HOST_A: Welcome back to Crack the WSET 2 — the podcast that gets you ready for your Level 2 exam without boring you to tears.
HOST_B: Or drowning you in tannins. I'm Ryan.
HOST_A: And I'm Emma. If you missed Episode 1, go back and listen — we covered wine styles, the WSET systematic approach, and how to taste like an examiner.
HOST_B: Today is the big one. Episode 2 of 3. We are going from vine to bottle — viticulture, winemaking — and then we're doing a world tour of key wine regions.
HOST_A: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the New World. All in one episode.
HOST_B: Which is ambitious, I'll grant you. But that's what the WSET 2 syllabus demands. You need to know the regions, the grapes, the climate, and be able to say something intelligent about each.
HOST_A: Okay but before we dive in, I want to start with something that completely blew my mind when I first started studying wine.
HOST_B: Go on then.
HOST_A: Grapes are the only fruit in the world that have both enough natural sugar AND the right wild yeast living on their skins to ferment into wine completely on their own. No added sugar, no added yeast, no extra ingredients. Just crush them and wait.
HOST_B: That is genuinely remarkable when you think about it.
HOST_A: It's like grapes evolved specifically to be turned into wine. And here's the twist — despite this incredible natural setup — nearly ninety-nine percent of commercial winemakers add cultured yeast anyway.
HOST_B: Which, depending on who you ask, is either sensible quality control or a betrayal of everything wine is supposed to be.
HOST_A: Right. And that tension is going to come up again and again today, because winemaking is full of these choices. Natural intervention, minimal intervention, loads of intervention. And every decision shapes the final glass.
HOST_B: Before we get into the winery, we need to talk about what happens outside it. The vineyard. Viticulture. Because the WSET 2 exam will absolutely ask you about climate and soil.
HOST_A: Let's do it. Climate first. WSET loves three climate types: Continental, Maritime, and Mediterranean.
HOST_B: Continental climate. Think Burgundy, think Germany's Rhine. You're far from any ocean, which means big temperature swings between day and night, and between summer and winter. Hot summers ripen the grapes, cold winters rest the vines.
HOST_A: The exam mnemonic I use is CONTINENT — Cold Winters, Hot Summers, No Ocean moderating anything. The big risk is spring frost killing young buds.
HOST_B: Maritime climate. Think Bordeaux, think New Zealand's Marlborough, think Oregon. You're close to the ocean. The sea moderates temperatures — not too hot in summer, not too cold in winter. But you get rainfall and humidity.
HOST_A: Which means the big risk is rot and disease. Fungal issues. Too much moisture on the grapes.
HOST_B: Mediterranean climate. Southern Rhône, Rioja, Napa, McLaren Vale. Warm, dry summers with very little rain. Almost drought conditions during ripening season. The big risk is actually drought stress — vines can shut down if it gets too hot and dry.
HOST_A: Here's the critical thing for the exam: climate directly determines the style of the wine. And this is where cool climate versus warm climate becomes essential knowledge.
HOST_B: Cool climate — higher acidity, lower alcohol, less ripe fruit flavors. Think green apple, lemon, lime, fresh red berries. More restrained.
HOST_A: Warm climate — lower acidity, higher alcohol, riper fruit. Think tropical fruit, dark plum, blackcurrant jam, sometimes almost stewed fruit. More generous.
HOST_B: And tannins? Longer growing season, more sun exposure — tannins ripen and soften. Cool climate reds can have grippy, angular tannins because the seeds and skins don't fully physiologically ripen.
HOST_A: So when you're tasting a Barossa Shiraz and it's full-bodied, high alcohol, low acidity, ripe dark fruit with soft tannins — you know: warm climate. When you're tasting a Mosel Riesling, bone dry, razor sharp acidity, delicate stone fruit — cool maritime influence.
HOST_B: Right. Now soil. Examiners expect you to know three main soil types and why they matter.
HOST_A: Limestone. Classic example — Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne. Limestone drains well but also retains moisture. It imparts a mineral quality — that chalky, flinty thing you sometimes hear about. It's also the source of the high natural acidity that makes Burgundy Chardonnay so elegant.
HOST_B: Clay. Holds water. So in drier climates, clay soils are a blessing — they give vines something to drink during dry periods. Pomerol in Bordeaux is clay-rich, which is why Merlot thrives there. Clay-grown wines tend toward fuller body.
HOST_A: Gravel. Drains extremely well — practically no water retention. Forces vines to dig their roots deep to find water. Also heats up during the day and radiates warmth at night, helping ripen grapes even in cooler spots. The Médoc in Bordeaux? Famous for its gravel beds. Kabernet grows beautifully there.
HOST_B: Cabernet. Not Kabernet.
HOST_A: I know what I said. I was testing you.
HOST_B: Sure you were.
HOST_A: There's also slate — famously the Mosel in Germany. Dark slate absorbs heat and releases it slowly at night. Critical for ripening Riesling in that cool, northern climate.
