Wine for Normal People

Elizabeth Schneider
  • 4.6 (1.4K)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Wine for Normal People

A podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it. I talk about wine in a fun, straightforward, normal way to get you excited about it and help you drink better, more interesting stuff. About half the shows feature guests and are informal but educational discussions between me and a passionate wine friend –they aren't interviews. All guests are personal friends or friends of friends in wine so like any conversation between friends, we’ll talk back and forth, interrupt each other, laugh and have fun, debate tough questions, voice our opinions, and most of all, enjoy sharing our time together and with you! The Wine For Normal People book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many local booksellers. Back catalog available on Patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Ep 552: The Greats - Napa Valley

    Napa Valley is unquestionably one of the great wine regions of the world. Located about 50 mi/80 km north of San Francisco, Napa is renowned for its decadent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and its glamourous, fancy and expensive tasting rooms. Napa only represents 4% of California’s wine grape harvest, but it holds the highest reputation among all US regions.   But the region isn’t all show – it has excellent terroir to make world class wines. Photo: Napa Valley Vineyard. Source: Pixabay Napa Valley stretches southeast to northwest for approximately 35 miles (60 km) from just north of the San Pablo Bay to the northern reaches of Calistoga. Nestled between the Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges, the Valley is about 4 miles wide at its widest point. It contains half the soil types in the world and its mountains, benchlands, and valleys have so much diversity that each wine made here reflects a different character.   In this show I go over the history, the geology and terroir, the main grapes and wine styles, and then I go into detail on the 16 American Viticultural Areas in Napa and what to expect from each.     This is a comprehensive look at this great wine region of the world that made the reputation of American wine as we know it today.     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    1h 7m

  2. FEB 5

    Ep 551: How to Make Your Wine Shop Work for You with Steve Tocco, Wine Buyer and Retailer

    This week, I'm joined by Patron and friend Steve Tocco is the wine buyer and manager of a fine wine store near Boulder, Colorado -- Atlas Valley Purveyors (yes, I've been there!). He is great at what he does -- creative, community oriented, great palate -- basically he is the wine guy we all want!   I asked him  to come on the show to share tips on how to best work with a local wine retailer to create great relationships that lead to better wines.  We discuss: How to figure out your shopping style How create a relationship with your wine shop person How to glean what someone knows so you can decide if you want to go back to the store Corporate buying v. small retail Important questions to answer before you go into a shop (and if you don't ask those quesitons, what the wine shop person should ask you!) How to take advantage of discounts and special things the store may offer   It's a fun show and a great checklist of things to look for to make sure you find the right local shop for you!    Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    51 min

  3. JAN 29

    South Australia - An Overview of Australia’s “Wine State"

    This show features an overview of an essential place in the wine world: South Australia. There is much to learn here but I try to break it down into what is important to know. The show is somewhat heavy on history, since that is an essential part of why South Australia is important today.    South Australia is an Australian state located in the central south of the continent that refers to itself as Australia’s “Wine State”, and rightfully so: it produces 50% of all bottled wine and about 80% of the country’s premium wine. Most large wine companies (8 of the 13 continuously operating wine companies in Australia are here), many small wineries and almost all the official wine trade organizations, including Wine Australia, the government body responsible for regulating and promoting Australian wine, and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), which plays a crucial role in wine research, are based in South Australia.   South Australia consists of 18 regions, and although I address most of them, I also point out that there are a handful that are essential to truly knowing about South Australia: Barossa, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra, and McLaren Vale.   Map: Wine Australia   This is a bit of a whirlwind show, but hopefully it gives you a flavor for this famed, and essential corner of the wine world. My hope is that heard one or two things I said that you may not have known and that you seek out those wines. Australia is under appreciated in the US, especially, and when you get a good one, it is usually unbelievably good!     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    47 min

