Wine. In a can. A hellish reality of tinny plonk? Or a convenient, eco-friendly, fun new format that's the future for wine? 

This is fun one, because our adventure starts with comedy legend (and proud French snob) Marcel Lucont. We're not only treated to an epic live rendition of his scabrous poem 'Wine in a Can' (compulsory listening for any wine lover) but also his delicious musings on wine and life more generally - including Beaujolais for breakfast.

After picking ourselves up off the floor, we try to regain some dignity as we ask three questions: Is canned wine any good? Why should we buy it, if at all? And which ones are best?

We exclusively reveal the results of a blind taste test by two Masters of Wine (ie us) to see if we can spot the difference between the same wine from a bottle and a can. And we report the highlights from a mega-tasting of 77 canned wines, giving a definitive verdict on this fast-moving scene.

Along the way we hear from fellow Master of Wine Richard Kelley (The Liberator), Brixton Wine Club founder Louisa Payne and Morris Carr of 'craft winery' Attimo. And don't worry, we do ask the BIG questions. Like: is it OK to swig wine straight from the can? And is there a place for straws in this equation?!

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E14 - Wine in a Can

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Appellations are wine regions with rules, normally associated with Europe. So how come an enviably free-wheeling, super successful region like New Zealand's Marlborough has felt the need to develop Appellation Marlborough Wine?

We put this question and more to Ben Glover, renowned winemaker and proud Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) member. He talks about, 'ripping the beige quilt off Marlborough' and his distaste for 'mediocrity'. 

We also have fun playing around with AMW's jazzy new interactive wine map, tasting along to bring the geography to life through a set of delicious Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. (You can do the same too!) 

Thanks to Appellation Marlborough Wine for sponsoring this episode and once again allowing us to taste and talk about one of our all-time favourite wine regions. We also touch on things as diverse as pastoral shows, the Model T Ford in black, springtime fireworks, scripture, swamps, growing pains, snow peas, 'corrupt acidity' and dancing a merry jig...

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E13 - Appellation Marlborough Wine

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Wine and other booze are under attack like seldom before, from many sides: moralists, the media, health authorities citing dubious studies... So it's high time we reminded ourselves why wine is important, the many values and benefits it has, and what we can all do to challenge these pernicious narratives.

Don't worry. This isn't some dry treatise or frothy-mouthed rant. We are privileged to have acclaimed authority Karen MacNeil (author of The Wine Bible, no less) making the case for wine eloquently and persuasively. 

But Karen doesn't stop there. She's letting her actions speak louder than words by launching two global wine advocacy campaigns - Come Over October and Share & Pair Sundays - aimed at encouraging people to come together over a glass of wine and promoting conviviality, sociability and fun. 

For wine lovers, it's time to stand up and be counted. In this show we explore why, and also touch on things as diverse as jugs of vodka, joyful companions, The Simpsons, and just how useless Masters of Wine can be. French nun Sister André crops up - and we have some great pairing suggestions involving cheese on toast and fried chicken.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E12 - Why Wine Matters

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Western Australia's Margaret River is renowned as one of the world's foremost fine wine hotspots. But it only got started in 1967, so how has it built that reputation so fast? What makes this place unique? Why is it called, 'wine utopia' as well as, 'the best hangover cure known to man'?!

Join us as we go behind the scenes with a star-studded list of Margaret River wine royalty, from Cape Mentelle to Cloudburst via Vasse Felix, Cullen, Moss Wood, Xanadu, Voyager, McHenry Hohnen and Larry Cherubino. 

We talk elegant Cabernet and savoury Chardonnay (plus the odd bit of Savagnin), also touching on things as diverse as Alfred Hitchcock, space invaders, Formula One, Tall Poppy syndrome, kangaroos, transparency, margaritas, radiometrics, raucous birds and short shorts. We even take a moment to appreciate a bit of opera...

This is a sponsored episode in conjunction with Western Australian government and industry - the second in a two-parter mini series (check out our episode on the Great Southern to get the first instalment).

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E11 - Margaret River Finds its Voice

Instagram: @susieandpeter

What the hell...where the hell...is the Great Southern?! That's what most people say. Which is why Peter got on a plane and braved fires, snakes and Vegemite to bring you this story of what is arguably Western Australia's best kept secret.

