We talk a lot about food pairings. Even writing this is making me hungry. 

In our second Fleurieu Living wine review, we review seven wines from Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc to McLaren Vale Chardonnay. This time we squeezed it all into one episode to meet publication deadlines! We focussed on pairing these wines with a BBQ and discovered Jake's love of accompaniments and Darren's focus on the BBQ.

The wines are:

Karrawatta 2025 ‘Anna’s’ Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills

Lake Breeze 2025 Vermentino, Langhorne Creek 

Varney Wines 2024 ‘Entrada’ Vermentino, McLaren Vale

Hither and Yon 2025 Chenin Blanc, McLaren Vale

Willunga 100 2025 Grenache Blanc, McLaren Vale

Oliver’s Taranga 2025 Fiano, McLaren Vale 

Battle of Bosworth 2025 Chardonnay, McLaren Vale 

We posted this on early because we need the transcription from Apple to write the article!!

We have managed to come back after a break and have an accidental Semillon episode. And without a Hunter Semillon in the mix - an oversight we will have to fix. 

Why did we have an accidental Semillon episode - well Darren wanted to show a David Franz Eden Edge Riesling Semillon (2021) and Jacob had a Cullen Grace Madeline Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (2024).

This is in line with our new (perhaps it will even last a while) policy of one wine at an approachable price (under $30)  and one that is more aspirational (somewhat over $30).

A fun first back episode after a break caused by Darrens product launch and Jacobs running injuries! Its love to be back with SEASON 3!

Based on a listener enquiry from Becky in the UK, we got into getting started on the wine journey in wine this week. We may not have agreed on everything, but we're happy to have a go - hope we helped. We focussed on wines available in Oz and The Old Blighty.

You may not agree with our recommendations, so we are looking forward to you letting us know what you would advise. Any WINE BEEF with what we had to say will be joyously devoured. Let's throw this one about this for weeks and months. What was your first wine?

The wines we tasted this week were an interesting mix - a DOC Prosecco, Yalumba Y-series Pinot Grigio, and D'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache. 

We didn't just taste, we recommended like rum should be made - boldly and without apology. The whole of the Yalumba Y-Series, Thistledown Grenache, The Kylie Minogue Wines, King Valley Prosecco. I think that's it. Oh, and talk to a specialty merchant to get your laughing gear around the spech stuff.

Join us with famous and opinionated wine photog Matt Wilson for our most chaotic episode ever. At the end, I wasn't quite sure what we had just done! Pizza and wine: we had lots of opinions, substantiated by live on-podcast research. Plus your views!!

Ceretto Dolcetta D'Alba 2023 

Somos McLaren Vale Aglianico 2023

Domaine Marcel Deiss Alsace Complantantion 

Watch out, this is is a long one. We really shouldn't try to do more than 2 wines.

Sweet wines Darren bought back from Germany are in our glasses - go and find some! We do talk a bit about how these are made, which is damn interesting. Other than that, the focus of the show is hard to work out. However, neither of us had stolen any bicycles recently. Oh... several mea culpas from Darren about inept use of social media.

Jacob brings some customer beef, and Darren judges it to be cold, crusty, mouldy, old stew.

The wines (all were Deutcher Prädikatswein):

Schloss Johannisberg Roslalack Riesling Auslese 2023 (Rheingau)

Flonheimer Adelberg Wolf Riesling Eiswein 2018 (Rheingau)

Scheiden Riesling Beerenauslese Goldene Preismünze 2006 (Mittelrhein)

It was an uncomfortable episode this week with confessions from Jacob about stealing bicycles from small children, reminding Darren that he had his bike stolen by adults as a child. Note: All bicycles were stolen from very naughty boys - listen in to find out.

A trip to Madeira for the very special sweet wines from this amazing Atlantic Island, probably not our last fortified episode as Jacob faces off against the Wine and Spirits Education Trust for his Diploma exam on, you guessed it, fortified wines.

Seriously it will be a relief when he moves into studying still wines.

Wine 1 Henrique & Henrique 10 year old Verdejo

Wine 2 Henrique & Henrique 10 year old Malvasia

In a week that we couldn't get Darren to shut up about his recent trip to the German Rhineland, we had a red from the Ahr Valley and a White from the Rheingau - both from historic estates. We really could not shut him up.

Wine 1 is a Schloss Johannisberg 2021 Silberback Rheingau Riesling GG (Dry). Founded in 1720 on vineyards originally planted in 817, they are the oldest known Riesling wine estate in the world, and the birthplace of Spatlese Riesling!

Wine 2 is a Mayschoss Altenahr 2020 Mayschosser Mönchberg Ahr-Spätburgunder trocken. Founded 1868, they are the oldest winegrowers cooperative in the world!

In the second half of the Sparkling Fleurieu episode, things get hectic. Still very focused ongoing a serious review of amazing Fleurieu bubbles in a not very serious way, things go sideways when Darren's whole family eventually rock into the tiny studio during the episode. I remember laughing a lot and loving the three method ancestral wines and a delightful spritzer. Special guest Angela plus a cameo from Erika.

In this episode:

Stoke Wines  Kangaroo Island 2023 Pet Nat

Orbis Wines Mclaren Vale 2024 Petillant Rose 

Orbis Wines McLaren Vale 2023 Petillant Naturel 

Dandelion Vineyards Field of Wonders Chardonnay

& Lemon Myrtle Spritzer

Thanks again to Fleurieu living for the opportunity to taste adn review these amazing wines - read all about it in first in the August edition. Hear all about it here second - but with a Vino Bozo twist..

What an adventure. What a wild ride. Special guest Angela Oemcke joins us for a sometimes weird ride through the first four of eight sparkling wines that Jake is reviewing for Fleurieu Living. The effort to balance wine reviewing and not being serious hade me in stitches (DO).

This episode covers the method traditionally and Chamat wines. Wines were all fantastic - the article is available in Fleurieu Living:

Lake Breeze Wines2021 Blanc de Blancs Langhorne Creek

Honey Moon Vineyard Rosé Brut Reserve Echunga, Adelaide Hills

Coriole NV Prosecco McLaren Vale

Berg Herring 2025 Sparkling Pecorino McLaren Vale 

We really got excited and talked .... for another 40 minutes about Burgundy. We have been in quite a good mood.

Again, the amazing wines:

Jean Fournier 2020 Borgogne Côte d'Or red Burgundy (available form d'Or to Door)

Hubert Lignier 2021 Morey-St-Denis