Listen in to Omnibus 22 to hear this month’s wine news from around the world. In the US, Elin McCoy discusses the reaction to the collapse of Underground Cellars and the unhappy customers who cannot retrieve their wine from the company’s Cloud cellar. She also reviews the Apple TV plus series “Drops of God” and Ferran Adrià’s new eight-part book series on wine, the first two volumes (weighing between 15 and 20 pounds each) have just been translated into English. Sarah and Elin are excited...

Excitement is rising amongst The Wine Conversation team as the Royal Opera House Wine Gala Dinner and Auction approaches. John Stimpfig talks to Sarah Kemp about the world-class wines which will be poured, including Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, 2014 Montrachet Domaine Jacques Prieur, Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Reserva 1999, Château Lafite 2007, and Taylor’s 30-year-old Tawny Port; the special recital by Jonas Kauffman and Ludovico Tézier (whose new album “Insieme” Sarah...

Italian experts Nelson Pari and Federico Moccia talk to Sarah Kemp about Bolgheri, the wine-producing area located in the province of Livorno. Bolgheri contains some of Italy’s most famous names including Sassicaia and Ornellaia. Today it is attracting a generation of talented and dynamic winemakers who enjoy the freedom of the DOC rules to produce blends and mono-varietals. Listen in to hear all about its terroir, its history and which producers Federico and Nelson recommend.

Véronique Sanders of Château Haut-Bailly is one of Bordeaux’s most admired and liked personalities. In our Series “Great Wine Lives” she talks to Sarah Kemp about her remarkable career. Listen in to hear her discuss how she grew up helping her grandfather Jean Sanders in the vineyards as a little girl, never dreaming that one day she would run the estate. She discusses her great relationship with Bob Wilmers who bought the estate from her grandfather, and now with Chris Wilmers, his son who...

Discover Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp’s view of the 2022 vintage – what did well, what didn’t, and what they were most surprised by. A year where the talent of the winemaker in handling the tannins was essential. 2022 the vintage of surprise.

As En Primeur tastings are in full swing, Sarah Kemp gets Jane Anson’s first thoughts on Bordeaux 2022 after her first week of tasting. Recorded on the D2 motorway, Jane talks about the vintage conditions and the importance of how the samples are prepared by the châteaux. Was she surprised? Find out in this special on-the-road production…. and look out for another En Primeur episode later this week when Jane and Sarah will reflect on what they have discovered so far.

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. As 6,000 of the wine world’s trade and journalists descend on Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage, Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp take a hard look at the system. They discuss how it works, its history, the number of châteaux involved. They ask whether there is a financial advantage in buying En Primeur and explain who actually owns it until it is delivered: 10 minutes to get you up-to-speed before the offers arrive in your inbox....

Listen in to Omnibus 21 for another packed programme of news from the wine world. This month Kylie Minogue wows Prowein, new research shows the birthplace of Vitis Vinifera as the Levant. Big moves afoot too, Michel Rolland hangs up his consulting hat and Axel Heinz leaves Ornellaia for Château Lascombes. Financial troubles a plenty, Sherry-Lehmann’s licence revoked, and Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse affects 400 Northern California vintners. Latest harvest reports from the Southern...

Listen in to hear our latest 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson. Today’s topic is Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of grapes. Find out how much is planted (spoiler alert – China has the most), its parentage, the best regions where it is grown, most well-known names, the rules and regulations about being labelled Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Jane’s one obscure fact about it. We marvel at how she digs them up…

Applications to the second edition of the “Bordeaux Mentor Week” have just opened. Last year over 100 young people applied from 28 countries, out of which 7 were chosen to be mentored by Jane Anson and co-founder Chinedu Rita Rosa. Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about the importance of mentors and the diverse activities the successful candidates will encounter, from harvesting to startup entrepreneurs. Listen in to hear about this amazing opportunity for young people.

In the latest in our Great Wine Lives series Richard Geoffroy talks to Elin McCoy about how he rebelled against his wine family background by becoming a doctor before returning to his roots and joining Moët Hennessy, becoming Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave for 28 years. He discusses his time there, how he collaborated with Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons, and why he decided to leave and launch his own Sake brand IWA 5 – where assemblage is key to its identity. A fascinating interview with one of the...

This month, Elin McCoy reports on the big environmental win in the Napa Valley – the Walt Ranch controversy ends after a 17-year battle. John Stimpfig and Elin report on the devastating wildfires in Itata and Bio Bio in Chile and the floods in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. There is also plenty of wine theft news and fraud this month, 4.6 million bottles of Spanish wine passed off as Bordeaux results in jail sentences and more “stolen to order” fine wine robberies in Austria and Norway. Still, in...

