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
We finally do Spritz
We taste the spritz surge head‑on, from peachy Bellina to zesty Zoncello, a spiced curveball, and a local bitter orange can, while unpacking how climate news nudges fine‑wine prices and how producers adapt. We share how to serve spritz properly, why real fruit matters, and why welcoming spritz grows the wine world.
• the spritz boom across Australian shelves and bars
• serving rules for balance with ice and citrus
• Zoncello's Bellina peach spritz ($25) as the crowd‑pleaser
• Zoncello’s lemoncello spritz ($25) hit and bold marketing
• Squeeling Pig apple and cinnamon ($16) as a winter‑leaning flavour
• SOFI’s local bitter orange cans (4 for $18) as an Aperol alternative
• climate news linking to lower fine‑wine prices
• regional style shifts driven by warming trends
• real fruit vs flavour additives in spritz
• gateway drinks that expand wine’s audience
• next week’s teaser on honest tasting notes
As always, please, if you enjoy our podcast. Rate reviewers. Give us however many stars you think we deserve. And then lastly, if you like our podcast, please send an episode to your friends. Put it on your socials. Help spread the word.
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Hi, and welcome to Wine with Meg and Mel. They're here to help you navigate the world of wine. I'm Mel Drambay, Master of Wine, Meg Broughtman, and Meg, does it feel like spritz is absolutely freaking everywhere?
SPEAKER_01:I think we're trying lemonade.
SPEAKER_02:Jesus.
SPEAKER_01:It is everywhere.
SPEAKER_02:I can't keep up. There are so much spritz in the world right now.
SPEAKER_01:We're selling sparkling wine, because that's the category that it falls in under, is the Zoncello Spritz in Dan Murphy's. What? It's everywhere. And it's interesting, when I bought these wines, I actually bought one wine twice because one of them was yellow, not the pink. Oh. And I thought, because it's Yeah, so what are we drinking?
SPEAKER_02:We've got four glasses, but there's three wines. No.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, there's something in the kitchen. Okay. And so we tried it last night and both Elliot and I just, because we were kind, we're both tired of it. Yeah, yeah. And I just we both went, it's yum, isn't it? It's yum. Don't think about it. So yeah, we're looking at spritz as it is a growing category. Look, we can you can pass it whichever way you like. It is helping the wine industry. Everyone says it's proseco. It doesn't have to be proseco, it just has to be sp some sort of sparkling wine base or wine base to mix in with it. And I saw when I was shopping for this, a New Zealand, I won't say Marlborough, with mango flavouring. As a still wine. Oh so we need to go down that road, even though I was absolutely bloody horrified. Yeah. Let's embrace it. Like I had a really crap, not crap day, but busy day yesterday. I got home and I was drinking a lovely oh Moscofilero that I got cheap for cold. That Gaia brand that we like. Yes. And I just said to Elliot, I just feel like something. So we opened the Bellina.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And we're getting into it too early, but you you have a there is so much pretentiousness in wine sometimes, and we want to be on our high horse and be like, everyone should like what we like, the Mosca Fillero and the Method Traditionales. But if they aren't drinking spritz, they're drinking gin and tonic. And at least if they're drinking spritz, they're helping the wine category, and that's what we want. So let's lean in.
SPEAKER_01:We didn't enter the wine category through Shadow Mago. I'm sorry. It was goon, which wasn't, it was called Fruity Lexia, four litres. When I was growing up, it was speak for yourself. Mine was Passion Pop. And Passion Pop. Freaking, I still love it to this day. When I was pregnant, there was a non-alcoholic wine in chili that had pineapple flavouring in it. I don't normally like sweet things, but when I was pregnant, I loved fake flavours. Okay. Like pineapple and strawberry. Yeah. So I would drink this non-alcoholic. It was just pure sugar, seriously. Probably gave me gestational diabetes. But anyway, I think we should embrace it. It is using up wine, excess grapes. It's not bad. It's growing the category. And it is another people on a journey of wine. It's an entree. And as we were saying, uh, because I was talking to some wine people last night, and they were saying it'll have its moment, like everything else. It'll pass, but let's enjoy it. Yeah. So Mel said it's time to talk spritz. I think that's what she put as well. Is that the headline?
SPEAKER_02:But first, Meg, do you have a fun fact?
