Climate change is a worry. We get it. But how to do something positive about it, especially as a wine lover? After all, it's not easy knowing which wines to buy to support producers doing the right thing...

Which is where the IWCA comes in handy - International Wineries for Climate Action. This is a bunch of conscientious wine producers who have signed up to stringent, science-based carbon emission audits and committed to reaching net zero by 2050. As well as sharing info and generally being responsible about the environment.

It's ground-breaking stuff and in this episode we get the low-down on the IWCA and hear about ingenious schemes to combat climate change from Familia Torres president and IWCA co-founder Miguel A Torres (the legend!), Sogrape fourth generation member Mafalda Guedes and Ramuntxo Andonegui of Domaine Lafage in Roussillon. We also recommend our favourites from a recent IWCA 'low emission wine' tasting in London.

The word 'extinction' crops up. But so do the words 'resilience', 'happy', 'friendly' and, 'delicious'. So that's nice.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E25 - Wines to Combat Climate Change

Instagram: @susieandpeter

It's popular, it's pleasurable - and it's much misunderstood. Rosé is having a moment and yet the myths remain pervasive.

That's our cue to ride to the rescue, busting a host of rosé myths as we go, shooting down cardinal sins from the hip, and urging a radical re-think of rosé all round.

We hear from rosé experts Elizabeth Gabay MW and Ben Berhneim as well as fifth-generation producer Caroline Deforges of the world-famous Clos Cibonne estate in the south of France.

Rosé is often patronisingly dismissed as simple and forgettable. Party plonk best drunk pool-side, ideally while wearing a bikini. And yet, alongside the rise of pink Prosecco and posh Provençal super-cuvées, there's a rosé revolution going on that you really don't want to miss.

As one of our interviewees puts it: 'open your mind' and 'you will be surprised!' So here's to freeing our minds and drinking the sunset! We also recommend a bunch of brilliant rosé wines so you can join in the fun.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including all wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E24 - We Need To Talk About Rosé

Instagram: @susieandpeter

From big brand to fine wine - it's no exaggeration to say that grower champagne has changed the notion of what champagne can and should be.

Pioneers like Francis Egly of iconic grower champagne Egly-Ouriet have invested huge amounts of time and money prioritising their vineyards, relentlessly focusing on quality and terroir expression in their wines - and ultimately going up against the big Champagne houses. It's a brave move, but one that is reinvigorating the region and attracting many converts to the cause.

In this episode we chat with Francis Egly and his daughter Clemence to hear their thoughts on why it's important to harvest their grapes ripe, age their bottles extensively and see the process through from growing grapes to selling their wine. We also hear from Charles Lea, owner and director of respected London wine merchant Lea & Sandeman, on how a lockdown trip to Champagne saw him move away from the 'boring' big production houses and embrace the growers' cause.

Along the way, we provide the context and analysis, and taste through a number of quite stunning grower champagnes - including an exclusive taster of a new Egly-Ouriet wine that's not yet been released on the UK market...

This episode is sponsored by Lea & Sandeman. We're very grateful to them - and to you for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more info, together with all details from this episode including on the wines, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E15 - Grower Champagne with Lea & Sandeman.

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Where's best for wine travel? (Well - we can dream, can't we?!) The best value bold New World Chardonnays out there? Greek wine? Why no love for Merlot? How to deal with being considered pretentious when it comes to wine?? We answer your burning wine questions and pick our favourite highlights from the 30 episodes to date in this fun, momentous culmination to Season 1 of Wine Blast. And it has been a blast, THANK YOU everyone for listening, supporting, recommending, rating, reviewing and getting in touch. Don't go anywhere because Season 2 starts straight away, we've got lots of exciting new plans to reveal - we can't wait to get started. See you there - and, in the meantime, cheers! 

We use our wine festival (formerly Wine Festival Winchester, this year Wine Festival Online) as a springboard to talk English wine, wine education, making a wine festival happen in lockdown, events in general and how normal people engage with wine. We chat to acclaimed English winemaker Emma Rice of Hattingley Valley, Erica Dent of Enjoy Discovering Wine and Tony, who has a great story to tell about his own personal Damascene conversion to wine. As Tony puts it so brilliantly, 'Things have got out of hand.' Join us at Wine Festival Online on Sat 28th November, when things could definitely get out of hand.

So what's the BEST red wine grape variety? Ever? We asked you - and you replied in your droves, more than a thousand of you sending in weird and wonderful suggestions from all over the world. Thank you! We've compiled the results, and the funny comments and goings-on, and you can hear the results in this fun episode. We name names so see if you get a mention! (Sorry if not...) We also find time to talk to legendary Yarra Valley producer Timo Mayer (who's clearly obsessed with Trollinger - listen to find out why). We throw numbers and stats about like, well, confetti. And we name check a few good bottles by way of recommendations too (can't have you going thirsty). 

We've reached a tipping point in environmental terms. Not just in terms of biodiversity, climate change, pandemics and the like - but also in the media. Recent releases showcase this trend - from Kiss the Ground (Netflix) to Extinction: The Facts (BBC/David Attenborough) and The Food Programme's English Pastoral episode. All are powerful, terrifying, inspiring calls to action - and made us think about wine's place in all of this. Given we all share personal responsibility for this crisis, should we only buy sustainable wine? Should we both, as professional wine communicators, only recommend sustainable wines? What even is sustainable when it comes to wine? Can (or is) wine taking a lead in this regard - or not? We all need to be asking questions - of ourselves, the products we consume, the lifestyles we lead. And we can be positive, and much good can come of this. Including delicious, sustainably produced wine in a biodiverse, stable, healthy planet.

