In this show I host Alex Milner from Natte Valleij. He is my first South African guest and the first Cinsault-focused producer I've had on the show.


Photo: Alex Milner. Credit: Natte Valleij Instagram

I first learned about Natte Valleij from a local importer who presented the wine as an option for a wine dinner I put together with a restaurant partner. Among all the wines I tasted that day, the Cinsault from this South African producer stood out and it performed beautifully with the food at the dinner, as well.

The wine inspired me to do a Grape Miniseries show on Cinsault (episode 525), and the interest among the Patrons in this grape was very high, so I knew I had to have Alex Milner on the show to discuss his wines and his Cinsault passion.

Alex is doing something unusual in South Africa and he is a bit of a wine adventurer, finding old vineyards through is other passion -- cycling! He is energetic, funny, cool, smart, and determined. By pursuing this unsung hero of a grape, Alex has created a small movement of Cinsault rediscovery in South Africa. To use cycling parlance, he has staged the winning breakaway in South African wines: Cinsault!

We discuss the importance of Stellenbosch University in the South African wine industry, the history of Cinsault, the differences between the vineyards Alex sources from, and his beautiful Natte Valleij wines.

Photo: Natte Valleij Wines Credit: Natte Valleij Instagram

Seek out these wines! They are terrific, as is Alex!!

(PS -- the show is marked explicit because Alex drops an F bomb, but it's necessary to his point...)

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Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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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

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted wine grape in the world. Loved by winemakers and wine drinkers alike, this grape has the potential to make wines with excellent fruit, power, complexity, and structure with outstanding aging ability. In this show, I do a refresh of a show I did 11 years ago (!), discussing Cabernet in all its glory – from the history, to the vineyard, to the winemaking and regions, it’s a deep dive into this beloved grape.

In this show I review:

• The (relatively recent) history of Cabernet
• How the grape acts in the vineyard and what growers need to do to get great grapes
• Winemaking and what Cabernet requires in the cellar
• The grape’s flavors, depending on where it’s grown and how it has been made
• The main regions where the grape is grown and the differences between the wines from the major areas

I wrap up with food pairing ideas and a promise not to wait another 11 years to take a look at Cab in depth again!

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

In this show, I continue to take a page out of my own book -- literally! In this back to basics show, I return to review basic wine vocabulary from chapter 1 of the "Wine For Normal People" book and introduce a new series that I'll be doing now that I'm hosting the show alone...

This Back to Basics series is my updated take on some basics, without distraction or interruption, and with the perspective of 20 years in the wine industry and 16 years of teaching others about wine.

In Part 2, I cover "taste" and "structure" words, which are some of the most misunderstood and incorrectly used terms in wine. I try to explain them in a detailed way, so we are all on the same page when we talk about wine, since descriptions are our best form of communication to get more of the wines we want in our lives.

I cover terms for acidity, tannin, alcohol, and sugar/dryness levels. Then I define balance, complexity, extracted, flabby, typicity, and classic.

I hope this review of the basics is helpful! I think it's always great to review the fundamentals of communication about wine so we can get the bottles that will make us happy!

Enjoy this one!

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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