Italian Wine Podcast celebrates first birthday

Italian Wine Podcast, a weekly English-language podcast dedicated to shining a light on some of Italian wine’s most colourful characters, has celebrated its first birthday.

Biodynamic winemakers and Italian Wine Podcast host Monty Waldin in full swing

With 87 episodes under its belt, the podcast launched on SoundCloud last March. Its first episode featured an interview conducted by English-born, France-based vintner Monty Waldin with Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini of Altesino winery.

Focusing on everything from an A to Z of Italian grape varieties to the emotive topic of natural wine, episodes are free to listen to on SoundCloud, iTunes and the recently-launched Chinese radio station XimalayaFM station.

Hosted every Tuesday and Wednesday by biodynamic wine pioneer Monty Waldin, the podcast features interviews with winemakers, wine educators, wine writers and other key members of the trade.

“The Italian Wine Podcast is a guide into the endlessly fascinating world of Italian wine in easily digestible audio chunks.

“My interviewees range from 100-point-scoring winemakers that grace the covers of the world’s leading wine magazines to little-known artisans with a story to tell.

“The podcast also focuses on the commercial side of winemaking, where I interview those who follow and set trends in sales and marketing or create innovations in packaging,” Waldin said.

“Leading sommeliers, importers, and distributors who work intimately with Italian wines from New York to Hong Kong get plenty of airtime too.

“Wine writers also get to sit in the hotseat, explaining how they get the best stories about Italian wines and winemakers into print or out online,” he added.

Italian Wine Podcast was founded by Stevie Kim, managing director at Vinitaly International, to celebrate the rich history of Italian wine while educating its listeners at the same time.

“Podcasts are not very popular among winemakers at the moment, but I believe the audio format is the way forward.

“Nowadays it’s all about competing for attention and the audio format has enormous potential. Podcasts can be enjoyed while driving, working out, and travelling and listeners are incredibly loyal to shows,” Kim said.

“I’m confident the podcast medium will soon come around in our sector too, becoming a crucial tool for us to broadcast our ideas and passion about Italian wine,” she added.