The Four Top: Wine News and Culture

Apr 24 2024 188

The Four Top: Wine News and Culture Podcast artwork

Each week, wine media veteran Katherine Cole serves up and breaks down the four biggest stories in the vinous world with help from The Four Top team, including our contributing cohost, Martín Reyes, MW. Come for the headlines, stick around for the occasional bad pun, and savor the conversation.

The Four Top is winner of both the James Beard and IACP awards for Best Culinary Podcast.

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Ep. 150: Reruns: Sound Off on Roundup

Apr 24 2024 45 mins

Katherine is speaking at a wine celebration in Croatia this week, so we've dug a classic episode out of the vault for you. This engrossing, and at times shocking, episode deals with everyone's least-favorite, most-used herbicide: Roundup. It is the perfect pairing for Earth Week, so please enjoy! Here it is, folks; our episode about Roundup…but it’s so much more than that. We d

Ep. 149: Enzymes, Endorphins, and Ethanol

Apr 17 2024 24 mins

Martín Reyes, MW continues his residency in part two of our exploration of alcohol metabolization. We get into enzymes, dopamine, and orgasms in this occasionally off-kilter discussion of how our bodies deal with alcohol. All aboard our very adult Magic School Bus!

Ep. 148: The One with Science In It

Apr 10 2024 21 mins

Martín Reyes, MW is back for a two-episode arc! We've got science, dad jokes, and questionable man-made sound effects on this one. Join us as Katherine and Martín dig in to how alcohol is metabolized in our bodies in part one of this two-parter.

Ep. 147: Teetotalers vs. Nebuchadnezzars

Apr 03 2024 17 mins

Neo prohibitionists have the ears of health officials. It turns out old vines can travel. We've got a climate change game show for you. Yet another wine brand has been bought by its founder. These are the wine news stories we're following this week.

Ep. 146: Import Outrage and Export Heroics

Mar 27 2024 21 mins

A winemaker takes back his brand from a big ol' private equity firm. A surprising amount of American wine is not actually American. Organic wine importers are completely freaking out, and we don't blame them. Washington State is throwing British Columbia a lifeline. These are the four wine news stories we're following this week.

Ep. 145: The Curse of the Blue Nun

Mar 20 2024 15 mins

A winery uses AI to sexy up its team, do backflips, and oh yeah, sell wine. Californians are scrambling for last resort fire insurance. We've definitely identified the economic sweet spots for the wine industry. The curse of the blue nun has been lifted. These are the wine news stories we're following this week.

Ep. 144: Sheep and Cheese and Registries

Mar 13 2024 15 mins

Sheep counting has gotten out of hand. Cheese is on the chopping block. Wine retailers love registries. Ukrainian wine abides. These are the four wine news stories we're following this week.

Ep. 143: Snow in the Sierras and Saboteurs in Spain

Mar 06 2024 16 mins

Snow in the Sierra Nevadas. Saboteurs in Spain. The French court says, "mais non," to predatory negociants, and we have all been speaking Latin all wrong. These are the four wine news stories at our table right now.

Ep. 142: Dr. WHO?

Feb 28 2024 44 mins

Martín Reyes, MW is back, and he’s brought some friends. With their help, we get into misleading claims from the W.H.O, the health effects of wine, and how moderation may just be good for you. Joining us this week are Dr. Laura Catena, a Harvard and Stanford trained biologist and physician, fourth generation vintner, and the managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata in Argentina

Ep. 141: Zillennial Zeitgeist, Secretive Subpoenas & Sub-Zero Temps

Feb 21 2024 15 mins

Mystery subpoenas hit some of the Napa Valley's biggest names. Someone claims to have tapped into the zillennial zeitgeist. British Columbia has been frozen out, and Rioja is sounding a bit more charming. These are the wine stories we're following this week.