by Natalie MacLean
The Unreserved Wine Talk podcast features candid conversations with the most fascinating people in the wine world. Your host, award-winning journalist Natalie MacLean, dives into how it feels to compete in the nerve-wracking World's Best Sommelier Competition, the shadowy underground of wine forgery, the zany tactics of a winemaker who hosted a funeral for cork, and more. Nestled in these colourful stories are practical tips on how to choose wine from a restaurant list, pair it with food and spot great values in the liquor store. Every second episode, Natalie goes solo with an unfiltered, personal reflection on wine. She'll share with you how it feels to be a woman in what is still a largely male-dominated field, her gut reaction to the latest health study that says no amount of alcohol consumption is safe and her journey in writing her next book. She'll reveal these vulnerable, sometimes embarrassing, stories with tipsy wit and wisdom that she's soaked up from 20 years of writing about wine. This podcast is for wine lovers from novices to well-cellared aficionados.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
11/20/2018
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 30, 2025
<p>Why are major Champagne houses, like Taittinger and Pommery, spending millions of dollars to buy and plant vineyards in England? How did Brexit reshape the English wine industry, from barrels to picking grapes? Why does visiting the English wine country feel like uncovering a hidden secret?</p> <p>In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Henry Jeffreys, author of Vines in a Cold Climate.</p> <p>You can find the wines we discussed at <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks</a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Giveaway</strong></p> <p>Three of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, Vines in a Cold Climate. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[email protected]</a> and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Highlights</strong></p> <p>Is England's greatest wine yet to be discovered?</p> <p>What makes Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom such a memorable and inspirational person?</p> <p>What is it like to visit English wine regions as a tourist?</p> <p>How can you make the most out of a trip to London as a wine lover?</p> <p>What was the most surprising historical tidbit about English wine that Henry uncovered while researching?</p> <p>Which significant milestones have signalled the improved quality of English wine in the past 20 years?</p> <p>What makes English winemakers different from those from other regions?</p> <p>If English wine is such a precarious venture, why have champagne houses like Tattinger and Pommery chosen to plant in England?</p> <p>How did Brexit impact English winemakers?</p> <p>What’s the biggest risk to the English wine industry?</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p> <p>Henry observes that Champagne is warming up and the concern is that eventually the grapes might not have enough acidity, so they're hedging their bets. He also thinks they are entrepreneurial. If you could bring your expertise and get it to work and make a great, great wine - which is what they're interested in - then, why not?</p> <p>Brexit had a big impact on the English wine industry. There was a hell of a lot of upheaval, but I think generally the industry has adjusted and worked out how they can bring things in. The cost, obviously, has gone into the wines, and we probably have to pay more. But I think all the problems have already been dealt with. It's all kind of factored in.</p> <p>Southern England, especially in the spring and summer, Henry says, is breathtakingly beautiful in a way that no other country is. There are beautiful little villages and hills and churches. It can be quite incongruous sometimes seeing the vines, especially if on a cold day when you’d expect to see horses and apple trees. Wine tourism is quite in its infancy at the moment, but it’s coming on strongly. A lot of wineries have realized that you can sell tourists wine without anyone taking a cut. So they’re beginning to take it a lot more seriously… have restaurants on site, really good tour guides. The potential is massive because most of the vineyards are within an hour and a half of London.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>About Henry Jeffreys</strong></p> <p>Henry Jeffreys worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a writer. He’s a contributor to Good Food, The Guardian, Harpers Wine & Spirit, and The Spectator, wine columnist for The Critic magazine, and has appeared on radio, TV, and The Rest is History podcast. He won Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year in 2022 and is the author of four books, including Empire of Booze and Vines in a Cold Climate, which was shortlisted for the James Beard awards and won Fortnum & Mason drink book of the year. Along with Tom Parker Bowles, he hosts the Intoxicating History podcast. He lives in Faversham, Kent, with his wife and two daughters.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>To learn more, visit <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/335">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/335</a>.</p>
April 23, 2025
<p>Is chalky soil really the secret to great English wine—or just clever marketing? What makes it so difficult for English wine to break into the North American market? Is it time for a classified system of English wine?</p> <p>In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Henry Jeffreys, author of the award-winning book Vines in a Cold Climate.</p> <p>You can find the wines we discussed at <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks</a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Giveaway</strong></p> <p>Three of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, Vines in a Cold Climate. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[email protected]</a> and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Highlights</strong></p> <p>How did Henry become a wine critic for The Lady, a women's magazine?</p> <p>What was it light to interview wine pioneer Stuart Moss?</p> <p>How did Henry’s skepticism about biodynamics nearly cause a problem with Gérard Bertrand?</p> <p>What inspired Henry to write Empire of Booze?</p> <p>What was the most surprising thing Henry learned while researching the book?</p> <p>How did Henry’s first experience of English wine go?</p> <p>What unusual vineyard experience totally changed his perception?</p> <p>How much wine does England produce?</p> <p>Where are the main wine regions in England?</p> <p>Are the benefits of the chalky soils in certain parts of England overrated?</p> <p>Is it time for a classified system of English wine?</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p> <p>We always hear about the chalk or the White Cliffs of Dover. Do you think that has an influence or is it overrated? Henry thinks it is overrated and it was the story that sold. It was a good marketing angle, and they thought that it was the best place. He thinks almost everything else is more important than whether it's chalk or clay, and once you've got everything else right, then you can argue about that.