House Wine
95 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsWelcome to House Wine. Every other Wednesday we cover a wine region together and go into all the details that make that place special - and the wine delicious! History, grapes origins, producers and tasting notes will all be covered as we look at some of most famous, and some more obscure wine regions. I am a Certified Sommelier based in Toronto and I believe wine should be for everyone, so if you are just starting out or if you are looking to refresh some knowledge, let's learn together.
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Episodes
Bordeaux Part 2: Graves
May 10, 2021 19:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBWelcome back wine nerds. If you have ever wondered if it is possible to reference both Star Trek and Lord of the Rings in one 25 minute podcast that covers everything south of the city of Bordeaux and west of Garonne River... well the answer is yes. This week we go over Bordeaux Blanc, some of the lesser known white grapes of France and we ask the question... should Sauvignon Blanc be oaked? I use the help of some very good books to make it though this episode: The Oxford Companion t...
Bordeaux Part 2: Graves
May 10, 2021 19:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBWelcome back wine nerds. If you have ever wondered if it is possible to reference both Star Trek and Lord of the Rings in one 25 minute podcast that covers everything south of the city of Bordeaux and west of Garonne River... well the answer is yes. This week we go over Bordeaux Blanc, some of the lesser known white grapes of France and we ask the question... should Sauvignon Blanc be oaked? I use the help of some very good books to make it though this episode: The Oxford Companion t...
Bordeaux Part 1: Médoc
May 03, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBHi wine nerds! Welcome to Episode 20! I'm so happy that this little passion project has made it to twenty episode that I decided to celebrate by talking about one of my favourite celebratory wines: Bordeaux. Maybe you're like me and you sit awake at night wondering about the history and evolution of French wine into the international market.. or maybe you are sipping on a Pinot Noir somewhere and thinking, "Hmmm... I kind of prefer wines with a little more body." Either way this episode i...
Bordeaux Part 1: Médoc
May 03, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBHi wine nerds! Welcome to Episode 20! I'm so happy that this little passion project has made it to twenty episode that I decided to celebrate by talking about one of my favourite celebratory wines: Bordeaux. Maybe you're like me and you sit awake at night wondering about the history and evolution of French wine into the international market.. or maybe you are sipping on a Pinot Noir somewhere and thinking, "Hmmm... I kind of prefer wines with a little more body." Either way this episode i...
Minisode: Keeping it in the Cabernet Family.
April 26, 2021 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.73 MBWelcome back wine nerds! You have probably heard of Cabernet (... franc?) and you have probably heard of Sauvignon (... blanc?). Actually, I know you have heard about them because they are the main topics of at least two shows already; but what about the greater family of Cabernet and Sauvignon? How does Carmenere fit in? This is our ramp up to a three part series on Bordeaux, so let's get to know some of the grapes that make some of the world's most famous wine. My favourite resource ...
Minisode: Keeping it in the Cabernet Family.
April 26, 2021 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.73 MBWelcome back wine nerds! You have probably heard of Cabernet (... franc?) and you have probably heard of Sauvignon (... blanc?). Actually, I know you have heard about them because they are the main topics of at least two shows already; but what about the greater family of Cabernet and Sauvignon? How does Carmenere fit in? This is our ramp up to a three part series on Bordeaux, so let's get to know some of the grapes that make some of the world's most famous wine. My favourite resource ...
Prosecco
April 19, 2021 21:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBWelcome back wine nerds! Have you ever been to a celebratory event, been handed a flute with wine in it, cheers-ed and then wondered, "Hmm, what is this?" Well then you have absolutely had the worlds most popular sparkling wine. Move over Champagne because today we are going to talk about the worlds most popular sparkling wine by volume - Prosecco. Who makes it? How do they make it and where? All explained. I relied pretty heavily on some amazing source materials for this one: The Ox...
Prosecco
April 19, 2021 21:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBWelcome back wine nerds! Have you ever been to a celebratory event, been handed a flute with wine in it, cheers-ed and then wondered, "Hmm, what is this?" Well then you have absolutely had the worlds most popular sparkling wine. Move over Champagne because today we are going to talk about the worlds most popular sparkling wine by volume - Prosecco. Who makes it? How do they make it and where? All explained. I relied pretty heavily on some amazing source materials for this one: The Ox...
