Wine with Meg + Mel

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We blind taste Aldi’s Blackstone Paddock against renowned Australian bottles and were absolutely shocked by what we found.

• Aldi wines + our end of year partnership
• Aldi Blackstone Paddock Tasmanian Pinot Gris ($19.99) tasted with a renowned Tasmanian Pinot Gris worth approx $40 - a beautiful alsatian style with savoury notes and oily texture.
• Aldi Blackstone Paddock Margaret River Chardonnay ($19.99) tasted with a great $70 Margaret River Chardonnay. It emerged as a modern, flinty style. Daring, aimed at wine nerds - impressive.
• Aldi Blackstone Paddock Tasmanian Pinot Noir ($19.99) beside two other Tassie Pinot Noirs ($40 and $50) - the Aldi stood tall in quality, delivering finesse.
• Aldi Blackstone Paddock Margaret River Cabernet ($19.99) structure, tannin, and cellaring advice
• Why Aldi’s team leans into authentic regional profiles
• Availability notes and state restrictions on liquor sales
• Teaser for next week’s interview with the Aldi wine buyer

Check out your local Aldi store and explore the Blackstone Paddock range

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We blind-taste three Kunawarra Cabernets and then compare our notes to the wineries’ own descriptions to see what holds up. Along the way we share a science-backed look at regional character, practical decanting and cellaring advice, and a simple rule to spot trustworthy tasting notes.

Wines: 

• Redman 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon 
• Brand and Sons 2026 Cabernet Sauvignon 
• Zema Estate 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 

Notes:
• what “old-school” Kunawarra Cabernet tastes like
• how tannin texture and bay leaf markers guide pairing
• why some marketing notes miss the mark
• which notes aligned with structure, age and balance
• decanting windows versus long-term cellaring
• how to read technical cues in tasting notes
• when “yummy” language is enough for drink-now wines
• pricing, vintages and value signals across three bottles
• a quick look at research on regional signatures

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Next week we unveil a new partnership — make a guess and tune in

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We taste the spritz surge head‑on, from peachy Bellina to zesty Zoncello, a spiced curveball, and a local bitter orange can, while unpacking how climate news nudges fine‑wine prices and how producers adapt. We share how to serve spritz properly, why real fruit matters, and why welcoming spritz grows the wine world.

• the spritz boom across Australian shelves and bars
• serving rules for balance with ice and citrus
• Zoncello's Bellina peach spritz ($25) as the crowd‑pleaser
• Zoncello’s lemoncello spritz ($25) hit and bold marketing
• Squeeling Pig apple and cinnamon ($16) as a winter‑leaning flavour
• SOFI’s local bitter orange cans (4 for $18) as an Aperol alternative
• climate news linking to lower fine‑wine prices
• regional style shifts driven by warming trends
• real fruit vs flavour additives in spritz
• gateway drinks that expand wine’s audience
• next week’s teaser on honest tasting notes

As always, please, if you enjoy our podcast. Rate reviewers. Give us however many stars you think we deserve. And then lastly, if you like our podcast, please send an episode to your friends. Put it on your socials. Help spread the word.

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We put the champagne opening myth to the test, comparing the quiet hiss to the party pop to see if bubble quality actually changes. Along the way we unpack Coravin’s medical-engineering roots, wine by the glass growth, and why glassware choice feels fussy yet useful.

• Coravin inventor’s medical background and impact
• How Coravin preserves wine using argon
• London and Melbourne leading wine by the glass
• Safety-first method for opening sparkling
• Charmat versus traditional method explained
• Blind tasting: pop versus hiss bubble texture
• Glassware choices for sparkling, aged Riesling, and red
• Theatre of wine versus practical service

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What if two Pinots from the same producer, made the same way, could still taste nothing alike? We uncork that mystery by tracing flavour back to elevation, aspect, soil and the quiet work of a long ripening season. Starting on the Mornington Peninsula with Ten Minutes by Tractor, we compare “Down the Hill” and “Up the Hill” and show how a cooler ridge delivers darker colour, finer tannins and perfume, while lower sites pour bright cranberry fruit and a touch more bunchy grip. The takeaway is simple and thrilling: site speaks, even when the label doesn’t list a formal sub-region.

Then we head to the Yarra Valley with Giant Steps, where single-vineyard Pinots translate geography into texture. Sexton in Gruyere ripens earliest and drinks fleshier with darker fruit and confident tannin. Applejack in Gladysdale steps higher for florals, red cherry and elegant structure. Bastard Hill climbs again, picking later and unfolding cardamom, Sichuan pepper and coiled energy that begs for time. With consistent winemaking across the range, the differences you taste are pure place—grey clays versus red volcanic soils, bushland buffering temperatures, row orientation guiding sunlight across the canopy.

Along the way we unpack how unofficial sub-regions coexist with Australia’s GI system, why row direction matters as much as slope, and how climate change has nudged former sparkling strongholds into still-wine brilliance. If Burgundy taught us to listen to parcels, Mornington and the Yarra are crafting an Australian dialect of terroir that any curious drinker can learn. Ready to taste the map instead of just reading it? Follow the journey, share it with a wine friend, and if you love this kind of deep dive, tap subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which vineyard you want us to visit next.

