Our WINES OF THE YEAR (2025)

Treats galore in this show! Because not only are we announcing our stellar Wines of the Year, we're also launching a HUGE giveaway to celebrate Wine Blast topping ONE MILLION DOWNLOADS.

It's a major milestone for the pod so we wanted to say thanks to you for making it possible. Up for grabs are prizes worth more than £1,000 - from a set of Jancis Robinson Original wine glasses and decanter to a Coravin Limited Edition Hermitage Timeless 6+ to a case of grower champagnes from iDealwine, books from Academie du Vin Library and an annual Decanter subscription plus VIP tickets to the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter in either NYC or London. Wow!!

More details, including what you have to do to enter, are in the show and also on our Wine Blast One Million Giveaway page.

You may also find this link to our Speakpipe audio message service useful.

Also in the show, we recap on the wine year that was, culminating in our Guess the Missing Word in the Wine Headline. We hear from you guys, answering the odd question along the way. 

Finally, we reveal our Wines of the Year - featuring some real bargains, eye-openers and downright barnstormers. Trust us, you'll want to check these out.

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 the full listing of our Wines of the Year (and where to buy them) on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E11 - Our WINES OF THE YEAR (2025)

To get early access to new episodes, full archive access to our back catalogue and exclusive bonus content, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.uk

Instagram: @susieandpeter

Chapters

• 1:10 Wine Blast One Million GIVEAWAY!!
• 7:00 Wine Blast One Million GIVEAWAY!!
• 16:37 Guess the Missing Word in the Wine Headline 🤣
• 23:29 MID-EPISODE RECAP
• 23:52 Your feedback and questions
• 35:33 Our WINES OF THE YEAR!
• 45:50 OUTRO

Transcript

Susie: Hello and welcome to Wine Blast! A particularly warm welcome to any new listeners and also to our wonderful Wine Blast PLUS members. This is our annual Wines of the Year show, something a bit different from the norm, where we have some fun recapping on the year that's been, hear from you guys and reveal our very special Wines of the Year.

Peter: Yes, hello, welcome! What a year it's been. And with that in mind, we also have some exciting news to share. It's so exciting. I really can't sit on this, so I'm afraid we're going to have to dive straight in, fanfare, please. Such elan! So this is the wonderful milestone that is Wine Blast reaching and indeed surging beyond one million total unique downloads.

Susie: It's a big moment for us. This is, as you know, a totally independent, homemade production. We try to focus on quality, not quantity. So dropping episodes only once a fortnight on our main feed because an awful lot of work goes into each programme, which many of you clearly recognise and appreciate to judge by your lovely messages. For which, thank you.

Peter: Yeah, this means a lot. We don't want to go into arcane podcasting details, but when we talk about a million downloads, we're talking sort of IAB-certified total unique downloads via our podcast host, Buzzsprout. So definitely one of the more conservative metrics. Total plays, listens, streams, impressions, whatever, tend to be much higher. Of course, these numbers are not the be all and end all. what we value is the engagement, the feedback, the interaction with you guys, which, we'll come on to in a bit, of course, but still, you know, we always love an excuse for a celebration or raising a glass, don't we?

Susie: Any excuse, any excuse. and of course, our first instinct was to celebrate with you, our lovely listeners, because we couldn't have done this without you. And so we have put together a little something to say thank you. And it is our Wine Blast One Million giveaway.

Peter: Now, before anyone gets ahead of themselves, no one's getting a million quid. that would be super cool.

Susie: I'd be right there,

Peter: No, we're not Joe Rogan or Mr. Beast just yet. what we've done is ask a few nice people for a few nice things, to give you a chance of winning something that any wine lover would be very chuffed with. And, I think we've done a pretty good job, haven't we?

Susie: Well, I think really we should be thanking the generous people who are offering these fabulous prizes, not ourselves. But in short, up for grabs are, ah, the following. And I think we should both just read these out in turn. So, a set of six Jancis Robinson original wine glasses and a mature wine decanter from the Richard Brendon studio worth just over £400. Yes.

Peter: then a limited edition Hermitage Coravin Timeless 6 Plus, which is worth again about £400.

Susie: also a book bundle to keep any wine lover busy, worth more than 270 pounds, including a signed copy of Hugh Johnson's the Story of Wine, all from Academie du Vin Library.

Peter: Then we've got a five bottle set of grower champagnes courtesy of iDealwine worth about €300.

Susie: And finally, last but not least, a year's subscription to Decanter magazine and premium online membership worth over 180 pounds. Plus two VIP tickets to the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter in either New York City on 6 June 2026 worth $450. Or London on 7 November 2026 worth 310 pounds.

Peter: How's about that for a fabulous set of prizes? booty fit for a wine king or queen. No, I mean, thanks to everyone who has so kindly chipped in. and of course regular listeners will know that all of these involved with or had mentions on Wine Blast. So we're keeping in the family in the spirit of this giveaway. So I think that's all very fitting.

Susie: As for what you have to do to win one of these fabulous prizes, we want to hear from you. Of course we do, and it's very simple. We just want to hear what your favourite Wine Blast episode is and why.