So what's been happening to wine during lockdown? It's the BIG question on everyone's lips - and the answer is not what you might expect. We dive right into the debate, throwing about facts, figures and opinions as we go. It does seem as if people revert to the familiar in times of crisis - and we're not afraid to treat ourselves a bit either. With this in mind, we launch a Twitter hullabaloo then taste test the biggest of all wine brands (car crash? Maybe...) After all that excitement, we go to the other end of the spectrum and get views from historic club The Wine Society and 'counter-cultural' wine bar and shop Diogenes the Dog. It's another wine rollercoaster of an episode - hop on, and don't look down.

Chile is a wine scene stuck on fast forward. Many of the most exciting projects lately have been developed in the country's deep south, where the cooler conditions mean more elegant, refreshing wines (and respite from a decade-long drought). And these aren't projects for the faint-hearted: we visit a new vineyard on a remote island 1,200km south of Santiago - and another on the side of a smoking volcano. It's not just about terroir, either - southern Chile is home to indigenous Mapuche communities, where poverty and disputed land rights (among other issues) have long been bones of contention with the Chilean state and industry. But now, alongside pioneering vineyards aiming to champion the south's remarkable terroirs, wine is providing new hope of social unity as a new project is launched by Viña San Pedro Tarapacá in association with the local Mapuche community in Buchahueico. It all makes for a compelling and intriguing future - one we explore in this episode. (We also announce the winners of our WineGB giveaway!)

There is FREE medal-winning wine to be won for UK-based wine lovers in this episode, which ties in with the virtual ceremony for the Wine GB Awards 2020. Tune in for more details! Also to hear Susie’s views, in the wake of the trophy announcements for these awards, on what, where and who are providing the real excitement in English and Welsh wine right now. There are also some up-to-date stats on English and Welsh wines to share. The concluding part to Judging Britain’s Best Wines Part I.

As one of the best-selling wine writers of all time, with millions of sales to his name and global renown, Hugh Johnson OBE needs little introduction. For this exclusive interview, we head into the privacy of his London home for a rare no-holds-barred, funny, wide-ranging, moving, eye-opening chat. It’s intimate, controversial and thought-provoking. There are few things we don’t cover, and Hugh doesn’t pull his punches. Scoring wines out of 100 points is ‘dangerous’. Some fine wine has entered the ‘tedious’ territory of luxury goods. Over-oaked wines are ‘posh gloss’. Regarding climate change, ‘people need to change pretty smartly.’ Those featured range from Elizabeth David to André Simon, Napoleon, Robert Parker and William Pitt. Hugh talks about tasting wine from 1540, how the English used to be, ‘sozzled all the time,’ the challenges of making wine TV and the emergence of a new ‘Cote d’Or’ in England. 

How can wine lovers help Lebanon in its hour of need? Lebanese wine expert Michael Karam and Chateau Musar’s Marc Hochar talk us through the finer points, all the while educating us about Lebanon’s fascinating (and very, very long) history with wine and its current day challenges including the massive recent explosion in the port area of Beirut. We give a plug to some of the fundraising initiatives taking place around the world and recommend a line-up of delicious Lebanese wines. 

So how do you go about judging nigh-on 300 of the finest English and Welsh wines amid the Covid chaos? Susie reports back from chairing the WineGB Awards 2020 – a bit different from the norm, featuring an aircraft hangar, personalised portaloos, being brought to tears…and English sparkling Merlot (yes, really – and no, the last two things aren’t connected). 

There’s a quick word on Wine Festival Winchester 2020 going online (save the date: 28th November!) Susie gives her top tips on what to look out for in English and Welsh wine right now, and where to buy it. Peter pushes her on what to steer clear of too… Look out for Part II, out in early September as the trophies are announced and Susie wants to get a few more things off her chest.

Light strike is probably the biggest wine fault you've never heard of. Bigger than cork, bigger than oxidation or anything else.

That pretty-looking bottle of rosé perched on the bright supermarket shelf in a clear glass bottle? Probably knackered. If it's been exposed to light for a while, it may end up smelling of boiled cabbage, drains, or wet dog. At the very least, its character will almost certainly have been degraded from what its winemaker intended. And that's not what you're paying your hard-earned money for.

It's nothing less than daylight robbery. In this episode, we explain what light strike is, how fast it happens, and which wines are most at risk. We hear from experts, including the co-author of an illuminating recent research paper, and rage against the fact that the problem seems shockingly prevalent, but so little is being done.

We even carry out our very own applied research experiment (featuring bottles, funnels, argon gas and a blindfold) which gives unequivocal results. We call for wholesale change - from producers, distributors, retailers - and give clear advice on what we normal wine drinkers should do about all this (barricades, tyre burning and civil unrest are proposed...but not necessarily endorsed).

In this episode we hear from  Panagiotis Arapitsas, Deepika Koushik, Liz Gabay MW, Brad Greatrix and Tom Stevenson. Our thanks to them - and to you for tuning in. 

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more info, together with all details from this episode including on the wines, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E14 - Light Strike: Wine's Not-So-Secret Scandal.

