Hunter Valley Pinot Noir - aka the missing component that has helped make some of the most famous Australian wines of all, the Maurice O'Shea era Mount Pleasant reds. As a …
Geelong makes better Pinot Noir than Shiraz for mine, though it's a case by case basis. For Austin's it's Pinot all the way. Fun fact - This Austin’s Pinot Noir 2018 …
Tokar Estate Tempranillo 2018 Yarra Valley Tempranillo? Now there's a rarity. It works too, though that could be the touch of Martin Siebert, who has turned around Tokar Estate into 'One …
We pause this update on coronavirus for one moment to talk about Pinot Noir. It's easy to get gloomy at the moment. Actually, gloom is the default setting when all the …
It feels a little dirty to be writing about wine right now. Or maybe it's a sense of futility - I'm that guy talking about wine while sitting on one …
According to an odd article out this week in Drinks Business, just 4% of this year's Australian winegrape crop has been lost to smoke taint and bushfire. While I'm still not …
I'm in cleanup mode at the moment, sifting through the (physical) sample pile and my (digital) notes to tidy things up Kondo-style. While it's cathartic to delete some half-baked stories written …
Following closely on the Top 20 Chardonnay comes the Top 20 Shiraz of February 2020. For this lineup I dug deeper into the sample pile, searching - perhaps blindly - for …
Chardonnay, like it or not, is still the most important white grape in the country, making up over 45% of all white grapes crushed, and 20% of total grapes crushed, …
I like feedback. Even negative feedback is useful if it's not abusive. So if ever you agree/disagree/take issue with something I've written, email me and let's chat about it. Or …
In what has become a semi-annual event, I ventured out into the Armageddon-esque sideways rain on Saturday to taste the trophy winners (and more) from the Sydney International Wine Competition. You're …
Line 'em up, these two full bodied reds pack in an awful lot of flavour for $30 or less. Strictly speaking these aren't quite what I'd go for on a …
Meerea Park seemed lost in the wilderness for a bit there, with inconsistent wines a signal of internal challenges. The Eather boys have righted the ship with these '18 vintage …
Last week I mentioned that one notable Hunter winery wouldn't be making much premium wine from vintage 2020. I was sworn to secrecy on the news, but that winery has …
Would you take a look at all those shiny medal stickers on the label of this Robert Stein Dry Riesling 2019? Reminds of some of the Tyrrell's Vat 1 releases (like …
Sunshine Creek is Yarra based, and this Sunshine Creek Heathcote Shiraz 2017 is an outlier in the range. It's always ripe, in the mid 2000s Jasper Hill mode, but typically …
On the back of Friday's article, news filtered through today from another well-known Hunter Valley winery will be declassifying some juice this year, with the results of some micro-ferments producing …
While the drought that has gripped much of eastern Australia is far from over, the past 24hrs has finally seen some decent rainfall in drought-stricken areas. Witness the cautious excitement: View this …
Terre à Terre Red 2016No fucking about with naming conventions, just 'red'. I like. Rouge would have also been acceptable if you're reading this Xavier. I always like the structure …
Eldorado Road Quasimodo Nero d’Avola Shiraz Durif 2016 There have been some nervous moments for NE Victorian vignerons in recent weeks, with massive bushfires bearing down on multiple fronts. The predicted …
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, slogging through physics and chemistry, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.
Twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.