In short
Bottoms Up with Alan Carr and Lee Peart mixes wine education with personal stories and a listener dating dilemma. They discuss “white lies” (a wine name) and worst Christmas gifts, then shift into wine texture lessons using a milk comparison (skimmed, semi-skimmed, full fat, cream). They also recommend bottles for a first date and answer a question about topping up wine from a restaurant bucket.
Guests/backgrounds
Main hosts Alan Carr and Lee Peart. Wine expert/wine judge/writer/broadcaster Alicia Hansel, whose background isn’t traditional wine (dad Jamaican, mum Indian/English); she learned by exploring wines and later became a judge/writer.
Key claims
Texture can be taught via mouthfeel; acidity affects “thinness,” oak/body adds thickness, and sugar/viscosity creates “luscious” texture. For dates: white signals “party,” red signals “sit down and talk.” For restaurants: the waiter should notice, but grabbing the bottle may be acceptable if the waiter isn’t paying attention.
Notable examples
“White Lies” rosé/white-labeled joke; Tanya’s first-date wine picks include a Cremant (champagne alternative), a white Malbec “Alumbrado Malbec Blanco,” and a Bordeaux (Le Serret, Médoc). Texture examples include a South African Sauvignon Blanc, a white Rioja, and a sweet Hungarian Tokaji-style wine.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOWine Tasting Stories
0:34 to 1:01
Alan and Lee discuss a wine called White Lies and share amusing anecdotes.
“You deserve a break that actually satisfies.”
Wine Tasting Stories
2:24 to 4:04
Alan and Lee discuss a wine called White Lies and share amusing anecdotes.
“If you haven't watched episode one, why, first of all?”
Dinner with Alan’s Parents
4:04 to 5:32
Lee shares his experience of dining with Alan's parents and their candid opinions.
“That's the trouble when you buy a wine because it's got a comedy nose on the phone.”
Christmas Presents Gone Wrong
5:32 to 7:04
Alan and Lee reminisce about their worst Christmas gifts.
“He started asking you about football, didn't you?”
Friendmas and Holiday Parties
7:04 to 9:18
The hosts discuss their holiday gatherings and how they celebrate Christmas.
“Like, it's just the weird, are you really gay?”
How Alan and Lee Met
9:18 to 11:28
Alan and Lee share the story of how they met and their mutual experiences.
“But they have been asking how we know each other.”
Dilemmas and Listener Questions
11:28 to 14:00
The hosts start addressing listener dilemmas, beginning with a dating scenario.
“But just to let you know, there is a cloak and a lantern arriving at my house today.”
The Challenge of Buying Clothes
14:00 to 14:31
Discussing the difficulty of shopping for clothes for each other.
“But I wouldn't, I'd find it difficult to buy you like something to wear or...”
Wine Suggestions for First Dates
14:47 to 18:04
Helping Tanya choose the perfect wine for a first date.
“She says, I'm going on a first date with someone off the apps.”
Exploring Wine Options
18:05 to 22:54
Tasting and discussing various wine options suitable for Tanya.
“This is Roche Lacour Cremant de Lemieux.”
Show all 18 chapters
Choosing the Right Wine
22:55 to 23:27
Debating the choice of red or white wine for a date.
“And I think on a date, bottle of white is, woo, come on, the party's starting.”
Choosing the Right Wine
24:24 to 25:53
Debating the choice of red or white wine for a date.
“Ask your doctor about ZepBound Terzepatite, the first and only FDA approved prescription medicine for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, in adults with obesity.”
Alicia's Journey into Wine
26:55 to 28:00
Alicia shares her personal story about getting into the wine industry.
“You say that to where people don't understand nowadays.”
Exploring the World of Wine
28:00 to 29:21
Learn how personal background influences wine appreciation and tasting.
“It's a wonder that you still want to drink alcohol because, you know, it's bleh.”
Understanding Wine Texture
29:21 to 31:39
Discover how to describe and compare wine textures using milk as an analogy.
“So I am here to teach you about texture because the thing is you can't explain or understand what you like or dislike if you don't have the vocabulary to describe it, right?”
Tasting Different Wines
31:39 to 34:25
Experience the texture differences among various wines and their characteristics.
“You should be good at that, both of you.”
Listener Questions and Wine Etiquette
34:25 to 38:20
Explore listener questions about wine etiquette and practical drinking tips.
“So actually, this wine's probably a little thicker than the...”
Listener Questions and Wine Etiquette
39:54 to 40:22
Explore listener questions about wine etiquette and practical drinking tips.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00All new Sundays at 9, exclusively on AMC and AMC+. I am the vampire Lestat. I'm a rock star now. I'm a little killer. I'm a little more. From Anne Rice's Immortal Universe comes what Vulture calls the most momentous event in fictional rock history.
