Welcome back! We are strapping on our favourite bathing suits and heading to the beach with a bottle of rose or a cooler of rosé, who am I kidding? Yep it's summer and we are going to talk about the Bandol today - so it's all things rosé.... and also don't forget about the very heavy tannic reds that they make here too, and whites. This episode is a deep dive on one of the best AOP's in Provence and what makes this wine special and delicious. Of course I used some fabulous resources to help me o...
Jul 27, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 14
This episode is called Cyprus but it really should be called Cyprus AKA Commandaria, the story of the worlds oldest wine still made today. We cover a lot in 23 minutes with this one - The Crusades, Monks, PDO laws, native grapes but I think that the real take away here is that if you come across wine from Cyprus drink it, because every time someone has a wine from Cyprus you are having a wine from one of the first places in the world to ever make wine, and that is f***ing cool. I used some great...
Jul 06, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 14
House Wine is back and we are going to finish off Season 2 with some fun wines! I took a bit of an unannounced hiatus to catch up on life and get reorganize but now I have some more episodes ready to go and I am looking forward to a new posting schedule and getting back to podcasting! So have you ever wondered about the different kinds of Chablis? What makes Petit Chablis different from just plain old Chablis? Why people go crazy over this wine ... We are going to talk about it all, and in this ...
Jun 14, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Welcome back nerds! This episode not only do we get to learn all about the emerging and exciting wine regions of British Columbia but we also get to back in time and glimpse into the angst ridden teenage years I spent on the West Coast... but mostly we just talk about the wines! I used some great resources: The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. The World Atlas of Wine, 8th Edition by Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson https://winebc.com/bc-wine-30yrs/ http://www.bcvqa.ca/wi...
Mar 09, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Here it is, another wine law episode! I do spend quite a bit of time pontificating about how complicated the wine law is in South Africa before I get into the real topic itself... but suffice to say every time that I sit down and study this topic I get a headache. Hopefully if you are doing some studying this will help you on your way to understanding this region :) I used some great resources: The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. https://www.wosa.co.za/home/ If you spot...
Mar 01, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 11
***CORRECTION: The soils in the Mosel valley are slate. Phylloxera does not like slate soils. For some reason I say schist in this episode. Welcome back! This is a subject that comes up again and again every episode and that is Phylloxera, but what is it? This episode we are going to deep dive into the history of the French Wine Blight. Where this little bug came from, what it is up to today and how we adapted. My Sources for this show are: The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Rob...
Feb 22, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Yes, Cahors. The region that launched a thousand Malbecs. This week we are talking about what is in my opinion one of the most underrated, undervalued wines that France has to offer. This region has been copied, counterfeited, and undermined since Roman times. If you have ever said that you don't like Malbec, I am personally challenging you to take it back in this episode. I used some great resources: The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson http://www.grape-experiences.com/2...
Feb 01, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Just like when we talked about Cognac, I will preface this episode with saying that I know this is not a wine. BUT, Armagnac like it's more famous younger brother Cognac does in fact come form grapes and therefor it has a spot here on house wine. Not only that but there is a lot to unpack here. Including history and Cardinals (which are basically fancy monks!) I used some great resources here: http://www.armagnac.fr/en https://www.cyranoarmagnac.com/blog/2016/the-history https://ilovewine.com/th...
Jan 26, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Ok, most of this episode is dedicated to Cava - all the things that make Cava what it is that we didn't cover last episode: Appellations, ageing requirements and sweetness levels of Cava all make an appearance in this episode. But we can't finish talking about Cava without wading through the quagmire of conflicting information that answers the question, "What is Classic Penedès and why is it not Cava?" I would say that it is a question for the ages... but these appellations and rules are so fres...
Jan 18, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Better late than never! I wanted to have this episode out before New Years so we could all talk about sparkling wine together but alas... I had a lazy holiday and I decided not to continue this season until the New Year. So Happy New Year I hope you had all the wine, all the mulled wine and all the sparkling wine! This is Cava Part 1. What can you expect? History, Grape Profiles and Producers in this episode. Cheers and you see next week for part 2 where we talk about geography, soil and RULES! ...
