The Maker and The Merchant

Ecclesiastical Court

The Maker And The Merchant: Ecclesiastical Court
 
Things have gone haywire; Fergus has gone AWOL, which leaves Lee in charge. Despite the potential for catastrophe, we have been saved at the 11th hour by the fabulous Jack Merrylees. Marketing & PR Director at Balfour, Jack has extensive experience running marketing and PR in the industry, having been the head of such things at Majestic.
 
Jack talks about his journey into wine, and recounts stories of just what it takes to run successful marketing and comms for a national wine retailer. He touches on the role of critics in today's industry, and the differences he has found moving to a successful English wine producer. He does a superb impression of Olly Smith while also informing us what connects Winston Churchill, Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon.
 
Did Jack's mum double out listener figures? Has she whatsapped him upon listening to the episode?
 
And just what should Ferg's punishment be for such dereliction of duties?

Winemaker Raised By Puffins

TM&TM returns with a...some kind of noise. Not a really loud one, just one that's disturbing enough you had to reread the opening line of the Decanter feature you were starting. In this episode Ferg & Lee face some big questions such as: Does Ferg's mum control an army of AI Bots? Just how fast is your bottling line? and should Lee return to making those terrible guitar videos? If he does, what song should he play for Fergus's BRAND NEW Bacchus?
 
Looking at the Wine News we examine the case of a woman alone in the outback who survived on a bottle of wine. We also raise the plight of Fourty Hall who desperately need your help with funding. When it comes to funding, we also talk about the crowdfunder to build a winery being run by the wonderful White Castle in Wales.
 
In This Week We Have Mostly Been Drinking: Ferg opens up about his skiing holidays and also uncorks a bottle of Savoie. Lee on the other hand, minimising his drinking, pops open a delicious Gruner Veltliner from The Canned Wine Company.
 
We also hit up some consumer stats, discuss whether oysters ever really live, and just what is Lee's phobia of Coravin?

Family

THE MAKER AND THE MERCHANT RETURN!
 
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the podcasts, TM&TM are back to spoil things, like a shark's fin in the ocean.
 
Ferg & Lee spend their time promoting other podcasts such as Wine Blast, Wine Flight, Eat Sleep Wine Repeat and Kermode And Mayo's take before covering off just what is being planted in Ferg's garden*. While Fergus enjoys some Slovenian dessert wine and Lee talks us through a brace of Argentine Malbecs *yawn* we tackle big subjects such as Is Précoce really Pinot? The benefits of going clonal, and just how many Fast And Furious films are there?
In a new feature, Ferg and Lee tackle the big news stories of the day including Bordeaux En Primeur and The Kent Wine Vaults Saga.
 
It's great to be back...for us at least.
 
*may not be HIS garden.

Fromage a Trois

A TM&TM Christmas: Fromage a Trois
 
Continuing our theme of bringing great names down to our level, and reducing their street cred to zero, we are joined by uber-special guest Libby Brodie.
 
We share 3 very special bottles of wine, which includes Ferg finally working out why he blind-tasted Ken Forrester's FMC when that wasn't what Bin Two sent him. Libby works her way through Karim Mussi's Alandes Paradoux Blanc and Lee doesn't even open his bottle.
 
We explore some key Christmas drinks statistics as well as answering the important questions such as: is The Great Escape a Christmas film (it absolutely is)? Just how many times a day can you get Wham!med? What exactly does Lee have against Sainsbury's?
 
Things get a little existential but ultimately we realise that the real wines were the ones we drank along the way.
 
TM&TM will now take a short break but promise (threaten?) to be back before too long with the little-anticipated season 2.

Cantilever Melons

Who's tasted sparkling English rosé going back nearly 20 years? Ferg has; listen as he talks through the retrospective of Balfour Brut Rosé going back to 2004.
 
Are Ferg and Lee any good at blind tasting? Obviously, no. But are they any good at working answers out based on evidence on knowledge? Also no.
 
Listen as Ferg fails to open a wine sent by Mike at Bin Two, instead opting to open something completely different. Lee at least opens the correct wine but forgets the existence of Bandol, can't identify his favourite grape variety, and complains at his mistreatment. This mistreatment involves being sent a bottle as a gift by the aforementioned Mike at Bin Two. Ungrateful.
 
With huge thanks to Mike for gifting Ferg and Lee bottles to try blind...we'll get the correct wine open in a future episode. For anyone looking to replicate this tasting you can get at least one of these wines from www.bintwo.com
 
What a pair of clowns.
 
Episode 7:... available to download Thursday morning from wherever you get your pastcods.
 
 

Suitcase Clowns

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you a special wine and cheese episode, featuring the magnificent Jessica Summer A.K.A Mouse And Grape.
 
Mouse and Grape is a luxury online cheese and wine business that specialises in paired hampers, a cheese and wine subscription service, and corporate and private tasting events. 
 
Using all her knowledge, tasting experience and qualifications, Jessica carefully curates her pairings using artisanal cheese and wine from independent producers, and shows her customers how to combine and enhance these heavenly flavours for ultimate indulgence and maximum enjoyment. Today Mouse & Grape ships wine and cheese hampers across the UK and Jessica hosts corporate tasting events for companies in London and the surrounding areas as well as private events like birthdays and hen parties. Whether you are a novice, or consider yourself a connoisseur, Mouse & Grape will open up a world of delicious variety of cheese and wine, and mouth-watering combinations. Jessica also writes about cheese and wine for an online blog, was a judge at the British Cheese Awards 2022, competed as one of six finalists for the Young Cheesemonger of the Year Awards at the World Cheese Awards 2022 and will be a wine trade judge at the People’s Choice Awards this year
 
Ferg and Lee split a hamper between them and are guided by Jessica into the incredible world of wine and cheese pairing.
 
Whether you're a vinophile, a turophile, or a healthy combination of the 2, there's something here for you.
 
Ferg and Lee are off for their gout medication.

BEEP BEEP

By now you all should know about The Online Wine Tasting Club, but how much do you know about the presenters and their stories? In this episode, we ask Alex Taylor and Jamie Smith the big questions:
 
What is Alex's favourite cereal?
Just how long is Jamie's list of accomplishments?
What does a brand new packaging machine look like?
 
Listen in to learn the answers to these questions, and more, on Episode 5: Beep Beep.
 

Phaeton

Who puts the sexy into sexy? What links the wines of Australia to England's smallest vineyard and winery? Does Bum Bum yeast really exist?
 
We have a our first guest to answer all these questions, and more; Mike 'Bin Two' Boyne has sacrificed his not inconsiderable street cred by spending an hour talking to TM&TM. From running one of the UK's best independent wine merchants to producing ridiculously named pet nat and skin contact Solaris via the medium of extreme winemaking calendars, Mike has done it all.
 
Ferg and Lee taste Mike's skin contact Solaris, Elektron, and the concrete egg Solaris, Supernova.
 
Huge thanks to Mike for taking the time to ruin his reputation by being associated with us.

Plough

Is big better? Why are people from the wine industry inviting Lee to stuff? How many tonnes of fruit is too many in a day? why has fergs hair moved from his head to his face and what has a plough got to do with anything? All this and more in episode 3 (please someone make this podcast end). 
 
 

Toastie

 
What do winemakers eat during harvest? How good is good ordinary claret? Why has this podcast been allowed to reach episode two? Will there actually be any serious dialogue at any stage? Answers to all this and more may or may not be in episode two of The Maker & The Merchant. Only one way to find out.