Remote? Undoubtedly. Rural? Positively. Hugely exciting for the elegant, refined, often under-valued Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Shiraz...even Grenache and Mourvedre?! You betcha.

So join us on this thrilling journey of discovery, where we paint a soundscape as well as a taste map, and meet wonderful wine personalities who talk us through weird and wonderful things from cuddles to Wonderbras, emperor penguins, the X-factor, shade cloth, resplendence and knitting.

Interviewees include Tom Wisdom, Mike Garland (Plantagenet), Erin Larkin, Guy Lyons (Forest Hill), Patrick Corbett (Singlefile), Matt Swinney and Rob Mann (Swinney), Marelize Russouw (Alkoomi), Larry Cherubino and Sid the dog. Our thanks to the Western Australian government and industry for sponsoring this mini-series, whose final and concluding episode is on Margaret River.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E10 - Don't Know Western Australia's Great Southern? You Should

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Why does wine taste the way it does? Why does Cabernet smell like blackcurrant? Or Syrah like pepper? Or Beaujolais like...bananas?!

In this intriguing show our genial, white-coated guide is wine chemist and sensory scientist Gus Zhu, the first Chinese Master of Wine. As he says, 'Behind every glass of wine, there is science.'

In terms of chemistry, wine is one of the most complex solutions on the planet. Not only that, but human senses are notoriously complicated and variable. It all makes answering the question of why wine tastes the way it does...quite tricky.

But do not fear - there's plenty to learn and enjoy in this episode, and we touch on things as varied as flowers, cigarettes, farting, petrol, AI, soap, saliva, whisky, urine and strawberry-flavoured yoghurt.

NB: you can get 15% off Gus' brilliant new book (Behind the Glass: The Chemical and Sensorial Terroir of Wine Tasting) by using the code WINEBLAST15 at www.academieduvinlibrary.com

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E9 - Lessons in Wine Chemistry

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Is it a white? Is it a red?! Is it a rosé??!!

Or is our WINE OF THE YEAR none (or all) of the above...because it is, quite simply, pure gold?

Welcome to our Wines of the Year show, an annual favourite where we look back over the past year, not always entirely seriously, and raise many a glass in the process.

We recap on key news, play Guess the Missing Word in the Wine Headline, share listener input...and then recommend the wines which have made the biggest impression on us this year, from a great value red and white pair, a left-field fizz, a hot-shot producer of the year...culminating in a truly epic Wine of the Year.

Along the way we talk robots, beefing up Burgundy, tipsy shrews, BBQ sauce, dinosaurs, sherry trifle, Beethoven, childish protests and a long-dead Roman.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E8 - Our Wines of the Year (2024)

Instagram: @susieandpeter

There's a revolution going on in the vineyards. It's coming to a glass near you soon. And it could change the world of wine forever.

We're talking super vines. Bionic vines. PIWIs. Resistant vines. Hybrids. TEA vines - the new generation, 'assisted evolution' kit. Whatever you want to call them - there's a new breed of grape vines spreading fast all over the wine world, from Champagne to Piedmont, fuelled by the urgent need to reduce vineyard treatments and face up to climate change.

In this show we talk to wine growers and researchers at the cutting edge of this fast-evolving field - Nicola Biasi, Dr Riccardo Velasco, Professor Mario Pezzotti and Hugo Drappier. If that isn't enough, we also have some BREAKING NEWS for you.

The criticism often levelled at PIWI or resistant vines is that they don't make very nice wines. We challenge that notion with a tasting of our own - which includes some great value recommendations you can try out too (including a £6 bargain at Tesco...)

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E7 - The Vines of the Future

Instagram: @susieandpeter

This show's got everything. It's got deliciously unexpected wine discoveries. It's got live music. It's even got a donkey. You can't ask for more than that.

As for how that all comes together...well, you'll just have to listen, won't you?!

This episode's all about Portugal's white wines, the best of which are astonishingly good and different and worthwhile (and, relatively speaking, inexpensive). Join us as we explore why this is, from Vinho Verde to the Douro, Dão, Alentejo and beyond, with the help of top-notch producers Tiago Mendes and Daniel Niepoort, plus plenty of open bottles.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E6 - Portugal's Great Whites

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Ladybug poo. Cheesy feet. Mould. Boiled eggs. Cabbage. Drains. Vomit. Nail varnish remover. Dead mouse...

