Karen MacNeil has won an Emmy as well as James Beard and International Wine and Spirits awards, and this week she joins the Wine Two Five Podcast ladies from Napa. You may know her as author of the best-selling Wine Bible, and TIME Magazine calls her “America’s Missionary of the Vine.” She was generous with her time, humor, insight and graciousness – as well as honesty about what she won’t write about – and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed producing it. Yes, listeners, you are in for a treat. Pour a glass of something lovely, sit back and join us for some cool sips with a wine writing icon!
Val: “Welcome to episode 66, everybody! Boy do we have a treat for you this week.”
Steph: “I know! Speaking of treats, we’re both enjoying some liquid treats right now. Val – what’s that in your glass?”
Drinking: what’s in our glasses
Val: Casa Santos Lima Monte das Promessas Tinto Red, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal. 2014 blend of Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Petit Verdot & Alicante Bouschet.
Steph: 2014 Ciu Ciu Merlettaie Offida Pecorino DOCG – This white wine is made from 100% Pecorino grapes from the Offida area of Marche, Italy.
Discussion: Our interview with Karen MacNeil:
Val: “Karen’s bio is just incredible. She is one of the foremost wine experts in the United States, and the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English Language. These include the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year and the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year. In a full-page profile on her, TIME magazine called Karen, “America’s Missionary of the Vine.”
“Karen is the author of the award-winning book, the WINE BIBLE, the single best selling wine book in the United States praised as “A masterpiece of wine writing…the single best wine book written in years…it will remain a classic forever” (Kevin Zraly).”
Photo (and bio) courtesy of KarenMacNeil.com.
Steph: “She is the creator and Editor in Chief of WineSpeed, which we’ve also mentioned on this show. This is her “wine intel” report with a digital audience of over 50,000 subscribers. Her articles have been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, Food & Wine, and Worth. Karen is also the former wine correspondent for the Today Show, and the host of the PBS series Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil, for which she won an Emmy.
“Karen’s firm, Karen MacNeil & Company, creates customized wine experiences around the world, with Karen as the group’s host and private tutor. The tours are geared to both individuals and companies. Among Karen’s corporate clients are Lexus, Merrill Lynch, Disney, General Electric, UBS, and Singapore Airlines, as well as numerous biotech and law firms. ”
Val: “Karen is the creator and Chairman Emeritus of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, which has been called the “Harvard” of wine education. Without further ado, please enjoy this interview.”
During the interview Karen tells us about the book writing process, the highs and lows, and how it feels to be finished. We talk about learning languages, particularly the language of wine, and Karen also shares some of her favorite spirits and cocktail experiences. What writing assignments will she graciously decline? She shares that with us too, as well as information how YOU can join her (and a whole bunch of wine!) on her upcoming Mediterranean wine cruise! We hope you enjoy the time Karen spent talking to us as much as we did. She was funny, inspiring, spontaneous, honest and gracious. We can’t thank her and her team (Jacqueline, HJ) for taking time out of her super busy day to chat with the ladies at the Wine Two Five Podcast!
Here’s more on the Mediterranean wine cruise:
Steph: “That was so much fun. For more information go to www.karenmacneil.com or contact her at karen@karenmacneil.com or follow her on Facebook (Karen MacNeil Public Figure), Twitter (@KMacWine) and Instagram. Sign up for that Wine Speed intel report.”
Val: “That is one of the few newsletters I actually read. It’s short, to the point, yet full of information without the blah blah blah. Speaking of “without the blah blah blah”, let’s move on to the factoid, which we pulled from Karen’s Wines Speed’s “Fun Fact” section.”
Coco Chanel, Photo credit: www.biography.com
Factoid:
Steph: “Here’s a little fun fact based on Karen’s last Wine Speed edition, and since Coco Chanel’s birthday is next month, we chose this one:
“Did you know … Sleeping Beauty, Coco Chanel and Joan of Arc all have in common the Loire Valley of France? This region, southwest of Paris, is where Coco Chanel (fashion legend and inventor of the “little black dress”) was born on August 19th, 1883, in the village of Samur. It was in the village of Chinon that the peasant girl Joan of Arc presented herself to the Dauphin, later Charles VII, and asked to head his army. It’s also cool trivia that the Loire valley’s majestic Chateau d’Ussé was the inspiration for Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty.”
Inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Chateau d’Usse’
Jean d’Arc
Winoradar:
Val: “This week I’m finishing up some segments for the “full with a waiting list” certification summit on Dirt. Yes, dirt. Dirt is hot. The seminar is called The Dish on Dirt and we’ll be dishing the dirt on vineyard soils really have to do with wine, and discussing some vineyard soils from around the world. I’ll be talking about, specifically, South Africa’s decomposed granite, among others, (some of the oldest vineyard soils in the world) and the Cretaceous chalk of Champagne.
“You know what else is hot? Whiskey. There’s a free (open to everyone, no signup required) webinar on Wednesday, July 20th at 12 noon central time: “Catering to the Millennial Generation; Understanding their Whisk(e)y Obsession, Needs and Expectations!” Brands and categories will be explored, and what better excuse to pour some whiskey for lunch next Wednesday?!”
Shoutouts: Karen’s team, HJ, who helped set up the interview.
Val: “Annnnd that’s all we have for this week. Connect with Val on Twitter @WineGalUnboxed and on the Vino With Val FB page, and on instagram as Vino with Val.
“You can find Steph on Twitter @Albarellosoap and on the AlbarelloSoap FB page, and check out the videos on the Albarello YouTube channel!”
Steph: “You can visit us on the WineTwoFive website, FB page, Twitter, Pinterest & YouTube. Also, if you want to build your collection of wine books – particularly the ones we’ve mentioned on this show, you can check out the online store on our website! We chose some of our favorite items and linked them up through our website.
“We hope that you’ll share Wine Two Five with your friends and online community. Maybe help them subscribe; remember, “friends don’t let friends go unsubscribed.” Gosh, there are so many options to listen online, on iOS or Android platforms. We’re in iTunes, Tune-In, Stitcher, Player FM, Podcast Chart, Podbean, Podbay.fm and more. We appreciate all your involvement and feedback and especially iTunes reviews.
“One more thing… Don’t forget to use the #W25Challenge when you are trying new wines and drinks & thank you to those who have been posting and sharing. So until next week – cheers!”