Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
Alle afleveringen
150 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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The New Champagne ARCHIVE TASTER (Season 3 Ep 14)
2 november 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released in February 2022 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season Three, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
At one point, it looked like Covid was going to be the death-knell for Champagne. And then...the bubbles bounced back. Big time. But things aren't quite the same as they were - in intriguing ways...
In this fascinating episode we catch up on all the latest hot topics from this famous and historic fine wine region in northern France with none other than legendary winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon of Louis Roederer (and Cristal).
And he tells us: 'The 21st century is changing everything.'
So what exactly is the 'new' Champagne all about? On the one hand, it's about admitting mistakes (sounds like the 60s and 70s have a lot to answer for). It's also about risk and the potential rewards for pioneers.
We make sure to have a couple of glasses of delicious Champagne wines to hand - entirely for educational purposes, of course. There's talk of drinking glass pyramids, still wines, scallops, happiness, a tornado and the move from non-vintage to multi-vintage (yes, we do explain).
Life is too short for bland champagne! Do you agree?!
Wine Blast Season 3 Episode 14 (originally published 11 Feb 2022)
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The Story of The Knight Who Invented Champagne Part 2
26 oktober 2026 · 53 min
We're in early-1600s Britain - wine is primitive, often adulterated, never sparkling. Glassmaking is rudimentary, religion is a hot potato - but business is brisk if you're a swashbuckling type with the ear of the king. The scene is set for a technological revolution comparable to that of the smartphone at the dawn of the 21st century...the result of which will be the invention of champagne as we know it today. Lees meer
We're midway through the story of The Knight Who Invented Champagne - as told by the book's author, Stephen Skelton MW, a viticultural consultant (and former sheep farmer) who recently helped Champagne Taittinger set up their English wine operation, Domaine Evremond.
In this second and concluding instalment, we meet Skelton's mysterious titular hero - Sir Kenelm Digby - as well as the likes of King James I, Admiral Sir Robert Mansell, and one Dr Christopher Merret, who (in a key piece of evidence from 1662) reveals that sugar is being added to wine to make it, 'drink brisk and sparkling.'
This all adds up to a seminal moment in wine history.
Yet this story is not as well known as it should be. Something we're putting right here. As well as touching on issues as wide-ranging as 'collops' of bacon, spasmodic rheumatic pains, The Oyster Lunch painting, an intense love affair, cider, Westminster Abbey, a small bomb, the origin of branding, punts and rams' scrotums.
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Use this link to find or buy Stephen's book: The Knight Who Invented Champagne
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Tim Spector UNCUT TASTER
19 oktober 2026 · 11 min
Prof Tim Spector OBE is world famous as a leading expert on the gut microbiome - and he tells us that drinking a range of red wines in moderation can be good for our health. So we like him. A lot. Lees meer
We interviewed Tim in February 2023 for our Wine and Your Microbiome episode (Season 4 Episode 13), a programme that generated national headlines for its eye-opening content.
But there was more to our discussion than what we were able to feature then so, as an exclusive subscriber-only bonus episode, this is the uncut interview in full.
It includes previously unaired things like how personal our microbiomes are, why we respond to food and drink in such individual ways, the hypothesis of different wines for different ailments, the effect of light on polyphenol production – plus, the red wine tasting Tim was forced to do at 11 in the morning in the hospital!
It's particularly relevant now given our recent Jaw Drop episode with dentist and Master of Wine Dr Ron Georgiou, where we touch on the oral microbiome as well as the gut microbiome. It also ties in our Life or Death? On Wine and Health episode from Season Six.
NB: This is a short taster of the full episode, which is available exclusively for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. So if you're interested in the microbiome, wine and health more generally, and what Dr Tim has to say, use this link to find out more or subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS.
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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The Story of The Knight Who Invented Champagne Part 1
12 oktober 2026 · 36 min
Let's get straight to it: did the Brits REALLY invent champagne? If so, what about Dom Pérignon and all that 'tasting stars' malarkey?! And how on earth can Kings, Shakespeare, Samuel Pepys, Galileo, the Gunpowder Plotters, the Armada, a mysterious knight, urinals, disembowelling and rams' scrotums all be part of the story??!! Lees meer
Joining us to tie all these seemingly disparate threads together, as well as clear up a whole lot of myths and misconceptions, is Stephen Skelton MW, author of The Knight Who Invented Champagne, the book this episode is based on.
