Second Press: A Wine-ish Podcast

australian wine, ant & dec, and pondering on when his memoirs are coming out.
episode seven of the second press podcast takes a deep dive into the broader, often weirder, world of wine media, professional splurging, and the 40-year career of matthew jukes.
we open with a masterclass in celebration as rory mcilroy drops $45,000 on a single wine dinner. from salon 2015 to lafite 1990, we break down a list of unicorn wines that actually makes sense to those in the know. we also tackle the mainstream media’s obsession with "unusual" viticulture, discussing why biodynamics is the global norm, not a fringe mystery.
the heart of the episode is a sit-down with matthew jukes. from retail to saturday night tv with ant and dec, matthew shares his journey of "accidental brilliance." we discuss his 100 best australian wines initiative, the truth about margaret river chardonnay, and how his non-alcoholic jukes cordialities is changing the booze-free game.


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episode six of the second press podcast is a look into the current state of the industry, from the health debates surrounding processed foods versus a glass of wine to the curious world of counterfeit wine. 
we’re joined by chris wilson of gutter and stars winery, an urban winery operating out of a 19th-century windmill in cambridge. chris mulls over his transition from music journalism at jockey slut and covering the nfl for the daily mirror to winemaking, bringing a storytelling sensibility to both wine and writing.
all his fruit is sourced from essex’s crouch valley, one of the best places in the uk for chardonnay and pinot noir, and how his background in the arts influences his, one-off labels named after tracks by the stone roses and roxy music. it is an exploration of "vulnerable expertise" in a marginal climate, proving that characterful wine doesn't require anything traditional.



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a hidden sinkhole cellar, the baffling plan to rebrand claret, and author henry jeffreys on the unfiltered gossip of english wine. we discuss his book 'vines in a cold climate' and the dream of substack.
in episode five, brad and dan navigate a particularly eccentric week in wine news, from the discovery of a forgotten cellar beneath a sinkhole to the identity crisis facing bordeaux’s most famous export.
we had a brilliant chat with henry jeffreys, author of the award-winning vines in a cold climate. henry discusses why he prioritises the 'b******g and gossip' of the industry over technical data, the reality of writing about english winemakers before they knew who he was, and his experience co-hosting intoxicating history with tom parker bowles.
expect an honest look at the landscape of wine writing, the merits of substack, and why the english wine scene is finally moving past its city-boy-in-a-gilet phase.
for the full show notes, including specific wine recommendations, links to henry’s work, and the results of the sinkhole investigation, head over to the substack.
https://secondpresspodcast.substack.com/


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondpresspodcast.substack.com

having survived the gauntlet of the master sommelier exam and years with the legendary gerard basset, laura rhys is arguably one of the most technically accomplished people in the uk wine trade.
in this episode, we bypass the loud business of the wine world to talk about the quiet, methodical work of bubbles with laura. we dig into the geeky reality of why english wine has finally stopped being a novelty.
nearly 11 years acting as the global face for gusbourne, laura brings a vulnerable kind of expertise to the table, proving that you can be world-class without being a bore about it.
https://secondpresspodcast.substack.com/


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondpresspodcast.substack.com

jamie goode joined us for episode three, bringing nearly two decades of sunday mail columns and a phd’s worth of wine science to the table. we mostly ignored that to talk about his hand-coded html origins in the nineties and his questionable commitment to blue guitars.
equally comfortable lecturing on then details of wine faults as he is writing for a older sunday newspsper audience. we dug into how he balances that technical approach with a consumer-facing lens, plus a shared distraction for guitars that has nothing to do with viticulture.
it’s an honest look at a guy who was an "early mover" before early movers were a thing. for the full breakdown on book writing, diy websites, and why he finally hung up the newspaper column after nineteen years, head over to the substack.
https://secondpresspodcast.com/


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondpresspodcast.substack.com