Santorini's future is in jeopardy. This ancient, famous island vineyard risks being lost beneath the tourism industry's bulldozers. So how can its wine community fight back? By making exceptional, characterful, inimitable wines and selling them to the world, that's how. In this episode (our 100th Wine Blast programme, appropriately enough!) we dive into what makes Santorini's wines as distinctive and unique as they undoubtedly are. From the steely, majestic dry Santorini Assyrtiko to the...

Let's go on an adventure to a place variously described as, 'Like being shot to the moon with a glass of fine wine in your hand' and where, 'you basically have the personality of an active volcano in your glass.' Santorini is arguably the ultimate wine destination - a windswept, arid, infertile outcrop of an island in the glittering Aegean Sea. Stunning - but bleak, and where the memory of one of the most violet volcanic eruptions in human history can not only be seen but also tasted in your...

What wine news is worthy of your attention? How should you warm up your (fine) wines in an emergency? What wines are really worth paying silly money for? And which wines should we have loved...but didn't?  These are just some of the questions we dive into in this Listener Q&A episode, where we respond to your brilliant comments, feedback and questions. And we field one other question too: are we even married to each other?! No spoilers here... Suffice it to say that along this...

Chardonnay polarises people. But times change and this is a grape that's moved on - arguably nowhere more so than in New Zealand, which in recent years has started to deliver quality, diversity and great value in spades. It's timely, too, given the supply shortages and booming prices of the wines from Chardonnay's motherland in Burgundy. We're Chardonnay superfans and we've been licking our lips at how far and fast New Zealand Chardonnay has evolved lately. So it's exciting to hook up with...

Could it be true?! No more hangovers is a tantalising notion, a Holy Grail for many drinkers. But how could this happen, and what would it mean for the world of booze and wine? Join us as we dive headlong into the enthralling world of hangover hacks (including at least one credible ‘remedy’) and explore the new breed of so-called functional drinks, which promise to deliver the buzz of booze without the bad effects. But do these functional drinks and hangover hacks actually work? We put our...

Every wine lover craves great Pinot Noir. Burgundy is ever pricier and scarcer. So where to look? Australia might not seem the obvious destination for Pinot Noir. It’s better known for hefty reds (think: Shiraz, Cabernet), historic styles like Hunter Semillon or its heroic ‘stickies’ (sweet and fortified like Rutherglen).  And if there’s a Burgundian variety closely associated with Oz, it’s Chardonnay. And yet…over the last few years, Ozzie Pinot Noir has come on leaps and bounds to capture...

This podcast is GOOD FOR YOU! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise... In this mind-blowing episode we have an exclusive interview with the world-famous Professor Tim Spector, expert in the human microbiome - this population of friendly microbes that lives inside all of us and which acts almost like an extra organ, boosting our immune system, fighting disease and even influencing our mental health. According to Spector, these microbes are so numerous and influential that we're all...

Stuff is going down in Beaujolais. Natural wine is a hot trend. Beaujolais Nouveau is re-inventing itself. The top sites have never made better wine. A new generation is revitalising the scene. Geological research has revealed eye-opening results. And growers aren't afraid to throw caution to the wind (Côte Rôtie barrels and Sciacarello anyone?!) Phew. It's also newsworthy: the region is submitting its first ever application for the top sites to be designated Premier Cru, the highly-prized...

Has Burgundy gone bonkers?! Off the back of a nightmare 2021 season, wines are in shorter supply than ever - so prices have gone through the roof. Again. The wines are unquestionably good. That's what Burgundy does. But as the region's wines gradually become ever-more scarce and atypical - and ever-less affordable - how long will wine lovers stick with Burgundy? Will we look back in 20 years and say: that was the tipping point when Burgundy finally lost touch with reality?! These are just...

Self-improvement - via a wine glass. With a side helping of 'vinous Kama Sutra'.  But we're getting ahead of ourselves... In our last episode we explored what we wine lovers want from the year ahead. In this programme we flip the camera round and take a look how we can be better wine lovers. Suggestions like 'drink better' inevitably crop up. But so do more thought-provoking tips such as, 'Pair food with wine, not the reverse,' 'Give a bottle of wine that we love to someone who isn’t...

So what do we all want from wine in the year ahead? What's top of our wish list for wine in 2023? For some it's drinking better (or simply more) wine. If possible, for less money. Others are hoping Pinot Noir proves to be a miracle cure and will be prescribed by doctors... More realistically, combating climate change, responsible political engagement with wine and an end to the war in Ukraine inevitably feature. And what of no-alcohol wine? The rise of organic and biodynamic...

Wine is good. We want a good future for wine - and the planet. But wine has been described on this pod as, 'the villain in the climate story.' So what gives - and how to turn this around? One UK wine retailer has sent out a rallying cry - aiming to be carbon neutral by 2024 and net zero across its entire business by 2040.  This retailer wants, ‘to be the most sustainable, ethical and responsible wine retailer in the world.’  These are big aims - and they belong to The Wine Society. So...

