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Vintage Politics Podcast: Abbie on Wine and Politics
16.10.26
•6 min read
The Journal.
Vintage Politics is the creation of former political journalist Abbie Bennington. Each podcast is a free-flowing chat about wine and politics, with guests from all corners of the political world. With series two currently dropping, we turned the tables on Abbie, inviting her to share a glass and tell us more…
Dina: Politics and wine are perhaps not the obvious pairing for a podcast - how did the idea come about?
Abbie: I’d spent several years teaching people about wine and running events, having largely left my journalism career behind. But then I started thinking, why not bring the two together? I remembered how much the politicians I’d met during my BBC days enjoyed a glass of wine and a good chat. Wine has a wonderful way of breaking down barriers and getting people talking, often far more candidly than they might in a conventional interview. And that was the idea behind Vintage Politics: bringing interesting people from the worlds of politics, journalism and beyond together over a glass of wine, for conversations that go somewhere a little different.
Dina: You’ve been working in the world of wine now for over 15 years - what initially inspired your change in direction?
Abbie: It was a gamble. I left my role as a senior Producer for the BBC News at Ten at the height of my career. I covered everything from transitions of Prime Ministers in Westminster, to the death of the Pope. In truth, I was a little exhausted and wanted a change, something less demanding, and so I decided to retrain as a chef. A year long course at Leiths school of Food and Wine changed my life. By the end of that year, I knew that it was the wine that was calling me, not the tough hours in the kitchen.
“I have decanted several wines into my ETO…for the purpose of saving the rest of a bottle without as much oxygen as would be left in the bottle.”
Dina: Tell us about the inspiration behind Vintage Politics - how did it first come to life?
Abbie: The idea was simple: talk to interesting people over a glass of wine, carefully chosen with their tastes and experiences in mind. I’d long felt there was a gap in the wine podcast market. Wine experts talking to other wine experts had been done, but what if we crossed into a different world? Political podcasts have never been more popular. The Rest Is Politics, Political Currency and The News Agents are all having their moment. I thought, why not bring something a little different to the mix? What if we could get some of those fascinating political figures talking, but with a glass of wine in hand, in a more relaxed setting where the conversation might take an unexpected turn? And so, Vintage Politics was born.
Dina: Here at ETO, we’re also loving your podcast in video form! The venues you film in are stunning - how do you choose them?
Abbie: Creating the right atmosphere was really important to my director Joe Murphy and me. We wanted Vintage Politics to feel like an intimate conversation, rather than a conventional interview with big microphones in a sterile studio. Somewhere guests could relax, enjoy a glass of wine and feel genuinely looked after. Great hospitality is very much part of the experience. We’ve been lucky enough to film at some wonderful venues, including The Savoy, HIDE and Quo Vadis, and for this series, the beautiful club room at Corney & Barrow.
Dina: Your enviable contact book came in handy in the first series. You’ve got equally enticing guests in series two, from George Osborne and Jeremy Bowen to Anthony Scaramucci. Has the word got out in political circles, promising a great afternoon of wine and conversation?
Abbie: Yes, it certainly has! Often, if guests have time, I take them for lunch after the recording. So far, all our guests have loved the experience and have been more than happy to share the word, with colleagues and friends they think would enjoy the experience. It almost becomes self-replenishing. As Jon Sopel said in our chat, “who wouldn’t want to come on your show!”
Dina: So how would you define the essence of a great interview?
Abbie: I always tell guests before we start there are no ‘gotchas’. All I want is for them to feel that they are being hosted with the best hospitality. That means they can often be more candid with their answers. Highlights for me included when Anthony Scarmucci couldn’t believe we had chosen his vintage wine from the year of his birth. It blew him away. I also loved Jeremy Bowen’s answer over a 1960 Sauternes, when I asked what gives him hope? “People” he said. It was truly uplifting.
Dina: Tell us about some of the wines you’ve chosen to decant into ETO for your guests.
Abbie: We try and choose a wine from the line-up that’s special enough that you might think twice about opening it on a random evening. With ETO though, it really changes the game. Guests know that when they take those special wines home after the show, they can enjoy them at their leisure, for up to two weeks. That surprise happily resonates with them and they have all been thrilled with their gifts.
Dina: Without giving away your own vintage year (unless you’re happy to!) - was it a good one, and have you enjoyed a wine from it? Are there other vintages that recall a significant turning point in your life - and which wines would you choose from those years?
Abbie: I was born in 1975, which was a decidedly mixed year for wine. Bordeaux was pretty uneven, although Sauternes was apparently excellent. I was once given a bottle of 1975 Taylor’s Port, which I enjoyed with friends about twenty years ago! Another standout vintage for me is 2008, the year I left the BBC. I still have a couple of bottles of Ridge Lytton Springs from that year, which were drinking beautifully the last time I tasted one. And then there’s 2024, which will always be a special vintage for me because it was the year I came up with the idea for Vintage Politics. I’d choose Les Clos Peyrassol from that year, a wine I tasted with Baroness Ayesha Hazarika on the podcast. It was wonderfully intense, packed with orchard fruit, and a lovely reminder of how wine can become so closely tied to particular people and moments in our lives.
Dina: If you could have anyone you wanted lined up for series three, who would your dream guests be?
Abbie: We have a few great guests waiting in the wings. I would love to get a former Prime Minister on, maybe Keir Starmer. I would also like to take Vintage Politics to the US, to film with some of the big names out there like Nancy Pelosi or even Barack Obama.
Dina: What are you currently enjoying in your ETO? Is there any specific dish you’d pair with it, and do you have a recipe that you’d like to share with us?
Abbie: I currently have in my fridge a bottle of Maison Galoupet G de Galoupet. I love having a rosé open in the fridge. I find this wine so versatile - it goes well with fish, as well as most meats. I will be serving this tonight with pork stroganoff, it’s a great hearty midweek dish and pairs well with an intense rosé.
https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/winter-warmers/pork-stroganoff-with-three-mustards
Dina: The latest series of Vintage Politics drops every Thursday until late November. What’s next?
Abbie: We’ve got some exciting plans for Vintage Politics. We’re already looking at taking the podcast beyond London, with trips to Scotland, Europe and America on the horizon. We’re also planning live events next year, which we think will be a great way to bring our viewers and listeners together in person. We’re keen to grow our Vintage Politics Club too, giving members the chance to have a real say in the show - from voting on future guests, to putting their own questions to them. There are also some lovely perks and exclusive offers from our partners, including ETO.
To watch or listen to all episodes of Vintage Politics, and to find out more about joining the club, head to vintagepoliticspod.com.