HOST_B: Volcanic soils worth mentioning — Santorini in Greece, parts of Sicily. These can add a really distinctive smoky, ashy quality to wines. Not essential for WSET 2 but interesting context.
HOST_A: Vintage variation — really important concept. Same vineyard, different years — dramatically different wine because the weather during that growing season was different.
HOST_B: Bordeaux 2010 — perfect summer, one of the greatest vintages of the decade. Bordeaux 2013 — cold, rainy, difficult. The wines from the same château taste completely different.
HOST_A: The WSET exam might ask: why does vintage matter more in some regions than others? And the answer is: the more marginal the climate, the more vintage matters. Burgundy — vintage matters enormously. Southern Rhône, with its reliable Mediterranean climate — much more consistent year to year.
HOST_B: Quick mention of organic and biodynamic, because the exam might touch on it. Organic viticulture: no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
HOST_A: Biodynamic takes it further — treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem, follows lunar calendars for planting and harvesting, uses herbal preparations. Controversial but increasingly popular among prestige producers.
HOST_B: Does it make better wine? This is actually where Emma and I have a genuine disagreement.
HOST_A: I think it can, yes. The best natural and biodynamic wines I've tasted have this aliveness — this tension and energy that I find compelling. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti farms biodynamically. You can't argue with the results.
HOST_B: DRC is great because of extraordinary terroir and extraordinary talent, and they happen to also be biodynamic. Correlation isn't causation. I've had plenty of mediocre biodynamic wines and plenty of extraordinary conventional ones.
HOST_A: Fair point. But for the exam — you don't need to take sides. Just know what organic and biodynamic mean and note that they're increasingly common among quality producers.
HOST_B: Right. Let's move inside. White winemaking. And we're using Chardonnay as our case study because it's the perfect illustration of how winemaking decisions shape style.
HOST_A: The journey starts at harvest. When you pick matters enormously. Pick early — you preserve acidity and freshness. Pick late — you get riper, higher-sugar, potentially lower-acid grapes.
HOST_B: Machine harvest versus hand harvest. Machines are cheaper, work at night when it's cooler. Hand harvest is more selective — you can pick only the best bunches. Estates making premium wine almost always hand harvest.
HOST_A: After harvest, white grapes go straight to the press. This is the critical difference between white and red winemaking — for whites, you separate the juice from the skins almost immediately. No skin contact, no color, no tannins extracted.
HOST_B: Well — some skin contact Chardonnay exists. Orange wine territory. But for WSET 2, the standard is: white grapes pressed, juice fermented, minimal skin contact.
HOST_A: The juice goes into a vessel — either stainless steel tank or oak barrel — and that choice changes everything.
HOST_B: Stainless steel. Neutral. It preserves the pure fruit character of the grape. Cold temperature control is easy. You get that crisp, fresh, unoaked Chardonnay style — apple, pear, lemon, citrus. Chablis Premier Cru, Pouilly-Fumé, Albariño from Spain — all about retaining freshness in neutral vessels.
HOST_A: Oak fermentation and aging. Changes the flavor completely. Oak adds vanilla, toast, spice, cream, sometimes coconut if it's American oak. The wine gets richer, rounder, fuller.
HOST_B: New oak gives more flavor than used oak. Small barrels — barriques, 225 litres — give more contact between wine and wood than large format barrels.
HOST_A: Napa Valley Chardonnay. New oak barrels. Rich, buttery, toasty, vanilla — that's deliberate, that's the style. Chablis Grand Cru — steel, maybe some large old oak. Mineral, focused, precise.
HOST_B: Now — malolactic conversion. Or MLF. This is crucial for the exam.
HOST_A: MLF is a secondary fermentation where sharp malic acid — that's green apple acid — is converted by bacteria into softer lactic acid — that's milky acid. The result is a softer, creamier texture and a reduction in total acidity.
HOST_B: Buttery Chardonnay? That's diacetyl — a byproduct of MLF. When you get that classic big, oaky, buttery Chardonnay, MLF is what happened.
HOST_A: Wines that skip MLF: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis — they want that refreshing sharpness of malic acid. Wines that embrace MLF: Meursault, many California Chardonnays, White Burgundy in general.
HOST_B: Lees aging — or sur lie. The lees are dead yeast cells that fall to the bottom of the barrel or tank after fermentation. Leaving the wine on them adds richness, texture, a bready or toasty quality.
HOST_A: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie — classic example. The region by law requires extended lees aging, and you get this creamy, yeasted complexity in what would otherwise be a pretty neutral wine.
HOST_B: Stirring the lees — bâtonnage — enhances this effect. Winemakers literally poke a stick in the barrel to stir the dead yeast back into suspension.
HOST_A: Then fining and filtration — clarifying the wine before bottling. Fining uses agents like bentonite clay for whites to remove unstable proteins. Then filtered for clarity.
HOST_B: And then bottling. Sealed with a cork — traditional, prestige, but has a small percentage chance of cork taint, that musty wet cardboard smell from TCA contamination.
