Wine Blast with Susie and Peter

SUBSCRIBER BONUS TASTER: 27 wines - 18 top tasters - an epic blind tasting featuring just one grape: Chardonnay. From all around the world - Grand Cru Burgundy to vintage champagne via Western Australia, Sonoma County and even Japan. Who would be the big winners? And, more importantly, why?! That's what we're getting into in this intriguing subscriber-only bonus episode on The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown blind tasting at the London Wine Fair 2026. We were both privileged to be part of the st...

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY BONUS CONTENT (short taster) - Sam Neill leads a double life. He's not Batman, or Bananaman. He's ConvivialWineChap (trademark pending). On the one hand, he's world-famous actor Sam Neill, acclaimed for his starring roles in Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders, The Piano and all that jazz. On the other, he's proud proprietor of Two Paddocks Wine in Central Otago, New Zealand. And this isn't just wine cosplay, either. Sam lives and breathes wine, describing himself as a Pinot N...

Peter Fraser, head winemaker and general manager at Yangarra Estate Vineyard in McLaren Vale, Australia, died in a house fire on 27th November 2025, aged 51. Peter was not only tremendously well respected, he was also tremendously well liked. As a person, he was affable, gentle, modest, genuine, ready with a laugh. As a professional, he was dedicated, conscientious and hugely talented. A champion of biodynamics and sensitive winemaking, Peter made wines of elegance, nuance and gravitas. They ...

So what do a boxer, a ballerina and a burlesque dancer have in common? You're gonna have to listen to find out... We're very excited to be bringing you this mini-series on McLaren Vale, the historic South Australian wine region that's gone from identity crisis to full-on wine renaissance in just a few decades. It's a fascinating story, involving ancient vines, determined winemakers and a healthy appetite for reinvention. Joining us to bring McLaren Vale to life are Chester Osborn, David Gleav...

Treats galore in this show! Because not only are we announcing our stellar Wines of the Year, we're also launching a HUGE giveaway to celebrate Wine Blast topping ONE MILLION DOWNLOADS. It's a major milestone for the pod so we wanted to say thanks to you for making it possible. Up for grabs are prizes worth more than £1,000 - from a set of Jancis Robinson Original wine glasses and decanter to a Coravin Limited Edition Hermitage Timeless 6+ to a case of grower champagnes from iDealwine, books ...

We all know champagne - but what if you fancy a wine like champagne but maybe less pricey, more fruity or just different? The good news is: there's never been more choice, as production blossoms in regions as diverse as Serbia, China and India. Our stellar guide to the intriguing world of traditional-method sparkling wine beyond Champagne is Essi Avellan MW, one of the world's foremost fizz experts. Essi has just published a brilliant monograph, Sparkling Wines of the World, in conjunction wi...

Picture the scene. Christie's auction house, London, December 1985. A dapper auctioneer is expertly tantalising the stellar audience with a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite engraved with the initials of US founding father Thomas Jefferson. It duly becomes the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, going for £105,000 ($156,000). But it's what happens next that is the really intriguing bit... Welcome to a new kind of narrative Wine Blast episode, where we're joined by best-selling author B...

We have awards! We have good eggs, hot rocks and jailbird vignerons! We even have acts of civilisation and love. Welcome to our Chile Wines of the Year 2025... Join us as we chat with stars of the Chilean wine firmament, talking wine treasures with Sebastián Labbé (Santa Rita), the tragedy of Syrah with Mariluz Marin (Casa Marin) and fortifying life goals with François Massoc (Atelier Massoc). We also learn about circular winemaking with good wine vibrations courtesy of Cristián Vallejo (VIK)...