Wine with Meg + Mel

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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/

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“Prosecco” is one word, but it carries a whole fight about history, labelling, and who gets to own a name. We unpack the newly completed EU trade deal that lets Australian producers keep using Prosecco in Australia, while forcing a phase-out for exports over the next 10 years. If you’ve ever wondered why Champagne is protected, why Glera exists, or how a rebrand can ripple through shelves and sales, we lay it out in plain language and ask the hard question: is this a loss, or a chance for Australian sparkling wine to stand on its own?

Then we pivot from trade policy to pure excess with the latest record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold: a 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti that went for around $1.5 million AUD. We talk about what that money is really buying, whether a bottle like that should ever be opened, and why rarity drives the fine wine collecting market in ways that have nothing to do with a simple “is it tasty?” test.

From there it gets practical: cellar door tastings, bus groups, and the new normal of seated experiences and tasting fees. Are wineries making wine tourism better, or accidentally training visitors to buy less after paying for the tour? We also take on the “move over Chardonnay” narrative and debate alternative grape varieties, with Aligoté becoming the lightning rod for a bigger question about consumer demand versus insider boredom.

If you enjoy smart wine chat with strong opinions, subscribe, share this with your wine group, and leave a review. Then jump into our socials and tell us: what would you rename Australian Prosecco, and are buses good or bad for wineries?

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We chase “quiet luxury” wines that give you the feel of Burgundy, Sancerre and cult Italian reds without the eye-watering price tags. We taste our way through smart substitutions, explain the label terms that trip people up, and call out where the value still holds.

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2023 -  https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_118988?store=3252&gclsrc=aw.ds&e_cid=ps:ds:GOOGLE:PMAX+-+Wine+-+White+Wine::ds_keywords%3Dds_kw:&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23483242555&gbraid=0AAAAADidTxB5taZXXmyXEmO5_8vHauFAL&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRKMv2kJmhrSiATAZYPPNelRbmVtM1qDi-3ukjbQEEmID8VberURdNxoC_c4QAvD_BwE

Peppoli Chianti Classico 2024 - https://www.nicks.com.au/products/2024-antinori-peppoli-chianti-classico?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1301565303&gbraid=0AAAAAD2Q_NVUOhIIpzJfCqtvyIpKtG35h&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRJk9_3H0aaZggTqQlV4WGH34zOqB9nNL927BBu2ceFRxxvN036GnSBoCgjcQAvD_BwE

Serge Dagueneau & Filles Pouilly Fume Tradition 2024 - https://www.nicks.com.au/products/2024-serge-dagueneau-and-filles-pouilly-fume-tradition?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1301565303&gbraid=0AAAAAD2Q_NVUOhIIpzJfCqtvyIpKtG35h&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRKHl1UMDLwOkUd6gOdCeSp6h8exfskWM2rhfQquv5074lu1p924qbRoCQLQQAvD_BwE

Head to the SPIEGELAU website through our link!

Use Code MEGMEL, and you will get a crazy 45%. It’s live until END OF DAY 24th April

Head to the website at https://www.spiegelau.com/en-au/shop?mtm_campaign=wwmm&mtm_kwd=digital&mtm_source=podcast#sort=bestSeller 

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Queensland wine sounds like it shouldn’t work, so we taste our way through the Granite Belt and talk through the climate science that makes it possible. Four bottles later, we’re genuinely shocked by how balanced, fresh, and buy-worthy these wines are. 

• Golden Grove Vermentino 2025 - https://www.goldengroveestate.com.au/product/2025-vermentino/
• Witches Falls Verdelho 2024 - https://witchesfalls.com.au/products/2024-provenance-verdelho?srsltid=AfmBOooNItw2Uwj-9Lgnv2x1FfBTV7-VHnuaNohQ0J8g1JlD857UnO5G
• Golden Grove Joven Tempranillo 2024 - https://www.goldengroveestate.com.au/product/2024-joven-tempranillo/
• La Petit Mort Qvevri Saperavi 2022 - https://marketwinestore.com.au/products/la-petite-mort-qvevri-saperavi?srsltid=AfmBOooFi2kpFtaywyFVXeM3qB3a_cfC2X4Cu1rfLxiqYlvkHvfdwVEB

Get up there when you get a chance and get to these wineries or just go online and support them!

Head to SPIEGELAU to take advanatge of the incredible 45% Off offer for our listeners!

https://www.spiegelau.com/en-au/shop?mtm_campaign=wwmm&mtm_kwd=digital&mtm_source=podcast#sort=bestSeller 

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We move through the week’s biggest wine headlines, from career-building opportunities in Adelaide to the very real stress of smoke over vineyards during harvest. We also unpack rising fuel costs, what redundancies signal about the market, and why Michel Rolland’s legacy still shapes how wine tastes today.

• Scholarships for under-35s to attend the International Masters of Wine Symposium in Adelaide in April 2027
• Why the MW symposium matters for contemporary issues, tasting and industry networks
• Controlled burns across Victoria during peak harvest and how fast timing changes raise risk
• Smoke monitoring, uncertainty around smoke taint, and why information flow matters in vintage
• A late and compressed vintage, tank space pressure, fatigue, and the added impact of heavy rain
• How Trump Iran conflict headlines feed fuel price stress, freight surcharges and visitation worries
• Why buying wine direct can matter more when costs jump across shipping and operations
• Warren Randall redundancies as a restructuring signal, not a one-off drama
• The end of the wine boom and the need for younger thinking in rebuilding the industry
• Michel Rolland’s influence on Bordeaux style, approachability, controversy and homogenisation debates

Thanks for listening to this episode and head to spiegelau.com for an absolute treat offer from SPIEGELAU to us and all our listeners. Remember to use the code MEGMEL and upgrade your wine collection. You deserve it!

Head to the website, it's https://www.spiegelau.com/en-au/shop#sort=bestSeller

Code: MEGMEL

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We taste and test how different glasses change the way wine shows up, from aroma to texture, with SPIEGELAU CEO Richard Voit. We land on a simple, practical setup for real life: buy fewer glasses, buy better, and match the glass to what you actually drink. 

Throughout this episode we try Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Of Course!) and even Champagne and the results left us shocked.

We've highlighted our favourite glasses from this experience for you!

• SPIEGELAU Definition Burgundy Glass 
• SPIEGELAU Definition Universal Glass 
• SPIEGELAU Lifestyle Burgundy Glass 

And a couple others we loved!

• SPIEGELAU Perfect Serve D.O.F 
• SPIEGELAU Perfect Serve Nick & Nora 

Until the 24th of April Wine with Meg & Mel  listeners have access to 45% off full priced items if you use our code "megmel" at checkout!

Head to - https://www.spiegelau.com/en-au/shop?mtm_campaign=wwmm&mtm_kwd=digital&mtm_source=podcast#sort=bestSeller 

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You know that moment on a weekend away when you’re standing in a local supermarket with bananas in one hand and a basket in the other, staring at a random wall of wine and thinking, “How am I meant to pick something good from this?” That’s the problem we set out to solve with a simple challenge: we’re heading to an Airbnb with mates, we each get $50, and we have to buy wine that delivers on both value and drinkability. No swapping bottles back onto the shelf, no overthinking, and yes, we absolutely forget to check whether the place has a corkscrew. 

We taste our way through supermarket sparkling wine (including a proper method traditional bottle), then get practical about what to look for when the shelves are slow-moving. Meg breaks down the hidden “lot number” clue that can tell you when sparkling was disgorged or bottled, and we talk honestly about how serving temperature can make a good pick feel even better. From there it’s a tour of budget whites with real holiday utility: Clare Valley Riesling as a sharp, zesty safe bet, Pinot Grigio marketing that doesn’t quite match the glass, and a $15 Soave that surprises us by being genuinely crowd-friendly. 

Then we push the budget to its limits with a litre bottle of Chardonnay and unpack why cheap Chardonnay can end up tasting sweet, overly tropical, or simply built to please the broadest possible palate. On reds, we land on a French Vin de France “mystery blend” that’s far more drinkable than it has any right to be, before debating whether cheap Sangiovese is a smart gamble in Australia. If you want straightforward wine shopping tips, supermarket wine picks, and a few laughs for your next holiday, hit play. Subscribe, share it with a mate who always panics at the bottle shop, and leave us a review with your own best budget wine find.

Winning Wines right here!

https://bluepyrenees.com.au/collections/sparkling/products/2022-blue-pyrenees-vintage-brut

https://winesellersdirect.com.au/products/pasqua-delle-venezie-soave-doc-2024-italy

https://www.thewinecollective.com.au/products/2023-la-ptite-pierre-rouge?currency=AUD&variant=41800285782125&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=848595b13a55&/?utm_source=google_ads&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=TWC_PMax_Shopping_TWC_Warehouse_AU&utm_term=51045064&utm_content=warehouse&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21044783965&gbraid=0AAAAADv9ltxqmYF5cfpBqLRRnkpQV8YCL&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj47OBhCmARIsAF5wUEGYNHdfoOHP4yLI1yix-UONZZH9KqcE7HsPaKANW9Xa2oh1jyPBQIAaArjoEALw_wcB

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We put goon on trial by tasting Bagnum versus a classic tap cask, blind, and learned just how easily packaging can mess with perception. Along the way we unpack why a Goon Bag can inflate (unintentionally, unlike Austin's high school pillows), what freshness really means in larger formats, and why the cheaper option can still be the best drink in the glass. 

• What counts as goon and why the tap matters 
• Bagnum versus cask pricing and how it plays out per bottle 
• The “inflated Bag” problem explained by CO2 and heat 
• Blind Sauvignon Blanc tasting WOW

Banrock Station Sauvignon Blanc

https://banrockstation.com.au/collections/our-wines/products/sauvignon-blanc-2l?variant=50397991698736

• Blind Shiraz tasting

WineSmith Shiraz 2025

https://www.winesmiths.com.au/premium-selection-shiraz-nv/RESSHI6.html

• Cost of goods in alternative packaging and why bigger is not always cheaper 
• Extraction, free run and pressings explained in plain language 
• Freshness tips for boxed wine and why retailer turnover matters 

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Listen next week as we tell you "what to buy when you're staring at a wall of WTF?!"

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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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