The Wine Conversation

When did you last see a mature bottle of Bordeaux on a wine list? Sarah Kemp talks to Michael Saunders and Robert Mathias MW of Coterie Holding’s wholesale arm Hallgarten and Novum about “The Cellar Series”, an initiative to put mature Bordeaux back on hotel and restaurant wine lists. Listen in to hear how they have persuaded some of Bordeaux’s classed growths to embrace the hospitality industry, and put Bordeaux back where it belongs, on the table.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

In our final episode of The Judgement of Paris, Sarah Kemp and John Stimpfig discuss the impact of the historic tasting, and discuss with Patricia Gallagher, Bo Barrett, Brian St Pierre and Hervé Berland how it affected the world’s wine industry. We find out from Bella how Steven viewed it, and hear from Steven himself on why, for him, wine is a way of life.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

“We weren’t always welcome because they thought we were French”. Bella Spurrier recalling her trip to California with Steven while sourcing the wines for the Judgement of Paris. Listening in to part two of the History of the Judgement of Paris to hear the remarkable tale of how the tasting came about, and how the wines were chosen. In this episode, Sarah Kemp and John Stimpfig talk to Bella Spurrier, Steven’s wife who accompanied him on his trip to California, Patrica Gallagher, Steven’s director of the Academie du Vin who came up with the idea for the tasting and Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena who remembers the visit (he was told to clean the cellars and disappear by Mike Grigich). Unmissable recollections from the people who were actually there.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

“We weren’t always welcome because they thought we were French”. Bella Spurrier recalling her trip to California with Steven while sourcing the wines for the Judgement of Paris. Listening in to part two of the History of the Judgement of Paris to hear the remarkable tale of how the tasting came about, and how the wines were chosen. In this episode, Sarah Kemp and John Stimpfig talk to Bella Spurrier, Steven’s wife who accompanied him on his trip to California, Patrica Gallagher, Steven’s director of the Academie du Vin who came up with the idea for the tasting and Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena who remembers the visit (he was told to clean the cellars and disappear by Mike Grigich). Unmissable recollections from the people who were actually there.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

The most significant wine tasting in history celebrates its 50th anniversary. Join us for the first episode in a special four-part series on “The History of the Judgement of Paris”, hosted by Sarah Kemp and John Stimpfig.  Exclusive interviews with Bella Spurrier, Steven’s wife, Patricia Gallagher, director of the Academie du Vin, Bo Barrett, owner of Chateau Montelena, Brian St Pierre, media director at the Wine Institute of California in the 70s and Hervé Berland, ex- Managing Director of Château Mouton Rothschild, and a recently discovered audio of Steven Spurrier discussing how a tasting in Paris changed the wine world. Listen in to hear from the people who were there, and made it happen.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to Omnibus for this month’s biggest wine stories with John Stimpfig and Elin McCoy. Find out what the talk of Napa Valley is,  discover Elin’s Bordeaux 2025 wine of the vintage,  how Spring frosts have affected Champagne, which wines are hot in New York and much more.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

As Bordeaux châteaux start to release their prices for the Bordeaux 2025 vintage, Sarah Kemp talks to Tom Burchfield, Head of Market intelligence at Liv-ex about the market, and asks the all-important question – what needs to happen to make this campaign a success? Listen in to find out how the market is right now, which château released and has been a success, and the key criteria for making the campaign a success.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp are halfway through the Bordeaux 2025 tastings, with Jane having tasted over 500 wines, and Sarah trying to catch up with 250. Listen in to hear their thoughts so far on the vintage, find out what’s new this year, and a sneak preview of some wines that have impressed. There is a special subscription discount offer to www.janeanson.com site, which will have full tasting notes and analysis of the vintage released on April 30th. Wine Conversations listeners can save 15% by entering the code GEP2515.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp are halfway through the Bordeaux 2025 tastings, with Jane having tasted over 500 wines, and Sarah trying to catch up with 250. Listen in to hear their thoughts so far on the vintage, find out what’s new this year, and a sneak preview of some wines that have impressed. There is a special subscription discount offer to www.janeanson.com site, which will have full tasting notes and analysis of the vintage released on April 30th. Wine Conversations listeners can save 15% by entering the code GEP2515.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

