Matthew's World of Wine and Drink

Ever wondered how a glass alters your appreciation of a wine? Lukas Therre works at Josephinenhütte, a series of very distinctive glassware designed by Kurt Zalto. This is a fascinating interview, which covers how wine glasses are made (an intensive process), the sensory effect of a wine glass, what glass we should use for sparkling wine, and even water glasses. Pick up a glass and listen!

An interview with Agostino Bertolin of notastingnotes.com all about Austria, talking about some of the lesser known regions, Weinviertel, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, and Steiermark, as well as varieties such as Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and Welschriesling. Agostino provides great insight into the many styles of wine made in such a relatively small country.

There are eighteen grape varieties permitted for Châtauneuf-du-Pape, some of them very famous, others much more obscure. This episode details the characteristics of each of the varieties and what they bring to a blend—and why blending is so important in the warm climate of the southern Rhône—as well as looking at some of the other regions the varieties are grown in.

Terah Bajjalieh is an up-and-coming winemaker in California, making wine from Grenache, Syrah, Vermentino, and Falanghina. The wines are modern expressions of California, but also representations of California's Mediterranean climate and its history from the early days of the nineteenth century. In this episode, we talk about all things California in relation to these Mediterranean varieties.

Gouais Blanc is a little-planted white grape variety that in the past has been banned in France. It produces indeterminate, high-acid wines, but is indirectly responsible for some of the greatest wine in the world. Through natural crossings, it's the parent of Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Gamay in Burgundy/Beaujolais, as well as Riesling, Furmint, and Blaufränkisch. Without Gouais Blanc, wine as we know it wouldn't exist, nor would our understanding of DNA and grape genetics.