Champagne isn't just a cool drink. It also has an astonishingly rich history behind it - including a technological revolution that Stephen compares to the advent of the smartphone four centuries later. After this episode, you'll never look at this bubbly elixir in the same way again.
This is a narrative two-parter - don't miss the second and concluding part of the story, which is OUT NOW for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers.
So if you'd like to listen to the next instalment right now, as well as support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The Magical Science of Taste (Season 3 Ep 15)
1 oktober 2026 · 6 min
NB: This is archive material first released February 2022 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season Three, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
Did you know that just changing the light and music can alter how you perceive a wine by up to 20%? Ever wondered why that bottle of holiday rosé was such a crushing disappointment when you got it home?
High-tempo music can make a dish taste more spicy - lower-pitch sounds bring out bitterness in wine. (Though, 'we can't turn water into wine musically...yet.') Rubbing velvet versus sandpaper can change how you perceive a wine's body. Even the microbiome in our gut and mouth can affect our perception of a wine.
Welcome to the curious world of Professor Charles Spence - experimental psychologist and one of the world's foremost experts in multisensory perception. He follows on from what the Italian Futurists pioneered in the 1930s (and they, according to Spence, 'recommended turning up to dinner parties in pyjamas made from satin, silk, velvet and sandpaper, and eating the food without cutlery by burying your face in the plate while rubbing your neighbour's jim-jams...')
This is the first in a series of programmes we'll be doing on wine and food. Before we launch into the delicious nitty-gritty, we wanted to understand the world of taste and flavour in more depth.
So here we dive into the world of smell, sound, touch, sight, taste, atmosphere, glassware, bottles, genetics - and the future.
In the mix are hyper-directional speakers and sound showers, 'spit-in-bag' dinners, parosmia, artificial reality and drinking liquid gold.
What Spence finds 'intriguing' are, 'those potentially transformative or magical experiences that you might get by combining wine with food or music.'
This is our kind of science - and this fascinating episode serves as t…
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JAW DROP: Wine and Your Mouth
28 september 2026 · 50 min
When we drink wine, we tend to focus on how it tastes, rather than what the wine is doing to our 'tasting gear' (mouth, teeth, tongue, gums, throat, saliva...even oral microbiome). Truth is, wine does have a pretty big impact on all that stuff - and, just as importantly, all that stuff can influence the way we taste wine too. Lees meer
Step forward Dr Ron Georgiou MW - a rare beast: dentist by day, Master of Wine by night. Like almost no one else, he can tell us what effect wine has on our mouths and teeth - and also, how we can keep our personal tasting apparatus in pristine condition so we can taste wine to the absolute max.
This is an eye-opening episode that every wine lover needs to hear. Wine can damage our mouths - but there are ways to mitigate or prevent the dangers. Plus, the top tips in this programme can help you become a better taster.
We also share our approach - plus how we'll be changing in the light of this episode. (We told you this podcast would change your life...)
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Rioja at 100: Stick or Twist? BONUS TASTER
21 september 2026 · 10 min
SUBSCRIBER BONUS TASTER: As Rioja turns 100, Spain's most famous wine region finds itself at a crossroads. Should it stick with tradition and what’s made it world famous? Or should it adapt and innovate, in order to appease the modernists and face up to climate change and shifting consumer trends? Lees meer
One memorable trip to Rioja and tons of tastings later, we sit down to get to grips with what Rioja even is these days, what it’s trying to do, what it’s getting right – and wrong. And along the way we make sure to highlight and recommend the kind of Riojan wines and producers getting us excited.
This episode is packed full of information, insight and opinion on what is one of the world's favourite wine regions - but which is changing fast.
NB: This is a short taster of the full episode, which is available exclusively for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. So if you're a fan of Rioja and want the lowdown plus our personal top tips, use this link to find out more or subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS.
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 links, photos and producer recommendations on our website show notes.
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Getting to know the Côtes de Bordeaux (Season 3 Ep 13)
17 september 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released January 2022 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season Three, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
They're hotbeds of innovation, experimentation, affordability and sustainability. For as much as they fly under the radar, the Côtes de Bordeaux are instigating and leading a dynamic kind of change in the world's largest fine wine region.