Instagram: @susieandpeter

It’s like trying to eat your favourite food with tweezers. Or listening to your best tunes with a goldfish bowl over your head. If you buy a nice bottle of wine then serve it wrong, you’re wasting your time as well as money. In this episode, we tackle the thorny issue of how to serve your wine right, with a couple of helpful tips to remember. And it can make your wine taste so much better! Roped in to give their expert views are Master Sommelier Laura Rhys and hotelier Robin Hutson. The discussion covers temperature (including our infamous 20-20 rule), glasses, decanters, gadgets, corked wine, calmness, people and… keeping it real. (Sample quote: ‘Wine’s there to be enjoyed, no point analysing it to bl**dy death.’) There’s also a rude Dutch interlude to start and, to finish, we resume our quirky Wine A-Z, decoding wine speak. This time it’s C for Chardonnay. 

Go on. What's the best rosé wine you've ever had? For Lee Isaacs, rosé is 'a crime' and, if you like it, 'you're a bad person' (or, at best, indecisive). Global rosé expert Elizabeth Gabay MW thinks we're too snobbish about the sweet stuff and has had delicious rosés as old as 1959. Majestic's Jack Merrylees thinks the best way to get a party started is with rosé...in magnum. In this episode, we get tickled pink by all this and more, discussing some of our favourite rosés (we're big, big fans), and the likes of Hugh Johnson, Randall Grahm and Kylie Minogue also crop up in proceedings. Forget the best rosé...this may just be the best PODCAST ever. It's certainly the pinkest.

In our LAST Wine Survival Guide we talk climate change, ancient grapes and guitar-offs with Miguel Torres – and reveal our Top 5 Rioja Tips. Coming next time: we return to our normal Wine Blast schedule that was so rudely interrupted by Covid-19 - with a big splash on the pink stuff: rosé! 

Superstar Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini tells us about wine as meditation, how to be a ‘virtual’ wine consultant, his vinyl collection and his nonna’s wise advice on how to stop a mole-hill becoming a mountain. In his honour, we crack open two wines from Sicily, delving into this most exciting of Italian wine regions – and discuss the hot topic of vegan wine. 

Robin Hutson is one of Britain’s foremost hoteliers as chairman and CEO of The Pig hotels and Limewood group. He’s been a prominent campaigner for rural hospitality during lockdown, citing the millions of jobs supported by the wider sector and the difficulty of re-opening with two-metre social distancing rules. He’s also had to fend off criticisms levelled at his biggest private investor, Jim Ratcliffe, for accepting furlough despite being one of Britain’s richest men.

In a wide-ranging interview, Robin responds to his critics and outlines how the hospitality business can re-open after lockdown. (He subsequently announced the re-opening of his hotels for early July.) A noted wine lover, he also opens up about the new vineyard being planted at The Pig in the South Downs. By way of digestif, we chat rosé and sound off about the debut release from popstar Kylie Minogue (a French pink) as well as two English roses. The likes of Sam Neill, Graham Norton, Brangelina and Sarah Jessica Parker also get a mention. We also ask the question: what’s the rosé that lights your fire?

How to make sense of Riesling? Food is one of the best ways we know to make sense of even the most tricky of wine subjects. So we try out a delicious monkfish and prawn curry as well as some pork terrine to try to get a handle on the grape variety that came top in our survey of the Best White Wine Grapes. (We also talk sourdough – but that’s something else entirely.)

Another way to make sense of wine is to talk to the people who make it. One man who embodies the spirit of Riesling more than perhaps anyone is German producer Ernst Loosen. His prodigious mind is a thing of beauty in full flow, and we’re treated to a masterclass of Riesling evangelism (and the odd profanity). We even give our top 3 Riesling tips at the end. 

In our SHORTEST EPISODE EVER, funny messages sent with champagne deliveries during lockdown come courtesy of The Finest Bubble’s Nick Baker. (Our favourite? A close call between ‘Cheer up!’ and ‘STOP MOANING’.) As the weddings, birthdays and anniversaries continue to see sparkling glasses raised via the internet, we turn to the pressing subject of where to find the best Syrah wines – made in the aromatic, elegant style of the Northern Rhône – from the New World. We touch on Chile, California, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa before alighting back in our small back room with two large glasses of red. Cheers!

Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Michael Baum is rebooting Burgundy, even under lockdown (which he rails against while being stuck in France, separated from his wife and boys in San Francisco). He explains why he prefers French wine to Californian, and talks about how coronavirus and his tech-based approach may help prompt radical change in wine – which is about getting closer to customers, at a time when close contact is challenging at best. Following on from Michael’s choice of ‘isolation wine’, Susie and Peter whizz through a mini masterclass on how to find good value white Burgundy – that holy grail for wine lovers. There’s even time to mention David Beckham (again…)

We asked a simple question on social media: what are your top 3 grape varieties for white wine? The reaction...blew us away, with a torrent of fascinating responses from all around the world featuring more than 100 different grape varieties - not to mention fighting talk, bonding, football analogies and cheating. We got a bit carried away with this podcast - it's our favourite one so far - but there is something for EVERYONE here: laughter, tears, David Beckham, sherry, scholarship (in the form of the fascinating expert Dr José Vouillamoz and his definitive tome Wine Grapes) and controversy. Talking of which, we give the DEFINITIVE verdict on the best white wine grape variety...

South African wine is in turmoil. The government has banned the sale and export of wine as part of its strict coronavirus lockdown and, while restrictions will eventually be eased, Cape producers are in shock: reeling from the long-term effects and implications of this dramatic intervention. We hear the views of three producers – Kathy Jordan (Jordan), Charles Back (Fairview) and Andrea Mullineux (Mullineux and Leeu Family) at this critical and challenging time. There’s also time for a quick BBQ (braai, Cape style) complete with a mouth-watering line-up of South African wines to recommend.

