Wine Blast with Susie and Peter
Wine Blast is a wine podcast hosted by Susie and Peter, married Masters of Wine and experienced broadcasters. They bring wine to life with interviews, food tips, listener questions, and gentle bickering. The award-winning podcast has been featured in international press and has over a million downloads. Wine Blast PLUS offers exclusive bonus content and early access for subscribers.
Episodes
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 dis
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 thre
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
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,
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 Rio
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 sustaina
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&apo
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 an
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 neighb
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 g
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 Wi
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 be
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 Fest
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 repl
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 b
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
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
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 epi
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
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
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 a
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
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
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-of
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
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 h
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
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 lo
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 lockd
ARCHIVE TASTER: The BEST white wine grape is...
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!We asked a simple question on social media: what are your top 3 grape varieties for w
ARCHIVE TASTER: Cape Fears
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!South African wine is in turmoil. The government has banned the sale and expor
ARCHIVE TASTER: Torn in the USA
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!Bartholomew Broadbent is a wine importer on the eastern US seaboard and he has seen
ARCHIVE TASTER: Michelin Meals on Wheels
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!What to do with a Michelin-starred restaurant that was due to close down shortly af
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-b
ARCHIVE TASTER: Paul Hobbs in California
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!Flying winemaker Paul Hobbs can’t fly. As one of the foremost globe-trotting wine c
ARCHIVE TASTER: Help 4 Hospitality
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!How wine supplier Berkmann is tearing up the rule book to help stricken restaurants
ARCHIVE TASTER: Singapore locks down
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!As Singapore goes into lockdown, renowned writer and publisher Poh Tiong Ch'ng
ARCHIVE TASTER: Emotions run high in Chile
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!In our second Wine Survival Guide, we chat with Chilean winemaker Viviana Navarrete
ARCHIVE TASTER: Domaine of the Bee
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!The first of our Wine Survival Guides – small antidotes to the current coronavirus
ARCHIVE TASTER: Wait, wine can be a career?!
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!Wine is many things to many people. But credible career path (or second career) isn
ARCHIVE TASTER: Australia on Fire
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!The catastrophic bushfires of early 2020 were a traumatic reminder of the ongoing c
ARCHIVE: Season One Trailer
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!Hello! We’re going to drive you to drink. (In the very best way possible, of course
Wine Travel - The Inside Steer
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?This episode is your inside steer on how to do wine travel
News + GB Wine Update & Tips
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.We discuss all this and more in our regular news recap - as well as engaging in our usual
Pays d'Oc Part 2 - Future Proofing
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. 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 thi
Pays d'Oc Part 1 - Land of the Free
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!'Helping us paint the picture are Jacques Gravegeal (an exclusive interview, rare for a
The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown TEASER
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.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 Cha
The Judgement of Paris 50 Years On
Fifty years on from the historic Paris tasting that revolutionised wine - what's changed? And what will that mean for the next 50 years?!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
Natural Wine RELOADED
Is natural wine dead? Or is it thriving? What even IS natural wine these days?! Most importantly, what's next for this multi-faceted yet misunderstood category? Helping us answer these searching questions are writer and winemaker Rachel Signer, journalist Simon J Woolf and wine producer Ben Walgate. We also indulge in a bit of impassioned debate between the two of us - this being a particular
Adelaide Hills: Lofty Ambitions
Buckle up, we're heading back out into wine country, this time to the intriguing Adelaide Hills wine region in South Australia. It gets talked about a lot - but what's it really all about?Is it all about piercing, textural Chardonnay? Or fine sparkling wine? What about the perfumed Pinot Noir, the scented Shiraz..? And let's not forget the likes of Gruner Veltliner, Nebbiolo, Gamay,
Yeastie Boys: Wine's Modern Microbial Solutions
Grab your magnifying glass and white coat, we're getting microscopic - but this goes well beyond fermentation. We're exploring the cutting-edge techniques whereby the power of yeasts is being harnessed in fields as diverse as viticulture, winemaking and shipping. Even without the microscope, this is an eye-opening episode...Wine is facing many challenges. Climate change. The cost of livi
Keep Calm and Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the wine world's most divisive grape varieties. On the one hand, it's hugely popular for its aromatic charm and upbeat appeal. And yet some people can't stand it, sommeliers actively steer their customers away from it and connoisseurs turn their noses up at, 'the gin and tonic of wine'. But is it possible that this is all just a bit, well, prematu
Missing the Point? Tasting 40 years of 100-point wines TASTER
SUBSCRIBER BONUS TASTER - A privileged tasting of 100-point wines gets us thinking about scores, so-called perfection in wine, the risks of premature evaluation and how points for wine...somehow miss the point.First up - the wines: Cristal 2008, Pichon Lalande 2016, Ornellaia 2013, Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2013 and Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 1986. We report on these and other st
