The Wined Up

How One Family Took Us Around the World in 4 Wines

The Wined Up Season 4 Episode 47

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0:00 | 11:31

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What if you could travel from England to France, Tasmania and Bordeaux without ever leaving your chair?

In this episode of The Wined Up Podcast, we're not exploring a single wine region. Instead, we're following the story of one family that has spent more than 50 years searching the world for great wine and has delivered over a billion bottles along the way. 

The journey starts with a young Tony Laithwaite working a harvest in Saint-Émilion. Surrounded by talented growers making incredible wines that rarely left France, he had a simple idea: load a van, take the wines directly to customers, and share discoveries that most people would never find on their own. Decades later, that idea became one of the world's largest family-owned wine merchants.  

To understand the philosophy behind Laithwaites, we taste our way through four very different wines.

·       A sparkling wine from Windsor Great Park that showcases why English sparkling is becoming one of the most exciting categories in the wine world.

·       A classic Provence rosé that delivers everything you want from southern France, freshness, minerality and effortless drinkability.

·       A beautifully elegant Tasmanian Pinot Noir from Joseph Chromy that highlights why Tasmania continues to punch well above its weight.

·       A mysterious Pauillac Bordeaux sourced from a secret First Growth parcel that offers a glimpse into one of wine's most prestigious regions without the eye-watering price tag. 

This episode is ultimately about discovery. The people who spend their lives searching for hidden gems. The stories behind great bottles. And why wine remains one of the few things that can transport you across continents through a single glass.

Chapters 

00:00 How Do You Travel the World Through 4 Wines?

00:47 The Family Behind a Billion Bottles

01:13 The Bordeaux Harvest That Started Everything

02:00 The Untold Story of Barbara Laithwaite

02:30 What Actually Makes a Wine Merchant?

03:06 Four Wines. Four Regions. One Journey.

03:24 England's Royal Sparkling Wine Surprise

05:01 Why Provence Rosé Never Goes Out of Style

06:13 Tasmania's Pinot Noir Sweet Spot

07:55 The Secret First Growth Bordeaux

09:35 A Pauillac That Drinks Well Above Its Price

10:04 Why Wine Is the Ultimate Way to Travel

10:34 The Wines We'd Buy Again Tomorrow

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Go check out https://www.laithwaites.com.au/ to find your favourite wine OR check out the wines at the https://goodfoodshow.com.au/sydney-show/ 

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