Wine with Meg + Mel
The fun + frank podcast which helps you navigate the world of wine. Hosted by Australia's first female Master of Wine Meg Brodtmann, and self-titled Master of Sabrage Mel Gilcrist.
Wine with Meg + Mel
Varietals you’ve never heard of
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.
Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel
Hi and welcome to Wine with Meg and Mel. We are here to help you navigate the world of wine. I'm Mel Gilchrist, joined by Master of Wine Meg Brotman. We are once again in the amazing Producee Studio, so thank you guys for having us. Meg, we today are doing varietals that you've probably never heard of that's right.
Speaker 2:So it's a test. I know that we're going to get messages being like oh, I've heard of that one which you know, congratulations, but we're trying. The average person may not have heard of them. I can't pronounce most of them, which is a sign. That's what Mel said to me.
Speaker 1:She said I just want something that I can't pronounce most of them which is a sign. That's what Mel said to me.
Speaker 2:She said I just want something that I can't pronounce, yeah, right. And I was like, okay, that's the goal, meg. Before we get into it, what have you been drinking?
Speaker 1:So I had and this was sent to us ages ago Yolamba Organic chardonnay.
Speaker 2:Okay, usually when you hear organic, you go Exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's interesting because Pete opened it for me. I popped it in the fridge and he was cooking or something, and so he opened it for me and he went, oh, and I said I want to give it a go, and he poured it in the glass and he goes that is smart, cute.
Speaker 2:Okay, pete is the biggest critic.
Speaker 1:we know he never says anything nice about anything. No, he doesn't.
Speaker 2:He's like a typical winemaker. To be honest, how did you end up? I'm sorry this is digressing, but how did you end up marrying someone who was such a typical winemaker that you're always like oh, winemakers are so annoying because, like you're?
Speaker 1:a winemaker, but I think at the time we were both in that zone, so we were working. I met him in France. He was working for me in France and I was really impressed by his work ethic and also the fact that he really was very considerate of women. So he was working with a woman and he rang me up and said look, Meg, I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, but she doesn't have a washing machine in her gite, which is a French sort of rental and I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but she's having to go to the laundromat and I just thought what a sweet man.
Speaker 2:Oh, so he was saying he was trying to get her help. Oh, that's really sweet. And then they put a washing machine in his sheet for him. Oh no, stop, that's not considered, that's just being considerate. It's people, and including women.
Speaker 1:I can't imagine all the other blokey winemakers that I work with would care. Would go out of their way to help you. He actually rang me.
Speaker 2:Good on him. He's a good guy.
Speaker 1:He's a very good man.
Speaker 2:He's hilarious when it comes to wine.
Speaker 1:He's a tough critic, but as a person, this is a man who drinks out of those little iso glasses every time I pour him wine, I give him so much.
Speaker 2:And they're so thick rimmed, every time I'm at your house and we're like drinking out of Nice Riddell and he pulls out an iso. I'm like Pete, come on.
Speaker 1:That is his wine glass of choice, does he?
Speaker 2:enjoy wine. Does he even like it?
Speaker 1:No, he does. Someone who drinks out of an iso glass can't enjoy wine.
Speaker 2:He does, he does enjoy wine. Okay, sorry, where are we going? Yolamba Chardonnay Organic yeah, organic $25.
Speaker 1:I looked it up, it was oh, hang on, I've taken a photograph of it so that I know the actual name, because I'm, you know, forgetful and old. Did I take a photograph of it? Yes, yolanda, organic Chardonnay, and it's got like an alpha system on it. Okay.
Speaker 2:What Is that? The price? It's only worth $23.
Speaker 1:$23. Seriously, it's. I think it was South Australian. If you want to drink organic, organic often look to be fair. These guys are really getting behind it because it's all about their sustainability story. So it's not just, oh, it's a trendy thing to put on a wine label. They actually are embedded in sustainable wine production, but often it is used as a marketing term to cover what is average wine, really, really, really good wine. And because it was South Australian or whatever, I was expecting this hot out of balance, beautiful acidity, great varietal character, eminently drinkable, and we polished off the bottle last night.
