Dalwood Estate is the longest running commercial vineyard in Australia, with a history that dates back to 1828 when it was first established by George Wyndham. But for years now Dalwood …
From the close planted Crayères vineyard in Wrattonbully, and what a pleasure to see more Australian straight Cab Franc. Handpicked, the Terre à Terre Cabernet Franc 2016 spends a huge …
Grippy, tannin-led Margaret River Cabernet at a fair price. Drying and a little lean, but has classic perfume and a rather long palate. A little Merlot might have helped this …
A new Tasmanian name and you can feel/taste the promise. To have a wine in shape like this after five years? Attention grabbed. Sourced from a plot in the Upper Derwent, …
Light Clare Riesling that has all the right moves but needs more concentration. There’s a lemon juice citrus attack, but it gets a bit watery and diffuse to finish. Pleasant. …
Good packaging, but not much substance with these Altus Rise wines. This Altus Rise Wildlight Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is firm and lean Margaret River Cab that ends up as largely …
What a joy these Yalumba Grenache wines are. Pure celebrations of old vines, and complemented by winemaking that is deliberately understated. Well fucking done. This Yalumba Tri-Centenary Grenache 2015 is the top …
This is easily the pick of the new Brash Higgins wines, and reminds that Merlot can be delicious in good hands, even from McLaren Vale (which is hardly Merlot central). …
Cath Oates' Margaret River wines continue to impress. Ever since the original releases using fruit nabbed from a Treasury contracted block, these wines have shone. And this Oates Ends Cabernet …
There are relatively few Australian wineries that can boast consistent high level quality like Oakridge. More to the point, these are wines I want to drink. On a normal day …
I didn't expect to like this. Ripe Coonawarra Cabernet, finished off in an Irish whisky cask, and proudly about oak rather than fruit? It's the antithesis of the vital terroir …
Graeme's Blend is always the best Passing Cloud release. Sure, the Macedon wines have the style, but Bendigo is the beating heart (and it shows). This red aims high and almost …
So what have you been buying this month? It's now been nine months since I last asked this question (September 2019) as the cellar is still full. But with a gift …
Immediately attractive Yarra Pinot from Brad Atkins & Matthew Davis' Dixon's Creek vineyard. All the Steels Gate wines are sapid and vital but this is a step up in weight. Sappy, …
The Hanging Rock site in the Macedon Ranges is famously chilly, so the table wines can sometimes suffer. But there's a delicacy of wines like this that is pretty attractive. The …
First came the Gamay, now meet the Rising Pinot Noir 2019. This release comes from the rocky soils of the Rising Vineyard, and from the outset it aims high. 33% whole …
Enter another satisfyingly Barossan red. This stubby bottle of Schild Estate Narrow Road Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet 2017 lobs up an unending decadence that is undeniably attractive. It's not subtle, oak plays a …
Welcome to old school Coonawarra Cabernet. Mint. Tannins. Slightly warm, ripe fruit. More tannins. Stern acidity. You wouldn't call this anything but full bodied, and the best years are quite …
On the heels of the quality blend comes another ambitious Wrattonbully red heroing Malbec. It's oak-shaped, but no doubting the quality, the hints of mint and mid-weight, smooth grained and …
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.