So what are the Côtes de Bordeaux? Where are they? And who are all these mostly family-run, smaller-scale producers who together produce 1 in 10 bottles of Bordeaux?
In this, the concluding instalment of our three-part sponsored mini-series on Bordeaux, we dive in to find out more about the intriguing world of the Côtes de Bordeaux. We hear from Bordeaux expert Jane Anson and chat to Pauline Lapierre of Château Haut-Rian, plus we recommend some great value wines along the way.
Wine Blast Season 3 Episode 13 (originally published 28 Jan 2022)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Bordeaux's White Bank (Season 3 Ep 4)
16 september 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released October 2021 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season Three, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
Did you know Bordeaux used to be mainly white, not red wine?
And that there's a universe of delicious diversity (and great value) to be discovered among the dry and sweet whites of Bordeaux (not forgetting the fizz)?
This is the second part in our mini-series in association with the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) and we dive headlong into the fascinating world of white Bordeaux. We talk to the brilliant Laure de Lambert Compeyrot of Chateau Sigalas Rabaud as well as 'renegade' winemaker Olivier Cazenave of Chateau de Bel. Bordeaux expert Jane Anson also makes a cameo appearance.
The episode also features the ULTIMATE breakfast cocktail (involving Sauternes and blood orange), masochism, robots, 'heavy metal' orange wine, the 2021 vintage, earthworms the size of snakes, rescuing Muscadelle, loving 'the game' and some amazing value wine tips.
By way of bonus, both Susie and Peter break into what might be loosely described as 'song' at different moments.
Wine Blast Season 3 Episode 4 (originally published 22 Oct 2021)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Bordeaux in 2021 (Season 2 Ep 19)
15 september 2026 · 4 min
NB: This is archive material first released July 2021 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season Two, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
Goats, amphorae, Whatsapp, wine aged in space, terroir, bats, non-fungible tokens and sexual confusion all crop up as we look beyond the Bordeaux stereotypes in a sponsored episode with the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB).
Sharing their expert views with us on the latest goings-on in the region are Bordeaux-based writer and critic Jane Anson (author of Inside Bordeaux) and Yann Todeschini of Château Mangot in St Emilion.
We discuss everything from sales to sustainability via soils, biodynamics, biodiversity (including why Châteaux Cheval Blanc and Lafite are ripping up vines to plant trees), orange wine, en primeur, the 2019 vs the 2020 vintage and experimental new grape varieties.
And there are plenty of top tips along the way for wines and producers that challenge preconceptions.
Wine Blast Season 2 Episode 19 (originally published 2 July 2021)
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Bordeaux on the Brink Part 2
14 september 2026 · 49 min
Bordeaux is a famous wine region currently beset by woes. The question is: where does it go from here? How can it harness its historic legacy and fighting spirit to get beyond the current crisis?! Lees meer
One man who has answers is Laurent David of Château Edmus. A former Apple chief (who launched the iphone into Europe), he's not afraid to ruffle feathers in the ultra-traditional Saint-Emilion neighbourhood, making de-alcoholised 'Grand Cru' (and gin with the offcuts), chillable 'claret' red and a wine 'for geeks'.
Laurent declares the en primeur system 'dead meat', and has adopted a wine club/direct sales model, inspired by Napa and Burgundy. He says Bordeaux producers need to be 'obsessive' about not only the product but also their customers.
'Wine has a mission in 2026/7', he declares: 'to reconnect people in real life.'
This is the second and concluding episode in our Bordeaux mini-series, in which we say what we think Bordeaux needs to do to reinvent itself (Susie even comes up with an alternative name suggestion for the contentious new 'claret' category...)
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Bordeaux on the Brink Part 1
8 september 2026 · 53 min
NB: this episode contains sensitive material, given we discuss suicide - see the links on our website show notes for help and more. Lees meer
Bordeaux is one of the most famous names in wine. Yet this jewel in the French wine crown has been having a wretched time of late, afflicted by a whole bunch of problems, from rampaging wildfires to plummeting consumption, land prices tanking, production plunging and general climate change chaos.
It's being described as the worst crisis for Bordeaux since phylloxera and the Great Depression - so no wonder producers are feeling the pressure, in some cases with tragic outcomes.