SPEAKER_01:I do, and it's really weird. I want you to try and sort this out for me. Climate news can move markets in unexpected ways, with research out of the University of Auckland suggesting it can reduce the value of the world's best wine. Yeah, that's it. I need to send you this article. No, it makes sense. So this guy asked the question if you see more climate-related news, are you willing to pay more or less for foreign wine? And he found that people replied, yes. The economic magnitude is meaningful with a one-standard deviation increase in climate attention, but it is associated with a 3.58% drop in the price of wine. So basically, what he's saying, I think, I read the whole article and I was still very confused. He's saying that if climate disaster news is around, people are less likely to pay more.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's what they're saying. But I can I just point out that it's really funny that as a fun fact, you brought something you didn't understand. Because I wanted you to help me understand it. And and I think that I think why is because I've been sitting on this for weeks. I still don't understand. But okay, so in my head, it's like Burgundy, we pay so much for Burgundy and Burger. But it's important. No, let's use Bordeaux, better example. We pay so much for Bordeaux because it is a maritime climate and it is not too hot. And it creates this perfect wine, not just because of the winemakers, but because of Tewa, and integral to the Tehua is the climate. And if you're being told that this place that has the perfect climate, all of a sudden everywhere in the whole world is rising temperature making.
SPEAKER_01:They're planting Portuguese varieties to combat it, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Maybe you do start. Not why it's what it is. Do you start to distrust that if it was perfect but it's changing, is it still perfect?
SPEAKER_01:Because I have read this article seven or eight times, and I'm still not quite sure, but that makes sense.
SPEAKER_02:And the truth is that the climate is changing. I've used this example before, but Shandon was planted in the Yarrow Valley 30 years ago. Sparkling wines. Now the best grapes that we have are no longer in the Yarrow Valley. They are from Wheatlands. We have had to go up a really big hill. I can make with sparkly grapes.
SPEAKER_01:Or down to very South Islands. I can attest to the fact that it was really bloody cold there because I worked at Shandon in 93, 94, 95, one of those years. Yeah. Didn't stop raining. Yeah. Bastard Hill Vineyard.
SPEAKER_02:Couldn't get a machine in. Look, it does change. And styles will change because of it. And that means that you should actually be aware of the different wineries, the different regions. Are they adapting or are they clinging? Are our styles changing?
SPEAKER_01:Ooh. Let's move on to spritz. Because oh, I'll just tell you what I've been drinking. Okay. Yes. I have been dying to talk about this. Okay, sorry, sorry. There is a brand by a woman I cannot remember her name. It's called Werkstart, W-E-R-K-S-T-A-T-T. I was in Canberra a couple of weeks ago with my sister, and she doesn't drink Riesling. I went into a wine shop there and bought a 2024 Mount Gambia. Okay. Riesling. My sister said, Oh no, I'll have a glass. She went, Oh my god, Eggie. That's what she calls me. That is amazing. Eggie Enid. I don't know. Eggie. That's what she called me as a kid. That's how my sister. Anyway, she said, Oh my god, that is amazing. It's sherbety and delicious. Go out and buy it. It's from the producer, I think it's about$37. Mount Gambia, who knew that it was actually a GI.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:She's amazing. I wish I could remember her name. She's a designer by trade. She came up with Young Gut of Wine. That's how I first heard about her. It is the most delicious fucking wine that I have tasted in a long time.
SPEAKER_02:Oh my god. It's a huge.
SPEAKER_01:I want to go to Black Hearts and Sparrows tonight.
SPEAKER_02:Once more, tell me the name the producer.
SPEAKER_01:W-E-R-K-S-T-A-T-T. W-E-R-K-S-T. S-T. A T T. Riesling.
SPEAKER_02:And you literally just said it's the best wine that you've had in a long time.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, like one of the best Rieslings I've had. Ever? She worked in Germany. Look, if you're listening, whoever you are, I can't remember your name. If you're listening, from my memory, she worked in Germany as a designer and she just loved German Riesling, so she just wants to make these great Rieslings. And she'd made a clear one, which I think I talked about. This is Mount Gambia. But you can buy it through her. It's buy through her. Go directly. I think it's cheaper through her, and then you have to pay for postage. Don't buy it before I put my ones. Bridget Mac ordering. Bridget Mac. Amazing. Look at the label. Don't buy it before I put my own. Look at the label though.
SPEAKER_02:She's it's it's a cool label. Okay. We love it. That's really cool. Unbelievable one. 20. Was it? Do you know what the vintage this is? It's either 24 or 25. It was a black heart. I love their photography. Look at that.