Speaker 2:That is the most unexpected thing I've heard in a month. Go out and buy it, it's good. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but here's my take on organic wine. A wine doesn't have to be organic to be sustainable. There are plenty of sustainable wineries that don't have organic accreditation. However, if a winery does have organic accreditation, it means it probably is also sustainable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's part of Yolumba particularly's big picture because they have that Smith the cask wine.
Speaker 1:So they are trying across many different parts to be sustainable. And if you're growing organic grapes, the easiest place to grow them is a drier climate so you don't have as many sprays risk of fungal disease. So this is from South Australia. They're obviously investing in organic wine grape production, but you also have to have organic productions in the winery, so it means that you have to have. If you have yeast additives, they have to be organic. So look, $23, go out and drink it. That's pretty good.
Speaker 2:Okay now. So the next thing, we are changing it up. This is not Meg's fun fact, this is I said to Meg because it's truly been on my mind lately. Am I a wanker? And if you are online as much as I am, yeah well, I feared that might be the answer, but if you're chronically online as much as I am, you will know the term am I the arsehole? And it started on Reddit but it's become quite big. Heaps of podcasts do it, heaps of you know social. You say am I the arsehole? And you give a situation like maybe a classic one is I didn't give up my seat on the plane to someone because they had a baby or something. And you tell the story and at the end you get am I the asshole? And everyone comments is that person the asshole or not? And I think that we're going to start our own version. Right, am I the wanker?
Speaker 1:Ah, am I the wine wanker? Yes, okay.
Speaker 2:Because it comes up a lot and I need you to tell me if I'm justified. Maybe you aren't the best judge. True, because I'm a bit of a bitch. No, because you're a wine wanker as well, okay, well, so it's not just me, you might do it as well. People might send in. That would be fun. If you want to know, am I the wine wanker? Send it in. We'll discuss it, but I'm going to start off with my own, meg. I will let you decide what you think, and then we might put up a poll on Instagram to see what the people say Do you really want to know what?
Speaker 2:people think of you. No, I can take it. Here's my story. We were in Sydney recently. Yes, it was a traumatic trip. That was where Billy got sick. We got sucked there for a week. It was a whole thing. Thank you, austin, for stepping in and doing an episode. But we were drinking kind of like at a restaurant with dinner and we came home and me and Claire by the way, shout out to Claire, tom's sister who's starting to be an anaesthetist she has got so many doctors and anaesthetists listening to this podcast, so hi, all our new doctor listeners.
Speaker 1:Hi, my brother-in-law's an anaesthetist.
Speaker 2:We need to almost like to be honest.
Speaker 1:Doctors are where the money is.
Speaker 2:It is nice to get sponsors and it's better for us to get sponsors if we can show that there are people with money who are listening. So thank you for listening. Doctors, but also these people like Meg, these people have like Wesset 3 and stuff. Yes, for fun, as you know, for fun, not for work, like for fun, as you know, for fun.
Speaker 1:Not for work, for fun. We have taught diploma students who are pilots and doctors and anaesthetists and plastic surgeons.
Speaker 2:My golly, I mean good on them.
Speaker 1:We love that Hi achievers. We want them. We want them as part of us yeah absolutely so.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening Shout out. But anyway. So Claire, me and I was like we, I think we got like a nice oakridge $40 type thing. So good, tidy drop. And we opened the chardonnay and everyone's got a glass and, um, tom and Claire, my husband's. So my mother-in-law gets out chocolate and she says does anyone want some chocolate? And I couldn't help my reaction. I'd had a couple of drinks and I just looked at her and went with the wine and she kind of looked at me a bit like, yeah, like Meg, was I the wanker?
Speaker 1:No, because of all the foods in the world, chocolate does not match. I worked at a winery and we did a chocolate and wine matching and I refused. So I was a total wine wanker. Even though I was employed by this company, I refused to be a part of it. I just said there is no chocolate that goes with wine.
Speaker 2:I completely agree. But do you think, given the context, I shouldn't have said anything?
Speaker 1:The only thing that's close is 70% to 85%. Dark chocolate with a red wine. Yes, but should you not have said anything? I don't think you, you know you. I probably shouldn't have right, but this is you. You just go bleh. Yeah, I do. So it's not, and I'm sure your mother-in-law knows you by now. Yes, that she wouldn't take offence, but yeah, nah, not the wanker. Look, forgivable yeah.
