Wine Blast with Susie and Peter Susie and Peter, Masters of Wine

Every wine lover craves great Pinot Noir. Burgundy is ever pricier and scarcer. So where to look?
Australia might not seem the obvious destination for Pinot Noir. It’s better known for hefty reds (think: Shiraz, Cabernet), historic styles like Hunter Semillon or its heroic ‘stickies’ (sweet and fortified like Rutherglen). 
And if there’s a Burgundian variety closely associated with Oz, it’s Chardonnay.
And yet…over the last few years, Ozzie Pinot Noir has come on leaps and bounds to capture the zeitgeist and become the grape everyone’s talking about. From Tasmania to Yarra, Mornington, Adelaide Hills and beyond, this is a grape helping re-define modern Australian wine and offering wine drinkers a glimpse of wine nirvana.
In this sponsored episode with Wine Australia, we talk to writer Matthew Jukes, grower Mac Forbes and sommelier Jane Lopes to tell the story of how and why Australian Pinot Noir has gone from zero to hero, and what the future holds. 
We talk terroir, regionality, climate change, sustainability, winemaking – and tackle the elephant in the room, value for money. (There’s also mention of tomato throwing, UV, the Holy Grail, stomping, the God complex, DNA – plus Susie admits she loves a wine more than Peter...)
As ever, we taste and recommend some favourites which capture the impressive diversity and sheer thrill of Ozzie Pinot Noir, including:
Heirloom Vineyards Pinot Noir 2021, Adelaide Hills, 13.5%Ben Haines 'Colour Block' Pinot Noir 2021, Yarra Valley, 11.5% JC’s Own Morialta Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020,  Adelaide Hills, 14.5%Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021, Yarra Valley, 13.5% Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, 13.5%This episode contains the memorable quote: 'Why fart around with Burgundy when you can buy this?!'

All details from this episode (including further wine and producer recommendations) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E14 - Australian Pinot Noir Comes of Age.

We'd love to hear from your views on this or any other wine issues - do send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website.

Thanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - cheers to you!

This podcast is GOOD FOR YOU! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise...

In this mind-blowing episode we have an exclusive interview with the world-famous Professor Tim Spector, expert in the human microbiome - this population of friendly microbes that lives inside all of us and which acts almost like an extra organ, boosting our immune system, fighting disease and even influencing our mental health.

According to Spector, these microbes are so numerous and influential that we're all effectively, 'half human, half bug.'

Spector has studied how what we eat and drink influences our gut microbiome and thus our health - and the good news is that red wine drunk daily in moderation can definitely boost our microbiome in beneficial ways. Hallelujah!

So, it's a case of: Eat, Drink Red and Be Merry. But not too merry...

This is an episode not to miss! Other questions we explore include:
Why red wine is better for our health than white wine or other forms of boozeHow much is too much when it comes to wine and healthWhy we may need to re-think the concept of 'hazy' wine or decanting (to take wine off the sediment) given it's thought that even dead yeast cells can be good for us How fermentation is key to health benefits because it increases the complexity of polyphenols Why wine could be the source of the ultimate health drinkWhy drinking as many different red grape varieties as possible is a good idea because each will nourish different microbes, and diversity is key for healthWhy we need to take official government health advice (and those peddling supplements) with a pinch of saltHow people playing around with precision fermentation, microbes and other modern techniques will revolutionise wine and beer in the next few years
Along the way we talk natural wine, polyphenols, wild ferments, sweet spots, long lunches, hangovers and Big Ben. As ever, we find time to enjoy and recommend a few bottles of wine (and benefit our microbiome while doing so). In this episode we have:
Clos Basté Madiran 2019, FranceChâteau Montus Madiran 2016, FrancePlaimont L'Empreinte de Saint Mont rouge 2018, FranceCatena High Mountain Vines Malbec 2017, Argentina
All details from this episode (including links we mentioned) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E13: Wine and Your Microbiome - A Recipe for Health?

We'd love to hear from your views on this or any other wine issues - do send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can get in touch via our website.

Thanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - cheers to you! 

Stuff is going down in Beaujolais.

