Wine with Meg + Mel

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We taste how time changes sparkling wine, comparing lees-aged cellar release bubbles with an older bottle-aged Blanc de Blancs that turns fruit into caramel, fudge and nuts. We also break down how sparkling rosé gets its colour and sweetness, so you can buy with confidence and pair it with food like you actually mean it. 

Our standout favourite wine had to be the Chandon Cellar release from 2013. Stunning depth, smooth finish and a long LONG finish.

https://www.chandon.com/en-au/product/chandon-cellar-release-2013

• three stages of ageing in méthode traditionnelle sparkling and what each one changes 
• cellar release and late disgorged wines preserving freshness while building brioche and toast 
• bottle ageing sparkling wine and why colour deepens as mousse fades faster 
• tasting for quality using mousse, mouthfeel and a timed finish 
• sparkling rosé colour made at the start via maceration versus added at the end with grape must 
• “Tashe” style rosé and why late colour often means more sweetness 
• food pairing strategies using contrast, complement, and “completing the mouthful” 
• how to read vintage, non-vintage, and multi-vintage on labels 
If there’s any terms we’ve missed out, let us know, hit us in the DMs 

All the wines tasted (except the 2006 Blanc de Blanc) are available through the Chandon Shop!

https://www.chandon.com/en-au/collection/all

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Sparkling wine looks effortless in the glass, but the work behind it is anything but. With Meg away in Spain, we (Mel and Austin) crack on with a proper deep dive into Traditional Method sparkling wine, the bottle-fermented approach that underpins Champagne and some of the best Australian sparkling wine. If you’ve ever wondered why “Method Traditional” on a label usually means more complexity, finer bubbles and a higher price tag, we walk you through the exact reasons, step by step.

We start where most people never get to taste: base wine. It’s high acid, lower alcohol, and honestly a bit shocking when you try it on its own. From there we explain blending, the part we see as the true artistry, because winemakers shape the final style from parcels that don’t taste anything like the finished product. Then we get into the science of the second fermentation in bottle, where yeast plus grape must creates alcohol and traps carbon dioxide to form bubbles.

After that, we unpack the delicious bits: ageing on lees for brioche, toast and nutty notes, plus how “time on lees” also changes mousse and bead. We break down riddling and disgorgement, from old-school hand turning to modern gyropalettes, and finish with dosage, the tiny final addition that can make an acidic wine feel seamless. Finally, we taste and compare a classic Brut blend against Blanc de Blanc, with practical food pairing ideas for seafood, spice and richer mains.

To get even more Sparkling Wine info listen to some of our older episodes!

To Hiss or POP!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uEUAadf6yXgG3unNaeWJi

All about Sparkling Wine

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Bh5mhWboPsxTod3JN35c1?si=jHnw7DO6QMWwrBXRHzghFg&utm_source=copy-link

If you love Champagne-style sparkling or want to buy smarter, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a wine mate, and leave us a review. What’s your go-to: Brut or Blanc de Blanc?

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Wine is a “sexy” industry right up until you see what the hours, expectations, and unspoken rules do to the people who make it. We’re joined by three powerhouse voices from very different corners of wine: Jess Clark from Dexter Wines with deep production experience, Imogen Gardner, Public Affairs Director at Treasury Wine Estates, and Jill Boyer from Adelaide University, teaching and shaping the next generation of wine professionals.

We talk about the quiet talent drain: why a 50 50 split at the start of wine degrees can later turn into a sharp drop-off in leadership, and why people often leave without making a sound. From harvest and spray season workloads to the “martyr mentality”, we unpack what drives burnout and what actually helps retention: better planning, realistic rostering, clear communication, fair compensation, and workplace psychological safety. We also dig into the “sexy job tax” and how glamour can hide underpayment, overwork, and boundaries that get trampled.

Then we go wide on the future of the Australian wine industry: GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, changing health trends, and why “drinking less but better” could be an opportunity rather than a threat. Imogen explains how nutritional labelling and kilojoules can build consumer trust, and we explore AI in wine, from vineyard sensing and forecasting to label compliance, plus the risk that AI erodes entry-level training if leaders aren’t intentional.

We finish with the practical reality of pregnancy, parental leave, and returning to work in production roles, and why flexible work, cross-skilling, and job design keep knowledge in the business. If you care about sustainable wine careers, better workplace culture, and the long-term health of Australian viticulture and winemaking, hit subscribe, share this with a wine mate, and leave us a review.