SPEAKER_01:She's a designer. She's a very cool person.
SPEAKER_02:That definitely sounds like something that we should all put in our carts, but only after we've gotten the word from Meg that she has done the order that she wants to do.
SPEAKER_01:So today we've got spritz. So Mel said to me, I want you to do the top selling spritz. So I actually went and did some research on top selling spritz. And I can safely say that the Zoncello, made by Zonzo, the Lemoncello Spritz, is the biggest sparkling wine at Dan Moofy's. So that's across all sparkling categories.
SPEAKER_02:Craziest thing in the world.
SPEAKER_01:So they started off with the Bellina, which is our first one, which is a peach based on a bellini. Then they've got the Zoncello, which is based on lemoncello. And then I got Squealing Pig, apple, and cinnamon, which I'm terrified of. But I got it because Squealing Pig's one of those globe. And then my favourite is an Aparol spritz.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Sophie, S O F I, is an Australian-made apparel type of liqueur. Okay. And my son, who works in a liquor store, has always said, Well, there's this cheap brand of Aperol, but I won't buy it, I'll just get the proper Aperol. Yeah. So I thought actually I will support the local. And so this is called Venetian soda, blood orange and bitters.
SPEAKER_02:Now, can I point out something before we start tasting? We, and I didn't think if I had thought of this beforehand, I would have brought some in. We are not drinking spritz the way you're meant to drink it. Meg, how are you meant to drink it? With some ice. With ice. And slice of orange in it, which I did last night. When spritz is made, it is made specifically to be consumed with ice in it. So it's made slightly sweeter. Yes. And it's made slightly richer because ice is. It's higher acidity. Yeah. Because ice is actually going to change it. Dilute it. So we need to keep that in mind where we're tasting it. We're professionals. We can do it, mate.
SPEAKER_01:I pre-tried the Bellina last night because the one that I got. Oh, you're doing God's work. It was yellow. It was the colour of that squirreling here. And I was like, oh my God, that's not right. Mel's going to get upset with me because it's not going to work on Instagram. But yes, these wines are they're hyper. When you're tasting them in the glass as a tasting sample, which is what we're doing, the acidity is going to be boof. It's going to be quite high because it needs to finish fresh. The sugar's going to be a little bit higher because it needs a bit of sweetness. It needs ice and some dehydrated lemon, lime, whatever in it.
SPEAKER_02:It's under designed. We can do it. So number one is the Bellina from Zonzo.
SPEAKER_01:Based on the Bellini peach. Bloody delicious, really. We had it last night, threw some ice in it. After our wine, we just went, yeah, we just want to sit down and not. I think that is I tasted this a few years ago, and I actually think it was sweeter then than it is now. I'm wondering if they've dropped back the sugar. Rod Hunt is Rod Hunt, I think his name is. He's the owner, he's from a hospital background. He's really disrupting what's happening. Disruption! It's good. These are all around the 25 buck market, which I think's a bit pricey.
SPEAKER_02:Oh no, but that's where it that's where it's hit. I know. Do you know what's interesting? Just even though we are serious wine people, just analysing my own behavior, the episode that's going to be out next week is all very serious cabernet. I said to you, let's do the serious one first so we can finish on like the fun spritz. Even we are like, yum, it's yum. We need to finish on a treat, spritz.
SPEAKER_01:And we're wankers. We can't ignore it. I applaud it. And the thing is, to be fair, you can put any shit wine in those things because you're putting another flavour in.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I have no other notes except for freaking yum, that bellina, yum, yum.
SPEAKER_01:To be fair, if you've ever been to Harry's Bar in Venice, which I have, wanker.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I know must be.
SPEAKER_01:The true Bellini is prosecco, which comes from the Veneto, and freshly pressed peach juice. It is next level deliciousness. But just enjoy, throw some ice in there, throw a slice of whatever, and have fun. And I've almost finished my sample. And they're all about 8% of the. No, but what's interesting, I went to Harry's wine bar in Venice, and what did I drink?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, exactly. Not a category to be ignored, that's for sure. And this was in the 90s, people. And you did say to me, are you bringing in Shandon Garden Spritz? I just feel like we've spoken about it enough.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, fair, but Elliot really loves it and wanted to have a lot of things.