HOST_A: Or screwcap — increasingly common for aromatic whites that want to stay fresh. Reduces risk of cork taint. Keeps wines tighter and fruitier. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc — almost all screwcap.
HOST_B: The exam loves asking about the difference between styles of the same grape and the reason behind it. Remember: Chardonnay in Chablis versus Chardonnay in Napa — same grape, completely different wine because of climate, soil, and winemaking choices.
HOST_A: Okay. Red winemaking. Let's switch to Cabernet Sauvignon as our case study.
HOST_B: Harvest — same considerations. Red grapes are picked when phenolic ripeness is achieved — tannins, color, flavor maturity. Can be later than whites in some regions.
HOST_A: Destemming. For most red wines, the stems are removed first — they contain green, bitter tannins. Some winemakers include a percentage of whole clusters for complexity — Burgundy producers sometimes do this with Pinot Noir.
HOST_B: Crushing — breaking the berries open to release juice. But gentle — you don't want to pulverize seeds, which release harsh oils.
HOST_A: Here's the big difference with red winemaking. The juice ferments WITH the skins. That's how you get color, tannin, and all those complex flavors associated with red wine. This is called maceration.
HOST_B: During fermentation, CO2 pushes the grape skins up to the surface, forming what's called the cap. If you leave it there, you get poor extraction and the cap can get hot and oxidize.
HOST_A: So winemakers break it up. Two main methods: punch down — literally using a tool to push the cap back into the wine. And pump over — pumping wine from the bottom of the tank up and over the cap.
HOST_B: Punch down is more gentle — better for delicate reds like Pinot Noir. Pump over is more aggressive — better for big reds like Cabernet. Though it varies enormously by producer.
HOST_A: Extended maceration — leaving the wine on skins for longer after fermentation — extracts more tannin and color. Gives bigger, more grippy reds. Shorter maceration — lighter, more approachable.
HOST_B: After primary fermentation, the wine is pressed off the skins — separating the free-run juice from the pressed juice. The pressed fraction is tannic and concentrated. How much pressed juice gets blended back in is another winemaking decision.
HOST_A: Then barrel aging. For Cabernet Sauvignon — oak is almost always part of the picture. Why? Oak does several things simultaneously.
HOST_B: First, it adds flavor. French oak — subtle, spicy, silky. Think red fruit, spice, smoke. American oak — more pronounced, coconut, vanilla, dill. Dramatically different.
HOST_A: Second, it allows micro-oxygenation. The tiny amount of oxygen that seeps through the barrel staves softens tannins and helps the wine integrate over time.
HOST_B: Third — new versus used oak. New oak barrels cost around 800 to 1,000 euros each. They impart a lot of flavor. A second-fill barrel gives less flavor. Third fill — barely any. Fourth fill and beyond — essentially neutral, just used for oxidative aging.
HOST_A: Exam tip: WSET examiners want to hear the link between winemaking choice and final style. Don't just say "oak." Say "new French oak barrel aging for 18 months adds vanilla and toast, softens tannins, and contributes to the wine's full body."
HOST_B: Time in barrel matters too. Rioja Gran Reserva — minimum two years in oak. Rioja Crianza — minimum one year. More time, more integration, more complex.
HOST_A: Then fining — reds often fined with egg whites, which bond to and precipitate harsh tannins. Vegan wines skip this and use plant-based alternatives.
HOST_B: Filtration — removes remaining particles. Some producers skip filtration believing it strips flavor and texture. Unfiltered wines can have a slight cloudiness but potentially more complexity.
HOST_A: Bottling. And like whites — closures matter. Premium reds with aging potential? Cork. The wine needs that tiny bit of oxygen exchange over decades. Early drinking reds? Screwcap is fine.
HOST_B: Quick mention of rosé, because the exam might ask. There are two main methods. First: saignée — or bleed off. In red winemaking, you bleed off some juice early in maceration, before it picks up too much color. That juice becomes rosé. Byproduct of red wine production, but can be high quality.
HOST_A: Second — direct press. You treat pink grapes like white grapes: press them quickly, minimal skin contact. Gets you that pale, delicate Provence style rosé. Salmon pink, very light in color.
HOST_B: Blending red and white to make rosé — illegal in most quality wine regions. Exception: Champagne, where it is legally permitted.
HOST_A: Alright — deep breath. We've covered viticulture and winemaking. Now we tour the world. France first, because France is unavoidable in WSET 2.
HOST_B: France is the reference point. Every other country's wine industry defines itself in relation to or in contrast to France. You must know it cold.
HOST_A: Bordeaux. We're starting here. One of the most famous wine regions in the world, on the Atlantic coast of southwest France. Maritime climate — the ocean moderates things.
HOST_B: The key geographical feature is the Gironde estuary and its two tributaries — the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers. This divides Bordeaux into the Left Bank and the Right Bank.
HOST_A: Left Bank — Médoc peninsula, famous appellations like Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien. The soil is famous gravel — those deep gravel beds drain well and warm up quickly. The dominant grape is Cabernet Sauvignon.