Deep in the wilds of south-west France there's a vineyard that was planted over 200 years ago with unknown vines that may hold the secret to fighting climate change.

Join us as we head (virtually) out to Gascony to peer into the mists of wine history and see what lessons it holds for the future. Olivier Bourdet-Pees of the dynamic Plaimont cooperative is our genial, beret-wearing guide, introducing us to grape varieties we've never heard of and explaining how this region has been reinvigorated after making some of, 'the worst wine in France 40 years ago'.

This episode is sponsored by AOC St Mont and features a number of wines including Plaimont's iconic Vignes Préphylloxeriques bottling. 

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more info, together with all details from this episode including on the wines, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E13 - Ancient Vines to the Rescue in St Mont. Thanks for tuning in!

Instagram:

@susieandpeter

Bartholomew Broadbent is a wine importer on the eastern US seaboard and he has seen ‘atrocious declines in business’ since coronavirus restrictions began. He lightens the tone by singing Monty Python songs (always look on the bright side of life…) and has a few choice words to say about Trump. Meanwhile, in California, Eric Baugher of Ridge Vineyards muses on challenges and opportunities before choosing an ideal quarantine wine that, ‘just kind of lifts your spirits’. Sounds like something we could all use. Finally, listener Liz calls in with a question about Lodi wines and we respond by cracking open some delicious bottles.

What to do with a Michelin-starred restaurant that was due to close down shortly after coronavirus struck? If you’re Roger Jones, you re-purpose it to deliver monkfish and lobster dhal or wild mushroom and truffle risotto free of charge to local residents in need. That, and deliver some proper wines to an elderly mum who lives in rural Wales. To honour our guest, we throw ourselves into the kitchen, rustling up a very seasonal wild garlic and asparagus risotto. Which is really an excuse to find some delicious spring-like wines from the cellar – cue Sauvignon Blanc in abundance, plus a cheeky English Bacchus. And Peter has a confession for Susie...

It’s a sobering post-coronavirus outlook for wine in China, according to Shanghai-based Sophie Liu. She tells of a stable situation as people re-emerge from lockdown but a bleak panorama for the wine business. Sticking with the heavy-hitting theme, Susie and Peter explore the delicious topic of Amarone, exploring the reasons behind its highly distinctive style and heady price tag. They also ponder the pressing issue of which wines are best to bathe in, and revel in their status as unlikely instigators of marital bliss (of sorts).

Flying winemaker Paul Hobbs can’t fly. As one of the foremost globe-trotting wine consultants, he reflects from his base in California on the challenges of making wine remotely and offers a tip on Zoom etiquette (‘wear a shirt and work pants’). He confesses to being nervous and reveals his ideal quarantine wine. Meanwhile listener David asks us whether he could be happy with just one glass for all wine styles rather than the many he currently owns. Our response is fulsome and even involves an experiment we lined up…which of course involves drinking some nice wine too.

How wine supplier Berkmann is tearing up the rule book to help stricken restaurants – and buying director Alex Hunt reveals his other passion by sharing tracks from his latest (brilliant) album Closing Ceremony. We unwrap some snazzy new glasses from Jancis Robinson to taste Prosecco, Gruner Veltliner, Gredos Grenache, Ozzie Syrah and Barolo from the Help4Hospitality line-up. Plus, Susie has a confession…

As Singapore goes into lockdown, renowned writer and publisher Poh Tiong Ch'ng reflects (from a beach) on the local and global implications of coronavirus. Including some eye-opening thoughts about the prospects for the global restaurant and hotel trade.He also has a somewhat surprising choice as his ‘quarantine wine’. We then cheat when it comes to finding a wine for delicious porcini pasta, committing heresy by looking beyond Italian wines to things that are both leftfield and pretty indulgent. This episode even comes with a free book download… More info on www.susieandpeter.com

In our second Wine Survival Guide, we chat with Chilean winemaker Viviana Navarrete of Viña Leyda before recommending Majestic wines that are not only delicious and different but also ideal for the coronavirus lockdown. Viviana is understandably emotional and tired – she describes 2020 as the toughest vintage of her 20-year career. The reason? It’s all about the people, and her family. But she highlights the quality of Pinot Noir as a major positive and says the fact this was a hot, early vintage was a blessing in disguise given they can get the harvest done and dustsed before any further restrictions are announced. She also reveals her ideal quarantine wine…More on www.susieandpeter.com 

The first of our Wine Survival Guides – small antidotes to the current coronavirus chaos, where wine people tell their stories, detailing challenges but also sounding notes of joy. Via the magic of Zoom, Justin Howard-Sneyd MW of Domaine of the Bee explains how the lockdown in France has motivated him to appeal for help, and the ‘extraordinary, humbling’ response that followed. He also talks us through online tastings, magnum Jenga, Wine Gogglebox and re-purposing a Bryan Adams’ classic for the times. We then find delicious wines to go with a creamy dhal with turmeric-roasted cauliflower. More at www.susieandpeter.com

Wine is many things to many people. But credible career path (or second career) isn’t often one of them. We set the record straight by talking to young people who’ve made a brilliant job of making wine their career. And someone who made it their second career after defecting from finance. We discuss how wine can make a fantastic career, including how we both made the leap. Having worked up a thirst, we rustle up some student classics – spicy sausage pasta plus the easiest home-made pizza EVER – and line up a selection of value Aldi wines (spoiler: not all go down well but there is a great bargain to be had). Our Wine A-Z takes in biodynamics before Warren asks how to tell if a wine is corked. Show notes inc recipes and wines at www.susieandpeter.com

