"Three varieties very well suited to McLaren Vale. Bush Vine Grenache provides aromatic lift and bright red fruit characters. Shiraz lends powdery tannin, spice and mid-palate weight, while Mourvèdre rounds …
Aged Hunter Semillon from the Eather family. This Meerea Park Aged Release Alexander Munro Semillon 2014 has a core of quite ripe and forward fruit - a chunkier Sem for …
So much to like about the Maverick operation. Certified biodynamic old vines up in the Eden Valley. Thoughtful winemaking. Unquestioned intensity. This Maverick Trial Hill Grenache 2012 is ambitious too. From the …
Corton or Yarra Valley? Yes, those Burgundy comparisons are cliché and boring, but the quality analogue isn't. This Oakridge 864 Henk Chardonnay 2018 is absolute top flight Chardonnay at a …
I had an (email) chat with Jules just the other week talking about vintage, Marlborough and what's selling. She was wonderfully honest and forthcoming with responses, which is sometimes the …
Always sexy oak on these Levantine wines. Another fine release is this Levantine Hill Chardonnay 2017 is too, lightly mealy with lemon butter, a coiffed palate of perfectly even fruit …
Porongurup is a beautiful place to grow grapes. The whole area feels special, with an x-factor aura that feels still untapped - and the Diletti's at Castle Rock are right …
I didn't try this Yangarra Old Vine Grenache 2019 side-by-side with the High Sands and I wish I did, as this apprentice would really take it up to the old …
I'm not sure why this Bellvale Pinot Grigio 2018 has been released this year, when it could have been even more vital in 2019. Regardless, like all of the Bellvale …
Just 55 dozen produced of Alan Varney's new Varney Grenache 2020 and it's delicious. The new vanguard of Grenache-based mid weight McLaren Vale reds from Yangarra. Varney, Juxtaposed, S.C. Pannell …
Smashable. That's the core ethos with this label from the Shaw & Smith empire, and this The Other Wine Co. Grenache 2019 is another example. Using fruit from 45yo vines, …
Its easy to become a Yangarra Grenache fanboy. Every wine has an unquestioned charisma, a sense of 'round peg in round hole' correctness about them that is unmistakable. This '17 …
While I don’t love the packaging change, this Pike & Joyce Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is well made Adelaide Hills Sauv. Fresh, but still ripe and leans more towards tropical apple …
Tellurian's reds just keep getting better. This Tellurian Grenache 2019 is solid, if a bit jubey, Heathcote Grenache with generosity and flavour. Easy attractive fruit, and has a certain fleshy depth …
It's halfway through spring. Already. That escalated quickly... As the name suggests, these are the best pink/blush/salmon orange/reddish coloured Australian rosé to pass the Australian Wine Review tasting bench this springtime. …
I'm now officially back from holidays and have spent too many hours staring out the window and thinking about where I was just a few days ago - this beach …
I’m on holidays this week for the first time in a year (and it feels very very good), but I wanted to take a brief 5 minutes to point you …
Following closely after the superb Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz comes another revelatory release. This Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc Shiraz 2018 is a blend of 63% Cab Franc to …
The latest step forward into premium wine for Bill Calabria and family, this Calabria Alternato 2017 is an unusual blend of Barossa Durif, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano and Shiraz. Blackberry fruited, warm …
Easily the most embryonic Curly Chard I've had in some time, with this Curly Flat Chardonnay 2018 looking definitively cool climate. Caramel nougat over a palate that is tighter, leaner, snap …
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 environment.
Twenty years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
I now judge at wine shows around the world, sit on the Australian Wine List of the Year awards panel and was once a Wine Journalism Young Gun (but baby that was years ago).
Currently, I write features for a variety of publications including National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS, plus I'm a former Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert.
In 2019 and 2020 I was voted in the Top 30 Best Wine Critics in The World, and in my spare time, I'm a sucker for punishment and run trail ultra marathons, much to the delight of my long-suffering family. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here