Read Between the Wines Podcast

Pierre Ferland

Read Between the Wines Podcast is not really a podcast, it's a repository of stories from the wine world. It is focused on the narratives behind the winemakers rather than wine scoring.

Founded and hosted by Vino-enthusiast Pierre Ferland, it offers a different and refreshing concept in wine exploration. Each episode offers a unique perspective on vineyard's tales, much like each vintage brings its own profile and personality to a blend. Some conversations will delve into winemaking techniques, while others will explore initiatives to preserve biodiversity and find solutions to combat climate change.

From a consumer perspective, we are intrigued by how wine scoring has dominated the industry, leaving many enthusiasts perplexed by its intricacies yet still relying on a solitary number for their selections. We understand and respect the fact that a generous score can help move a few bottles and we won't hold it against any wineries, but from a vintner and a winemaker perspective, we pose a pivotal question: what legacy do you wish to imprint upon your clientele? A numerical rating, or the compelling tale of your craft? Think about it. What score would you give to the "Mona Lisa" or "The Starry Night" from Van Gogh? About "Composition 8" from Kandinsky or "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo. It's very subjective indeed and so is Pinot Noir from Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia and Riesling from Germany.

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97 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes97

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Sep 4, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
E79 - Domaine Faiveley · Burgundy, France
In 1995, a Burgundy producer did something nobody in the wine world had ever done: he took Robert Parker to court. His name was François Faiveley. And for a young Pierre Ferland, still finding his way through the world of wine, that act of defiance against the most powerful critic on earth changed everything. Today, Pierre sits down with François's son. In Episode 79 of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland is joined by Erwan Faiveley — seventh generation, head of Domaine Faiveley since 2005, and steward of one of Burgundy's most singular legacies. Founded in 1825, Faiveley is one of only two estates in Burgundy — alongside Romanée-Conti — whose name is officially part of a Grand Cru appellation. The Clos des Cortons Faiveley monopole. A distinction earned through a legal battle in 1930 that nobody planned for and nobody has replicated since. This is a deep, wide-ranging conversation: the two faces of Nuits-Saint-Georges and why its terroir is harder to understand than most people admit. The gravity-fed winery overhaul of 2007 and what it did to the tannin structure of Faiveley's reds. Oak used purely for tannin, never for flavour. Climate change, frost risk, and selecting vine material that ripens later. Tariffs, trade wars, and what 200 years of cycles teaches you about patience. Whether critics' scores still matter in Grand Cru Burgundy — and Erwan's answer is three words. And then there's Rodin. In the middle of the cellar in Nuits-Saint-Georges sits one of 12 original casts of The Kiss. It's there because Faiveley's great-grandmother was the adopted daughter of Maurice Fenaille — Rodin's greatest patron, and the man who bankrolled the Domaine's most important vineyard acquisitions a century ago. Today, every centime of tasting fees at the Domaine goes to two places: the Château de Clos de Vougeot and the Musée Rodin in Paris. "Winemaking is 90% work and 10% feeling," Erwan says. For a family in its 200th year, that ratio has never changed. Featuring: Domaine Faiveley, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, France, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Clos des Cortons, Grand Cru.
Aug 20, 2025 · 58 min
E78 - Quails' Gate Winery · Okanagan Valley, Canada
For Episode 78 of Read Between the Wines, we head to the Okanagan Valley to visit Quails' Gate, one of Canada's most iconic wineries. Host Pierre Ferland sits down with Rowan Stewart, who shares the story of his family's four generations of farming and their pioneering role in BC wine. From early Pinot Noir plantings to cutting-edge vineyard technology, Quails' Gate has always been a leader in shaping the region. But the past two years brought disaster. Back-to-back frost events wiped out almost the entire vineyard, erasing decades of work in just a few freezing nights. Instead of waiting for help, the Stewart family acted fast. They created Field and Flight, a bold project sourcing grapes from across the Pacific Northwest to keep their spirit alive. More than survival, it became a story of resilience and creativity. Rowan reflects on the land, the challenges of climate change, and the emotional side of winemaking. This episode is about more than vines and clones—it's about family, perseverance, and the future of Canadian wine. For more information about our Podcast, visit us on the web: https://readbetweenthewines.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweenthewinesmedia Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/read-between-the-wines
Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
E77 - Wine GB · Nicola Bates, England
For most of the last century, English wine was the punchline. Now it's the plot twist. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Nicola Bates, CEO of Wine GB — the body representing English and Welsh wine producers — to explore one of the most unlikely transformations in the modern wine world. A country with a winemaking history stretching back to Roman occupation, then largely forgotten, then quietly, stubbornly rebuilt, is now producing sparkling wines that compete on the same stage as Champagne. And the industry is moving faster than almost anyone anticipated. Nicola and Pierre dig into what's actually driving that momentum: the chalk and clay soils that English and Welsh vineyards share with northern France, the climate shifts that have opened growing windows previously considered impossible, and the three-year strategy Wine GB is executing to turn international curiosity into lasting credibility. They talk sustainability through the SWGB certification, the diversity and education initiatives reshaping who gets to work in British wine, and wine tourism as a genuine economic engine — not an afterthought. This is a conversation about a wine region still writing its own rules. Which is exactly what makes it worth watching. Featuring: Wine GB, English wine, Welsh wine, English sparkling wine, sustainable viticulture, Great Britain.
