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We break down why hedge funds are shorting Treasury Wine Estates in plain language, explore how Victoria Wine posted a record year, and unpack Penfolds’ culture pivot with Troye Sivan and the switch from the Australian Open to F1. We close by mapping the new logic of event sponsorships and what authenticity now means for wine brands.

• How short selling works and why TWE is targeted
• Luxury strategy under China headwinds
• Why Victoria’s wine contribution hit records
• The role of exports, trade fairs, and funding
• Authenticity versus prestige for younger drinkers
• Penfolds x Troye Sivan collaboration strategy
• Shifting from AO/Melbourne Cup to F1 to reach new audiences
• De Bortoli at Melbourne Cup and brand stretch
• Sponsorship ROI, ethics, and audience fit
• Teaser for goon versus bagnums next week

Tune in next week for Goon Versus Bagnums!

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We test Thai favourites (roti with satay, pad Thai and green curry) against a tight wine list to find pairings that truly work. A skinsy white surprises with satay, Riesling shines with pad Thai, Moscato calms green curry, and a light red secretly turns up the heat.

We would love your feedback on this episode! 

Did you enjoy it, or do you want us to just shut up and keep giving you actual education about wine?

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What passes the Pub test?

Beyond catchy slogans and sleek aesthetics, where does alcohol marketing cross the line? We examine Australia’s ABAC standards through the lens of recent, real-world complaints. By breaking down which campaigns were cleared and which were banned, Mel takes us inside the alcohol marketing world and boy did we get an education!

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Forget everything you thought you knew about the Limestone Coast being "just for Cabernet." We’re following Meg’s week-long trek along South Australia’s wind-whipped shoreline to discover a region that’s cooling down and sharpening up. From the electric Blue Lake of Mount Gambier to the chalky soils of Robe and Cape Jaffa, we’re trading heavy reds for whites that speak with a bright, textural accent. It’s a coastal vibe where the air is crisp, the acids are zesty, and the Sauvignon Blanc actually tastes like an explosion of passionfruit and sea spray.

We’re stripping the ego out of the glass and getting into why "skin contact" is more than just a buzzword, it’s the secret to making a Riesling the ultimate partner for fatty sausages or miso veg. Along the way, we settle the ultimate dinner-party debate (yes, you do pronounce the ‘T’ in Moët) and celebrate the cellar door moments that actually stick—think dog treats, impromptu picnics, and which labels pair best with a bag of chips. Whether you’re a die-hard Cabernet fan or ready to join "Team Coastal White," this is your permission slip to explore the grippy, unpretentious, and slightly salty side of the southeast.

Wines Tasted

Wangolina Sauvignon Blanc 2025, $23.00

https://www.wangolina.com.au/wine/limestone-coast-sauvignon-blanc/57593/

Wangolina Original Semillon 2023, $35.00

https://www.wangolina.com.au/wine/the-originals-semillon/52892/

Patrick of Coonawarra Methode Skinny Riesling 2023, $32.00

https://patrickofcoonawarra.com/collections/all-wines/products/2023-methode-skinny-riesling-20-off

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A fresh studio, a new season, and the most pressing question in Australian wine: how do we move a region built on volume toward a future built on value? We open with Riverland’s reality—cheap grapes, heavy irrigation, and a glut of ageing red—and ask whether protecting old vines and dialing back yields can spark a quality reset. Brendan Carter’s deep dive provides a hopeful blueprint, but we weigh the hard limits: rainfall differences, trellis vs bush vines, and the sheer scale that makes a Swartland‑style pivot harder here.

From there, we break down a $139m industry plan that puts dignity at the centre. Think concessional loans for growers to exit or replant, water leasing to manage transitions, safe removal of unsaleable stock, and a mandatory code of conduct to ensure minimum sustainable prices and fairer payment terms. It’s not just policy talk; it’s a roadmap to share risk more evenly so growers aren’t left carrying the cash flow burden while the market resets at home and abroad.

We also tackle the Gen Z question without the hand‑wringing. Wellness trends, tight budgets, and an explosion of formats—from no‑alc beer to smart RTDs—reshape habits, while most drinkers still want simple cues over flowery notes: when to open, how cold to serve, what to eat with it. Sustainability could bridge the gap. Two new grants push low‑emission packaging, including aluminium and flat recyclable PET that slash freight emissions and warehouse space without sacrificing weeknight quality. And for a dash of fun, we toast blœge—a bright red‑white blend that’s chillable, perfumed, and category‑breaking—plus a viral luxury bottle cameo reminding us that wine is story as much as substance.

If you care about Australian wine’s next chapter—from fair grower payments to climate‑smart bottles and fresher styles that meet how we actually drink—this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a wine‑curious friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What change would you prioritise first?

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Bushfire season has arrived with brutal force, impacting Victorian wineries - this extra episode is to answer your questions around what this means.

From Strathbogie Ranges and Yea through to watch zones near the Yarra Valley, we map the fire lines, the shifting winds, and the hard choices facing growers who are only weeks from harvest. It’s not just scorched rows and lost stock; the bigger, quieter threat is in the smoke you can’t taste on the grape but can’t ignore in the glass.

We break down smoke taint in plain language: how guaiacol and m‑cresol bind to sugars in the vine, why reds are at higher risk, and how distance, density, and duration of smoke shape outcomes. You’ll hear how bench ferments and AWRI testing guide go or no‑go calls, why thresholds are so unforgiving, and when it makes sense not to pick at all. Along the way, we talk logistics on the ground—melted dripper lines, charred posts, closed roads, and the heartbreak of not being able to turn on irrigation during a heat spike. Spring frosts have already clipped yields in parts of Yarra and Beechworth, so the supply cushion is thin, and cellar doors are closing to keep roads clear, hitting tourism and cash flow at the worst moment.

