Wine Blast with Susie and Peter

We're BACK! We've unearthed the microphones from under all the empty wine bottles, fish and chip wrappers, and slightly damp Speedos, ready to hit the ground running with a fantastic Season 3 line-up. We can't wait to get going, partly because our first episode (coming very soon) is different from anything we've ever done before...

So if you like wine chat, a bit of a laugh, giveaways, fascinating guests, top wine tips, competitions, the odd recipe (did we say FREE WINE?) and the constant chance of over-sharing, this is the place for you. Plenty of you seem to like hanging out here (everyone is welcome after all): we've hit the Top 5 in the GB Food: All Time charts (Chartable), you guys are now listening in more than 140 countries PLUS we're up for a major podcast award! Thanks for your support, keep tuning in, here's to the power of wine + podcasting 🙏🥂

• You can find our entire back catalogue (from Burgundy to Bordeaux, Hugh Johnson to Sam Neill, wildfires to wine allergies, magnum Jenga to The Simpsons) on our website: www.susieandpeter.com 
• On our podcast home page there's a magic orange SpeakPipe button where you can send us questions to answer (and star on the show at the same time): www.susieandpeter.com/podcast
• You can find lots of fun wine content on our Instagram feed
• You can also catch us on Twitter: Peter's @wineschools and Susie's @SusieBarrie
• We are the slightly sheepish owners of a YouTube channel that's in a state of elegant neglect - we do upload our episodes there but don't really tend to it as much as we should.

The chief examiner for the Master of Wine (MW) tasting exam is a terrifying figure guaranteed to strike fear and despair into the hearts of all aspiring MW students. So we ask him how to pass the exam. And it turns out he’s actually pretty nice, and meditates in his spare time. A lesson to us all…

Beyond that, we hear short sharp blasts of top-quality advice and insight from two of the most recently crowned Masters of Wine: Jacky Blisson from Montreal and the first Italian MW, Gabriele Gorelli. We also get an insight into the trials, tribulations (and positive experiences) of former teetotaller now current MW student Sumi Sarma, who’s gearing up to do her big Stage 2 exams.

Not only that but Mags Janjo speaks eloquently about being a prospective MW student, what winning the Golden Vines MW scholarship means to him, plus the key issue of diversity and inclusivity in wine.

Somehow we also find time to touch on the questionable wisdom of Homer Simpson, mention Peter’s Mum and dwell briefly on the importance of home-made sausage rolls and ‘feeding the inner nerd’. We also get down on bended knee to implore you to vote for us in the People's Choice Podcast Awards. Thank you in advance… 

This is the final episode in Season Two. We’ll be storming back to start Season Three in September. Don’t go anywhere, you won’t want to miss it!

What even IS a Master of Wine?! How do you become one? Which Jedi powers come with the title? Is it true the pass rate is under 10%? What’s the real cost, not just in financial but also time and emotional fallout? How diverse and inclusive is the MW body? Aren’t the days of ‘the expert’ numbered anyway?! 

It’s a biggie. So we’re doing this in two parts – this first one is about our own experiences of becoming Masters of Wine (MWs), and we don’t shy away from detailing the brutal lows as well as the giddying highs. We also share some of our tips and strategies for passing in double quick time (both of us won the Outstanding Student award in our respective years) and get the ‘establishment’ views from The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW). In Part 2 we’ll be hearing from a current MW student, a recently passed MW and that most mythical of beasts…a chief examiner. Buckle up.

What's the difference between English sparkling wine and champagne? Why bother doing the Master of Wine qualification? What's the story behind Wine Blast, and why is podcasting so suited to wine? If we could be any wine, what would it be? What to do with a wine festival in lockdown? If we could share a glass of wine with anyone, who would that be? 

We answer all these questions and more in an interview conducted expertly by Natalie MacLean and originally featured on her Unreserved Wine Talk podcast (Ep 118: Dream Wine Careers with Susie Barrie and Peter Richards). This is the second part of this interview; Part 1 is the previous episode of Wine Blast (S2 E16). 

We also talk about how to film wine TV amidst a global pandemic, focusing on Peter's recent trip to Georgia. Oh, and there are passing mentions of Blue Nun, the King of the Netherlands, epic orange Frysland cheese, a neolithic picnic, the WineGB Awards, a MiG fighter jet, personalised portaloos...and the importance of bubbles.

Our story - as told (in slightly roundabout fashion) to Natalie MacLean on her Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. Beans are spilled...apologies issued...we reveal our career low points as well as what wine has done for our relationship (Susie skates on thin ice). Also why Peter makes a bad Santa and what we think of the fancy dress tendencies of your average French marathon runner. Among other things. 

So yes, this is a re-run of 'Having a Wine Blast with Susie Barrie and Peter Richards', Episode 117 of Natalie's Unreserved Wine Talk, from Feb 2021, in which she interviews us (and chooses a few embarrassing photos of ours to prod us with). As part of our intro, we announce the winner of our New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc competition from our last episode, sharing  the funniest and best of myriad inspired entries, and say sorry for not putting out an episode lately... Part 2 to follow.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is one of the wine world's most dramatic success stories. It went from zero to hero in the 1980s and 1990s, stunning the world with its uniquely extrovert character, and paving the way for an entire nation's wine fortunes to be revolutionised.

Some people are a bit snobby about Kiwi Sauvignon - too easy, too obvious, too samey, they say. But the truth is that Sauvignon can be every bit as diverse, complex, age-worthy and fine as other great white grape varieties. In this episode we take a very DEEP dive into the subject, exploring in our longest episode to date what (and where) Sauvignon is, before moving onto its story in New Zealand - from virtual unknown to spearheading a wine revolution in New Zealand and now offering a range of styles that speak of regionality, winemaking diversity and (whisper it) fun.

We chat to James Healy (formerly of Cloudy Bay and Dog Point, now ABEL in Nelson), research scientist Dr Wendy Parr, Yealands chief winemaker Natalie Christensen, and wine merchant and restaurateur Melanie Brown. We also taste our way through an array of Sauvignons, from low alcohol to blush, from classic to new wave styles, from the young to the old via the elegantly oaked. Salmon ceviche and monkfish with asparagus risotto are on our table and we talk about other dishes too. 

This is a sponsored episode in partnership with New Zealand Winegrowers, who are kindly offering a prize of 6 bottles of the Sauvignons we highlight in this episode to one lucky winner. You just have to tell us what your favourite accompaniment to Sauvignon is - food, music, occasion, person, etc - by Friday 14th May 2021. 

We wanted to revisit this (our second ever episode) partly to laugh at our presenting style back then, and also because it's so full of enthusiasm, helpful tips and, most importantly, tales of young people (especially young women) seizing opportunities and forging brilliant careers in wine. And the odd second career too. 

We're also slightly amazed at how much we managed to shoe-horn into an episode in the early days of the podcast, because we also rustled up some student classics - spicy sausage pasta plus the easiest home-made pizza EVER – and lined up a selection of value Aldi wines (spoiler: not all go down well but there is a BARGAIN to be had). Some of the wines may not be available any more but, hey, the basics still hold. Our Wine A-Z takes in biodynamics before Warren asks how to tell if a wine is corked. 

In our updated intro (yes, we did do SOME new work for this 'bonus' episode), we answer a question from listener Thom, who's keen to know whether he should tackle his WSET Diploma exam when he's got a 2-year-old snapping at his heels. 

How do you fancy getting a name of your choosing on a wine label, benefitting a charity that’s close to your heart…and winning some delicious, unique English wine in the process?! That's exactly what's up for grabs in this episode, in which we discuss our Big English Wine Adventure, chat with superstar UK winemakers Liam Idzikowski (Danbury Ridge) and Emma Rice (Hattingley Valley), get excited about Essex Pinot and Hampshire Meunier...and throw around some wine puns on the theme of The Simpsons. Now THAT'S entertainment.

We launched our Big English Wine Adventure back in 2016 – the year of Brexit, Andy Murray’s Wimbledon win, the Brazil Olympics, Boaty McBoat Face and the warmest year yet measured on earth. We wanted to do something fun and collaborative with English wine, something people could join in and be part of, not to mention raising money for a good cause.

Over the course of three, historic vintages in the UK (2016, 2017 and 2018), we teamed up with Hampshire producer Hattingley Valley and brand new Essex wine estate Danbury Ridge, to produce three unique wines: two markedly different styles of Hampshire sparkling and one very fine barrel of Essex Pinot Noir. 

Now we need your help to find a charity to work with – as well as a name for our sparkling wines. Whoever submits the winning nomination will receive a beautifully presented and packaged full set of all three wines, worth around £100, plus a copy of our Essential Guide to English Wine. Deadline for nominations is midnight on Sunday 2nd May 2021. To nominate, or for more info, go to: https://susieandpeter.com/watch/english-wine-adventure/

The wines are set for release in late 2021 and demand is expected to be high, given the nature of the wines and the extremely limited quantities available. As a result, pre-registration is now open, via the web page as above. Don’t miss out!

You like wine. But you don't have lots of space at home. So what's the best way to go about starting (or improving) your wine collection? Listener Steven from Belfast asked the question, which was our cue to spring into action, doling out handy tips and advice, even doing a mini stock-take of our own at-home collection (with eye-opening results...) We talk to Nathan Hill, chairman of wine club/merchant Honest Grapes and himself an avid amateur collector when starting out, and Alexander de Valle of Bacchus Concierge, an independent advisor on building wine collections, who makes a generous offer to our listeners. You can save yourself money and drink in style by following the advice in this episode - though fans of Marie Kondo might want to look elsewhere...

Sommeliers. SO MANY QUESTIONS! What even IS a sommelier - or a Master Sommelier? What makes a great sommelier? How have sommeliers been affected by the pandemic, when hospitality has been devastated? What's all this about the lack of diversity among sommeliers? What of the very serious scandals that have played out in very public and traumatic fashion at the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas lately?! 

Ultimately: what does the future hold for sommeliers, this proud and historic profession that has really been through the wringer of late? 

We ask these questions (and many more) of a star line-up of guests:

• Emily Wines MS, Chair of the Board of the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas
• Audrey Annoh-Antwi, sommelier and front of house at Lorne restaurant in London and Be Inclusive Hospitality ambassador
• Jason Wise, director of the Somm movies and founder of Somm TV

And we get...some hard-hitting, thought-provoking and fascinating answers, which we discuss amongst ourselves while also recommending wines from Help4Hospitality AND offering you a fun prize giveaway. If sommeliers are all about hospitality - then this podcast is the same.
 
Dedicated to the memory of two fine sommeliers, and fine friends: Terry Threlfall and Gerard Basset.