About this episode
In the Season 6 premiere of Eat Sleep Wine Repeat, Janina is joined by Sunny Hodge, founder of Diogenes the Dog wine bar in London and author of The Cynic’s Guide to Wine (use code EATSLEEP15 for 15% off this book and all Academie du Vin books). Known for shaking up traditional wine education, Sunny takes us on a journey into the science behind wine, from rootstocks and yeast strains to soils, sulphites and histamines.
This episode dives deep into how low-intervention vs. natural wine is defined, what mouse taint and Brettanomyces really mean for your glass, and why the future of wine chat might balance both the romance of terroir and the hard facts of winemaking. Expect myth-busting, geeky insights, and plenty of food for thought on how wine is grown, made, and enjoyed.
If you’ve ever wondered what truly changes your wine beyond the grape – from organic regulations in the EU vs. USA, to terpenes, esters, and thiols – this is an episode that will transform the way you understand every sip.
A quick shout out to this episode’s lovely sponsor Viavinum. I’ve got a special discount code that could earn up 5 or even 8% off your wine tour. Find details at the bottom.*
You’ll also discover:
[05:51] – Why Sunny wrote The Cynic’s Guide to Wine: moving beyond storytelling to answer the “whys” and “whats” of wine through science and real understanding.
[09:04] – Diogenes the Dog: The Wine Bar in Elephant and Castle, London.
[10:04] – Three places to expand your map: Texas (Malbec) from Messina Hof; Weightstone WE White No.4 from Taiwan; an organic project in Eastern Thrace, Turkey with Xavier Vignon.
[12:27] – Hybrids/PIWI: bred for heat/humidity resilience to reduce spraying.
[14:55] – Janina links her previous episode on Turkish wine for deeper context.
[16:38] – The philosophy behind Aspen & Meursault: team training and a dedicated low-intervention concept.
[18:15] – Low-intervention vs natural: how to define these wine terms with no legal definitions.
[21:43] – Sulphur dioxide, alcohol and histamines: why hangovers aren’t usually caused by sulphur dioxide — and when histamines might matter.
[27:57] – Organic in Europe vs America: EU allows wines with reduced sulphur dioxide; US organic wine forbids added sulphur dioxide