Jun 17, 2025 · 57 min
E76 - Les Vins Bonhomme · Spain
For Episode 76 of Read Between the Wines, we head to Spain with the dynamic Nathalie Bonhomme, the French-Canadian force behind Les Vins Bonhomme. From her early days in Valencia to becoming a global wine brand, Nathalie shares her remarkable journey, blending bold branding with serious winemaking. We explore her partnerships with top Spanish producers, her deep connection to the Canadian market, and her foray into olive oil. It's a story about passion, persistence, and creating wines that truly resonate—across Sweden, Japan, Canada, and beyond. An inspiring and flavour-packed conversation not to be missed. For more information about our Podcast, visit us on the web: https://readbetweenthewines.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweenthewinesmedia Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/read-between-the-wines
Jun 5, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
E75 - Château Tour des Termes · Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux is evolving. Not everyone got the memo — but Château Tour des Termes did. In Episode 75 of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland heads to Saint-Estèphe, in the northern Médoc, Bordeaux, France, for a refreshingly candid conversation with General Manager Julien Brustis about shaking the dust off Bordeaux tradition without losing its soul. Under the O'Connor family's stewardship, Tour des Termes is writing a bold new chapter. Climate-savvy vineyard replanting. A white wine — yes, in Saint-Estèphe. A carbon-neutral winery by 2026 that isn't just a noble goal but part of the actual business plan. A Merlot-heavy blend that's aging beautifully — and doesn't require waiting until retirement to enjoy it. Julien explains why the art of modern Bordeaux is making wines that charm your palate after five years, not fifty. And how a château once defined by quiet tradition is becoming more open, more welcoming, and frankly — more fun. Accessible yet age-worthy. Fresh yet full of soul. Tour des Termes might just be the Saint-Estèphe you didn't know you needed. Featuring: Château Tour des Termes, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Merlot, sustainable viticulture.
May 15, 2025 · 59 min
E74 - San Felice · Toscana, Italy
40 years at the same estate. One forgotten grape. And the wine that started a revolution. div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 gap-3 standard-markdown"> In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland returns to the heart of Tuscany, Italy, to sit down with Leonardo Bellaccini — oenologist at San Felice for over four decades, and one of the quiet architects of modern Italian wine. Some winemakers chase trends. Bellaccini has spent his career doing the opposite. The conversation opens with Vigorello — the first Super Tuscan ever produced in Chianti Classico, a wine that broke the rules before breaking the rules had a name. Then it turns to Pugnitello: a grape so obscure it had nearly vanished from the historical record, now central to San Felice's identity and a testament to what happens when a winery treats its own archive as a vineyard. Bellaccini also speaks candidly about sustainability — regenerative viticulture, climate adaptation, and a firm refusal to use irrigation regardless of what the seasons bring. And then, somewhere between the terroir and the tannins, the conversation becomes something else: a meditation on why wine matters at all. As Bellaccini puts it — wine makes your soul richer. Featuring: San Felice, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy, Vigorello, Pugnitello, Super Tuscan.
