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A $25 McLaren Vale Shiraz wins Best Shiraz in the world, so we put Beresford to the test with side-by-side pours and zero patience for hype. We chase what makes the wines feel so seamless, from sub-region minerality in Blewitt Springs to oak choices, label alcohol quirks, and of course the incredible Wine making by Beresfords own Natalie Cleghorn.

• Beresford Estate Shiraz, 2024, $25:00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/classic-shiraz-750ml
• Beresford Estate Blewitt Springs Shiraz, 2023, $45.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/estate-shiraz-750ml
• Beresford Estate Grand Reserve Shiraz, 2017, $120.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/beresford-grand-reserve-shiraz-750ml
• Emblem 'Blewitt Springs' Pecorino, 2024, $25.00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/emblem-pecorino-750ml
• Emblem 'Old Vine' Grenache, 2025, $35:00: https://www.beresfordestate.com.au/products/emblem-grenache-750ml

Taste the wines for yourself and let us know your thoughts! DM us on Instagram, we're always keen to chat!

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We stack up the week’s wine news with a mix of hard numbers and genuine bright spots, from rock-bottom bulk prices to a more diverse global awards landscape. We also get real about mental health in the Australian wine industry and why connection, provenance and ethics still matter when times are tough. 
• Australian bulk Shiraz and Cabernet sitting at extreme low values 
• what bulk wine is for and why shipping in bulk can be cheaper and more sustainable 
• how oversupply and the post-China hangover keep pressure on growers 
• Decanter World Wine Awards results as a snapshot of quality and global change 
• emerging regions gaining recognition including England, China, Serbia and Uruguay 
• a Sydney high school site hosting CSIRO disease-resistant grapevine trials 
• powdery mildew and downy mildew pressure in warm, wet climates 
• crossbreeding versus GMO and how the wine industry thinks about it 
• mental health pressures from isolation, long hours, uncertainty and access to alcohol 
• practical support ideas like community breakfasts, viticulture groups and Rootlings 
• a Halliday column on provenance, ethics and finding hope in wine 
Yeah, go read it. It’s called It Might Take A Graveyard to Show It, but there’s Life in Wine Yet. 

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We test a bold theory about Langhe Nebbiolo by blind tasting four bottles across wildly different price points. The surprise isn’t just which wine wins, but how often this Piedmont red delivers that savoury, cherry-driven “drink well, don’t think” comfort. 

Play along at home and check out the wine below!

Wine 1: Rivetto Langhe Nebbiolo - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_68716/rivetto-langhe-nebbiolo?srsltid=AfmBOorN2gz9HPOrsMgQaplLjdGVWDw5Hg1GHUA3rXc3HtC75ynPQWEv

Wine 2: Fontanafredda Langhe Nebbiolo - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_318128/fontanafredda-langhe-nebbiolo?srsltid=AfmBOoq_GuKJvUwf_HHILn5obBBbiQ6_nDtlydEgf4f0oRZBx01s-CK-

Wine 3: Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_275885?store=1026&gclsrc=aw.ds&e_cid=ps:ds:GOOGLE:A212+-+Standard+Shopping+-+PLA+-+All+Products:All+Products:ds_keywords%3Dds_kw:PRODUCT_GROUP&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21000445336&gbraid=0AAAAADidTxD23Pb7HRued-uaMRy3M-_sF&gclid=CjwKCAjwgO7RBhBKEiwAZNP85iE-n9RQjNKEcA8qviMXDoCATML4it1_nAkin4GZikeyKT2JfvRLVRoC29oQAvD_BwE

Wine 4: BelColle Langhe Nebbiolo - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_260173?store=1038&gclsrc=aw.ds&e_cid=ps:ds:GOOGLE:A212+-+Standard+Shopping+-+PLA+-+All+Products:All+Products:ds_keywords%3Dds_kw:PRODUCT_GROUP&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21000445336&gbraid=0AAAAADidTxD23Pb7HRued-uaMRy3M-_sF&gclid=CjwKCAjwgO7RBhBKEiwAZNP85lIpyq0GjjnRGVg7p9LHX5W_N9S0vftvvzHsQP_mpcfBWgvMi8U0ZxoClbkQAvD_BwE

If you want don't want to know the winner DON'T read on

OUR FAVE

WINNER: Wine 4 BelColle Langhe Nebbiolo! 

Let us know your thoughts here or on Instagram

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We taste Pinot Gris versus Pinot Grigio blind and find the difference is real when we focus on structure instead of label hype. We also share the tricks we use to call style, origin and quality, including why bitterness and balance matter more than fancy tasting words.

Get your notebook out and play along at home!

