Jeff Clarke has been a winemaker in Marlborough New Zealand for decades, starting at one of the companies that pioneered the Sauvignon Blanc of the region, Montana Wines. Jeff is an award-winning, world famous winemaker who is now at OTU Wine Estate in the Awatere Valley and I discovered his wines through Wine Access — his Sauvignon Blanc was unlike any other Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc I’ve had! I had to have him on to discuss this unique style and what is going on in the region. Jeff Clarke, head winemkaer at O:TU Wines. Credit: O:TU Wines   Jeff is an expert in the wine of Marlborough and at OTU, he makes very terroir specific wines, which represent the evolution of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and the other wines of this region.    If you like the general style of these Sauvignon Blancs but you want to taste a more refined, elegant, herbal, and nuanced version — here is your shot! After you hear the show, you'll want to seek O:TU wines immediately. Credit: O:TU Wines Full show notes and all trip details are on Patreon. Become a member today!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. I found O:TU Wines on Wine Access and even included them in my co-branded wine club with Wine Access  www.wineaccess.com/normal If you want to find other wines like O:TU go to my page at www.wineaccess.com/wfnp to see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection.  Get 10% your first order. Check out Wine Access today!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes  

First, if you haven’t checked out my new site – shout out to Polly Hammond, my dear friend and a complete rockstar at www.5forests.com!   This time, we decided to do this show as a good set up for next week’s show with Stefania Fuselli, one of the sisters who runs Le Vigne di Silvia, an outstanding family winery that the Patrons and I visited while in Bolgheri. I am so excited to share that winery with you, but I felt it would be a better experience if we first explained what Bolgheri is, since as MC Ice points out, it’s still a little obscure to many people.   Map: Wikipedia The bottom line: Bolgheri is the birthplace of the ‘Super Tuscan’ movement   Bolgheri is a small DOC on the Tuscan coast in the province of Livorno, where the hills taper off to the sea. Bolgheri itself is a tiny village (blink and you may miss it!), famed for a cypress-lined avenue that is one of the most photographed sites in Italy! Bolgheri is home to the OG “Super Tuscan” wine – Sassicaia (Tenuta San Guido), which now has its own DOC – Bolgheri Sassicaia (the only monopole in Italy). Photo: Bolgheri Mountains. Credit: Wine For Normal People   For details and full show notes go to Patreon. Become a member today!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. Every box you get from Wine Access is meticulous -- tasting notes with food and wine pairing, serving temperature suggestions, and perfectly stored wine. Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to join my co-branded wine club with Wine Access and www.wineaccess.com/wfnp so see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection.  Get 10% your first order. Check out Wine Access today!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

You’ll be able to tell how much I loved Campania/Irpinia by how  enthusiastic I am in the show. If you don’t know the wines of this underrated region, you need to begin your exploration immediately. Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico make some of the best wines in the world, and yet for various reasons, they don’t get the credit they deserve. Maybe if we, as wine lovers, show more interest, the mainstream and retailers will get the idea that these are significant wines that need more attention. Grass roots wine love! Let’s change things for Campania! Here is a list of the producers I visited: DiMeo Petilia Feudi di San Gregorio Mastroberardino   Full show notes and all trip details are on Patreon. Become a member today!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. Every box you get from Wine Access is meticulous -- tasting notes with food and wine pairing, serving temperature suggestions, and perfectly stored wine. Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to join my co-branded wine club with Wine Access and www.wineaccess.com/wfnp so see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection.  Get 10% your first order. Check out Wine Access today!    To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes  

This show is a recap of a the recent trip through Tuscany that my travel partner, Tourissimo, and I organized for a group of 19 Patrons (join Patreon so you can make the next one!). We go through the major DOCGs/DOCs we visited and I share some interesting things I learned and observed. A great one for armchair travel! Here are the DOCGs we explored: Vernaccia di San Gimignano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Chianti Classico Brunello di Montalcino Morellino di Scansano And the DOCs Maremma and Bolgheri   My big takeaway from the trip: I am more optimistic than ever about Tuscan wines, which just keep getting better and better. If you don’t have experience with these wines, I would recommend checking them out (especially if you like Italian food since what grows together, goes together!). Chianti Classico, view from Castello Brolio, Ricasoli 1141. Credit: Wine For Normal People   A few shout outs!  To Heather, Beppe, and Silvia from Tourissimo, for being the best partners ever!   To Wine Access for hooking us up with some great visits to Castello Romitorio and San Filippo 3. Hotel della Fortezza and Fidalma -- go see them in Sorano for a great stay and a great meal!  Full show notes and all trip details are on Patreon. Become a member today!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to join my co-branded wine club with Wine Access and www.wineaccess.com/wfnp so see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection.  Get 10% your first order. Check out Wine Access today!      To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Alert: David is so awesome that he has offered us a discount on your purchase of GlasVin! Use code: WINEFORNORMALPEOPLE  for 10% off (Patrons, please see Patreon for a deeper discount!) We have never before had on a glassware producer because, in the past, it has been a very limited field. One company dominated and sometimes their products made no sense because, like many things in wine, there were too many options and not enough differentiation for normal wine drinkers.    https://glas.vin/ But in recent years new glassware companies have burst onto the scene. I’ve tried many, many of those glasses, but the only one that actually captured my attention and that I decided to use as more than a sample was GlasVin. They are very light, very thin, and yet more durable than some of their competitors.   GlasVin was founded in 2020 by David Kong, who left his job at a hedge fund to start the company and today, his mission is to deliver handcrafted glasses at affordable prices. He was a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient in 2022 and today he joins to tell us about the glassware industry and how he created what I think are the best new glasses to hit the market.   David Kong, CEO of GlasVin     _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access. Every box you get from Wine Access is meticulous -- tasting notes with food and wine pairing, serving temperature suggestions, and perfectly stored wine. Go to www.wineaccess.com/normal to join my co-branded wine club with Wine Access and www.wineaccess.com/wfnp so see a page of the wines I'm loving right now from their collection.  Get 10% your first order. Check out Wine Access today!      If you think our podcast is worth the price of a bottle or two of wine a year, please become a member of Patreon... you'll get even more great content, live interactions and classes!  www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes