Best Italy Made Easy Podcasts (2024)

1
Costco Kirkland Signature 2019 Rioja Reserva Challenge! (A punch-you-in-the-face wine, perfect base for Sangria, for Cab Sauv lovers) 43:22

20m ago43:22

43:22

Rioja is the big dog of Spanish wines, but the question on everyone’s lips is - how does the Costco Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva stack up to other Riojas? Amiright?!? Well, without giving it away, we’re here to tell you that the Kirkland Signature Rioja is a worthy contender! But did it win in a knockout, or was it a draw? You’ll have to listen…

1
#131: Italian Phone-Related Terms 7:08

5d ago7:08

7:08

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/131 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Spain’s Hidden Gem: Priorat! (One of the great wines of Spain, Grenache-based red wine) 38:16

7d ago38:16

38:16

When we say hidden gem, we are not kidding! When people think of Spanish red wines, they immediately think of Rioja, but don’t sleep on Priorat. Hailing from the Catalonia area of Spain, Priorat is a Grenache-based red wine blend that completely blew away our expectations! Rich, complex, and oh so drinkable, this is a wine that deserves a lot more …

1
#130: Seven Ways to Express Likes in Italian 6:02

13d ago6:02

6:02

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/130 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
High QPR Pinot Noir #4! (How the American wine palate has been programmed by big wine, Pinot is a polarizing wine) 43:30

11d ago43:30

43:30

Pinot Noir can be a polarizing wine - some people love it, and some people just don’t get it. We think that happens for a few reasons. First, most wine drinkers have been trained to think that wines are supposed to taste like Cabernet Sauvignon - big, fruit forward, high in alcohol, and very tannic. Which is just not what a great Pinot tastes like.…

1
#129: How to Use the Word “Permesso” in Italian 5:35

14d ago5:35

5:35

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/129 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Wallet-Friendly Wine Reviews: Two Buck Chuck and More! (Reviewing wines under $5, cheap Cabernet Sauvignon, some pleasant and unpleasant surprises) 43:35

18d ago43:35

43:35

Believe it or not, 73% of the wine purchased in the United States is sold for less than $8. So, there are a LOT of people drinking those wines! But they don’t often get reviews, and so we thought we would take some time to taste and review some value wines to see just how different they are from slightly more expensive wines. The results: one of th…

1
#128: Irregular Adjectives Ending in "-E" 5:47

21d ago5:47

5:47

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/128 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Bordeaux Bargains #1! (Haut-Médoc and Graves, Left Bank, why Bordeaux wines are so tricky to understand) 48:30

25d ago48:30

48:30

Bordeaux is home to some of the most famous - and most expensive - wines in the world. But can you find a great wine at a great price?!? You can!!! There is no reason to spend more than $20 a bottle to find highly rated and very enjoyable wines from this classic region. In this episode, we focus on Left Bank wines, and we bring that up because Bord…

1
#127: Irregular Adjectives Ending in "-A" 5:14

1M ago5:14

5:14

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/127 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
WTF is Muscadet? (Melon de Bourgogne, the Sur Lie method, batonnage, the ultimate fish wine, the best French white wine under $20?) 41:50

1M ago41:50

41:50

If you’re like us, French wines can feel so confusing - and that’s exactly why we do these WTF episodes! This week, we dive into a great French white wine called Muscadet, which is not to be confused with Muscat or Moscato (which are, by the way, the same thing). Muscadet is a wine made in the Loire Valley from the grape Melon de Bourgogne - and th…

1
'It's a fantastic freedom' - interview with BBC newsreader and marathon runner Sophie Raworth 1:18:59

1M ago1:18:59

1:18:59

Author Adharanand Finn chats with BBC newsreader, Runner's World columnist and marathon runner Sophie Raworth about why she loves running, why a scientist told her she had 'good-looking' knees, and how she made a deal with her dog so it would run with her. Adharanand Finn is the author of three award-winning books, Running with the Kenyans (2012), …

1
#126: Words for Grocery Shopping in Italy 7:33

1M ago7:33

7:33

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/126 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #11: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo! (An underrated and underappreciated Italian beauty, the ultimate cookout wine) 43:04

1M ago43:04

43:04

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is an easy wine to overlook. It is inexpensive, easy to find, and does not have the cachet that a Chianti or Barolo or Amarone has. But we are here to tell you that you should take a second look at this underappreciated and underrated Italian wine! In this episode, we tasted and reviewed three easy to find and reasonably pri…

1
#125: Irregular Italian "-Isc" Verbs 6:02

2M ago6:02

6:02

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/125 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
How Good Are Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Wines? (TJ’s is a great, inexpensive place to expand your wine horizons, is high-end cheap worth the price?) 48:29

2M ago48:29

48:29

Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve wines are meant to compare with wines twice their price, and are said to be top wines from top winemakers in some of the most prestigious wine-growing regions, but just how good are they really? We seek to answer that question to save you time and money. In this episode, we try three different Platinum Reserve wines fr…

1
#124: Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense 7:25

2M ago7:25

7:25

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/124 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
WTF is Pinotage? (And WTF is Coffee Pinotage? South Africa’s signature wine) 44:59

2M ago44:59

44:59

Ok, let’s be honest. Pinotage is a TRIP. It is like no other wine we have ever had before, and is flat out an experience that you have to try. You may not love it, or even like it, but you have to try it. Especially the Coffee Pinotage which in and of itself is an adventure (and is really a thing)! Pinotage is a wine that was invented in South Afri…

1
#123: Rentals in Italy: Key Words and Phrases 6:15

2M ago6:15

6:15

Start learning Italian today! 1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/123 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Costco Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir Challenge! (The pros and cons of Costco’s wine selection, why few experts review Costco wines, Kirkland Signature Russian River Pinot Noir review) 44:59

2M ago44:59

44:59

Costco sells a TON of wine, but finding expert reviews of their Kirkland Signature wines can be very tricky. We are happy to help fill that void! Find out why few wine reviewers bother to review Costco Kirkland Signature wines, and where you can find some pretty reliable reviews for those wines. But, most importantly, find out what we think of the …

1
#122: How to Use the Word Anzi 5:40

2M ago5:40

5:40

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/122 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Josh Wines Are . . . Meh. (The truth behind the hype. BTW, we did not give this episode a title until after we tasted the wines in our recording!) 45:59

2M ago45:59

45:59

Josh Cellars wine has been all over social media recently, but the real question is - is it worthy of the hype?!? We gave Josh Cellars an honest-to-goodness opportunity to impress us. We tasted and reviewed three different Josh Cellar wines just to make sure that we were getting a proper sense of the breadth of their products, and the results were …

1
#121: The Difference Between Guardare, Vedere, Sentire, Ascoltare 5:41

2M ago5:41

5:41

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/121 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Sweet Dessert Wines for Your Sweetheart! (Wines for Valentine’s Day, Savoring a meal and time with family and friends, WTF is fortified wine) 49:51

2M ago49:51

49:51

If you think you are not a fan of dessert wines, we believe we can change your mind - because we changed our own minds in this episode! Dessert wines are perfect for romantic evenings, but also a great excuse to slow down and extend a meal with family, friends, and loved ones. If you are looking for something special to do this Valentine’s Day, ser…

1
'You need to invest in your own health' - interview with record-breaking ultra runner and movement expert Paul Tierney 1:26:07

3M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

Author Adharanand Finn chats with Irish ultra runner, coach and form expert Paul Tierney about running extremely long races, once hallucinating that he was running next to himself, finding the best tasting polenta in the world, and why if you want to have good running form, you need to feel it. Adharanand Finn is the author of three award-winning b…

1
#120: When to Use "E" and "Ed" in Italian 6:14

3M ago6:14

6:14

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/120 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #7: Drew Perry! (They make wine in Michigan! Head Winemaker for Simpson Family Estates: Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars) 47:18

3M ago47:18

47:18

Did you know they make wine in Michigan. Yes, yes it’s true! And not only that, they make REALLY GOOD wine in Michigan. Don’t believe us? Then you need to listen to our interview with Drew Perry from Simpson Family Estates, home of Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars and we’ll set you straight! We had the great honor of interviewing Drew who, …

1
#119: How to Make Small Talk in Italian 5:39

3M ago5:39

5:39

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/119 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
They Make Wine in Michigan?!? (The Riesling Belt, Leelanau Peninsula, and a bunch of other stuff we bet you didn’t know!) 48:16

3M ago48:16

48:16

Look, we were skeptical too, but it’s true. Not only do they make wine in Michigan, they are making great wine! If you are like us, you didn’t realize that there is a burgeoning wine industry in Michigan, and that some highly rated wines are coming out of their 5 AVAs. And, in this episode we’ll taste some of these well rated wines and tell you wha…

1
#118: Ten Ways to Order Coffee in Italy 7:26

3M ago7:26

7:26

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/118 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #10: Fiano! (A nearly extinct ancient grape makes a comeback, bigger bodied white wine, famous foods from the Campania area of Italy, Chardonnay alternative) 50:34

3M ago50:34

50:34

The Campania region of Italy, famous for the city of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Mount Vesuvius, is also home to many of the most beloved Italian foods - like pizza! - but did you know it is also home to many of the best Italian wines?!? In this Italian wine adventure, we introduce you to a white wine called Fiano that you probably have not heard…

1
#117: How to Build a Complex Sentence in Italian 5:54

3M ago5:54

5:54

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/117 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Minisode #11: Does the Shape of a Wine Bottle Matter? 12:26

4M ago12:26

12:26

In the last minisode we settled the question of whether or not size matters, and so in this minisode we are tackling the other big question - does shape matter when it comes to the wine bottle? The answer may surprise you! Wine bottles come in many different shapes, although there is one shape that sort of dominates them all, and the most common sh…

1
#116: Top Twenty Phrases for Your Trip to Italy 7:10

4M ago7:10

7:10

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/116 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #6: Duncan Shouler! (Giesen Wines Chief Winemaker, how to make great zero-alcohol wine, what is the Spinning Cone method for de alcholizing wine?) 43:02

4M ago43:02

43:02

What do you do if dry January - or some other dry month - is on your list, but you don’t want to give up wine? First, you need to listen to this podcast! We had the great pleasure of interviewing Duncan Shouler from Giesen Wines, and spoke to him in-depth about their zero-alcohol wines. Like many of the winemakers we talk to, Duncan did not start o…

1
#115: How to Use Meglio and Migliore 6:41

4M ago6:41

6:41

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/115 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
The Best and Worst Rated Wines of 2023! (Over 115 wines rated this year, why you should trust our ratings) 40:05

4M ago40:05

40:05

Welcome to our end of the year retrospective, review, and wrap for The Wine Pair Podcast! In this episode we review our highest and lowest rated wines of the year. Believe it or not, in 2023 we tasted and reviewed about 120 wines, and out of all of those wines, just a handful got ratings of 9 or 10, or got ratings of 4 or under. If you are looking …

1
#114: The Relative Pronouns Che and Chi 9:00

4M ago9:00

9:00

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/114 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
'I always try to get back to that flow feeling' - interview with all-conquering British trail runner Jon Albon 1:01:13

4M ago1:01:13

1:01:13

Author Adharanand Finn chats with world trail running champion, multiple world Skyrunning champion and obstacle racing superstar Jon Albon. Despite hailing from the flatlands of Essex, Albon has won some of the world’s biggest mountain races and has his eyes set on even bigger goals. Here he talks about finding a flow state, the benefits of cross t…

1
Wines for the Feast of the Seven Fishes: 2023! (Italian-American traditions, The Bear, celebrations with family by blood and family by friendship, great seafood wines) 50:12

4M ago50:12

50:12

Buon Natale! The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition that got an interesting send-up in Season 2 of The Bear. How accurate is the “Fishes” episode of The Bear to our family Christmas Eve seafood feast? Well, let’s just say there are a few similarities and some really important differences. For starters, our family doesn’t thr…

1
#113: How to Read Years in Italian 5:40

4M ago5:40

5:40

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/113 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Holiday Sparkling Wines #3: Brut Prosecco! (The most popular sparkling wine in the world, why brut rather than dry this Holiday season, where the name Prosecco came from) 44:56

5M ago44:56

44:56

Think you know Prosecco?!? Not so fast! We bet you didn’t know that most of the Prosecco you are drinking is on the sweet side. Who cares, you say? We love it no matter what, you say? In this episode we are going to tell you why you should care, and why you should be seeking out the BRUT Prosecco! You dig?!? We all know that the Holidays are made f…

1
#112: Italian Conditional Clauses: Type Three 6:57

5M ago6:57

6:57

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/112 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Costco Kirkland Signature Syrah Challenge! (100th Episode, Spicy red wine, Is Syrah the same as Shiraz?) 40:50

5M ago40:50

40:50

Who doesn’t love buying wine at Costco? But have you ever wondered if the Costco Kirkland Signature wines are worth their low cost? Wel, that’s what this series of episodes is all about! On our last Costco “date” (and you need to listen in to understand what we mean by that) we picked up one of their Kirkland Signature K Vine Syrahs, and then we bo…

1
#111: The Si Passivante Construction 7:52

5M ago7:52

7:52

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/111 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

1
Minisode #10: Does Wine Bottle Size Matter? (What are those big-@$% bottles of wine called? And why are they so expensive?) 15:17

5M ago15:17

15:17

Some people say that size matters, others say shape matters more. We are staying out of that discussion altogether. But, regardless of how you feel about the subject, there are more sizes of wine bottles than you may think, and in this minisode we demystify why there are so different sizes of bottles, why they almost always cost more than standard …

1
#110: Twelve Italian Phrasal Verbs 7:39

5M ago7:39

7:39

Start learning Italian today! 1. Download this episode's quick guide: https://italianmatters.com/110 2. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠ 3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠ The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help En…

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