This week, we sit down with Alder Yarrow, a celebrated voice in the wine world who has built his reputation on curiosity, integrity, and a deep-seated belief in the stories behind the bottle. We discuss his journey from a digital marketing professional to a highly respected wine critic for his blog, Vinography, and as a longtime contributor to JancisRobinson.com. He shares the story of founding a global organization dedicated to preserving the world’s most historic vineyards and his involvement with a foundation that is creating a more diverse hospitality industry. It's a conversation about finding a personal mission, challenging conventional wisdom, and the relentless pursuit of what truly matters in wine.

Alder’s story is a masterclass in how to build a body of work with passion and purpose. He is a professional who is pushing the boundaries, championing honest, handcrafted wine, and working to create a more inclusive and sustainable industry. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to learn how passion, purpose, and a little bit of audacity are creating the next generation of the wine industry.

We dive into:

The Roots of Curiosity: The personal childhood memory that sparked Alder's love for wine and a unique palate for flavor.

The Old Vine Registry: The mission to create a global, crowdsourced database to protect and celebrate the world's most ancient vineyards .

A Conduit for Connection: How wine, at its best, acts as a bridge for conversation and meaningful connection between people .

A Lesson in Resilience: Why old vineyards—survivors of political, climate, and market change—are so vital and what they teach us about endurance .

Timestamps:

Alder’s Wine Journey

00:00 - The Roots of Curiosity: A single childhood memory sparks a lifelong curiosity about wine .

00:18:00 - The Path to Wine Criticism: How a digital marketing professional transitioned into writing about wine.

00:35:45 - The Old Vine Registry: The origin story of the non-profit organization dedicated to cataloging and preserving the world's oldest vineyards .

00:54:20 - A Critique of the System: A pointed critique of confusing wine rating systems and their impact . A Philosophy of Connection

01:04:00 - A New Approach to Diversity: Alder's involvement with the Glancy Wine Education Foundation and its mission to help underserved communities .

01:15:30 - Southern Fried Chicken & Champagne: A conversation about perfect, and perfectly unexpected, food and wine pairings .

01:32:00 - The Power of Story: Why the narrative behind a bottle of wine is more valuable than any score .

01:45:00 - Wine as a Conduit: The idea that a bottle of wine is a vehicle for conversation and connection . Connect with Alder: The Old Vine Registry (https://www.oldvineregistry.org/): A grassroots, volunteer effort that is the world's first crowdsourced global database of living historic vineyard sites. Its purpose is to be the single richest source of accurate, in-depth data on old-vine vineyards in the world and to connect people with vineyards to ensure their preservation. The Glancy Wine Education Foundation

(https://www.glancywineeducationfoundation.org/): A non-profit dedicated to providing scholarships to underserved communities in wine and hospitality. The foundation aims to increase diversity and raise the earning power of professionals through wine education.

Vinography: https://www.vinography.com/

JancisRobinson.com: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/

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Beyond the Score: Alder Yarrow on Wine's Conduit for Connection

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