Lambrusco
April 12, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBWelcomes back to House Wine, because as I say at the top of this episode - which ever wine you have in your glass that is your house wine. This week I made the classic mistake of thinking that I knew and understood a region without actually having done much reading or research on it, ha! A testament to the fact that there is always something more to learn and understand about wine. Also a lesson to myself not to just assume I know something. I learned so much this week. Why is Lambrusco ...
Lambrusco
April 12, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBWelcomes back to House Wine, because as I say at the top of this episode - which ever wine you have in your glass that is your house wine. This week I made the classic mistake of thinking that I knew and understood a region without actually having done much reading or research on it, ha! A testament to the fact that there is always something more to learn and understand about wine. Also a lesson to myself not to just assume I know something. I learned so much this week. Why is Lambrusco ...
Minisode: The Pinot Family Tree
April 05, 2021 17:00 - 10 minutes - 7.24 MBWelcome back wine nerds! Ever wonder what Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have in Common? Spoiler Alert, it's Pinot Noir. This week we do a mini deep dive into the Pinot Family Tree and highlight the connection between some of the most famous grapes out there. As I transition back into working full time I really want to continue putting out episodes weekly. That means that there may be a Minisode that pops up every 4-5 weeks so I can continue to do my due diligence when it comes to res...
Minisode: The Pinot Family Tree
April 05, 2021 17:00 - 10 minutes - 7.24 MBWelcome back wine nerds! Ever wonder what Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have in Common? Spoiler Alert, it's Pinot Noir. This week we do a mini deep dive into the Pinot Family Tree and highlight the connection between some of the most famous grapes out there. As I transition back into working full time I really want to continue putting out episodes weekly. That means that there may be a Minisode that pops up every 4-5 weeks so I can continue to do my due diligence when it comes to res...
Franciacorta
March 29, 2021 18:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBWelcome back again friends, our house wine this week is Franciacorta. Just like that out of no where we are learning about an Italian wine region for the first time. Before we talk Franciacorta, I do a pretty lengthly intro about people working in the wine industry with disability. If you only want to hear about wine, then you can fast forward to around the 10 minute mark. We go into all things history and learn about why this region is called what it is called, spoiler alert, it has som...
Franciacorta
March 29, 2021 18:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBWelcome back again friends, our house wine this week is Franciacorta. Just like that out of no where we are learning about an Italian wine region for the first time. Before we talk Franciacorta, I do a pretty lengthly intro about people working in the wine industry with disability. If you only want to hear about wine, then you can fast forward to around the 10 minute mark. We go into all things history and learn about why this region is called what it is called, spoiler alert, it has som...
Beaujolais
March 15, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBWelcome back wine friends, this week our House Wine is all wines Beaujolais. From the light bodied and quaffable, but ever scandalous, Beaujolais Nouveau all the way the Cote du Py in Morgon, this episode goes deep. We learn that the Gang of Four is not just another post punk band and that not all press is good press, especially when there are 1,000,000 bottles of wine on the line. I was very saddened this week by the passing of Steven Spurrier, truly a larger than life legend in the win...
Beaujolais
March 15, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBWelcome back wine friends, this week our House Wine is all wines Beaujolais. From the light bodied and quaffable, but ever scandalous, Beaujolais Nouveau all the way the Cote du Py in Morgon, this episode goes deep. We learn that the Gang of Four is not just another post punk band and that not all press is good press, especially when there are 1,000,000 bottles of wine on the line. I was very saddened this week by the passing of Steven Spurrier, truly a larger than life legend in the win...
Carbonic Maceration
March 08, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBWelcome back wine friends, this week our House Wine isn't so much a region or a specific wine but it is a style of wine. It's a winemaking technique that may be as old as wine itself. It's time to put our lab coats on, look side long at a beaker and pretend we are scientists because the time has come to talk about all things Carbonic Maceration. What are flavonoids? Who is Louis Pasteur and what did he do to the yeasts? It's all here. Of course I couldn't do it alone, this is a complex s...