  4. JAN 22

    The Grape Mini-Series --Touriga Nacional

    Touriga Nacional is, beyond a doubt, the most important, praised, and discussed red grape in Portugal. An essential part of Port and the dry wines of the regions of Dão and Douro, this powerful grape has spread throughout Portugal and has captured the imagination of winemakers from Australia to South Africa to California and more. Photo: Touriga Nacional. Credit: Unsplash   In this show, I go through the highlights of this beautiful grape and talk about how it went from near extinction to the Queen grape of Portugal. I review the origins, vineyard habits, aromas and flavors, and then discuss the specific places the grape grows and why it thrives where it does.    Touriga is not just a fantastic grape, it will be an important factor in dealing with our changing climate. Take a listen to the show and see why this grape is so outstanding.    _______________________________________________________________   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    37 min

  5. JAN 15

    Bandol - The Ageworthy Reds and Rosés of Provence, France

    Bandol is arguably the most important appellation in Provence at the southeastern tip of France. Although it makes white, this very small region is known for its ageworthy reds and rosés made mainly of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault.   In this show I review the long history of Bandol from the Greeks to the real estate agents of today, and talk about the various terroirs in this appellation. I talk about the grapes, why Mourvedre makes such a big difference in allowing the reds and rosés to age, and some ideas of flavors, producers, and how long to age these wines. From the Rosés of Southern France by Liz Gabay, MW and Ben Bernheim   Since these are rosés that can age and ones that have more robust flavors, I wanted to do this show in the winter. I think it’s good for us to think about different ways to look at pink wine, especially high-quality pink wine! And considering Bandol a multi-season wine is a great step in that direction!     ________________________________________________________________ Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    46 min

  6. JAN 8

    Ep 547: Back to Basics...12 Bottles to Learn About Some of the Classic Wine of the World

    I start by asking for a big favor!! I haven’t asked in about 10 years – but if you get a moment, could you drop a positive review for WFNP on iTunes, or a good rating on Spotify, or tell a friend who you think would like the show? Thank you in advance!   This show is part of the effort to refresh the WFNP catalog, based on the ideas of Patron Chris C, who did a ton of work to help me come up with a list of things he thought I could re-do, given that it’s been 14 years since I covered some of this stuff. If you have any ideas, please drop a DM on Patreon or send me ideas through the site!   This show has my recommendations for filling a case of wine with classics from around the world. These wines will give you a great idea of what these regions represent and why they are so famed. Even for experienced wine drinkers, I think it’s good to go back to the basics and try stuff you haven’t had in a while to remind ourselves why they are so good!   The list contains 12 still wines (no sparkling or fortified this time!), whites, reds, and one rosé. The wines are:   Whites: White Burgundy, which is Chardonnay. I recommend the wine especially from the Hautes Côtes de Beaune or Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Côte d’Or Blanc, or Chablis 2. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – with a twist. Look for wines from the Awatere or Wairau Valleys. 3. German Riesling from the Mosel (for off-dry wines) or Rheingau. I also mention Pfalz for great dry wines. 4. Portuguese Alvarinho – Vinho Verde, specifically from sub-regions of Monção and Melgaço   Rosé 5. Tavel from the Rhône Reds 6. Bordeaux – especially from the Médoc or Côtes de Bordeaux for Merlot-driven wines (Pomerol and St. Émilion) and for bolder, more ageworthy wines with more Cabernet -- Haut-Médoc or Saint-Estèphe or for spendier versions – Graves, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac 7.   Rioja from Spain   8. Italian reds either Chianti Classico (have food with it!) or Roero/Langhe Nebbiolo/Nebbiolo d’Alba/Barbaresco   9. California – Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir (or more specifically Santa Maria Valley or Sta. Rita Hills)   10. Barossa Valley Shiraz (take another look if you haven’t in a while!). For more restraint, you can look for Shiraz from Eden Valley, a sub region of the Barossa Valley   11. Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, especially Maipo Andes/ Alto Maipo is best, due to the higher altitude in this area 12. Argentinean Malbec, more specifically from Gualtallary, Tupungato, Altamira or, more generally the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo       Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    52 min

  7. 12/11/2024

    The Rioja Series - the Rioja Oriental Zone with Raquel Perez Cuevas of Bodegas Ontañón

    This show is the final in a multi-part, in-depth series on the Rioja DOCa in which we have looked at the three major zones of Rioja through the eyes of top producers to tell us about their areas and the challenges they face. Photo: Raquel Perez Cuevas. Credit: Bodegas Ontañón Facebook Page   This time, Raquel Pérez Cuevas, 4th generation family member of Bodegas Ontañón joins to tell us about Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja). Raquel is an agricultural engineer and oenologist, and has traveled the world presenting the beautiful wines of Ontañón.   Ontañón is one of the most highly regarded and best wineries in Rioja. The family started as growers that sold to large companies but in the 1980s, they started making their own wines, breaking with tradition and most of their neighbors in Oriental at the time. The Perez Cuevas family are unique in that they 250ha of vineyards, in around the village of Quel (which Raquel discusses a lot in the show). Their vineyards are also unique because they sit very high in the mountains, even higher than the vineyards of Alta in Alavesa.   In this show, Raquel tells us about Oriental, the differences between the region and Alta and Alavesa, the grapes that grow here (they are different from the other regions – there is much more diversity), and her perspective on what is happening in the region right now. This series has been so eye opening and this show shines yet another light on this very complex region, which is undergoing a major transition right now.   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access.  They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    59 min

  8. 12/03/2024

    The Rioja Series - the Rioja Alavesa Zone with Tao Platón of Península Viticultores

    This is the second installment of an in-depth series on the Rioja DOCa, where I do a close look at the three major zones of Rioja. I host top producers in each show to tell us about their areas and the challenges they face.   In Episode 544, we heard about the Rioja Alta zone and this week we hear from Tao Platón of Rioja Alavesa, who presents a completely different perspective on the region.   Tao Platón graduated in Enology from the University of Valladolid, holds a WSET Diploma and is an Master of Wine (MW) candidate. He has made wine in Bordeaux, Burgundy, New Zealand, and Rioja and in 2016 he joined Península Vinicultores as head winemaker and technical director. Photo: Tao Platón. Credit: Península Vinicultores He leads the production of a new generation of terroir-driven wines from Rioja Alavesa at Bodega Bideona. Bideona cultivates hundreds of individual parcels and makes wine in the Burgundian model – terroir-driven, vineyard specific wines. He joins us as a representative of the zone of Alavesa and as a passionate advocate for the system of terroir-driven, single vineyard wines, a system which Rioja approved in 2018.   We discuss:  The Rioja Alavesa overview -- terroir, the history of the region, and how Alavesa is made up of many small, family owned wineries.   The strengths of Alavesa, which are old vines, mainly of Tempranillo. Wineries of Alavesa don’t blend grapes from elsewhere so the wines are very terroir-driven and local in Alavesa. We discuss the various styles of wines, including the production of whites in the region.   We get to some of the very hard questions regarding Alavesa and its Basque identity. We fill you in on the political independent movement in the Basque Country, the various ideologies and how those are playing out in the politics of the Rioja DOCa.   The differences between business models (traditional model versus newer, terroir driven producers) in the Rioja DOCa, as well as the tension is between quality producers and those who look to make cheap wine that they can sell quickly, regardless of quality.   The potential future for Rioja and the DOCa and various scenarios that could exist for Alavesa in the future. ____________________________________________________  This show represents a totally different perspective from Rioja Alavesa versus Rioja Alta! Just wait until the next show with Raquel of Bodegas Ontañón from Rioja Oriental!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today! Gifting subscriptions is now available as well!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access for your holiday shopping.They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to! Make sure you join the Wine Access-Wine For Normal People wine club for wines I select delivered to you four times a year!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

    50 min
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4.6
out of 5
1,385 Ratings

About

A podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it. I talk about wine in a fun, straightforward, normal way to get you excited about it and help you drink better, more interesting stuff. About half the shows feature guests and are informal but educational discussions between me and a passionate wine friend –they aren't interviews. All guests are personal friends or friends of friends in wine so like any conversation between friends, we’ll talk back and forth, interrupt each other, laugh and have fun, debate tough questions, voice our opinions, and most of all, enjoy sharing our time together and with you! The Wine For Normal People book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many local booksellers. Back catalog available on Patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

Information

  • Creator
    Elizabeth Schneider
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2025
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © 2024 Wine for Normal People®. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Wine for Normal People

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