The Week in Wine Episode 24

Montepulciano and the wonder of southern Italian red wines. Calvados and the flavour (or otherwise) of fruits in spirits. This week, Don and Olly discuss the California wineries for sale (and why it appears no-one is buying them). RTDs surge in the US drinks market. Is wine's answer to RTDs Vermouth? Olly talks a bit about his story on West Bank wineries. Footballing great Sergio Ramos opens a number of top wines for dinner with friends (and lands in hot water for his choice of dish); Norton bankruptcy under way; and a Bordeaux vine nursery and vineyard branches out into asparagus and Kosher wine. We touch on the Four Roses sale and the sea of Bourbon about to wash over consumers (with some hopefully lower prices on the bottles!); Merlot – and Zinfandel – as unsung heroes of California wine; and small mention of English sparkling wine.