7 Podcasts to Serve Shaken or Stirred
For mixology tips, industry news or deep dives into history, these shows about wine, beer and cocktails are worth checking out.
By Emma Dibdin
More than five months into the pandemic, the early lockdown novelty of homemade cocktails and virtual happy hours may be starting to wear thin. If you’re seeking inspiration for your next quarantini, trying to figure out which wines to stock up on for the fall, or just feeling wistful for the atmosphere at your neighborhood watering hole, there just might be a podcast out there to quench your thirst.
‘Unreserved Wine Talk’
How do you find the perfect wine to pair with cannabis? Or yoga? Or meatless burgers? These are just a few of the off-the-beaten-path subjects that journalist Natalie MacLean explores in this engaging, unpretentious series, which also explores wine trends and pop cultural representations of wine.
Some of Unreserved Wine Talk’s most memorable episodes expand into broader conversations about sociology and human behavior. In recent weeks, MacLean has explored gender differences in wine-buying, how people’s drinking habits can be shaped by a movie like “Sideways” and how the name of a wine affects the way that it tastes.
Starter episode: “How We Buy Wine Based on Secret Retail Triggers”
Read the complete article here.
Drink Up: The Best Wine Podcasts
From quarantine vino survival guides to sharing a glass with celebs, these are the best wine podcasts to know
By Katie Strick
A true vino will source as much enjoyment from talking about great wine as they do drinking it, but what about listening to others chat about the beloved tipple?
If you are sorely missing wine chat with pals during this period of quarantine, luckily there some great wine-focussed podcasts out there ready to serve your ears a treat.
From divulging cocktail recipes, to chatting with Dawn French and an unpretentious look at good wine, we’ve curated a list of our favourite wine podcasts below.
Unreserved Wine Talk
Award-winning journalist Natalie MacLean takes a deep-dive into colourful wine stories, from the wine forgery underworld to how it feels to take part in the World’s Best Sommelier Competition.
Read the complete article here.
The Best Wine Podcasts
By Lauren Eads
Let’s face it, we could all use a bit of lighthearted entertainment at the minute, whether it’s to take our minds off ever-concerning news coverage or bust boredom from being unexpectedly stuck indoors. What better way to plug in and tune out for a brief moment than with a podcast?
The number of podcasts available has exploded in recent years, with the number of listeners getting a weekly fix of audio entertainment reaching 144 million in 2019, according to Edison Research.
Offering content on everything from parenthood to film, TV and, yes, wine, they offer a brilliant medium that takes your eyes off a screen, with an ever growing number of personalities choosing to launch their own podcast.
Here, we round up the best wine-focused podcasts currently on the air, covering everything from winemaking and wine education to blind tasting and celebrity stories. Best of all, they are free.
Who’s the host: Journalist Natalie MacLean
Top featured guests: Madeleine Puckette, Clark Smith, Mike Veseth
Best for: Novices to aficionados
Website: nataliemaclean.com
In Unreserved Wine Talk host Natalie MacLean takes a no holds barred approach to wine chat, covering everything from wine pairing with cannabis, the highs and lows of airline wine and what a billionaire looks for in a wine, to asking the question do wine scores matter?
MacLean is a journalist, and her inquisitive, investigative nature shines through in this entertaining podcast featuring candid conversations with some of the industry’s most colourful characters.
She also leaves a lot of herself in the podcast, dedicating intermittent episodes to reflecting on her own position in the trade, and what it’s like to be a woman working in a still largely male-dominated field.
Read the complete article here.
8 Wine Podcasts Worth Listening To
By Pamela Ocana
Podcasts have changed the way we think about audio shows, and wine podcasts are no different! They are a great way to sneak-in some knowledge during our day to day activities. Plus, they’re a gateway to information that’s otherwise stuck in wine classes.
The Unreserved Wine Talk
Host: Natalie MacLean
Best For: People looking for honest conversations and insights about life in the wine world
Where To Find It: iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Android, iHeartRadio, and their website
Length: 20-40 minutes
Award-winning journalist Natalie MacLean offers genuine conversations with personalities from the wine industry. It also includes personal reflections on her life journey through the wine world.
The Unreserved Wine Talk aims to teach by sharing stories about people and places. It dispels the idea that wine is only for the rich, and covers wine-related details common to our daily lives.
And don’t forget their notes with useful links, books, and other resources that are available on their website.
Tune into episode 58 to listen to Madeline’s interview where she talks about her experience with wine graphics and the success of Wine Folly!
Read the complete article here.
