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PODCAST

The Wine Lab

Andreea Botezatu

A sciency podcast series about wine, chemistry, flavor, smell and everything in between hosted by wine and sensory scientist, book worm and food aficionado, Andreea Botezatu.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

10:27

A Rosé by Any Other Name Would Taste as Sweet...or Dry

The Wine Lab ·

2026/04/27

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com A glass of rosé often feels effortless - light catching a pale pink hue, a hint of summer in the air - but its story runs deeper. In this episode, we trace how rosé is shaped, from fleeting skin contact to the saignée method and the precise art of blending in sparkling wines. Along the way, we place rosé within a longer human narrative, from early winemaking to Mediterranean tables where it accompanies food, heat, and conversation. What emerges is...

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15:24

Wait, Wine Isn’t Always Vegan?

The Wine Lab ·

2026/04/20

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Episode description Wine seems like one of the most plant-based products imaginable, so why are some wines not considered vegan? In this episode of The Wine Lab, we look at the cellar practices behind that question. From egg whites, milk proteins, gelatin, and isinglass to bentonite, PVPP, and plant-based alternatives, this is a closer look at fining, clarification, labeling, and the ethics of process. Along the way, the episode traces the long ...

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13:00

Ashes in the Glass: Smoke Taint and the New Reality...

The Wine Lab ·

2026/04/13

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What happens when wildfire smoke becomes part of the story of a wine? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores smoke taint through the eyes of the consumer. Why do wildfires in places like California and Australia matter so much for wine? How can smoke travel far from the flames and still affect grapes? And why can a wine seem perfectly normal at first, only to finish with notes of ash, char, or cold fireplace? This episode l...

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17:13

Rotten Egg, Burnt Rubber, and Other Ways Wine Can...

The Wine Lab ·

2026/04/06

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What does it mean when a wine smells like rotten egg, burnt rubber, cabbage, garlic, or canned corn? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores sulfur and reductive faults in wine, explaining what wine professionals mean by “reduction,” why these aromas appear, and how they can evolve over time. Along the way, she looks at hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, thiols, disulfides, and even the old copper penny trick, all through the len...

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16:20

Women and Wine: From Ritual to Research

The Wine Lab ·

2026/03/30

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com This episode of The Wine Lab explores the long and layered history of women in wine. We move through ancient cultures, literature, religious life, art, Champagne history, and modern wine science to look at the many ways women have influenced how wine is made, understood, and experienced. Some of these stories are well known, others are easier to miss, but together they reveal a much fuller picture of wine culture. It is a conversation about ...

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12:53

Of Mice and Wine:the Curious Case of Delayed...

The Wine Lab ·

2026/03/22

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Mousiness is one of the most elusive and unsettling faults in wine. Unlike many defects, it doesn’t appear in the aroma. Instead, it emerges after the sip, lingering on the finish in a way that can surprise even experienced tasters. In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores the chemistry, microbiology, and sensory science behind mousiness. From the role of lactic acid bacteria and high pH conditions to the formation of compoun...

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13:05

Stable… or From the Stable? Understanding...

The Wine Lab ·

2026/03/16

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Sometimes a glass of wine smells like dark fruit and spice. Other times, something unexpected appears — leather, earth, even a hint of barnyard. For some wine lovers, those aromas add intrigue. For others, they signal a flaw. In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores one of the most debated microorganisms in wine: Brettanomyces. Why do some wines develop these distinctive aromas? Why have certain traditional European wines his...

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12:23

Why Wine Sometimes Smells Like Vinegar: The Science...

The Wine Lab ·

2026/03/09

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Why does a wine sometimes smell like vinegar, or even nail polish remover? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Andreea explores the science behind volatile acidity, one of the most confusing aspects of wine aroma. While small amounts can add brightness and complexity, higher levels can shift a wine’s character dramatically. You’ll learn how volatile acidity forms, from grape damage in the vineyard to oxygen exposure in the cellar, and why microbes kn...

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12:43

Fault or Style? Understanding Oxidation in Wine

The Wine Lab ·

2026/02/23

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Is that wine flawed… or just different? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Andreea explores the difference between wine faults and flaws before turning to one of the most powerful forces in wine chemistry: oxidation. What causes the bruised apple aroma in oxidized wine? What role does sulfur dioxide play in protection? Why did certain white Burgundies suffer from premature oxidation, known as “premox,” in the 1990s and early 2000s? And why are wines...

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9:13

When Wine Labels Play Mind Games

The Wine Lab ·

2026/02/16

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Have you ever stood in the wine aisle holding a bottle and thought, “Am I overthinking this?” In this episode of The Wine Lab, Andreea unpacks why wine labels can feel so confusing, even to people who work in wine. Why do some bottles list the grape, while others only name a place? What does Burgundy actually mean? Why does Bordeaux rarely tell you the grape outright? We explore how grape varieties work (think apples: Granny Smith vs. ...

