14 drinks podcasts to enjoy over Christmas

If you need an excuse to escape the in-laws or screaming children this Christmas, we’ve got you covered.

Whether you’re planning to brush up on your knowledge, learn some industry tips, or just want to have a laugh, we’ve rounded up 14 drinks podcasts for your listening pleasure this Christmas. From wine-loving celebs and obscure craft breweries to mixology mavericks and wine without the attitude, there’s something for everyone.

In the UK, a total of 4.7 million people have listened to a podcast at some point in their life, with over 66% now listening via a smart phone rather than a computer.

As such, all of the podcasts included in this list are readily available on widely used podcast platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn and Soundcloud.

If you have a favourite drinks podcast that is not included, feel free to comment below with the link. 

A Glass With…

Billed as “a podcast that drinks with the stars,” A Glass With is hosted by wine columnist, writer and Saturday Kitchen regular, Olly Smith, and produced by wine writer, educator and consultant, Richard Hemming MW. Launched this year, the pair have so far produced two series and are currently releasing their third.

On the show, celebrity guests are invited to talk about their love of wine and share their favourite bottle with Smith. Famous faces that have already graced the airwaves include England cricketer Stuart Broad; actor, winemaker and owner of Two Paddocks, Sam Neill; pop singer Pink; broadcaster, journalist and author Sir Michael Parkinson CBE; actress Dawn French, and novelist Ian Rankin.

Commenting on the podcast, Richard Hemming MW said: “It’s a great format – chatting over a shared bottle makes for a relaxed and friendly conversation, and our guests not only talk about their love of wine but give us some great insights into their life and career – including some world-exclusive announcements”.

Olly Smith added: “Everyone can dive into this podcast – it’s not just for wine lovers”.

A Glass With is available on Overcast, TuneIn, iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Spotify. All the download links can be found on its website. 

Guild of Sommeliers Wine Podcast

The GuildSomm podcast is produced by the Guild of Sommeliers, a non-profit international membership organisation open to sommeliers and wine professionals.

It is divided into three sections: ‘general,’ ‘regional podcasts’ and ‘blind tasting’. A podcast is released each month with episodes available dating back to 2011. In recent podcasts, GuildSomm has discussed yeast, examined dry wine in Portugal and has interviewed Laura Catena of Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza, winemaker Andres Sanchez from Gillmore in the Maule Valley, and Peter Fraser of Yangarra in McLaren Vale on red grapes thriving in their regions.

Hosted by Geoff Kruth MS, the podcast is available on Stitcher, TuneIn and iTunes, while the full list of episodes can be viewed here. 

WhiskyCast

WhiskyCast was founded in 2005 by journalist Mark Gillespie, who in his own words, started the podcast during his mid-life crisis. A podcast pioneer, Gillespie used his experience in both radio and television to drive the project, often having to explain in the early days what a podcast actually was.

12 years on, WhiskyCast serves as a weekly bulletin which covers the latest whisky news along with events, tasting notes, comments from other listeners and an ‘in-depth’ segment which includes interviews with whisky distillers. Followers can also access the monthly WhiskyCast Virtual Tastings podcast, which features a new tasting panel each month as well as video podcasts under the guise of WhiskyCast HD.

Episodes can be downloaded via the website, or via iTunes and other podcast platforms.

It’s The Drink Talking

It’s The Drink Talking, which launched in July this year, features The Thinking Drinkers, aka Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, together with BBC Saturday Kitchen wine expert Sam Caporn MW, and has the ultimate aim of helping listeners to ‘drink better, not more’.

Covering BWS news, social history and famous personalities, the show is divided into three sections: ‘spit or swallow’, a tasting, and ‘legend of liquor.’

The Thinking Drinkers, otherwise known as Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, are drinks writers and comedy performers that regularly contribute to the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator and the Metro. In their own right, McFarland specialises in beer and is the author of World’s Best Beers: 1,000 Unmissable Brews from Portland to Prague and Boutique Beer: 500 of the World’s Finest Craft Brews. Sandham focuses on spirits and lectures on the subject at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust as well as being the author of several books including World’s Best Cocktails.

Sam Caporn MW passed her Master of Wine qualification in 2011, winning the Bollinger Medal for outstanding achievement in the practical paper while doing so. Under the pseudonym of ‘The Mistress of Wine’, she currently works as a wine consultant, judge, educator and as a wine expert on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

For more information, please click here. The podcast can be downloaded here. 

Wine For Normal People

Elizabeth Schneider. Image: Wine For Normal People.

Billed as a podcast “for people who like wine but not the attitude that goes with it,” Wine For Normal People is hosted by certified sommelier and wine specialist, Elizabeth Schneider. After leaving her high-tech corporate job, Schneider retrained in wine, making her, as she calls, it ‘a normal wine person’.

The podcast takes the form of interviews and wine reviews, often tackling current affairs, such as the relationship between cannabis and wine.