The catastrophic bushfires of early 2020 were a traumatic reminder of the ongoing challenge of climate change in the world’s driest continent. And yet Australia has never made finer wines across a dizzying range of styles than today. So what’s the future for Australian wine – boom or bust? After all that, we cook up some delicious curried meatballs, inspired by Ozzie chef Bill Granger, and argue over whether a Clonakilla Shiraz or Jim Barry Clare Riesling go best. ‘Alcohol’ is the starting point for our Wine A-Z education blast, then Mark from down under asks which wines he should keep (making it clear he doesn’t want any of the ‘science'). Show notes inc recipe and wines at www.susieandpeter.com 

So - orange wine. Is it any good? What qualifies a wine to be 'orange'? Does it sell? And who's going to win our argument about one particularly divisive orange wine?!

Dive into the controversial, topical and intriguing subject of orange wine with us as we chat with Saša Radikon of iconic orange wine producer Radikon (who gives us an exclusive revelation about a new project) and nautral wine guru Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrene. We taste (and largely disagree about) orange wines from Mlečnik, Vagabond and Dario Prinčič. Peter also gets very excited about his, 'lamb litmus test'.

This is the second and final episode in our epic two-parter on orange wine. You don't need to listen to the first episode to enjoy this one, they stand alone. But Episode 1 features Mateja Gravner and Simon Woolf, author of the brilliant book Amber Revolution.

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below). All details from this episode, including full listings of all the wines featured in the show, are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E12 - ORANGE WINE Part 2: Gimme Some Skin. Thanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - and cheers to you!

Instagram:

@susieandpeter

Hello! We’re going to drive you to drink. (In the very best way possible, of course.) This show is for everyone with an open mind and healthy thirst. Here’s a taster of what to expect, as we chat with fascinating interviewees from all around the wine world, cook up delicious dishes then disagree over which wines to serve, whizz through Wine A-Z education blasts and answer the wine questions you’ve always wanted to ask. All in the time it takes to polish off a bottle of Brunello. We’ll also be serving up some Wine Survival Guide special editions by way of antidote to the coronavirus chaos. So please hit SUBSCRIBE, give us a nice rating – and join in the fun! More info at www.susieandpeter.com/podcast

'Please can you do an episode on orange wine?' pleaded listener David.

'It's not just hipster wine! These are some of the finest wines in the world...'

How could we resist?

Orange wine is topical, misunderstood, controversial...

It's also an intriguing story featuring a wine style lost in the mists of time being painstakingly resurrected by a handful of brave pioneers in the face of stiff opposition.

So we leap headlong into this arena, asking the all-important questions like: what even IS orange wine? Where did it come from? Why is it misunderstood and controversial? How does it relate to natural wine?

And ultimately: is orange wine actually any good?!

In this first instalment in a two-parter on orange wine, we talk to orange wine expert Simon Woolf, author of the brilliant book Amber Revolution: How the World Learned to Love Orange Wine. 

We also hear from Mateja Gravner of the iconic Friuli-based orange wine producer Gravner. And we recommend a couple of good value orange wines:

• Santa Tresa Insieme Orange 2022, Sicily
• Burja Estate Zelen 2022, Slovenia

 
Do also check out the second and concluding part of our orange wine 'fest' where we talk to natural and orange wine guru Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrene, and renowned orange wine producer Saša Radikon. Plus we get into a fight over a particularly divisive orange wine...

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode, including full listings of all the wines featured in the show, are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E11 - ORANGE WINE Part 1: The Resurrection

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

Wine. Food. Merriment. And a touch of southern French sun.

That just about sums up this episode.

We're exploring Occitanie - the sun-kissed southern French region that stretches from the western Rhone through Languedoc and Roussillon into South West France.

Taken as a whole, it's the world's largest vineyard and makes around 5% of global wine output.

In the past, these regions have been criticised for focusing on quantity over quality and being out of touch with the modern wine world.

But things have changed significantly in recent decades, as the vineyard has been drastically shrunk and successful producers have focused on quality, innovation, value, indigenous varieties and the future.

And that's not all this part of the world is known for. It also boasts a mighty fine gastronomic scene. 

So yes, you guessed it: we couldn't resist. 

In this episode we're serving up six dishes inspired by southern French ingredients: mushroom arancini, Mediterranean shellfish stew, cod with beurre blanc and winter ratatouille, Toulouse sausage casserole, duck shepherd's pie and Roquefort.

Then we find Occitanie wines to pair with those different dishes, neatly illustrating the diversity of the region in the process, from elegant sparkling wine to lusciously sweet Vin Doux Naturel via a brand new style of Picpoul de Pinet that we didn't know about.

Along the way we hear from expert Matthew Stubbs MW plus growers Jean-Claude Mas (Les Domaines Paul Mas) and Pauline Nadal (Domaine Nadal Hainaut).

Somehow we touch on manure, fried brians (yes, you read that right), Asterix, bootcamps, touchy-feely labels, wines with soul and a nitrogen generator.

Thanks to the Occitanie Region for sponsoring this podcast. 

Just a few of the wines we feature in this episode are:

• Sieur d'Arques Crémant de Limoux Blason Rouge Brut NV
• Roc des Angles Llum 2022, Côtes Calanes
• Les Vignerons de Florensac Picpoul de Pinet Selection 2020
• Château Estanilles Vallongue rosé 2022, Faugères
• Calmel & Joseph Les Terroirs La Fabrique 2021, Côtes du Brian
• Clos d'Elpis Elpis Route 2021, Côtes Catalanes
• Domaine de Rancy Rivesaltes Ambré Vin Doux Naturel 1998

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode, including full listings of all the wines featured in the show, are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E10 - A Southern French Feast

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

Our Wines of the Year format has grown into this riotous, rollicking rollercoaster of a show which we humbly offer up for your amusement and delectation.

This is no shopping list.

Nor is it a chest-beating exercise in showing off how #wineblessed we are.

This episode is the story of a year in wine: a celebration of special bottles and special times, set against the backdrop of news, views and a lot of laughter.

Featuring in this wine-soaked adventure are Dutch nuns, kiwis, Homer Simpson, talking corks, Susie in a balloon suit, gravy, Nigel the dog, a broom-brandishing Greek grandmother, Jesus and Peter's pants.

We discuss wine news including the latest wine fraud hoo-ha (and a new AI tool to fight wine fakery), why Bordeaux may be uprooting 10% of its vineyard, how major foreign investment is boosting English wine and the latest research offering the tantalising prospect of solving the mystery of red wine headaches.

Your listener feedback and questions get an airing, touching on English fizz, Portuguese wine, the dream of owning a vineyard in Italy, breathless Colorado winemaking - and what we do with our leftovers.

Wines featured range from an Essex Sauvignon Blanc to a Japanese Pinot Noir via an 'aromatised wine-based drink' that's considerably tastier than its official designation.

To cap it all we announce our BIG GONGS, which this year we've expanded to include Producer of the Year, Value Wine of the Year and, in the constant quest for ever more fun, Leftfield Wine of the Year.

Atop this particular tree, though, is just one wine: our Wine of the Year. What in the world could it be?!

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Phil Tuck MW, who loved nothing more than sharing great wines with friends. An inspiration to us all.

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode, including full listings of all the wines featured in the show and more (particularly the good value bottles) are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E9 - Our Wines of the Year (2023)

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

Odessa Black.

It's the name of a (Ukranian) grape variety. But it could almost be code for the desperate times the people of Ukraine are living through.

In this episode, we explore the history and current context of Ukraine, hearing first-hand insights from Tania Olevska of the Ukrainian Wine Company and Svitlana Tsybak of the Beykush winery.

Despite the chaos and devastation in Ukraine, wine represents a point of hope, an expression of Ukrainian culture, terroir, identity and resilience.

Although what is Europe's second largest country has a long relationship with the vine, quality wine isn't one of Ukraine's most emblematic products. 

That started to change after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and since 2010 there has been a quality revolution as a new wave of craft winemakers captured the public attention.

Then came full-scale war with Russia in early 2022. 

But Ukraine's winemakers are refusing to be cowed. They soldier on, ministering to their vines as the relentless rhythms of winemaking insist they must. 

Despite the shells and rockets overhead. Despite the mortal peril that has already cost so many lives, including many from the wine community.

'We didn't pay money for our PR; we paid [with] the lives of Ukrainians for our PR,' says Tania, grimly.

And yet celebrating and savouring Ukraine's new wave wines is an act of joy, resistance and solidarity in its own right.

In this episode, we raise a glass for exactly this reason, and hear many an eye-opening, heart-warming story along the way.  Wines we recommend include:

• Shabo Telti Kuruk Reserve 2022, Odessa
• Biologist Sukholimanskiy 2022, Kyiv
• Beykush Lerici Timorasso 2021, Mikolaiv
• Kolonist Odessa Blanc 2021, Bessarabia

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E8 - Ukraine: Wine not War

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

Languedoc is a wine region on the move.

Sure, it's a huge region with plenty of history, some of it troubled.

But there are things happening in Languedoc wine now that are innovative, surprising, intriguing and...well, delicious. 

In short, it's well worthy of our attention.

In this episode, sponsored by AOP Languedoc, we chat to writers Rupert Millar and Rosemary George MW, and we also hear from wine growers Benoît Bertrand (Domaine de Malavieille) and Jenia Vermillard (Domaine Ampelhus).

We hear of ambitious attempts to revive long lost grape varieties from the verge of extinction, and ingenious solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.

We explore the region's renown for good value in its wines, consider its historic ups and downs, and look to what the future might hold.

Along the way we somehow feature feather boas, Lithuania, a stray dog, the Romans, shrinking pains, finishing school, architecture, Assyrtiko, violins, agroforestry and ratatouille. 

Oh, and a love story.

And of course it wouldn't be a normal episode of Wine Blast if we didn't taste and recommend some brilliant wines. These beauties are all AOP Languedoc wines:

• Chateau de Lascaux Garrigue Blanc 2021 
• Paul Mas Jardin de Roses Traviata 2022 
• Bergerie du Capucin Les 100 Pas du Berger Rouge 2020 
• Domaine de Roquemale Les Grés 2020 
• Domaine Ampelhus Languedoc Grés de Montpellier 2022 
• Clos des Nines L’Orée 2020 
• Domaine Les Aurelles Solen 2000 

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E7: The New Face of Languedoc

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

We're going full-on Moses mode in this episode, nailing down the ten wines you should always have at home.

Of course, personal taste plays a part. You want to have wines to hand you're going to reach for - which means your favourite styles.

But beyond that, it helps to have some expert insight into the bigger picture in order to always have delicious, affordable and useful wines when you need them.