First report on Bordeaux 2025 from Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp. In their first En Primeur podcast they describe the vintage, which despite on paper looking like 2022, is in fact quite different in character. 2025 has the lowest yields since 1991, and neither Sarah or Jane can remember a vintage quite like it. Concentrated fruit and low ph are two of its characteristics. They believe you can’t make generalisations about appellations; this really is château by château. Listen in to hear their first thoughts on Bordeaux 2025.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Wine consumption is at its lowest since the early 1960s, and one reason is that the younger generation isn’t drinking wine. One company that is addressing this is Goedhuis Waddesdon, the bluest of blue-chip British wine merchants, who have set up The Goed Wine Collective, a club for under-35-year-olds. Sarah Kemp talks to the company’s Harry Tennant and Tilly Loughton, both in their 20s, on how the club works (spoiler alert – it’s free), how they recruit young members, the events they put on, and the language needed to engage their generation. A fascinating look into the under-35-year-old fine wine mindset.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear Sebastien Pradal talk to Elin McCoy on how he came to be the wine consultant to the hit Apple TV series “Drops of God”. As the wine consultant, he worked with the script writers and actors to ensure that all the facts and wine details were correct, as well as choosing the wines and winery locations. A fascinating conversation on how this hit wine TV drama came together. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

John Stimpfig reports on the latest releases from Isole e Olena, one of the great estates of Tuscany.

Jane Anson discusses the extraordinary relationship between the USA and Bordeaux as the US begins to celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence. Listen in to hear about the Founding Fathers' love of Bordeaux, and why Jane believes that Benjamin Franklin rather than Thomas Jefferson was the true advocate for Bordeaux. Discover the châteaux which had US connections and meet the extraordinary people in Bordeaux who helped the War of Independence.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Join David Gleave MW for a deep dive into the wines of Barbaresco in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. Discover the vineyards to look out for on the label, the best producers and the upcoming names to watch. Expert advice from one of Italy’s foremost authorities.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in for our latest 10-Minute Masterclass on Chassagne-Montrachet with Burgundian guru Jasper Morris MW author of Inside Burgundy and www.insideburgundy.com. Discover the vineyards to know, the producers to watch, the four bands of Premiers Crus, its terroir – and find out why it is frowned upon for producers to marry someone across the main road!Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

“We are having a reckoning of the US wine industry.” Elin McCoy reports. Vineyards being pulled up, wineries for sale, wineries closing, exports falling, grim news from the US in this month’s Omnibus. There is, however, a bright spot – Taylor Swift’s love of Sancerre has made the wine fly off the shelves. Elsewhere, John Stimpfig reveals that the EU and New Zealand have concluded trade agreements with India (the first took two decades, NZ’s agreement took 9 months), a big market opens up for and Indian wine lovers can look forward to more choice. In Argentina the government has torn up 973 out of 1207 wine regulations. Plus get your running shoes out for the first Napa marathon. Listen in to Omnibus to hear all the latest wine news and views.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

“I would say St Estèphe is one of Bordeaux’s most exciting appellations right now” Listen in to our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson to find out why she believes this is an appellation worth looking out for. Find out about its history, the producers and the names to look out for.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

He is known around the world as “Mr Riesling”. He fired the workforce during his first vintage, threw a book of how to make wine at the one person left, and started his mission to restore Riesling’s fine wine reputation. The man, of course, is Ernst Loosen and he talks to Sarah Kemp for our “Great Wine Lives”  series. Frank, funny and totally unmissable.More information at wine-conversation.com

