In this episode of Cabernet Queens, Matt is away, so Deb is joined by her best friend Jay to relive their unforgettable girls' holiday to Crete. As they taste a mystery wine, the conversation drifts from airport Prosecco and luxury boutique hotels to sourdough starters, delayed flights and a memorable encounter with cabin crew over some rather cheeky miniature bottles of wine. Full of laughter, friendship and travel mishaps, this episode perfectly captures the spirit of Cabernet Queens, great wine, brilliant stories and plenty of laughs along the way.

Friendship Makes the Holiday: Deb and Jay reflect on why travelling with the right person makes all the difference. Their shared sense of humour, relaxed attitude and ability to laugh through every setback turned an ordinary holiday into an unforgettable one.

The Best Trips Don't Need a Busy Itinerary: Rather than filling every day with excursions, the pair embraced slow travel—relaxing by the pool, enjoying exceptional food, reading books and making the most of their boutique hotel.

Travel Doesn't Always Go to Plan: Flight delays, airport chaos and an unexpected overnight hotel stay could have ruined the trip home, but choosing to laugh instead of complain became part of the adventure.

About the Hosts

Matt Morgan is a passionate travel specialist committed to turning your dream holidays into reality. Offering expert, impartial advice and 24/7 support, Matt ensures every step of your journey is stress-free. From crafting itineraries across all continents to arranging weddings, honeymoons, cruises, and city breaks, he handles every detail, including visas and check-ins. With strong industry relationships and ATOL protection, Matt delivers personalised, worry-free travel experiences tailored to your needs.

Find out more: https://luxurytravelexperts.co.uk/

Deb Lee is the owner of Aldridge Mortgage & Protection, a family-run business focused on helping clients achieve their property goals. From first-time buyers to seasoned investors, Deb offers tailored advice on purchasing, refinancing, and borrowing. Based in the West Midlands but serving clients nationwide, she provides flexible support through remote or face-to-face consultations. With a client-first approach and a passion for making the mortgage process simple and stress-free, Deb ensures her clients' property dreams become reality.

Find out more: https://aldridgemp.co.uk/

See the wine they drink and keep up to date with their adventures: https://www.instagram.com/cabernetqueens/

Get in touch with Cabernet Queens with any questions: cabernetqueens@gmail.com

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

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.