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A premium Yarra Valley name going into administration is not the headline anyone wanted, but it is the one we need to talk about. With Meg away, we jump into Wine News and break down what “administration” actually means, why Mac Forbes matters to Australian wine, and the bigger message hiding underneath the gossip: critical acclaim, top reviews, and a strong personal brand don’t automatically protect a winery when the market is tight and cash flow is under strain.

From there, we take the energy of the Australian Women in Wine Symposium and pull out the themes that stick. We talk leadership and workplace culture, then dig into the idea of the “sexy job tax” the trap where industries that look glamorous (wine included) often ask people to accept longer hours, lower pay, and shakier conditions. If we want to keep good people in wine, we can’t rely on vibes and freebies. We need sustainable jobs.

We also zoom out to the structural moves shaping the next few years: leadership changes at Australian Grape & Wine and the Australian Wine Research Institute, France paying growers to rip out vineyards, and South Australia’s $109 million wine industry transition and growth package that finally hints at a pathway for growers who need options. Then we hit climate change, with Champagne warming up and English sparkling wine looking more and more like the cool climate sweet spot.

We finish on a high with a shout out to Brendan Carter’s international communicator win, plus a genuinely funny listener report from London on a KFC pop-up pairing chicken with La Vieille Ferme wine. If you like smart wine analysis with a bit of chaos, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review. What story do you want us to dig into next?

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Meg was meant to be on mic. She misread a message, didn’t show, and we made the only sensible choice: pour a glass and turn our producer Austin into today’s guest. The catch is he’s drinking warm Pinot Grigio in the morning, and we’re using that questionable “liquid courage” to test a bold claim. If you listen to a wine podcast long enough, can you pass a WSET Level 2 style quiz?

We run through real WSET Level 2 multiple-choice questions and unpack the why behind the answers. Think vineyard fundamentals like the key latitude band for wine regions, what actually affects temperature in the vineyard, and whether “hand-picked” automatically equals quality. From there we step into winemaking mechanics, including the correct order for most red winemaking (crush, ferment, press), how red wine gets its colour through skin contact, and what old oak vats do once they stop adding oak flavour.

Chardonnay lovers get plenty too: we talk barrel fermentation, lees stirring, and why botrytis and flor yeast belong in very different wine conversations. Then we zoom out to wine education itself, comparing WSET Level 2 and WSET Level 3, and asking an uncomfortable question about how much these exams reward essay skills over real trade experience. Meg even storms in mid-recording to react to the warm Pinot situation and help settle a final grape-variety stumper.

If you’re studying WSET, building your wine vocabulary, or just want a funny, practical wine lesson you can use at the bottle shop and at the table, press play. Subscribe, share this with a wine mate, and leave us a review, what score do you think you’d get?

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We catch up with our old mate Warwick Tiernan to unpack how a lifelong love of food, travel, and good chats at bottle shops turns into genuine wine confidence. We taste our way through a Victorian long lunch and focus on stories, regions, and smart buying rather than wine jargon for its own sake. 

Follow us on Warwicks long lunch and taste along!

Wine 1: Redbank King Valley, Elevage Prosecco - https://www.redbankwines.com.au/products/elevage-prosecco

Wine 2: Mitchel Harris, Sabre, 2019 - https://mhwine.com.au/products/cabernet-sauvignon-2021-copy-3

Wine 3: Scion, Viognier 2023 - https://www.scionwine.com.au/products/viognier-2023

Wine 4: Vignerons Schmoltzer & Brown, Nebbiolo 2025 - https://www.differentdrop.com/products/2025-vignerons-schmolzer-brown-village-nebbiolo?srsltid=AfmBOoqAqqNIhdzPIR2JP_RyaGl-WjQIAp3_BND7vGnGpzWLqWZmWHZ8

Wine 5: Tahbilk Cane-Cut Marsanne 2019 - https://www.tahbilk.com.au/2019-cane-cut-marsanne-500ml

Let us know if you've tried these wines before and if you love them! We'll be back next week with the long awaited return of Mel in a new Wine News episode!

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We follow the trail of wine and war across the 20th century and it gets stranger, darker, and more human than most wine trivia ever admits.

We talk through why the French state treated wine as a cultural and strategic necessity in World War I, including the famous daily ration that grows over time. From there, we look at what war does to vineyards in practical terms: destroyed vines, shortages of copper and sulphur for sprays, labour gaps filled by women and children, and the early push for growers to band together to keep supply moving. It’s wine history, but it’s also logistics, morale, and survival.