HOST_B: Cab Sauv thrives on the Left Bank's gravel because it ripens slowly and benefits from the heat-retaining gravel and the well-drained, stressed conditions. Classic Left Bank style: structured, tannic, black currant, cedar, pencil lead in youth — they age for decades.
HOST_A: Right Bank — Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Different story. More clay soils, more limestone. The dominant grape shifts to Merlot — and in Pomerol, to Merlot almost exclusively.
HOST_B: Pomerol's clay soils hold water beautifully, which Merlot loves. Château Pétrus — among the most expensive wines in the world — is almost entirely Merlot from clay soils.
HOST_A: Right Bank style: plush, velvety, rich plum and chocolate, softer tannins than Left Bank, approachable younger. Different grape, different soil, different style.
HOST_B: The Bordeaux classification system — 1855 Classification. Classified estates are called crus classés — classed growths. Five levels from premier cru classé down to cinquième cru classé.
HOST_A: The famous five first growths: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion, and Château Mouton Rothschild — which was promoted from second to first growth in 1973.
HOST_B: Exam mnemonic for the first growths: "Let Mouton Have Leftovers" — Lafite, Mouton, Haut-Brion, Latour... wait, that doesn't quite work.
HOST_A: The one I use is — "Lovely Monsieur, Have Looked Magnificent" — Lafite, Mouton, Haut-Brion, Latour, Margaux.
HOST_B: I'm going to pretend that's better than mine.
HOST_A: What WSET really wants you to know about Bordeaux: Left Bank equals Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, gravel soils, structured and age-worthy. Right Bank equals Merlot dominant, clay and limestone soils, plush and approachable.
HOST_B: Burgundy. This is where it gets philosophical.
HOST_A: Burgundy is in eastern France, a Continental climate — cold winters, warm summers, significant spring frost risk. The two noble grapes are Pinot Noir for reds and Chardonnay for whites. Those are essentially the only grapes you'll find.
HOST_B: What makes Burgundy special and different from Bordeaux is the concept of the climat — individual named vineyard plots that have been mapped and classified for centuries.
HOST_A: The hierarchy from bottom to top: Regional AC — Bourgogne. Village level — Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault, Chablis. Premier Cru — a named vineyard within a village. Grand Cru — the very top, separate appellations like Chambertin or Corton-Charlemagne.
HOST_B: The grands crus are tiny. Romanée-Conti — the most famous single vineyard wine in the world — is just 1.8 hectares. An entire appellation producing fewer than 5,000 bottles a year.
HOST_A: The reason Burgundy fetches such prices comes down to this obsession with terroir — the idea that this specific plot of land, with its specific combination of slope, aspect, soil composition, and microclimate, produces wine that tastes unlike anything from the next plot over.
HOST_B: And here's where I'm going to play devil's advocate. The terroir concept in Burgundy is partially real and partially one of the greatest marketing narratives in food history.
HOST_A: Ryan —
HOST_B: I'm serious! Romanée-Conti costs ten times what Richebourg costs. They're adjacent plots. The physical differences between them are measurable but marginal. Some of the price difference is genuine terroir. Some of it is centuries of reputation and the story we tell about it.
HOST_A: I disagree. I've done blind tastings comparing Gevrey-Chambertin to Chambolle-Musigny from the same producer and the same vintage — and they taste distinctly different. There's something real happening with the soil and aspect.
HOST_B: I'm not saying terroir is meaningless. I'm saying the price premium attached to specific appellations often exceeds what can be explained by measurable quality differences. But for the WSET exam — the concept of terroir is absolutely central to Burgundy and you must be able to explain it.
HOST_A: Right. For the exam: Burgundy's quality hierarchy is driven by terroir — the belief that specific plots produce distinctively different wine. Grand Cru is the top. The wines are mostly single variety. Red is Pinot Noir — light to medium body, red fruit, earthy, silky. White is Chardonnay — ranging from lean mineral Chablis to rich oaky Meursault.
HOST_B: Champagne. Different category entirely. Sparkling wine. The northernmost major wine region in France — which historically meant grapes struggled to ripen fully.
HOST_A: That's actually why Champagne developed as a sparkling wine region. The grapes were high acid and low sugar — not great for still wine. But add a second fermentation in the bottle? That trapped CO2, created bubbles, and the acidity became a virtue.
HOST_B: The traditional method — méthode champenoise. Grapes harvested, still wine made, blended, bottled with a little sugar and yeast added — that triggers the second fermentation in the bottle. CO2 trapped, bubbles form. Then aged on the dead yeast — lees — which adds that beautiful brioche, toast, biscuit character.
HOST_A: Then riddling — the bottles are gradually tilted and turned to move the dead yeast to the neck. Then disgorgement — the yeast is frozen and popped out. Dosage — a small amount of sugar and wine added back — determines the style. Brut, Extra Brut, Demi-Sec.
HOST_B: Grape varieties in Champagne: Chardonnay — freshness, elegance, citrus. Pinot Noir — body, structure, red fruit. Pinot Meunier — fruity, early drinking. Most non-vintage Champagne is a blend of all three from multiple years.