Speaker 2:Forgivable. Okay, we're going to put this up on your Instagram. Everyone head there. I won't get offended, you can either just go in the poll.
Speaker 1:I'll be offended if you say that chocolate does go with wine.
Speaker 2:Oh, don't say that chocolate goes with wine. That is not up for debate. The debate is should I have brought it up in that circumstance? I don't think you thought about it. No, I didn't, and I felt bad afterwards.
Speaker 1:Oh God, no, I can be such a wanker.
Speaker 2:I've done worse things than that. Oh, I know you have the shit that comes out of your mouth. Oh my God. Okay, we're going to get into this episode, which is varietals, that you've never heard of. If I can tell one more quick little analogy is that it wasn't necessarily these ones, but on the way here I did have to stop in at Dan's and buy a few different things and I was just like I dropped into a random store and I went hey, like I'm looking for some Chardonnay, I'm looking for this, like I was looking for a few different things. And he looks at me and goes you're not from.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:He's like your voice is. You're not from Wine with Megan Mal, are you Mal? Oh my God, that is a surreal experience.
Speaker 1:I honestly feel that my local Dan Murphy's if I order wine online and just say I'll pick it up tomorrow, whatever I get this thing, it's ready now Because in the past we have had to do that it's within 30 minutes. And also Nick's wine merchants are very good in Doncaster as well for helping me out when I need something quickly. I send a little note saying can I please have this really quickly? Yeah, no people do know us.
Speaker 2:That's crazy. We're like these Z-rated stars Absolutely Z if there's anything below Z. But shout out to Jamie, who was so helpful and awesome. He's at the Camberwell store. Like I was looking at the wall of crazy international, different stuff going what's this, what's this, what's this and he could answer every single question. We know that higher up people at dance do listen. So, sheds, if you're listening Jamie at Camberwell, he's a good one.
Speaker 1:We're teaching you staff sheds. Okay, let's get into it.
Speaker 2:We said that we were going to do wines that I couldn't pronounce, and I can't remember what this first one is, so I'm not even going to try. You take us off.
Speaker 1:Okay, full transparency. My husband made this wine. Yes, second transparency it's not on the market, but it's just about to be released. The grape variety is Arinto, so it is a grape variety from Portugal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've never heard of it Most often associated with Vina Verde.
Speaker 1:So very high acidity lemon. Hirsch Wine Group is releasing this under a label called Chica Continta, which translates as woman with tattoo. So it's using Spanish-derivedived varieties or Iberian varieties. So they have a Grenache and they have a Rinto. So just out there that my husband made it. But the thing when he brought it home last night I said to him oh God, I don't know if I should do it on the podcast, but it just reminded me why I love these wines that aren't varietally expressive. Yeah, that are just mineral and lemon and great acidity, grown in Australia. So Heathcote Fruit Pete made this. Yep, he's very good, isn't he? Well, I think it's a great variety, he did say to me.
Speaker 2:I think it's a great variety. She's like don't give my husband any credit.
Speaker 1:He did say to me give the Orinto and Hubby a good plug. And I said of course I love you. So, she's like I refuse Lucky. I do Pete, but he has made it really well. The texture, that oily texture, that minerality, that fine line, the beautiful acidity Heathcote, fruit, heathcote, fruit, heathcote. I would expect this to be a little bit flabby and not great.
Speaker 2:No, the Heathcote is warm. I don't expect this. So on the nose I was like what's this I'm smelling? And at the start I was like this smells like Arnais. And then I went to oh, it kind of smells like Savagnin.
Speaker 1:I think it smells like a mix of Arnais and Savagnin. I was in Albariño and then I said oh, it's almost got a white pepperiness of Grunewaldlinger.
Speaker 2:I thought, Grunewaldlinger too yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is a really fascinating grape variety. Fascinating is the word In Vina Verde. Vina Verde is the top part of Portugal and it's called Vina Verde because they pick the grapes really early about 8.5% and they make a wine that's quite young and spritzy. I think we've had one on the pod, but they do it because Galicia, that sort of part of northern Spain and into Portugal, gets a lot of rain from the Atlantic it is. I was just blown away by this wine.