Jan 06, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Happy Holidays House Wine nerds! I love the holidays, I love the holiday season and I have always wanted to do a holiday special, cue the sleigh bells in the intro! <3 We have all of our favourite players in this episode. Romans? Yes! Monks? Yes! Pliny the Elder? Yes. So get your best bottle of cheap wine ready, throw a bunch of cinnamon, cloves and oranges in it, because this is the history and the recipes of Mulled Wine. I hope you are all safe and happy and enjoying my favourite time of ye...
Dec 22, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 5
This week we are taking on one of Spains most prestigious wine regions and that is the region of Priorat. Just in case you were left asking yourself last week if Spanish Wine Law could get any more complicated, well this episode is here to answer that question, and the answer is: YES! Priorat had it's own unique labelling terms, aging definitions and vine age definitions as well as it is part of Catalunya, an autonomously governed region inside Spain that has it's own rules and regulations regar...
Dec 14, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 4
It's time for us all to dive into another episode on Wine Law. I know how much you all love wine law :) Spain has a lot of it! Ever wonder how a fascist regime can stunt the development of wine regions ( I mean I guess we already have done Italian Wine Law...) Ore maybe you have wondered how many aging requirements just one country can have? Wonder no more! This week we get infuriated by too many classifications, and start mis pronouncing our way through Spain. Some great resources were used for...
Nov 30, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 3
I had a bad cold this week and sound terrible! Head on over to @housewinepodcast instagram for some quizzes while I drink tea heal my voice :)
Nov 23, 2021•1 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome back to House Wine and the beginning of an all new season! After declaring to the world that Cognac was wine I seemingly vanished off the face of the internet... I put away my podcasting pillow fort and went into serious study mode in preparation for a wine exam. Today we are going to talk about all things Washington State. I never felt quite at ease with Washington State Wine and so I made it a mission to understand this wine region and get to love it, and I really did come out of the r...
Nov 17, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Is Cognac a wine? No. But they make it from wine, so it counts! This episode we talk about all the things that make this one of the most famous and popular Eau de Vie's on in the world. From music, to movies, to Tom Cruise and alchemists we really cover a lot here. Yes, we also get into regions, subzones, grapes and aging requirements of course. Books weren't much help to me this episode but I did rely on a great resource: https://www.cognac.fr/en/ We also talk producers: Hennessy: www.hennessy....
Sep 07, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Welcome back! Madeira is one of the most historic and (in my opinion!) most fascinating wine regions that there is. An uninhabited subtropical island off the coast of Morocco that ended up making some of the worlds longest lived and most expensive wines, Madeira is full of contradiction right down to the way that it is made. If you are a nerd like me and enjoy the history and ups and downs of the worlds famous sweet wines, then this episode is for you. Of course, I did quite a bit of research to...
Aug 31, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Yes, it is true they are making wine outside of Mendoza in Argentina, and once you get outside the main areas, they are making way more than just Malbec! In this episode we talk about Salta and history and origins of Torrontes, Argentina's true native grape (it's not actually Malbec) Then we go south and dive into the wines of Patagonia, the country's most up and coming wine region that has been attracting some of the biggest names in the world of wine. I used some great resources for this episo...
Aug 10, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 30
I'm back! I took a spontaneous and unannounced break for the month of July but now I am back and we are going to be covering a bunch of great topics in the next couple months from Mendoza to Madeira. Today we are getting right into it with the history if winemaking in Argentina and then we take a deep dive into the most important winemaking region of Argentina and that is Mendoza. So if you have ever picked up a bottle of $15 wine and looked found that you were drinking a wine from Argentina - t...
Aug 03, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Hi wine friends! The schedule is a little out of sorts this week so I am releasing this on Friday and we will be back not next Tuesday but the Tuesday after with regular schedules episodes. Marsala may not be the most popular wine now, but it used to be! I call it in this episode "A wine that peaked in high school" which is not really an unfair analogy. From being the wine of kings to a wine that most people only use for cooking, it has had a wild ride, but deserves a bit of recognition none the...