Drop Stop: Wine's Big Water Issue
August 2025, a torrid Bordeaux summer: cue thunderbolt. Lafleur, one of Bordeaux's most acclaimed wines, sensationally quits the Pomerol and Bordeaux appellations. At the heart of the issue: water.Truth is, vines need water to survive and produce good wine. Not too much, nor too little. But climate change has thrown a giant spanner into the works - places that used to have just enough rain, n
The Story of Stalin's Wine Cellar PART TWO
Meet John Baker, Sydney wine merchant turned Indiana Jones turned author of Stalin's Wine Cellar, one of the most eye-opening wine stories you're likely to hear. In the first part of this real-life account, John recounted how he'd got a tip-off about a mysterious wine cellar in Tbilisi, Georgia, apparently chock full of the greatest wines in the world, some more than a hundred years
The Story of Stalin's Wine Cellar PART ONE
It's not every wine story that comes with lashings of guns and cash and enforcers and heart-rending breakages - plus the odd death threat. Not to mention unicorn wines aplenty. But this one does! Which is why it's a must-listen.John Baker was a Sydney wine merchant with a sideline in fine and rare wine when opportunity came knocking in the form of a mysterious wine cellar in Tbilisi, Geo
Greg Lambrecht UNCUT - Taster
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY BONUS CONTENT (short taster): What makes a successful medical inventor develop a parallel life aiming to fundamentally change the way we drink wine? How does frustration + a needle + some spare argon = a business that's sold more than 2 million units and is involved in pouring a glass of wine every second of every day?!Welcome to the world of Coravin - and its inventor, Greg L
Giveaway EXTRAVAGANZA + Game-changer Coravin
In which we get over-excited by not only announcing the winners (and sharing the best entries) from our epic Wine Blast One Million Giveaway - but also by exploring the world of Coravin: a potential game-changer for wine.To understand just how Coravin is changing the world of wine, we're joined by Coravin inventor Greg Lambrecht and Tiny Wine co-founder Harry Crowther. The implications are fa
Sam Neill UNCUT - Taster
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY BONUS CONTENT (short taster) - Sam Neill leads a double life. He's not Batman, or Bananaman. He's ConvivialWineChap (trademark pending). On the one hand, he's world-famous actor Sam Neill, acclaimed for his starring roles in Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders, The Piano and all that jazz. On the other, he's proud proprietor of Two Paddocks Wine in Central Otago, New
New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026
New Zealand wine stands at a fork in the road. One path leads towards corporate behemoths churning out industrial quantities of mass-market Sauvignon Blanc; the other features increasingly refined, site-specific wines across a range of styles that compete with the world's very best. Which will it be?In this New Zealand Wines of the Year feature, we take you behind the scenes after tasting hun
A Tribute to Peter Fraser
Peter Fraser, head winemaker and general manager at Yangarra Estate Vineyard in McLaren Vale, Australia, died in a house fire on 27th November 2025, aged 51.Peter was not only tremendously well respected, he was also tremendously well liked. As a person, he was affable, gentle, modest, genuine, ready with a laugh. As a professional, he was dedicated, conscientious and hugely talented.A champion of
McLaren Vale - The Grenaissance
Australia's McLaren Vale is a wine region undergoing a thrilling reinvention based largely around new-wave old-vine Grenache and a motley crew of eclectic grape varieties like Fiano, Falanghina, Mencia and even Saperavi.If you want to find out why these wines, 'play with your mind', 'suit the way we live' and should be considered, 'great wines of the world,' tune
McLaren Vale - Boxer to Ballerina (via Burlesque)
So what do a boxer, a ballerina and a burlesque dancer have in common? You're gonna have to listen to find out...We're very excited to be bringing you this mini-series on McLaren Vale, the historic South Australian wine region that's gone from identity crisis to full-on wine renaissance in just a few decades. It's a fascinating story, involving ancient vines, determined winemak
Our BOOKS OF THE YEAR (2025) - Jesus, Cheese & Forbidden Soup
Books that caught our eye this year include Schott's Significa (yes, 'forbidden soup' is as grisly as it sounds), The Cheese Connoisseur's Handbook (yum) and Wine, Soil and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (biblical).This is a show of generous proportions. Partly to give you a chance for some extra listening indulgence. But also to allow us proper time to hear fr
Our WINES OF THE YEAR (2025)
Treats galore in this show! Because not only are we announcing our stellar Wines of the Year, we're also launching a HUGE giveaway to celebrate Wine Blast topping ONE MILLION DOWNLOADS.It's a major milestone for the pod so we wanted to say thanks to you for making it possible. Up for grabs are prizes worth more than £1,000 - from a set of Jancis Robinson Original wine glasses and decante
Rock and Rhône: from Côte-Rôtie to Cairanne via The Clash
What do Hermitage, The Sex Pistols, Tavel and Pink Floyd have in common? They all, ahem, featured at a particularly funky recent London tasting of top Rhône wine appellations, or Crus, aimed at reminding us how delicious and diverse these wines can be. And how fun, too.So join us as we explore the best wines of the Rhône Valley, from Côte-Rôtie to Condrieu via Vacqueyras and Vinsobres, discovering
Top of the Pops: Classic Fizz Beyond Champagne
We all know champagne - but what if you fancy a wine like champagne but maybe less pricey, more fruity or just different? The good news is: there's never been more choice, as production blossoms in regions as diverse as Serbia, China and India.Our stellar guide to the intriguing world of traditional-method sparkling wine beyond Champagne is Essi Avellan MW, one of the world's foremost fi
The Story of The Billionaire's Vinegar - Part 2
We're in the middle of, 'the mystery of the world's most expensive bottle of wine.' We've seen the auction, met the protagonists, got a vivid taste for the heady wine-boom time of the 1980s and 90s...hell, the cork has even dramatically dropped out already (an appropriate metaphor if ever there was one). That's all in Part 1.Now we get stuck into the heart of our stor
The Story of The Billionaire's Vinegar - Part 1
Picture the scene. Christie's auction house, London, December 1985. A dapper auctioneer is expertly tantalising the stellar audience with a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite engraved with the initials of US founding father Thomas Jefferson. It duly becomes the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, going for £105,000 ($156,000). But it's what happens next that is the really intriguing bit.