Through it all, the wine community is rallying—offering fruit, sharing testing know‑how, and keeping information moving. If you want to help, start with your glass: buy Victorian wine, and where possible buy direct so every dollar lands with the producer. Share this conversation with friends who love Pinot, Shiraz, and the regions behind them. Subscribe for more grounded, no‑nonsense insights, leave a review to boost the signal, and tell us which wineries you’re backing so we can amplify and connect support.

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A glass of champagne in hand and a year’s worth of tasting notes on the table, we set out to crown ten wines that genuinely moved us. Not the priciest. Not the rarest. The bottles that delivered texture, balance and joy—whether poured at a barbecue, opened for a milestone, or discovered on a whim at the local.

We start with the unexpected: an Australian Arinto that lives in the mineral, nutty space between categories, and a Pouilly Fumé that rehabilitates Sauvignon Blanc with flint, smoke and structure. Then comes the conversation starter—a supermarket Chardonnay so composed and complete it became our benchmark for modern Margaret River style. From there, we travel to Beechworth for a savoury, high-country Nebbiolo that whispers Langhe without mimicry, and we revisit Tasmanian Pinot Noir for a masterclass in elegance over power. Barossa Syrah gets a fresh reading too: lifted perfume, red fruit purity and mineral lines that sidestep heaviness.

Discovery is half the fun. A Greek Agiorgitiko proves that twenty dollars can buy perfume, supple tannin and weeknight versatility. In the Yarra Valley, Giant Steps Applejack Pinot shows how precision and site expression can make a wine feel inevitable. We also make the case for patience with Scarborough’s The Obsessive Semillon—buy the current vintage, tuck it away, and watch citrus and lanolin unfurl into something profound.

And then our number one: Tim Adams Clare Valley Pinot Gris. Textural, floral, crisp and priced so you can pour it freely at Christmas lunch. When both a Master of Wine and a new wine lover choose the same bottle on merit, that’s the sweet spot we live for. Join us for the stories, the friendly arguments, and the practical buying tips to help you drink better without spending more.

If you enjoyed this year’s ride, follow our socials, share the episode with a friend who loves a good value find, and leave a quick review—your support helps us keep the glasses clinking next year. Cheers.

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We taste through Australian icons and ask what truly makes a wine “great”: site, story, structure, or time. From Great Western’s mineral Shiraz to Margaret River’s silky Cabernet, Grange’s legend and Noble One’s golden botrytis, we weigh value, ageability and joy.

• Best’s Bin 0 Shiraz 2021 as elegant, dark-fruited Great Western benchmark
• Continental climate, phenolic ripeness and stony granitic tannins
• Thompson Family Shiraz 2020 from 1868 pre-phylloxera vines
• Why cellaring matters and protecting historic vineyards
• Margaret River Cabernet structure versus Yarra Valley tannin
• Barrel selection and blending for balance and perfume
• Penfolds Grange history, pricing, ageing and corking clinics
• Botrytis mechanics behind Noble One and food matches
• Pride in Australian diversity and value at multiple price points
• Aldi picks: Chianti for weeknight food pairing and value

Make sure you come back for that until next time. Enjoy your next glass of wine and drink well

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We taste a line-up of Australian icons. From Tasmanian bubbles to Hunter Semillon, Canberra Shiraz Viognier, and Yarra Cabernet blends, we map style, site, and ageability with unashamed love for homegrown greatness.

• Arras Late Disgorged 2009 
• Tyrrell’s Vat 1 2019
• Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2004
• Clonakilla’s Shiraz Viognier 2024
• Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2021

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A toast to legacy, a clash over creativity, and a bottle that could change how we drink. We open with a tribute to Peter Fraser—winemaker, mentor, and quiet force at Yangarra—then step straight into the friction points shaping wine right now: the awards that reward meaningful storytelling, the slogan that sparked a pile-on, and the packaging pivot that’s bigger than aesthetics.

We unpack the Wine Communicator Awards and why Halliday’s podcast comeback matters when trust is hard-won. Max Allen’s recognition is a reminder that longform writing still anchors the culture—holding memory, nuance, and accountability. From there, we tackle the Next Crop t-shirt controversy. Was it a bad call? Yes. But the deeper lesson is how to build safe creative lanes for emerging leaders: responsible messaging, clear guardrails, and mentorship that keeps bold ideas alive rather than shutting them down.

Innovation takes a more practical turn with Brown Brothers’ aluminium wine bottle. Lighter to ship, infinitely recyclable, and container-deposit friendly, it addresses the carbon drag of glass without asking the wine to change. We explore why consumers push back, how category cues evolve, and what it takes to make sustainability feel like an upgrade. Then we zoom out to France, where grower protests signal a global reality: oversupply hurts. Distillation aid and vine pull schemes buy time, but the honest fix is right-sizing plantings, shifting styles, and aligning with demand.

For a festive detour, we fact-check Netflix’s Champagne Problems—funny, charming, and gloriously wrong on méthode traditionnelle. It’s a teachable moment that starts with pop culture and ends in real craft. We wrap with something practical: a standout Aldi Malbec that nails benchmark Argentinian style—dark fruit, firm tannin, bright acid—and doubles as a great learning bottle. And a heads-up: we’re about to taste through some of Australia’s most iconic wines, from Grange to regional legends, to map where heritage and modern taste meet.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves wine (or loves a good debate), and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us. What change do you want to see in wine next?

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