Discover the amazing people visited and great wines drunk when Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp visited Tuscany on the inaugural Tuscany Connoisseur Week. Find out which wines (and producers) captured their hearts and why Tuscany is now top of the list for wine collectors. Glorious armchair travel to one of the wine world’s most exciting regions.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to our first Omnibus in 2026 for all the latest wine news and views with John Stimpfig, Elin McCoy and Sarah Kemp. This month, we look at Michelin’s new wine guides where they are reviewing producers, not wines, and ask how are they actually going to work? Artificial intelligence has entered the wine world with ChatGPT recommending wineries to visit, with predictable results. Burgundy has had a bumper few months in the auction world, we review the main events of 2025, say goodbye to some great wine names, check out the fraud scene and welcome terroir-driven Chinese wine in the US. A bumper edition to start the New Year!Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp discuss their 2025 Wines of the Year. After a year of travelling the vineyards, going to tastings and dinners, they have both chosen eight wines, and a few are on both of their lists. Jane’s top 50 are on her site www.janeanson.com and full tasting notes of Sarah’s choices are on www.wine-conversation.com From legendary wines to good value wines, find out what has thrilled them this year.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Time to clear your shelves, or build some more, as Brian St Pierre recommends the best wine books to buy this Christmas. Whether you want to armchair travel, start learning or deepen your knowledge, he has found a great book for everyone. The perfect Christmas present for a wine lover, or even better, yourself. Listen in to hear The Wine Conversation’s best wine books to buy in 2025.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Another action-packed Omnibus with John Stimpfig and Elin McCoy reporting on the latest news from the wine world. This month we look at the 2025 harvest in Europe and North America, find out why Chablis is selling out in the US, and discover the latest research presented at The Old Vines Conference, plus the industry hits back at the anti-alcohol lobby and much more.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

A very special podcast. Listen in to hear Jane Anson describe the historic tasting of Bordeaux’s 1945 First Growths at Kensington Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 11. Jane was the only journalist present and she gives her impressions of the wines, the background to the vintage, and the extraordinary people who made it (including German prisoners of war). Plus, your chance to taste the 1945s by bidding for the 1945 tasting lot at the Golden Vines Auction taking place on Friday 7th November. Liquid history!Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

A 24-year-old Dutchman came to pick some grapes in Bordeaux on an estate belonging to a friend of his father Eric Albada Jelgersma. He ended up staying for 30 years. Listen in to hear the remarkable story of Alexander Van Beek, Estate Director of Château Giscours. In a frank interview, he talks about the highs, the lows and the practices he has introduced to take Giscours to new heights. He also discusses Caiarossa, the Tuscan property he runs and his approach to bio-dynamic farming.More information at wine-conversation.com

Dreaming of visiting the world’s most illustrious wine estates, being treated as a VIP with tours and fine wine dinners and then owning large format rare bottles? Well, stop dreaming and start bidding. Romané Basset talks to Sarah Kemp about the Golden Vine Auction which is going live online on 20th October. 110 stellar lots from Château Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Le Pin lunch with Jancis Robinson, Colgin, Bonneau du Martray, Dom Perignon, Krug, Henschke to name a few. Listen in to hear about some of the fabulous lots and discover how the money will benefit hundreds of people through the Gerard Basset Foundation.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Sustainability is the buzzword in the wine industry but where is it today? John Stimpfig talks to Rodrigo Soto, one of the earliest and leading practitioners of organic and biodynamic farming who presents his views on best practice and going forward. Soto worked with some of the pioneers of viticulture in California and now runs his own boutique winery, Far Mountain, in the Moon Mountain appellation in Sonoma.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Burgundy guru Jasper Morris MW, author of Inside Burgundy,  looks at “Making White Burgundy” in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. There are conferences on Pinot Noir but Chardonnay doesn’t get the same attention. Find out why he believes Chardonnay is more of a rugby grape than the ballerina Pinot Noir, and discover his views on when to pick, fermentation and a lot more.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear the latest news and views from the wine world in this month’s Omnibus. Stories include harvest updates, wildfires in Europe and US, arrests in Champagne,  controversy over To-Kalon name, World Health Organisation anti-alcohol lobby, Pinot Grigio on the rise in Australia, why you should visit the Finger Lakes, plus Coonawarra’s “Wine and Woof Walk” and the great new trend - matching wine to books. Suggestions please of your favourite wine and book matches. Cheers to that!Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Emergency Bordeaux podcast! Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp discuss the news that has sent seismic waves around the wine world- stellar Château Lafleur will no longer bottle under the Pomerol AOC from the 2025 vintage. Why have they done this, what does it mean for their neighbours, and what does the future hold for the producers of Pomerol. Listen in to hear Jane and Sarah’s views.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Don St Pierre Jnr founded ASC Fine Wines in China with his father in 1996, and pioneered the introduction of wine to a nation of Baijiu drinkers. In our “Great Wine Lives” series he talks to Sarah Kemp about the challenges and how he overcame them. It started with teaching people how to use a cork screw, but with a team of passionate local Chinese employees he built a business selling 3 million bottles a year. It wasn’t easy, he even got thrown into jail for 29 days, and while there had to plan Robert Parker’s trip to China a few weeks later! Listen in to hear the story of this remarkable man and find out why after selling his shares in the company in 2014, and heading to California to buy the majority share in Vinfolio, he has returned to China and bought back ASC Fine Wines.More information at wine-conversation.com