Jul 02, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Hi friends, welcome back! I now release the show on Tuesdays, so if you were thinking that I missed the release day yesterday... well, I did. BUT it was intentional. Ever wanted to try wine from a still active volcano? Maybe you have been sitting at home wondering to yourself about the origins of Carricante, or just hoping that one day Kylie Minogue will start making wine - well it's all here in this weeks episode on the dry wines of Sicily. Just to clarify, Kylie Minogue is not making wines in ...
Jun 22, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Hi wine friends! We are once again doing a deeper dive into history with a minisode on Pliny the elder. Ever wonder what wine was considered the most beneficial to your health in Ancient Rome or why we don't still drink Falerian, well ... I might not have the answer to the last question BUT today is all things Roman wine history as we look at why Pliny the Elder was such a cool "guy". I needed some help getting all my facts straight for this episode and I leaned on some good references: The Oxfo...
Jun 14, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Welcome back! Today we are longing for the sun drenched Adriatic Coast as we dream of rolling out our beach towels, kicking off our flip flops and taking in the Italian Seaside. What did you bring to the beach with you? A cold bottle of Verdicchio Castelli de Jesi? Perfect. (I haven't been on vacation in so long!) Le Marche may not be home to any of the rockstars of Italian wine like Chianti or Barolo but is is absolutely worth a closer look. The producers I mention this episode are: Fazi Battag...
Jun 07, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Hi friends. Welcome back after a brief one week hiatus we are talking all things the fall of Rome, the rise Medieval wine making families and the scandalous ups and downs that make up Italian Wine Law - the long eluded to episode! Of course I used some amazing books to help me - especially with the history: The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson Native Wine Grapes of Italy by Ian D'Agata Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz If you spot something...
May 31, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Hi friends! Wine Nerd Alert: You have to be seriously wanting to know a lot about Bordeaux to listen to this episode. This is a pretty unnecessary bonus episode, but as I say at the top of the show this week - this was really one of my big inspirations for starting the show in the first place. I used to study a lot by recording myself and then listening to lists of regions and Grand Cru's etc... Also it's out of sync! I meant to post this after the Medoc episode but never got around to it. This ...
May 19, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 23
If you have been sitting at home waiting for the day when I begin comparing grapes to the fame level of early 2000's pop stars then you are in luck, or maybe you will just roll your eyes when you realize that I am a millennial. This episode is all about Merlot, a grape that has had a lot of ups and downs over the last twenty years but has never left the hearts and minds of wine makers on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, though it was shunned in California for the better part of the 21st century. Why ...
May 18, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Welcome back wine nerds. If you have ever wondered if it is possible to reference both Star Trek and Lord of the Rings in one 25 minute podcast that covers everything south of the city of Bordeaux and west of Garonne River... well the answer is yes. This week we go over Bordeaux Blanc, some of the lesser known white grapes of France and we ask the question... should Sauvignon Blanc be oaked? I use the help of some very good books to make it though this episode: The Oxford Companion to Wine by Ja...
May 10, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Hi wine nerds! Welcome to Episode 20! I'm so happy that this little passion project has made it to twenty episode that I decided to celebrate by talking about one of my favourite celebratory wines: Bordeaux. Maybe you're like me and you sit awake at night wondering about the history and evolution of French wine into the international market.. or maybe you are sipping on a Pinot Noir somewhere and thinking, "Hmmm... I kind of prefer wines with a little more body." Either way this episode is for y...
May 03, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Welcome back wine nerds! You have probably heard of Cabernet (... franc?) and you have probably heard of Sauvignon (... blanc?). Actually, I know you have heard about them because they are the main topics of at least two shows already; but what about the greater family of Cabernet and Sauvignon? How does Carmenere fit in? This is our ramp up to a three part series on Bordeaux, so let's get to know some of the grapes that make some of the world's most famous wine. My favourite resource for learni...
Apr 26, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Welcome back wine nerds! Have you ever been to a celebratory event, been handed a flute with wine in it, cheers-ed and then wondered, "Hmm, what is this?" Well then you have absolutely had the worlds most popular sparkling wine. Move over Champagne because today we are going to talk about the worlds most popular sparkling wine by volume - Prosecco. Who makes it? How do they make it and where? All explained. I relied pretty heavily on some amazing source materials for this one: The Oxford Compani...
Apr 19, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 18
