There are 2,564,670 valid podcasts on Apple right this moment, according to Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis. Almost 850 were added in the past day, and nearly 25,000 were added in the past 30 days. That’s not the number of episodes. That’s the sheer number of podcast titles. And that’s on Apple alone. There’s data out there suggesting that another 5 million podcasts exist on Spotify. Sure, a lot of that is probably crossover with Apple and other streaming platforms, but needless to say, that’s a ton of information.
Wine Podcasts Worth A Listen
Podcast listening is one of my pastimes, and as a thirsty consumer of a ton of wine media, I’ve listed to my share of viticulture, drinking, and marketing podcasts. Three that have been in my listening lineup for a while are Wine For Normal People with host and author Elizabeth Schneider, I’ll Drink to That! Wine Talk with host Levi Dalton, and the multi-layered Italian Wine Podcast. These are shows that express sincere depth, have stood the test of time, and are often recommended by wine enthusiasts and professionals. Get them in your library now.
It was hard to pin down exactly how many wine-related podcasts are there, but safe to say there are likely hundreds of wine podcast titles. But putting together this story made me realize how many more shows I need to engage in regular rotation. There are even brand new ones made from sources I know and trust that I’ve never heard from yet! In fact, many respected wine publications you know and love have expanded into podcasting, such as The Wine Enthusiast Podcast, VinePair Podcast and the education-focused VinePair Wine 101, Straight Talk with Wine Spectator (new in 2023), and Bon Appétit World of Wine with André Mack which had a good run, but is no longer producing new episodes. (Disclaimer, I’ve contributed to a couple of these publications.)
Podcasting takes on the topic of the wine industry business with shows such as Lawrence Francis’ Interpreting Wine Podcast which covers wine thought leaders, Vint Podcast gets into wine investing, GuildSomm Podcast often interviews wine pros, and the show Business of Drinks by journalists Felicity Carter and Erica Duecy is brand new to the scene.
Some wine brands swim in the podcast pool to engage with their audience or grow a community. Bedrock Wine Co. has Bedrock Wine Conversations, Wine Access runs Unfiltered, and Lori Budd, co-founder of Dracaena Wines (which just opened a new tasting room in Paso Robles) has long hosted her podcast, Exploring the Wine Glass.
Scamfluencers covered Rudy Kurniawan and Wine Enthusiast has a new podcast this year called Vinfamous: Wine Crimes and Scandals, proving that the world of wine can be a tricky place and sometimes an environment where people do bad or dangerous things. Twisted History from Barstool Sports even gets in on this with an episode called The Twisted History of Wine.
Several shows are like oral history projects, talking to influential and instrumental people who helped build the wine industry. Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance started Where Wine Takes You, the Oregon Wine History Archive podcast out of Linfield University preserves the viticultural heritage of the region, and Inside Winemaking with Jim Duane talks to people who’ve shaped California wine history.
This is by no means all of the excellent and interesting podcasts available, but that’s the fun part. Spend a moment or two searching on any podcasting platform and you’ll find episodes and shows to keep you busy for another lifetime. Curious about what I’m going to check out next? I’m going to download Wine Face with Helen Johannesen and Matthew’s World of Wine and Drink with Matthew Gaughan, and Everyday Drinking with Jason Wilson. Time to get out my AirPods.