of the English in making a market for sparkling wine, and making the necessary accoutrements to hold a sparkling wine, as well The effects of the French Revolution on Champagne that still exist today The grapes and how they evolved over the centuries in Champagne I take you up to the 1800s, when the real Champagne innovations start to happen. That will be in Part 2, along with details on how Champagne took over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries! Enjoy and Part 2 will be here before you know it! Source of all this fascinating info is... 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! Go to wineaccess.com/wfnp to sign up!
Barbera is one of Italy's most widely planted red grapes and an essential part of Piemontese wine culture. It is native to the Monferrato hills, where it has been grown for centuries and important to the overall wine landscape of the region. Adaptable, drought-resistant, and capable of producing everything from bright, food-friendly, everyday wines to serious oak-aged bottles, Barbera has spread beyond its homeland — to California, Argentina, Australia and more. A grower's and winemaker's favorite grape for its easygoing nature in the vineyard and the winery, in the glass, Barbera takes many forms. From acidic and fruity to oaked with darker fruit and spice, it is food-friendly, pairing with everything from braised meat to pizza. As in all the grape miniseries, I cover the DNA of the grape (a fairly recent discovery and kind of a funny story), its history, its behavior in the vineyard and winery, aromas and flavors of the grape and regions in Italy and abroad that make Barbera. Much has happened with Barbera since I last discussed it in 2018 -- take a listen and hear the latest! 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. To celebrate the impending end of our partnership, Go to wineaccess.com/wfnp and use coupon code WFNP26 to get a discount of 10% if you've never ordered before!
In this show rather than one wine legend, I talk about a team of people who saved the wine world from The Great French Wine Blight of the 1860s – 1890s, which turned out to be caused a destructive, insect called phylloxera that came to Europe on American grapevines. I discuss the contributions of eight people who worked together and across continents to collectively save the European grapevine, Vitis vinifera, from extinction. Today, we drink Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Syrah all because of the efforts of these people. This podcast is the story of what they did and how they did it. I discuss the contributions of: Jules-Émile Planchon Gaston Bazille CV Riley Hermann Jaeger George Hussman TV Munson Leo Laliman Pierra Viala All played key roles in identifying the cause of vine death in France, and finding the solutions that would work best. This is an important story of wine legends all wine lovers should know about! 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! 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 couldn't get a new podcast out with my travels from Alto Adige with the patrons, but I thought it was timely I re-released this show since I was just there. It's not ALL old hat -- I did a light edit, improved the sound quality, and recorded a quick intro to this re-release of Ep 310: Elena Walch - The Quality Revolutionary of Alto Adige, Italy. Elena Walch is a winery with an essential role in the quality revolution of Alto Adige, Italy. Alto Adige is in the northeast corner of Italy and although it is one of the smallest Italian regions (0.7% of wine production) it has a nearly unlimited variety of wines that offer delicate, unique flavor profiles. Photo: A view of Alto Adige from my travels Located south of the Alps, in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains (where the ice mummy was found!), vineyards here are planted steep slopes, river valleys, and some warmer plains. The vast differences in microclimates and soils in this sloping terrain make wines that have ample fruit but beautiful acidity that keep them crisp and bright. In this show I talk to Karoline Walch, the head of the winery and daughter of founder Elena Walch. She teaches us about Alto Adige, and then discusses the amazing story of her mother and how she changed the orientation of the region from bulk to quality. Photo: Julia, Elena, and Karoline Walch from www.elenawalch.com 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! wineaccess.com/normal to check them out!
After a career in global consulting and raising a family, Sally Evans decided to pursue a dream of owning a winery. She took WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) wine courses and traveled to Bordeaux to explore the city and its appellations and discovered Fronsac (on the right bank, Episode 593 is on Fronsac!), which captured her heart. Photo: Sally Evans. Courtesy of Ch George7 She went for it – she bought a small plot in 2015 and decided to build a new château from scratch. She found the right plot, and the right people and that château today is the award-winning Château George7. She makes two other reds besides her main wine and a white Bordeaux. Sally has offered us a discount if you order 12 bottles of wine to be shipped to you from www.chateaugeorge7.com -- you get 15% off and the price on the site includes everything -- wine, shipping, taxes, etc. Code WFNP is good no matter what country you order the wine from! Chip in with a friend or buy a case for yourself! Support the work of this wonderful person (Sally) making wonderful wines (Château George7)! Because she is so smart and ambitious, Sally didn't stop there, she wrote a best-selling book to help other people who are questioning what to do in midlife, called "Make The Midlife Move: A Practical Guide to Flourish after Fifty".We also discuss her book -- a must read, especially for women making a midlife change. It's a practical guide to help people reimagine their lives. Here's the blurb from Sally on what it covers: "I lead you through: the process of defining your dream, dealing with those inevitable fears then building the confidence to take the leap, and flourish in the new chapter, no matter what your midlife move entails. It shares the realities of a major midlife change - my journey from corporate life and Mum, to creating a wine château in Bordeaux from scratch. I hope my story and the practical guidance in this book inspire you and other women (and why not men?) to embrace your midlife transformations with confidence and passion." Sally was on the podca
This episode is part of "The Greats" series, in which I discuss the greatest wines in the world and what makes them great. This time, I explore the top white Burgundies of Corton-Charlemagne, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet. I address what makes these wines Greats and go into detail on the regions, the vineyards, and the wines. 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! Go to wineaccess.com/wfnp to sign up!
This time I give you six wine regions that make very expensive wines and then provide ideas of less expensive bottles that you could sub in when you don't want to splurge. From Champagne to Barolo, I give you some ideas that hopefully you hadn't considered! The wines I find alternatives for (you'll have to listen to hear the wines I recommend as "dupes"): Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Champagne Pomerol (Bordeaux) Barolo/Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) Red Bourgogne/Burgundy (Pinot Noir) Chablis I promise -- I came up with some unusual and cool wines for this! Enjoy it! And go to Grapes the Wine Company to shop for all of these! 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! 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
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A podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it. I talk about wine in a fun, straightforward, normal way to get you excited about it and help you drink better, more interesting stuff. About half the shows feature guests and are informal but educational discussions between me and a passionate wine friend – they aren't interviews. All guests are personal friends or friends of friends in wine so like any conversation between friends, we'll talk back and forth, interrupt each other, laugh and have fun, debate tough questions, voice our opinions, and most of all, enjoy sharing our time together and with you!
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