Bordeaux's proud vineyard is being severely pruned - down from 109,000 hectares in 2023 to 86,000 hectares in 2026, a severe contraction of more than 20% in just three frantic years. Olives, goji berries and apples are replacing vines.
'The landscape of Bordeaux is changing,' notes respected Bordeaux-based writer Chloé Cazaux Grandpierre, who has some eye-opening details to share in this episode about all these issues and more.
We also discuss how Bordeaux is responding to this crisis, including topics like the controversial new 'Bordeaux Claret' category, surprising innovations on the production front and wine tourism, in a concerted effort to craft a brighter future.
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Season 8 Trailer - inc Dolly Parton!
31 augustus 2026 · 6 min
Welcome back to Wine Blast! This short trailer ahead of Season 8 is a recap on what's been going on lately, and also what's coming up. It even features Dolly Parton and an apology - so well worth a few minutes of your time. Lees meer
We touch on our brand refresh (hope you like it!), archive tasters, our back catalogue (187 episodes to date, with 76 now subscriber-only), and plans to enhance the Wine Blast PLUS subscription club.
Coming up in Season 8 we're exploring Bordeaux, the importance of your palate, the invention of champagne, NOLO wine, the future of classic grape varieties, chillable reds and Britain’s Best Wine Visits. And that’s just for starters! It’s going to be an absolute blast and we can't wait to share all the fun with you.
Thanks for spending time with us, we really appreciate your time and support. Here's to you - and to wine. Cheers!
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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ARCHIVE TASTER: You asked, we answer!
23 augustus 2026 · 14 min
NB: This is archive material first released November 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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!
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 30 (originally published 18 Nov 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Making a Wine Festival Happen
23 augustus 2026 · 2 min
NB: This is archive material first released November 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.'
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 29 (originally published 5 Nov 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The BEST red wine grape is...
23 augustus 2026 · 7 min
NB: This is archive material first released October 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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).
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 28 (originally published 30 Oct 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Extinction, regeneration...wine?
23 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released October 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 27 (originally published 16 Oct 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Lock My Wine Down
23 augustus 2026 · 10 min
NB: This is archive material first released October 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 26 (originally published 8 Oct 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Chile Gets Cool
23 augustus 2026 · 10 min
NB: This is archive material first released September 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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!)
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 25 (originally published 22 Sept 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Judging Britain's Best Wines Part II
23 augustus 2026 · 7 min
NB: This is archive material first released September 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 24 (originally published 9 Sept 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The Hugh Johnson EXCLUSIVE!
22 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released September 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 23 (originally published 1 Sept 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Wine 4 Lebanon
22 augustus 2026 · 13 min
NB: This is archive material first released August 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 22 (originally published 20 Aug 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Judging Britain's Best Wines Part I
22 augustus 2026 · 2 min
NB: This is archive material first released August 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 21 (originally published 7 Aug 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Are You Serving Wine All Wrong?
22 augustus 2026 · 8 min
NB: This is archive material first released July 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 20 (originally published 21 July 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The BEST rosé EVER?!
22 augustus 2026 · 12 min
NB: This is archive material first released July 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 19 (originally published 9 July 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The change in Spain
22 augustus 2026 · 8 min
NB: This is archive material first released June 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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!
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 18 (originally published 23 June 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Viva Italia!
22 augustus 2026 · 11 min
NB: This is archive material first released June 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 17 (originally published 17 June 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The Pig, The Pink and The Popstar
22 augustus 2026 · 8 min
NB: This is archive material first released June 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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?
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 16 (originally published 8 June 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Riesling and the Doctor
21 augustus 2026 · 11 min
NB: This is archive material first released June 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 15 (originally published 2 June 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Cheering up with Champagne and Syrah
21 augustus 2026 · 3 min
NB: This is archive material first released May 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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!
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 14 (originally published 19 May 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Breaking Burgundy
21 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released May 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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…)
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 13 (originally published 13 May 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: The BEST white wine grape is...
21 augustus 2026 · 9 min
NB: This is archive material first released May 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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...
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 12 (originally published 6 May 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Cape Fears
21 augustus 2026 · 4 min
NB: This is archive material first released late April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 11 (originally published 29 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Torn in the USA
21 augustus 2026 · 7 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 10 (originally published 24 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Michelin Meals on Wheels
21 augustus 2026 · 6 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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...