Speaker 2:So what is interesting to me is that, like you smell, and you start like so, because we're recording like I smell and I start thinking what am I going to say? How am I going to describe it? And where I was going to go with this was down a path of it's hard to describe wines that don't smell like fruit Exactly Like what do you say? And like almond, like like nuttiness comes up, a lot minerality comes up. There's not much else, though, and this is squarely in that camp, but then I tasted it, and there was fruit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and this is. It just reminds me of how much I enjoy these styles of wine, because it's almost because I don't have to think about them.
Speaker 2:It's like Juicy Apple and Honeycomb. It is almost like a Chenin Blanc on the palate, but it's like Arnais on the nose and Chenin Blanc on the palate it's awesome. So a Rinter, I think, okay, it's really mean, when we do, wines that we like this much that aren't available for purchase yet. No, they will be available.
Speaker 1:That we like this much that aren't available for purchase yet. No, they will be available. And also I think the vineyard that he brought it from he did have a brand it's Eagle Landing or something, but Pete's one is going to be available.
Speaker 2:What under her shield?
Speaker 1:Chica Continta is the label, so it's just a second. It's more of an experimental Chica Continta.
Speaker 2:And so how will do we know when In six months, should people try and buy it?
Speaker 1:No, I think this is. This was his pre-bottling sample, oh so like. So this is ready to go, but just probably maybe a couple of weeks. Do we know what website?
Speaker 2:people would go to if they wanted to buy it.
Speaker 1:Go onto the Hirsch Wine Group's website.
Speaker 2:Oh, so the chica? Things are available on the Hirsch Hill website.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but hopefully it'll be in retail stores as well.
Speaker 2:What do you reckon, what's it going to sell? For I think it's like 25 bucks a bottle 25 bucks, oh, by that, yeah, it's a shame we're doing it before. I hope people don't forget. Is what I'm saying Like oh, actually, this episode will be available next week. Have a look by next week, and maybe in the meantime we should give Ben a call and let him know to put it on the website.
Speaker 1:Ben Hirsch did actually call me after I'd been to Singapore and I said, oh, and the Hirschers were back at the hotel and he rang up and he said it was driving. And he just burst into laughter because you know.
Speaker 2:He's a good one we like that.
Speaker 1:He is a good guy. He's a good one. We like him. Yeah, he is a good guy. He's very funny oh wow, what is this?
Speaker 2:Oh wait, no, this is fun For the rest of them. I'm going to try and pronounce them before you tell me how it actually is All right, this is a phalangina Phalangina Phalangina Felangina. So this is from Oliver's Chiranka Vineyards In McLarenvale, mclarenvale.
Speaker 1:It comes from Campania, in southern Italy.
Speaker 2:Okay, I've never heard of that in my life, so it's a warm, great variety.
Speaker 1:I usually associate it Okay, viognier is the closest that I've ever kind of described it in that I get quite a bit of apricot and that oily texture from Viognier. It often is associated with high alcohol, so around about that 14%. What is this at?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a bit warming 13. It's 13. Yeah, in's a bit warming Can you see it's 13.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in Campania it's quite floral, white florals. It often has an oily texture. It tends to have a sort of darker colour. So, particularly in Campania, there is more of a phenolic pickup, I think, in their processing so that they have a slightly oxidative processing. So I'd be interested to try a wine that's produced under sort of Australian winemaking have you tasted this yet. No.
Speaker 2:Is it anything like what I've just said? I hate to blow smoke up your ass. Normally, I get a lot of joy out of giving shit to you actually but it is very impressive when you do that, like when you describe a wine like that and I'm tasting it and go, yeah, that's exactly what you just said. Yeah, like, exactly, yeah, it is, especially when it's a random grape like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, the southern Italy. I have been really interested in these warmer region varieties to see what would work in Australia. Climate change, because of climate change, and this is a variety that I've, like Fiano, not a fan of.
Speaker 1:You can make as much Fiano as you like, and when I first tried Falangina I thought, oh, this could possibly work in Australia and I think it's really interesting that you've got McLaren. Vale is a warm climate, slightly coastal Campania. There are parts of it's. It has some elevation, but there's also it's like um coastal influence and it's just it's again, it's a textural wine, very easy to drink. The thing I love about this one is that alcohol isn't really proud on it. I would go with a little bit more acidity, but that's just me being a bit of a cool climate.