Peter: Alternatively, tell us about a wine topic you'd like us to cover on the pod and why sell it to us and our other listeners.

Susie: Now, the key detail: entries should ideally be in the form of an audio clip Or a video. Maximum 60 seconds, ideally nearer 30. the more punchy and spontaneous, the better. And you can send that into us on Speak pipe or via social media, whatever. It's all super easy.

Peter: Yeah, we cannot wait to hear what you have to say. what we consider to be the best entries will go into a hat and winners

00:05:00

Peter: will be chosen at random. The, closing date is 31st January, so no need to panic. But equally, why wait?

Susie: Why wait indeed. And we may well feature the best entries in a show when we announce the winners, which will likely be around February, March time. Over 18s only, please. and we'll put a link in our show notes to a, page with all the details, including T's and C's.

Peter: Finally, we just wanted to mark this milestone by saying thank you also to all the many precious people who make and help make the magic happen. our brilliant interviewees, producers and wine trade, who send in samples, sponsors, both episodic and headline, who have helped keep Wine Blast afloat financially over the years, our fabulous Wine Blast PLUS subscribers, the many PR companies and people who do so much, often uncredited work behind the scenes. And also those key individuals who helped get Wine Blast off the ground into the teeth of lockdown five years ago, among many others. You know who you are. Thanks to you all.

Susie: Well said, well said. Right after that million strong bombshell, we should probably coast serenely into our wine year that was, shouldn't we?

Peter: Yeah. From bombshell announcements to breaking news. Love it. Love what you've done there. So let's start with the, serious stuff, shall we? To give the show at least a whiff of gravitas. And it concerns the global wine perspective. So the OIV has released preliminary figures for 2025, indicating that global wine production will be up 3%. but this isn't a massive cause of celebration.

Susie: No, no, it comes after the historic lows of 2024 we reported on, when production plumbed the depths of a 63 year nadir. So it's better than nothing, but it's still 7% below the five year average. And the OIV pointed to the way climate chaos is continuing to affect wine growing the world over, with France recording its smallest harvest since 1957. And Spain's drought affected output, making it one of the smallest in the last 30 years.

Peter: But it's not all doom and gloom. 2025, production is predicted to be up Italy, the, US, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. even if totals remain below the Recent average. And the OIV pointed out that given global consumption remains in decline and the geopolitical outlook is uncertain, lower than average production levels may help rebalance stocks.

Susie: It's hardly a glowing endorsement, is it? But as we've said, this does seem part of an ongoing and probably necessary correction in wine's supply and demand paradigm as the world moves towards consuming less but better. The one big concern is of course, climate change. And I'm not sure COP30 did much to allay those concerns.

Peter: No, no, we don't want to get too depressing, but you know, seeing as we're recapping, I think it's good to give some specific examples here from the past year about climate change. You know, because wine is so vulnerable to climate change that if anyone's got their head still stuck in the sand about this issue, they need to hear this.

Susie: Yeah. Yeah, okay. So in summer 2025, unprecedented wildfires torched thousands of hectares in Galicia, including vines belonging to Paul Hobbs, who we had on the pod in back in season one. In fact, Spain had its worst wildfire season since 1994 and fires also hit winemakers in the Douro, Napa, Corsica, Washington, Cyprus, Santa Barbara and Corbieres.

Peter: Yes, sadly, a very frequent and common storey, isn't it? Elsewhere, our, colleague Yanis Karakasis MW reported in Greek newspaper Proto Thema and reprinted on jancis robinson.com how the historic Santorini wine island is at a tipping point and risks complete extinction. the 2025 harvest was forecast at just 350 to 400 tonnes, which he describes as a negligible volume versus the last decade average of about two and a half thousand, 3,000 tonnes. So sort of almost a tenth. you know, true part of the issue is to do with mismanagement, underinvestment and lack of collective action. But it's also to do with a, years long drought. With Karakasis talking about the looming threat of desertification and recent climatic challenges like hail, he questions the very future of Santorini's historic and fabulous wine production, which we have of course featured on the show. Something that should send a shudder down every wine lover's spine.

Susie: And then the, the big storey this autumn was Chateaux Lafleur's decision to withdraw from the Pomerol appellation, under which some of the world's most celebrated and expensive wines are produced, like Petrus and Le Pin. Indeed, Lafleur itself costs 600 to 700 pounds a bottle, sometimes well into four for the the top older vintages and is undoubtedly one of the stars of the appellation, but will henceforth be labelled as a lowly Vin de France. The real question was why?

Peter: Yeah, so, I mean, I've been lucky enough to visit and taste with the Guinaudeau

00:10:00

Peter: family and they're pretty down to, Earth, sensible people. you know, after the news broke, everyone was speculating wildly, you know, for example, whether were they about to make natural wine or plant Syrah, whatever. But you know, they clarified that this decision was actually due to the Pomerol appellation. Like many similar appellations in France, not allowing things like irrigation, which they feel if done in a targeted and precise way, is important for quality. and this is all about the fact that, you know, unprecedentedly hot dry seasons like 2022, 2025 are becoming more common. And, they said climate is changing fast and hard. We must think readapt act.

