A podcast that looks beyond the glass to the stories of wine making, culture, and the history of the world’s most intriguing beverage. Hosts Julie Glenn and Gina Birch interview winemakers, talk with importers, and dig into the issues and nuances of wine in the modern world while always keeping it down to earth.
Episodes
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
The stacks of Beaujolais Nouveau cases have arrived in local wine stores, and Gina and Julie grabbed one of the first bottles in the area to gave it a whirl- alongside a year-old Beaujolais (not Nouveau, but definitely not old).
Friday Nov 15, 2019
Friday Nov 15, 2019
This week we're talking about the wine that will grace our tables of gratitude on Thanksgiving day, from breakfast through the feast. We also hear from wine maker Ian Burch of Archery Summit in Oregon. Plus, we have a little taste of Cline Zinfandel. Just because.
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
With the Kincade Fire 88% contained, wineries in Sonoma County are open for business. In this week's Grape Minds, Gina and Julie get the latest from, Jordan Vineyard and Winery about how the fire and smoke could impact what's shaping up to be a good vintage.
Friday Oct 25, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
In this episode of Grape Minds, we were lucky to catch up with Maria Barua, the winemaker at Bodegas LAN in Rioja, Spain. Her research into the impacts of oak on ageing in Rioja wines has led to an unorthodox but delicious special order at the cooperage. We were able to catch up with Maria on a tour of the US recently where we were lucky to try through her wines and chat about oak stave sources, tradition, and the fruit.
Thursday Sep 26, 2019
Thursday Sep 26, 2019
No, we haven't become a food podcast- today's episode is about San Marzano wines. Which come from a town nowhere near Campagnia, and even further from the town where Saint Marzano (aka Marciano) is the patron.
Wednesday Sep 11, 2019
Wednesday Sep 11, 2019
The name Francois Louis Vuitton joins the names of some of the greatest Chateaux in Bordeaux in a collaboration for a collection of private cuvée wines available in the U.S. since late last year. His great-grandfather Louis Vuitton founded what is arguably one of France's most well-known fashion brands back in the mid 1800's, after learning the craft of box-making as a young man. Box making and packing was a kind of fashion of it's own at that time. He'd likely be impressed with the stunning packaging of his progeny's wines. It's one of the things that comes up in studio as Gina and Julie talk with Francois Louis Vuitton in this week's episode.
Wednesday Aug 28, 2019
Wednesday Aug 28, 2019
A land of 250 varietals awaits beyond Portugal's most famous export; the fortified wine known simply as "Port." On a recent trip exploring Portuguese wine, Gina found still, sparkling, vinification in clay pots, and even (gasp) rosé port!
This week we chat with co-host Gina about Portuguese wine country, which is pretty much the whole country.
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
The Name Veuve Cliquot is synonymous with Champagne, and the legend of the widow who continued the fledgling business after her husband passed away is almost as well known. But no one knows the real story like Tilar Mazzeo who literally wrote the book on the woman who, in her own lifetime, became known as the "Grande Dame." In this episode, Gina and Julie talk with Mazzeo whose book, "The Widow Cliquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled it," should be on the shelf of every oenophile.
Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
This week, Gina and Julie get to talk with Miriam Masciarelli, whose parents started Masciarelli Winery in Abruzzo in the early 1980's. We talk family, taste some wine, and sort out that confusing Montepulciano thing. Is it a town? A grape? A wine? Yes to all three, but they're not the same.