Got Somme : Master Sommelier's Wine Podcast

In this episode of Got Somme, Angus and Carlos are joined by Mark Baulderstone from RIEDEL Australia and New Zealand for a full glassware masterclass. Same wine. Three different glasses. Completely different results. Mark takes us through the philosophy behind varietal-specific glassware, why the right glass acts as the “translator” between the winemaker and the drinker, and how shape, height, rim...

Carlos is back from Portugal with a tan, a cellar full of memories and a very rare bottle to share. In this episode of Got Somme , Angus and Carlos unpack Carlos’ recent trip home, from rediscovering beautifully evolved Portuguese wines from 2008 and 2014 to seeing how dramatically Portugal’s restaurant scene and wine culture have developed. They also settle a surprisingly heated Instagram debate...

In this episode of the Got Somme Blind Wine Series, Angus throws Carlos Santos, Master Sommelier, one of the hardest blind tastings yet. The twist? The wine is served in a fully blacked-out RIEDEL blind tasting glass, meaning Carlos can’t see the colour, viscosity or clarity. It could be Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Grüner Veltliner or even something completely unexpected. As Carlos works t...

Everyone knows Margaret River. But just north of one of Australia's most famous wine regions sits Geographe — home to passionate growers, boutique producers and some of the country's best-value wines. After discovering a Geographe Chardonnay by chance, Angus found himself heading down a rabbit hole of wines from a region he'd barely explored before. A few weeks later, a chance meeting...

“The Wine That Fooled a Master Sommelier” | Pieropan Soave Blind Tasting In this episode of Got Somme Blind Wine Series, Master Sommelier Carlos Santos is put to the test with a blind white wine tasting that sends him across Spain before revealing an iconic Italian classic. From citrus and sea spray notes to debates around Albariño, Viognier and Riesling, this episode captures the chaos, confidenc...

What makes a wine truly iconic? In this episode of Got Somme , Master Sommelier Carlos Santos and Angus O'Loughlin open a bottle from one of the most historic producers in Spain: López de Heredia. Founded more than 150 years ago, López de Heredia has become one of the defining names of traditional Rioja, holding onto old-school winemaking methods while much of the wine world chased trends. Car...

What happens when a Master Sommelier mistakes an Australian Merlot for Bordeaux? In this episode of Got Somme, Carlos Santos goes deep into a blind wine tasting challenge packed with blackcurrant, oak spice, massive confidence… and a few dramatic turns along the way. From “this is definitely Bordeaux” to correctly calling the grape, alcohol, and vintage, this blind tasting proves just how deceptiv...

A Master Sommelier gives Angus a bottle he only gifts to close friends… and it turns into one of the most fascinating white wine episodes we’ve ever recorded. Carlos Santos introduces us to Condrieu, one of France’s most premium white wine regions, made exclusively from Viognier. Once nearly extinct, this grape is now producing some of the richest, most textural and most underrated white wines in...

In this episode of Got Somme, the boys put wine knowledge to the ultimate test with another instalment of the Blind Wine Tasting Series. Carlos goes in blind with only the glass in front of him, breaking down colour, aroma, structure, tannin, alcohol and region clues in real time. What follows is a fascinating look inside the mind of a Master Sommelier as he narrows down possibilities across Italy...

What’s the real difference between a $50 bottle of Burgundy and an $800 one ? In this episode of Got Somme, we do a sophisticated tasting with Master Sommelier Carlos Santos to break down three Pinot Noirs from Burgundy at completely different price points. This is not just about taste. It’s about rarity, terroir, production, and whether any of that actually shows up in the glass. We’re putting it...

This starts as a structured blind tasting and slowly turns into a geography exam with wine in the middle. The wine shows clean fruit, floral lift, and chalky minerality. No oak. Medium-plus acidity. Everyone immediately starts narrowing the field like they’re 90% confident. Then the guesses begin: Pinot Grigio feels right. Grüner Veltliner is in the conversation. Verdejo gets a mention. Chablis ge...

Why do some wines cost double or triple the price of others, even when they come from the same winery? In this episode of Got Somme , we explore the difference between estate wines and single vineyard wines using two Pinot Noirs from Paringa Estate in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula . Together with Master Sommelier Carlos Santos, we break down the real factors behind wine pricing including terroir...

