The Maker and The Merchant Podcast By Lee Isaacs and Fergus Elias cover art

The Maker and The Merchant

The Maker and The Merchant

By: Lee Isaacs and Fergus Elias
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 A pod about wine amongst other things by Fergus Elias (The Maker) and Lee Isaacs (The Merchant)Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Art Food & Wine
Episodes
  • S4E 17: The Wedding

    S4E 17: The Wedding
    Jun 26 2025
    This weekend will see an event take place that can only be described as 'A Wedding'. Yes, our very own Ferg, your favourite of our 2 hosts, is committing his life not to wine, but to the marvellous Bethan. No we're not sure either. Of course this means the Ferg has been rather busy and scheduling in a recording has been more challenging than usual. This is of course misdirection as it's really bloody Lee's fault (he has his usual litany of excuses about homework eating his cat and his gravity being switched off). As a result, this is the shortest episode of TM&TM of all time. So what's actually in it then? Lee shares a few thoughts on musings on the man who is not just is cohost, but one of his closest friends. More importantly we feature special guests @saturday.kitchen (by pulling the audio from a recording and really hope that's ok) as @knackeredmother not only chose one of Ferg's wines to feature, but gave Bethan and her soon to be husband a shout out! @matt.tebutt offered his congratulations and importantly @weemissbea seemed to enjoy the rosé (although like Lee, she's not necessarily a fan of the category - top work). Due to Lee being disorganised he didn't give everyone time to respond, but there are a few surprise visits from some of Ferg's friends and a super special cameo appearance from everyone's favourite friend @buxtagram. Please join us in raising your glasses in celebration of Bethan and Ferg and in wishing them the happiest life together! TM&TM: walking down your aisle from Thursday morning.
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    12 mins
  • S4 E16: The Tabards, The Lanyards, The High Viz Vests, PDO special

    S4 E16: The Tabards, The Lanyards, The High Viz Vests, PDO special
    Jun 19 2025
    We welcome back friend of the pod and TM&TM Alumnus (alumni? aluminati?) Mr Henry Jeffreys in the first of our episodes focused on PDO. What is a PDO? Are you a PDO? Are we a PDO? (PDOI? AlumiPDO?). Importantly, what is a PDO supposed to be and who does it represent. We consider it from multiple angles; does it benefit producers? Consumers? Do consumers know or even care? When it comes to English wine and positioning it both domestically and in the export markets what is the relevance of further legislation and does it help or hinder sales? How does it fit with both a singular and wider brand? From handpicking to discussing what's in a name we attempt to start unlocking the conversation that is becoming ever more frequent in the lands of English wine. Several bombs are dropped, by both our magnificent guest and Ferg himself...you'll be delighted to know that Lee wasn't around for this one. It was actually the only thing on Henry's rider; his equivalent of Van Halen and their dislike of brown M&Ms. With huge thanks to Henry for his time and sharing his deep insights on the subject. TM&TM: The Tabards, The Lanyards, The High Viz Vests, regulating your labels from Thursday morning. #podcast #wine #winecast #Englishwine #PDO #rulesandregulations @fergelias @henrygjeffreys
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    42 mins
  • S4E15: Lakes dispute

    S4E15: Lakes dispute
    Jun 12 2025
    Where exactly was Ferg born? Does her qualify as northern, and if so, by how much? Importantly, does it really matter? As with all good disagreements, it is resolved (virtually) in the pub. Lee talks about the best pubs of his hometown before mentioning his favourite hostelry in his adopted home of Bicester. The Plough @the_olive_tree_pub_company is surely the town's highlight. Thinking of pubs; we know the best place for a Grand Cru in Burgundy is in the middle of the hill, but does the same rule apply to pubs? Tune in to learn more. From the nature of the pub itself we cover another vital topic of interest to our dear listener (#Fergsmum), just how many books have Ferg and Lee read so far this year? The answer will shock you. Then comes the meat and potatoes of our episode this week, or perhaps the apple pie...we uncover some revealing statistics about the US wine industry and Ferg regales us with tales of his recent visit to promote his wines. Where did he go? Just what is the perception of English wine across the pond, and is this perception consistent across cities and states? What are the opportunities and considerations for branding and positioning of wines from England? (and Wales of course). Ferg talks vehicles, how Americans prefer their sparkling wine, and reveals how attending his first ball game nearly lead to him becoming a middle class, degree holding Tony Montana. We also ask Ferg just how much he can lift and discuss the relevance and future of post-nominals. Which of our hosts is prouder of theirs? Finally, we discuss voting for oneself in competition and the perfect composition of a tasting panel. All this and, well, this, on TM&TM: The Lake Dispute uniting your states from Thursday morning.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
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