Yes, you can find all these noxious aromas in a glass of wine. They are very real - and in this episode we put our bodies on the line as we blind taste through all these horrors and more, to answer the big questions and ensure you know your stuff. (Because life is too short for faulty wine.)

So what are the main wine faults? How can you spot them? Is it true some are becoming more common? Why do they happen? What can you do about it? And dead mouse...really??!!

The answers may surprise and shock you. We have Dutch sensory scientist Sietze Wijma in the hot-seat, serving us wines spiked with taints to bring these faults to life. We give our six Top Wine Taint Tips - and explain how to check your wine properly. Which, as we reveal, can actually be a matter of life and death.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E5 - Tainted Love: Wine Faults

Instagram: @susieandpeter

China has the world's third biggest vineyard and a long history with fermentation and booze. So what's Chinese wine like? Why do we not see more of it outside China? And why are some people predicting big things for Chinese wine in the future?

Answers to all this and more flow thick and fast in this intriguing episode, the result of Susie's recent wine trip to China during which she sat down to record with expert insiders Li Demei and Natalie Wang. We also taste several Chinese wines and deliver our verdict on where the country's wines are right now. Ultimately, we ask: is this an inflection point for Chinese wine?

Along the way we discuss things as varied as burying vines, baijiu, karaoke, geopolitical hot potatoes, Marselan, heavy bottles, 'half-juice', poetry, pandas, pigswill, pricing and horses on travellators...

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E4 - Chinese Wine: What's the Deal?

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Consider this our call to arms for wine. Where we grapple heroically with the thorny issue of wine and health, calling out misinformation and over-reach, and learn that the truth is always complex, potentially positive - but often mis-represented. This makes us angry and frustrated. And you should feel the same too.

You may also feel confused or jaded by this topic. Understandably so. But join us and we will hopefully clear things up AND imbue you with renewed vigour to fight the good fight. Because this is about things we all hold dear - freedom, fairness and our health and personal pleasure. For wine lovers, this is not a time to stay silent.

Helping us shed light on this contentious topic are Christopher Snowdon from the Institute of Economic Affairs and Dr Laura Catena, former emergency physician in San Francisco, now head of respected Argentine winery Catena Zapata. Also cited are Tim Stockwell, Sir David Spiegelhalter, Kenneth Mukamal, Eric B Rimm and Edward Slingerland.

Along the way we talk dogs, megaphones, the J-shaped curve, bacon sandwiches, zombie arguments and quantifying joy. We even find time to recommend some delicious wines.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E3 - Life or Death? On Wine and Health

Instagram: @susieandpeter

A hop, skip and jump away from Sydney, the Hunter Valley is renowned as the birthplace of Australian wine. And yet this is far from ideal wine territory: hot, sticky, often stormy. So how did this tiny wine region come to play such an outsize role in Ozzie wine’s history and evolution?

Join us to find out why as we chew the cud with Hunter legend Bruce Tyrrell (sample quote: ‘I’m the luckiest man in the wine industry’) and winemaker Xanthe Hatcher (‘The Hunter’s a region of extremes…’) We touch on everything from French pick-pockets to oysters and, 'oblivion for a dollar fifty'.

We explore how Hunter Semillon became an idiosyncratic global classic whose naturally low alcohol, refreshing, distinctive and food-friendly style paradoxically mean it’s well suited to the wine drinkers of today. (But it wasn’t always going to be this way – at one stage the wines had enough acidity, ‘to take the enamel off your teeth!’)

And we also look beyond Semillon to other Hunter staples like Chardonnay and Shiraz as well as future bets like Fiano.

Thanks to the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association and Wine Australia for sponsoring this episode. As ever, all opinions and recommendations are entirely our own. 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 contact info, together with all details from this episode including full wine recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E2 - Hunter Valley: History to High Jinks

Instagram: @susieandpeter

It's a biggie. Our Chile Wines of the Year 2024 - a celebration and exploration of this slender South American nation's wines. And what's coming up may surprise you. So if you think you know Chilean wine - be prepared to think again.

We discuss vineyards planted before the French revolution, sensational value Pinot Noir (the holy grail!), flor-aged Semillon, a Pinot Gris inspired by the great orange wines of Friuli, wines you 'eat' rather than drink and old-vine País made, 'as if it were the finest Pinot Noir from Burgundy'.

We hear from Chilean wine luminaries including Felipe Marin, Ricardo Baettig, Ana María Cumsille, François Massoc, Eduardo Chadwick, Matías Ríos and Edgard Carter. (Told you it was big.) There's plenty of opinion, insight, top tips. Even the odd 'light-house wine' and inflection point.

Oh, and we also blow our own trumpets a bit after this podcast WON THE 67 PALL MALL GLOBAL WINE COMMUNICATOR AWARD!!

In case you're wondering, in this programme we also explain what this Chile Wines of the Year thing is. Essentially, we've chosen just over 100 wines to showcase just how diverse, delicious, fun, funky and fine modern Chilean wine is. We've also selected a few brilliant producers and wines for top awards.

This episode is produced in association with Wines of Chile. Please do also check out the accompanying Chile Wines of the Year 2024 report, packed full of information, opinion, ratings and top tips, which is free to download from our website via this link: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E1 - Chile Wines of the Year 2024

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @susieandpeter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @susieandpeter

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Wine brings pleasure. But for some it can also prove painful. Red wine is particularly problematic for a proportion of the population, with just a few mouthfuls bringing on swift and excruciating headaches.

Now scientists think they may finally be on to why. In lab experiments, they've identified a compound in red wine that impedes the breakdown of alcohol by the liver and causes a build-up of toxic acetaldehyde in the bloodstream. Human trials are still needed for confirmation - but these are exciting findings.

In this episode, we discuss these results with the scientists behind them: Professor Andrew Waterhouse and Dr Apramita Devi from the University of California, Davis.

As for the BIG question - which red wines might be safer for sufferers - there's good news. The experts actually recommend cheap rather than pricey red wines. Yes, you read that right: the boffins are endorsing the bargains! We explain why as well as providing some top tips for bargain basement reds - we also touch on the tantalising prospect of how this research may help us understand hangovers too.

A final note: research like this costs money and yet neither governments nor big companies want to fund it (a crying shame). As a result, the team at UC Davis has launched a Crowdfunder. If you'd like to contribute, or find out more, click here: Red Wine Headaches Project

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E22 - Red Wine Headaches: A Eureka Moment?

Instagram: @susieandpeter

If Rías Baixas is famous for one thing, it's characterful, invigorating white wine based on the superstar Albariño grape - described in this episode by one winemaker as a variety that can take you, 'from the swimming pool to the Michelin-starred restaurant.'

Its blossoming popularity over recent decades has given rise to imitators all around the wine world - so what is it that makes Rías Baixas Albariño special, and why? Is there more to the story than just Albariño here? Who's doing exciting things? And what does the future hold?

In this second and concluding part of our two-parter, sponsored by DO Rías Baixas, we ask the big questions of key growers including Vicky Mareque (Pazo Señorans), Isabel Salgado (Fillaboa), Lúcia Barbosa (Adegas Galegas), Lucia Freire (Santiago Ruiz) and Natalia Rodríguez (Señorío de Rubiós). We also feature a number of outstanding wines, from Fillaboa's 1898 to Selección de Añada (2014 and 2003) by Señorans.

We cover everything from terroir, subzones, blends, experimentation, oak, climate change, competition and more. Peter goes on a breathless wander and at one point comes up with the line: 'You've been Albariñoed!' You need to listen to get the full context...

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E21 - Rías Baixas: Albariño with Attitude

Instagram: @susieandpeter

What do bagpipes, rain, witches, pilgrimage, lampreys and Albariño all have in common? Not much really - but they are all featured in this episode on Rías Baixas, the intriguing wine region in north-west Spain famous for its seafood, verdant landscapes and refreshing, brine-tinged white wines.

Historically, this was always a remote region of hardy fishermen and misty hillsides. But since the 1980s a wine revolution has been taking place, majoring on a distinctive style of Albariño we wine drinkers have lapped up, and propelling the official appellation vineyard from a tiny 237 hectares in 1987 to 4,480 hectares today.

In this first instalment of a sponsored two-parter with DO Rías Baixas, we get a feel for the place, its people, history, food and wines. We explore the region's famous whites, recommending some as we go, but also explore the lesser known reds and sparkling wines.

Peter has a run-in with a sea urchin and a particularly pungent lamprey stew, and we hear from Stephanie Schilling (Santiago Ruiz), Susana Pérez (Pazo San Mauro), Fernando Oubiña (Mariscos Laureano), Natalia Rodríguez (Señorío de Rubiós), and Lúcia Barbosa (Adegas Galegas).

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E20 - Rías Baixas: Mists, Myths and Mariscos

Instagram: @susieandpeter

How and why is the global wine scene in a bit of a state? Why is wine threatened by weight-loss drugs and smartphones? Does drinking high quality wine make you happier - and does light drinking increase longevity?

This is our periodic programme where we catch up on the more intriguing wine news,  pondering everything from weighty matters (as above) but also touching on lighter-hearted fare. Such as an Italian restaurant  offering diners free wine in exchange for locking away their phones, an airport planning to build a vineyard on its roof, and  whether cling film removes cork taint...

We also play our very fun 'Guess the Word in the Wine Headline' game (sommeliers,  divorce and Merlot in the bath feature this time round). Plus, we recap on all the reaction and headlines following our Light Strike pod. And we hear your views and questions, which lead us to talk about Ukraine, a potential Wine Blast cookbook, orange wine and the SWEATS (not what you think - but still scandalous).

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Particularly since in this episode we ask you what quirky wine slang you use in your house (and what it means) and what wine you'd pair with which household activity (the quirkier the better). Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E19 - News & Views

Instagram: @susieandpeter

There's a new wave of English and Welsh wine producers disrupting the neat and tidy order of the classic UK wine scene. Guerrilla producers - cool kids who aren't afraid to go off-piste and craft dangerous, divisive wines packed full of quirks and kinks. Their attitude? It's better to be naughty than nice. As one winemaker says - he wants to make, 'wines with a cheeky smile.'

In this wide-ranging episode we dive headlong into this world of creativity, experimentation and free thinking. Our journey takes us from wines made under a London railway arch to sheep savaging vines in a Welsh hillside - and we taste everything from orange wines to pet nat, col fondo, 'grower' English fizz and, 'purple Welsh bubbles.'

Interviewed in this episode are Tommy Grimshaw (Langham), Susan and James Kinsey-Jones (Whinyard Rocks), Jose Quintana (Vagabond) and Sergio Verrillo (Blackbook). Also featured are producers Domaine Hugo, Westwell, The Wharie Experience and Ancre Hill.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E18 - UK Wine's Counterculture

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Not many wines ascend to the status of 'icon'. But Sassicaia is one of them.

The beauty is that it's not a flashy wine - quite the opposite ('old school' might be a more appropriate description). What's more, its ascent to the wine stratosphere is largely accidental - this scented, elegant Bordeaux blend from Bolgheri in coastal Tuscany was only ever intended as a quaffing wine for friends and family on the Tenuta San Guido estate, a farm initially dedicated to breeding horses, growing crops and a wildlife reserve.

How times change. In this episode, we peek behind the scenes of Sassicaia, asking what really makes this fine wine tick, talking to the key people, tasting the top vintages, busting myths and asking the difficult questions. Price is one - it's gone up significantly of late. Fraud is another - Italian police recently broke up a gang running a fake Sassicaia operation to the tune of €2m. Priscilla Inchisa della Rochetta, Brett Flemming and Nicolas Clerc MS shed light on all these issues and more.

Along the way, we recommend our all-time favourite Sassicaia vintages, and touch on things like the 'secret' Sassicaia, The Divine Comedy, sommeliers kissing each other, Desperate Dan, World Cup penalties, Italian stallions and lobster pie.

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E17 - Sassicaia: The Insider's Guide.

Instagram: @susieandpeter

It's called 'The Grenaissance'.

This exhilarating revival of the grape variety known as Garnacha in Spain and Grenache in France, once the world's fourth most widely planted wine grape, which has gone from workhorse to show pony in the blink of an eye. How come? What's changed? Who's leading the charge and fuelling the new wave? And what's this we hear about inherent suitability vis a vis climate change?!

We ask all these questions and more, focusing on the epicentre of Grenache renaissance: Spain. We hear from leading Spanish wine lights Sara Perez, Fernando Mora, Alvaro Palacios and Norrel Robertson, among others. A fair few delicious recommendations litter the chat, during which we also dwell on love, diamonds, mastication, stems, Samurai - and the will of the cosmos.

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 more info, together with all details from this episode including on the wines, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E16 - Going Gaga for Garnacha.

Instagram: @susieandpeter

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram: @susieandpeter