Susie: So the, the topic of water and irrigation for quality wine is a complex. One may actually do a full episode on this before too long. But essentially this is one response from a quality focused producer to a changing climate. Some producers have congratulated lafleur on their bold stance. Others have questioned if there might not be better ways to go, like replanting with alternative rootstocks or varieties. Things like reducing planting density and using shade cloths would also help, but are also things not currently allowed. Either way, these are big issues which this storey brought into stark relief.

Peter: Yeah. And of course, you know, in a world where water is becoming ever scarcer and less predictable in its availability, the question is, can irrigation for wine really be a long term solution? Anyway, but anyway, switching from production to consumption issues. A report by Rabobank suggested the real reason. Younger folk like Gen Z and I'm sorry, but Gen Z, it just sounds better, doesn't it? Gen Z, I don't know why. So we're going with the American on that one. Americans on that one. Gen Z are drinking lessons. The real reason, it's not just health concerns or wellness. It's actually more to do with mobile devices and demographic change.

Susie: Yeah, this was really interesting, wasn't it? The report says what some of us, I think, have suspected, that phone and social media use now occupy time that might before have been spent socialising and drinking. There's also the risk of drunken photos or videos ending up on social media. And also the rise of parental trackers, all of which are powerful disincentives to indulge. As a result, many young people are having their first drinks later in life.

Peter: But there's also an interesting demographic point here, too. the report focused on Gen Z in the us, which is a more diverse group than previous generations. And I quote, black, Asian and Latino consumers historically drink less alcohol. What's more, in the under 25 bracket of alcohol consumers, women outnumber men, and women, being sensible creatures, tend to drink about half as much as men do.

Susie: No comment needed. but the report does add that this isn't terminal for wine and alcohol producers and they just need to reach out to this more diverse market and be inclusive, you know, both in their approach but also in their own makeup and personnel. So this is a, ah, positive change waiting to happen.

Peter: Yeah, yeah. turning from the future back to history. it was Sad that Patrick McGovern, the Indiana Jones of ancient wine, died in August. do cheque out his books, they're absolutely fascinating. but there was some other historic news of note. And you love me a little bit of history? Absolutely love it.

Susie: Always have to have a bit of history.

Peter: And, you know, both the following storeys tie into our theme of water and wine as well. So, first up, a report from the Department of Archaeology and Earth Sciences at Durham University and published in PLOS One indicates that Bronze and Iron Age farmers in the Middle east prioritised grapevines over crops like olives.

Susie: Yeah. researchers examined remains of vines and olive trees dating from 5,000 to 2, 600 years ago and found that irrigation was more commonly used to support grapevines than it was olive trees. Which suggests, given irrigation is difficult and uses a precious resource, that grapevines were given precedence. Sensible people.

Peter: Sensible people. And talking of turning water into wine, a, monograph suggested archaeologists had found the ancient village of Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed his famous wine miracle at the wedding feast. now, this wasn't definitive. And another archaeological dig has identified a different village, where this miracle supposedly took place.

Susie: Either way, you can never have too many miracles.

Peter: Not when it's like this. you know, I think we, I don't know, we just seem to be learning more all the time about the historic roots of wine and how important it was to ancestral cultures. And actually, we'll be talking more about Jesus and wine in an episode coming soon.

Susie: Indeed. And one final headline before we launch into our Guess the Missing Word section.

Peter: Can't wait for that.

Susie: Well, here we go. But the. The final headline is Burgundy Winemakers Head to Essex. Now, I don't want to get too much into Nostradamus territory here, but in an episode we released just a few weeks before these headlines appeared, the following words were spoken. There are some

00:15:00

Susie: Burgundian producers taking an interest in the Crouch Valley.'

Peter: Positively Prophetic podcast. That isn't it. but yes. Following from our Essex class in a Glass episode from season six, this was further confirmation of Essex's credentials when it comes to producing fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Danbury Ridge announced it's partnering with Domaine Duroche of Gevrey Chambertin, to make a small batch cuvee of Pinot Noir. And Alex Moreau of Domaine, Bernard Moreau is working with Missing Gate to make a Chardonnay. Both Essex producers we featured in the programme.

Susie: You heard it here first as ever. Right. To finish off this news section, we will move seamlessly into our guess the missing word in the wine headline segment. And we start with the following. What? Found passed out in liquor store.

Peter: Me again? Or a research minded shop attendant?

Susie: Drunk Raccoon found passed out in liquor store. Now this is a storey from Virginia where staff got a shock when they came into work after Thanksgiving to find smashed bottles, a trail of devastation, and the culprit passed out on the toilet floor. The furry reprobate was released after sobering up and no doubt after some, stern words from local law enforcement.

Peter: Indeed. Now I know who to blame when a couple of extra bottles go missing over Christmas. There we go. It's all those raccoons. Right. I've got one for you then. Surfer rides on what?

Susie: Oh, wave of wine. repurposed barrel staves...

