Tasting Notes - With Bryn and Jaff

This week Jaff finds himself tottering around Italy whilst Bryn is nowhere to be seen...luckily he has a reliable bottle of Montepulciano to keep him company. Nikki Sixx makes some comments about genitals, Metallica get spherical and Jaff summons the spirirt of Oz Clark to keep him company... There's twelve releases this week for you to get your teeth into...including some questionable 'big' relea...

It's long overdue, but we've finally got our friendly resident wine expert back! This week Jake leads us on a carefully curated journey into the history of Primitivo and Zinfandel....and you may actually learn something for a change! Bryn talks about his embarrassing faux pas, Jaff scours the internet comments sections for more comedy gold and Jaff goes head to head with Jake in a round of 'Band o...

Bryn and Jaff step outside their comfort zone this week and try a bottle of UK produced mead (courtesy of Bryn's father-in-law) that also happens to be a collaboration from welsh noise-mongers Bullet For My Valentine (....ball-bag). It turns out that mead has an interesting effect on Jaff's linguistic abilities... Jaff puts Bryn's knowledge of the Highway Code to the test, Download festival have r...

G'day folks! Bryn and Jaff return to Southern Australia to try out a bottle of Pepperbox Shiraz...and they humbly apologise for the appallingly bad attempts at Australian accents. Bryn's crack gets a shout out, there's a game of Kiss My Trump, David Ellefson rears his big head (sorry) and Jaff tests Bryn's knowledge of Australian hard-rock bands...oh, and we raise a glass for Dr Dre's birthday! Fr...

This week Bryn and Jaff return to the delights of white wine! They've picked a slightly more obscure grape from Valencia in Spain....and it hasn't been made in a mental asylum or the worlds thinnest house... Slipknot are looking outside their window, Steven Wilson has made Bryn very happy, and Kid Rock gains a whole new meaning after his anti-SuperBowl show.... After wading through the musical pon...

South Africa is the destination of choice this week! Bryn and Jaff try a Shiraz from the Franschoek region...and the reviews are mixed... There's been announcements from ArcTangent and Damnation, Grammy's snubs, Donald Trump's aversion to Green Day, and there's another round of 'Red, White or Black'...if Bryn can keep his eyes of Jean's sugar bush.... New releases cover a wide range of genres this...

Another week, another wine! And this time it's back to California for a Zinfandel courtesy of Three Finger Jack (prospecting not required). This week Vigljos are touring Botswana, there's drunken children stumbling around France in 1981, Bryn and Jaff have an uncharacteristically serious conversation about the challenges facing music venues across the UK......and Jaff goes full Bruce Forsyth as he...

This week Jaff has pulled an absolute blinder with his wine choice, opting for a Cabernet Sauvignon from Verona in northern Italy. Gimp suits, Megadeth, James Hetfield's tricky guitar playing and the best Doctor Dave you could ever ask for.....there's all this and plenty more in store for you this week. On the release front, Jaff brings all the heavy this week, whilst Bryn basks in crust....Januar...

After a shaky, snowy start to the year, Bryn and Jaff are back!! They're kicking off 2026 with a truly artistic bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from California....and Bryn brings a fancy new piece of wine tech to elevate their drinking experience!! You'll hear about Mozart's love of arses, Ozzy's new autobiography, the first Damnation announcement of 2026.....and there's a throwback to the infamous I...

And here it is.....after 49 episodes, 53 bottles of wine and 300 albums.....it's time for Bryn and Jaff to share their TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE YEAR!! Jaff puts Bryn's wine knowledge to the test once again, there's the return of a certain infamous Chilean cowboy and there's even a festive whisky to finish off the year in style.....sorry about the slurring... It's now time for Bryn and Jaff to eat, dr...

And, here it is! The first of a two-part episode where Bryn and Jaff give you the rundown of their top 20 albums from 2025..... In this episode they'll share each of their #20 - #11 albums, whilst sipping one of the most unapologetically glamorous drinks they've tried this year....and Jaff has devised a little game to test how much they've learnt about wine! Expect some obvious choices, some less-...

In the midst of a UK tour promoting their new record, titled 'Rot' (Church Road Records), the UK blackened sludge/noise band Believe In Nothing called in for a chat. Bryn and Jaff discuss the band's journey to this point, the themes behind 'Rot', future plans for the band, and wider music with Caine Hemmingway (vocals). In a break from form, and due to the fact that it wasn't even 1...

