I've enjoyed so much of Sam Coverdale's recent releases under the Even Keen/Polperro labels. Aside from the overly broad Field Blend, there have been no misses and many gold medals. …
While it has been too moist and humid to feel 'hot' here in Sydney town in recent weeks, that doesn't mean we need an excuse to drink refreshing beverages. For …
What a pleasure to check in on another top dog Chardonnay from the Burch family (after the Marchand & Burch) that really delivers. This Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay 2018 comes …
This needed to happen, really. After last week's list of the Top 4 wines of 2021 was so bluntly biased to unaffordability (would you like the $350 Cab Shiraz of the …
I was thinking just this week that I didn't declare what my wine of the year was. There was no ceremony. No trophy, nor a jumbo cheque with my face …
The end of December and early January is an excellent time of year for reducing the size of the sample pile (or the sample wardrobe in my case). Many winemakers/PR folk …
When it's still 25C at 9pm who wants to drink heavy oaky reds? Not me. So today, let's look at six red wines that champion drinkability instead of trying to be …
Oh yes, these new Macedon Ranges wines from Balgownie Estate are special. So special that when I cracked the Pinot, in particular, I had to email winemaker Tony Winspear to …
Each time I taste another well made 'alternative' variety from the King Valley I thank phylloxera. That's because, when everyone's nightmare grape louse swept through the region between 1991 and 1995, …
Welcome to 2022! Taking out the recycling over the past few days reminded me that a) I drink plenty of beer b) there were some seriously fine wines opened over the …
Merry Christmas! After 2020's locked down non-Christmas, we're looking forward to a classic family Christmas this year. Ham, seafood, Jingle Bells, more ham, sparkling red, etc. In further good news, I …
Despite what you might expect, getting rosé right is a challenge. Well, it has to be, because so much rosé is terrible. What always irks with typical monosyllabic modern pink wines …
I was reading on Andrew Caillard's new site (the Vintage Journal, published alongside Angus Hughson, well worth a read) that the famous '63 Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (aka the legendary …
Medium-bodied and less overt Yarra Valley' claret' in a warm year mode - that's the vibe with this Steels Gate Cabernets 2018. It's a blend of 85% Cab Sauv & …
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, so a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say, I discovered wine, and my life evolved with a unique dual focus - wine and the environment.
Twenty one years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer. and judge at wine shows around the world...Read more