Peter: you're getting closer. Surfer rides on goon bag. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with Australian slang, a goon bag is the bag you kind of get inside a bag in box wine. You know, when you take it out of the cardboard, it's a bag. And, and. And fringe surfing enthusiast What a great title! James McNulty reckons a half inflated empty wine bladder is a fun alternative way of riding the waves in West Australia. He says, and I quit. I'm not going to try the accent. It's a legit surf craft that I highly rate.

Susie: Further proof that wine is no barrier to an active lifestyle. Okay, I'm going to change the tone slightly. What nets more for grape growers than wine?

Peter: goon bag surfing. It's going to be a theme, isn't it? Raccoon customers, perhaps? Perhaps moonlighting as crypto dealers. I don't know. Come on. What?

Susie: Ketchup. So apparently a Co op in Provence is paying growers more for grapes that end up in concentrate destined for ketchup than those which end up in wine. Apparently said concentrate is valued because it means less sugar is needed for the ketchup, which then scores higher. With the nutritional labelling system, ketchup can apparently pay nearly three times as much as wine. what do we think of that?

Peter: I'm just trying to get my, my head around it really. It's concerning wine or ketchup. The thing is, I'm, I'm a wine and a ketchup fan. I know, yeah, I'm conflicted here. I don't know, I think it's probably not a long term solution for grape growers problems.

Susie: Probably not, no.

Peter: but you know, if ketchup is made from grapes rather than refined sugar and it keeps some vine growers in business, not necessarily a bad thing. anyway, why are we discussing ketchup?

Susie: I'm not quite sure why we discussed ketchup.

Peter: Anyways, let's move on. Bizar. Next headline. right. Churchill wangled what during prohibition?

Susie: Oh, a homebrew M kit from Santa. Secret supplies of Pol Roger in giant goon bags.

Peter: Everything comes back to goonbags, doesn't it?

Susie: It's all going to come back to goon bags.

Peter: You're not far off. You're not far off. You know. Churchill wangled a booze sick note during prohibition. so the former British prime minister and renowned wine lover, of course was visiting the US in 1932 when alcohol was banned. So he did what any sel respecting wino would do and went straight to a doctor for a get out of jail free note. he'd apparently had a car accident, so it was for pain relief purposes. said doctor's note reads. I've got to read it in full. This is to certify that the post accident convalescence of the Honourable Winston S. Churchill necessitates the use of alcoholic spirits, especially at, meal times. The quantity is naturally indefinite, but the minimum requirements would be 250 cubic centimetres.

Susie: Where can I get one of those, genius?

Peter: One of those. Nalo.

Susie: Okay, my turn. What survives on wine after crash?

Peter: What survives on wine after crash? A newly discovered winged raccoon.

Susie: We got to stop with the raccoons.

Peter: The stock markets. The stock market.

Susie: 77 year old French cyclist survives on wine after crash. Sort of life goals, but then sort of not, you know. Anyway, the scene is southern France. A bicycle powered shopping trip like any other. But then on his way home this chap, missed a Bend,

00:20:00

Susie: plunged 40 metres down into a ravine and was trapped for three days. His lifesaver, A small amount of food and a couple of bottles of wine. Love that shopping list. And he was eventually winched out by firefighters who declared him remarkably unscathed by the whole thing. So a valid safety reason why you should always include wine in grocery shop.

Peter: I love the way. I love the progression of your conclusion there. yeah, that's what you're taking away from this. Apart from avoiding bends and stuff. Anyway, I agree with you. 100 agree with you. you know, we don't need any more excuses, but there's just one more to add to the list. our shopping list, perhaps? Okay, so last one. What themed wine hits shelves on film's 50th anniversary? So, 50th anniversary of a film.

Susie: The Shining Champagne.

Peter: Oh, love that. Love that.

Susie: Pink Panther. Monty Python. Pinot. The Sound of Merlot. I could go on, shall I?

Peter: No, please don't.

Susie: No, please don't.

Peter: I think I'm gonna wet myself. I think I'm in danger with the sound of mer. M. That is. That is just outstanding. Sound of mer.

Susie: Why is that film not the Hills Are Alive? Sorry.

Peter: Okay, good. Good. Yeah. Good shouts. Good shouts. All right. And probably all wines, I think about it, I would actually rush out by.

Susie: You probably would.

Peter: Especially the Pink Panther rose. That just. That's just too good. Do you think that Shining Champagne's the only one that slightly gives me poor. Wouldn't it be kind of a. Something a bit darker, like a Barolo/! Something a bit kind of carnal? And anyway, it was a bit shiny. There's a lovely juxtaposition in Shining Champagne. Anyway, no, it's a Jaws. Jaws themed wine. the first film came out in 1975. Five. Napa Winery. Napa Winery. Fior di Sole unveiled a limited collection of Jaws themed wines with the. The best strap line ever. Any guesses what strap line is? Okay, you're gonna need a bigger glass.

Susie: Classic glass. Or a goon bag. Okay, so that brings us to the end of our incredibly serious news roundup. Coming up next, your input and questions, followed by our very exciting Wines of the Year year. By way of quick recap, so far, both climate change and evolving consumer habits pose serious challenges for the global wine industry. But history reminds us that many obstacles to wine's progress have been overcome over the years. And if all else fails, you can always turn to goon bag surfing. or ketchup.

