The Wine list

We've all heard about(and most of us have enjoyed) an English sparkling wine or two, but what about the non-sparkling? Has England really progressed to the point where we are able to produce quality still red and white wines? To find out for themselves, Richard and Oliver, together with producer Mike, travel to the heart of the Kent countryside to meet Henry and Helen and explore the delights of "The Simpson's Wine Estate". Oh and did we get to try the wines? Yes. Yes, we did.

After a bit of a break, we're back at Gordon's and this time Richard is determined to get Oliver "into" red wine. And in this endeavour, Richard is very successful and lines up a Beaujolais-village, a Côtes du Rhône a South African Syrah and a lovely Nero D'Avola for them both to sip against a backdrop of very excited and "refreshed" American tourists!

How bloody much? This is a phrase Oliver is not afraid of using as a proud Yorkshireman who is very keen to get exactly what he paid for, if not substantially more. This has inspired Richard to devise an two-parter on "value", starting, as ever, at Gordon's Wine Bar. The chaps try a range of wines from the house white to the most expensive on the wine list (which is a fabulous Puligny-Montrachet, Domaine Pierre Bourée, Burgundy) and are joined by a young Gen Zer by the name of Charlie Turnbull, none other than Oliver's son, who decides not to go Dutch.

The boys are back to Gordon's and Rich is calming Oliver, as he is rather nervous at the prospect of meeting his first Master of Wine, Richard Bampfield. He needn't have worried: Richard's easy charm and seemingly endless knowledge carry him and Richard L through the process of how he selects sumptuous wines for the Lidl Supermarket chain, which won't break the bank. He kindly and eloquently takes us through several of the wines he has helped the supermarket stock, challenging the lads to have a sip or two, and report back any findings. We then scoot off to Lane Towers for a tasting sesh, which turns into an opportunity for Oliver to improve on his score of 0.0% in the last challenge in Season 1.

Italy is the subject for episode 3, having only had a minor role in season 1. While Oliver struggles to pronounce the Italian wines on the Gordon’s wine list, Richard promises to take him to a proper Italian location close to London’s Liverpool St Station. There Richard’s Italian friend and wine and food expert Luisa Welch guides the boys through a classic Italian meal and some great wines, not to mention a few aperitivi and digestivi. Luisa puts the boys through their spaghetti-rolling paces, and Luisa wishes Oliver all the best in the toilet.

In episode 2 the boys sip a Gordon’s Riesling before Richard whisks Oliver off to a proper Riesling tasting being held down the road in Pall Mall. Oliver is surprised and delighted to discover the many faces of this classic grape variety, as the boys sample wines from Germany and Austria to Australia and South Africa.

Oliver and Richard are back, initially with the first three episodes of Season 2. The famous old Gordon’s Wine Bar in London is their base, with the first episode finding the boys exploring its history and chatting to Joao and Amanda who have both worked at Gordon’s for many years. Oliver sips a smiling donkey and tells Richard about removing nail varnish while sipping three different types of Madeira.

It’s time to review Oliver’s progress throughout the Series, as the duo look back over the highs and lows of the wine list journey over a glass of port. And the series concludes with the two protagonists entering the Chez Bruce restaurant in south London, where Oliver is presented with the wine list…

In which Richard proposes that, while the aligning of food and wine can be wonderful, is the current obsession (in the UK at least) for precise food and wine pairings overdone? Oliver asks if there are any basic food and wine rules that might be broadly helpful, without the need for neurosis. They sit down to enjoy some delicious food and wine partnerships: Asian spicy food and Gewurztraminer, and Italian antipasto and Nebbiolo.

In which Oliver discovers the mercurial nature of rosé and sparkling wines. Are they both over-rated categories? And why isn’t the Tavel rose light bodied and pretty pale pink like most rosés on sale at the moment? Why does the Nyetimber sparkling wine cost the same as a bottle of champagne, and why can’t it be called champagne? Questions, questions.

In which Oliver and Richard take a deep dive into the subject of smell and taste; the underlying biological mechanisms of both (Oliver discovering his olfactory bulb), and how this relates to successful wine tasting. Oliver is thrilled by Richard’s introduction of the WSET level 2 Systematic Approach to tasting – bringing, in Oliver’s opinion, some much needed objectivity to the wildly subjective nature of wine aromas and flavours. Oliver and Richard discuss music appreciation and speculate whether this parallels an insight into better wine tasting.

In which Oliver becomes anxious about the thought of being a grape farmer, and Richard explains some of the techniques and tricks inside the winery that can have a huge influence on wine style. They both discuss (from personal experience) the merits of older age and corollaries with old vines and wine quality; Oliver realises that the light, fruity style of Beaujolais Villages is more his cup of tea than some of the heftier red wines tasted earlier in the Series.

In which Oliver tells Richard all about the 1976 Judgement of Paris, and how this rocked the wine world; Richard goes on to talk about the wine export revolution from Australia which started in the 1980s, and what effect this has had on making the old world of wine up its game in more recent years. Oliver puts on a reasonable Australian accent and Richard plays an amusing clip from a visit to his first ever winery tour in the Hunter Valley back in 1999.

In which Richard and Oliver enjoy a romp through wine history, and where Richard has Georgia on his mind as the cradle of wine civilisation around the 6th century BC; this inspires him to get his fiddle out. Oliver ponders what went on for centuries during the dark Ages and is horrified to hear about phyloxera which devastated the wine world in the late 19th and early 20th century.

In which Oliver discovers the delights of Chablis and Chablis Premier Cru; but can he tell one from the other in a blind tasting, and once he knows which is which, can he recognise and understand the difference in wine quality and price? Later, and with increasing confidence, Oliver compares two contrasting wine styles from one of Richard’s favourite regions: the southern Rhone. And it is in this episode when Oliver first gets to grip with the elusive concept of “Terroir”.

Season 1 Teaser by Oliver Turnbull & Richard Lane

In which Oliver introduces his idea for a podcast to help people like him who like a glass of wine, but who often feel intimidated by not knowing what is on a wine list. He introduces his friend of more than 30 years, Richard, who has recently passed WSET Diploma in Wines. Richard is just starting out in a new career of wine education. Oliver likes the familiar and exuberant taste of the aromatic sauvignon blanc, and later being transported back to family Sunday lunches in Yorkshire in the 1970s where his father would always open a bottle of ‘good old claret’.

A geographical theme, in which Oliver and Richard discuss natural factors and how they influence the ability of grapes to grow and of wine to be made. Oliver opens up the 30-page Chez Bruce wine list and starts to sweat; later he spins his globe and studies the ’30-50’ latitude strips of the northern and southern hemispheres, with Richard explaining why these numbers are important for making wine. Richard talks about good vintages and the effect of our warming planet on vintages in traditionally marginal climates like the Loire Valley and Burgundy. They then taste a chardonnay from a cool desert region of Chile (close to ‘30’) discuss the ‘Anything but Chardonnay’ movement, before landing on plump fruit and haunting aromatics in a Loire Chinon (close to the ‘50’). Oliver learns the value of swirling his glass and overcoming his belief that such behaviour is pretentious.