Wine with Meg + Mel

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The Australian vintage just shrank, but the story is not as simple as “less wine equals higher prices”. We unpack Wine Australia’s national vintage report, why production is down across regions, and what it suggests about oversupply, water constraints, and the long, messy shift from bulk wine to premium Australian wine. If you work in wine, run a cellar door, or simply care about what ends up in your glass, these numbers explain a lot about where the market is heading.

Then we zoom in on Tasmania, where bad conditions around flowering and fruit set can trigger the “chicken and hen” effect, leaving uneven bunches and lower yields. The upside is the classic quality question: if fewer berries make it through, do the survivors become more concentrated and exciting? We talk through why vintage 2026 in Tasmania could be a sleeper hit, even if the business reality is tougher for producers who cannot just charge double.

From there, it’s over to Europe’s heat. With veraison and ripening now happening under hotter, drier conditions, French PDOs are increasingly allowing irrigation to save crops, and the quality risks look familiar: high sugar, higher alcohol, and flavours and tannins that may not be fully ripe. Finally, we get practical about consumer trends in Australia. Gen Z and Millennials are drinking on premise and they are more willing to pay $18+ per glass, which changes how wineries should think about value, experience, and sales tactics.

If this helped you see the wine industry more clearly, subscribe, share it with a wine mate, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

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A winemaker gets cut, a flagship winery gets prepped for sale, and suddenly we are not talking about tasting notes anymore. We dig into the Oakridge bombshell: David Bicknell, the winemaker many credit with changing the direction of Australian Chardonnay, is made redundant after decades shaping the Yarra Valley’s most influential single-vineyard wines. The language around it matters, the emotion is real, and the business logic is confronting.

From there we zoom out into the Australian wine industry crisis and the structures that helped create it. We talk Endeavour Group, Dan Murphy’s, BWS, Woolworths, Coles, and the retail duopoly that has both selling power and buying power. We unpack “ghost brands”, why shelf space is everything, and how vertical integration can turn a product built on provenance and story into a price-led commodity. We also revisit the political side: ACCC scrutiny, Senate inquiry warnings, and how quickly important reform can disappear when the spotlight moves on.

We do not pretend there is one simple fix, but we do land on practical actions for drinkers who want better wine and a healthier industry: check the back label, understand who is importing and controlling the brand, and buy direct from small producers when you can. If this conversation sparks a reaction, share it with a mate, subscribe for more, and leave us a review so more people can find it.

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Get your clipboard, lab coat and pen at the ready as Meg and Mel NERD OUT on this episode about Gamay. 

We go deep on Gamay and Beaujolais, from Nouveau history to why carbonic maceration can taste like lollies even when the wine is dry. Along the way we test a budget French bottle against a pricier Cru and an Australian Gamay, then share practical hacks for dissolved CO2 and reduction. 

Wine 1: Mommessin, Les Papillons Gamay, https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_132844/mommessin-les-papillons-gamay

Wine 2: Chateau du Moulin-a-Vant Gamay, 2020, https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_430458/ch-teau-du-moulin-vent-moulin-vent?isFromSearch=false&isPersonalised=false&pageName=category_page&spPageId=viewCategory_API_desktop&pageNumber=2

Wine 3: Golding, Adelaide Hills Gamay, 2024, https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_6008117/golding-adelaide-hills-gamay

Keep an eye out for Copper Coins...

Shake your wine if you think it's not quite right and tell us what you think!

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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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