Carbonic Maceration
March 08, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBWelcome back wine friends, this week our House Wine isn't so much a region or a specific wine but it is a style of wine. It's a winemaking technique that may be as old as wine itself. It's time to put our lab coats on, look side long at a beaker and pretend we are scientists because the time has come to talk about all things Carbonic Maceration. What are flavonoids? Who is Louis Pasteur and what did he do to the yeasts? It's all here. Of course I couldn't do it alone, this is a complex s...
The Southern Rhone
March 01, 2021 22:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBWelcome back! This week our house wines are from the Southern Rhone. The Southern Rhone is an incredibly varied and diverse region with a lot going on. And we cover a lot of it in this episode. If you haven't checked out the episode last week about Chateauneuf du Pape, please give that a listen before this episode because we reference it quite a bit and it will provide a lot of context for the Cotes du Rhone, Gigondas and Vacqueras, and some of their less famous friend appellations. We ...
Chateau Neuf du Pape
February 22, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBHi friends, welcome back! This week our House Wine is Chateau Neuf du Pape and we will be looking into all the history, grapes and styles that make this wine region amazing. There are some characters here who put this wine region on the map so we go quite deep in to history on this episode. We also deep dive into the 18 Grapes than can be part of this blended wine. I talk about a few producers here: Chateau Beaucastel: http://www.beaucastel.com/en/ Famille Perrin: https://m.famillep...
Chateau Neuf du Pape
February 22, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBHi friends, welcome back! This week our House Wine is Chateau Neuf du Pape and we will be looking into all the history, grapes and styles that make this wine region amazing. There are some characters here who put this wine region on the map so we go quite deep in to history on this episode. We also deep dive into the 18 Grapes than can be part of this blended wine. I talk about a few producers here: Chateau Beaucastel: http://www.beaucastel.com/en/ Famille Perrin: https://m.famillep...
Northern Rhone
February 15, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBHi friends and welcome back! Last week I err... spilled Sake all over my keyboard and lost my recordings, thankfully I only lost two! The good news is that I was due for an update and have brand new recording software, and I think it shows :) So, sorry to everyone for the delay in episodes! This week we are going to be digging into the Northern Rhone and getting a closer look at Syrah, Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne. Along with some of the AOP's that make this these wines iconic. Pro...
Northern Rhone
February 15, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBHi friends and welcome back! Last week I err... spilled Sake all over my keyboard and lost my recordings, thankfully I only lost two! The good news is that I was due for an update and have brand new recording software, and I think it shows :) So, sorry to everyone for the delay in episodes! This week we are going to be digging into the Northern Rhone and getting a closer look at Syrah, Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne. Along with some of the AOP's that make this these wines iconic. Pro...
South Africa
February 01, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBHi wine friends! This week we are talking about South Africa. This month the South African Government banned the sale of alcohol in the country due to Covid-19, so it seemed like it would be a good a time as any to dive into the history, the grapes and some of the reasons you should be picking up a bottle of South African wine. We go deep into the history this episode and how and why they started growing grapes around The Cape. It gets a little intense, but as I mention several times in ...
South Africa
February 01, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBHi wine friends! This week we are talking about South Africa. This month the South African Government banned the sale of alcohol in the country due to Covid-19, so it seemed like it would be a good a time as any to dive into the history, the grapes and some of the reasons you should be picking up a bottle of South African wine. We go deep into the history this episode and how and why they started growing grapes around The Cape. It gets a little intense, but as I mention several times in ...
Sparkling Wine
January 25, 2021 05:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBHello wine friends and welcome back to House Wine! This week we are going to look at Sparkling Wine, the styles of sparkling wine and how it gets made. Yes, we even touch on if you can put still wine in your Soda Stream. We also go into a brief history about the early days of Champagne and everyone's favorite Monk: Dom Perignon. The five main processes of making wine sparkle are broken down and we talk about which countries and which wines are using which. Of course as source material ...
Sparkling Wine
January 25, 2021 05:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBHello wine friends and welcome back to House Wine! This week we are going to look at Sparkling Wine, the styles of sparkling wine and how it gets made. Yes, we even touch on if you can put still wine in your Soda Stream. We also go into a brief history about the early days of Champagne and everyone's favorite Monk: Dom Perignon. The five main processes of making wine sparkle are broken down and we talk about which countries and which wines are using which. Of course as source material ...