May 1, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
E73 - Langmeil Winery · Barossa Valley, Australia
Someone moved 140-year-old vines. Not metaphorically. Physically relocated them, root system and all, so they could keep growing. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland heads to the Barossa Valley in South Australia to sit down with James Lindner of Langmeil Winery — a fourth-generation producer whose relationship with old vines goes well beyond reverence. It goes all the way to logistics. Langmeil is home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines on earth. James talks about what it actually takes to preserve them — the Barossa Old Vine Charter, the philosophy behind vine age classifications, and why the decision to relocate century-old vines rather than lose them to development was not romantic but necessary. This is living history, and someone has to fight for it. The conversation moves through soil, sustainability, the balance between tradition and modern winemaking, and what it means to be the custodian of something irreplaceable. James Lindner makes wine the way Barossa vines grow — slowly, deliberately, and with a long view of what matters. Featuring: Langmeil Winery, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia, Shiraz, old vines.
Apr 23, 2025 · 59 min
E72 - VitaeVino - CEEV · In Defence of Wine
Wine is being compared to asbestos. By scientists. In peer-reviewed journals. That is the conversation we need to have. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Dr. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV) and one of the leading voices behind VitæVino — the industry campaign pushing back against what has become a coordinated global effort to reclassify wine as a public health threat on par with tobacco and carcinogens. Dr. Sánchez Recarte breaks down the science — and the gaps in it. The 2018 Lancet report that reshaped public policy across Europe. The difference between absolute and relative risk, and why that distinction matters enormously when headlines are being written. The J-curve, gut health, the Mediterranean diet, and what decades of epidemiological research actually show when read carefully rather than selectively. And the deeper question underneath all of it: how did a product rooted in six thousand years of human culture, community, and moderation end up in the same regulatory conversation as industrial chemicals? This episode is the beginning of a conversation that runs through the entire show. For more on this subject, go deeper with Felicity Carter in Episode 87 and Dr. Laura Catena in Episode 83. Featuring: CEEV, VitæVino, wine and health policy, European wine, moderate drinking research.
Apr 17, 2025 · 55 min
E71 - Cameron Douglas, MS · New Zealand
There are fewer than 280 Master Sommeliers in the world. New Zealand has exactly one. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Cameron Douglas MS — the only Master Sommelier in New Zealand, and one of the most respected voices in hospitality education across the Asia-Pacific region. This is not a conversation about wine lists. It's a conversation about how we perceive flavour, why most people misunderstand what a sommelier actually does, and what it takes to train a palate to the level required to pass one of the most demanding examinations in the food and drink world. Cameron breaks down the art and science of food and wine pairing — including what he calls the cashew test, a deceptively simple method for understanding how texture and fat interact with tannin. He talks about decoding restaurant wine lists, sensory training, palate disruption, and why the changing face of wine consumption globally is both a challenge and an opportunity for the next generation of wine professionals. Featuring: Cameron Douglas MS, Master Sommelier, New Zealand, food and wine pairing, sommelier training.
Mar 5, 2025 · 55 min
E70 - Jordan Wine Estate · Stellenbosch, South Africa
They were driving into San Francisco when they heard it on the radio: Nelson Mandela was about to be released. They turned the car around and went back to South Africa. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland returns to South Africa for the first time in nearly four years to sit down with Kathy and Gary Jordan of Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch — an economist and a geologist who built one of the Cape's most celebrated estates not by following the industry but by reading the land beneath it. Gary talks geology the way most winemakers talk grapes — test pits, 600-million-year-old granite, the precise boundary between two soil types where they put their roads. Kathy talks about economics the way most winemakers talk about harvest — supply chains, stock flow, and why running out of wine for even a week means a restaurant will never put you back on the list. Together they make wines that span four cardinal directions and 250 metres of altitude on a single estate — and somehow make it all look inevitable. The conversation covers the Timepiece Range and its old-vine philosophy. The Chameleon conservation bursary funding PhD research into endangered Cape Dwarf chameleons. The bold climate adaptation plantings — Assyrtiko, Mencía, Cinsault — and what a 20-year quarantine period looks like when you're trying to bring an ancient Greek grape variety to South Africa. Their UK project, Mousehall Country Estate in England, where they're quietly building something on the same geology as Champagne. And the art-versus-science debate, settled definitively by two people who happen to have degrees in both. A bonus conversation with Kathy and Gary — an additional 30 minutes of discussion available exclusively at readbetweenthewines.com. Featuring: Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Assyrtiko, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Mousehall Country Estate, English wine.
Feb 20, 2025 · 45 min
E69 - Water & Wines · Sanna Yamit Viitaoja-Malmberg · Sweden
She was recovering from severe COVID. She needed something to keep her mind working. She made a puzzle. That puzzle is now sold in over 40 countries. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Sanna Yamit Viitaoja-Malmberg, sommelier and co-founder of Water & Wines — the wine-themed puzzle company that went from a kitchen table idea to a global brand in a matter of weeks. What makes Water & Wines different isn't just the subject matter. It's the obsessive attention to detail that only a sommelier could bring to a 1,000-piece product — the kind of accuracy that makes wine professionals stop and look twice. Yamit talks about the journey from concept to company, how sustainability became a non-negotiable part of the business model, why play is one of the most underrated tools in wine education, and what the data says about which wine region sells the most puzzles worldwide. The answer is not what you'd expect. Featuring: Water & Wines, wine puzzles, wine education, sustainability.
Feb 11, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
E68 - Ambriel Sparkling Wines UK
Some sparkling wine producers release their wine after eighteen months. Ambriel waits six years. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Wendy Outhwaite, co-founder of Ambriel — an English sparkling wine producer in West Sussex built around a single, unfashionable idea: patience. Their wines don't leave the estate until they're ready. Not market-ready. Actually ready. Wendy walks through the five-year search for the right vineyard, and why greensand — a rare, ancient soil type found beneath the South Downs — became the foundation of everything Ambriel does. She talks about hand-picking, blind blending, and a "palate, not wallet" philosophy that shapes every decision from vineyard to disgorgement. And she explains the name: a nod to angels, ambrosia, and a quip attributed to Pope Gregory the Great that has quietly informed the estate's identity ever since. Oh, and the corks say "Huzzah!" — because why wouldn't they. Featuring: Ambriel, West Sussex, English sparkling wine, greensand terroir, Great Britain.
Jan 10, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
E67 - Col d'Orcia, Brunello di Montalcino, Italy
Tuscany's largest organic winery isn't run by a corporation. It's run by a family in its tenth generation — and their most important business principle has no KPI attached to it. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Santiago Marone Cinzano of Col d'Orcia in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy — a winery that has been farming the Val d'Orcia since the fifteenth century and has spent the last several decades turning 540 hectares into what Santiago calls a "biological oasis." No pesticides. No herbicides. Tuscany's largest certified organic estate. Santiago talks about the specific decisions behind that transformation — not as a marketing exercise, but as a conviction that began long before organic wine was fashionable. He goes deep into the Val d'Orcia terroir, what distinguishes Brunello di Montalcino from every other expression of Sangiovese on earth, and the winemaking philosophy that underpins everything Col d'Orcia produces. And then there is La Filosofia della Pazienza — the philosophy of patience. At Col d'Orcia, patience is not a virtue. It is a discipline. A framework for every decision from pruning to release, built on the understanding that Brunello does not respond to urgency. It never has. It never will. A bonus conversation with Santiago — over 30 minutes of additional discussion — is available exclusively at readbetweenthewines.com. Featuring: Col d'Orcia, Brunello di Montalcino, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Sangiovese, organic viticulture. For more information about our Podcast, visit us on the web: https://readbetweenthewines.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweenthewinesmedia Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/read-between-the-wines
Dec 13, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
E66 - Dog Point Vineyard, New Zealand
Dog Point's Sauvignon Blanc ages for fifteen years. Their Section 94 sits in bottle for five before release. Their cellar door is a tea room where the vineyard crew occasionally can't get their cup of tea. And they have never entered a wine competition. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland heads to Marlborough, New Zealand to sit down with Matt Sutherland — General Manager of Dog Point Vineyard and son of its founders, Margaret and Ivan Sutherland, who began planting vines in 1979 when almost nobody was paying attention to Marlborough. Matt is the kid who grew up on the farm, went to boarding school, decided he wanted nothing to do with grapes, studied viticulture anyway, spent years in sales and distribution across New Zealand, Australia, and London, fell in love with family wine estates in Burgundy and Barolo, and came home. The conversation covers what makes Dog Point's Sauvignon Blanc genuinely different — estate-grown on clay soils in the Southern Valleys, whole bunch pressed, four months on lees, built for fifteen years of cellaring in a category famous for drinking young. Matt explains the Section 94: one vineyard, eighteen months in eight-year-old barrels, released five years after harvest, made in the style of Chardonnay but emphatically not tasting like it. He talks about the philosophy of restraint, the decision to spend travel budget instead of competition entry fees, and why New Zealand wine's greatest strength and greatest weakness is exactly the same thing — distance. A bonus conversation with Matt — covering sustainability, screwcaps, Pinot Noir, and Dog Point's eight planted varieties — is available exclusively at readbetweenthewines.com. Featuring: Dog Point Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc, Section 94, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, organic viticulture.