0:17Alan Carr:Thousands of fans love you. I want millions. It's my era. Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat. All new Sundays at 9, exclusively on AMC and AMC+. Stream now. This episode is brought to you by Sweetgreen. The day doesn't ask for permission. Lunch window? Gone before you saw it coming. You deserve a break that actually satisfies. Sweetgreen's new wraps have got you. Real ingredients? Zero shortcuts. Everything you love in one hand. Think green goddess chicken. Garlic aioli. Crumbled bacon. Corn salsa. 40 grams of protein. Made to keep up with whatever comes next. New Sweetgreen wraps hit different. Order now at order.sweetgreen.com.
1:00Alan Carr:I sold my car in Carvana last night. Well, that's cool. No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer, down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong. So, what's the problem? That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes to smoothie. I'm waiting for the catch. Maybe there's no catch. That's exactly what a catch would want me to think. Wow, you need to relax. I need to knock on wood. Do we have wood? Is this table wood? I think it's laminate. Okay, yeah, that's good. That's close enough. Car selling without a catch. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply.
1:30Alan Carr:I am getting wood. But as you know, I really don't want to talk about traitors anymore. Willy Willy poking through the door. My kind of carol singers. Bottle of white, up all night. Bottle of red. Straight to bed. Tanya. That's now how you get on. Lumber Jackie Stallone. Jackie.
2:01Alan Carr:Welcome to Bottoms Up with me, Alan Carr. And me, Lee Peart. Brought to you by Leifweights. Now, if you're bamboozled by Bordeaux and puzzled by Pinot, then this is the wine podcast for you. Yeah, throughout the show, we're going to be cracking open bottles of wine. We're going to be demystifying the wonderful but slightly complicated world of wine and having a good old gossip as we do it. If you haven't watched episode one, why, first of all? Yeah, why? Yeah, what's going on? Go and catch up. Homophobes. You can check it out. You can watch it on Spotify, YouTube, or you can listen on all podcast platforms.
2:39Alan Carr:And you can get in touch with us throughout the show. Bottoms up at listen.co.uk. Send us your dilemmas, your questions, or DM us at Bottoms Up Show. I've picked a bottle of wine this week. Okay, come on then. You chose a rosé last week. Now, I will say I've picked this, and there's a reason behind it. I don't know really anything about the wine, but it has this nose on it. A massive nose. A massive nose. And what's the name of it? It's called White Lies. White Lies. Where's the vineyard? Columbia?
3:13Alan Carr:Why has it got a massive nose on it and White Lies? And why have I chosen it? Yes, why? Okay, well, I'll tell you, because the nose reminded me, because I went for dinner with you and your parents the other day, didn't I? And it reminded me of a funny story about your mother and a gift she got you. And by the way, my mum and dad loved you. Why do you sound so surprised? They never like any of my friends. What did they say? My dad... Oh. Oh, I thought this might be white. Is it rusty? It is a lie. White lies. It's lying about being white. What a clever thing. Oh. I was expecting that. Isn't that weird?
3:58Alan Carr:That's so weird because it looked... I thought it was white. Anyway, let's have a taste. Bottoms up. Bottoms up.
4:10Oh.
4:13Alan Carr:Well, the nose is good, you know. That's the trouble when you buy a wine because it's got a comedy nose on the phone. Yeah, I was going to... anyone watching and wants to know some wine don't go for comedy stay tuned for more great tips on wine like that one no it reminded me I bought this bottle of wine because it had a cracking pair of tits on it I feel stupid
4:43Alan Carr:now listen firstly what did you how much was this? I think it was quite expensive and apparently it's quite good I've just been told by Harry our producer it's from Stellenbosch So it's a good wine. It is actually nice. Tell me what your parents said, because I'm intrigued. Well, my dad came in and went, what a lovely bloke. And I was like, bloke, bloke, bloke. And then my mum said, isn't it nice you've got a normal friend? I don't know whether that is a compliment. Yeah. Or, well, it's certainly an insult to all your other friends. Yeah, yeah. Well, someone needs to tell them. Also, they are two things I'm not, normal or a bloke.
5:23Alan Carr:I know, but my dad was like, my dad did that classic thing with you because he's an ex-football manager and he's, like he told you, he's been in football for like 70 years. He started asking you about football, didn't you? And you only had one bit of information. Yeah, I only knew one thing about Grimsby Town Football Club and that was that the stadium isn't in the town. And so I just kept repeating that fact and he did not give a shit. and then I brought out the big guns. Oh my God, that was eggy when I was cringing. What, when I asked who their favourite chaser was on the chase? No, no, when you told them about the football team and you went, yeah, they fell out the bottom of the league.
6:00Alan Carr:I said, no, it's relegated. Fell out? I said, yeah, they fell out the league. Boobs! Someone pick them back up. They haven't scored any goals. Fallen out the league. Who's your favourite chaser? I quite like Anne Hegarty. I think she's a little bit, I think she'd be like quite... Is that the governess? Yeah, the governess. Did you check you out? No, you know why? Someone changed my Wikipedia page and said that was my mum. Because I was going to say, you don't understand the chase. I don't understand the chase. We watch the chase. I don't get it. Well, what's he doing up the top of the stairs? Well, because they're chasing them.
