Wine for Normal People

I haven't given an update to the Veneto region in more than a decade. With an upcoming Patron trip to the region, I think it's high time!
Veneto is in northeastern Italy, Veneto is famed for wines like Prosecco, Valpolicella (including Amarone), Soave, and Bardolino. With 14 DOCGs, 29 DOCs, and 10 IGPs, covering about 104,400 ha (258,000 acres) of vineyards, the province makes every style of wine imaginable. Approximately 75% of plantings are white varieties—dominated by Glera at around 39% (this is the main Prosecco grape)—while 25% of plantings are red, led by Corvina with Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara.
In this show, I discuss the history of Veneto, and then break the province down into three distinct regions, with some star DOCs and DOCGs:

Eastern part: Prosecco/ Treviso Province Wine Zones: Valdobiaddene, Conegliano, Asolo, Cartizze
Central part of Veneto: Around Vicenza/Padova - Breganze, Gambellara, Colli Berici, Colli Euganei
Western Part: In the Hills of Verona: Valpolicella, Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana, Soave, Garda
 
I address some of the unfair criticisms levied against Veneto by certain wine writers, talk about how to find the best of the best wines from this region, and suggest some top producers. 
 
A great show and a fun update after all these years! So much has changed and improved! 
 
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

This is the start of a new series, suggested by Patron Keith S.! Thank you, Keith!  I'll cover people who have made a huge difference in the wine world —figures whose contributions have shaped how wine is made, understood, and appreciated.
 
I felt the best place to kick this off was with a man who ratcheted up the quality of wine in Bordeaux and then around the world. Through his great scientific brain and his quiet and kind yet convincing style of plain-spoken communication Bordeaux-based oenologist, Dr. Peynaud had an enormous global influence on winemaking and wine appreciation in the second half of the 20th century, earning him the title "father of modern enology." Through both his research writing, and consulting work, he helped set new technology and quality standards across the industry, and through his teaching and generosity in sharing knowledge, he educated generations of winemakers to focus on quality.
 
In this show I discuss the early life of the man who would bring winemaking into the modern era and then I talk about the three Peynaud principles:
1. Grapes must arrive at the winery in a healthy and mature condition
2. Tannins must be extracted gently but sufficiently through maceration
3. Fermentation temperatures must be controlled throughout and malolactic fermentation should be understood and welcomed in red wines.

Photo: Émile Peynaud, the Father of Modern Enology
 
Without Dr. Peynaud, we could not enjoy the clean, consistent wines that come from care in the vineyard, sanitation in the winery, and increased understanding of basic principles of fermentation.
 
 
We should all raise a glass to Dr. Émile Peynaud and his life's work, which has made wine so much more enjoyable! Santé!
 
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! 
 
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

Pollak Vineyards is a small family-owned winery founded in 2003 when Margo and David Pollak bought a farm west of Charlottesville, Virginia. David's experience in wine was pretty extensive – he worked in the 1970s in Sonoma's Russian River Valley and was a founding partner and investor in one of Napa Valley's first Carneros wineries, Bouchaine Vineyards. Years later, when he thought about retirement from the corporate world, he saw huge potential in Virginia and he and Margo took the chance to help shape this emerging region.

Photo: Pollak Vineyards. Credit: https://www.pollakvineyards.com
 
In this show, I host Ryan Pollak Gardner, Dave and Margo's daughter and their successor, and Benoit Pineau, the long time winemaker. We discuss the story of Pollak, the terroir of their site, and what makes their wine so much better than so many others in Virginia.
 
For me, Pollak is among the Grand Cru of Virginia – the top of the top. Their wines are stunning, their property is beautiful, and they are doing all the right things to showcase how incredible the wines of VA can be.  And I'm not alone: in 2025, Pollak won five gold medals in the VA Governor's Cup Competition, more than any other winery.
 
A great show on what it takes to run a winery of this caliber in a challenging climate and terroir, and how far Virginia has come, due to places like Pollak. 

 
Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
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This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. Go to wineaccess.com/wfnp to sign up!

600 episodes of WFNP! I am grateful to you for listening, for reading the book, for learning with me and gracefully accepting the changes over the years, and I'm especially grateful to my sponsors, guests, and travel partners. (thanks Heather and Beppe!) over the last 15 years who have supported this show.  
 
But most of all, as I say every week, I'm grateful to the Patrons – the people who directly support the work that I do week after week and who have become my friends, and who have allowed me to join them on their journeys into wine.

I'm boring and you all know about me so for this episode, I asked the Patrons if anyone wanted to share their story on how they got their start in wine. I culled it down to nine! 
 
Each story is so unique and fun. Please make sure you listen to them all. The last story is with one of my very first listeners and we discuss some of the more philosophical things about wine and the show to wrap it up.
 
I owe a debt of gratitude to all these brave people (who I definitely did not compensate for doing this NOR for saying all the nice things they said – I had no idea they were going to say this stuff!):
Greg from Colorado
Alissa from Los Angeles, California
Tim from New Jersey
Linda from Maryland
Elizabeth from NYC
Tina from Massachusetts
Lyle from Silicon Valley, California
Shana from Pennsylvania
Claudette from Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Just as a heads up:  You'll hear a brief pause between each vignette, and each varies in length. I hope you'll laugh, nod your head, and enjoy this wonderful celebration of wine and the WFNP community.
 
Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
_______________________________________________________________
 
This show is brought to you by Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can't go wrong with Wine Access!  Go to wineaccess.com/wfnp to sign up!

In honor of Women's History Month, I'm rereleasing a show with one of the most dynamic, intelligent, and all around fantastic women in wine: Laura Catena of Bodegas Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina.

Photo from Laura's website: https://indefenseofwine.com
 
We discuss her life as a doctor, a mom, and the head of a wine empire. We cover the history of Malbec and how her family aided the meteoric rise of Argentine wine and of the comeback of the Malbec grape around the world. 
A fun, sharp-as-a-tack woman, you'll learn a ton about Malbec, Mendoza, and a few life lessons (it's all about the B+!) from this fascinating podcast!  
 
I've edited it to take out some outdated information and for conciseness, but it is well worth the listen -- still a great, educational, and fun show after all these years! Please look at Laura's web site on wine and health for the most accurate, up to date, and factual information on wine and health: In Defense of Wine
 
Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople
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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