Bean is, again, missing in action. Charles just became a dad, French people start insulting each other, and before the episode can even get going, the air conditioner has to be sacrificed because the audio is absolutely horrendous.

We trace the Canary Islands from Pope Clement VI to Spanish colonization, Britain's love affair with fortified wines, phylloxera, and the wine renaissance that followed.

From there, Charles takes us through his trip to La Orotava, Mount Teide, lava rock pools, volcanic vineyards, and one unforgettable diesel Peugeot.

Along the way, we dive into whole-bunch fermentation, the island's remarkable Cordón Trenzado vine-training system, and the volcanic wines that make Tenerife unlike anywhere else in the wine world. Then the church bell rings for real as Suertes del Marqués earns the show's first-ever Golden Wine tier.

Wine we describe

Suertes del Marqués Candio 2019 (Valle de La Orotava, Tenerife) — 100% Listán Negro — $48.50 CAD

Tenerife has five PDOs (Denominaciones de Origen):

• Abona
• Valle de Güímar
• Valle de La Orotava
• Ycoden-Daute-Isora
• Tacoronte-Acentejo

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The church bell that was hinted at before finally makes its official debut. Charles introduces its purpose: the sound reserved for the bottles that earn Gold or Platinum status on the Wine Soul rating scale.

Nick disappears down a rabbit hole about Christianity in India, the guys accidentally invent an "oatmeal" tag for certain wines that deserve their own category, and The Lord of the Rings is officially reiterated as completely safe territory in the Wine Soul universe.

It's also a preview of exactly the kind of conversations you'll find on our Patreon as more Off the Cork episodes arrive.

Off the Cork is where the conversations keep going after the recording was supposed to end—and where future Patreon extras will continue to ring the bell for the bottles that deserve it.

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Charles unveils WineSoul's tiering system—Lead, Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum—and we cross the Rubicon on what it really means to become Certified Bronze.

Along the way, we meet the anonymous rich guy for the first time—a recurring character from this point on—drop a tease about a church bell that will come back later, and discover that ranking wines is somehow even more dangerous than blind tasting them.

You'll find these kinds of extra conversations—and plenty more—on the Cork Dork tier on Patreon.

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