How is our new political reality impacting wine producers? The Trump Administration has introduced sweeping changes to immigration policy, often without clear explanation or guidance. What does this mean for an industry that relies on the hard work of skilled…
You know, we used to drink because the things we were drinking tasted good. Now we drink because the things we’re drinking will boost our brains and help us adapt to stress and make us live longer and make us…
We at The Four Top apologize for leaving you hanging when this week’s episode did not appear at its usual time (Wednesday AM, for those of you who don’t spend all your time staring at your podcast feed). Technological and physiological forces held us…
Anyone who pays attention to the news knows it’s futile to declare “we’ve reached a new low.” There are always new lows, folks! Take, for example, the world’s newest drink: Drinkable mayonnaise! Sure, there were more pressing topics out there…
The, uh, fervor of last week has died down a bit, so we decided to check in with Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines and Spirits to get a feel for how a second Trump administration could impact the wine world. Next, we…
There may be no more important time to find solace in wine. Or wine news. Or humor. We’ve got all these things for you in Ep. 178, in which we talk about drunk bugs and Shrek characters. And it does all tie…
We’d like to offer a formal apology for the absolutely heinous pepperoni incident at the open of Ep. 176. Then again, the soundtrack can’t be worse than a room full of slurping somms, can it? We’ll let you be the judge. Along…
We’re celebrating wine this month, and we had to bring on Karen MacNeil of the #ComeOverOctober campaign to help us get in the spirit. Plus, we cover labor issues, family feuds, and land grabs. Ep. 174 is full to the…
From the W.H.O. to The New York Times, alcohol can’t catch a break on the health front. On Ep. 173, we turn to Anna Maria Ponzi of Linfield University’s Center for Wine Education and Jason Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyard for advice on…
Wine journalism is in flux. The salaried wine critic is a dying breed, but the TikTok creator is on the rise. What does the future of wine communication look like? We got an idea of that future at the 67…
Do you know how to zebra-stripe? We do, and we highly recommend it. We’re also pinching ourselves right now over a New York Times admission that wine and booze may just stave off food-borne illness. (Did they just say that?…
We recorded this episode the last day Mercury was in retrograde. The last day. Man, did we ever pay for that. We pushed through, however, and Ep. 168 made it out alive. We get into a bit of wine archeology,…
I think we’d all secretly like to be rich, but no one wants to act like a rich person. Throw Champagne bottles into the Mediterranean? Hell no. Complicate divorce proceedings by building a $1 million pool at a wine château?…
Who doesn’t love carbonation? Well, apparently the federal government. Sparkling wine is taxed up the wazoo, just for some bubbles! It’s actually much more complicated, and awful, than that, but you’ll have to listen to Ep. 164 to get the full rundown. …
This week we salute someone who was brave enough to say: There is a limit to the imbibing and dining one can do before it starts to catch up to you! We also do the opposite of saluting (is there…
How many weeks can we go without Taylor Swift making wine headlines? Does her impact on the wine industry mitigate the regulatory chaos the Supreme Court just unleashed? Is Nick tired of hearing about Taylor and the Supreme Court? Find…
Look, we want you to listen to podcasts. Specifically OUR podcast. That said, it’s important that we all agree on the (wine) song of the summer, so we dedicate some time to figuring that out on Ep. 159. While we’re all…
Until this week, we’ve never really taken the time to ask: Is The Four Top grown and sexy? On Ep. 158, we dig into that question. Once the important business is out of the way, we get to the news.…
♫ Tumble out of work as soon as I’m let goAsk for glass of Dolly’s ProseccoAnd yawn and stretch and try to come to life ♫ That’s right, folks: Dolly Parton is making wine, and on Ep. 157 we’re singing about it.…
Bacchus has blessed us with some good news for Ep. 156! Never mind that one of the sources is former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Good news is good news! Plus, friend of the pod Karen MacNeil makes a bold (and exciting)…
It’s a bottle! It’s a cardboard box! It’s…a cardboard bottle? That’s right, folks, the cool kids are drinking from molded fiber these days. And, if the Re-Judgment of Paris (aka London) is any indication, it’ll be French wine in those paper flasks.If…
As a growing podcast, we’re seeing increased demand for merchandise. We know our listeners don’t need more junk, so we’re following in Martha Stewart’s footsteps and selling The Four Top branded potting soil! Whether you’re growing vines, bines, hash, or…
Ep. 153 is a bit like your first semester of college: There’s a dash of science, a bit of politics, a stab at Econ 101, and some dude who wrote a lot of books pontificates. Plus, tune in to hear Nick…
At about the 1:08 mark of Ep. 147, Katherine starts naming ancient biblical kings, but don’t turn it off! It get’s better! We discover an interesting new ally, we launch a hit gameshow, and we celebrate another surprising acquisition. Plus, we…
Not all is well in wine, and this week, we’ve got the news you need to know. Tune in for the lowdown on reverse buyouts, cross-border antipathy and synergy, and importer angst. Plus, we tap into our entrepreneurial side to introduce…
Let’s do a little role-playing: You’re an EU diplomat, and you get an email invite to a wine tasting at the Indian residence. Do you click that link (we would)? If you want to hear what happens next, tune in…
We were so sure that “subpoena” was going to be the official word of 2023, but it looks like it may take the top spot in 2024 thanks in part to Napa county. Speaking of bucolic parts of the globe,…
We all know you don’t need alcohol to be cool, but these days it feels like you need fungi to be a fun guy. Speaking of fun guys, on Ep. 140 we’ll tell you all about someone accused of stealing…
We’ve begun a petition to have the pope canonized after his recent comments about wine. Sign it here! Once you’re done with that, be sure to listen to Ep. 139. You won’t want to miss our coverage of tractor protests, unmasked…
Last week was all about how tough 2023 was, but no one made out worse than Abruzzo. Let’s just say, they’re feeling down(y), and on Ep. 138 we’ll tell you why. But, of course, all that bad is balanced out…
Bureaucratic mistakes are rarely interesting (and rarely fixed), but in Ep. 136 we bring you a story that fits both criteria. Perhaps more predictably, we have three stories that all involve money; saving it, spending it, and controlling it. Macroeconomics! Microeconomics! You…
We explored a bit outside the borders of the vino-sphere on Ep. 135. From low-abv cocktails (for the inconsistent imbibers of Gen Z), to very important research on “beer goggles,” we bring you news from the wider world of alcohol.…
“No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.” Those words were published by the World Health Organization almost exactly a year ago, and the wine world was not happy. But was that declaration accurate? In Ep. 134, Martín Reyes, MW is…
2023 was quite a year for wine, and it only felt right to recap some of the year’s biggest stories in Ep. 133. From financial failures (plural!) to lost generations, the wine news cycle just kept turning. If you aren’t up…
An alternative title for Ep. 132 could be “CSI: Vino,” for all the thrills and intrigue. We’ve got damning lab results, missing collections of rare wine, a $100 million Ponzi scheme, and a friendly bouncer keeping a small business safe from throngs…
Admittedly, that title is misleading SEO clickbait, but we do talk AI, T. Swift, AND natural wine on Ep. 131. If you’re a fan of hot takes from wine celebrities, NGOs, and podcast hosts, this one is for you. Plus, we…
