Favorite Podcasts About Wine

September 30th is International Podcast Day! Below, we've listed 10 podcasts that cover different pieces of the wine world. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it's a starting point for you to find your favorite and learn more about your favorite things.

The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast

This is a bright and approachable podcast that visits wineries all over the world and consults experts in the field to help stoke your imagination and deepen your appreciation for the global wine world. Through candid conversations with the people behind all kinds of wineries, you may just get the travel bug and a craving to experience wine all around the world.  

Wine with Meg & Mel

If you like something lively and candid while still increasing your wine knowledge, join these two aussie friends as they explore diverse wines and create simple guides to wine varietals, regions, and other sundries of the wine world! We recommend their episodes “Pairing wine with snack food” and “Does the grape variety matter in Rosé?” for fun fresh takes on these topics. 

The James Suckling Wine Podcast

Well-respected in the wine community, wine critic James Suckling and his team give straightforward, information-rich commentary on the profiles, people, and places of the wine world. This includes reviews of individual wines and interviews with winemakers, with episodes that vary in length to suit any time window.

Wine for Normal People

As the name suggests, this podcast is geared toward anyone who is looking to enjoy and learn more about good wines without pomp or snobbery. These frank and lighthearted discussions range from nerdier, wine science oriented episodes like Episode 436 about wine faults, to a focus on varietal and terroir like Episode 427 about Piedmont, and many other areas of interest. 

Wine 101

On this podcast created by VinePair, host Ken Beavers shares unpretentious yet in-depth wine commentary for anyone who’s curious about the history of wine styles, regions, tasting notes, and more. We enjoy episodes like “Supertuscans” which illuminates this unique and delicious style and “The Judgement of Paris” which recounts dramatic wine history.

Wine Pod

With a goal to be enjoyable for entry-level wine fans and professionals in the field alike, the hosts unpack the complexity and nuances of wines and their makers. With intriguing interviews with all kinds of winemakers and other professionals, these individuals share their vibrant stories and personalities, and how this is expressed in the wines they create. 

The Wine Pair Podcast

Hosts Joe and Carmela, a husband-wife duo, give honest takes on wines especially oriented toward enjoyable wines in reasonable price ranges. In general, each episode includes relaxed and thoughtful tastings of 3 wines. Their episodes are about 45 minutes to an hour long, sprinkled with fun and helpful “minisodes” like “The right way to hold a wine glass” 

The Wine Enthusiast Podcast

Some of the foremost voices of the beverage industry and related industry come together under the umbrella of Wine Enthusiast. For anyone who wants to diversify their knowledge of the finer things of life and become an insider in what make them possible, this podcast is satisfying and educational. Enjoy topics like sustainability, women in the beverage industry, cocktails and spirits, and so much more!

Wine Blast with Susie and Peter

Another husband and wife duo, masters of wine Susie and Peter speak to wine lovers on all levels. Lighthearted, wholesome, and instructive, listeners can enjoy episode after episode of wine-oriented interviews, candid conversations, and listener questions. Their most recent series focuses on fine-tuning your wine pairings for ultimate enjoyment. Truly mouthwatering!

Wine Talks

Charismatic host Paul K sits down to interview all kinds of characters from all around the globe. Casual illuminating and enlightening discourse addresses the heart, worries, and passions of prominent guests that keep the wine world turning. One such episode is “Does the wine glass really matter? Oh, yes, meet Maximillian Riedel - World Leading Wine Glass Maker.”

Rubino Estates Winery is not sponsored by or affiliated with the above podcasts, we just hope you enjoy!

September Harvest Update

Fall has officially begun in our part of the world. Harvest is in full swing, we’ve had some early rain, and warm vibrant colors are beginning to emerge on the branches and vines around the estate. No matter the weather, harvest must go on, with our amazing winemaker and cellar team working tirelessly to craft the Rubino Estates wines you know and love. 

This bin of Chardonnay was hand-picked in the cool of the morning, just before sunrise. This fruit will be carefully processed with the greatest attention to detail to transform into our 2022 vintage of Landmark Chardonnay. 

Our Sauvignon Blanc was one of our first varietals to be ready for harvest this year. These verdant green grapes will eventually become our family-favorite Fume Blanc in due time. 

Though we hand-pick our fruit, we require some machine assistance during the winemaking process. This is the first step in the long journey for our fruit, as it transforms into delicious and award-winning wines.

As the clusters come through, our team keeps an eye on the quality and keeps the system running smoothly from start to finish. The grapes will be separated from their stems, and sent over to the press.

The press is the fun part—it’s juice time! Though this is still a long way from becoming wine, there is something gratifying about seeing the yields flow down. 

Not all of our fruit has made it to its harvest date quite yet. Many of our red wine varietals, like this Petite Sirah, await their day. It is coming soon!

Revel in the beauty of the season. Visit us and see the progress of the vineyards! 

 

Cuvée Dray & Italian Food

Here at Rubino Estates Winery, we stand at a corner: we are passionate about all things Italian, and we celebrate California’s distinguished winemaking. The 2020 Cuvée Dray, created and sold in partnership with our sister winery Ruby Hill, provides a new kind of pairing opportunity. This wine is a drool-worthy blend inspired by French Bordeaux wines, and crafted from grapes that grow right here on our Livermore Valley estate. This California-grown French-style wine has one more trick up its sleeve: it pairs deliciously with Italian cuisine. Recipes linked below, so read on!