6:40Alan Carr:He's chasing them down. Oh. Talking of Grimsby, because I am from Grimsby, I did a corporate last night, right? And I don't know if you ever get this or you ever used to get this when you were first starting out. I had people come up to me and firstly, they'd come up and they'd go, so, are you really gay? And I'd go... Oh my God. And they'd go, and are you really from Grimsby? As if like, I would lie about that. Like, it's just the weird, are you really gay? I went, yeah, I don't just make it up. Like, I'm not a character act. No, no, no, I've seen your act. But you know what I get sometimes when I do corporates?
7:18Alan Carr:Dave in the office is gay. Can you pick on him? Oh, yeah. I mean, hey, there's a bender in here. How can I attack a gay person? I did. I did. Backs against the wall, Dave's around. How can I do that? I've got legs to stand up. No way. There was a reason I bought this. and your mum, well, you told me a funny story about your mum getting you a present. Yeah, and it's the worst to date, the worst Christmas present I've ever had. How old were you? I was about 13. My eyesight had gone and I got astigmatism. I normally say stigmata, but that's the wounds of Christ. Big difference.
8:04Alan Carr:And so I got glasses and then on Christmas morning, I opened up the present and it was a wooden nose to put my glasses on. She said, she was sat at this table, she goes, and I was watching him and he'd put his glasses down on the table and he'd wake up every morning.
8:26Alan Carr:Why is my mum standing over me when I'm asleep? That's what I want to know. And she went, and I just saw, he needs a place to put those glasses. It was crap. What a crap present. And every morning I would wake up. Well, where's the nose? Like that. The wooden nose staring back at me. Oh, it was just a reminder. But then it turned into shit present top trumps, did it not? Yeah. She went, well, if we're going to get into that, what about the time that you decided to buy me a razor? I know, maybe it wasn't the most thoughtful, but yeah. Didn't you get like a box of... A box, it was a cardboard box.
9:07Alan Carr:and it was like I had a razor in there, breath freshener, aerosol. This is quite nice though. Cheers. I'm quite surprised it's a rosé. Yeah, yeah. So we've had a lot of messages and thank you so much for all the love on episode one. Everyone's been so nice about it. They have. But they have been asking how we know each other. Yes. And I get that asked a lot. How do you two know each other? How do you know, Alan? Because it's a bit... So we actually weirdly met in prison. Well, it felt like prison. It did feel like prison. It was Barry's Boot Camp. Well, no one's going to believe that I've been anywhere near a Barry's Boot Camp.
9:42Alan Carr:You're looking good. Listen, I will say this, and you know that I'll do anything to kind of, you know, put you in your place, but you were good. Because I used to be on the treadmill next to you, because I had like a favourite one. Yeah. And you used to come in, and you were actually good. I don't know if you remember once you said to me, stop cheating. Because I would stop, like, they'd count down for when you stop, and when she said six seconds, I'd just stop it there. Yeah, yeah. You said, you're cheating. Oh, God, I'm sorry about that. No, no, you said it nicely. I'm like a Karen. Yeah, you didn't have a go at me.
10:17Alan Carr:You like a drink like me and I always get a little bit overexcited at the beginning of December because there's a lot of drinks parties going on and I do have to pace myself. I sometimes feel like you're gearing up for battle. Yes. Because there's so many things going on. You're like gladiator going into that Coliseum, aren't you, sometimes? A hundred percent. And my friends do a thing called friendmas now. So we go and we have Christmas dinner there. Then there's Christmas parties, office parties. Your own office party, self-employed. So you just throw yourself one. Yeah. I'm one employer of the year.
10:55Alan Carr:Again. I'm so good. You're throwing a Christmas party, aren't you? I'm throwing a Christmas party, yes. Yeah. Because I thought I'm going to get everyone to come to me and then it's over because Monday, Tuesday, nothing's off Livnix, is it? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And I would say you've had a good year as well. Are you feeling good about the end of the year? What are you feeling? I am. I mean, I'm tired of talking about the traitors. I really am. Oh, God. I am. He said that in the car here today. He was like, oh, I'm voice noting someone. I'm just sick of talking about the traitors.
11:28Alan Carr:I won it though, by the way. But just to let you know, there is a cloak and a lantern arriving at my house today. There is, because I lent it to someone. Who did you lend it to? Someone wanted to wear it. Who? A woman. Oh, do you think you'll have it? Not like an OnlyFans. You've been mad. Are you feeling faithful?