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Think all Pinot Noir is just “light red”? Three glasses say otherwise. We set up a controlled taste test with Handpicked’s single-vineyard Pinot from Tasmania, Mornington Peninsula, and the Yarra Valley to hear terroir speak without the noise of wildly different winemaking. The result is a crisp, side-by-side sensory map of Australian Pinot: an elegant, hibiscus-and-cranberry whisper from Tassie; a plush, red-cherry surge with velvet tannins from Mornington; and a taut, sour-cherry line with tomato leaf and structure from Yarra.

We start by framing why place matters—cool climates, longer hang time, and how flavour precursors accumulate—and then tackle the GI reality that Tasmania is still labelled under a single umbrella despite its diverse pockets like Coal River and Tamar. Keeping producer and intent constant at the $90 tier lets texture, aroma, and tannin shape become the guideposts. Along the way, we share the practical stuff: which dishes sing with each style (think Peking duck pancakes, confit duck, and crisp-skinned poultry), how to build an affordable group tasting night that outperforms a wine bar tab, and why premium, site-first winemaking doesn’t have to feel intimidating when you know what to expect in the glass.

There’s levity, too—a cheeky “Am I A Wine Wanker?” moment on bringing your own glass to a BYO—and genuine listener love for a tasting club that pairs our episodes with themed snacks. The biggest takeaway? Regionality in Australian Pinot isn’t a slogan; it’s visible in the colour, audible in the nose, and tactile in the tannin. Next, we zoom further to sub-regions to see if the fine grain holds up.

If you enjoy thoughtful tastings with real-world tips, hit follow, share this with your wine-curious mates, and leave a quick review—then tell us which region won your glass tonight.

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Wine scoring systems have proliferated, leaving many consumers confused about who to trust when choosing their next bottle. We break down the differences between wine shows, critic ratings, classifications, and journalistic approaches to help you navigate the complex world of wine recommendations.

• Wine shows use panels of expert judges who taste wines blind, scoring on a 100-point scale
• Judges award bronze (85-89), silver (90-94), and gold (95+) medals based on technical merit
• The Real Review groups wines by variety for comparative tasting, with critics having freedom to taste non-blind
• Halliday Wine Companion uses regional specialists who focus on terroir-specific excellence
• Langton's Classification is data-driven, ranking wines based on auction performance and collector demand
• Wine writer Max Allen avoids scoring altogether, focusing on storytelling and context
• Regional wine shows offer valuable insight into local specialties
• Personal preferences should ultimately guide your wine choices

To find wines you'll truly enjoy, consider which approach aligns with your own preferences and use these systems as helpful guides rather than definitive judgments.

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Meg and Mel dive into the groundbreaking Endeavor wine industry report that reveals surprising insights about Australian wine consumption patterns across demographics and regions.

• Affluence drives wine purchase more than age, with wealthy consumers favouring Champagne, Chardonnay, and surprisingly, Riesling
• Gen Z unexpectedly over-indexes on Champagne consumption despite limited budgets
• Tasmania and Western Australia show the strongest loyalty to their local wine regions
• The Yarra Valley is experiencing growth while Tasmania faces market challenges despite producing top-rated sparkling wines
• Victoria drives wine trends like Pinot Noir and spritz culture that spread across Australia
• Queensland shows unique preferences for New Zealand wines and sweeter styles
• Prosecco dominates the sparkling category nationwide, particularly from King Valley
• Millennials are just now coming into red wine and Champagne as their palates mature and incomes increase
• Each Australian state displays distinct wine personality profiles that reveal cultural differences

Find the complete "State of Grapes" report online for more insights into Australia's wine consumption patterns.

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It came to our attention that our Nebb ep wasn’t uploaded currently so you all never heard us Greek out over one of our fav grapes… well…  here it is! 

Meg and Mel explore the world of Nebbiolo, comparing Australian examples from Victoria with Italian classics from Piedmont.

• Nebbiolo is known for its paradoxical nature - light in colour but powerful in tannin and structure
• Classic descriptors include tar, roses, dried cherries, and a distinctive "bricky" character
• Pizzini La Volpe Nebbiolo ($35) from King Valley offers an approachable entry point to the variety
• Traviati Beechworth Nebbiolo ($45) presents a more serious, age-worthy Australian expression
• Fontana Freda Langhe Nebbiolo ($40-45) shows distinctive herb notes alongside tar and roses
• Fontana Freda Barolo 2019 ($95) demonstrates the depth, complexity and powerful tannins expected from Barolo
• Australian Nebbiolo may never become as mainstream as Sangiovese but offers excellent value and quality
• Nebbiolo is perfect for autumn dining, pairing beautifully with mushrooms, truffles and hearty dishes

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Meg and Mel dive into the world of unusual grape varieties, exploring wines most people have never heard of and definitely can't pronounce. From a surprisingly good organic Australian Chardonnay to obscure European varietals, they share discoveries that will expand your wine horizons.

• Yolumba Organic Chardonnay from South Australia delivers unexpected quality for $23
• Exploring the difference between organic certification and sustainable practices
• Arinto, a Portuguese grape variety, shows beautiful minerality and citrus notes in Australian terroir
• Falanghina from McLaren Vale offers apricot notes and oily texture reminiscent of "sunshine in a bottle"
• Discussion of Brettanomyces in wine – when is it a fault versus a complexity element?
• Agiorgitiko from Greece's Peloponnese region delivers remarkable leather and plum notes with Nebbiolo-like tannins
• Perfect food pairings for these unusual wines, especially Greek wine with lamb, feta and pomegranate

We'd love to hear your experiences if you try any of these unusual varietals! Message us with your thoughts and let us know if you've discovered any hidden gems of your own.

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