Just Another Wine Podcast

Douglas Wregg, Emily Harman, Jamie Goode

The wild fermented thoughts of three amigos. (Not) just another wine podcast by Wine Importer Doug Wregg, International Wine Consultant Emily Harman and Wine Writer Jamie Goode. logo by Michel Tolmer Intro and Outro music by Jamie Goode

  1. 1D AGO

    Wine, Sight and Sound

    So much of our tasting energy is spent assessing a particular’s wines aromas and flavours using our sense of smell and what we can detect with our indvidual palates. We rarely discuss the role of appearance, how the wine presents itself, the clues that we can derive from examining intently the liquid in a glass. Emily, Jamie and Doug talk about various aspects of visual appreciation, from the quality of light we taste in (daylight versus artificial, for example), to how appearances can sometimes be deceptive, as well as what find appetising when we look at a wine. They touch on the pros and cons of blind tasting and remark how easily we can be influenced by colour, our brains deceived by false perceptions. We broach a bottle of 2023 Soca-Rel Manto Negro from the island of Mallorca and comment on its remarkable pale red colour. Appearances are not deceptive! The wine is pretty, floral, red-fruited, and even ethereal. We then move to a Chinon of indeterminate age from Patrick Corbineau (RIP). Without a vintage on the label or the cork to guide us, we surmise - from the colour of the wine – that it is between15-30 years old. The wine is astonishingly fine and vibrant. In the second part of the podcast, the three examine how sound affects our assessment and enjoyment of wine. Sound can be music or conversation; they agree that it can establish our moods and thus affect our respective responses to wine. Noise, however, is always intrusive and the energy required to screen it out, impacts our enjoyment of wine and the very ability to taste. Restaurants have become increasingly noisy environments, perhaps less than ideal milieux to truly appreciate good wine in.

    48 min
  2. 10/25/2025

    How to be a Wine Buyer

    Doug and Jamie quiz Emily on her various wine buying roles. Firstly, they ask as an importer, whether all her buying choices governed purely by passion and aesthetic appreciation and how important the commercial imperative is in her wine buyer role. They discuss the significance of positive relationships between grower and buyer, ethical sourcing, the importance of mutual respect, good communication and honest feedback, and about what happens when a wine that has been shipped does not measure up for some reason. The three then talk about her role as a consultant wine buyer for a hotel group and how she balances what she prefers to drink to assembling a list that will appeal to the clientele of the establishment in question. They finally ask into how consumers may recognise when they look at a wine list that an intelligent buyer has been at work. Is it the choice of wines, the pricing structure, the presentation of the list? The trio say that often the best lists are the most discriminating ones; they may be shorter and less comprehensive, but every wine is on them for a good reason. Two wines are tasted. A delicious and unusual Posca Bianca from Orsi San Vito in Emilia-Romagna, a biodynamic farm in the Colli Bolognesi zone, made from a blend of Pignoletto, Alionza, Albana and Malvasia from different vineyards of various ages, an assemblage of every vintage back to 2010. The second wine is an unctuous full-bodied (and rather wonderful) Pouilly-Fuissé from Maison Valette, another non-vintage wine, being a blend of 2019-20-21.

    51 min

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The wild fermented thoughts of three amigos. (Not) just another wine podcast by Wine Importer Doug Wregg, International Wine Consultant Emily Harman and Wine Writer Jamie Goode. logo by Michel Tolmer Intro and Outro music by Jamie Goode

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