As the title of the podcast suggests, Schneider covers material in a straight-forward and approachable manner, yet does not stray away from going in-depth, as and when required.

Episodes can be played via the website, or downloaded via iTunes and other podcast platforms.

Craft Beer Radio

Another podcast pioneer Craft Beer Radio was founded in 2005 by Jeff Bearer and Greg Weiss, and is recorded in Bearer’s basement in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The founders claim that it is “the internet’s longest running beer podcast”.

Released every week, Bearer and Weiss chat about all things craft beer, from different styles to tastings and reviews. They discuss the latest trends: for example, the raft of coffee beers coming onto the market. During the show, the pair sample a selection of beers and rate them in their order of preference.

Craft Beer Radio is available to download via its website and on various podcast platforms.

I’ll Drink To That!

I’ll Drink To That! was established by Levi Dalton, a former sommelier and a wine writer, in 2011. The podcast is posted on Tuesdays and Fridays and involves Dalton interviewing well-known personalities in the wine world in his living room. Wine blogger Erin Scala also contributes audio essays to the show.

Since its beginnings, I’ll Drink To That! has been downloaded more than three million times. Winos that have recently featured on the show include wine writer Patrick Comiskey, co-owner and winemaker at Mas de Daumas Gassac, Samuel Guibert, and founder of Ornellaia, Lodovico Antinori.

The podcast is available to download via its website and through Spotify and other podcast platforms.

Good Beer Hunting

GBH, also known for its beer writing, produces a podcast containing interviews with brewers and personalities within the beer industry. Founded by Michael Kiser, it describes itself as “devoted to using craft beer as a bridge between other types of businesses, craft-oriented cultures, and what we eat and drink”.

Recent interviews have featured Brewdog co-founder James Watt; Bart Watson, chief economist at the Brewers Association, and Erik Lars Myers, founder, CEO and head brewer at Mystery Brewing.

The podcast has also provided special coverage of beer events such as Shelton Fest and The Beavertown Extravaganza. The GBH podcast is available via its website or on iTunes and various other podcast platforms.

Grape Radio

One of the first wine podcasts to grace the internet, Grape Radio is produced by Jay Selman and Brian Clark, along with co-hosts Leigh Older and William Gaffney. It includes interviews with wine personalities, winemakers, vineyard owners, retailers, wholesalers, restauranteurs and sommeliers, and often hosts multiple guests on the show in more of a radio talk-show format. Each episode is around 30 minutes in length.

Grape Radio also broadcasts seminars from wine events for those unable to travel to them. It has been awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Video Webcast in 2011, having also been nominated in 2009.

It is available via its website and via other podcast platforms.

Cru Podcast

Cru was set up by Chappy Cottrell, who since the age of 18, has been working in wineries and vineyards, later going on to study fermentation science at college. He recently worked the 2017 harvest in Healdsburg and is now sommelier and wine buyer for restaurant and resort, Cavallo Point.

Episodes are released every Monday and tell the stories of the people involved in winemaking. Recent episodes have included interviews with author, sommelier, and winemaker Rajat Parr, and David Ramey, owner and winemaker at Ramey Cellars.

Cru is available via its website and through iTunes and various podcast platforms.

The Mixology Talk Podcast

The Mixology Talk Podcast is developed by A Bar Above – a website, podcast and YouTube Channel “dedicated to the craft of great cocktails and running a great bar program”.

It provides educational material suitable for all those interested in bartending and mixology, regardless, as they say, “of experience, location or whether or not you have a twirly moustache”. Founded by Chris and Julia Tunstall in 2012, the podcast includes interviews with known industry figures, provides advice on an array of topics and answers audience questions.

It is available here or via other podcast platforms.

UK Wine Show

As you might just have guessed, the UK Wine Show revolves around wine and more specifically the UK wine industry. Produced by wine event and education provider, ThirtyFifty, the UK Wine Show is hosted by Chris Scott and features UK-focused interviews with winemakers, consumers, critics and wine bar owners.

Now in its tenth year, the podcast is meant both as a news resource and an educational tool.

It is available via its website or on other podcast platforms.

The Beerists

Founded in 2012, The Beerists is produced by four craft beer lovers: John Rubio, Grant Davis, Anastacia Kelly and Mike Lambert. Released every Monday, episodes feature the four friends (and an occasional guest) reviewing five different beers from around the world. In its own words: “part beer appreciation, part drunken comedy”.

Episodes are available here.

The Vincast

The Vincast is hosted by The Intrepid Wino, aka James Scarcebrook, a wine professional who started out in the industry in 2004. In a weekly interview, Scarcebrook chats about to a figure in the industry, gaining insights into their background, philosophies, practices and personality.

Wine writer Alice Feiring, winemaker Ben Ranken, and winemaker and consultant Rory Lane have all recently been interviewed. The podcast is available here, or via iTunes and other platforms.