Natural wine is a hot trend. Beaujolais Nouveau is re-inventing itself. The top sites have never made better wine. A new generation is revitalising the scene. Geological research has revealed eye-opening results. And growers aren't afraid to throw caution to the wind (Côte Rôtie barrels and Sciacarello anyone?!)

Phew.

It's also newsworthy: the region is submitting its first ever application for the top sites to be designated Premier Cru, the highly-prized status afforded only to some of the finest vineyards in Burgundy.

We get the low-down on all of this courtesy of dogged investigative work (yes...we do include drinking wine under that heading...) as well as interviews with leading growers Grégoire Hoppenot and Xavier Thivolle plus Caroline Santoyo of Inter Beaujolais and David Roberts MW of Goedhuis & Co.

We also throw in some factoids. For example, did you know that until World War II, a bottle of good Moulin-à-Vent Beaujolais cost the same as a bottle of Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru?! Or that Beaujolais is considered to be one of the original heartlands of natural wine, home to a 'viticultural prophet'?

This is a sponsored episode with Inter Beaujolais - it's a topic we've been longing to cover for a while so fantastic to have an opportunity to catch up with the latest from what is a dynamic and multi-faceted region.

Topics under discussion include Gamay, gobelet, Beaujolais as an alternative to ever-pricier Côte d'Or Burgundy, lieux-dits, The Last of Us, pink granite, the ten famous Beaujolais 'crus' and carbonic maceration.

And after all that we're in need of refreshment so taste and recommend a selection of truly outstanding Beaujolais wines (details in full show notes), including:
Les 3 Madones Beaujolais-Villages 2021, Cave du Château des Loges GAM Beaujolais-Villages 2021, Domaine Lathuilière-Gravallon Fleurie Roche Guillon 2019, Domaine de Fa Morgon Côte du Py 2020, Jean-Marc BurgaudFleurie 2021, Julien SunierMorgon Eponym 2021, Jean FoillardAll details from this episode (including links we mentioned) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E12 - The New Beaujolais.

We'd love to hear from your views on this or any other wine issues - do send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website.

Thanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - cheers to you! 

Has Burgundy gone bonkers?!

Off the back of a nightmare 2021 season, wines are in shorter supply than ever - so prices have gone through the roof.

Again.

The wines are unquestionably good. That's what Burgundy does. But as the region's wines gradually become ever-more scarce and atypical - and ever-less affordable - how long will wine lovers stick with Burgundy? Will we look back in 20 years and say: that was the tipping point when Burgundy finally lost touch with reality?!

These are just some of the no-nonsense questions we're posing in this fresh take on an archetypal wine region where bucolic tradition is increasingly on a collision course with fast-moving  reality. 

We explore the 2021 vintage as a springboard to discussing the bigger picture in Burgundy - in which climate change looms large, as does the issue of pricing (with a bit of mysterious vine death along the way). Stardust gets a mention.

As for the wines - will we see Chardonnay being replaced by the likes of Savagnin, and Pinot Noir being supplanted by Gamay, Syrah, or even Nebbiolo.?!

We grill Burgundy experts David Roberts MW (Goedhuis) and Jason Haynes (Flint Wines), as well as growers Florent Rouve and Caroline Drouhin of Domaine Drouhin-Laroze in Gevrey-Chambertin.

What's more, we give our verdict on the 2021 wines and give some top tips both from that vintage and more general (but still delicious) drinking Burgundy we've discovered lately. (Also some ideas on alternatives to Burgundy.) You can find a full list of our recommendations in both these categories on our website (link below) - meantime the highlights we recommend in the pod are:
White: Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Viré-Clessé 2021 (c£28 per bottle, J&B): nutty, gorgeous whiteRed: Jean-Pierre et Vincent Charton Bourgogne Rouge Champ de Perdrix 2021 (c £19-20, Goedhuis): more funky natural style but sappy and savoury, grippy, perfumedRed: Drouhin Laroze Gevrey Chambertin Dix Climats 2021 (£58 per bottle, J&B): splashing out, but beautifully fragrant and classic red BurgundyGeneral drinking Burgundy
White: Lequin-Colin Bourgogne Chardonnay 2020 (£19.50, Stone Vine & Sun)Red: Domaine Vaudoisey Bourgogne Rouge 2020 (£19.25, Private Cellar)Red: Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Rouge 2018 (£23.50, Wine Society) OR Domaine Derey Freres Marsannay Champs Perdrix 2018 (£23.50, Lea & Sandeman)All details from this episode (including links we mentioned) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E11 - Burgundy: The Tipping Point?