HOST_A: Non-vintage versus vintage Champagne. NV — blended from multiple years to achieve a consistent house style. Vintage — from a single declared year. Only made in exceptional years. Aged longer, more complex, more expensive.
HOST_B: Blanc de Blancs — 100% Chardonnay. Lean, precise, citrus-driven. Blanc de Noirs — from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier only. Fuller, more structured. Rosé Champagne — one of the few places where blending red into white to make rosé is permitted.
HOST_A: Northern Rhône. Moving south from Paris now, down the Rhône river. The northern section has a Continental to cool climate — narrow valley with dramatic granite slopes.
HOST_B: One grape for red: Syrah. That's it. Syrah only. The appellations are Côte-Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas. Northern Rhône Syrah: deep color, full body, concentrated black olive, smoked meat, violet, black pepper, game. It's savory and powerful.
HOST_A: White grapes in the Northern Rhône — Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne. Condrieu is the famous Viognier appellation — peach, apricot, floral, full body.
HOST_B: Southern Rhône. Completely different. Mediterranean climate — warm, dry, sunny. The Mistral wind actually helps here by drying out the grapes and preventing rot.
HOST_A: Grenache is now the main grape, but blending is the rule. Châteauneuf-du-Pape can use up to eighteen different grape varieties. The typical blend is Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre — or GSM.
HOST_B: Southern Rhône style: ripe red and dark fruit, herbs — garrigue, which is that dry scrubby southern French herb character — medium to full body, warm and generous. Côtes du Rhône is the entry level appellation covering most of the south.
HOST_A: Loire Valley. Long river running across northern France to the Atlantic. Multiple sub-regions making completely different styles.
HOST_B: Muscadet — at the western, Atlantic end. Made from Melon de Bourgogne. Light, bone dry, high acidity, neutral. The famous sur lie designation means it's aged on lees — adds a little creaminess and a yeasty complexity. Classic with oysters.
HOST_A: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé — the famous Sauvignon Blanc expressions. Upper Loire, Continental climate. The benchmark for minerally, grassy, herbaceous, gooseberry Sauvignon Blanc. These define what the variety can be.
HOST_B: Chinon and Bourgueil — red wines from Cabernet Franc. Lighter in color, red fruit, fresh herbs, a certain green capsicum note. Served slightly chilled in France — very food friendly.
HOST_A: Vouvray — Chenin Blanc, ranging from bone dry to sweet depending on the vintage and winemaker.
HOST_B: Alsace. Last major French region for us today. Far northeastern France, near Germany, sheltered by the Vosges mountains. The mountains create a rain shadow — relatively dry despite being in northern France.
HOST_A: The grapes here: Riesling — the crown jewel. Alsatian Riesling is dry to off-dry, full body for a Riesling, intensely aromatic — stone fruit, petrol notes in older wines, waxy texture.
HOST_B: Gewürztraminer — the most distinctive grape. Intensely aromatic — lychee, rose petal, ginger, exotic spice. Full bodied, relatively low acidity. The word "Gewürz" literally means spice in German.
HOST_A: Pinot Gris — fuller style, smoky, rich. Pinot Blanc — lighter, more everyday. The wines are mostly varietally labeled — showing the grape name on the bottle — which is unusual for France.
HOST_B: The Alsatian bottles are distinctive too — tall, thin, German-style flutes. Walking into a wine shop, you can spot an Alsace wine from across the room.
HOST_A: Okay — Italy. We cannot do full justice to Italy — there are 350-plus documented grape varieties and 74 DOCG appellations — but we need the key ones for the exam.
HOST_B: Tuscany first. Central Italy. Warm Mediterranean climate. The hero grape: Sangiovese — pronounced San-jo-VAY-zeh. High acid, high tannin, cherry and tomato and dried herb character. Doesn't seem like a natural winner but it's one of Italy's greatest grapes.
HOST_A: Chianti DOCG — made predominantly from Sangiovese in the hills between Florence and Siena. Classic Italian reds — food friendly, high acidity, medium body, red cherry, leather, herbs.
HOST_B: Chianti Classico is the historic heartland of Chianti — gets a rooster symbol on the label. Higher quality requirements than regular Chianti.
HOST_A: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG — 100% Sangiovese, but a particular clone called Brunello. Minimum 5 years aging for regular, longer for Riserva. These are serious, long-lived wines — big tannins, high acidity, incredible complexity. Among Italy's finest.
HOST_B: Super Tuscans. This is important and the exam might catch people out. In the 1970s and 1980s, some Tuscan producers — frustrated with DOC regulations that required certain grape blends — started making wines outside the rules. Blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Sangiovese, or sometimes leaving Sangiovese out entirely.
HOST_A: Because they broke the rules, they could only label the wine as Vino da Tavola — table wine. The cheapest category. Yet they were among the greatest Italian wines. Eventually Italy created the IGT — Indicazione Geografica Tipica — category to accommodate them.
HOST_B: Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello — these are the famous Super Tuscans. Expensive, celebrated, rule-breaking.
