Mel Gilcrist, Meg Brodtmann
240 episodes listed below
Smart wine talk with dinner-table instincts.
Wine with Meg + Mel is a brisk Australian wine conversation built around tasting, regional curiosity, and plain-language expertise. It moves easily from Aldi champagne and Thai curry pairings to Coonawarra, the Yarra Valley, wine ratings, and the weather pressure behind every bottle.
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Wine with Meg + Mel is a conversational Australian wine show for people who want the details without the stiff ceremony. It has a lively contrast at its centre: deep wine knowledge on one side, curious translation and practical scepticism on the other. The show is happiest when a bottle is in front of everyone. Queensland wine becomes a way to talk about warm climates, Granite Belt surprises, Verdelho, Madeira references, acidity, alcohol, freshness, and why a wine might suit a hot day instead of just a tasting note. Thai food becomes a working problem, not an abstract pairing lesson. Roti, satay, pad Thai, green curry, spice, fish sauce, citrus and sweetness all matter because the show keeps bringing wine back to the plate. Regional episodes stretch across the Limestone Coast, Coonawarra, Mount Gambier, Robe, Cape Jaffa, Rattamboolie, cool-climate whites, Semillon, Malvasia and lesser-known varieties. The tone stays loose, but the geography is serious. News episodes can shift the room quickly. Fires in Victoria, smoke taint risk, controlled burns, rain during vintage, and wineries losing stock or vineyards are treated with real concern. The show understands that wine is farming, weather, logistics, money, and timing before it is ever a polished label. It also has an appetite for the industry around the glass. Episodes look at wine ratings, regional experts, blind tasting expectations, the 100-point scale, wine shows, responsible alcohol guidelines, marketing controversies, Aldi buying, glassware, prices, and why some bottles become good value. The guest conversations fit that curiosity, bringing in buying and rating voices without turning the show into a formal interview program. Its strength is not reverence. It is the way technical language gets pulled back into everyday judgement: delicious, daggy, fresh, expensive, useful, surprising, worth another pour. That makes the show approachable for newer drinkers while still giving experienced wine people enough regional detail to chew on.
Made for: For wine drinkers who want sharper buying, pairing, and regional instincts without sitting through a lecture. It especially suits curious Australian drinkers who care about food, value, weather, and what actually tastes good.
What sets it apart: The show mixes Master of Wine-level detail with plain-spoken testing against real menus, real bottles, and real industry pressure. It makes wine expertise feel useful at a restaurant table, a supermarket shelf, or during a difficult vintage.
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.
Based on 4 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Technical wine knowledge becomes practical through candid tastings, regional context and clear questions about ratings, value and production.
Wine with Meg + Mel turns wine knowledge into an easy exchange between Meg Brodtmann and Mel Gilcrist, with bottles on the table and practical questions driving the conversation.
Meg and Mel put wine ratings on trial before you hand over your trust.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Queensland starts as a curiosity and ends up sounding worth a serious look.
Queensland gets a lively tasting-room workout here, with warm-climate reds, the Granite Belt, and a look at less common grape varieties all folded into a discussion that stays practical rather than grandiose.
Wine news that keeps the pressure, the weather, and the people in view.
Wine with Meg + Mel keeps its focus on the real strain running through the wine industry: controlled burns across Victoria and the smoke question, Trump and Iran and what that could mean for a wine bill, Warren Randall redundancies, and the death of someone influential in the…
A Limestone Coast tasting that ties the geography to a Hunter-leaning Semillon.
Meg and Mel treat the Limestone Coast as a set of working parts, moving from Coonawarra to Mount Gambier, Robe, and Cape Jaffa while keeping Coonawarra inside the larger region. The Wangalina Semillon gets the most attention.
This is a practical tour of who gets to judge wine, and why.
This episode treats wine ratings as a system to examine, not a verdict to accept on faith. Meg and Mel bring in Huon Hooke to compare the Sydney Royal wine show, Halliday Wine Companion, and Langton's, while also looking at blind tasting, regional expertise, and the 100-point…
Bourbon talk, barrel stories, messy good pours.
Bourbon reviews with memory, candor, and community.
Everyday life, thought through together.
Wine with Meg + Mel answers listener requests for WSET 3 material by pairing a recap of Germany's Prädikat ripeness ladder (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese) with a blind tasting of four Spätlese-level Rieslings worth about $500.
Wine Australia's National Vintage Report puts the 2026 crush 19% below 2025 and 25% below the 10-year average, and the hosts say Tasmania's wind and cold at fruit set could mean 'reduce volume, better' wine.
Meg and Mel turn their attention to Queensland wine.
Wine with Meg + Mel opens on controlled burns across Victoria and the concern that smoke could still touch some vines.
Hosts Meg and Mel simulate a Thai restaurant experience to discuss wine pairing with Asian dishes like satay, pad thai, and green curry.
The hosts discuss a controversial T-shirt incident in the wine industry and plan a marketing exercise.
Meg and Mel work through South Australia’s Limestone Coast.
The hosts discuss how recent wildfires in Victoria are affecting the wine industry, including specific regions and wineries at risk.
Meg and Mel interview Aldi's wine director Jason Boyer about his role and taste a premier cru champagne.
Meg and Mel start a little loose.
Hosts Meg and Mel discuss unusual wine varietals and share personal tasting experiences.
Hosts Meg and Mel discuss their new studio setup and welcome new listeners from a guest appearance.
The hosts introduce a rerun episode about sugar-free wine, sharing a humorous anecdote about savoring champagne in a toilet.
Meg and Mel discuss dessert wines, including different production methods and a tasting experiment comparing sweet wines.
Hosts Meg and Mel discuss different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, including oak-fermented and regional variations, aiming to broaden listeners' appreciation of the grape.
Meg and Mel discuss the Dan Murphy's Wine Awards, tasting over 1,400 wines to find the best everyday drinking options.