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11:41

Second Round Wine: Piquette, Then and Now

The Wine Lab ·

2026/02/09

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Piquette is one of wine’s oldest ideas and one of its newest obsessions. Made by fermenting grape pomace with water, this light, often sparkling wine has roots in ancient Roman practices, European vineyard culture, and everyday resourcefulness. Once known as a drink for workers and families - sometimes simply called “second round wine” - piquette has reemerged as a symbol of sustainability, moderation, and creativity. In this episode of The Wine L...

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8:31

Between Valpolicella and Amarone: The Science of Ripasso

The Wine Lab ·

2026/02/02

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Ripasso wines are made by giving a finished Valpolicella wine a second pass through fermentation, pouring it over the grape skins left behind from Amarone or Recioto and allowing renewed microbial activity and extraction to take place. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we walk through what that second pass actually does: how refermentation can restart, how phenolics and color are re-extracted from appassimento-treated skins, and how the chemistry o...

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10:28

Appassimento and the Art of Waiting

The Wine Lab ·

2026/01/26

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com What happens when grapes are asked to wait? In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore appassimento, the traditional practice of drying grapes before fermentation, and how it reshapes wine long before yeast ever gets involved. From ancient Roman preservation methods to modern Amarone and passito wines, we look at how dehydration concentrates sugars, alters acidity, and transforms texture and aroma. Along the way, we meet Corvina, the grape at the...

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10:20

Clay, Skins, and Time: Orange Wine in Georgia

The Wine Lab ·

2026/01/05

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Orange wine often feels contemporary, even radical, yet its roots stretch back thousands of years. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we travel to Georgia, widely considered one of the birthplaces of wine, to explore qvevri winemaking, extended skin contact, and the historical foundations of what we now call orange wine. Along the way, we unpack how this style bridges white and red winemaking, why it pairs so naturally with food, and how ancient cla...

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8:42

Marsala And The Reputation It Did Not Choose

The Wine Lab ·

2025/12/29

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Welcome back to The Wine Lab. In this episode, we take a closer look at Marsala, one of the most misunderstood fortified wines in the world. Often dismissed as a cooking ingredient, Marsala has a long history as a serious wine shaped by fortification, oxidative aging, and deliberate patience. We explore how Marsala is made, the grape varieties that define it, and why oxygen plays such a central role in its aroma and structure. Along the way, we un...

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9:29

Vermouth and the Logic of Botanicals

The Wine Lab ·

2025/12/22

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Vermouth is everywhere, yet rarely examined on its own. Often encountered through classic cocktails rather than the glass itself, vermouth plays a defining role in balance, aroma, and structure while remaining largely unacknowledged. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we slow down and treat vermouth as what it truly is: wine, shaped by fortification, bitterness, and deliberate design. We explore vermouth’s foundations in neutral grape varieties, the...

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11:17

Madeira - From Ocean Voyages to Attic Barrels

The Wine Lab ·

2025/12/15

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Madeira is one of the most resilient wines ever produced. Fortified during fermentation, intentionally heated, and slowly oxidized, it defies many of the rules that govern wine aging and thrives because of it. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore how Madeira’s unique production methods developed through long ocean voyages, how fortification with highly rectified grape spirit shapes sweetness and stability, and why heating methods like estuf...

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11:26

Fortified by the Douro: The Story of Port Wine

The Wine Lab ·

2025/12/08

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Step into the steep, sunlit terraces of Portugal’s Douro Valley and explore how landscape, law, chemistry, and culture shaped one of the world’s most distinctive wines. In this episode of The Wine Lab, host Dr. Andreea Botezatu traces the story of Port from the Douro’s historic demarcation in 1756 to the precise moment fermentation is stopped with grape spirit. Follow the evolution of styles, from ruby’s vibrant fruit to the layered de...

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11:52

Under the Flor: The Science and Soul of Sherry

The Wine Lab ·

2025/12/01

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com In this episode of The Wine Lab, host Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores the scientific brilliance and cultural heritage of Sherry. From Andalucía’s luminous albariza soils to the flor yeasts that sculpt its aromatic identity, Sherry emerges as a wine shaped by geology, microbiology, and centuries of human expertise. We examine how fortification, performed after fermentation, determines whether a wine will age biologically as a Fino or oxidatively...

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13:49

Winter in a Glass: The Story and Science of Icewine

The Wine Lab ·

2025/11/24

Send me your thoughts at ibotezatu5@gmail.com Icewine is one of the most challenging and extraordinary wines ever produced,a liquid born from winter itself. In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores how a frozen accident in 1794 became one of the modern wine world’s most coveted styles. We travel from Germany to Canada’s Niagara Peninsula, through vineyards picked at –10°C, and into fermenters battling extreme osmotic stress, soaring Brix, and yeast pushed to its limits. ...

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40 results

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