Our primary objective is joyous everyday drinking.

But also: what works best with food, versatile wines to serve guests, give as gifts, wines that get better over time if you buy a few, ideal wines for those impromptu celebrations, wines for both summer and winter...we even introduce the notion of, 'emergency wine'.

So we define our top 10 'go-to' wine staples. We're aware this is potentially controversial territory. But we also hope it's helpful too.

Helping us out in this challenging task are the fine people at Waitrose, who are sponsoring this episode.

Waitrose do a fine line in wine and, as we focus on these indispensable wine categories, we've chosen individual wines from their range to illustrate our decisions.

When we originally ran this episode, Waitrose had a special offer on: 25% off when you buy 6 or more bottles from £6-100. For the sake of clarity, that offer has now expired (though they do tend to repeat these offers periodically).

But even at the non-discount prices, these wines still represent great quality and value.

So what are the ten wines never to be without? Tune in to find out... 

The wines featured in this episode are:

• Hattingley Classic Reserve Brut NV, England
• Saint Clair Wairau Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022, New Zealand
• Bouchard Finlayson Crocodile’s Lair Chardonnay 2021, South Africa
• Leitz Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Kabinett 2022, Germany
• Muga Rioja Rosé 2022, Spain
• Joseph Drouhin Chorey-Les-Beaune 2020, France
• Baron de Ley Club Privado Rioja Reserva 2018, Spain
• Terre di Faiano Puglia Primitivo 2021, Italy
• Chateau Oumsiyat Mijana 2019, Lebanon
• Crociani Vin Santo di Montepulciano 2017, Italy
• Florent Rouve Arbois Chardonnay 2020, France
• Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino 2016, Italy

 We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E6: The Ten Wines Never to be Without

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

Wine can seem tremendously unimportant at a time of war. At what is a torrid time in the Middle East, we wanted to check in with three winemakers - from Palestine, Israel and Lebanon - and ask: can wine really be a source of positivity during troubled times?

What we hear in this episode may surprise you. It's a departure from our regular format - a bonus extended edition - because we wanted to give proper airtime to these powerful, nuanced, important interviews. Wine has more history in the Levant than in almost every other place on earth, bar the Caucasus. Its revival in recent years has been intriguing and exciting. So what is its place now that conflict is raging?

Wine is a conversation starter. There is value in talking. We wanted to take the time to listen - and so we thank Sari Khoury (Philokalia), Eran Pick MW (Tzora Vineyards) and Faouzi Issa (Domaine des Tourelles) for taking the time to talk and share their forthright views with us.

Here are a few sample quotes: 'We have so many things to do in this beautiful world rather than killing people,' 'I'm extremely confused - we're in shock, a post-traumatic period that we don't have any solution,' 'The biggest challenge is to make wine during war,' 'Survival comes first,' 'We're quite minimalistic with our expectations,' 'I'm sure wine could bring people together - it's a fact,' 'I'm making the wine - but the wine is making me in the process,' 'Try to taste our wines - and understand the story from all sides,'  'Let the wines speak.'

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E23 - Wine and War: Palestine, Israel and Lebanon

Instagram: @susieandpeter

English sparkling wine. We all know it's good.

But how well does it age?

And could this be the secret to unlocking even greater quality from what are already exciting wines?

We do our best to answer these questions and more with the help of several large glasses of very fine mature English fizz - and top winemakers Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix (Nyetimber) and Corinne Seely (Exton Park).

We also hear the views of Clément Pierlot, cellar master at Champagne Pommery and its English offshoot, Louis Pommery England.

We explore what makes an ageworthy sparkling wine (busting a few common myths along the way). And talk about how best to get ahead of the game...

We recommend some of the finest examples of mature English fizz we can get our hands on - from the likes of Nyetimber, Sugrue South Downs, Hattingley Valley, Breaky Bottom, Wiston, Exton Park, Chapel Down and The Grange.

Along the way we discuss magnums, lees ageing, dosage, vintage, variety, yields, storage, balance - and the value of patience.

What's more, Peter gets called 'Mr Humper Dumper' by Susie and shares one of his more insightful tasting notes, which simply reads: 'GIVE ME THE MAGS!'

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E5: Ageing English Fizz - How, Why and What

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

It's a wine region variously described as, 'dynamic', whose wines are undergoing a quality 'revolution', and memorably compared to South Africa's uber-cool Swartland.

It's also got a big old mountain on its picture postcard. Not to mention truffles galore.

This is Ventoux. 

And we want to take you on a journey of discovery, to meet the people, explore the places, get a feel for the wines...and generally understand why Ventoux is worth your time and attention.

The mountain, it turns out, is important. It makes this one of the coolest appellations in the southern Rhône, giving the wines freshness and vitality. Peter slogs (metaphorically) up to the peak to prove the point.

It also helps in the ongoing efforts to adapt to climate change.

As for the wines...we dive in, exploring the region's unique whites, rosés and reds, the latter constituting the majority of production. And we explore ways in which the wines are changing and evolving with the future in mind.

We ask why so many outsiders have gravitated to Ventoux, experimenting and collaborating along the way. And we explore the region's value-for-money credentials.

The discussion also touches on lycra, beetroot, Cinsault, wine as theatre, joy and butterflies. 

Oh, and did we mention truffles?

This episode is sponsored by AOC Ventoux. The following producers are featured:

• Domaine du Tix
• Domaine Aymard
• Marrenon
• Chateau Unang
• Domaine de Fondrèche
• Chêne Bleu
• Chateau Pesquié
• Clos du Trias

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E4: Ventoux - Next Century Wines

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

What are the wine books every wine lover should own?