Peter: Yeah, of course, as ever, And I don't know about you, but I'm getting myself a booze sick note. right, let's hear from you guys. first up, Lisa.

Lisa: Hi, this is Lisa in South Sea. Just wanted to say, how much I enjoyed that episode on Battle of the Bubbles. So much fun. I'm not an expert w, set level three, but I did work in a UK vineyard for 18 months in Hampshire. And, and I love a drop of fizz. I love comparing them. And I think you're absolutely right. Should be so much fun to drink. but no, that's. That was just really great. I love the different comparisons and, and the different views and, scoring, scoring of the wine. So, yeah, thanks very much. Keep doing what you're doing.

Susie: Thanks, Lisa. I'm so glad you enjoyed that one. We've had a fair bit of feedback on that show, haven't we? And it was a fascinating tasting, to be fair, and ruffled a few feathers.

Peter: Yeah, yeah, indeed. you know, just quickly, before we get into that, Lisa sent this message in via Speak pipe, everyone, which is exactly what you can do. Enter our, competition. See what I've done there? just a reminder of how easy and efficient it is. the links are on our show notes. And also, don't know, this whole comparing wines business, it's so valuable and instructive, isn't it? it's how we all learn. You know, we love comparing to. You know, the great Hugh Johnson's interest in wine was started by being given two glasses of wine to compare. You know, never try one glass, always try two.

Susie: You are a very bad influence, aren't you? But I do know what you mean. And, yeah, getting back to sparkling wine, the battle of the bubble was intriguing. To remind everyone this was a blind tasting at the London Wine Fair this year, judged by a panel of experts. And the top two spots were taken by the only two English sparkling wines in the mix, ahead of the likes of Dom Perignon, Bollinger RD, Krug, Contes de Champagne.

Peter: Now, I did read that someone suggested, maybe a little slyly, that the English wines probably won because this tasting was held in the uk. Okay. the implication being that English judges are predisposed to English wines. I mean, what do you, what do you make of that?

Susie: Well, I, I can see where it's coming from, but I would push back fairly strongly against that. Maybe I'm always going to. I mean, we were categorically instructed not to second guess origin, and I don't Think any of us did. I mean, it was all about quality. I certainly didn't pick any of the wines as particularly English anyway, which in

00:25:00

Susie: itself speaks volumes. I mean, we didn't even know there were any English wines in the mix. They might not have been there.

Peter: And there were some pretty serious champagne experts there too.

Susie: Judging. Yeah, exactly.

Peter: Judging who you'd argue might be more predisposed to favour champagnes. You know, there was even one Frenchman in Marselan Sommelier. Mathieu Longuere.

Susie: Yeah, yeah. I mean, plus, it wasn't as if the English wines had an easy ride, you know, so we were judging. Just to explain a bit more, we were judging the wines in pairs. And the Nyetimber 1086 was up against Dom Perignon and the Guzborne 51 degrees north was paired with Pol Roger's Winston Churchill. So we're really not talking about a shoo in.

Peter: And I don't know, I reckon the result would be pretty similar if you did this competition anywhere with a similar level of judges, don't you?

Susie: I would have thought so.

Peter: You know. Anyway, if you haven't listened to that one and you want to make your own mind up, do listen to our Battle of the Bubbles episode from season six.

Susie: So, next up, a question from Ryan Armstrong in Northern Ireland. Hi, Susie and Peter. Love the show. there's nothing better than getting to the end of the week and listening to your podcast on the way home. To put me in the mood to get the corkscrew out, there was an episode many seasons ago on wine storage. I had a practical question for you. I want to age wine at my house. Currently, I have my wine in an old freezer, not plugged in. Good. in my garage I have fitted it with a. A terminator, but I think that's probably thermometer to track the temperature and humidity fluctuations. I can control the humidity with setting a cup of water in the freezer, but while the temperatures do not fluctuate much day by day, the temperatures do pick up or drop during different seasons in the year. Do you have any good practical solutions to store wine at your home if you do not have a cellar? I can't think of anything worse than waiting for. Waiting 10 years and finding my favourite case has aged poorly. Keep up the good content.

Peter: Thanks, Ryan. And, I do love the idea of a terminator to keep your wine, safe. I'll be back with wine sort of thing. Terminator. I. I also, though, do quite like the idea of using a freezer to insulate the wine. What do you think? I don't know. it clearly does have some effect, as Ryan says, you know, if the day to day differentials aren't too big.

Susie: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting, it's not something I've ever heard of before, but accepting we're looking at the sort of least bad scenarios here, I mean, not everyone has ideal conditions like a seller, as Ryan was saying and thinking about it, I. I don't think this is a bad option. I mean, you could keep the freezer inside where the temperature might fluctuate less than the garage, but it might be quite a bit warmer and drier and space is obviously very likely to be an issue as well. So maybe this isn't so bad.

Peter: No, no, I mean, as long as it's not leaking CFCs or anything bad like that. I don't know. I mean, you know, when, when we did this house, we couldn to build a cellar, so we just massively insulated what used to be a garage on the kind of northeast corner of the house. And that kind of does the same sort of thing, doesn't it? You know, it doesn't vary massively day to day, but yeah, it does quite vary over the seasons. More than, you know, definitely advisable. We've got loads of wine in there. it's ideal, you know, Seems to work.