HOST_A: Piedmont. Northwest Italy, at the foot of the Alps. Continental climate — hot summers but cold winters. The noble grape is Nebbiolo — the most demanding, difficult grape in Italy.
HOST_B: Nebbiolo is brutally high in both tannin AND acidity. When young it's almost undrinkable — the tannins are ferocious. But with age, it transforms into something haunting and beautiful. Tar and roses is the famous descriptor.
HOST_A: Barolo DOCG — "the king of Italian wines." 100% Nebbiolo, minimum 38 months aging including at least 18 in oak. It's a big, structured, age-worthy red.
HOST_B: Barbaresco DOCG — also 100% Nebbiolo, but slightly lighter, slightly earlier drinking, minimum 26 months aging. Often called the queen to Barolo's king.
HOST_A: Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba — different grape, Barbera. Much more approachable — high acid, low tannin, generous dark fruit. The everyday red of Piedmont. Not a great ager but fantastic with food.
HOST_B: Veneto — northeast Italy. Three regions to know for WSET 2.
HOST_A: Soave DOC — white wine from Garganega grape. Dry, light, neutral, citrus and almond. At best, from old vines on the volcanic soils of Soave Classico, it can be complex and mineral.
HOST_B: Valpolicella DOC — red wine from a blend including Corvina. Light, cherry, herbs. Entry level Italian red.
HOST_A: Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG — this is where it gets interesting. Same grapes as Valpolicella, but the grapes are dried first — for up to 120 days on straw mats. They lose water and concentrate their sugars and flavor. The resulting wine is rich, concentrated, full body, high alcohol, velvety dark fruit. One of Italy's most dramatic styles.
HOST_B: Spain. Rioja first. Northern Spain, Continental climate, the Ebro river. Dominant grape: Tempranillo.
HOST_A: Tempranillo — medium to full body, medium acidity, plum, leather, tobacco, strawberry. Not massively distinctive on its own, but it takes oak beautifully and produces wines of real elegance with age.
HOST_B: And Rioja loves oak. This is the defining thing about Rioja. American oak traditionally — which gives that distinctive coconut, vanilla, dill note to older Rioja. Increasingly French oak is used for more subtle results.
HOST_A: The aging tiers — and these are exam gold. Joven — young, minimal or no oak. Crianza — minimum one year in oak plus one year in bottle. Reserva — minimum one year in oak plus two years in bottle. Gran Reserva — minimum two years in oak plus three years in bottle.
HOST_B: Easy mnemonic: CRiAnza equals CRAft, ReseRva equals Really aged, Gran Reserva equals Grand. The hierarchy goes with the age.
HOST_A: Gran Reserva Rioja is only made in exceptional vintages — it's the region's top expression. Rich, complex, tertiary notes of leather, tobacco, dried fruit, mushroom.
HOST_B: Ribera del Duero — competitor region to Rioja, also Tempranillo focused, higher altitude which means more temperature variation, tends to produce more concentrated and structured wines. Vega Sicilia is the most famous producer — their Único is legendary.
HOST_A: Germany. People expect German wine to be confusing, and honestly, the label system is complicated. But for WSET 2, you need to know Riesling and the Mosel.
HOST_B: Mosel — cool, Continental climate. The steep slate slopes along the Mosel river. Riesling planted on vertiginous slopes that would be impossible to farm mechanically.
HOST_A: The dark slate absorbs heat during the day and releases it slowly at night — critical in this cool climate for ripening grapes. The wines: high acidity, low alcohol — often just 7 to 9 percent ABV — delicate stone fruit, floral, sometimes a distinctive petroleum or petrol note that develops with age.
HOST_B: German Prädikat levels — this is what confuses people. They're based on the ripeness of the grape at harvest — measured in Oechsle. From lowest to highest: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein.
HOST_A: Kabinett — lightest, driest, most delicate. Spätlese — "late harvest" — riper, more concentration. Auslese — "selected harvest" — selected overripe bunches, sweeter. Beerenauslese — individually selected berries, intensely sweet. TBA — shriveled botrytis-affected berries, incredibly concentrated. Eiswein — made from frozen grapes.
HOST_B: But here's the thing — Spätlese and Auslese aren't necessarily sweet wines. They can be made dry — Spätlese Trocken. The Prädikat level just tells you the ripeness of the grape at harvest, not the sweetness of the wine.
HOST_A: For the exam — know Kabinett through Auslese and what they mean. The Mosel produces these in a lighter, more delicate style than the Rhine regions — Rheingau, Rheinhessen — which tend to make fuller-bodied, more powerful Riesling.
HOST_B: Okay. New World. Quick but essential.
HOST_A: Napa Valley, California. Mediterranean climate — warm, dry, sunny. Famous for Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Cab is the benchmark New World expression — full body, rich dark fruit, often very ripe blackcurrant and plum, new oak, high alcohol, powerful tannins. The antithesis of Left Bank Bordeaux — more opulent, less restrained.
HOST_B: Napa proves that Cabernet can reach extraordinary quality outside Bordeaux. Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Opus One — these command Bordeaux-level prices and frankly deserve to.