11:52Alan Carr:No, because I got one off Amazon. I didn't... No, no, I know. Now you're making out I'm a dick. No, I'm not. I'm walking around with a lantern and a dick. people ask me to do little videos for kids. Yeah, you are. And you're lovely at that. And you are. You get very involved. Yeah. But I'm just saying, I'm not sure you're sick of talking about it. Yeah, I know. We're back in The Hero and this festive... Look at this. Look at the effort they've put into it. Look at the tinsel there. It's gorgeous. Poison ivy. What's your worst present that you've ever had? Well, my friends always take the piss out of me.
12:28Alan Carr:I didn't receive this present, but I gave a present and it annoys me because you know when people tell a story and then the story, every time it's told, just changes and changes and changes and it doesn't actually become the truth. But they always say, oh, do you remember when Lee bought us a slab of wood? And it really annoys me. But basically it was back in the day and I bought a little present and instead of Christmas cards, I saw this thing where you carve your own slab of wood as a card. No, no, no. It didn't go well. You're such a bloke. Thank you. My dad was right about you. Yeah, I got my...
13:04Alan Carr:I look a bit lumberjack-y today as well. Jackie. Lumberjack-y Stallone. Jackie. Snacky lumberjack-y. That's a good drag name. Lumberjack-y. Hi, I'm lumberjack-y. You got people a bit of wood? I got people a slab of wood, and they always go, Lee just got us a slab of wood. And I'm like, you forget all the other things that I got. I got some racing nuns as well. Yeah, if you get one bad present, it just resonates. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then my mum says to me, well, I don't know what to get you. Well, go down Oxford Street and have a look. Yeah, or internet shopping. I don't know. Well, what do I get the man who's got everything?
13:48Alan Carr:I have not got everything, have I? Well, I would say you're, I would say you... Would you say I'm hard to buy for? I would say you, I would go for a candle. I think you're a candle kind of guy. thing that you can't go. Wow. But I wouldn't, I'd find it difficult to buy you like something to wear or... Why? Because of my shape? Because I'm a classic pair? No, I just don't know. Do Giacomo do cloaks and lanterns? A nice Burberry print on you. You could do that. You could do designer cloaks. Yeah, that's a good idea but as you know, I really don't want to talk about traitors anymore.
14:31Alan Carr:There's a wine for every occasion. And thanks to our friends at Leifways, we're here to help. It's wine o 'clock. Let's uncork a dilemma. Yeah, last week we had Trish, who I'm told, by the way, has made up with her sister-in-law. They're back friends again. The cow. The cow, yeah. Not cows. The cows together. Listen, we've got one. It was Trish last week. We've got Tanya from South East London. She says, I'm going on a first date with someone off the apps. Oh, someone's getting lucky. I'm fine, carry on. He thinks I'm really classy. Truth is, I'm a supermarket middle shelf kind of girl when it comes to wine and I haven't got a clue what is the best bottle to take round to impress him and make him think I'm an absolute catch.
15:18Alan Carr:Tanya, we're here to help. Right, what have we got? Can I just interrupt you? I think this would be perfect for us Oh my god, no It's an advent calendar for wine I'm actually starstruck because I know about this Yes It is an advent wine calendar Yeah, 24 wines Oh my god You turn up, I've got options Yeah, and an advent calendar is quite a nice little cute thing But it's like, it's one up from an advent calendar You'd love this, wouldn't you? One more sleep, one more sleep Should we open three? Yes, it's the third today. So let's have a look at what's in number three. Oh, they're not in order. No, they never are in advent calendars.
16:04Alan Carr:It's the beauty of finding it. I know. Oh, my God, look. Oh, my God. And you pull it out. Look at this. What joke is it going to be? It's like a wine cuckoo clock. Oh. Oh, shall I have a little sip? Yeah, yeah, go on. So it's an Italian what? Italian Rosso. Red, I mean. Yeah. No, I know it's red. You turned out with white lies and that was pink. Oh, true, true. Oh, and the perfect, because actually, you know, you're not opening a big bottle. You might just... That's delicious. Oh, can we open another? Go on and pick another one. All right. 14. 14. That's my lucky number. It's just for the sake of time.
16:50Alan Carr:It's right there. There it is. There you go. Right, okay, we're opening the door. 14. A red, another red. Oh, I'm loving this. Is it a Malbec? It's Willy Willy. Oh, thank you. Love it. Wow. That'll go down nicely. Wasn't it just a Willy Willy poking through the door? My kind of carol singers.
17:19Alan Carr:come we favor
17:24Alan Carr:would you like a little bit of willy willy yeah do you want an inch in the bottom yes please go on
17:33Alan Carr:this may be the last time the advent calendar is released after what we've done to late i can't wait for the 14th of December to get a bit of willy willy. You wake up so excited. Willy willy. Right, for if some reason Tanya decided against the advent calendar, we've got three here. Yes. Okay, we've got three here to choose from. Back to business, we've got to choose one bottle for Tanya and she wants to be classy. So let's start. And I think there's, this is very classy. See, it's a Cremant, all right? This is Roche Lacour Cremant de Lemieux. Oh, no, we had complaints, didn't we? Well, not complaints, advice.
