Wine Blast with Susie and Peter

Grab your magnifying glass and white coat, we're getting microscopic - but this goes well beyond fermentation. We're exploring the cutting-edge techniques whereby the power of yeasts is being harnessed in fields as diverse as viticulture, winemaking and shipping. Even without the microscope, this is an eye-opening episode...
Wine is facing many challenges. Climate change. The cost of living crisis. Sustainability targets. Shifting consumer tastes and trends. But what if microbes can provide solutions to these issues and more, reducing the need for chemical inputs and putting winemakers for once on the front foot?
This episode is sponsored by Lallemand Oenology, who have granted us privileged access to their latest research and contacts in the field. We hear from wine consultant Christopher Chen, yeast expert Professor Hervé Alexandre, and M&S winemaker Belinda Kleinig, who report on their applied experience testing these new products. 
From helping vines survive drought to prevention of rot, reducing the need for sulfites and acidification, even ensuring your wine can arrive fresh after crossing continents - innovative microbial solutions are being applied to all these pressing tasks and more. The term, 'game-changer' is used in this episode. Tune in to find out why...
Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find all details from this episode on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E26 - Yeastie Boys: Wine's Modern Microbial Solutions
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the wine world's most divisive grape varieties. On the one hand, it's hugely popular for its aromatic charm and upbeat appeal. And yet some people can't stand it, sommeliers actively steer their customers away from it and connoisseurs turn their noses up at, 'the gin and tonic of wine'. 
But is it possible that this is all just a bit, well, premature? That we're judging a grape variety that is only just starting to show us what its true potential really is? And that Sauvignon Blanc really is a grape variety capable of greatness?!
To check the global temperature, we're privileged to be granted an audience with Château Margaux's Philippe Bascaules, South Africa's Duncan Savage, and UK Best Sommelier Maria Boumpa. What they have to say will raise more than a few eyebrows. (Including an unexpected scoop about top South African producer Eben Sadie...)
We firmly believe it's time to rip up the established rule book when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc, and open our minds to a new reality. Tune in to find out why.
Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find all details from this episode, including producer recommendations, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E25 - Keep Calm and Sauvignon
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter

SUBSCRIBER BONUS TASTER - A privileged tasting of 100-point wines gets us thinking about scores, so-called perfection in wine, the risks of premature evaluation and how points for wine...somehow miss the point.
First up - the wines: Cristal 2008, Pichon Lalande 2016, Ornellaia 2013, Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2013 and Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 1986. We report on these and other stellar bottles, all of them recipients of a 'perfect' 100-point score.
But here's the thing. What does '100 points' mean these days? How valid are scores, which seem to be everywhere in wine as endless tasting notes and numbers are churned out on a seemingly constant basis? What are the pros and cons? Is it time for a reset, starting with the 100-point system itself?!
In this discursive episode, we subject not only these supposedly spectacular wines but also scores (and ourselves) to unflinching assessment. Peter gets hot under the collar about Bordeaux En Primeur; Susie has to intervene. 
We weigh up scores in a public and personal context. But, lest you fear this is all a bit po-faced, we also touch on the magic of discovery, not entirely serious ‘anti-scoring’ wine rating scales and the importance of wines that make you smile...as indeed some of these bottles definitely did.
NB: This is a short taster of the full episode, which is available exclusively for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. Use this link to find out more or subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS. 
Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find details from this episode on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E24 - Missing the Point? Tasting 40 years of 100-point wines
Instagram: @susieandpeter

August 2025, a torrid Bordeaux summer: cue thunderbolt. Lafleur, one of Bordeaux's most acclaimed wines, sensationally quits the Pomerol and Bordeaux appellations. At the heart of the issue: water.
Truth is, vines need water to survive and produce good wine. Not too much, nor too little. But climate change has thrown a giant spanner into the works - places that used to have just enough rain, now often aren't getting enough. And it's a particular issue in more traditional areas, like Bordeaux, where local appellation rules often forbid irrigation (or other things like mulching, reducing vine density or changing vine varieties). Hence Lafleur's decision.
In this extended episode, we hear the full rationale from Lafleur as they release their 2025 wines, which benefitted from their unique 'soil water correction' technique. With Omri Ram we discuss the reality of climate change, why Lafleur is, 'changing to remain the same', how exactly they're irrigating, the key issue of where the water is coming from, and the future of appellations. The implications are manifold.
We also hear from Olivier Tregoat of Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite, and share input from Cornelis Van Leeuwen - both acknowledged soil and water experts, and respected Bordeaux insiders. 
Finally, we get a different perspective from viticulturist Jaco Engelbrecht in South Africa, where severe drought recently saw Cape Town facing 'Day Zero' (when the water would run out). Jaco works with a stellar client list across both dry-farmed and irrigated vineyards, and shares his expert insights and recommendations.
So what is the future of wine when it comes to water? Are we looking at wine Armageddon, with great Bordeaux a thing of the past? Or can human ingenuity and the vine's famous resilience save the day?
Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find all details from this episode, including some illuminating photos, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E23 - Drop Stop: Wine's Big Water Issue
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content and discount benefits, access our full archive and get every episode before it goes on free release, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter

Meet John Baker, Sydney wine merchant turned Indiana Jones turned author of Stalin's Wine Cellar, one of the most eye-opening wine stories you're likely to hear. 
In the first part of this real-life account, John recounted how he'd got a tip-off about a mysterious wine cellar in Tbilisi, Georgia, apparently chock full of the greatest wines in the world, some more than a hundred years old. What's more, the cellar came with an astonishing story of provenance and ownership...
It was, in short, a wine lover's fever dream. So of course John decided to investigate, soon finding himself in the wild west of wine: a world of cash and guns and enforcers and high-speed races through the streets of Tbilisi. Not to mention heart-rending breakages, the odd death threat - and unicorn wines aplenty.
In this second and concluding part of this narrative two-parter, John grapples with Georgian agendas and threats while attempting to investigate the authenticity of the wines, including a trip to Chateau d'Yquem that is memorable for all the wrong reasons. As well as adding extra detail, context and humour, John adds a final piece of exciting news by way of conclusion.
Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find all details from this episode, including some illuminating photos, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E22 - The Story of Stalin's Wine Cellar PART TWO
To support the show, enjoy subscriber-only bonus content as well as early access to all episodes plus full archive access, not to mention subscriber benefits and giveaways, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk
Instagram: @susieandpeter