This week’s episode is dedicated to the art of winemaking. We speak to writer, restaurateur and wine lover, Dan Keeling, about his brand new book, ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée Conti?’. Also in the programme: Monocle’s Gregory Scruggs heads to Walla Walla, the winemaking hub of Washington state, to learn more about the US’s second largest wine-making region. Then: Monocle sub editor and in-house wine expert, Chloé Lake, crowns her wine of the month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and welcome to the menu, Monaco Radio's food and drink program.
I'm your host, Chiara Rimela.
Coming up, we have an episode toasting to the art of winemaking.
First up, we speak to writer, restaurateur and wine lover Dan Keeling about his.
Brand new book Wine is about pleasure, Food is about pleasure, Music is about pleasure, and they're all the things that I've kind of been working in and, you know, been very privileged to do so.
But have a bit of a sense of humor and lighten up.
Also in a program, we head to a vineyard in Washington state.
We're not locked or pigeonholed into a certain style or a certain set of grapes.
Our climate allows us to do a whole variety of things.
And so you'll have Cabernet and Riesling in the same vineyard.
Plus our in house wine expert crowns her wine of the month.
All that here on the menu on Monocle Radio.
People are passionate about wine in a way unlike any other drink.
And it's not just because of its millennia long tradition or the fact that it is quite obviously delicious.
The hard graft and elaborate process behind making each bottle are what fascinates drinkers and makes them attach to the stories as well as the taste.
Other than running a successful wine import business and three esteemed restaurants around London, back in 2013, Dan Keeling started Noble Rot magazine a that's an ode to wine, the people who make it and those who enjoy it.
Though its writing is profoundly knowledgeable, the magazine is also a riot to read, taking a witty tongue in cheek approach to articles that are respectful of the craft and the industry but don't take themselves too seriously.
Now Keeling has compiled some of the best pieces from the magazine into who's Afraid of Romanee Conti?
A book that's meant to be a useful guide for those looking to expand their sellers, but also a way to entice new people into discovering vignerons and labels with without feeling intimidated by what can sometimes be perceived as a bit of a closed circle, I started by asking him how he has developed the craft of writing about wine.
Frank Zappa said something along the lines of writing about music is like dancing about architecture.