- The John Malkovich EXCLUSIVE
- Marlborough Hits 50
- The Six BEST wine books
- Ventoux – Next Century Wines
- Ageing English Fizz: How, Why and What
- The Ten Wines Never to be Without
- The New Face of Languedoc
- Ukraine – Wine not War
- Our WINES OF THE YEAR (2023)
- A Southern French Feast
- ORANGE WINE Part 1
- ORANGE WINE Part 2
- Ancient Vines to the Rescue in St Mont
- Light Strike: Wine’s Not-So-Secret Scandal
- Grower Champagne with Lea & Sandeman
- Going Gaga for Garnacha
- Sassicaia – The Insider’s Guide
- UK Wine’s Counterculture
Summary
Our Wines of the Year format has grown into this riotous, rollicking rollercoaster of a show which we humbly offer up for your amusement and delectation.
This is no shopping list.
Nor is it a chest-beating exercise in showing off how #wineblessed we are.
This episode is the story of a year in wine: a celebration of special bottles and special times, set against the backdrop of news, views and a lot of laughter.
Featuring in this wine-soaked adventure are Dutch nuns, kiwis, Homer Simpson, talking corks, Susie in a balloon suit, gravy, Nigel the dog, a broom-brandishing Greek grandmother, Jesus and Peter’s pants.
We discuss wine news including the latest wine fraud hoo-ha (and a new AI tool to fight wine fakery), why Bordeaux may be uprooting 10% of its vineyard, how major foreign investment is boosting English wine and the latest research offering the tantalising prospect of solving the mystery of red wine headaches.
Your listener feedback and questions get an airing, touching on English fizz, Portuguese wine, the dream of owning a vineyard in Italy, breathless Colorado winemaking – and what we do with our leftovers.
Wines featured range from an Essex Sauvignon Blanc to a Japanese Pinot Noir via an ‘aromatised wine-based drink’ that’s considerably tastier than its official designation.
To cap it all we announce our BIG GONGS, which this year we’ve expanded to include Producer of the Year, Value Wine of the Year and, in the constant quest for ever more fun, Leftfield Wine of the Year.
Atop this particular tree, though, is just one wine: our Wine of the Year. What in the world could it be?!
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Phil Tuck MW, who loved nothing more than sharing great wines with friends. An inspiration to us all.
Links
- We may have jumped the gun talking about Susie’s WineMasters Class Grand Cru episode on Pauillac! It’s coming soon to WineMasters.TV
- You can find our podcast on all major audio players: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon and beyond. The button below will redirect you automatically to this episode on an audio platform on your device.
News Stories
In this episode we discuss some of the latest wine headlines. Here are some of the links to read more about these:
- Convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan is up to his old tricks
- New AI tool to fight wine fraud
- Bordeaux may be uprooting 10% of its vineyard
- Red wine consumption slides as we drink more white and rosé than ever before
- Scientists say mystery of how red wine headaches occur may be solved
- Foreign investment continues to boost English wine
WINES!
This is far from an exhaustive listing of all the wines we mention in this episode.
Nor do we want to spoil the surprise of what are our top gongs – ie Producer of the Year, Value Wine of the Year, White Wine of the Year, Red Wine of the Year, Leftield Wine of the Year…and Wine of the Year. For that, you’ll have to listen to the pod.
But we’re aware a listing of sorts is helpful so please find this below.
We’ve left off wines that are super expensive or almost certainly not available. But, as promised on the show, we’ve added in some extra wines, particularly good value ones.
Prices and stockists where we can find them. Please check vintages etc before you buy! Links may break and prices may change over time too.