We thought about it. We argued. We drank some wine. Argued some more...

And then we decided: let's go for it. No messing around: choose just the six BEST books every wine lover needs, whether enthusiastic newbie or jaded expert.

It wasn't easy. But this is the DEFINITIVE listing. A lot of thought and research went into this. Even some reading.

Along the way we came across some bits that stopped us in our tracks. Like Hitler's secret wine cellar, 'freak' wines, the link between a dentist's drill and the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, fish finger sandwiches, some cheeky poetry, the 'one-night-stand' of wines...

And of course the quote about the salad and the sex toy 😳

And that's from one of the most reputable voices in wine...

In this episode, we heroically save you from the drivel and point you firmly towards the stuff of dreams.

We choose the all-time six best wine books - plus six runners up (to make a full case of 12). With a few honourable mentions along the way.

We also reveal our pet hates about wine books - and question whether books have a future at all.

Perhaps, in your cheerful opinion, you believe we've got this list wrong. Maybe missed off the most life-changing publication EVER. Or you just fancy wading into the debate...

Either way: do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E3: The Six Best Wine Books

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

Wines tasted in this episode

• Champagne G.H. Mumm Brut Millésimé 2015
• Côte-Rôtie 2011, Domaine Burgaud
• P&J Teulier Le Cros Marcillac Lo Sang del Païs 2021

This is a tale of deception, daring, disaster...and deliverance.

It also features skinny sheep and wine robots.

It's the story of Marlborough, the iconic New Zealand wine region which is celebrating its 50th wine birthday, after vines were planted by Frank Yukich in August 1973.

Yukich had risked personal financial ruin getting to this point. 'Wines from here will become world famous!' he declared. 

Shortly after which most of the vines died from drought.

But no adventure story is without its supreme setbacks. And this story features everything from the Queen to gut-rot via shiny tractors.

On the wine front, it's sobering to think just how far Marlborough has come in 50 harvests, from a shaky start to sensational Sauvignon Blanc and much more besides. It's a region helping set the global agenda for the wine of the future - and a tribute to the imaginative, resilient Kiwi spirit.

This is a sponsored episode in collaboration with New Zealand Winegrowers. We taste and recommend the following wines from Marlborough:

• Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2022
• Brancott Estate Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2015
• Hans Herzog Zweigelt 2017
• Hans Herzog Spirit of Marlborough 2016
• Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2022
• Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2021
• Lawson's Dry Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2021
• Blank Canvas Reed Chardonnay 2022
• Villa Maria Seddon Pinot Gris 2020
• Wairau River Pinot Noir 2021

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E2: Marlborough at 50

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

'My wife suggested we make wine. I think in the hope of cutting down our wine bill...'

It's classic John Malkovich. The wit as dry as his aged Provençal Pinot Noir rosé (yes, you read that right).

In this epic episode, we get to know John Malkovich the famous actor of stage and screen - but also John Malkovich the fashion designer, the theatre director, and most importantly John Malkovich the wine producer.

This truly is a man for all seasons. But Malkovich seldom abides by convention - and his wine venture in the south of France, Les Quelles de La Coste, typifies this approach. He's planted atypical wine grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere - and (whisper it) Pinot Noir. He's even blending them together...

For the wine classicists, this is nothing short of vinous heresy.

So the big questions are: Is this just another cookie-cutter celeb wine project, or is it different? What are the wines actually like? Come to that, what's John Malkovich actually like?

Join us as we pose the tricky questions, hear from the man himself and give our verdict on the wines.

Along the way, John advises wine producers how best to launder money, defines what talent is, explains why he doesn't 'do' pride, identifies the greatest honour of his working life and tells a horror story of how he lost his 'spectacular' 2017 Cabernet.

We also touch on topics as diverse as the Marquis de Sade, fabric collecting, beer chugging, 'boom boom' wines, the importance of details, and how making wine can break your heart.

As the man says: 'I don't consider anything I do particularly provocative. It's just what I do. Which just seems to provoke people...'

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E1: The John Malkovich EXCLUSIVE.

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

Foot note: This episode, and the entire Season Five of Wine Blast, is dedicated to the memory of Phil Tuck MW.

This bonus episode may be the last in the current season (4) but it's also a first - the first time we've ever recorded the pod in front of a live audience!

A lovely bunch of people came together in our home town of Winchester to drink a glass or two of fine Hampshire fizz and bombard us with searching questions, from which wines we'd recommend for a large and varied dinner party crowd to the implications of climate change for wine.

They even asked us what were the most pretentious wine descriptions we'd ever used. I mean, the cheek of it...

We also touched on issues ranging from 'sulfite-free' wine to no/low alcohol, our favourite Chardonnay and rosé, which are the best wine regions to visit, the rise of English wine, multi-vintage versus vintage sparkling wine - and what wines you should ALWAYS have at home.

In our introduction we also feature some recent listener feedback from a Napa wine grower questioning how he should explain terroir to visitors to a professor on how microbes (yeasts) can influence a wine's mouthfeel.

We also feature a plug for our sensational value charity sparkling wine - please click here if you'd like to buy a bottle or two of Hope & Glory to help us raise funds for the brilliant Marine Conservation Society.

As for the live Q&A format, we could get used to it. You have been warned. Wine Blast on Tour may be coming to a speakeasy near you soon...

All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E25: LIVE Q&A (Winchester).

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