For this final episode of the 2nd season, I tell you the story of the Ahr valley disaster in July 2021. A tragic sequence of events with dramatic consequences but that will also trigger a great surge of solidarity.
Image: CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP via Getty Images
A special episode today with a selection of short stories. Funny, goofy, awkward stories of mistakes, mishaps or weird accidents…
#podcast #histoiresdevins #winestories #shortstories #cortoncharlemagne #cross #flood #spill #accident
Today, I tell you the story of Tokaj, the mythical Hungarian wine that Louis XIV deemed “the king of wines and the wines of kings”. An episode where we talk about the House of Habsburg, the Lord of the Rings and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Image: Götz Pincészet
An incredible theft in a Michelin-starred restaurant, a wine bottle with an exceptional history and an unusual duo of thieves: here is the story of the Atrio robbery where we will talk about Game of Thrones, beauty pageants and gourmet cuisine.
Image: José Polo & Toño Perez
From William the Conqueror and Eleanor of Aquitaine to the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the birth of Champagne, come with me on a journey exploring the intricate love story between England and wine. And who knows, maybe by the end of this episode, I will have managed to convince you to try an English wine…
Picture: Samuel Atkins, The Frigate
Watercolour ca. 1787-1808, Victoria & Albert Museum
In the spring of 1951, the quiet village of Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy is being disturbed by an unexpected racket and a young vigneron works hard to restore an ancient vineyard abandoned since the phylloxera outbreak. On this fallow land where cows used to graze, he will recreate a plot destined to become of the most iconic vineyards in the world: the Cros Parantoux.
Photo: Christian Bon
Egon Müller, a name that only keen wine lovers will know but what a reputation! This German winery established in the Saar valley not far from the city of Trier makes some of the world’s greatest white wines declining all shades of Riesling from the prestigious Scharzhofberg vineyard. From the French Revolution to the Paris’ universal exhibition in 1900 and record-breaking prices, come with me to discover one of the most celebrated and secretive wineries in the world.
This is the story of an amazing treasure hunt across the world searching for the most formidable and elusive wine cellar in history. Get on board for an incredible adventure full of red herrings, spider webs, century-old bottles and large calibre guns…
Photo: John Baker
If you are a fine wine lover or if you have inherited the family collection, you may have already come across one of the Etablissement Nicolas’ lists. For nearly 50 years, this family wine merchant founded 200 years ago has edited almost every year a Christmas leaflet featuring some of the finest and oldest wines in its collection. But more than a mere sales catalogue, Nicolas’ list was a unique object designed by the greatest artists that has now become a true collectible. It is also a testimony to the evolution of the fine wine market in France over the XXth century.
Welcome to this new season of Wine Stories! For this first episode, I tell you the story of a milestone event in the world of wine. Paris, 1976. A young English wine merchant has invited a group of renowned French experts for a blind tasting of California wines. But what was supposed to be a tasting like any other will become be a turning point in the recent wine history. Come with me for a fascinating story where we’ll come across celebrity wine critics, Marshal Tito’s secret police and a young journalist who happened to be at the right place, at the right time.
Picture: Académie Du Vin Library
For this 15th and last episode of the year, let me take you to one of Asia’s most fascinating cities, Hong Kong, where this mind-boggling case occurred in 2010 in the salons of the very high-profile Country Club. A story in which we talk about opium, fine wines and unexpected criminals. I hope that you will enjoy this story and stay tuned for more content in 2024 and a new season of Wine Stories!
For this 14th episode of the first season, we go back in time to the origins of a reference document for Bordeaux fine wines: the 1855 classification. Made at Napoleon III’s request, this hierarchy was supposed to be only a one-time picture of Bordeaux finest vineyards. Yet, nearly 170 years it is still the reference for Medoc & Sauternes. So how is it that this list became a major part of Bordeaux’ wine history, so important in fact that it seems to be set in stone. To find out how the 1855 classification was created and endured for all these years, follow me from the rows of Medoc vineyards to the alleys of the Universal Exhibition in a journey where we will talk about Jonathan Swift, the Ten Commandments and the Lebanese Civil War.
Photo: Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855
In this new episode, I take you to Piedmont in an area that has had to endure a lot of hardship before meeting success and becoming one of the world’s most amazing wine regions: the Langhe. Get onboard to discover the great wines of Barolo and Barbaresco in an episode where we talk about Napoleon, chainsaws and contemporary art.
Photo: Cantina Caputo
In 1985, Hardy Rodenstock presents to the world bottles of Château Lafite and Château d’Yquem 1787 and 1784 supposedly found in an underground Parisian cellar. If some of the most prominent wine merchants and collectors trust him, others have doubts about these bottles challenging the Thomas Jefferson narrative and they will start investigating to get to the bottom of the case. Here is the 2nd chapter of the billionaire’s vinegar story where we talk about Julius Caesar, mummies and nuclear physics.
Photo : Moenkebild
This is the first of two episodes telling an absolutely legendary story in the world of wine. In 1985, a collector finds behind the wall of an underground cellar in Paris a formidable treasure that will create an unprecedented turmoil amongst fine wines merchants and collectors around the world. Dive into this incredible story between Paris, London and New York where we come across Malcolm Forbes, princess Diana’s lover and the founding father of the United States as parts of a nail-biting historical thriller: the story of the billionaire’s vinegar…
2nd part of this podcast about Loire valley wines where we talk about 3-Michelin star chefs, Wimbledon and noble rot. We will start by sampling the tender rosés from Anjou before tasting Chinon’s structure, the refined Sancerre reds and the juicy Gamays of the Côte Roannaise. And as a conclusion we will discover some of the world’s finest sweet wines!
Enjoy!
Picture credit: Generationvignerons.com / Maison Saget La Perriere
Of all the wine regions in France, the Loire is undeniably the most stretched out and the most original in its diversity. From the Côtes du Forez to Sancerre, from Berry to Nantes via Touraine and Anjou, the Loire Valley is one of the most diverse in terms of terroirs and grapes varieties as well as style of wines. In this first episode, we will taste bubbles and dry white wines talking about Balzac, the Three Musketeers and Robinhood.
Enjoy!
Picture credit: Sébastien Gaudard
In times of war, all the goods are being requisitioned or stolen and wine is no exception. However, the two stories I will tell you today go way beyond simple tales of plundering by brutal and drunken soldiers in the cellars of the invaded country, there are testimonies to the terrible conflicts that have torn apart Europe in the XXth century. From the naval battles of the Great War and the commandos of the Resistance and the heart of Nazi Germany, I invite you to dive in our history when wine bottles become spoils of war.
Enjoy!
Picture credit: National WWII Museum / Gift in Memory of Nicholas Patano
The Canary islands and the Azores have long been considered to be the last remains of the lost continent of Atlantis. But beyond the myth and the postcard, these volcanic archipelagos hide a well-kept secret: they are home to some of the world’s most fascinating vineyards able to produce exceptional wines. Today, I invite you to a journey across the Atlantic to discover the wines of the Azores and the Canary Islands where we talk about devastating eruptions, singing crabs and braided vines.
Enjoy!
Picture credit: Jason deCaires Taylor/CACT Lanzarote - Museo Atlantico de Lanzarote