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 9 (originally published 22 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: China's hangover
21 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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).
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 8 (originally published 17 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Paul Hobbs in California
20 augustus 2026 · 4 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 7 (originally published 15 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Help 4 Hospitality
20 augustus 2026 · 7 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
How wine supplier Berkmann is tearing up the rule book to help stricken restaurants – and buying director Alex Hunt MW 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…
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 6 (originally published 10 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Singapore locks down
20 augustus 2026 · 6 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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 left-field and pretty indulgent. This episode even comes with a free book download…
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 5 (originally published 8 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Emotions run high in Chile
20 augustus 2026 · 6 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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 dusted before any further restrictions are announced. She also reveals her ideal quarantine wine…
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 4 (originally published 3 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Domaine of the Bee
20 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released April 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 3 (originally published 1 April 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Wait, wine can be a career?!
20 augustus 2026 · 5 min
NB: This is archive material first released March 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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.
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 2 (originally published 29 March 2020)
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Australia on Fire
20 augustus 2026 · 3 min
NB: This is archive material first released March 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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').
Wine Blast Season 1 Episode 1 (originally published 28 March 2020)
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ARCHIVE: Season One Trailer
20 augustus 2026 · 2 min
NB: This is archive material first released March 2020 and re-published here as a teaser for Wine Blast Season One, which is available in full to Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. To find out more or sign up to enjoy the full range of member benefits, including archive access, follow this link to Wine Blast PLUS. Cheers! Lees meer
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
Wine Blast Season 1 Trailer (originally published 28 March 2020)
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Wine Travel - The Inside Steer
17 augustus 2026 · 49 min
Wine travel is a BIG THING right now. Everyone's at it. Wine tourism typically accounts for around a quarter of your average winery's revenue these days. It's predicted to generate US$138 billion by 2033. One producer says it's going to 'save' wine. People are excited - and intrigued. So what's the story? Lees meer
This episode is your inside steer on how to do wine travel right. First things first: where best to go, from headliners like Napa, Douro, Stellenbosch and Rioja to lesser-known gems like Slovenia, Elqui and Aosta.
And then there are questions like: how to wangle your way into iconic producers who aren't normally open to the public? How to avoid falling asleep in your soup or falling out with your travelling companions? What are the best wine festivals and events? What's the proper visiting etiquette and wardrobe?!
Providing fascinating answers and all kind of useful tips and insights is wine travel guru Cindy-Marie Harvey (of Love Wine Food). We throw our two cents into the pot, plus we seek advice from an anonymous source inside an 'iconic' wine producer. Cloak and dagger!
Thanks for tuning in to our Season 7 finale. We love to hear from you (including, for example, with your suggestions of top wine travel destinations or events) so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe.
You can find all details from this episode, including thought-provoking listings of wine destinations and events, plus Susie's 'How To' video on spitting, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E34 - Wine Travel: The Inside Steer
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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News + GB Wine Update & Tips
27 juli 2026 · 47 min
Stalin's Wine Cellar has been found...Wine seems to be better for you than other booze (even when it comes to keeping men looking young)...Gen Z aren't shunning alcohol, as feared...Why GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are bad news for wine...And how Joan of Arc may have enjoyed a cheeky taste of Pinot Noir. Lees meer
We discuss all this and more in our regular news recap - as well as engaging in our usual Guess the Missing Word in the Wine Headline tomfoolery.
We also give a short tribute to Sam Neill: outstanding actor, brilliant wine grower, and wonderful human being who will be much missed.
Also in this episode is an update on English and Welsh wine, given we're fresh from co-chairing the WineGB Awards 2026, so full of insights and top wine tips after tasting some 380 UK wines blind.
We highlight some of our favourites from the tasting, especially those majoring on good value for money (NB: not the same thing as cheap).
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 all details from this episode, including a full list of wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E33 - News + GB Wine Update & Tips
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Pays d'Oc Part 2 - Future Proofing
13 juli 2026 · 57 min
Pays d'Oc wine was created in response to a French wine crisis in the mid-20th century - fast forward half a century and another crisis is facing the world of wine. Lees meer
So can the innovative, forward-thinking, 'iconoclastic' spirit that's at the heart of the Pays d'Oc category help not only French wine but also the wider wine world?!
