Wine Spectator makes its podcast debut this week with the launch of Straight Talk with Wine Spectator, a new podcast available exclusively at WineSpectator.com/podcast. Hosted by senior editor and special projects director James Molesworth, each episode will spotlight subjects featured in the most recent issues of Wine Spectator magazine.
Building on the success of Wine Spectator’s Straight Talk Instagram Live series, the Straight Talk podcast debuts with a blockbuster roundtable discussion with Napa Cabernet all-star winemakers Thomas Rivers Brown (Schrader Cellars, Rivers Marie), Andy Erickson (Favia, Dalla Valle, Mayacamas) and Helen Keplinger (Grace Family, Keplinger). Molesworth asks them about recent vintages, the 2020 wildfires, the controversy over family wine estates selling to corporate investors, balancing their own family wineries’ needs against those of their big-name clients and much more.
Each episode will also feature conversations with Wine Spectator senior editor Mitch Frank and podcast director Rob Taylor about the latest industry news and hot-button wine topics, as well as a visit from our mysterious and beloved wine advice expert Dr. Vinny (senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec). Listeners can email their questions and comments to StraightTalk@WineSpectator.com, and more new podcast segments are coming soon!
“It’s been a long time since my college radio days,” Molesworth laughed, “but I’m excited to get back in front of a microphone, and we’ve worked hard to create a podcast that we hope wine insiders and newcomers alike will enjoy. The episodes will give listeners access to exclusive interviews and additional content that enhances the magazine reading experience. We’re bringing the pages of the magazine to life in a new way. I’m very excited.”
“When I heard the first episode, my only question was ‘How soon can you make more?’” said Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken. “The Straight Talk podcast is a must-listen for anyone in the wine industry, and gives consumers a personal connection with our expert staff of tasters that no other format—or podcast—can offer.”
Episode 1 of Straight Talk with Wine Spectator spotlights the Nov. 15, 2022, issue, and is available for free at WineSpectator.com/podcast. Episode 2, dropping later this month, will spotlight the past, present and future of Robert Mondavi Winery.