As the year draws to a close, Bryn and Jaff finish off their wine journey by heading to Sicily to try a Nero D'avola, a grape they haven't yet experienced.... There's also some fake news, Biffy Clyro's visa cock-up, the announcement of the new Bristol Extreme Fest......and an unusual outburst about potties.....all perfectly normal occurrences here at Tasting Notes HQ... Bringing the grand total of...

Spanish Garnacha is the order of the day this week! Bryn and Jaff dust off their cowboy hats and take a trip to North-East Spain to rub shoulders with some gunslingers... Grown men chuckling at the word 'windy', a lady with a garden in her face, Sue Pollard getting 'earthy', Croatian parking tickets, Thom Yorke busting some funky moves and another wave of ArcTangent band announcements.....this epi...

South Africa is the location of the week, where Bryn and Jaff find themselves drinking a Syrah from a small winemaker in the Bovlei Valley. There's more pointless facts from Doctor Dave, Metallica's transition into a family friendly 'party band', Bryn's mother-in-law gets a mention.....and Jaff has some interesting facts about mines! And there's still some great albums being released, from jazzy o...

The guys are back in the Mendoza province of Argentina to try a superhero inspired, hand-pruned Malbec....and it's pretty bloody good! There's a full run-down of the Damnation shenanigans, thoughts on the Hellfest lineup, James Hetfield in an inflatable kangaroo costume, a mouthful of marbles....and (for some unknown reason) the chance to own some of Bryn's hair. It's been a busy few days so there...

This week Bryn and Jaff jump back to France to try their first orange wine....but they're definitely not hipsters!! If you're headed to Damnation festival then Bryn has some recommendations for you, there's more pointless facts from Dr Dave and there's also a rundown of THAT Download announcement! There's eight brilliant new albums to talk about that will satisfy your musical hunger whether you li...

This week Bryn and Jaff have found themselves in Greece, and neither of them have tried the local wine before.....SPOILER ALERT - it's definitely not what they expected... There's ponderings on Bon Jovi and Acid Bath, Dr John's pointless articles, Axl Rose's much appreciated return to onstage meltdowns, and Jaff makes a mildly concerning faux pas..... And obviously there's another truckload of mus...

For the first time ever, Bryn and Jaff quench their thirst with a Romanian wine.....complete with wizards and a dragon-dog! Dr Dave provides his opinions on the bleedin' obvious, Slayer announce another show (despite their short-lived retirement), and there's a realisation about just how many albums that have featured on the pod so far this year!! As per usual, there's a veritable feast of new mus...

This week Bryn and Jaff take to the Spanish skies with El Aviador!! Bryn gets rather cross whilst talking about Dream Theater, Jaff reminisces about his childhood hamster 'Nutmeg', and there's some fantastic new merch from Igorrr.....and, does anyone have an actual, tangible use for AI generated videos?? Answers on a postcard please...... Another musical onslaught is ready to envelope your ears, a...

Bryn and Jaff may regret their decision this week as they plough their way through a bottle of budget supermarket brand wine.....all in the name of market research.... Meanwhile, Damnation have released their clashfinder, Bloodstock have dropped another great announcement, there's been a whole host of brilliant gigs over the past week....there's a lot to talk about! There's releases from Agricultu...

This week, Bryn and Jaff head back to Chile for a meeting with 'The Traitor' amongst the Ananuca flowers. Bryn has unfortunately contracted the dreaded lurgy, but stubbornness prevails and (despite all the mucus) there's discussions about the upcoming Bloodstock announcement, Iggy's saggy torso, Jaff's views on American country music......and a complete inability to remember names for fairly stand...

This week Bryn and Jaff pop round Andy's for an Argentinian Malbec whilst bringing another THIRTEEN albums to talk about....three consecutive weeks of stunning album releases and we're beginning to think there must be something in Andes water! Bryn leads a tribute to the late, great Dickie Bird, and Jaff makes the bold claim that he may have found his album of the year......but you'll have to list...

This week Bryn and Jaff take a trip to Australia to indulge in a bottle of Shiraz! There's been another Bloodstock announcement to dissect, Foo Fighters have made creative use of AI and a glass is raised to honour the life of the brilliant Tomas Lindberg. It's also been one of the most varied weeks of music releases so far this year.....plenty of incredible releases to delve into!! This Weeks Rele...

This week Bryn and Jaff decide to stay in California and try a bottle of Zinfandel whilst discussing the return of Twisted Sister, the unusual System of a Down / Acid Bath announcement, a brief (thankfully!) foray into the images of The Karma Sutra.......and the possibility of starting a new career as a Hip-Hop duo named Egress and Agape... This Weeks Releases Ritual Mass - Cascading Misery (00:29...