Listen in to our 10-Minute Masterclass with Jane Anson on Pauillac – a deep dive into this famous commune which boasts three First Growths, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild and Latour, plus some of the wine world’s most loved names. Find out which Pauillac wine Michael Broadbent used to buy, how much it costs per hectare, its terroir and taste profile. Plus an obscure Pauillac fact to impress your friends.

Have you ever wanted to own your own vineyard or blend your own wine with a top winemaker? Elin McCoy talks to Michael Evans the man who makes it possible for several hundred wine lovers– listen in to find out about how he started Vines of Mendoza and Vines Global – clubs for wine lovers who dream of being winemakers. He talks to Elin about how it started when he went to Argentina for a holiday and ended up spending 18 years there. Since then he has built a resort, named one of the best in...

This week we look at the 1855 classification, the world’s first culinary ranking. Find out why it came about, the price bands the wines had to achieve to be in each of the five growths, the story of how Cantemerle became a 5th growth after the initial ranking. Discover what has changed since the original ranking (spoiler alert – the names were classified not the vineyard area) and find out what Jane’s most obscure 1855 classification fact is.

A special episode of Great Wine Lives – John Stimpfig interviews Sarah Kemp about her memories of working with Steven Spurrier. Sarah and Steven had a great partnership for over 25 years when Steven was the Consultant Editor of Decanter and Sarah was the Publisher and Managing Director. Sarah looks back on Steven’s extraordinary life, one of the wine world’s most beloved and well-known figures. Steven’s memorial was held on January 19th at St James Garlickhythe, in the Vintry ward of the...

This month, Jane Anson on Artificial Intelligence’s role in wine writing – will wine writers be out of a job? John Stimpfig reports on Australia’s wine industry problem with its 2.3 billion litres of unsold wine, and discusses the possible solutions. We look back on the lives of two of the wine world’s greats, Luciano Sandrone and d’Arry Osborne, who died recently. And no Omnibus would be complete without a weather watch – this month. how the floods in California are affecting the vines, and...

A brand new series – the 10-minute masterclass with Jane Anson. First in the series is Pomerol, an appellation which covers 0.6% Bordeaux’s surface but is one of its most well-known names. Jane covers its terroir, cost of land, its taste profile, the most famous names, new producers to look out for and reveals one obscure fact to impress your wine-loving friends.

Chianti Rufina is not as well known as Chianti Classico, but it certainly deserves to be. Sarah Kemp talks to Lorenzo Portaro, winemaker at Castello Nipozzano, which is owned by the Frescobaldi family and is the largest producer in Chianti Rufina. He talks about the illustrious history of the region, how the style of wine differs from Chianti Classico, and its incredible ability to age. He discusses Chianti Rufina’s new initiative “Terraelectae”, a name for wines made from single crus which...

Which wine course should you study? Which offers value and which will lead to a job in the wine business? Which are the best free courses? How much can you earn in the wine business? Just some of the questions answered by Charlie Leary who talks to Jane Anson about his new book Leary’s Global Wineology, a guide to wine education, mentorships and scholarships. A fascinating conversation about the myriad of wine education courses available around the world.

As we see out 2022, John Stimpfig and Sarah Kemp name their top 10 wines of the year, reveal their personal “house wines” and best discoveries and name their favourite Wine Conversation podcasts of the year. Wishing all our listeners a Happy New Year!

Listen in to Omnibus 18 for a month of wine news and our experts’ views. John Stimpfig looks at the Burgundy market and discusses the latest results from the Hospice de Beaune. He reports on the floods in Australia and frost in Argentina, both affecting the 2023 harvest and debates whether the British Royal family be serving only UK wines at state banquets? In the US Elin McCoy looks at obscure grape varieties appearing on labels, the latest planning controversy in Napa Valley, looks back on...

Bruno-Eugène Borie of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou talks to Elin McCoy in our series “Great Wine Lives”. He describes himself as “the bad boy of Bordeaux”. Elin asks is he still? Listen in to hear him talk about growing up at Ducru, his idols, his love of art and literature and why his motto is “Modern Forever”.

As Château Mouton Rothschild reveal their latest label, by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about how the label series at Mouton came about, and the extraordinary lengths the family goes to when securing the world’s greatest artists.