Speaker 2:When you say you would go with more acidity, do you mean you'd pick it earlier or you would add acidity? I would add it Isn't that poo-pooed?
Speaker 1:Happens all the time. But people are like everyone's all about natural wine, no, but you've got to understand that we don't add acid for acid in the wine, we add acid for pH. Now you've told me I'm not allowed to mention pH before.
Speaker 2:No, it's fine, as long as you explain it.
Speaker 1:You can't just like pH is the most important element to get right in a wine early. It influences the colour of the wine, the acidity of the wine, the longevity of the wine, the protectiveness of the sulphur dioxide of the wine, the microbial stability of the wine. It is really, really important.
Speaker 2:Okay, without using scientific words, making it as simply as possible what is pH Measure?
Speaker 1:of hydrogen ions in a wine that was absolutely scientific, so it is related to acid. It's related to acidity, yes, but acid comes in many forms. It comes as what we call H2T, so it's got two hydrogen ions attached to the tartaric acid, or it can come as KHT, which is one potassium ion and one hydrogen ion.
Speaker 2:No, I'm out. The doctors are following All the anaesthetists are like shut up. Now I get it.
Speaker 1:We want the pH to be low. But yes, over-acidified wines. You can tell they have that metallic horrible taste to it. I would just have a little tweak of this, but again to contradict what I'm saying, part of the beauty is that round, oily texture and a softer acidity supports that I agree, and the oiliness is really enjoyable and I can imagine, like many foods, that that would pair nicely with. That is really good Family-owned business too, so support them, is it yeah, yep.
Speaker 2:So I know that Australia got a lot of backlash for once upon a time using the phrase sunshine in a bottle. But that's kind of like sunshine in a bottle that makes me happy, that makes me think of summer, like it brings me joy to taste.
Speaker 1:It does remind me weirdly of McLaren Vale, of sort of being on the beach and having, you know, great food. South Australia's got fantastic food, fantastic produce. It's really cheap compared to Melbourne.
Speaker 2:I imagine myself in the sun when I drink that, just sitting on the beach, baby, yeah it gives me good vibes.
Speaker 1:Go to Meslin's the nudist beach. You know I would. We used to go, wosie and I used to go. I know you would too, jesus. Well, because no one can look at you If you're fat and overweight which was in I were. Go to a fatty at nudist beach because no one can look at you when you're coming out of the water. Because that's weird. They all have to avert their eyes.
Speaker 2:This is the weirdest reasoning I've ever heard in my life. No, it's true. What do you mean? Isn't the point that you're allowed to look at people?
Speaker 1:People don't, Even the ice cream dude that drives down on his tractor which I thought the seats was always very hot with no clothes on.
Speaker 2:So nudist beaches aren't about showing off, they're about actually just being naked and out of respect, you don't look at people. Yeah, maslins, I couldn't not look at people.
Speaker 1:No, you don't, because it's like if we used to have one guy that had one leg I'm sure I've told you this story and he would leave his leg bobbing in the water. So when he came out of the beach he was hopping and you can imagine what was hopping. Everyone's trying not to look, so you just look away.
Speaker 2:Plus. I don't think I had any bathers. I didn't have bathers. That's the most. You are delirious Right now. You are talking the most bat shit. Anyway, go to messes. But we'll move on to the next wine Upcoming wine with Megan Malavan is going to be at a nudist beach, okay, okay, so the next wine is Zweigelt. No, I'm just supposed to let me try Zweigelt Heideboden.
Speaker 1:Yes, Austrian grape variety Best in, I think, Bergenland, which is a slightly warmer not Bergenland, but I was like smiling like oh, mcdonald's. You see three Burgerland. I think best there because it tends to be slightly look it's Austria slightly warmer it is. What is it like?
Speaker 2:It's like Pinot meets Barbera. Okay, okay, okay. It smells kind of savoury and broody.
Speaker 1:It's a little bit herbal. This is a Pitnauer wine from 2017. So Pitnauer is a bit of a more natural producer. We had their Skinsy Gris or Sauvignon Blanc and you loved it.