World War II shifts the lens to occupation and control. We unpack what happens when Champagne, Bordeaux, and Alsace sit under Nazi rule: chateaux commandeered, Champagne diverted, and producers quietly fighting back by hiding the good stock and sending decoy piquette instead. Along the way we connect the long shadow of wartime supply to later oversupply and subsidies, then bring it home to Australian wine culture, from fortified wine habits to irrigated soldier settlement regions and the Yarra Valley’s stop-start story. We even explain the surprisingly wartime origin story behind the Aussie word “plonk”, plus a teaser-worthy detour into modern wine fraud and the Rudy Kurniawan scandal.

If you enjoy wine storytelling with real history underneath it, subscribe, share this with a wine mate, and leave us a review. What’s the most surprising wine fact you’ve heard lately?

Let us know if you're keen to hear more Wine History and even Wine Fraud!

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Wine people love a good crisis chat, but what happens when the story gets so grim that customers start believing wine itself is the problem? We’re tackling that head-on, with a glass in hand and a focus on what actually moves the Australian wine industry forward.

We start with a bright spot: the Len Evans Tutorial scholars and why this intense, blind-tasting program is considered one of Australia’s most prestigious wine education pathways. From judging workshops to museum wines, it’s a reminder that training, consistency, and clear communication are still the backbone of great wine judging and great wine careers.

Then we get into the big mood shift. We unpack the recent pushback against industry doom-scrolling, including Dan Sims’ argument for less wallowing and more customer focus, plus the reality that wine is facing global structural change, generational shifts, and fierce competition from other drinks. That opens the door to fresh thinking, like wine cocktails and new occasions that help people discover Australian wine without the snobbery.

We also cover Coravin’s first aged wine clinic in Sydney, what it means to assess an old bottle through the cork, and the uncomfortable possibility of being told your treasured wine is corked. Add new directors on the Wine Australia board, plus how Australian wine shows are evolving beyond the old boys’ club into more diverse panels and stronger mentoring for new judges, and you’ve got a full snapshot of where wine is heading. To finish, we share the fun stuff: KFC’s wine bar pop-up in London and a stack of upcoming wine events worth planning around.

If you enjoyed this Wine News catch-up, subscribe, share it with a wine mate, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

As we said on the ep write in! We love hearing from you.

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Your DMs run the show this time, and the questions swing wildly between deeply practical wine advice and the kind of chaos you only get when you put three opinionated people in front of microphones. We start with the story so many of you asked for: Meg’s time in Chile, including what it’s like moving countries on a one-way ticket, learning Spanish in the cellar, and working outside the big-city wine scene. It turns into a bigger chat about wine careers, humility, and why “making a plan” isn’t the only way to build a life in wine. 

Then we get personal and answer how we met, why we clicked, and how Mine With Meg And Mel started during COVID as a no-BS wine education podcast for everyday drinkers. Austin jumps in with the behind-the-scenes origin story too, including how he went from listener to essential part of the team. 

After that, it’s rapid-fire wine nerd gold: does bottle size matter (half bottle vs magnum ageing), what reduction really is, and quick definitions that demystify Baumé and Brix. We also give travel wine tips for the Greek islands, Croatia and Montenegro with one simple rule that works almost everywhere: drink local and try the indigenous varieties. To finish, we get blunt about recycling, wine bottles and the container deposit scheme, then land on the crowd favourite: why sabrage looks so impressive when it’s done properly. 

Keep the questions coming! We are always checking all of our socials and we love to hear from you!

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We build a fast, practical way to remember German Riesling by region, then test it with a blind Spätlese flight that forces us to use Mel's... interesting study technique. Along the way we unpack Prädikat ripeness levels, GG and VDP labelling, and the tasting cues that separate Mosel, Rheingau, Nahe and Rheinhessen. 

If you want to taste along with us check out the list below and message us your thoughts!

Wine 1: Donnhoff Riesling Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese, 2023 - https://princewinestore.com.au/donnhoff-riesling-oberhauser-brucke-spatlese-2023.html

Wine 2: Keller RR Riesling, 2024 - https://www.nicks.com.au/products/2024-keller-rr-riesling

Wine 3: Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstuber Spatlese, 2023 - https://princewinestore.com.au/markus-molitor-bernkasteler-badstrube-spatlese-2023.html

Wine 4: Georg Breuer Ber Rottland Riesling, 2020 - https://www.nicks.com.au/products/2020-georg-breuer-berg-rottland-riesling

As we said, play along at home and write in! We'd love to hear you thoughts on Wine, Riesling, Germany's golden eagle and everything else!

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