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The Block 2025 Episode 7 recap: Big problem with the Block house designs
It seems Han and Can have learned precisely zero lessons from their failure to complete their first Block room last week. This week Han is insisting on making last minute changes to the layout of their kitchen, mud room, laundry and pantry area. With kitchen and benchtop suppliers needing contestants' designs in this week in order to meet the deadline for cabinetry installation later in the series, it's a bad time to flip flop, but Han described the layout created for all the teams by architect Julian Brenchley as 'completely f***ed'. THE BLOCK DUD SUBURBS REVEALED: Shock data shows reno risks BLOCK LOSSES: One in five of the show's houses lose value post show CONTROVERSY: The biggest Block scandals Her main issue seems to be the fact that in order to reach the pantry and laundry from outside the house, it's necessary to walk through the mud room. 'I think that's a hygiene issue and cleaning issue for me. You're walking through the mud into your butler's pantry. It just doesn't work,' she complained to Can and the impatient supplier. 'You'll traipse mud through a food area.' Is it possible that Han thinks that a mud room is in fact a room full of mud? That can be the only explanation for her bizarre belief that possession of a mud room makes it compulsory to also walk mud through the house. 'I'm refusing to do this because I'm playing the long game and I know the floorplan in my head will make it a lot better,' she persisted. 'Freedom (kitchens) said you have to make a decision there and then and I said no, I'm not going to because I know in my head I have grander plans than that. I just hadn't worked out the nitty gritty,' she explained. Han's plan was to add a doorway directly from the outside into the laundry and pantry, next to the door into the mud room, meaning there will presumably be two outside doors beside each other. With time getting away from her she enlisted her builder dad to redo the layout, promising to get measurements in by the end of the day. Twenty-hours later, and with no appearance of the new plans, and foreman Dan was getting frustrated, particularly when he discovered Han cleaning out the dunny at her and Can's caravan instead of cracking on. 'I love cleaning,' Han said. 'That's the processing time for me, when I'm doing something that at the same time is making me feel better.' But aside from not understanding how hosing out a stinking dunny could make anyone feel better, Dan was frustrated at her flawed prioritising. 'I don't think she understands the urgency,' he said. 'The more I think about it the more I'm actually getting aggravated about it. The girls have not learned from last week when they didn't finish a room. Now instead of being in the room every second making sure everything gets done, they're up there cleaning.' Elsewhere, the race was on to secure an auctioneer, with both Ben and Emma and Mat and Robby believing they had locked in Block regular Tom Panos from Sydney. Emma and Ben's real estate agent — Aaron Hill from Ray White Sunbury — assured them Tom would only work with him, but Mat and Robby believed Tom had already agreed to auction their house, despite the fact their real estate agent was Daylesford local Kim McQueen. A meeting between the boys and Mat and Robby didn't go well. 'He was trying to measure his D … against Ms McQueen's,' was Robby's assessment. 'I hated him,' was Mat's.
The Australian
3 hours ago
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The Australian Wine Club: Mr Riggs gets feminine with a special pinot noir
Does it really matter what a wine is called? We know label design can be a crucial part of a consumer's choice, but how much can a wine's name reflect what's in the bottle? As a widely garlanded winemaker, Ben Riggs has a few reflexes to guide him in choosing the names of each new varietal under his Mr Riggs label – quite a few of his previous releases have been named after close family members, for instance. But pondering the addition of an Adelaide Hills pinot noir to the range, Ben knew what kind of wine he wanted to make because he knew what kind of wine he wanted to drink – and the name, he was clear, had to reflect that. 'I like juicy, fleshy, unctuous pinot – I do enjoy stalky, Burgundian styles, but having spent some time in Otago I found all the reserve wines there a little structured and tannic, and I quite liked the second-tier wines,' Ben tells us. Ben Riggs. 'So with (what became) Valerie, I wanted it to be rich and flavoursome, and so I wanted a name that covered 'strong but elegant'. I literally put in a Google search for a French word for 'strong but elegant' and up popped 'valerie' – which is my mother's name. 'That's why the words on the label on the back could describe my mother. She's very much from her era, she's not loud but she's incredibly strong and tough. At 93 years old, she's still amazingly fit and healthy. 'My father died 38 years ago and I helped her to look after him, it was the hardest three months of my life, physically and emotionally exhausting. I'll never forget how incredibly strong she was at a really tough time.' There's no doubt Ben's pinot noir does Valerie justice and is a worthy member of this week's special offer case from The Australian Wine Club – a mix of pinots from South Australia and Victoria that are all fruit-driven exemplars. They include the 2018 Kyberd Hills Brigadier Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, with an RRP of $50 and 94 points from The Wine Front; the 2020 Mt Bera Wild & Free Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir that normally sells for $30 and scored 93 points from Wine Orbit, and; the Allinda Yarra Valley Pinot Noir with an RRP of $28 and 94 points also from Wine Orbit. As for the extent to which the name does matter, Ben realised he'd got it right when he unveiled his new pinot noir to arguably his toughest audience. 'The funniest thing about it is that I have my reserve shiraz, which is called JFR after John Frederick Riggs, my father, and I have the Magnet grenache which is named after my middle son, as he attracts things very easily, good, bad and indifferent,' he explains. 'So at Christmas 2023 I put a bottle of the pinot on the table in front of my mother and she turned round and said, 'Oh, it's about time you named a wine after me!'.' Mr. Riggs Valerie Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2023 There's so much fruit going on here, vibrant cherry, cranberry and raspberry on the nose, but also a sprinkle of fresh earth and sweet spice to set it off. The palate is similarly fruit-forward, the same lineup of juicy red berries underpinned by some dried-herb savouriness and balanced acidity that delivers impressive length. Elegant and so very drinkable. 13.5% alc, RRP $35 a bottle. SPECIALS $29.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Kyberd Hills Brigadier Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2018 The pale brick-red hue is enticing and so is the wash of red berries and spice with rhubarb, redcurrant and red cherries that you breathe in – plus hints of mushroom and a little orange peel. There's more rhubarb on the palate, with redcurrant and raspberry, but seguing into a pleasing savouriness and powdery tannins just made to complement duck confit. 94 points, The Wine Front. 13.5% alc, RRP $50 a bottle. SPECIALS $39.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Mt Bera Wild & Free Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2020 The most savoury nose in this week's lineup offers beguiling notes of truffle and earth, almost smoky with spice and leather, though red cherry and raspberry follow on. But the palate sings a fruitier tune full of cherry, raspberry and bramble, a few smoky notes and a hint of clove. There's a refreshing acidity and a pleasing savouriness on the finish to complete the circle. 93 points, Wine Orbit. 13.3% alc, RRP $30 a bottle. SPECIALS $23.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Allinda Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2022 The light garnet colour is a good indicator of the freshness on show here as initial notes of coffee, mushroom and leather on the nose open up to wild strawberries and dried herbs. A juicy palate hums with strawberry and sour cherry, some fresh herbs and a hint of aniseed amid fine-grained tannins. 94 points, Wine Orbit. 13.5% alc, RRP $28 a bottle. SPECIAL $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. PINOT NOIR DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $25.99 a bottle. SAVE $117. Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote 'ACCJ'. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