Speaker 2:It was a field blend of something Sounds about right it smells different, that's for sure I kind of like that, these wines. Oh is it, is it it might?
Speaker 1:I don't know how good your grape detecting is. I'm not great on it.
Speaker 2:I would say yes, but I don't know how the grape is meant to present, so it's actually kind of hard for me to assess.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh it does. Now you say it. All I smell is horse.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is a bit bready Look normally it's very purple.
Speaker 2:Sorry, let's just recover Brett. We haven't covered it for a while. Brett is potentially a fault, but is more commonly found in Europe and doesn't necessarily have to be a fault.
Speaker 1:Okay, britannomyces is a yeast associated with oak ageing. It gets into the oak, stays and stays there, and it produces a couple of chemicals that give aromas of horse band-aid medicine, and at low levels. Some people consider it to be a part of a wine's complexity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think I'm in that camp.
Speaker 1:The problem is we all differ in our thresholds to it, so I'm not particularly sensitive to it. So what to you is a little bit horsey, to me could be like a horse galloping over my mouth. So it could be like the Melbourne cup in my mouth, pete, my husband, super sensitive to it. I'm a bit like you. I can live with a little bit of bread because I'm not super sensitive to it. But it is a winemaking fault, because the problem is, as the wine ages, the fruit drops off and the Britannomyces character, which are some phenol chemicals. I won't go into them, but they become more elevated and so that's all you see. So we often in winemaking talk about what is it? Appalachian, associated brett. So it's like it's part of the winemaking in certain regions. Europeans traditionally have been a little bit more forgiving of it. But it is a fault.
Speaker 2:I just think it's hard to say that something is categorically a fault If people who taste it don't necessarily mind it. Like who are we to 100%? Who are you to say one thing is a fault and one is a Grange. That's what gets to me about it.
Speaker 1:Grange Hermitage has volatile acidity just on the border of absolute faultiness, yeah, but it gives lift to the wine. And a guy that I studied with I think he did his honours thesis I think it was Dan Alcorso he did his honours thesis on VA what are acceptable levels of volatile acidity in wine where they go from giving lift to being vinegar? Yeah, so you're right, it can have complexity. Again, it all depends on your sensitivity to the compound. For me, that is overshadowing what this Weigelt is. Weigelt should be. It's kind of like a really crunchy barbera, very purpley in colour, sort of light to medium-ish colour. Has some brambly fruit associated with it. But it's just super refreshing, one of those ones that you could actually put in the fridge and chill.
Speaker 2:I've never seen it in Australia. Apart from this, do you think it's likely that it's going to come across people?
Speaker 1:I think there's some out of Adelaide Hills, I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's not blowing my socks off.
Speaker 1:Look, I think for me. I'm not a huge fan of it. I know we have tasted one on the podcast before, but I can't remember when it was, when we did Austria or something. It's not a great variety that I would rush out to, so shall we move on?
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's just move on then.
Speaker 1:Because we're in your favourite country now. Oh my.
Speaker 2:I'm struggling not to swear at how much I love this country. You should just save up and go over there. I'm allowed to swear. I can just click the little E. That means we have bad language. I fucking love Greek wine. Fuck, I love it. Okay, so everything. I also love Greek food. I don't know, I think it might be Greek at heart.
Speaker 1:I have pronounced this for Mel.
Speaker 2:Let's see how she goes pronouncing it Okay. So just so we all know I can pronounce some of the Greek ones. So my favourite Greek one is Assyrtiko, and we've also done Zinomavro, but I have to admit this one stopped me Agiorgitiko.
Speaker 1:Agiorgitiko.
Speaker 2:Okay, no, I'm not going to. No, it means St St.
Speaker 1:George, apparently that is not helpful, which is?
Speaker 2:the English's dragon. I still can't pronounce it. Say it again the flag Ayo yutiko, ayo, yutiko.
Speaker 1:So obviously the G's are like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I must admit one of my friends is Greek, so she when I was putting together a train, I was doing a tasting with the Greek wine producers that were coming out here, she helped me enormously. Greek grape variety. Where is this from? It's a 2022. It's a very modern label. Is it Greek?
Speaker 2:Yeah, also, there was like this label had three different Greek wines. It is no. Is it from Greece?
