In this episode of Cabernet Queens, Matt Morgan and Deb Lee catch up after Matt's tenth anniversary party and surprise vow renewal, swap stories about Deb's recent family trip to a private island in Oxfordshire and look ahead to a packed summer of travel for them both.

Between a mystery bottle that goes down rather more easily than last week's, the pair cover everything from ugly crying at weddings to malaria tablets, safari outfits and the early plotting of a spontaneous European getaway.

Key Takeaways

Matt's vow renewal was a surprise to everyone.

Kept secret for weeks, the emotional reveal at his tenth anniversary party left guests and Matt himself in tears, with the night's guitarist providing a standout musical moment.

Deb's family island getaway was the trip of the year.

A surprise organised by her daughter, the private Oxfordshire island slept 22 people across one house, complete with a games room, hot tub, pizza oven and its own boat for supply runs.

This week's mystery wine is going down far more easily than last week's.

Both Matt and Deb are enjoying it from the first sip, with neither needing to reach for the sugar pot this time around.

Matt is heading to Kruger National Park for the first time.

As his biggest selling long haul destination, he is keen to experience it firsthand so he can recommend it with confidence, alongside a Norwegian fjords cruise straight after.

A Spanish or Italian mini break is already being plotted.

A spontaneous three night wine and cheese trip is on the cards for Matt and his husband, with planning starting the moment the episode wraps.

Key Moments

"Someone come up to me and said, God, you're an ugly crier."

"You literally drive up, park your car and get in a boat to an island."

"If I was on my own, I'd have the whole bottle."

"Shall we do it? Should we do a three nighter?"

About Cabernet Queens

Cabernet Queens is the podcast where great wine meets even better stories. Each episode, hosts Matt Morgan and Deb Lee uncork a mystery bottle, share travel tales and take listeners along for the ride.

Part wine show, part travel podcast, part catch-up between two brilliant friends - grab a glass and drink along.

How to Get in Touch

Follow Cabernet Queens and join the conversation:

Instagram: @cabernetqueens

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review and share it with your fellow wine and travel enthusiasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Cabernet Queens, Matt Morgan visits Deb Lee's freshly renovated kitchen for a full house tour, a mystery bottle that nearly gets a record low score, and a catch up before Deb jets off to Crete for a milestone birthday trip with her oldest friend.

It is a classic Cabernet Queens episode - equal parts wine chat, home envy and easy conversation, with a Nigella-worthy pantry stealing the show.

Key Takeaways

Deb's new kitchen renovation has been a long time coming.

Started at the end of March, the build took longer than planned but the result includes a walk in pantry, hidden cutlery drawer and full induction hob setup.

The mystery wine split opinion - badly.

Both Matt and Deb found it surprisingly light and a touch bitter, with Matt going as far as calling it the worst wine on the show besides the alcohol free episode.

Adding sugar genuinely improved the wine.

Inspired by a TikTok tip, Matt stirred sugar into his glass and found it noticeably better, though Deb stuck with her unsweetened glass throughout.

Old, forgotten bottles rarely age well.

Stories of wasted wine from family stashes, including a decades old bottle of champagne from the Ritz, reinforced that most everyday wine is best drunk sooner rather than later.

Deb is off to Crete for her 60th birthday trip.

She is heading away with her oldest friend Jane for four nights, including a Vegas-themed party for Matt's 10th wedding anniversary to look forward to on her return.

Key Moments

"That is the worst one we've ever had on the show, besides the alcohol free."

"I can't believe you're drinking red wine with a teaspoon of sugar in it."

"We can't have wine in the house, it's like having chocolate in the cupboard."

"It's wicked for hide and seek." - Matt, on the new pantry

About Cabernet Queens

Cabernet Queens is the podcast where great wine meets even better stories. Each episode, hosts Matt Morgan and Deb Lee uncork a mystery bottle, share travel tales and take listeners along for the ride.

Part wine show, part travel podcast, part catch-up between two brilliant friends - grab a glass and drink along.

How to Get in Touch

Follow Cabernet Queens and join the conversation:

Instagram: @cabernetqueens

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review and share it with your fellow wine and travel enthusiasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Cabernet Queens, Matt Morgan and Deb Lee are joined once again by returning guest Andrew Downing-Booth - local estate agent, self-confessed non-wine-drinker and provider of this episode's mystery bottle.

Recorded live at Chung Ying in Birmingham with dinner waiting downstairs, episode 31 covers the unexpected hazards of the estate agency trade, the etiquette of double-barrelled surnames and a mystery bottle that turned out to be considerably better than anyone expected. Andrew also brings a story about a loft, some unexplained items and an uncle who may or may not have some explaining to do.

Key Takeaways

Estate agency is a job built on highs, lows and managing expectations.

Overvaluing a property to win the listing is one of the industry's worst habits - sellers get locked in, prices drop and nobody wins. Andrew's approach is no tie-in contracts and honest valuations from the start.

Fall-throughs are the worst part of the job - for everyone involved.

When a sale collapses, it hurts the agent just as much as the client. The phone call to deliver that news is genuinely one of the hardest things about the role.

There are sex toys in a loft in Lichfield and nobody is claiming them.

Current tenants found them during a contractor visit, confirmed they are not theirs, and want it on record. Andrew has volunteered to retrieve them before the property goes back to market. His uncle may be getting an interesting call.

Double-barrelled names come with built-in assumptions.

Andrew's name comes from his grandmother's farming family keeping the Downing name alive through marriage. He acknowledges prejudice exists. Jacob Rees-Mogg was used as the prime example of why.

Key Moments

"They're not ours. Just for the record. When we move out, they are not ours."

"You can tell people whatever they want to hear for 36 weeks and then just keep dropping the price."

"You make an assumption from the name, then how he speaks, and you just think - prick."

About Cabernet Queens

Cabernet Queens is the podcast where great wine meets even better stories. Each episode, hosts Matt Morgan and Deb Lee uncork a mystery bottle, share travel tales and take listeners along for the ride.

Part wine show, part travel podcast, part catch-up between two brilliant friends - grab a glass and drink along.

How to Get in Touch

Follow Cabernet Queens and join the conversation:

Instagram: @cabernetqueens

Guest this episode: Andrew Downing-Booth - Estate Agent, Lichfield

If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, leave a review and share it with your fellow wine and travel enthusiasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.