Sparkling Wine
- Castollore Organic Prosecco NV (£7.49, Aldi)
- Tesco Finest Premier Cru Brut Champagne NV (£21)
- Langham Rosé Extra Brut NV, Dorset (£30.95 for 6+, Lea & Sandeman)
- Domaine Hugo 2019, Wiltshire
- Ridgeview Oak Reserve Brut NV, Sussex (£85, Ridgeview)
- Bollinger Grande Année 2014, Champagne (£129.99, Waitrose)
White Wine
- Tesco Finest Côtes de Gascogne 2022 (from £6.50)
- M&S Found Furmint 2022, Tokaj (£8, M&S)
- Lyrarakis Pirovolikes Vilana 2021, Crete (£11.99, Solent Cellar)
- Milton Riverpoint Viognier 2020, Gisborne (£14.99, Simply Wines)
- Florent Rouve Arbois Chardonnay 2020, Jura, France (£19.99, Waitrose)
- Pierre Vessigaud Pouilly-Fuissé 2020, Burgundy (£22, M&S)
- Domaine Ampelhus Carignan Terret Blanc de Blancs 2022, Languedoc
- Domaine Jean-Louis Tissot Arbois Savagnin 2020, Jura (£24, Yapp)
- Missing Gate Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Essex (£26, Missing Gate)
- Pasqua Hey French You Could Have Made This But You Didn’t IGT, Verona (from £26.24, Majestic)
- Blank Canvas Reed Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, Marlborough (£28.85, VINVM)
- Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2020, Essex (£36, Cambridge Wine)
- Niepoort Coche 2020, Douro
- Blackbook Painter of Light Reserve Chardonnay 2019, Essex (£35, Blackbook)
- Karamolegos Assyrtiko 34 2020, Santorini (c £36)
- Devon Minnow 2020 magnum, Devon (Castlewood Vineyard)
- Gaia Estate Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2022, Santorini (from £38, Noble Green)
- Double Zero Wines VGW Chardonnay, Oregon (Corney & Barrow)
- Egon Müller Scharzhofberg Riesling Auslese 2005, Saar
Rosé etc
- Château Pesquié Quintessence Rosé 2021, Ventoux
- Vagabond Night Tripper 2022, England (£30, Vagabond)
Red Wine
- Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2018 (from £7.50)
- Chosen By Majestic Cotes du Rhone Villages 2022 (from £8.99, Majestic)
- Tesco Finest Valpolicella Ripasso 2020 (from £9)
- Chateau Oumsiyat Mijana 2019, Bekaa (£9.49, Waitrose)
- Von der Land Zweigelt 2021, Neiderösterreich (from £9.99, Majestic)
- M&S Etna Rosso 2020, Sicily (£12, M&S)
- Viña Mujeres Ñipanto Tierra en Flor País 2020, Itata
- M&S Creation Pinot Noir 2022 Cape Coast, South Africa (£13 until 1.1.24, M&S)
- Santa Tresa Rina Russa Frappato 2022, Sicily (£13.20, Bon Coeur)
- M&S Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2019, Burgundy (£17, M&S)
- Ana Maria Cumsille Cipres Malbec 2022, Itata
- Domaine of the Bee ‘Thym’ 2021, Roussillon (from £20, domaineofthebee.com)
- Thymiopoulos Earth & Sky Xinomavro 2021, Naoussa (£24, The Wine Society)
- Domaine Ampelhus Piquepoul Noir 2022, Languedoc
- Jean Foillard Morgon Eponym 2021, Beaujolais (£27.47, Vinatis)
- Clos de Trias Vieilles Vignes 2015, Ventoux (£31.41, Lay & Wheeler)
- Julien Sunier Fleurie 2021, Beaujolais (£32, Roberson)
- Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2020, Rhone (£32.50, Yapp)
- Danbury Ridge Pinot Noir 2020, Essex (£40.90, Highbury)
- Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Margaret River (£48.22, Stannary)
- Domaine Henri Richard Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Corvees 2019 (£50, Yapp)
- Niepoort Pinot Noir Duriense 2020, Douro
- Tolpuddle Pinot Noir 2021, Tasmania (£68, Elementary)
- Weingut Von der Mark Engerstein Pinot Noir 2019, Tuniberg
- By Farr RP Pinot Noir 2020, Geelong (£77.50, VINVM)
- Gaia Conteisa Barolo 2018, Piemonte
- Les Quelles de la Coste Les 14 Quelles 2018, Vaucluse (£49.50, Jeroboams)
- De Montille & Co Hokkaido Pinot Noir 2019, Japan
- Economou Antigone 2004, Sitia
- Bodega Frontonio El Jardin de las Iguales Garnacha 2020, Aragón
- Chapouter St Joseph Le Clos 2019, Rhone (£98, Lay & Wheeler)
Other
- M&S Collection Late Bottled Vintage Port 2017, Douro (£15, M&S)
- Barbeito Ribeiro Real 20-year-old Verdelho, Madeira
- Kopke Colheita Tawny 2005, Douro (£31.99, Waitrose)
- Gaia Estate Vin Santo 2012, Santorini (£47.50, Vino Gusto)
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