What happens when you hand a sommelier a mystery glass and ask them to identify a world-class red wine — completely blind? In this episode of Got Somme , we put the palate to the ultimate test with a stunning Rioja Gran Reserva 2016 that left us speechless (and one of us with actual goosebumps). We got ours here: https://www.platinumfinewine.com.au/product/bodegas-lan-gran-reserva/ From deep ruby...

Burgundy is home to some of the most expensive wines in the world. Bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti can sell for more than $30,000, yet in this episode of Got Somme we’re tasting a Burgundy white wine for under $100. How is that possible? The answer lies in one of Burgundy’s most underrated grape varieties: Aligoté. In this episode, Angus and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos take a deep dive i...

Blind wine tasting is brutal. Even for a Master Sommelier. In this episode of Got Somme , Carlos blind tastes a vibrant, medium-ruby red wine and reads the clues as Pinot Noir : juicy cherry, raspberry, Christmas cake spice, fine tannins, elegant structure, and that “Old World on the palate, New World on the nose” tension. But then comes the reveal. It’s actually Gamay from Beechworth, Victoria ,...

We risked $1,700 worth of wine to answer one question: is expensive wine worth it? In this episode of Got Somme, Angus O’Loughlin and Master Somm Carlos Santos open two Grand Cru Burgundies (around $800 a bottle) and taste them side by side. No posturing, no wine snobbery, just an honest test of what you’re paying for when the label gets serious. We talk: - What “Grand Cru” actually means in Burgu...

Carlos analyses colour, aroma, acidity, texture and structure to identify a mystery white wine. From Albariño to Garganega to Rhône blends and Viognier, the clues stack up… until the reveal throws everything off. Blind tasting is one of the hardest skills in wine. Even for a Master Sommelier. If you love learning wine in a fun, practical way, this series will sharpen your palate and teach you how...

Master Sommelier Carlos Santos goes behind the scenes of building a $1.5 million restaurant wine list for a new Byron Bay venue created by chef Shannon Bennett. From $35,000 magnums to $40 best-selling wines, we break down how sommeliers curate world-class wine lists, negotiate rare allocations, and balance prestige bottles with everyday drinkers. You’ll learn: • How a Master Sommelier builds a wi...

If the world’s best wines from France aren’t using oak… why do so many Chardonnays in Australia and the New World taste so oaky? In this episode of Got Somme, Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos take a deep dive into Chablis, the purest expression of Chardonnay. We blind taste three bottles from the same producer and vintage at three price points — Petit Chablis ($40), Chablis AOC...

This wine breaks every assumption. It looks like a rosé. It drinks like something from Italy. But it’s neither. In this episode of Got Somme, we put a mystery wine in front of a Master Sommelier for a full blind tasting. No labels. No hints. Just colour, aroma, texture and instinct. Decanter and Glassware: RIEDELhttps://www.riedel.com/en-auUse Code GOTSOMME for 20% off (Australia Only)We break dow...

New Episode Out Now!

Fortified wines might be some of the most misunderstood wines in the world — often dismissed as “old-fashioned,” too sweet, or too strong. In this episode of Got Somme, Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos dive deep into the world of Sherry, Port, and Pedro Ximénez, unpacking why these wines deserve far more attention than they get. From the Sherry Tri...

For the first time in Got Somme history, Angus is using a spittoon. For the first time ever our Master Somm is tasting clean skin wine . In this episode, Angus and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos put six $5 clean skin wines under the microscope to answer a question we get asked all the time: Are clean skin wines actually drinkable, or are they only good for cooking? With six bottles on the table, i...

In the final episode of Got Somme for 2025, Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos reflect on the year that was through the wines that defined it. Rather than revisiting bottles already featured on the podcast, Carlos reveals a personal Wine of the Year driven by memory, place and emotion. A Champagne enjoyed on a beach at sunset, oysters and lobster on hand, and a moment that p...

In this episode of  Got Somme , Angus O’Loughlin and Master Sommelier Carlos Santos take you   into one of Italy’s most iconic wine rivalries: Barolo vs Barbaresco . We break down everything from grape variety , regional differences , aging laws , price , aromas , palate structure , and why—despite their similarities—one of these wines consistently demands 30 to 4...