SPEAKER_02:Oh I can just get some for Elliot. I said, we'll just buy some off Mel. It's okay. But you, I think it was one of your wines that you wanted to taste last year. It was one of your top wines or something last year. And I just feel like we've been overdoing Chandon lately. Okay, Zoncello.
SPEAKER_01:Lemoncello with I'm gonna say prosecco, sparkling wine. Not I've I don't like lemoncello. I will state that at the very start. So I'm doubtful that I'm gonna like this, but they've just opened up the Zoncello bar in Hillsford. Oh, is it open? It's open.
unknown:Wow.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, sorry, marketing. Can we sidetrack into market? Oh are you okay? See, it's like solo. It's huge. But I don't like lemoncello. That Bellina was delicious. It's gone. Amazing. Me too, me too. It's gone. I Ubered in today. I'm driving, but the Zoncello is a lot for me. You couldn't have more than one. That might be a nice peritif, but you couldn't.
SPEAKER_01:But it's all on ice, a Malfi coast where the lemons come from. It's all tied in. We're tying in with that European holiday that we did after COVID. I can get it, but I've never just been a fan of lemon flavoured things. I do not like lemon cello.
SPEAKER_02:I love lemon flavoured things. I love lemon cello, but that Bellina just could.
SPEAKER_01:I have actively bought that in the past. I I would say, and I know that I don't want to blow smoke up your ass, but the garden spritz is my fave. Apart from my Aperol spritz. So the next one I'm really frightened about. It's apple and cinnamon. But I figured it might tie in with all that bullshit.
SPEAKER_02:Weird flavours to choose, I'm not gonna lie.
SPEAKER_01:Sorry. So this one on their marketing, they actually say this is something that you can have in winter, so they're suggesting that we heat it up, which would be even more vomitous.
SPEAKER_02:Such a good description.
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, see that's just what an adjective, vomitous.
SPEAKER_02:I don't even want to taste it.
SPEAKER_01:If you like apple and cinnamon based on the smell, you'll like this. It's not too bad. I don't like cinnamon.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I like cinnamon.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know when you go to America around Halloween and everything's got that Halloween spicy pumpkin spice, slash? Pumpkin spice, no, that is not cinnamon. If you like apple and cinnamon, then that is your go-to.
SPEAKER_02:I do like apple and cinnamon. But I don't even know how you're meant to heat up a sparkling wine. It's gonna lose all the I'm confused about the proposition. I don't hate it. Would drink it, but I'm I'm still that Belina. Ooh, can't wait to refill my glass, not gonna lie.
SPEAKER_01:The last one is the Sophie S O F I capital letters. They make a form of Australian form of Aperol, which I will go out and buy. This I got in a can, I couldn't get it in a bottle, and I think it is a little bit reduced, which is a problem with canning. Oh, canning.
SPEAKER_02:Why from canning though? Just because it's not air there. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01:If you don't get your sulfur in your air, you get your dissolved oxygen. But look, it it blows off. It's actually really good. Yes, it's a bit too sweet for me, but I'm definitely going to buy the Sophie S O F I blood orange and bitter liqueur that I can make my own. Because I just don't like the premix.
SPEAKER_02:I think that maybe a lot of people in Australia don't realise how bitter the original Aperol spritz from Italy actually is.
SPEAKER_00:I love it.
SPEAKER_02:Like the way we drink spritzing. You wouldn't like it. Or is it just sugar in spritz? But yeah, yeah, the way we drink it here is a lot sweeter than the original spritz that comes from Italy.
SPEAKER_01:It's interesting because when Elliot was initially with his mates, he's my son, he was saying that all his friends had ordered it initially and they wouldn't like it because it was too bitter. And Elliot was like, I kept promoting them to order it because they kept giving the drinks to me.
SPEAKER_02:Oh my god, he's really clever. No, right?
SPEAKER_01:Mother's son. He knows how to get free drinks.
SPEAKER_02:Maybe I just think you have cool kids, and maybe that's why I think you're a cool one. You know, my kids are way cooler than I am. Doesn't that mean you did your job? I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:Because I think they've told us to fuck off pretty much as parents since they were in their teens.
SPEAKER_02:So I remember when we worked at Rob Dolan Wines a long time ago, and your kids were a lot younger than in high school in particular. And I said to you, how's Elliot going? And you said to me one day, Elliot, I don't think he's ever snuck out of the house. I've never caught him drunk. I'm really concerned, ma'am. And you were concerned that your kid wasn't doing these behaviors as I was. I was kissing myself laughing. And I was like, Isn't that what every parent wants? A kid that doesn't get drunk and sneak out? But you were like, my kid isn't doing these things. I just think that's the right of teenagehood.
