Matthew's World Of Wine And Drink

The second episode of the California series focuses on Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Sonoma is the historic heart of California's commercial wine industry, the first grapes planted in 1819 and the first winery was in 1857. It's very diverse, according to exposure to the ocean, altitude, and soil types, with a wide variety of grape varieties planted. And then there's Mendocino to the north, more remote with some extremely interesting wines being made. A lot to talk about, so dive in!

My latest favourite producer is an obvious choice for a wine geek like me: Rioja's López de Heredia, an historic, traditional producer whose winery and style of wine are like going back to the nineteenth century. They produce some of the most extraordinary reds, whites, and rosés in the world - once tried, never forgotten.

Beginning a new mini-series on California with Napa Valley, the state's most famous wine region. The episode traces the history of wine production back to the 1830s, and what makes Napa so unique through the climate, soils, geography, grape varieties, and the styles of wine made there.

This series on my favourite producers doesn't just focus on famous, iconic estates but new, up-and-coming wineries that point towards the future of their region. Savage Grace is a winery in Washington State making refined, elegant, and vibrant wines that just keep getting better and better - wines that show how Washington is developing and maturing.

The production of sweet wine in Bordeaux goes back 300 years, and up until the Second World War it accounted for a third of all wine made in Bordeaux. Now it's only 2%, but the small regions of Sauternes and Barsac make some of the greatest and most iconic sweet wines of the world - definitely wines any student should know about.

White Bordeaux is severely underappreciated, it was historically very important. Plantings of white varieties are slowly beginning to rise, so there is a welcome movement back to white wine. This episode focuses on the different varieties - mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon - the different appellations, and the different price points in the context of modern Bordeaux and the global market.

Continuing the focus on Bordeaux, this episode is all about Cabernet Sauvignon and the prestigious appellations associated with this world famous variety, explaining what makes Bordeaux Cabernet so individual and distinctive.

The fifth episode on my series featuring my favourite producers goes to Australia, and the great fortified wines of Rutherglen. The producer is Pfeiffer; Chris Pfeiffer started his first solera system in 1984 and now his daughter Jen is taking over the reins. As well as red and white wine, they make all the historic styles of Australian fortified wine: Muscat, Topaque, Tawny, and even Apero. No surprises given my love of fortified wine that I fell in love with this producer when I visited back in 2017...

Merlot is the most planted grape variety in Bordeaux, and is the base for wines at all price points and levels of quality. This episode focuses on the variety, its characteristics and the key Merlot-based appellations such as St-Emilion and Pomerol as well as nearby good-value alternatives.

The fourth episode of my series on my favourite producers turns to Italy, with a Barolo producer that bridges the modern and the traditional. G.D. Vajra was started by Aldo Vaira in the early 1970s and his children are continuing in his footsteps with superb Barolo as well as a range of classic Piemonte varieties such as Dolcetto, Barbera, and Friesa, plus Riesling. Tasting through their wines showcases what Piemonte is capable of.

The first of five new episodes on Bordeaux, France's largest appellation and one of the most famous and historic. This episode gives an overview of Bordeaux's history and how that is intrinsically linked to the development of its trade structure, classifications, markets, and styles of wine.

The third of my favourite producers is Fernando de Castilla, who in the last twenty years have paralleled the transistion in sherry from quantity to quality. Run by Norwegian Jan Petterson, all the styles of sherry are produced, as well as brandy, vinegar, and vermouth. Tasting through Fernando de Castilla's range of wines is a history lesson the sherry region itself...

The second episode of my series on favourite producers features Montsecano, a producer of Pinot Noir in Chile's coastal Casablanca region who make wine quite like no other in the country. It's a joint project between former photographer Julio Donoso and Alsace producer André Ostertag; between them they make the best Pinot in Chile. Listen to find out why!

A new series for my podcast! It features 25 of my favourite producers from around the world - producers whose wines I love drinking and who have shaped or are shaping the direction of important wine regions. First up: Andrew Will of Washington State, an iconic producer in the young region who have led the way in quality, style, and character. Must have wines - listen to learn more about them!

In this third and final episode exploring on the Loire Valley, the focus is on its reds, rosés, and sparkling wines. The greatest and most famous red wines come from Cabernet Franc, but there are plenty of other grapes such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Malbec, and Pineau d'Aunis. There's plenty of rosé too, and there are several appellations for sparkling wine, all adding to the incredible diversity of the Loire.

The second episode focusing on the Loire Valley, looking at the many and varied appellations for white and sweet wine in the large region: from Sancerre to Vouvray to Coteaux du Layon to Savennières to Muscadet and more!

Revisiting the Loire Valley, with the first of three episodes focusing on the large, varied, and wonderful region. This episode looks at the grape varieties of the Loire Valley, their characteristics in the vineyard and the styles of wine they produce - including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Melon, and other less well-known varieties.

Fresh from a two-week trip to Spain, in this episode I share the insights I learnt from visiting the sherry region, Rioja, and Basque country - the latest trends and projections for the future.

Katie Nelson has been making wine since the 1990s, and she is now based in Washington State where she makes the popular Borne of Fire Cabernet-based wine. In this interview, she talks about Cabernet Sauvignon - how it grows in Washington, the importance of site, tannin management, and other issues. Listen to get the lowdown on Cabernet in Washington.

Third and final installment in my interview with Clay Mauritson. In this episode, we talk about three single-vineyard Zinfandels which all come from the Rockpile AVA. All different expressions of Zinfandel, we talk about how the variety expresses the terroir of California so well.