Susie: Yeah. I mean, our most precious wine we keep in proper storage with wine merchants or in the Eurocarve here. But if you're looking for a jury rig if you like, a, well monitored basket freezer might not be a bad option at all. All I'd add is you might need to factor in a slightly faster evolution of the wine, Ryan, than what a typical vintage chart might predict. Because if the temperatures do go up and down more than in a perfect cellar, the wine will just evolve that bit faster. So in short, don't wait too long.

Peter: Why do we always give this kind of advice? Drink up. Maybe also just checking on the wines. Yeah, exactly. Try a bot bottle now again, just to cheque. especially if you've got a few of the same one and especially for the more fragile wines is what I'd say. right, one more question at this time from Jessica Tivendale. Jessica writes. Hi, Susie and Peter. I found your podcast recently and have been binge listening to Catch up. Almost there. well done. Takes a while. Jessica. I have a question regarding Muscat. It's my favourite wine to drink, you know, I'm wondering if having a small 125mil glass a night has any health effects? Positive, positive or negative. Thanks again and back to listening. Cheers.

Susie: Gosh, Jessica, you have very impressive self control. if Muscat is your favourite wine, but you can limit yourself to a small 125mil glass per night, strikes me you might be relatively healthy anyway, as a person, if that's your approach, which is very commendable.

Peter: Yeah, it's true. Now, Jessica, we're not doctors. why do I keep finding myself saying that sentence? It's not healthy, is it? but to me, this sounds on the healthy side of things. you know, especially if you're having it with food, I think. But risk is, of course, personal, so it's always best to cheque with your doctor if you have any concerns about any of this.

Susie: Yeah, I mean, we did explore this a bit in our Wine and Health episode in season six. It also makes me think of

00:30:00

Susie: our Drink well, Eat well project a little while ago where we tried out various different diets, including the Mediterranean Diet and Long Storey Short. Eating fresh food and drinking wine all in moderation seems to correlate with longer life.

Peter: Yeah. Interestingly from that, it does seem white wine can be beneficial as well as red wine in that mix, doesn't it? And of course, extrapolating a bit, Muscat is a historic Mediterranean grape variety, suits well with the Mediterranean diet. But the key question when we did that Drink my Day well thing looking, to the Mediterranean diet when they recommend a moderate wine intake, is how much does moderate intake mean exactly? We want to know as wine lovers, that was our big question. and the best we could ascertain from that, having consulted the experts, was a moderate amount of wine probably means about 175 millilitres per day for women and 250 millilitres, of wine per day for men. A bit more if the wine has a lowish or moderate alcohol level. I think that was about something.

Susie: I think that was it. But we wrote quite a bit about this at the time and made a few videos and so we'll share those links, Jessica, if you want more info and opinion. Anyway, hope that helps. now our wines of the year, are winking at me, but I think we've just got time to read out a few listener messages and reviews, don't we?

Peter: I think very briefly, very quickly. So first up, thanks to Zoe Woodlock for writing in and saying, hi, Susie, Peter, I'm here laughing at being a top 3% fan on Spotify this year. Having listened to 1,145 minutes of your wonderful podcast in 2025. I'm currently nine months pregnant, so have been pregnant for most of the year. And unable to drink any wine, I'm having to consume it in other forms, such as your podcast. Thank you both for all the hard work you put into your brilliant podcast. It's so entertaining and I've learned so much from it. Thanks again, Zoe.

Susie: Gosh, nine months pregnant. How exciting. You know, best of luck with everything, Zoe. If listening exposure means anything, then the baby may well have a head start on the wine front. but moving on, a message from Kavya from Hong Kong. Hi, Susie, Peter. I hope you're well. This is Kavya, a forever wine student from India now living in Hong Kong. Wanted to let you know that you both have been absolutely pivotal in helping me make it through my last level 4D3 exam work and Master's degree all at the same time. Your subject knowledge, alongside the humour you bring to the episodes, make each and every one of them so incredibly inspiring. Keep doing what you do. Cheers.

Peter: Oh, thanks, Kavya. you know, your, your wine studies and achievements sound hugely impressive, so no doubt we'll be bumping into you sometime soon on the global wine circuit. One more message from Shruti Sinha. hi, Susie and Peter. Just a quick note to say how much I've been enjoying Wine Blast. Plus the bonus episodes are such a joy and the latest one was excellent. I, especially loved the Blind Tasting Top Super Tuscan episode and your Prosecco episode. Both have been perfectly timed with my Italian Wine Scholar preparations. The, Billionaire's Vinegar has become one of my favourite wine books. I picked it up after you recommended it in one of your earlier pods and was completely, completely hooked. really loved your two part conversation with Ben Wallace. It brought so much extra colour and context to the storey. Thanks again for all the brilliant work you put into the pod.

Susie: Those Billionaire Vinegar shows were so fun.

Peter: To do, weren't they?