18:15Alan Carr:I was opening it wrong. What do you mean? Apparently, you put your thumb on the cork, because I'm like, there's, woo-hoo, Great Gatsby, cool, goes everywhere. That's a no-no. Oh. Health and safety, you've got to put your thumb on that, apparently, because I just, that's how I thought, I grew up on it. Yay! Well, do you know what I've seen people do before, where they do that thing with the knife and then they chop off the top of the bottle? Should we do that? Maybe not. Okay. And when you see those Grand Prix people just doing it, it's amazing. Yeah, yeah. But no, not health and safety. Well, this is a great...
18:49Alan Carr:No, no, listen. Go on. You put your... on the crown and then you turn the bottle, not the corkscrew. Right. Oh, gosh. You turn the bottle? What's that? Can I just say, it looks classy. It looks very classy and it is a champagne alternative. Now, you know I love a Cremant. It's French, it's classic and it's chic. Yeah. It's cheaper than champagne, but in dating terms, it says, I'm a woman with champagne standards. But hey, I'm also smart and low maintenance. It's like, yeah, it's a Cremant. It's a Cremant. Yeah, whatever. Let's have a taste. Oh, that's nice. Oh my God, that is nice. I love that.
19:36Alan Carr:That is, that's smooth. It's in France at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, apparently. You've got flavors of peach, pear and citrus in there. Creamy mousse with fine bubbles. That is really nice. And it's not too bubbly, which I quite like. I love that. Yeah. All right, well, this is interesting. So you love a Malbec, don't you? Yes, I do. We both love a Malbec. That's probably the one thing that we, you know, we're strong with. But have you ever tried a white Malbec? witchcraft witchcraft it'll never catch on well this is a lathe weights and it's a white malbec it's called alumbrado malbec blanco it's unusual as malbec is most commonly obviously red so it is a malbec so you should like this that's the thing should i like it is is the psychology of the red because for me a malbec's like putting on a nice like a like that kind of jack what's it called Jumper.
20:32Alan Carr:Jumper, yeah. Like a nice cosy feel. Yes, that's what Malbec's like for me, cosy. So it'll be interesting. It's like mind games. Well, this is apparently soft, not super acidic. It's from Mendoza in Argentina. Oh, I like that. We've got fresh grapefruit and lemon, a soft red fruit and floral notes. Let's have a taste. This is for Tanya.
20:56Oh, that's nice, actually.
20:58Alan Carr:I like that. But if they gave me that, I would never say it was a Malbec. But, you know. It hasn't got the richness of the red Malbec. But it's crisp, isn't it? It's really nice, yeah. Right, final one. This is a bit of class. This is a lot of class, actually. Love the bottle. Love the font. You love a font. It's a Bordeaux, all right? So this is Le Serret. Bordeaux. Omedoc, okay? and they say here, and I agree, it doesn't get more sophisticated than a glass of classic Bordeaux. If Tanya turns up and goes, I brought a Bordeaux, you know, people just know it's zhuzhy, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. If you say Bordeaux, oh no.
21:42Alan Carr:What? Oh, that's a little, oh no, that's not good, is it? Laithwaites actually have suggested asking your date to... Don't do this on the date. That's not classy, is it? What? Wasting a drip. Yeah. Licking it off the table. Sucking on a beer mat. Don't do that. It's not classy. Laithwaites actually suggests asking your date to decant it when you arrive for extra classy points. This is a classic left bank eclairé. You're going to love that. Am I? You're going to love it. Oh, yeah. No, no, it's delicious. Great with food. Black cherry notes, subtle cedar and tobacco notes. All right. I don't want to be a wanker, but I am getting wood.
Read the full transcript
22:35Alan Carr:That's the willy-willy Shiraz.
22:39Willy-willy.
22:41Alan Carr:Well, listen, I think it's between me. I like them all. I love the Cremont. Gorgeous, nice. But I think Tanya, for a bit of sophistication, I would choose the Bordeaux. And I think Tanya would get wood with that as well. Yeah, if you know what I mean. And I think on a date, bottle of white is, woo, come on, the party's starting. Bottle of red is, let's sit down, let's have a chat. Because that's when I do a lot of my talking over a glass of red. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's sit down cosy, tell me about you. I think that. Bottle of white, up all night. Yeah, red. Bottle of red, straight to bed.
23:17Alan Carr:Tanya. Woo. Woo. That's now how you get on. Yeah. Invite us to the wedding. As always, please do remember to drink responsibly. There's more information at drinkaware.co.uk And of course, you can go to leifweights.co.uk forward slash bottoms up and have all these wines delivered to your door. And also the advent calendar. Treat yourself. So we choose in the red? Yeah, let's go for the red. Let's go for the red. This is for you, Tanya. Bottoms up. This episode of Bottoms Up is brought to you by Leifweights. Now, don't forget, they deliver straight to your door. And they are a family-run business and they've been going for over 50 years.