HOST_A: Marlborough, New Zealand. This was the region that changed the world's understanding of Sauvignon Blanc. Cool, Maritime climate, with significant diurnal temperature variation — warm days, cold nights. Intense UV light from low humidity.
HOST_B: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: explosive, pungent, tropical — passionfruit, gooseberry, lime, fresh-cut grass, blackcurrant leaf. Extremely aromatic, high acidity, bone dry. When Cloudy Bay launched in the 1980s and landed on the shelves of British wine shops, it basically invented a category.
HOST_A: And here's a genuine debate: does Marlborough Sauvignon represent a real New World counterpoint to Sancerre — or has it become so commercially successful that it's lost any terroir identity?
HOST_B: It's the latter. Most of what sells as Marlborough Sauvignon is commercially standardized, identical from bottle to bottle, made in huge stainless steel tanks. The good ones are distinctive. But the category has become a commodity.
HOST_A: I actually think that's not entirely fair. There's been a real move toward single vineyard Marlborough Sauvignons that show real site character. Clos Henri, Greywacke — these are serious wines.
HOST_B: Fair. But the exam isn't going to ask about that nuance. Know Marlborough, know Sauvignon Blanc, know the style: tropical, citrus, herbaceous, high acid.
HOST_A: Barossa Valley, South Australia. Hot, warm Continental climate inland from Adelaide. The old vine Shiraz from Barossa is benchmark — some vines are 150 years old, ungrafted, surviving phylloxera because the sandy soils didn't suit the pest.
HOST_B: Barossa Shiraz: full body, high alcohol, rich dark plum, chocolate, blackberry jam, leather. American oak traditionally used — adds that vanilla and coconut character. Penfolds Grange — made from Barossa and other South Australian Shiraz — is Australia's most iconic wine.
HOST_A: Mendoza, Argentina. High altitude — 700 to 1,000 meters in the Andes foothills. That altitude moderates what would otherwise be a very hot climate. The signature grape is Malbec.
HOST_B: Malbec came from Cahors in France where it's known as Côt — a tough, rustic grape. In Mendoza's altitude and sunshine it became something else entirely. Deep inky color, full body, plum and violet, sometimes chocolate, velvety tannins. More accessible and generous than its French cousin.
HOST_A: Argentina basically reinvented Malbec. Achaval Ferrer, Zuccardi, Catena Zapata — these producers have elevated Mendoza to global relevance.
HOST_B: Maipo Valley, Chile. Just south of Santiago, close to the Andes. Mediterranean climate, relatively cool influences from the Pacific through gaps in the coastal mountains. The signature: Cabernet Sauvignon.
HOST_A: Maipo Cab tends toward elegance rather than Napa power — medium to full body, cassis and eucalyptus, firm tannins, good structure. Concha y Toro's Don Melchor is the benchmark — the wine that proved Chile could compete with the world's best.
HOST_B: Alright — let's talk about reading wine labels, because this is an exam topic and genuinely confusing the first time you encounter it.
HOST_A: The fundamental distinction: Old World versus New World labeling philosophy.
HOST_B: Old World — France, Italy, Germany — labels by place. The producer assumes you know what grape grows where. A bottle of Chablis doesn't say Chardonnay. A bottle of Barolo doesn't say Nebbiolo. You're expected to know.
HOST_A: New World — California, New Zealand, Australia — labels by grape variety. The Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa tells you right on the front label what you're getting. Much more consumer-friendly.
HOST_B: France has appellation contrôlée — AC — rules that dictate what can be grown where. The region on the label implies specific grapes and minimum quality standards. Bordeaux must be from Bordeaux grapes in Bordeaux region. Burgundy Pinot Noir must be Pinot Noir from Burgundy.
HOST_A: Italy has DOC — Denominazione di Origine Controllata — and the higher DOCG — the G is Garantita — which means guaranteed. The G on a label signals the highest tier of regulation in Italy.
HOST_B: Spain has DO — Denominación de Origen. Germany has a notoriously complex system — know the Prädikat levels and you'll be fine for the exam.
HOST_A: Exam tip: when you see a European appellation wine, be able to say what grape or grapes are implied. Chablis — Chardonnay. Muscadet — Melon de Bourgogne. Barolo — Nebbiolo. Rioja — Tempranillo dominant. The examiner wants to see that you know what hides behind the place name.
HOST_B: Another exam tip: don't try to memorize every appellation in France. Instead, learn the key regions and what makes each distinctive. The exam is testing conceptual understanding, not rote memorization of every village cru.
HOST_A: The WSET systematic approach that you learned in Episode 1 — always comes back. When you're describing a wine in the exam, go through appearance, nose, palate, then quality and readiness for drinking. Link what you observe to the region, climate, grape, and winemaking. That chain of reasoning is what gets marks.
HOST_B: And a final exam tip that I cannot stress enough: use WSET language. They have a vocabulary. Acidity is high, medium-plus, medium, medium-minus, or low. Tannins are the same scale. If you say "the tannins are quite harsh and grippy" you might be right but the examiner wants to read "the tannins are high, grippy."
HOST_A: The WSET 2 exam vocabulary list is in your textbook. Learn it. Use it. It's like learning the language the examiner speaks — once you do, you and the examiner are having the same conversation.
HOST_B: Before we close, let's do a rapid-fire region summary for last-minute revision.
HOST_A: Perfect. I'll say the region, you say the key info.
HOST_B: Deal. Go.
HOST_A: Bordeaux Left Bank.
HOST_B: Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, gravel soils, structured and tannic, Médoc, Pauillac, Margaux, 1855 classification.
HOST_A: Bordeaux Right Bank.
HOST_B: Merlot dominant, clay and limestone, plush and approachable, Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.
HOST_A: Burgundy reds.
HOST_B: Pinot Noir, Continental climate, limestone soils, Grand Cru slash Premier Cru slash Village hierarchy, terroir-driven.
HOST_A: Burgundy whites.
HOST_B: Chardonnay, ranges from lean mineral Chablis in the north to rich oaky Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.
HOST_A: Champagne.
HOST_B: Traditional method sparkling, Chardonnay plus Pinot Noir plus Pinot Meunier, brioche and citrus, NV for consistency, vintage for exceptional years.
HOST_A: Northern Rhône.
HOST_B: Syrah only for reds, granite slopes, savory and meaty character, Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.
HOST_A: Southern Rhône.
HOST_B: Grenache-based blends, Mediterranean climate, GSM blend, Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the top.
HOST_A: Sancerre.
HOST_B: Sauvignon Blanc, Continental Loire, mineral and herbaceous, gooseberry and flint.
HOST_A: Alsace.
HOST_B: Aromatic varieties, Riesling and Gewurztraminer, dry and full bodied, Germanic bottle shape, varietal labeling unusual for France.
HOST_A: Chianti.
HOST_B: Sangiovese, Tuscany, high acid and tannin, food-friendly, DOCG, black cherry and leather.
HOST_A: Barolo.
HOST_B: Nebbiolo, Piedmont, the king of Italian wines, tar and roses, brutally tannic young, magnificent with age.
HOST_A: Amarone.
HOST_B: Dried grape wine, Veneto, Corvina-based, concentrated and powerful, long aging.
HOST_A: Rioja Gran Reserva.
HOST_B: Tempranillo, oak-aged minimum two years in oak plus three in bottle, only exceptional vintages, coconut vanilla from American oak, complex tertiary flavors.
HOST_A: Mosel Riesling.
HOST_B: Cool Continental, slate soils, low alcohol high acid, delicate and precise, Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese levels.
HOST_A: Napa Cabernet.
HOST_B: Full body, ripe dark fruit, new oak, high alcohol, warm Mediterranean climate, benchmark New World red.
HOST_A: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
HOST_B: Cool Maritime with diurnal variation, tropical and herbaceous, high acidity, screwcap, pungent and fresh.
HOST_A: Barossa Shiraz.
HOST_B: Hot climate, old vines, full body, dark fruit, American oak traditionally, Penfolds Grange as the icon.
HOST_A: Mendoza Malbec.
HOST_B: High altitude moderation, deep color, velvety tannins, plum and violet, more approachable than French Côt.
HOST_A: Maipo Cab Sauv.
HOST_B: Mediterranean Chile, elegant rather than powerful, cassis and eucalyptus, Andes influence, Concha y Toro Don Melchor as benchmark.
HOST_A: Beautiful. That's your regional cheat sheet right there.
HOST_B: Before we sign off — three things I want every WSET 2 student to take away from this episode.
HOST_A: First: climate is everything. When you taste a wine you don't recognize, ask yourself: is this warm or cool climate? The answer unlocks so much.
HOST_B: Second: winemaking choices are intentional. Every decision — oak, MLF, maceration length, lees aging — was made to achieve a specific style. Understanding why a winemaker did something is more important than just knowing that they did it.
HOST_A: Third: the Old World and New World are not a quality hierarchy. They're two different philosophies about wine. Old World prizes place, subtlety, restraint, the idea that the land speaks through the wine. New World prizes fruit, accessibility, winemaking skill, the idea that human mastery creates greatness.
HOST_B: Both philosophies produce extraordinary wine and mediocre wine. The WSET 2 exam doesn't ask you to have a preference. But understanding the philosophy behind each helps you understand the wines you're tasting.
HOST_A: Episode 3 — our final episode in the Crack the WSET 2 series — will cover sparkling wines, fortified wines, spirits, and a full mock exam walkthrough with sample questions and model answers.
HOST_B: The exam questions will be pulled from actual WSET-style assessment formats. Emma will get some wrong and I will enjoy every moment.
HOST_A: That's a lie and you know it.
HOST_B: We'll find out in Episode 3. Until then — taste everything, read the label, and remember: wine is just fermented grape juice. Extraordinary, complicated, endlessly fascinating fermented grape juice.
HOST_A: Cheers.
HOST_B: Santé.