Welcome to the home of Drinking Well, the podcast designed to help you enjoy and shape your wine and spirits collection.
Our fourth series explores the future of wines and spirits with our in-house experts and some industry friends. Covering topics from English spirits to the trends in fortified wines, we'll be opening a bottle with each of our guests to further explore these themes.
Recorded in the Bourne room at our historic home, No.3 St James’s Street, join us in conversation hosted by Barbara Drew MW.
Episodes
Episode One: Daniel Szor and English spirits
In the first episode of our fourth series, we speak to Cotswolds Distillery founder, Daniel Szor, about the rise of English spirits, his journey from New York to the Cotswolds and why the best barley is always local.
Episode Two: Yoan Bernard and The Loire Valley
Over a bottle of 2020 Saumur-Champigny, Les Coudraies from Domaine des Closiers, Buyer Yoan Bernard talks to us about the new style of Cabernet Franc emerging from the Loire and the bottles you simply must have in your cellar.
Episode Three: Emma Fox and the future of the industry
Over a bottle of Hambledon Classic Cuvée Rosé, our CEO Emma Fox and Barbara Drew MW discuss the future of the industry, what it’s really like running a family business and where English wine might be heading.
Episode Four: Mark Pardoe MW on climate change
With a bottle of Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair’s Bourgogne Rouge, Les Grands Chaillots from the hot 2020 vintage, our Wine Director Mark Pardoe MW and Barbara explore how warmer years are becoming the norm and what this means for your wine collection.
Episode Five: Chris Pollington and the evolution of Tuscany
In this episode, Account Manager (and self-confessed Italophile) Chris Pollington talks to us about all things Tuscan – from the dominance of the Sangiovese grape to the region’s Bordeaux-inspired Super Tuscan wines.
Episode Six: Rob Symington and fortified wines
In the final episode of this series, we speak to Rob Symington, Marketing Director at Symington Family Estate. With a bottle of Graham’s 40-Year-Old Tawny Portt, he and Barbara discuss the changing fashion for fortified wines and new, exciting ways we can enjoy them today.
Hosted by
Barbara Drew MW
Barbara joined the wine trade in 2011 knowing, in hindsight, very little about wine. She became a Master of Wine in 2018, one of 414 MWs worldwide. For 10 years she worked in Berry Bros. & Rudd’s events team, and now leads our content team.
Past series
Series One
For our first series, you'll hear our expert Account Managers and Buyers discuss which vintages to withdraw from your cellar and the most exciting developments in key fine wine regions.
Series Two
In our second series, we uncork and discuss wines from our guests' own collections, each of them from rarer regions that undoubtedly deserve to be on your radar.
Series Three
Our third series explores the joy of collecting both wines and spirits with six experts, who cover topics from counterfeit wine to sustainability over their favourite bottles.
Discover more
Champagne Pierre Péters
The Péters family have a proud history in Les Mesnil-sur-Oger - though some of their greatest vintages are just around the corner.
Understanding allocations
We talking to Martyn Rolph, our Head of Buying, about how - and why - we manage our customers' allocations.
Starting a collection
There's no magic formula for starting a cellar of your own. Here, we talk to Private Client Manager, Fergus Stewart, to find out more.
