news this week doens't get too political, but does briefly cover the wine industry, tracking a slight decrease in hospitality insolvencies alongside the evolving landscape of english still wines at the winegb awards. our guest is master of wine caroline gilby, who joins the conversation to look at the historical trajectory, post-communist evolution, and marketability of central and eastern european indigenous varieties. we also travel north of santiago with concha y toro's marcello papa to quickly chat through the viticultural dynamics, water constraints, and golf handicaps that define premium chardonnay and pinot noir production in the limarí valley.

caroline gilby mw joins us for a chat about the post-communist quality revolution and native grape varieties of central and eastern europe.

a look at why declining hospitality insolvencies and shifting english still wine trends matter for the trade..

marcelo papa joins us for a chat about golf and pacific breezes in the desert vineyards of limarí.

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00:00 – introduction and recording during english wine week

01:08 – trade news: hospitality insolvencies, winegb awards, the rise of english still wines, and sir ian botham's latest english wine collaboration

05:13 – interview with caroline gilby mw: from horticultural scientist to master of wine and eastern europe specialist

09:26 – why eastern european wines disappeared from the uk and how gilby became the region's leading authority

11:30 – indigenous grape varieties, pronunciation challenges and selling eastern european wines in the uk

14:49 – tourism, rising quality, decanter judging and the future of central and eastern european wine

18:24 – slovenia, bulgaria and why elegant, terroir-driven wines are reshaping perceptions of the region

21:33 – life outside wine, mountain running and gilby's apocalypse wine choice

24:09 – interview with marcelo papa: making world-class chardonnay on the edge of the atacama desert

25:35 – limarí's climate, water management and why the region is built around chardonnay and pinot noir

29:16 – tasting viña amelia quebrada seca chardonnay and discussing its mineral, saline style

30:53 – reflections on the interviews, mw specialisms and english wine week

32:43 – listener feedback, english wine recommendations and closing remarks

in the episode 11 news we skip over the commercial realities of the uk wine trade a decade after brexit, brad ponders about putting afew bids in the auction of rare historic sherries at christie’s, and we couldnt resist wading in on steven bartletts self-hyper-optimisation woes. as an antidote to that author and winemaker rachel signer joins the conversation to discuss her new book, how to drink natural wine, detailing her impulsive journey from brooklyn restaurants to italian vineyards, field blends and falling in love. we finish with a recap of the picpoul de pinet tasting, oyster competition dramas, and a legendary 1978 rhône magnum from the cellar.

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[00:00] – episode 11 opens with reflections on the london wine fair special

[00:00] – live interviews at the fair apparently worked better than expected

[01:15] – brexit ten years later and what it actually did to the wine trade

[06:22] – segue into this week’s guest and anti-optimisation natural wine philosophy

[07:05] – Rachel Signer interview

[07:13] – restaurant jobs, brooklyn and accidental entry into wine

[07:30] – discovering natural wine without formal wine education

[12:27] – food, pleasure and discovering wine culture properly for the first time

[13:08] – falling in love with natural wine, winemaking and her husband simultaneously

[17:32] – natural wine as flavour purity rather than ideology

[23:33] – natural wine bars, restaurants and building the book visually

[24:36] – why people should actually buy the book instead of just hearing excerpts

[27:42] – parenting, travel and balancing family life with wine work

[35:53] – post-interview housekeeping and substack discussion

[35:58] – Jamie Goode joins substack

[36:10] – substack compared to old wine twitter

[36:55] – listener comments and podcast feedback

dan’s voice is hanging on by a thread after three days at london wine fair, but there’s still plenty to get through, with three interviews recorded live from the london wine fair floor.

first up is Larry Cherubino talking margaret river chardonnay, italian varieties in australia, concrete fermenters and why modern australian wine is a long way removed from the old blockbuster stereotype.

next is Matthew Brown making the case for virginia wines, cabernet franc, acid-driven whites and why “emerging region” might be the most tired phrase in wine.

finally, Sarah Abbott arrives with strong opinions on london wine fair, “buyers only” tasting culture, talent development in wine, dancing, dogs and surviving trade week physically intact.

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[00:00] – intro, destroyed voices and surviving london wine fair

[01:24] – Charlie Holland takes over at WineGB

[02:27] – london wine fair actually feels good again

[03:26] – hospitality vat debate and why restaurants are struggling

[06:07] – Larry Cherubino on margaret river, chardonnay and modern australian wine

[13:18] – Matthew Brown on virginia wines, cab franc and cool climate drinking

[18:04] – “your cellar tells people what you don’t drink”

[21:15] – Sarah Abbott on london wine fair, “buyers only” culture and talent development in wine

[29:27] – english charmat wines and modern clairet chat

[31:20] – podcast growth, listener feedback and meeting people at the fair

[33:17] – sign-off