23:58Alan Carr:And they're five-star rated on Trustpilot and Wine Retailer of the Year 2025. Not only that, new customers get 30 % off their first order, which will be perfect for Christmas. Always drink responsibly. For any more information, please visit drinkaware.co.uk. And don't forget to visit leifweights.co.uk forward slash bottoms up and get this delicious wine delivered to your door. There's only one thing left to say. Bottoms up. Snoring? Gasping during sleep? Feeling fatigued? Ask your doctor about ZepBound Terzepatite, the first and only FDA approved prescription medicine for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, in adults with obesity.
24:42Z-Bound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, and obesity to improve their OSA. Z-Bound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Z-Bound contains terzepatide and should not be used with other terzepatide-containing products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if ZepBound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pins or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2.
25:22Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop ZepBound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experienced vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills, taking ZipBound with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor.
25:53Call 1-800-545-5979 or visit zipbound.lily.com. This episode is brought to you by SoFi, the all-in-one finance app. The sooner you start investing, the more potential you have to build your money. Even for beginners, SoFi makes it simple with an easy-to-use app. To get you going, SoFi is offering up to$1 ,000 in stock when you open and fund a SoFi self-directed brokerage account. Learn more at SoFi.com slash Spotify. Brokerage offered through SoFi Securities LLC. Member FINRA slash SIPC. Terms apply.
26:29Alan Carr:Joining us today, we have a wine expert, a wine judge, writer, broadcaster. broadcaster. We're so pleased she's here. It's Alicia Hansel. Thank you. Hi, babes. Hi. I'm loving the outfit. Oh, thank you. I got it from Charity Shop. You haven't? I did. A co-ord. A co-ord from Charity Shop. It's perfect for Christmas because it's got stretch. Look at that. Yes. And honeycomb. Honeycomb. It's like a beehive. It is, isn't it? Yeah. Or like a Christmas present. Or blockbusters. Or blockbusters. Hey, kids. I know. Blockbusters. Give me a pee-pee, Bob. Oh, yeah. You say that to where people don't understand nowadays.
27:08Alan Carr:I know. So Alan gave a little overview of yourself. Tell us a bit, like, how did you get into the wonderful world of wine? Yeah, so I think I'm a little bit different to other wine writers because my background is not in wine. So my dad's Jamaican, my mum's Indian and English, so we didn't drink wine traditionally. So mine was really just, you know, enjoying a glass or two and then just trying to learn about it. I got really enthralled. I had my kind of like eureka moment wine was a very fancy sounding Premier Coupe de Bordeaux, which was just a sweet white wine from Bordeaux, which is a bit like Sauternes.
27:41And I just thought it was like angels dancing on my tongue and the sweetness. And I'd stared at the bottle and I was like, I will remember this label for the rest of my life. And then from there, I've always tried to, you know, try to know a bit more about wine.
27:54Alan Carr:Because there's that weird thing. Now, for me, my first alcoholic drink was cider. And it's funny because you have the most rancid drinks, Mad Dog 2020. It's a wonder that you still want to drink alcohol because, you know, it's bleh. But then when you have your first delicious one, then boom. It makes sense. Yes, it does make sense. That's because the bar is so low. Then you're like, oh my gosh, it's entered into a lot. So you've seen episode one. You were just saying, do we, be honest, are we lost causes? No, not at all. Are we going to learn something? Are we getting there? You are going to learn by the end of this series, you're going to be, you know, writing for me.
28:30You're going to be brilliant. Oh, wow.
28:32Alan Carr:Because it's like people do see, you know, they pick up a bottle of wine. Is that a good year? Is that a good grape? You know, it's too much sometimes. And I fully, fully understand it because of my background, you know, working class, didn't grow up drinking wine. Like I started drinking, so aside from that bottle, you know, Blossom Hill was what I was drinking. The Wetherspoons wine on tap is what I was drinking. So if I, someone from my background, can be in this position, anyone can. It's just like a muscle. You just have to... And you go all over the world judging. I do. Very, very lucky.
29:03I know. So I've been to, gosh, Australia. South Africa I've been to. It's been incredible. I want to come back as you in the next life. I know.
29:12Alan Carr:Can I say one word? Yes. Milk. Yes. I'm looking down at three shots of milk. What's going on? So I am here to teach you about texture because the thing is you can't explain or understand what you like or dislike if you don't have the vocabulary to describe it, right? So today we're going back to school and we're learning about texture. And a really easy way for people to understand wine texture, I always say, is like milk texture. So skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk, full fat milk, and then cream. So the reason I've got it, just in case you've never tasted milk or you want a refresher, is so you can taste each of the different types of milk, feel that mouthfeel and texture, and then you can see how it relates to the wines.
29:56Oh, that's clever. Yeah, because everyone's had milk, right? So the first one we're going to try is this. It's the South African Sauvignon Blanc. Now, you might not like it, but we're not here really for the taste of it. It's all about texture, remember?