Dec 5, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
E65 - Flat Rock Cellars, Canada
The winery is named after the limestone rocks they pulled out of the ground. The same limestone found under Burgundy and Bordeaux. The architect who designed the building now works on Canada's Parliament. And the president will debate the physics of cork versus screwcap until the cows come home. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Ed Madronich, owner and president of Flat Rock Cellars on the Twenty Mile Bench in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. Ed is a self described wine geek who goes down to the lab to ask the winemaker what she is doing not because he does not trust her, but because he genuinely cannot help himself. The conversation covers the limestone terroir of the Niagara Escarpment, Flat Rock's four pillar sustainability philosophy, the Project Nature Nurture experiment on wild versus cultured yeast fermentation, the Twisted blend that beats hundred dollar wines at Decanter, and the case against cork built entirely on physics. Quality is not a hope. It is a cost of entry. Featuring: Flat Rock Cellars, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara, Ontario, Canada, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay.
Nov 27, 2024 · 59 min
E64 - Wine Enthusiast · Marshall Tilden, USA
Someone ruined a treasured Barolo. The culprit was not the winemaker, the vintage, or bad luck. It was a storage unit set to the wrong temperature. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland sits down with Marshall Tilden III, head of wine storage at Wine Enthusiast, for a practical and surprisingly personal conversation about what happens to wine between the cellar and the glass. Marshall breaks down the four enemies of wine: temperature, humidity, light, and vibration. He explains what each one actually does to a bottle over time and what the right conditions look like whether you are storing six bottles on a countertop or six hundred in a dedicated cellar. He also clears up the most persistent misconceptions about wine storage, including a few that cost people wines they can never get back. A useful episode for anyone who has ever bought a bottle worth keeping. Featuring: Wine Enthusiast, wine storage, wine aging, wine cellar.
Nov 23, 2024 · 54 min
E63 - Kenwood Vineyards, Sonoma, California, USA
Before Mark Beaman made wine, he lived in East Africa without electricity or running water, hauled 55 gallons of water by oxcart, built a rainwater catchment system that occasionally got stolen, and vagabonded from Tanzania down to South Africa after his Peace Corps commitment ended. Then he got a haircut, put on a tie, and interviewed at a winery in Washington State. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland travels to Sonoma, California to sit down with Mark Beaman, head winemaker at Kenwood Vineyards — a winery founded in 1970 on a pre-Prohibition site that still uses a 1906 barn as its tasting room, and the only producer with exclusive rights to fruit from the Jack London Ranch. The Jack London Ranch is worth understanding before you press play. Jack London — the writer, the sailor, the oyster pirate — bought 1,000 acres on Sonoma Mountain at the turn of the century, planted eucalyptus trees for shipbuilding timber, built a house, wrote some of the most adventurous American fiction of his era, and died at 40. The eucalyptus trees are still there. So are the vineyards. And so is the unique geology — two colliding soil types from the Sonoma Volcanics sitting on a fault line of the San Andreas — that produces Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot that Mark has had exclusive access to for every vintage. The conversation covers the Pacific Ocean's influence on Sonoma's diverse terroir, the difference between Pinot Noir from Burgundy and Russian River, the philosophy behind Kenwood's five wine ranges, and a glyphosate disinformation campaign targeting California wine that Mark traces back to its actual source — a laboratory in Colorado making money from the panic it created. A bonus conversation with Mark covers barrel regime, cellaring potential across the full Kenwood portfolio, and the sustainability practices behind their California Certified Sustainable Winery certification — exclusively at readbetweenthewines.com. Featuring: Kenwood Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, California, USA, Jack London Ranch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel.
Oct 24, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
E62 - Wiston Estate, Sussex, England
In 1972, Pip Goring arrived in England from South Africa, newly married, and convinced she'd found a country with wall-to-wall sunshine. She had not. But she had found a piece of land on chalk that runs in an unbroken geological band all the way from Sussex through Kent and directly into Champagne. She spent the next 34 years waiting to plant vines on it. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland heads to West Sussex to sit down with Kirsty Goring, co-owner and Brand Director of Wiston Estate, and Marcus Rayner-Ward, their winemaker — to explore one of the most compelling stories in the English wine renaissance. Wiston is a fully functioning farm, a restaurant called Chalk, a cellar, and a winery built around a 52-year-old wooden Champagne basket press that requires pitchforks, a full team, and sounds — Marcus says — like an African drum when it runs. When Pip heard it for the first time in 2008, she says she felt truly connected to her new homeland for the first time. The juice that came out of that press reminded their French consultant of the wines his father made in Champagne forty years ago. The conversation covers the geology of the South Downs and why it mirrors the Côte des Blancs, the philosophy of championing acidity rather than hiding it, the 2011 Blanc de Blanc that won Best in Show at Decanter World Wine Awards out of 16,500 wines and put English sparkling wine on the international map, and a 2010 library Blanc de Blanc that Kirsty describes as walking a tightrope while an orchestra starts playing underneath — currently £130 a bottle, bought by the case, with very little left. And Marcus's answer to what makes a great wine: it's the little things. All of them. Done by everyone. Every time. Featuring: Wiston Estate, West Sussex, England, Great Britain, English sparkling wine, Blanc de Blanc, Chardonnay.
Oct 10, 2024 · 45 min
E61 - La Cave Garibaldi · Estelle Burgan, France
For Episode 61, we bring you a special conversation with Estelle Burgan from La Cave Garibaldi. Estelle and her husband Eric run a unique boutique in France that specializes in promoting and selling Italian wines, but their passion doesn't stop there. They also curate bespoke wine tours in Italy, guiding travellers through the country's hidden gems and lesser-known regions. This isn't your typical tourist experience—Estelle and Eric focus on authentic, intimate journeys that connect visitors with local winemakers, artisans, and breathtaking off-the-beaten-path destinations. In this episode, Estelle shares the story behind La Cave Garibaldi and her unexpected journey from French wine expert to an ambassador for Italian wines. She discusses the importance of building genuine relationships with winemakers and the joy of uncovering Italy's diverse viticultural landscapes, from the hills of Umbria to the coastlines of Liguria. We also explore the challenges and rewards of running a wine business as a couple and why they prioritize stories over statistics when choosing wines. If you're dreaming of a wine-fueled Italian adventure or simply curious about what makes Italian wines so captivating, this episode is tailor-made for you. Tune in and get inspired! For more information about our Podcast, visit us on the web: https://readbetweenthewines.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweenthewinesmedia Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/read-between-the-wines
Oct 2, 2024 · 1 hr 12 min
E60 - Domaine Gassier · Michel Gassier, France
Grape seeds from 600 BC. A winery overlooking the largest bird sanctuary in Europe. A daughter who came back from California and said: Dad, I am coming back, but this is the way I want to farm. And a blind tasting experiment where Michel's team has never once misidentified the origin of a wine, even when they get the varietal completely wrong. In this episode of Read Between the Wines, Pierre Ferland heads to the Costières de Nîmes, the western edge of the southern Rhône Valley where the river meets the Mediterranean, to sit down with Michel Gassier of Domaine Gassier and Château de Nages. The Gassier family has been farming this land for four generations. The fifth generation, Isabelle, is now shaping where it goes next. The conversation covers the geology of rolled pebbles that never compact and why that matters for minerality. The sea breezes that cool and hydrate the vines. The difference between Château de Nages on the northern lip of the plateau and Domaine Gassier on the southern edge overlooking Camargue, which Michel describes as the difference between Puligny-Montrachet and Chablis. The varietals being planted to adapt to a warming climate: Bourboulenc, Piquepoul, Carignan Blanc, and Mourvèdre. And the three pillars of regenerative agriculture, soil, ecosystem, and community, making Domaine Gassier the first French winery to carry regenerative certification. He returned from America in 1993 having learned that if you don't like something, you change it. He still believes that. The red tape is the problem. Featuring: Domaine Gassier, Château de Nages, Costières de Nîmes, Southern Rhône, France, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, regenerative agriculture.