Susie: We'll be doing a few more like those in due course too, so thanks, Shruti. Hope it all went well with the Italian wine scholar stuff. One final brief one from Masked and Uncorked on Instagram. We absolutely love you two and Wine Blast. It's like pouring a perfect glass of wine for the ears. You make wine feel fun, fascinating and downright addictive in the best way.

Peter: I've got an image now of you pouring a glass of wine into your ears, so it's gonna keep a smile on my face by the way. Thank you guys, so kind. we really do appreciate all your kind comments, reviews, rates, settings, feedback, questions and general input. It does boost morale, massively keeps us going. so thank you one and all.

Susie: Right, enough wine of the air time. So first up top, wine for ear pouring. No, only kidding. let's start. Why don't we start with our value wine of the year?

Peter: Yeah, let's do that.

Susie: We've got a couple of contenders here. One is the Roederer Quartet Fizz from California that I gave the same score as Krug in the Battle of the Bubbles blind tasting. And it's only 30, 33 pounds versus Krug at 250. A great shout, I'd say, for the festive season.

Peter: Yeah, exactly. Good one. Another option is the Errazuriz grand reserve of Chardonnay 2023 that won Best value white in our Chile Wines of the year 2025. Delicious Okayed Chardonnay for under a tenner. And as we wrote in our report, if you're buying Bourgogne Blanc at three times the price, you're a mug.

Susie: But our actual value Wine of the year is a bargain. Pinot Noir, that holy grail for wine lovers. It's the Albert Glas Pinot

00:35:00

Susie: Noir 2023 from the Pfralz in Germany. Only £9.50 at, ah, the co op in the UK. but so elegant and savoury with earthy gy sappy complexity. I was so excited when I first tasted it. And then we've tried it again since and it just doesn't disappoint, does it?

Peter: It doesn't. You know, these are all great shouts for festivities. Such good value, such brilliant wines. Right onto a left field wine of the year. plenty of options here from the Djuce Die Juice, funky Austrian red that featured in our Wine in the Can.

Susie: D, J, U, C, E. Exactly.

Peter: Back of that Wine in the can episode. there's also the VIK A, ah, Cabernet Nouveau, a Chilean Cabernet made in the style of Beaujolais Nouveau, of course, as you do, ah, not forgetting the remarkable English floor aged Pinot Blanc that is Sandridge Barton Sunny and which won a top award at the WineGB Awards that we chaired again this year.

Susie: Yeah. But taking the left field crown this year is an utterly joyful, fizzy Australian red. It's the Pizzini King Valley Lambrusco Salamino 2024, which I tasted at Matthew Duke's 100 Best Australian Wines. It is packed, packed full of cherry and BlackBerry fruit with kind of floral, herbal complexity. It's earthy and juicy and just so fun. impossible to resist and only about 13 pounds. And want to drink slightly chilled, I'd say maybe, with a plate of lovely charcuterie. It's just so fun, isn't it?

Peter: Yeah, it's. Oh, joyful, joyful. I loved it. a way to bring joy into your life. that's all he's doing. Actually. Seeing as we're talking sparkling, should we just segue straight into our fizz of the year?

Susie: Yeah, definitely.

Peter: now, we wanted to tip our hat at this stage, perhaps beret to the late, great Peter hall of English producer Breaky Bottom, who died this year, do cheque out their excellent English sparklings from Breaky Bottom.

Susie: Yeah, he was an incredible man, wasn't he? And he'll be much missed. but also talking, English sparkling, we couldn't not mention the 2010 vintage of Nyetimber 1086, which won the battle of the bubbles in an absolutely stellar result and has impressed us on several other occasions too. Also, the Supremely refined Clos des Goisses 2014 from Champagne Philippona that we featured on our Instagram feed. Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous champagne.

Peter: Beautiful. But our actual fizz of the year is, is the Danbury Ridge Solstice first edition. I know we focused on the still wines of Essex in our podcast episode, but this is a reminder that the sparkling wines can be outstanding too. This is so complex, so sort of vinous. It's creamy and toasty and bready and brioche and just everything. It's just magnificently gorgeous. and at 50 quid, it's not cheap, but it actually represents pretty amazing value in the context of all the wines we've been mentioning on the podcast.

Susie: And it's just a stunning win. Now Danbury Ridge were also a contender for our Producer of the Year, which is what we'll come on to now. In fact, there were loads of options here. So many it proved impossible to choose just one. And boy, did we argue. Or I would say discuss at length.

Peter: Discuss.

Susie: we did, didn't we? So we've ended up for the first time with a joint Producer of the year. with the winners being Vasse Felix in Western Australia and Casa Marin in Chile.

Peter: Yeah, two absolutely outstanding producers. Casa Marin, a small scale family operation in ultra coastal Chile, resolutely flying the flag for fine, terroir driven Chilean wines. From beautiful Sauvignon Blanc to stunning Syrah. they faced so many challenges over the years, but Continue to do amazing work, which really deserves recognition.

Susie: Recognition, yeah. And then Vasse Felix making sensational wines in Margaret river, including at the value end of the spectrum. So these are wines that are mostly pretty easy to find and they specialise in Chardonnay and Carmenere Sauvignon, but they're also restless experimenters. Winemaker Virginia Willcock is an absolute hero. She starred in our, Margaret river episode earlier this year and we'll be sharing a full list length uncut interview with her for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers very soon too.