30:07Alan Carr:Okay. Texture. So that's what we're focusing on. That's what we're focusing on. When it is in our mouth, how does it feel? Exactly. So texture is the combination of all sorts of things. So tannins, acidity, sugars, oak or leaves ageing. So this one... Lees ageing. Lees ageing. So leaves ageing. We're going to get technical now. Yeast with grape juice eats all the sugars, poops out alcohol, basically, right? So that's how it gets, essentially. I might stick with the milk. So the yeast... You know what? Someone told me, you know honey? Yes. You know the bees? They eat the thing. And what? Honey's pooed out.
30:43Alan Carr:That is bee poo. just because she's dressed as a hunter she's not obsessed with bee facts I know sorry but essentially yeah the yeast eats the sugars in the wine and it creates alcohol that's a better way of saying it okay and that yeast then falls to the bottom and it's dead but if the wine is then left in contact with that yeast it gets like a slight texture from it right that's what it is that's what Lee's aging is yeah oh that's what it says so Lee's is dead yeast sorry okay and so Lee's aging is like the texture That's it. Exactly. Great. Right. So this one should be similar to the skimmed milk in texture.
31:20Alan Carr:Which is this one here, right? Exactly. So would you have wine first? Yeah, let's try wine first. You're going to join us, love. So this one should be quite thin. It should taste like they'd have the texture of a skimmed milk. And the reason for that is because it's got high acidity. So acidity is that thing that freshens up your palate and it takes everything else away. Are you feeling that? It's very light. Yeah, exactly. And because it's... Oh, you're swilling it. Just say I'm swilling it. I'm swilling it. I can't swill very much. That's it. It's all in the wrist. You should be good at that, both of you.
31:51All right, come on.
31:53Alan Carr:Wow.
31:59It's lovely to meet you, Alicia. This is a really good technique if you also don't... Yeah, you do it on the ground. It's actually on the table. Yeah, that's how I can start out. And the reason we do that is because all of those chemicals just basically float up to the top and then we can give it a good sniff and really understand what it's about. It's powerful, isn't it? The smell.
32:16Alan Carr:So I will say this. I've gone off Sauvignon. I used to drink it all the time, Sauvignon Blanc. Then I moved to a Pinot Grigio. I do like a Pitbull de Pinot. I don't really know what that is, but I've just gone on to that. Yeah. But this is actually quite nice. It's quite a nice Sauvignon. It is. Yeah, these are good producers. Is it common to say Sauvignon Blanc? A little, but, you know. You do you. Do you know what someone told me a Zen pig is? A Zen-pee-pee. A Zen-pee-pee? No, I can't get on board with that. That's just the same. Just say as Mpig. Yeah, exactly. I'm on the as Mpig. That doesn't make sense.
32:48Alan Carr:As Mpig. So, do you want to taste the milk? No, forget it. We're all about the wine. I love the milk. You want to do the milk? It's just so you can get comparisons in your mind of it being like the mouthfeel. It's going to taste crap. Light. Light, exactly. Yeah, the lightness of it. The lightness of it. Yeah, light, light. Exactly. This is a skimmed milk. Exactly. It's similar to a skimmed milk because of the acidity really brings it in that way. So you can like it, you cannot, but the point is just so you understand what they are and then moving forward, you can figure out what it is you do like.
33:20Alan Carr:So is this like, you know, when people do that active listening, when they're like, yeah, yeah. Is this like active tasting? You are, you're thinking about what you're doing rather than just drinking it. That's exactly it, exactly. Active drinking. Okay, so the next one then, this is a white Rioja. I love a white Rioja. Do you? Yay! I've had them before. I love a white Rioja. Fabulous. So this is a blend of Vera, probably said that wrong, my accent's rubbish, Chardonnay, which I know you're not fans of. And then it also got a bit of oak. But the reason I wanted you to try this is so you could see how much more body it's got.
33:53So that comes from the grapes, which have got thick skins. Oh, I don't like that. But it comes also from the oak. But we're not doing the taste, remember. We're doing texture. What do you think of it? How does it feel in your mouth? And the oak. And it's also, again, got some of that leaves aging. I'm gagging for a bit of willy willy. but can you see can you taste or feel that it's thicker it's thicker in the mouth yeah
34:21Alan Carr:it's like yeah it's like that's like a three hour film you know you're wading through it yeah my tongue's gone like that yeah just pushing the wine out the way because it's like a slog yeah yeah that's like one battle after another this is like Toy Story okay that's fine that's fine So then... So actually, this wine's probably a little thicker than the... I was about to... Semi-skimped milk. Sorry. I was about to say I'm getting it, the texture. Yes. The wine is thicker than the milk. Yeah, exactly. I mean, we probably in reality should have had skimmed, full fat and then cream. But, you know, budget.
35:02Budget.
