Episode 125 of the Drinking Hour podcast is a conversation between David Kermode and Sarah Heller MW about her series of reports on Italian fine wine, due to be published this autumn by Club Oenologique.
The podcast includes a discussion of the current perceptions and identities of the five regions covered – Chianti Classico, Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco and Amarone – and how this typically affects judging and opinion of the wines internationally. Sarah discusses the process of tasting for the reports, the influence of context and the concept of objectivity, and the Italian aversion to the 100-point scoring system. Other topics include the increasing significance of site-specific wine to Italy and the role played by bitterness in the country’s wines.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here