Peter: Two top notch producers. Right, we're nearing endgame. Final three gongs. Next up, Wine of the Year. so Pelorus, the cloudy bay pink fizz from New Zealand that did so well at the Battle of the bubbles, but is only about 25, 30 quid. That was strong. I was also impressed by the g de Galoupet 2024, which is in a super light dark bottle, 1850 on offer at Waitrose. So a real leader in the category for me. But the top this year year is the Markovitis Xinomavro rose 2023, which I tasted as part of the judging for the Great

00:40:00

Peter: Greek Wine Awards this year. This is serious. Hints of kind of leather and strawberry and spice. And it's only about €15 23 quid or so, so it's not super expensive. Well worth trying. Yum.

Susie: Coming on to Red Wine of the Year, we had so many good ones on our trip to Madrid and Salamanca we loved the wonderfully elegant Algueira mencia de aniada 2024 from Ribera Sacra that we had at Fismula restaurant and only about 20 pounds. Also the Veronica Ortega Careo 2023 wine bar La Cannibal. And back in the UK, I adored the Fogwell Syrah 2023 from South Africa. Just 12 and a half percent alcohol. Stunningly elegant Syrah. So highly recommend that one.

Peter: we also had tonnes of brilliant new wave Australian Grenache, some of which we'll be discussing on our upcoming podcast, Miniseries on McLaren Vale. But the red wine to rule them all we've gone for this year is the Yann Chave Le rouvre Crozes-Hermitage 2023 that we featured in our recent Rock and Rhone pod. it's far from the most stellar wine in their portfolio, of course, but it's everything we love about Syrah, isn't it? It's perfumed, peppery, savoury, meaty, floral. It's just stunning stuff, isn't it so easy drinking, so savoury, complex. Pretty decent value at about 30 quid.

Susie: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which brings us on to our final gong, our Wine of the Year. Now, we've been blown away by many wines and producers this year. honourable mentions go to producers like Pegasus Bay, Dog Point and Greywacke in New Zealand. And also so Langham, San Leonardo, Larry Cherubino.

Peter: Or wines, you know, wines like the Chateaux de Plaisance, Ronceray Anjou 2022 from the Loire. Or Eulogio Pomares Parcela en Ayos Albarino 2023. What a wine. or the Rouvalis Roditi single Vineyard Katarachi 2022. All pretty amazing wines.

Susie: Yeah. But ultimately there can only be one. And our, Wine of the year 2025 is the Ridge Grenache Blanc 2024.

Peter: Yes.

Susie: A new wave white from California. We featured the 2023 vintage in our earlier pod, on Ridge this year. So the 2024 is 42 pounds at, the Wine Society and around 35 to $40 in the US. Now Ridge is obviously famous for its reds, particularly the supremely elegant Monte Bello Cabernet and, and stunning old vine Zinfandels. We'd give a big shout out to the Lytton Springs, which you tasted right back to 1976, didn't you? But this is a new white in their portfolio. This is the new vintage, possibly even better than the 2023. And it's one of those wines that just makes you sit up and go, oh, wow, this is so cool.

Peter: Yeah, totally. It's not the shoutiest wine, is it? Or most attention grabbing.

Susie: In fact, quite the opposite.

Peter: But it's just an intriguing blend of. What is it?

Susie: It's it's Grenache Blanche Grenache Blanc.

Peter: With Picpoul, Picpoul and Roussanne as well, isn't it? It's elegantly oak aged. It's sourced from vineyards in Paso Robles that were inspired by Beaucastel's partnership with Tablas Creek, apparently. So, you know, a bit of an intriguing backstory too. And it's just so complex and, and textured and self assured, isn't it? You just keep coming back to the.

Susie: Glass m and it just gets better.

Peter: That's so true. It really does come out of itself, you know, it grows on you. Thinking about it, it's a bit like kind of white cousin of Ridges, Epic Zinfandels, isn't it? You know, we're huge fans of Grenache Blanc. It's a great variety. I think we'll be seeing more and more of it in warmer climate, wine regions and dry, you know, drier wine regions around the world. Here it just shines. This shows you why it's a stunning wine and I think it's a sign of things to come.

Susie: So the perfect note to end on, here's to a great year that was and a wonderful year to come. Keep in touch and do treat yourself to some of these wines. They are amazing. Finally, don't forget to enter our Wine Blast One Million giveaway. You could end up with a very big smile on your face. Until next time. Cheers.

Peter: Thank you for listening right to the end of the programme. you deserve some sort of medal or maybe a glass of fine wine, whatever. either way, if you're a regular Wine Blast listener, you'll know we do occasional sponsorships, both episodic and headline. you might not have thought of this, but if you're involved with a couple company, brand or region who could benefit from exposure to a top notch global community of wine lovers, get in touch.

Susie: Wine Blast goes out to 200 countries and thousands of listeners. It's won multiple awards

00:45:00

Susie: and is regularly one of the

00:45:01