35:03Alan Carr:Can't buy cream. You're lucky we get custard on this show. Right, now the next one, I don't think you're going to like this one either. But this is... I already don't like the colour. I know, I could tell. Never mind. So this is actually a toque. A what? So this is a toque. Never heard of it. So it's from Hungary. And this is a sweet... I've been to Hungary. Have you? And they are known for their wine wines. They are, they are. Sorry, I'm making it about me. So this is a sweet wine. I've been to Hungary. And the reason I've given you this, because this is really now, this is what we call luscious in texture.
35:37Alan Carr:My lips are already going like that because I can feel it. Yeah. So alongside all those other things, alcohol and sugar, because, you know, sugar's more viscous than water. So that's all about the texture. Is all hungry wine like this? No, no, no, no. No, this is just a very particular style. It's about the texture. Oh, my God. It's the texture. It's about the texture. That is, I couldn't give a shit. that's that's taken my veneers on oh I love I love a tukai I have to say well again would you have that like after dinner or something yeah exactly yeah yeah yeah do you want to do you want to rinse your mouth out with some milk yeah I mean bloody hell do we feel we've learnt about texture today definitely good yeah and you know what I was pleased when you said that that texture because I I've never put a drink in my mouth and thought about necessarily the texture of it but now I'm like oh yeah actually if you just know about it yeah up here for thinking in here for drinking so whenever you are looking at the back of a wine label or in a restaurant and it says light bodied medium bodied full bodied this is what it's talking about it's talking about texture correct and that mouthfeel right yeah okay well thank you so much Alicia listen before you go we can't have you here we've got our experts and we've been asking our listeners and viewers to send in questions and we've had so many thank you so much for sending them in alan you've got one here yep dave from peckham he took his girlfriend up the shard for anniversary lucky her i know um gorgeous restaurant lovely bottle of wine and the waiter put it in the bucket and then the waiter would often serve someone else his girlfriend wanted a cheeky top up should he have grabbed the bottle out of the bucket and poured the cell?
37:29Alan Carr:Or does that look bad? Or is that going to piss off the waiter? I mean, it's their job to keep an eye on everyone in their section. So he, the waiter should know, oh, that's empty, pour it up. But listen, we've got no time for that. So fill up a glass. Life's too short. Yeah. Reach over, grab. Reach over. You're not supposed to, but if I'm thirsty, I'm taking it. Yeah, you're up the shower. You're up the shower. I've definitely reached over. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. The waiters should have noticed beforehand. So it's the waiters being a little bit naughty. But then is it signalling, what if the manager sees and the manager goes, they shouldn't be grabbing that wine and gets the waiter into trouble?
38:09Alan Carr:Well, it's their job. It's their job, Lee. True, no. Oh, that's a good one, Dave. Yes, yes. So you'd say, just, yeah, do it, but maybe you're not meant to. Yeah, just try and catch their eye. And if they're really not paying attention. grab it yeah exactly do you want pull the wine in the bucket and just go but thank you Alicia so much that was so interesting and so knowledgeable thank you Alicia everyone yes and don't forget to join us next week where we will be swirling a Shiraz and relishing a rosé please do send us your questions your dilemmas your sip ups your queries to bottomsup at listen.co.uk this has been brought to you by Latheweights and is a Listen production.
38:56Alan Carr:Also, please do follow us on social media at Bottoms Up Show. DM us and follow us. Give us a little like and review as well. It always helps. Well, there's only one thing left to say. Bottoms Up! Get rid of that milk. That's the sound of zero sugar, 200 milligrams of caffeine and the power to burn body fat. Storm. Energy for life. Storm Energy Blend helps boost metabolism, which in combination with exercise and a healthy diet helps burn fat. This product alone does not produce weight loss. Individual results may vary. Pandora Jewelry brings the sparkle to your summer. Now with even better prices.
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40:22Now to Snap Judgment from KQED on Spotify.
From the publisher
Alan and Lee continue their baby steps into the wonderful world of wine and this week they’re chatting about the worst ever Christmas gifts before solving another listener’s drink dilemma.
They discuss dinner with Alan’s parents, Lee being mistaken for a ‘bloke’ and how a bottle of semi-skimmed milk can teach them more about wine body and texture.
There’s also a surprise in store behind an advent door that neither of them saw coming, as the boys drink their way through another gloriously chaotic chapter of their wine adventure.
Drink responsibly, and as always… Bottoms Up!
Bottoms Up! With Alan Carr and Lee Peart, brought to you by Laithwates, is a Listen production.
To find out more about the wines featured visit laithwaites.co.uk/bottomsup
Get in touch with the show: bottomsup@listen.co.uk
Follow us on Instagram: @BottomsUpShow
Chapters:
00:00 Coming Up
01:19 Lee's White Lies and dinner with Alan's parents
06:13 Bad Christmas presents
13:00 First date advent calendar?
22:58 Aleesha Hansel: The texture teacher
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