dan’s voice is hanging on by a thread after three days at london wine fair, but there’s still plenty to get through, with three interviews recorded live from the london wine fair floor.

first up is Larry Cherubino talking margaret river chardonnay, italian varieties in australia, concrete fermenters and why modern australian wine is a long way removed from the old blockbuster stereotype.

next is Matthew Brown making the case for virginia wines, cabernet franc, acid-driven whites and why “emerging region” might be the most tired phrase in wine.

finally, Sarah Abbott arrives with strong opinions on london wine fair, “buyers only” tasting culture, talent development in wine, dancing, dogs and surviving trade week physically intact.

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[00:00] – intro, destroyed voices and surviving london wine fair

[01:24] – Charlie Holland takes over at WineGB

[02:27] – london wine fair actually feels good again

[03:26] – hospitality vat debate and why restaurants are struggling

[06:07] – Larry Cherubino on margaret river, chardonnay and modern australian wine

[13:18] – Matthew Brown on virginia wines, cab franc and cool climate drinking

[18:04] – “your cellar tells people what you don’t drink”

[21:15] – Sarah Abbott on london wine fair, “buyers only” culture and talent development in wine

[29:27] – english charmat wines and modern clairet chat

[31:20] – podcast growth, listener feedback and meeting people at the fair

[33:17] – sign-off

this week we sit down with christelle guibert, who shares her brilliant journey from decanter tasting panels to stepping away as chief executive of the iwsc to focus on direct hospitality mentorship.

we chat about running unvarnished experiments on expert judges, the scientific reality of palatal fatigue, and why she decided to personally buy out the uk sommelier of the year competition. stay curious, but perhaps don't get up on stage to compete unless you're really ready.

we're also joined by alexandre ambassador for aop picpoul de pinet, to talk about their upcoming trade tasting on june 8th in london. link to register is over on the substack.

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00:35 - brad and dan recap a relentless week and outline the bumper double-interview show.

00:53 - trade news: analyzing the commercial impact of the c&c bibendum and matthew clark merger.

01:56 - industry push: winegb's campaign to embed independent merchants into english wine week.

02:57 - trade logistics: expectations and plans for the upcoming london wine fair.

03:15 - international news: taittinger launches its official 2026 world cup champagne.

04:16 - interview: welcoming christelle guibert to the second press studio.

04:26 - a casual sidebar into the acoustics of dan’s ancient wooden accordion.

05:03 - christelle’s backstory: moving from france to boodles and the early mentorship of steven spurrier.

06:07 - building decanter’s tasting department from scratch during the early digital boom.

07:56 - media evolution: managing institutional trust and developing global wine awards.

09:29 - the ethics of blind tasting: running duplicate bottle experiments to test judge reliability.

10:23 - academic collaboration: partnering with will lowe mw to study judge performance data.

12:28 - sensory fatigue: the operational decision to cut maximum wine flights per panel.

13:01 - modernising the iwsc brand and using the pandemic reset for structural changes.

14:39 - the global judging program: moving evaluation panels directly into regional wine hubs.

17:04 - giving back: taking over the uk sommelier of the year competition.

18:14 - community and mentorship: tackling industry burnout and long hours in hospitality.

20:07 - previewing the intense, public pressure of the live sommelier finals in july.

21:45 - raw winemaking: christelle buying cheap land in muscadet to vinify with vincent cahier.

24:08 - lifestyle balance: restaurant exploration and the love of authentic gastronomy.

25:44 - the ultimate bottle: defending grower champagne from agrapart as a serious food wine.

26:30 - interview: alexandre freguin ambassador for aop picpoul de pinet.

29:25 - regional geography: painting a picture of the lone white appellation by the étang de thau.

30:08 - consumer fondness: why the uk market prioritises unpretentious, high-acid white wine.

31:21 - commercial philosophy: balancing necessary complexity with pleasurable, simple everyday drinking.

31:58 - trade event preview: breaking down the logistics for the upcoming picpoul all day tasting.

33:24 - cross-border battle: details on the live france versus england chef and sommelier off.

33:50 - terroir connection: matching maritime salinity with local oysters and immediate freshness.

35:11 - ambassador networks: the value of authentic regional voices over corporate pr fluff.

36:00 - post-interview recap: trade diaries from the canadian embassy and flights to mendoza.

37:46 - wrap-up: addressing substack community feedback, family football tips, and closing out.

as the english wine trade faces a debt-fuelled crossroads and france prepares to uproot thousands of hectares of historic viticulture, this week we dig into the reality behind the press releases.

we sit down with richard siddle, co-founder of the buyer and former harpers editor, to discuss his journey from optics to becoming a key voice in trade journalism. siddle shares vulnerable expertise on how the industry actually buys and sells, why ai lacks the guts for true analysis, and surviving redundancy. an honest look at global trends moving the needle in commercial winemaking and trade logistics.

skip the generic wine fluff and try not to get the sack.

[00:00] – intro: bank holiday vibes and the reality of redundancy.

[01:09] – news: english wine at a crossroads, debt, exports, and the price of growth.

[03:28] – news: national careers week and the breadth of hospitality.

[04:35] – news: france uprooting 28,000 hectares and the tragedy of old vines.

[06:11] – introducing richard siddle: trade journalist and co-founder of the buyer.

[07:18] – the journey from optics to grocery retail to harpers.

[09:24] – the birth of the buyer: finding a gap in the market with peter dean.

[11:32] – actual news vs. press releases: setting a different agenda.

[13:53] – defining the role of the buyer in the producer-to-glass chain.

[15:10] – interview highlights: sir john hegarty at the groucho club.

[16:22] – the difficult ones: terry leahy and lord rose.

[17:46] – the ai impact: why interpretation and "guts" still matter more than facts.

[21:32] – how ai might encourage braver, more risky journalism.

[22:38] – personal life: liverpool fc, family, and the south african cricket mishap.

[25:51] – wine dinners: why the reverential atmosphere is often "painful".

[28:01] – the perfect pour: wine at home, guinness in the pub.

[28:56] – why everyone calls him "chief" (and the chief constable story).

[31:00] – post-interview recap: the "journalist's angle" on wine.

[31:40] – vineyard update: blending light reds and the stress of frostwatch.

[32:27] – brad’s week: wine society tasting and matt gant.

[33:59] – wrap-up: football round tables and substack community reviews.