That's what we're exploring in this second and concluding part of our Pays d'Oc mini-series, hearing from leading local producers like Maison Le Breton, Domaine Gayda, Ricardelle de Lautrec and Domaine de Sauzet.
We're talking things like agroforestry, ancestral varieties, light-weighting, chillable reds, PIWIs, wine tourism, funky blends, lower alcohol wine - and the importance of fun. We even meet a handsome rooster along the way...
Thanks to Pays d'Oc IGP for sponsoring this mini-series and thanks 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 all details from this episode, including links, wine recommendations and photos, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E32: Pays d'Oc Part 2 - Future Proofing
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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Pays d'Oc Part 1 - Land of the Free
29 juni 2026 · 51 min
We're on the road again. This time, diving into Pays d'Oc IGP - we're talking scenic southern France, and a little-known but intriguing origin story involving California, Algeria, violence, desperation, stubborn visionaries...and victory rescued from the jaws of defeat. Oh, and 'Liberté!' Lees meer
Helping us paint the picture are Jacques Gravegeal (an exclusive interview, rare for an English language show), Olivier Simonou and Gerard Bertrand. Fascinating people, all with a unique story to tell.
From a standing start in 1987, Pays d'Oc IGP now sells around 21 bottles every second across 170+ countries. It's a stunning (and rare) vinous success story, and one that's transformed the fortunes not just of an entire region, but also a national treasure in the shape of French wine.
In this programme, we get to grips with how it all came about, the challenges involved in making it happen, and the exciting recent developments for a category where innovation 'is in the DNA'. Thanks to Pays d'Oc IGP for sponsoring and giving us unique behind-the-scenes access.
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 all details from this episode, including links, maps and photos, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E31: Pays d'Oc Part 1 - Land of the Free
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown TEASER
19 juni 2026 · 11 min
SUBSCRIBER BONUS TASTER: 27 wines - 18 top tasters - an epic blind tasting featuring just one grape: Chardonnay. From all around the world - Grand Cru Burgundy to vintage champagne via Western Australia, Sonoma County and even Japan. Lees meer
Who would be the big winners? And, more importantly, why?!
That's what we're getting into in this intriguing subscriber-only bonus episode on The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown blind tasting at the London Wine Fair 2026. We were both privileged to be part of the stellar judging panel - so what were our considered thoughts, did we agree with the overall results...and did we even agree with each other?!
Seasoned listeners may already have an instinct where this one is heading...suffice it to say there are opinions aplenty, some consensus but also a fair amount of healthy disagreement. Ultimately, hopefully, it all makes for an informative and thought-provoking episode about one of our (and the world's) favourite grape varieties.
NB: This is a short taster of the full episode, which is available exclusively for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. Use this link to find out more or subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS.
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 details from this episode, including photos and the full wine list, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E30: The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown
Instagram: @susieandpeter
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The Judgement of Paris 50 Years On
15 juni 2026 · 46 min
Fifty years on from the historic Paris tasting that revolutionised wine - what's changed? And what will that mean for the next 50 years?! Lees meer
Those are the searching questions we're asking (and attempting to answer) in this special episode to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976 where unknown Californian wines triumphed against the French greats in the centre of the wine universe at the time, the capital of France.
We're re-telling the story behind that momentous event - partly to clear up some misconceptions that still persist, and partly because it's just a damn good story. (Proof of that being all the many articles and books on the subject - not to mention the Hollywood film, Bottle Shock, and now even an opera...)
We're helped in this task by Chateau Montelena CEO Bo Barrett, who adds his eye-witness testimony, trademark good humour and intriguing insights to the tale.
But this episode isn't just a re-hashing of events half a century ago. We're also exploring the modern realities and future trends of wine. If this kind of tasting happened today, who would win, and who would lose? How has the world (and wine world) changed since 1976? How does that go beyond the US and France? And what can that tell us about the future of wine?
Helping us root our thoughts in informed reality are two ambitious tasting we were lucky enough to participate in: the Greatest Chardonnay Showdown at the London Wine Fair 2026, and the IWFS Judgement +50 (among a few others). The results of which...are intriguing.
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 all details from this episode, including links, references and photos, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E29 - The Judgement of Paris 50 Years On
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free rel…