The time to make your opinion heard is now. The US Trade Representative's Office is taking public comment on a proposed 25% tariff on European wine. We've been hearing about a couple of different tariffs (the proposed 100% hike on sparkling wine was particularly upsetting) and this week the president of the US Wine Trade Alliance sorts out the hows and whys- showing exactly how a tariff like this can hurt American small businesses already reeling from the economic crisis in the wake of COVID- 19.
Once judged for its pinkish hue, rosé presents a cooling option for those who swing red in their wine preferences. This week Gina and Julie try a few lesser known grapes that look cute when they blush.
Back in January, Gina and Julie got to sit down and talk with Jean Charles Boisset of the Boisset Collection. We were at the Naples Winter Wine Festival and this was before COVID-19. Little did we know that the ebullient winemaker would become our virtual BFF for happy hour as we all quarantined (or Sip In Place, as Boisset likes to say). Then came the past week and a half of unrest. Listening back to this interview, it feels like this is a good moment to hear from a Frenchman transplanted to Napa.
Chardonnay is a many- splendored grape. Let's talk about her in the many forms she takes; lean, acidic minx, full-figured diva.
In this episode of Grape Minds we travel to one of our favorite wine regions in the US, Oregon. This is the month to celebrate Oregon wines, and we get a guided tour from Gary Horner, the winemaker at Erath Winery in the Dundee Hills.
E-Commerce and direct-to-consumer sales surged over the past six weeks as people "Sip in Place" while "Sheltering in Place." Some states and municipalities are easing restrictions on wine shipping and delivery, while several wine clubs and wineries are waiving shipping fees. It's an opportuity to get hard-to access wines, subscribe to clubs to support your favorite producers, or just ask your local wineseller for a curbside pick-up assortment.
While on Coronavirus lockdown, Gina and Julie have moved operations from the studio to the kitchen table- with a respectable six foot distance between- to talk wine. Today's theme is Earth Day- highlighting a natural wine from Westminster called Seeds and Skin. We also try an easy-peasey Chardonnay from Raeburn winery, and a second East Coast entry - a Malbec - from Biltmore Estate.
There are few names that can turn heads like Ferrari- but don't let the car distract from the incredible wine of the same name! Gina and Julie had the opportunity to talk with Matteo Lunelli whose mountain-grown sparkling wines; Ferrari Trento are among the top in the world- and we're not just talking about altitude.
In honor of President's Day, we bring you a full-on geeked-out history deep dive on the wine that Thomas Jefferson loved; Limoux. Sure, this day is more about Washington and Lincoln, but being a wine podcast, we decided to talk about the wine in the cellars of Monticello, the drinking habits of Revolutionary times, and what Thomas Jefferson envisioned for the future of wine in the USA.
When a guy names his wine "Sexual Chocolate" after the band in Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," you know you're in for a ride. In this episode of Grape Minds, Julie and Gina talk to Brandon Allen, the man behind the delicious San Luis Obispo, CA line-up, SLO Down Wines, famous for its irreverent marketing (Commando chaps in the cellar anyone?) and wines that any serious wine snob can appreciate.