</p> <p>Henry observes that selling to Canada and the US is quite complicated. If you sell to Japan, you can get just one person to import it. Whereas in North America you have complicated systems by state and province. You need somebody on the ground selling. Plus, Nova Scotia makes a similar style of sparkling wines. California has some pretty good sparkling wines. And then once the English bubblies land in the market, the price is pretty much the same as Champagne. Why would you unless you wanted something quite unusual, right?</p> <p>Henry says that there is now a PDO, or Protected Designation of Origin, a European geographical indication for one county, which is Sussex. But it's really too early for it, because they've only been making quality wine there for 30 years. The appellation contrôlée is, ideally, codifying hundreds of years of tradition. Plus, a lot of producers buy from different counties. So Nyetimber will have vineyards in Kent and Sussex and Hampshire. So that makes a nonsense of it. And also, there's sort of bits of Sussex that are very much like Kent, so you so there's no point drawing a line where the old county barrier is. It's like, it'd be like, sort of cutting the Médoc in half. It doesn't really make any sense. I think the only place where it makes sense is Essex, because you've got the soil.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>About Henry Jeffreys</strong></p> <p>Henry Jeffreys worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a writer. He’s a contributor to Good Food, The Guardian, Harpers Wine & Spirit, and The Spectator, wine columnist for The Critic magazine, and has appeared on radio, TV, and The Rest is History podcast. He won Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year in 2022 and is the author of four books, including Empire of Booze and Vines in a Cold Climate, which was shortlisted for the James Beard awards and won Fortnum & Mason drink book of the year. Along with Tom Parker Bowles, he hosts the Intoxicating History podcast. He lives in Faversham, Kent, with his wife and two daughters.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>To learn more, visit <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/334">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/334</a>.</p>
April 16, 2025
<p>How can a vineyard disaster become an unexpected opportunity to innovate? How does storytelling transform wine marketing? What innovative pairings go beyond red wine and red meat?</p> <p>In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sally Evans, author of the new memoir, Make The Midlife Move: A Practical Guide to Flourish after Fifty.</p> <p>You can find the wines we discussed at <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks</a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Giveaway</strong></p> <p>Three of you are going to win a copy of her terrific new memoir, Make The Midlife Move: A Practical Guide to Flourish after Fifty. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at <a href= "mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">[email protected]</a> and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Highlights</strong></p> <p>Are you ever too old to start over?</p> <p>How do we build resilience as we get older?</p> <p>How did Sally’s harsh initiation with the 2017 frost in Bordeaux shape her approach to winemaking?</p> <p>Why did Sally decide not to pursue organic certification?</p> <p>How did it feel to present Sally’s first wine in 2018 at Bordeaux's En Primeur?</p> <p>Which aspects of the story does Sally hope critics understand beyond what's in the glass?</p> <p>Beyond scores and medals, what forms of recognition have been most meaningful to Sally as a winemaker?</p> <p>What was it like to be sworn into the Confrérie des Gentilshommes de Fronsac?</p> <p>What was the steepest learning curve in selling a physical product like wine?</p> <p>How has Sally found creative ways to market and sell Château George 7?</p> <p>Why should you incorporate storytelling in marketing wine?</p> <p>How did Sally pivot to minimize the negative impact of COVID on the winery?</p> <p>What are some unusual pairings between vegetarian dishes and red wines?</p> <p>How do you know when it's time to move on from something you've built?</p> <p>What goals would Sally like to accomplish before selling the winery?</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p> <p>As Sally shares, she was still living in the southeast of France when the previous owner of her vineyard rang to tell her that the frost had destroyed everything. While now we have barrel rooms and we have thermoregulation, we made a decent wine and that proved the process. That was a good example of how in midlife we can look at something that looks really bad, something that's happened, and actually turn around and make something good out of it.</p> <p>Sally says that when she hosts wine tastings, she always talks about the occasions when they're going to drink the wine: I think there's one thing in marketing where you profile the customer but I think with wine, often it's around the occasion and what you're eating and who's over and so on. That's how we drink wine. We drink it for occasions.</p> <p>Sally observes that when we look at the back of most red wine bottles, especially from Bordeaux, it says drink with red meat: I thought, well, that's not really helpful. I have a very close friend, Wendy Narby, she and I sat down and said, red wine goes fabulously with veggie dishes and so we've done it as a passion project where we talk about how to pair plant-based food with different Bordeaux wines.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>About Sally Evans</strong></p> <p>After an international corporate career based in Paris and the South of France, Sally Evans completely changed her life in her fifties. She created an independent winery in Bordeaux, completely on her own with no prior experience or knowledge of wine. She threw herself into wine studies, bought a parcel of mature vines with some dilapidated buildings and created a brand-new wine chateau. She now has a boutique winery, Château George 7, in Fronsac on the right bank of Bordeaux. Her wines win high critical acclaim from leading wine critics and publications and are listed in Michelin-starred restaurants and top venues across Europe and the US. Sally has also created a wine tourism destination for tastings and events, winning accolades for its exceptional wine experience. Alongside wine, her other passion is supporting women to follow their dreams.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>To learn more, visit <a href= "https://www.nataliemaclean.com/333">https://www.nataliemaclean.com/333</a>.</p>
Susie and Peter, Masters of Wine
Elizabeth Schneider
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
GuildSomm
SOMM TV
Levi Dalton
VinePair
VinePair
wineaccess.com
The Wine Pair
The Wine Conversation
Janina Doyle
JancisRobinson.com
Matthew Gaughan
The Lincoln Project
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.