Peppered Steak Pasta 

If you like steak and you enjoy Cacio e Pepe, then it’s time to open up a bottle of Cuvée Dray and get cracking on this easy and tasty recipe! Bellissimo!
Recipe by Anna Glover for Sainsbury’s Magazine

Hearty Risotto 

In our opinion, Risotto should be given the spotlight as often as possible. Made to be an easy weeknight recipe, this risotto packs in protein and veggies and is easy to modify to your preference. 
Recipe by Michael Symon for Food Network 

Italian Lamb Ragu 

For anyone who has time to get everything just right, then this ragu is a must-try. For extra flavor points, the pasta can be homemade too. 
Recipe by Pasta Evangelists

Fizza Funghi e Salsiccia 

Of course, a pizza from scratch is always a good call in our opinion. The savory and earthy flavors from the sausage and mushrooms harmonize deliciously with each sip of Cuvée Dray!
Recipe by Loreta at Sugar Love Spices

This week, take your taste buds on a trip to Italy. Salute!

 

What Happens When You Age Wine

Friendships, love, wine…all these things can grow so much more beautiful with time, or so they say. Of course, we love to dive into all kinds of wine knowledge and trivia, so it’s time to get curious about aging wine! What’s going on in that bottle? What can you expect to change over time? Read on. 

     At its core, winemaking is both an elegant art and a precise science. The short answer to what is going in the bottle as the wine ages is simple: Chemistry! Though many wines are delightful and ready to serve the day you purchase them, some of them will unfold into mature, developed complexity due to subtle changes to the composition of the wine. This is especially true for red wines as many Rosé and white wines are designed to be enjoyed when the flavors are fresh, crisp and flirty. In aged red wines and some Chardonnays, however, flavors, aromas, and even colors slowly shift from the bombastic fruit notes of youth to more earthy, savory, layered notes. A few examples of the aromas that may come with mature wines include cozy woodsmoke, tart cherry, dried rose petals, shy violets, mixed dry herbs, cigar box, and tobacco leaf. 

     A bottle of wine is never frozen in time: little chemical changes are always going on. The tannins and acid naturally found in wine grapes are the superstars of wine aging, since they act as a safe built-in preservative that also helps the wine develop over time. In well-made wines, tannins will integrate, moving from prominent and grippy to balanced and velvety. Over time, the molecular structure of tannins causes them to join together, eventually forming tiny solids. No longer a part of the liquid, these tannins will fall, following gravity, as sediment. (Hint: if you are ever worried about sediment in older bottles, set the bottle right side up 24 hours before serving and the solids will naturally fall to the bottom.)

     A wine you love now may mature into the best wine you’ve ever had. Every wine has a different timeline, however. For serious wine lovers, we recommend buying a few bottles or a case of an age-worthy wine, and opening a bottle every year or two to have a front row seat for the story of that wine as it unfolds year after year. If the past is any indication, those years will fly by! 

For our beloved members who have a palate for well-aged wine, we invite you to Retro Night on September 17! At this after-hours event, we break open our wine library, full of past vintages of delicious wines waiting to be explored, waiting for a moment like this! Enjoy exclusive access to these cellared wines, picked by our winemaker just for you.

Time is running out to get your tickets, so click here!

 

Celebrating Chianti Day

National Chianti Day takes place on the first Friday of September each year, and this day is one we are delighted to celebrate! For anyone who needs some background information on this classic wine and why it’s worth exploring, read on. 

     First of all, the name “Chianti” does refer to a varietal, like “Cabernet Sauvignon” or “Syrah” does. Instead, Chianti refers first to the region that it comes from. The Chianti region is nestled into Tuscany in central Italy and boasts over 34,000 acres of vines in its main zone. To compare, the Livermore Valley wine region has only 4,000 acres of vines! 

     Though Chianti refers first to the region, there are also regulations surrounding what varietals can bear the label “Chianti.” Though rules have fluctuated, Chianti wines must be at least 80% Sangiovese, the signature varietal of the region. Until 1996, however, Chianti was required to have other varietals blended in, but now 100% Sangiovese iterations are permitted—and delicious. Blending wines included French varietals like Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah, as well as Italy’s prolific white wine Trebbiano. 

     Chianti is insistently its own wine, unique and set apart from other red wines, because of the Sangiovese grape. These grapes have very thin skins (which are what give color to red wines), which results in a beautiful, bright ruby red hue. Sangiovese offers juicy fruit flavors, especially red and black cherry and wild strawberry. Depending on the winemaking style, you can also find fun accent notes like fresh herbs, spice, smoke, and even espresso. Oak aging imparts earthy and savory notes to this wine as well.

     One feature of Sangiovese that you will also find in Chianti is that these wines are easy to drink young, but well-crafted ones improve over 5-10 years. These wines are truly an absolute delight to drink, especially with food. After all, Italian wine should be enjoyed with good food! Due to naturally high levels of tannin and acid in Sangiovese, Chianti is especially suited to pairings of all kinds, but shines alongside luxurious charcuterie, duck, lamb, pork, and even poultry and creamy pasta dishes. The quintessential Italian pairing for Chianti for an ambitious chef is Bistecca alla Fiorentina. This beef dish is tender and succulent, and a perfect companion to Chianti wine. 

     If you are a fan of Chianti or simply curious about this wine, then we have good news! True to our moniker as a “Cal-Ital” winery, we offer wines inspired by Italian classics, grown right here in California’s Livermore Valley. Try our Landmark Sangiovese or our Riserva Sangiovese to dive into this world of delicious wines and pairings galore! For anyone looking to advance even more, try our Club-exclusive blends that prominently feature Sangiovese: Amuleto & Centanni Rosso. 

Are you ready to try the new world’s take on the old world’s classic? Place an order now or come visit the tasting room anytime!