Who are the best producers in Barolo? Who are the up-and-coming producers? What does it taste like young and old?  Best vintages? What type of soil? Find out by taking a deep dive into all things Barolo in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Italian guru David Gleave MW.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Christian Moueix is the winemaker’s winemaker, the man Hugh Johnson called “a reference point to the Right Bank of Bordeaux”. Usually when you say someone is a legend it is hyperbole, but not in Christian’s case, as he has influenced vintners around the world with the viticultural practices he pioneered. For our series “Great Wine Lives” he talks to Sarah Kemp about his extraordinary life, discussing the influence of his father, being in charge of 38 vintages of Petrus, his work at Bélair-Monange, Trotanoy, La Fleur-Pétrus and Dominus, his life outside the vineyard and his one wish. Listen in to hear the man who has completed 55 vintages on the world’s greatest terroirs.More information at wine-conversation.com

The FBI, MI6, CIA and a nuclear physicist - all used to find counterfeit wine by Bill Koch, one of the subjects of this month’s Wine Conversation. Plus, the fall-out of the Bordeaux 2024 campaign, aluminium bottles, vintage reports from Chile and Argentina, and much more. Listen in to hear the latest wine news and views.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Hannes Myburg talks to John Stimfig for our series “Great Wine Lives” about growing up and then running the iconic South African Meerlust estate, which is celebrating its 50th vintage. Discover how he became a paid clapper at fashion shows in Paris which led to an internship at Château Lafite and how his father was the first to develop Bordeaux blends in South Africa, inspired by a trip to Bordeaux. Meerlust has only had three cellar masters in its history and Hannes discusses their contributions as John Stimpfig reports on a vertical of Meerlust back to 1975.More information at wine-conversation.com

Find out why the Connoisseur Week is Sarah Kemp and Jane Anson’s favourite week of the year. Five decades of Haut-Bailly, Ausone 61 in magnum, Haut Brion 98 and Mission 2000, learning about green harvesting with Christian Moueix at Bélair-Monange, matching vintages of Yquem with exquisite dishes, private dinner at the Musée des Beaux-Arts with Liber Pater, the world’s most expensive wine, magnums of Troplong-Mondot 1983, 2005, Clos du Clocher 1947, just some of the memories they look back on. Listen in for armchair wine porn.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Optimism is a rare commodity in the wine world today. Listen in to hear why Adrian Bridge of the Fladgate Partnership is optimistic, and what his belief has created in Porto and the Douro valley. Listen in to hear a fascinating interview on how belief helped create a vibrant tourist industry and after 333 years of Taylor’s port, the company is still innovating. Plus, why he believes you can compete on brands but not climate.  In partnership with The Fladgate Partnership.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Twenty years ago, three branches of the Rothschild family decided to create a brand new Champagne House. Why did they do it, how did they do it? Listen in to hear Philippe Sereys de Rothschild talk to Sarah Kemp about the creation of Champagne Barons de Rothschild, the challenges they faced as outsiders from Bordeaux and what the difference is between running a First Growth Bordeaux and a Champagne House. Also joining Sarah is Guillaume Leté, the Cellar Master, who discusses the work in the vineyards and cellar, all in the pursuit of elegance, balance and quality.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to hear Jasper Morris MW take a deep dive into the wines of Beaune in our latest 10-Minute Masterclass. In this episode, he explores the Premier Crus (there are no Grand Crus), discusses the taste of the reds and whites, reveals the Premier Crus to look out for. He describes Beaune as “the wine lovers’ centre of the universe”, reveals his favourite restaurants and the best places to visit when you are there. Unmissable.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to Omnibus for this month’s wine news and views and it is fast moving news this month as the roller-coaster tariffs cause chaos in the wine industry;John Stimpfig reports on their effect. The Bordeaux En Primeur campaign is under way and we look at the prices being offered, who is selling, and who isn’t. Big company news from Constellation, Moet Hennessy, and Majestic plus the world’s oldest surviving wine which was harvested at the time of Christ.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Mike Ratcliffe, one of South Africa’s most dynamic producers, talks to John Stimpfig for our series “Great Wine Lives” He discusses growing up at the family’s Warwick Estate where his mother was known as “South Africa’s First Lady of Wine” and how he co-founded Vilafonté with Zelma Long and Phil Freese when he was relatively young. “They took a chance on me” he tells John. Listen in to hear his remarkable story and his quest to make a great red blend, a South African Grand Cru, and why he thinks South Africa needs more premium producers.More information at wine-conversation.com

