Wine with Meg + Mel

Send us a textA glass of champagne in hand and a year’s worth of tasting notes on the table, we set out to crown ten wines that genuinely moved us. Not the priciest. Not the rarest. The bottles that delivered texture, balance and joy—whether poured at a barbecue, opened for a milestone, or discovered on a whim at the local.We start with the unexpected: an Australian Arinto that lives in the mineral, nutty space between categories, and a Pouilly Fumé that rehabilitates Sauvignon Blanc with flint, smoke and structure. Then comes the conversation starter—a supermarket Chardonnay so composed and complete it became our benchmark for modern Margaret River style. From there, we travel to Beechworth for a savoury, high-country Nebbiolo that whispers Langhe without mimicry, and we revisit Tasmanian Pinot Noir for a masterclass in elegance over power. Barossa Syrah gets a fresh reading too: lifted perfume, red fruit purity and mineral lines that sidestep heaviness.Discovery is half the fun. A Greek Agiorgitiko proves that twenty dollars can buy perfume, supple tannin and weeknight versatility. In the Yarra Valley, Giant Steps Applejack Pinot shows how precision and site expression can make a wine feel inevitable. We also make the case for patience with Scarborough’s The Obsessive Semillon—buy the current vintage, tuck it away, and watch citrus and lanolin unfurl into something profound.And then our number one: Tim Adams Clare Valley Pinot Gris. Textural, floral, crisp and priced so you can pour it freely at Christmas lunch. When both a Master of Wine and a new wine lover choose the same bottle on merit, that’s the sweet spot we live for. Join us for the stories, the friendly arguments, and the practical buying tips to help you drink better without spending more.If you enjoyed this year’s ride, follow our socials, share the episode with a friend who loves a good value find, and leave a quick review—your support helps us keep the glasses clinking next year. Cheers. Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel

Send us a textWe taste through Australian icons and ask what truly makes a wine “great”: site, story, structure, or time. From Great Western’s mineral Shiraz to Margaret River’s silky Cabernet, Grange’s legend and Noble One’s golden botrytis, we weigh value, ageability and joy.• Best’s Bin 0 Shiraz 2021 as elegant, dark-fruited Great Western benchmark• Continental climate, phenolic ripeness and stony granitic tannins• Thompson Family Shiraz 2020 from 1868 pre-phylloxera vines• Why cellaring matters and protecting historic vineyards• Margaret River Cabernet structure versus Yarra Valley tannin• Barrel selection and blending for balance and perfume• Penfolds Grange history, pricing, ageing and corking clinics• Botrytis mechanics behind Noble One and food matches• Pride in Australian diversity and value at multiple price points• Aldi picks: Chianti for weeknight food pairing and valueMake sure you come back for that until next time. Enjoy your next glass of wine and drink well Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel

Send us a textWe taste a line-up of Australian icons. From Tasmanian bubbles to Hunter Semillon, Canberra Shiraz Viognier, and Yarra Cabernet blends, we map style, site, and ageability with unashamed love for homegrown greatness.• Arras Late Disgorged 2009 • Tyrrell’s Vat 1 2019• Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2004• Clonakilla’s Shiraz Viognier 2024• Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2021Please follow us on Instagram, rate the show on your podcast app, and share it with a friend Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel

Send us a textA toast to legacy, a clash over creativity, and a bottle that could change how we drink. We open with a tribute to Peter Fraser—winemaker, mentor, and quiet force at Yangarra—then step straight into the friction points shaping wine right now: the awards that reward meaningful storytelling, the slogan that sparked a pile-on, and the packaging pivot that’s bigger than aesthetics.We unpack the Wine Communicator Awards and why Halliday’s podcast comeback matters when trust is hard-won. Max Allen’s recognition is a reminder that longform writing still anchors the culture—holding memory, nuance, and accountability. From there, we tackle the Next Crop t-shirt controversy. Was it a bad call? Yes. But the deeper lesson is how to build safe creative lanes for emerging leaders: responsible messaging, clear guardrails, and mentorship that keeps bold ideas alive rather than shutting them down.Innovation takes a more practical turn with Brown Brothers’ aluminium wine bottle. Lighter to ship, infinitely recyclable, and container-deposit friendly, it addresses the carbon drag of glass without asking the wine to change. We explore why consumers push back, how category cues evolve, and what it takes to make sustainability feel like an upgrade. Then we zoom out to France, where grower protests signal a global reality: oversupply hurts. Distillation aid and vine pull schemes buy time, but the honest fix is right-sizing plantings, shifting styles, and aligning with demand.For a festive detour, we fact-check Netflix’s Champagne Problems—funny, charming, and gloriously wrong on méthode traditionnelle. It’s a teachable moment that starts with pop culture and ends in real craft. We wrap with something practical: a standout Aldi Malbec that nails benchmark Argentinian style—dark fruit, firm tannin, bright acid—and doubles as a great learning bottle. And a heads-up: we’re about to taste through some of Australia’s most iconic wines, from Grange to regional legends, to map where heritage and modern taste meet.If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves wine (or loves a good debate), and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us. What change do you want to see in wine next? Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel

Send us a textEver wondered how a $12 Italian white can stand toe-to-toe with a $40 benchmark? We bring Aldi Australia’s wine buyer, Jason, into the studio and pull back the curtain on how supermarket wines can be precise, expressive, and outrageously good value without cutting corners. From the first pour, it’s clear his approach is different: start with typicity, build texture with intention, and collaborate with winemakers until the brief becomes a glass of something you want a second pour of.We kick off with a blind Soave face-off that tests preconceptions about price and provenance—two 100% Garganega wines, both mineral, mandarin-tinged, and savoury, separated mostly by label and cost. Jason breaks down how long-term producer partnerships, large-format oak, and lees work can deliver both freshness and mouthfeel at a price that shocks. We then dive into the craft behind their Tasmanian Pinot Gris—anchored in Alsace-like texture but kept nimble—and why he’ll skip famous appellations like Chablis if the quality-to-price equation isn’t right. His value isn’t “cheap”; it’s clarity of style at a smarter price.Red lovers get plenty to sip on too. The Heathcote Shiraz brief leans Syrah: sustainably farmed fruit, a touch of whole bunch for lift, wild ferments, and large French oak for framing rather than flavour. The result is blue-fruited, perfumed, medium-bodied, and designed to be enjoyable beyond the first glass. We also unpack Marlborough Reserve Sauvignon, built from cooler Awatere acidity and main valley passionfruit, and a Central Otago Pinot that benefits from premium parcels seeking a home—proof that careful sourcing can turn constraints into elegance.If you’re planning a summer spread, steal Jason’s relaxed Christmas lineup: Moscato d’Asti and Premier Cru Champagne to start, mineral Italian whites with seafood, then textural whites and bright Pinot with turkey and ham. You’ll hear honest talk about blind tasting, label design, and the quiet discipline that keeps a $3.49 bottle and a $20 bottle aligned to the same standard: it has to taste like where it’s from. Like conversations that challenge your palate and your budget? Hit play, subscribe, share with a wine-curious friend, and tell us the best value bottle you’ve opened lately. Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel