They discuss how Pisa Range Estate’s “hands-off” winemaking philosophy is reaping such success and why it was “serendipitous” that they began growing the ever-difficult Pinot Noir grape in the first place. Debra also uncovers Warwick’s previous life as a New Zealand diplomat, and asks how life is both the same and different as before, as well as what the biggest challenges of this tree-change have been.

Primarily a Chardonnay producer, Paul describes the key characteristics of Kumeu River Wines’ Chardonnays, and how they achieve balance, as well as giving Debra a comparison of the wines and climate in Kumeu with other more prominent wine regions in New Zealand.

Supreme multi-takers (they also run long lunches on Sundays on the winery’s verandah, serving their own sausages, pasta, produce and more), Peter and Mark tell Debra why they think the Aussie wine industry is “faceless”, how they are involved in the wine from production to distribution, and where Longview’s focus is right now.

Francis tells Debra why he feels Champagne has reached its limits in terms of land expansion. He also explains why he would never order his own Champagne when on the wine list of a restaurant he’s dining at. Debra asks about the best food pairing for the Egly-Ouriet Champagne, as well as the best glassware to serve it in (you may be surprised!) and how long to keep a bottle of Egly-Ouriet before opening.

Conor explains the origins of Margaret River as a wine region, as well as the similarities of the region’s terrior to Bordeaux, and what that means for the varietals which thrive there. Finally, Conor lets Debra in on his favourite place to drink wine.

To conclude, Cliff gives Debra the lowdown on starting a winery and how anyone up for the challenge should expect not to see very much of either their family or their money for quite some time.

Finally, they discuss the region’s burgeoning Pinot Gris industry and the style which WillaKenzie Estate favours, concluding with Bernard’s take on whether New Zealand is competition for Oregon.

Wirra Wirra is internationally recognised for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and Paul explains that the main challenge for Shiraz in the region is the growing environment. McLaren Vale is a great, dry growing environment, situated very close to the ocean by the sea, but site selection is very important to get the right balance in the final product. Finally, Paul lets Debra in on the most rewarding part of the job.

They talk about the Barossa’s biggest competition (McLaren vale says Nigel!) and how the Shiraz of the two regions compare. Finally Nigel let’s Debra in on what it’s like to work with Andrew Wigan, Chief Winemaker at Peter Lehmann, a 30-plus year veteran of the Barossa and highly decorated winemaker.

David discusses how Oakridge’s Over the Shoulder wine – crafted using the Beaujolais model – is a bright food friendly wine and how the current trend for Australian wines is highly “un-Australian”. He tells Debra how the Oz wine industry has come a long way since the “ugly” Chardonnays of 20 years ago and talks about the honor and pressure that high scores from James Halliday bring, and why he’s still not happy with where the winery is currently at.