The Wine Lab
The Wine Lab is where wine meets science, history, culture, and the occasional myth that deserves to be retired. Hosted by enologist, bookworm and food afficionado Andreea Botezatu, each episode explores how wine is grown, made, tasted, misunderstood, and enjoyed. Expect clear explanations, curious stories, and enough technical detail to be useful without making you feel as though you accidentally enrolled in a chemistry class.
The Wine Lab
Latest Episodes
Pop, Twist, or Pull: What’s Closing Your Wine?
Cork or screw cap? For many wine drinkers, the answer feels surprisingly personal.In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore the history, culture, science, and occasional drama of wine closures. We’ll look at how natural cork became par...
What’s in a name? That which we call Muscat by any other name would smell as sweet
Why is Pinot named after a pine cone? What makes Tempranillo “the little early one”? Why does Saperavi mean “the dyeing grape,” and who decided to call Xinomavro “sour black”?In this episode of The Wine Lab, Andreea Botezatu exp...
Rioja Wines Between Barrels, Branding, and the Bottle
Rioja is famous for Tempranillo, oak barrels, and the familiar classifications Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. But behind those words lies a remarkably diverse region shaped by the Ebro River, mountain ranges, changing elevations, and the m...
Alsace: White Wine with History, Acidity, and Soul
Alsace is one of France’s most distinctive wine regions: deeply French, shaped by Germanic influence, and known for aromatic white wines that can feel ripe and expressive while still staying fresh and focused. In this episode of The Wine Lab, w...
A River Runs Through It: The Wines of the Loire Valley
In this episode of The Wine Lab, we travel through the Loire Valley, one of France’s most diverse and historically layered wine regions. Following the river from the Atlantic coast inland, we explore Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Fran...