SPEAKER_01:You didn't. I just heard a story about Canberra from you. I just and I think Cody really screwed with their teenage. But anyway, they seem to be making up for good time now. Back to our so what do you think of the Venetian, the Sophie?
SPEAKER_02:I really like it. It's my second favourite. The Bellina was my definite favourite. This Sophie, I can't wait to put some ice cubes in this. Oh, I've brought an extra one for you. Oh, thanks. Good. I really want to. No, I actually really like it.
SPEAKER_01:Bit too sweet. I would have gone more on the bitter, but you're right.
SPEAKER_02:Maybe Ice with ice cubes, I think it's going to balance that out exactly how it should taste.
SPEAKER_01:I don't think we should poo these. I think that they have an absolute place in the alcoholic drink landscape. They're using a wine base. Yeah, it's great. Zoncello, I'm surprised it's the biggest selling one. I think the Bellina is.
SPEAKER_02:Oh my god, the Bellina is so much yummier. Zoncello do they do a day with them.
SPEAKER_01:Well, the umbrellas look good.
SPEAKER_02:They do a day where they say everyone, locals come. If you bring them a bag of lemons, they give you a free bottle of Zoncello.
SPEAKER_01:I know.
SPEAKER_02:That is genius marketing.
SPEAKER_01:He bought a farm apparently.
SPEAKER_02:Genius marketing.
SPEAKER_01:For his lemons.
SPEAKER_02:The man is a genius. Do you know what though? It's not even about the fact that you're getting lemons. The reason that is genius marketing is because now everyone knows that real lemons go into zoncello and it's not artificial colouring. Many cheaper spritzers are devised using artificial colourants and artificial flavors. You can open a catalogue, Meg, you'll probably know more than this. You'll be able to talk to this better. But my understanding is that there's a catalogue of flavors and colours, and you can just dump them in with your sparkling wine and make it. But the more expensive ones and the ones that maybe tend to have more complexity and interesting flavors are made from real fruit, real ingredients. And what a clever way to tell the world that you use real fruit to say, come get me a bag of lemons and I'll give you a bottle.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. And if you see all of his Instagram, it's all about him peeling the lemons on this little machine. It started off as his lemon shallow. Obviously, it's on an industrial scale now. But I would promote this, Sophie. Let's uh as much as I am an avid lover of Aperol, a local one would be good. How local? What do you mean? How local we're talking? Like Melbourne or something? Oh, really? Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, they're all about the$25 mark. Yeah, okay. I don't know. It was$20, the cans were more expensive. It was$27 for four. Wow.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, we've done spritz. As yeah, we've been now taken off. Thank God. It's too big to ignore. We had to do it. Message us. Tell us if you have a favorite spritz that we didn't cover today, and you will simply die if we don't taste it. Look, I'm not gonna lie, we have a very packed agenda for the rest of the year, but we will be back next year. So give us- We'll do it spring next year. Yeah, give us your list of your favourite spritzes, and we will make sure to include them in our next tasting. We will put ice in it next time. As always, please, if you enjoy our podcast.
SPEAKER_01:Rate reviewers.
SPEAKER_02:That's it. Give us however many stars you think we deserve.
SPEAKER_01:I do five. Only Meg would be a four and a half if I have to. I'd have to negatively review wine, so you shouldn't negatively review with Mega Mel.
SPEAKER_02:And reviews. Reviews are huge. And then lastly, if you like our podcast, please send an episode to your friends. Put it on your socials. Help spread the word. It really helps us out. I've been meaning to say this all year and I keep forgetting. So I might forget again. I'm only gonna say it once. So please remember when I say it this time because I'm not gonna remember again. But we will look, we're back with you next week. As we alluded to, we have a serious episode next week. I learned that a lot of people don't trust tasting notes written by wineries because they're worried that marketing wrote them. So we tasted three wines, all from the same region, all the same bridle. I got Meg to describe them exactly how she saw them. And we compare them and tasting notes. We've got a really good episode, a really good episode next week. And if you are someone who likes to buy wines and likes to chip around and understand what you're buying, I think it's a really good episode. But we will see you next week. And until then, next month and drink well.
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