The verdict is in! Listen in to our final podcast on En Primeur Bordeaux 2024, where after three weeks of tasting Jane Anson delivers her views on the vintage. Discover how it compares to other vintages, and find out her all-important recommendations on whether to buy or not. Also, don’t miss out on her 15% off offer to new subscribers (open until the end of May) where you can read her detailed tasting notes on over 750 wines.  Special code EP152025.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

“A challenging year” – total agreement from two of Bordeaux’s most experienced directors, Frédéric Faye of Château Figeac and Alexander Van Beek of Château Giscours. Difficult flowering, rain in September, there was a lot to cope with. They talk to Sarah Kemp about how they approached the 2024 vintage, and why terroir and team work were the keys to success.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Listen in for Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp’s first impressions of the Bordeaux 2024 vintage after tasting (Jane has already tasted 500 wines, and Sarah over 250). Both agree this is not a vintage to buy blind, and there is much to discuss, as it is a vintage where generalisations are out of the window. Though only 2/3rds of the way through the mammoth tasting, Jane picks out some good value successes and Sarah names a few of the vintage’s stand-out wines. Jane’s report will be released on the Thursday after Easter but for an early view, tune in now.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

Justin Gibbs, co-founder of Liv-ex, talks to Sarah Kemp about the Bordeaux market and discusses the issues facing En Primeur, and why the pricing of the 2024 campaign is a crucial moment for the Bordelais. Listen in to hear his views and what he thinks needs to happen for Bordeaux En Primeur magic to return.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

On the eve of the 2024 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Sarah Kemp talks to David Thomas of Bordeaux Index, the man responsible for selling millions of pounds of Bordeaux En Primeur worldwide. He discusses who the Bordeaux buyer today is, how and why En Primeur sales have declined dramatically over the last fourteen years.  Listen in to the man who really knows what Bordeaux lovers think,  and what he believes the châteaux need to do to make the 2024 campaign a success.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

In our first En Primeur Bordeaux 2024 podcast Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about the weather conditions that forged the 2024 vintage in Bordeaux. It was a challenging vintage for the producers and Jane discusses which soils she expects will cope best, why it is important to look at the weather conditions and yields before tasting and reveals why she thinks there may be a nice surprise for consumers.Find out more at wine-conversation.com

“Elbows up” in Canada as the Canadian wine industry reacts to the US tariffs. Sarah Kemp talks to Don Ziraldo, leading Canadian vintner who co-founded Inniskillin, and helped establish the Vintners Quality Alliance. He reports on how the tariffs have propelled the creation of VQA Canada, and how it should be in effect by summer. Listen in to the man who says , “We’re not normally this aggressive as Canadians, but this has really riled us up.”Find out more at: wine-conversation.com

Listen in to our latest Omnibus for all the news and views from the wine world. Elin McCoy reports on Trump’s tariffs, and the negative effect they are having on the industry, while John Stimpfig discusses the exciting new developments on combating smoke taint in grapes. Plus John and Sarah Kemp argue over the launch of Grange La Chapelle. John sees it as a welcome spotlight on Syrah/Shiraz while Sarah questions the environmental impact of flying grapes to Australia, and that’s before she gets to the price! Join us for an hour of strong views and today’s wine news.Find out more at wine-conversation.com