Loire Valley Pt 4 - The Central Vineyards
January 18, 2021 05:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBWelcome Back! We made it to the final part of this four part series on the Loire Valley. This week we are diving into the Central Vineyards, home to some of the most iconic white wine appellations in all of France: Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, along with a whole host of their less famous sibling AOP's. We are in the home of a grape that needs no introduction, but gets one anyways, Sauvignon Blanc. In Podcast specific news, moving forward this will be a weekly show with episodes posted ever...
Loire Valley Pt 4 - The Central Vineyards
January 18, 2021 05:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBWelcome Back! We made it to the final part of this four part series on the Loire Valley. This week we are diving into the Central Vineyards, home to some of the most iconic white wine appellations in all of France: Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, along with a whole host of their less famous sibling AOP's. We are in the home of a grape that needs no introduction, but gets one anyways, Sauvignon Blanc. In Podcast specific news, moving forward this will be a weekly show with episodes posted ever...
Loire Valley Pt 3 - Touraine
January 04, 2021 05:00 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MBWelcome back, I am back from Holiday hiatus and I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Holiday Season. We are back with the third part of the Loire Valley where we dive into the complex and wonderful AOP's of Vouvray and Chinon and also talk about some sparkling wines for the first time. Some of the wines that I mention in this episode are: Charles Jouget: http://en.charlesjoguet.com/philosophy.html Domaine Huet: https://www.domainehuet.com/#presentation Couley-Dutheil: https://w...
Loire Valley Pt 3 - Touraine
January 04, 2021 05:00 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MBWelcome back, I am back from Holiday hiatus and I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Holiday Season. We are back with the third part of the Loire Valley where we dive into the complex and wonderful AOP's of Vouvray and Chinon and also talk about some sparkling wines for the first time. Some of the wines that I mention in this episode are: Charles Jouget: http://en.charlesjoguet.com/philosophy.html Domaine Huet: https://www.domainehuet.com/#presentation Couley-Dutheil: https://w...
Episode 5: Loire Valley Pt 2 - Anjou Saumur
November 30, 2020 17:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBHi everyone, I'm back! After a bit of recovery from a pretty insane week I am super excited to talk about Anjou Saumur with all of you. Let's talk about what Natural Wine is. Let's talk about Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and regions that make some of the best biodynamic wines of the world. Also what is biodynamic wine? Let's figure it out! Books I used for this episode: The Oxford Companion to Wine 4th Edition, by Jancis Robinson 1001 Wines to Try Before You Die, Neil Beckett Lo...
Loire Valley Pt 2 - Anjou Saumur
November 30, 2020 17:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBHi everyone, I'm back! After a bit of recovery from a pretty insane week I am super excited to talk about Anjou Saumur with all of you. Let's talk about what Natural Wine is. Let's talk about Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and regions that make some of the best biodynamic wines of the world. Also what is biodynamic wine? Let's figure it out! Books I used for this episode: The Oxford Companion to Wine 4th Edition, by Jancis Robinson 1001 Wines to Try Before You Die, Neil Beckett Lo...
Loire Valley Pt 2 - Anjou Saumur
November 30, 2020 17:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBHi everyone, I'm back! After a bit of recovery from a pretty insane week I am super excited to talk about Anjou Saumur with all of you. Let's talk about what Natural Wine is. Let's talk about Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and regions that make some of the best biodynamic wines of the world. Also what is biodynamic wine? Let's figure it out! Books I used for this episode: The Oxford Companion to Wine 4th Edition, by Jancis Robinson 1001 Wines to Try Before You Die, Neil Beckett Lo...
Episode 4: Loire Valley Part 1 - The Pays Nantais
November 10, 2020 00:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBWelcome back! I'm really happy this week to start a what will be a four part series over the next few weeks on the Loire Valley, one of the most diverse wine regions in France. To do it justice, it just had to be split up into sections. Which means that this episode is all about the Pays Nantais, and one of by favorite wines: Muscadet. Before I dive into the content though, I address the New York Times article that has the wine world on edge right now, and for good reason. Last week more...
Loire Valley Part 1 - The Pays Nantais
November 10, 2020 00:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBWelcome back! I'm really happy this week to start a what will be a four part series over the next few weeks on the Loire Valley, one of the most diverse wine regions in France. To do it justice, it just had to be split up into sections. Which means that this episode is all about the Pays Nantais, and one of by favorite wines: Muscadet. Before I dive into the content though, I address the New York Times article that has the wine world on edge right now, and for good reason. Last week more...
