The Chronicle
Susie Barrie and Peter Richards MW
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- Wine Blast with Susie and PeterHost· podcast
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- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
Tim Spector UNCUT TASTER
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. 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 or
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
The Story of The Knight Who Invented Champagne Part 1
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??!! 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 Champa gne, 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 lik
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: The Magical Science of Taste (Season 3 Ep 15)
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! 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 fol
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
JAW DROP: Wine and Your Mouth
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. 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
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Rioja at 100: Stick or Twist? BONUS TASTER
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? 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 . T
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Getting to know the Côtes de Bordeaux (Season 3 Ep 13)
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! 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 rec
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Bordeaux's White Bank (Season 3 Ep 4)
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! 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 ora
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Bordeaux in 2021 (Season 2 Ep 19)
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! 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 var
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Bordeaux on the Brink Part 2
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?! 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 a
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
Bordeaux on the Brink Part 1
NB: this episode contains sensitive material, given we discuss suicide - see the links on our website show notes for help and more. 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
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
Season 8 Trailer - inc Dolly Parton!
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. 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 o
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Judging Britain's Best Wines Part II
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! 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: Chile Gets Cool
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! 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
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Lock My Wine Down
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! 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
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Extinction, regeneration...wine?
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! 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) w
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: The BEST red wine grape is...
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! 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
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Making a Wine Festival Happen
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! 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)
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: You asked, we answer!
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! 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 me
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Judging Britain's Best Wines Part I
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! 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
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Wine 4 Lebanon
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! 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: The Hugh Johnson EXCLUSIVE!
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! 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
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: The Pig, The Pink and The Popstar
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! 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 not
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Viva Italia!
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! 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 change in Spain
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! 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: The BEST rosé EVER?!
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! 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
- podcast· Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
ARCHIVE TASTER: Are You Serving Wine All Wrong?
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! 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 enjoye
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Breaking Burgundy
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! 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…) Wi
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Cheering up with Champagne and Syrah
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! 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
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ARCHIVE TASTER: Riesling and the Doctor
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! 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).
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ARCHIVE TASTER: China's hangover
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! 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)