SAN LEONARDO - The Insider's Guide
Fancy a story about warriors, monks, family strife, an undercover grape variety, risking financial ruin for stubbornly sticking to stylistic guns, and deliciously drinkable fine wine?Thought you might. So join us as we get a privileged glimpse into the San Leonardo wine estate in Italy's northern Trentino Valley, not far from Verona and Lake Garda. Our guides are estate co-owner and manager A
Chile Wines of the Year 2025
We have awards! We have good eggs, hot rocks and jailbird vignerons! We even have acts of civilisation and love. Welcome to our Chile Wines of the Year 2025...Join us as we chat with stars of the Chilean wine firmament, talking wine treasures with Sebastián Labbé (Santa Rita), the tragedy of Syrah with Mariluz Marin (Casa Marin) and fortifying life goals with François Massoc (Atelier Massoc). We a
The Jancis Robinson EXCLUSIVE - Part 2
Jancis Robinson is a wine superstar. But in this concluding episode of our two-part exclusive interview, we want to get behind the sparkling achievements and get to know Jancis in a personal as well as professional sense. The result is thought-provoking, funny and occasionally eye-opening.We kick off, somewhat unsportingly, by springing a quick-fire question round at Jancis before moving on to dis
The Jancis Robinson EXCLUSIVE - Part 1
Jancis Robinson is without doubt the leading wine writer in the world today. But what's she really like behind the (highly) professional façade? Join us in this fascinating two-parter to meet the real Jancis: unfiltered, frank and sometimes really quite eye-opening...In this interview, we wanted to do something different from the many other profiles of this wine superstar. For instance, Janci
Season 7 Trailer - Subscriptions!
Ahead of Season Seven, we have an announcement! We're finally launching subscriptions - a very exciting moment as we aim to take Wine Blast to the next level and spread EVEN MORE wine love around.Subscribers to Wine Blast PLUS will receive Early Access to all episodes as well as Archive Access as our back catalogue becomes subscriber-only. We'll also be throwing in the occasional bonus e
There's Prosecco - and there's Conegliano Valdobbiadene
What's the difference between Prosecco - and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG? Why is Prosecco a 'democratic' wine?! And do you want to hear Peter change his mind??!!Tune in for all this and more, where we go on an intriguing journey of discovery into the UNESCO-endorsed, vine-clad hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene territory north of Venice. We ask why the wines made
Essex: Class in a Glass
English county Essex is better known for its brash behaviour (and certain reality TV shows) than its beautiful wines. But is all that about to change?!For long, Essex was England's best kept wine secret. The grapes were sold off to producers from Kent to Cornwall, which meant their Essex origin sailed under the radar. But then came the investment - both from ambitious local families and then,
AO YUN - The Insider's Guide
In fiction, Shangri-La was a mythical place of boundless human wisdom and agelessness. These days, after China re-named a city in north-west Yunnan Province, it's the backdrop of a potential game-changer for Chinese wine.This particular backdrop is forbidding. Think: precipitous mountain gorges above the raging Mekong River at nearly 3,000 metres altitude. A patchwork of small-holding vineyar
‘Adrenaline rush’: Wine Auctions & Trends with iDealwine
It's not every day the world of wine is described in terms like: 'adrenaline rush,' and going 'crazy'. Welcome to the world of online wine auctions, particularly that of iDealwine (sponsors of this show). iDealwine is a treasure trove not only of wine goodies but also high-tech functionality - so in this episode we explore how these online wine auctions work and why they m
Battle of the Bubbles
BREAKING: A titanic showdown between top champagnes and the best of the rest has been settled. The victors? Headline writers...This is an impromptu pod reflecting the momentous nature of this Battle of the Bubbles tasting, which took place at the London Wine Fair 2025. Sixteen top judges (including both of us); 26 top wines, including some of Champagne's most reputable (and highly priced) bot
News & Views 2025: Alcohol in deep space; Pope Francis - wine legend; Global wine stutters - but Essex, Bhutan, Pompeii on the up
Where we selectively recap on the wine headlines in recent months (informative - but also fun) and respond to various questions, comments...and grumbles.We gaze into deep space in search of booze. We consider how global wine can be in the doldrums...but Essex is on the up. We hear a sad tale of vandals destroying scientific research, and a heartening story of how ancient Pompeii wine is set to be
