Matthew's World of Wine and Drink

Vin de France is a dynamic but overlooked designation, enabling exciting, experimental wine—a view reinforced by a recent trip to the Loire Valley. Here's an overview of the designation, as well as the importance of IGP wines, and why these different non-appellation regulations exist—and why they're so important.

Overview of my 17-episode series on The Culture of Wine available over on patreon.com/mattswineworld exploring how wine reflects the culture of the countries in which it's made, an avenue into their history, people, geography, economics, war, and trade. Have a glass of wine while discovering just where that wine comes from, not just today but over thousands of years.

A free overview of the six series of Following the Variety which is available on patreon.com/mattswineworld. These are extensive explorations of grape varieties, where they're grown, the different styles of wine made from them, covering all the major—and many minor—regions around the world. So far, Following the Variety consists of multi-part series on Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux varieties, and Spanish varieties. Ideal for refreshing knowledge of these major varieties, as well as learning about new regions.

Ever wondered how a glass alters your appreciation of a wine? Lukas Therre works at Josephinenhütte, a series of very distinctive glassware designed by Kurt Zalto. This is a fascinating interview, which covers how wine glasses are made (an intensive process), the sensory effect of a wine glass, what glass we should use for sparkling wine, and even water glasses. Pick up a glass and listen!

An interview with Agostino Bertolin of notastingnotes.com all about Austria, talking about some of the lesser known regions, Weinviertel, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, and Steiermark, as well as varieties such as Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and Welschriesling. Agostino provides great insight into the many styles of wine made in such a relatively small country.