Wine 1: Pizzini King Valley Pinot Grigio 2025 - https://www.pizzini.com.au/products/pizzini-pinot-grigio-2025?srsltid=AfmBOorLRzoyyHl-VgV1ETi8MjSfuZDxzcTsvKQavTw3xW-sQvF-0qrl

Wine 2: Roaring Meg Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_705149?srsltid=AfmBOor7jOD3GiHLJPMuJRQ_aS0PshOby0oFT8mDNKZ2BUZaxX17Eo_l

Wine 3: Dopff Au Moulin Pinot Gris - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_328945/dopff-au-moulin-pinot-gris?srsltid=AfmBOooLTm0fl232vVUcHpcuf5jR6YodT09qG7HGi081Z9onjImHGPcF

Wine 4: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio - https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_907682/santa-margherita-pinot-grigio?srsltid=AfmBOor6s6UvGVVbXIllTqm8CTraexRDz_O8tYFdASJrnA3CYGsY_kYg

Message us your thoughts on this intriguing grape variety!

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Sweet red wine keeps flying off shelves, so we taste what people actually buy and try to work out what’s driving the demand. We get blunt about confected flavours, then land on a more useful answer: sweetness, spritz, and lower alcohol can make real sense with spicy food and for beginners. 

Buckle Up and if you want to play along... don't.

If you're a sucker for pain, wines below.

• https://www.yellowtailwine.com/en-au/product/shiraz/
• https://brownfamilywines.com.au/products/brown-brothers-dolcetto-and-syrah
• https://brownfamilywines.com.au/products/brown-brothers-cienna
• https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_6062659?store=3252&gclsrc=aw.ds&e_cid=ps:ds:GOOGLE:PMAX+-+Wine+-+Red+Wine::ds_keywords%3Dds_kw:&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23473283649&gbraid=0AAAAADidTxAL6mw1uqqsYfCYJAoeF6ga1&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKMC1_PB1eVm01u0ZT7GhHsii4t9QaNhsyZ-JV9wbzgOVsQNRKcNu5hoCuhoQAvD_BwE

For the love of god. Don't do this.

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We jump from rare Grenache by the glass to the bleak reality of industry restructuring, and ask what keeps wine alive when the money and the politics turn cold. Along the way, we dig into Endeavour’s winery sell-off, a federal budget that leaves wine behind, and the real vineyard trade-offs behind water use and dry farming.

It's not all doom and gloom as Producer Austin spent the week discovering what "wellies" are and we thank Handpicked for bringing a bit of wine romance back into our lives.

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We sit down with Brendan Carter from Unico Zelo and Bottle Shock to unpack why the Riverland became synonymous with bulk wine and why that mindset blocks real solutions for growers. We chase the economics, the history, and the human cost, then land on a practical way to rebuild demand by putting place, old vines, and story back at the centre. 

If you have old vines, give us a call. 
If you know of old vines, give us a call. 

If you see Riverland on a label, buy it. 

Watch the whole video here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIlImCDDs0

If you want to get in contact with Brendan Carter please email him below! 

[email protected]

https://bottleshock.tv/

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We test how much fried chicken changes what we taste in wine. 

We taste Fried Chicken (known for its 11 Secret Herbs & Spices)  with four different wines and land on a big big winner!

And the Winner is.... CHENIN BLANC!

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_141243/boschendal-sommelier-selection-chenin-blanc?srsltid=AfmBOop4UKEn_vykFkkL9mg2IAoCboTZeH5nP3XG1TrnCFSP8-kVi8EA

I just really want to know if we have any listeners that are actually going to have KFC and and go to the effort of going and buying a $25 Chenin, but our listeners have done weirder... 

And keep your Unpopular Wine Opinions coming!

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We put our reputations on the line with a rapid-fire round of unpopular wine opinions, then dare you to come for us in the comments. From cheese pairing myths to rosé shade, Sauvignon Blanc redemption, “fault” versus flavour, and biodynamic root days, we argue like we mean it and back ourselves to the end. 

Good news I found the Wine I mentioned at the start of the ep! - Austin

2021 Sutton Grange Estate Syrah: https://suttongrange.com.au/products/2021-sutton-grange-estate-syrah?srsltid=AfmBOorfxd73uu1ksDasUtAxw1aqn-QHKOPk-yntqNepG-tjQl8TG6fv&variant=44794915586215

Tell us in every way that we are wrong. 

If you agree or disagree, we want to hear from you. 

Instagram is the best place. 
Not a DM, don’t do it as a DM because I’m bad at answering DMs. 
Let us know your unpopular wine opinions.

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Beechworth may be Australia’s smallest GI, but we taste why it’s become one of the most talked about premium wine regions in Australia. We dig into the price reality, the Beechworth Chardonnay obsession, and what makes the whites and reds feel so textured yet fresh.

• Schatz Sylvaner 2023 - https://www.vsandb.com.au/shop2/2023-schatz-sylvaner
• Willem Kurt Beechworth Chardonnay 2024 - https://www.willemkurtwines.com.au/wine/2024-chardonnay
• Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese 2024 - https://fightinggullyroadwines.com.au/shop/2024-Sangiovese-Beechworth-p720528942
• Unfortunately the Shiraz is no longer available but check out Castagna's catalog! - https://castagna.com.au/order-wine/

Follow us on social media, make sure you’re actually following, and hit the follow button on Spotify or Apple!

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