Alto Adige, in the far northeast of Italy, is a small wine region that makes incredibly high quality reds and whites. In this episode I discuss the unique terroir, grapes, and mixed culture of this region, with its heavy Germanic and Austrian influences.

I cover:

• The long history of Alto Adige wine
• The varied soil types and geology
• The range of climates and growing conditions
• The unique grapes (including Kerner, Schiava and Lagrein)
• The DOCs and subzones of Alto Adige

A truly beautiful and unique Italian wine region, and one I hope I've convinced you to explore!

Copyright: Wines of Alto Adige

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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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 is a grape mini-series like no other! This time I untangle Malvasia, which I share is not a single grape at all, nor is it even a family of grapes. This ancient grape has unknown origins and, in many respects, is more of a brand name than a grape.

I cover the history of how the many Malvasias got their single name, discuss some commonalities in growing conditions (they are at least all Mediterranean!), and then call out the specific Malvasias of quality from Friuli, Tuscany, and Sicily in Italy; in Madeira, Douro, Dão and Colares in Portugal, and in the Canary Islands and Rioja in Spain.

Photo: Malvasía de Rioja. Credit: Rioja DOCa

I wish I could say this was a straightforward grape mini-series, but this will take many twists and turns -- hopefully I served as good enough navigator to help the ride be a little less bumpy!

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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 me or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Napa Valley is unquestionably one of the great wine regions of the world. Located about 50 mi/80 km north of San Francisco, Napa is renowned for its decadent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and its glamourous, fancy and expensive tasting rooms. Napa only represents 4% of California’s wine grape harvest, but it holds the highest reputation among all US regions.

But the region isn’t all show – it has excellent terroir to make world class wines.

Photo: Napa Valley Vineyard. Source: Pixabay

Napa Valley stretches southeast to northwest for approximately 35 miles (60 km) from just north of the San Pablo Bay to the northern reaches of Calistoga. Nestled between the Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges, the Valley is about 4 miles wide at its widest point. It contains half the soil types in the world and its mountains, benchlands, and valleys have so much diversity that each wine made here reflects a different character.

In this show I go over the history, the geology and terroir, the main grapes and wine styles, and then I go into detail on the 16 American Viticultural Areas in Napa and what to expect from each.

This is a comprehensive look at this great wine region of the world that made the reputation of American wine as we know it today.

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'm joined by Patron and friend Steve Tocco is the wine buyer and manager of a fine wine store near Boulder, Colorado -- Atlas Valley Purveyors (yes, I've been there!). He is great at what he does -- creative, community oriented, great palate -- basically he is the wine guy we all want!

I asked him to come on the show to share tips on how to best work with a local wine retailer to create great relationships that lead to better wines.

We discuss:

• How to figure out your shopping style
• How create a relationship with your wine shop person
• How to glean what someone knows so you can decide if you want to go back to the store
• Corporate buying v. small retail
• Important questions to answer before you go into a shop (and if you don't ask those quesitons, what the wine shop person should ask you!)
• How to take advantage of discounts and special things the store may offer

It's a fun show and a great checklist of things to look for to make sure you find the right local shop for you!

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 features an overview of an essential place in the wine world: South Australia. There is much to learn here but I try to break it down into what is important to know. The show is somewhat heavy on history, since that is an essential part of why South Australia is important today.

South Australia is an Australian state located in the central south of the continent that refers to itself as Australia’s “Wine State”, and rightfully so: it produces 50% of all bottled wine and about 80% of the country’s premium wine. Most large wine companies (8 of the 13 continuously operating wine companies in Australia are here), many small wineries and almost all the official wine trade organizations, including Wine Australia, the government body responsible for regulating and promoting Australian wine, and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), which plays a crucial role in wine research, are based in South Australia.

South Australia consists of 18 regions, and although I address most of them, I also point out that there are a handful that are essential to truly knowing about South Australia: Barossa, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra, and McLaren Vale.

Map: Wine Australia

This is a bit of a whirlwind show, but hopefully it gives you a flavor for this famed, and essential corner of the wine world. My hope is that heard one or two things I said that you may not have known and that you seek out those wines. Australia is under appreciated in the US, especially, and when you get a good one, it is usually unbelievably good!

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

Touriga Nacional is, beyond a doubt, the most important, praised, and discussed red grape in Portugal. An essential part of Port and the dry wines of the regions of Dão and Douro, this powerful grape has spread throughout Portugal and has captured the imagination of winemakers from Australia to South Africa to California and more.

Photo: Touriga Nacional. Credit: Unsplash

In this show, I go through the highlights of this beautiful grape and talk about how it went from near extinction to the Queen grape of Portugal.

I review the origins, vineyard habits, aromas and flavors, and then discuss the specific places the grape grows and why it thrives where it does.

Touriga is not just a fantastic grape, it will be an important factor in dealing with our changing climate. Take a listen to the show and see why this grape is so outstanding.

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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

Bandol is arguably the most important appellation in Provence at the southeastern tip of France. Although it makes white, this very small region is known for its ageworthy reds and rosés made mainly of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault.

In this show I review the long history of Bandol from the Greeks to the real estate agents of today, and talk about the various terroirs in this appellation. I talk about the grapes, why Mourvedre makes such a big difference in allowing the reds and rosés to age, and some ideas of flavors, producers, and how long to age these wines.

From the Rosés of Southern France by Liz Gabay, MW and Ben Bernheim

Since these are rosés that can age and ones that have more robust flavors, I wanted to do this show in the winter. I think it’s good for us to think about different ways to look at pink wine, especially high-quality pink wine! And considering Bandol a multi-season wine is a great step in that direction!

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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