Loire Valley Part 1 - The Pays Nantais
November 10, 2020 00:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBWelcome back! I'm really happy this week to start a what will be a four part series over the next few weeks on the Loire Valley, one of the most diverse wine regions in France. To do it justice, it just had to be split up into sections. Which means that this episode is all about the Pays Nantais, and one of by favorite wines: Muscadet. Before I dive into the content though, I address the New York Times article that has the wine world on edge right now, and for good reason. Last week more...
Napa
October 26, 2020 21:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBHi guys, welcome back to house wine, and my longest episode yet: Napa! I'm really excited and happy about this one, you get a little more exposition here and some anecdotes about how much I love this region. This was inspired by the recent fires, so I say it in the episode, but now is the time to support California, and you will get the skinny on why when you listen - so this episode is best enjoyed with a bottle of California wine. If you want to request an episode or have a question yo...
Episode 3: Napa
October 26, 2020 21:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBHi guys, welcome back to house wine, and my longest episode yet: Napa! I'm really excited and happy about this one, you get a little more exposition here and some anecdotes about how much I love this region. This was inspired by the recent fires, so I say it in the episode, but now is the time to support California, and you will get the skinny on why when you listen - so this episode is best enjoyed with a bottle of California wine. If you want to request an episode or have a question yo...
Napa
October 26, 2020 21:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBHi guys, welcome back to house wine, and my longest episode yet: Napa! I'm really excited and happy about this one, you get a little more exposition here and some anecdotes about how much I love this region. This was inspired by the recent fires, so I say it in the episode, but now is the time to support California, and you will get the skinny on why when you listen - so this episode is best enjoyed with a bottle of California wine. If you want to request an episode or have a question yo...
Episode 2: Alsace
October 12, 2020 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBWelcome to a crash course is Alsace! It's a lot of information in 30 minutes, and I talk way more about history in this episode than I will in following episodes, but I think it's worth it. In this episode I used three books: The Oxford Companion to wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. The Wine Bible, 2nd Edition by Karen MacNiel. and Wine and War, by Donald and Petie Kladstrup The wines I talk about are: The Wines of Marcel Deiss : https://www.marceldeiss.com/en/ The Wines of ...
Alsace
October 12, 2020 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBWelcome to a crash course is Alsace! It's a lot of information in 30 minutes, and I talk way more about history in this episode than I will in following episodes, but I think it's worth it. In this episode I used three books: The Oxford Companion to wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. The Wine Bible, 2nd Edition by Karen MacNiel. and Wine and War, by Donald and Petie Kladstrup The wines I talk about are: The Wines of Marcel Deiss : https://www.marceldeiss.com/en/ The Wines of ...
Alsace
October 12, 2020 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBWelcome to a crash course is Alsace! It's a lot of information in 30 minutes, and I talk way more about history in this episode than I will in following episodes, but I think it's worth it. In this episode I used three books: The Oxford Companion to wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. The Wine Bible, 2nd Edition by Karen MacNiel. and Wine and War, by Donald and Petie Kladstrup The wines I talk about are: The Wines of Marcel Deiss : https://www.marceldeiss.com/en/ The Wines of ...
Episode 1: French Wine Law
September 29, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBWelcome to the first episode of House Wine! I told my study group that I was ready to publish the podcast and my friends were so happy and supportive, they asked "What are you leading with? Something exciting? A real hook? Napa? Barolo?" and I answered, "Yes, French Wine Law!" My one friend gave me look and said, "Way to go Rachael... way to hook them in..." We all laughed. French wine law is exciting! It is important. And it makes it so much easier to know wine and buy wines when you ...
Introduction: House Wine
September 28, 2020 21:00 - 2 minutes - 2.07 MBThis is a quick introduction to myself, Rachael and to House Wine. Episodes will be posted every other Monday and we are going to cover a range of topics in the world of wine, whether you are an aspiring Sommelier or Wine Professional, or you just want to be able to make informed decisions when you are buying a bottle at your local wine shop. This podcast is designed to be for everyone. Topics like French Wine Law might be a little more general, but we will also deep dive on subject like A...