We'd love to hear from your views on this or any other wine issues - do send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website.

Thanks for joining us - here's to the joys of wine, and cheers to you! 

Self-improvement - via a wine glass. With a side helping of 'vinous Kama Sutra'. 

But we're getting ahead of ourselves...

In our last episode we explored what we wine lovers want from the year ahead. In this programme we flip the camera round and take a look how we can be better wine lovers.

Suggestions like 'drink better' inevitably crop up. But so do more thought-provoking tips such as, 'Pair food with wine, not the reverse,' 'Give a bottle of wine that we love to someone who isn’t expecting it,' and 'Listen. Encourage. Celebrate.'

Supporting climate action is high on the agenda. 'Drink only wines from sustainable farming,' is one view, another is: 'Take a stand against wine in overly heavy bottles!'

Firm opinions are expressed on everything from shopping local to keeping an open mind (to other people's views as well as to unfamiliar wine styles), trusting your own palate, being humble, supporting small producers and retailers, pouring Pinot Gris down the sink, giving new things a go - and putting wine on the table not a pedestal.

In short, this is a largely heart-warming, occasionally challenging, certainly thought-provoking episode that will hopefully get us thinking about what it is to be a wine lover, and how we can each get the most out of this glorious liquid. 

Into this engaging mix are thrown the usual hodge-podge of random elements, from lobster mac'n'cheese to 'Naked on Roller-Skates' and artificial intelligence holding forth on 'wine tasting in the style of the Kama Sutra'. You've been warned.
We pair this zesty wine chat with a couple of special bottles to tie in with the discussion:
Ata Rangi Lismore Pinot Gris 2009, Martinborough, New ZealandRidgeview Sparkling Red Pinot Noir NV, Sussex, EnglandBride Valley Pinot Noir 2018, Dorset, EnglandThanks to wine writer Libby Brodie, Master of Wine Peter McCombie and Master Sommelier Gearoid Devaney - as well as a host of wine lovers all around the world - for sharing their views for this episode.

All details from this episode (including links we mentioned) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E10 - How To Be a Better Wine Lover.

We'd love to hear from your views on this or any other wine issues - do get in touch via Instagram or Twitter. Or you can star on the show - send us a voice message via Speakpipe.

Thanks for joining us - here's to the joys of wine, and cheers to you!

So what do we all want from wine in the year ahead? What's top of our wish list for wine in 2023?

For some it's drinking better (or simply more) wine. If possible, for less money.

Others are hoping Pinot Noir proves to be a miracle cure and will be prescribed by doctors...

More realistically, combating climate change, responsible political engagement with wine and an end to the war in Ukraine inevitably feature.

And what of no-alcohol wine? The rise of organic and biodynamic viticulture? The quest for fresher wines, with moderate alcohol? Greater diversity and inclusivity in wine? Wine in cans? The growth of English wine? A return to travel? Wines with 'added value' (and less marketing nonsense)? And supporting independent wine merchants?

In this frank, opinionated episode, we take in a whole host of views from around the world and also hear from Master Sommelier Gearoid Devaney, wine writer Libby Brodie and Master of Wine Peter McCombie, among others.

Somehow, we also touch on poor taste in jumpers, serendipity, Damp January, the wine fountain of Irache, undies and their openings - and algorithms.

This episode paves the way for the subsequent programme entitled: How to Be a Better Wine Lover.

All details from this episode (including links we mentioned) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E9 - The Year Ahead: A Wine Lover's Wish List

We'd love to hear what you want from the year ahead, or how to be a better wine lover (or indeed to receive any pics of 'cool' wine jumpers) - do get in touch via Instagram or Twitter. Or you can star on the show - send us a voice message via Speakpipe.

Either way, thanks for joining us - and cheers to you!