Wine News: New Season, New Studio, Big Wine Questions; Saving Riverland; Gen Z's drinking and Bloege to Beckham!
Wine with Meg + MelShow Notes
Send us Fan Mail A fresh studio, a new season, and the most pressing question in Australian wine: how do we move a region built on volume toward a future built on value? We open with Riverland’s reality—cheap grapes, heavy irrigation, and a glut of ageing red—and ask whether protecting old vines and dialing back yields can spark a quality reset. Brendan Carter’s deep dive provides a hopeful blueprint, but we weigh the hard limits: rainfall differences, trellis vs bush vines, and the sheer sca...
More from Wine with Meg + Mel
Send us Fan Mail Wine can be the most welcoming drink on the table, and somehow we’ve also managed to make it intimidating. We’re joined by Western Australia’s Cyndal Petty, a wine communicator with a deep hospitality background, to unpack why the way we talk about wine often forgets the person actually drinking it. If you’ve ever looked at a wine list and felt like you needed a dictionary, this one is for you. We chat about Cyndal’s “portfolio career” in wine writing, hosting events and mas...
Send us Fan Mail We taste how time changes sparkling wine, comparing lees-aged cellar release bubbles with an older bottle-aged Blanc de Blancs that turns fruit into caramel, fudge and nuts. We also break down how sparkling rosé gets its colour and sweetness, so you can buy with confidence and pair it with food like you actually mean it. Our standout favourite wine had to be the Chandon Cellar release from 2013. Stunning depth, smooth finish and a long LONG finish. https://www.chandon.c...
Send us Fan Mail Sparkling wine looks effortless in the glass, but the work behind it is anything but. With Meg away in Spain, we (Mel and Austin) crack on with a proper deep dive into Traditional Method sparkling wine, the bottle-fermented approach that underpins Champagne and some of the best Australian sparkling wine. If you’ve ever wondered why “Method Traditional” on a label usually means more complexity, finer bubbles and a higher price tag, we walk you through the exact reasons, step b...
Send us Fan Mail Wine is a “sexy” industry right up until you see what the hours, expectations, and unspoken rules do to the people who make it. We’re joined by three powerhouse voices from very different corners of wine: Jess Clark from Dexter Wines with deep production experience, Imogen Gardner, Public Affairs Director at Treasury Wine Estates, and Jill Boyer from Adelaide University, teaching and shaping the next generation of wine professionals. We talk about the quiet talent drain: why...
Send us Fan Mail A premium Yarra Valley name going into administration is not the headline anyone wanted, but it is the one we need to talk about. With Meg away, we jump into Wine News and break down what “administration” actually means, why Mac Forbes matters to Australian wine, and the bigger message hiding underneath the gossip: critical acclaim, top reviews, and a strong personal brand don’t automatically protect a winery when the market is tight and cash flow is under strain. From there...