We're not kidding. This is the ULTIMATE burger. Especially if you're a wine lover... Yes we've got the patty and the brioche bun. So far so straightforward. But the killer ingredients? A tawny port reduction ('wino's ketchup'). Blue cheese. Umami paste. And to top it all off? Truffle mustard mayo. So yes, in this fun episode we attempt to answer that HUGE question: what wine to drink with your burger?! After much research, thought and drinking of wine, Susie was inspired to create this...

WOTY?! Don't mind if we do... Welcome to our TASTIEST show of the year (and that's saying something!) In 2022 we're focusing on value to give you some ideas of delicious but affordable wines to suit the season's revelry. No spoilers but we've got wines from France, Spain, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, USA, New Zealand - even Austria and England. (We did start off with just one Wine of the Year but couldn't help ourselves throwing a few more outstanding wines into the mix...) Dive in to...

This is not just any old fish pie. This is LUXURY fish pie. And we've got some properly luxuriant wines to match... There's nothing worse than a dry, eggy, potato-drenched fish pie. Our version uses smoked fish, chunky prawns, mustard, cream and cheddar - so we need some seriously high octane wines. No sense fooling around: this is rich white wine territory. One of our favourite styles of all. We choose two classic grape varieties that work really well across a range of styles - Chardonnay...

A new report predicts climate change will see English red wine becoming the norm rather than the exception as part of a global shift that will upend the world's wine map as we know it. It's a tough one to get your head around. On the one hand, these are exciting times for English winemakers. On the other, climate change represents an existential threat to humanity. Plus, although rising temperatures making wine more viable and diverse in the UK, climate change is also bringing...

It's a mid-week classic. But the BIG question is: what wines work best to make your spag bol taste like MAGIC?! We tackle this weighty issue like the true gannets we are, featuring some delicious Italian reds (Montepulciano + Valpolicella Ripasso) as well as more quirky pairings, from a South African Syrah to a Chilean Pais.  All the while talking through WHY things work as much as the specific wines themselves. (Oh, and there's mention of Pinky and Perky too - listen to find out...

Fancy joining us as we break into the Fort Knox of wine?! It's an old mine and former munitions dump in the middle of the English countryside that now holds over 9 million bottles and £1bn+ of stock. It's one of the biggest such storage facilities in the world and one (whisky) bottle stored there recently sold for £1.2m. Only downside? Security is tight. And you have to climb up 157 steps to get back out. Good thing Peter was actually invited in - and had a 'sustaining' lunch before the...

First up: what on earth is a GREEN PIZZA??!! Well, it's a summer vegetable tart. But we couldn't quite bring ourselves to have that as our title. So we ran with 'green pizza'. Which it...almost is.  What it definitely is, is utterly delicious comfort food. As well as going superbly well with a whole range of wines. So our kind of dish.  It cries out for a fresh, crisp white. Particularly those made from  Sauvignon Blanc...but not exclusively. Here's what we went with: Villa Maria Taylor's...

Susie and Peter are back! Still Masters of Wine, still married (the wine helps) and still serving up thrills and spills for your general delectation. Season 4 dives right back in where they left off,  and promises tons of great wine content, thought-provoking angles, top guests, listener questions answered, opinion, food, recommendations - and of course a lot of fun too… So welcome back - or welcome. This podcast is for everyone with an open mind and a healthy thirst. No need to catch up,...

So: what wine to pair with your roast lamb? Our answers might surprise you. Lamb is a classic in the wine matching pantheon. But it's not as easy as it may first seem. In fact, we'd argue a lot of supposed matches are way off the mark. Lamb is a very delicate red meat so needs a specific kind of wine to get the best out of the combination. Sometimes (in fact, really quite often) the best style of wine to pair with lamb is.....white. Failing that, an elegant red - but beware even the...

Curry. We all love it. So what's the best wine to drink with it?! Here be answers. As well as a bit of chomping (sorry), mention of whipping (no idea how that came up) and of course delicious wines all in the mix. This is a short-form Live episode, the first in our food-and-wine matching mini-series brought to you in association with Wine Club by Majestic. It's also available in video format so if you'd like to see us in action, check out our YouTube channel: Susie & Peter On...

Some people say choosing the right wine for your food (or vice versa) is too complicated. Or that it's all nonsense, so not worth bothering with - just go with whatever you fancy. We beg to differ - in the most strident of ways. We've both spent more than 20 years matching wines to food on TV, radio, events, podcasts and print. We know food is one of the best ways to make sense of wine, to learn more and to get beyond the pretentiousness - by focusing on basic flavours and personal...

Aghi Ourad is a Brit of Algerian descent who wants to change the way we think about wine from the 'Arab world' (his phrase). Places like Algeria and Lebanon, where wine production has a surprisingly long history but currently operates in a challenging environment for religious, social or economic reasons. Such wines from Muslim-majority countries, in Aghi's view, are under-appreciated and yet offer great interest and value for wine lovers. So he's set up a business, The Other Grape, to sell...

Fancy tasting 18,000+ bottles of wine in a week? Humping and dumping 73,000+ bottles? Herding 250+ international wine judges? Dodging bottle crushers and giant wormeries? And, after all that, the real question is: what's it all for?! We go behind the scenes at the world's biggest wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), to tackle these very questions and issues. What even is a wine competition? What's the point? What does it mean when you see a medal or award on a...