Speaker 1:I don't know anyone who's growing in Australia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's from Greece. It's shit. You're going to need it. I don't know. It's basically written in Greek. I have no idea.
Speaker 1:I don't speak Greek.
Speaker 2:One of my friends who I've been hanging out with like a lot recently, from Shandon, is Greek background and she tells me these stories of a Greek family and when she gets into quite a Greek family, when they're really like passionately arguing and stuff, she puts on this like really Greek accent and it keeps like creeping out at me when I tell stories passionately sometimes and that is not cultural appropriation though. I know I don't think.
Speaker 1:I've done that so far in the pod. Okay, so this is Strophilia Aeogitico. It's a Peloponnese wine, so Peloponnese is sort of north of Greece, north of Athens, into the mountains, so cooler climate. It is an IGP, so the Greeks take the same system as the French, so they use the Appalachian Contre-Lay system. Ah, didn't know that. Ayuritico for me, oh, zinamavro, is kind of like Nebbiolo. Ayuritico is kind of like oh, I'm just noticing the cameras.
Speaker 2:Just, we're going to be like We've got the good hour on cameras on. It smells like meat. All I can smell is meat. What smells like meat? What's a wine, shiraz, shiraz I was thinking more like aged.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Someone said to me once that he thinks Was it Constantinos. Anyway, someone said to me once that Ayo Yitiko can represent itself as a Northern Rhone wine or a cheap Burgundy.
Speaker 2:Yum.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 2:Honestly, when I smelt it, I didn't think I would like it this much. It's quite leathery. What year is it? It's 2022. Leather. It tastes like it's 10 years old and I don't care that. It's not because I'm enjoying the shit out of that, but that's the thing. I don't care that it's not because I'm enjoying the shit out of that.
Speaker 1:But that's the thing. Some of these grape varieties they're not about fruit, they actually present with savoury characters in their youth. I mean Centivezi can do that sometimes. Aeo Yitiko, this has got that beautiful nebbiola-esque tannin.
Speaker 2:It is leathery.
Speaker 1:There's a little bit of it's not pruney. There's a little bit of plum Mel. There's a little bit of it's not pruney there's a little bit of plum.
Speaker 2:Oh, mel's looking up something. Yeah, oh, I need your post. You put it, don't say it. We're on a podcast.
Speaker 1:I just need to look up how much that was, because I seem to remember that it wasn't very much. That is good, okay, just think that with a lamb.
Speaker 2:Mountain Fish is the weirdest name for a winery that I've ever encountered Peloponnese BWS. I don't see if anyone shopping in BWS is looking for this. It's a dry red wine from Greece 20 bucks.
Speaker 1:Buy it, buy it. Get some meat in on the weekend.
Speaker 2:Get some slow cooked lamb shoulder. You need a little bit of fat with this wine. Put feta on it and maybe like a beetroot Oregano.
Speaker 1:Yum yeah, beetroot, Actually beetroot will go. It has almost a beetroot character.
Speaker 2:I also just feel like it's so savoury that I want something kind of bright to balance it. Yeah, pomegranate seeds, and I want pomegranate seeds. Put pomegranate seeds in it. Put feta in it. Oh my God, mel's cooking this weekend. Tom, I rarely get involved when you say, like, fruit and wine is not as much my passion as yours, but right now that's all I want to do. Eat that with a pulled lamb and feta and pome feta.
Speaker 1:Like I said, I'm not into wine just to drink wine. I love the whole food thing. Anyway, that is our unpronounceable. That's it Great Friday podcast. Go and get them.
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, and like message us and let us know. Like, what did you think is yeah?
Speaker 1:And have a look at some. If there's some Viagult out here, that's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, have you had them before? Are they truly new to you? And please, I don't think there's anything I love more than when I get a message from someone who is like I've never heard of this, but I heard the podcast and I went out and bought it and here's what I thought of it yeah, absolutely, we freaking love that, like Absolutely. We freaking love that, like. Knowing that we actually have an impact on what you are buying and tasting is the coolest shit. So please do it. We will be back with you next week. Until next time, enjoy your next glass of wine and then drink. Well, oh, my God, I forgot last time and you did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but no, I was going to do yours because I was so used to it after one week of you being away.
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