La Linea Tempranillo 2018 It has been some time since the last La Linea wines landed in the official Graham PO box and it looks like the quality has continued to …
If I had to pick just one weakness in the Shaw + Smith portfolio it is the Pinot Noir. Stylistically, this is a wine that has moved from bold and …
Burton McMahon George’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018The latest release from Matt Burton & Dylan McMahon's Yarra project. Sometimes these wines have looked a little too lean, but this release looks …
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Somehow this slipped through the cracks when it first landed, and what a wine to fall through the cracks - a true benchmark for Australian Chardonnay. It spends …
I'll save you some scrolling right now. The 2018 Curly Flat Pinot range is very very good. Things are different this year, however, as normally Curly Flat Pinot Noir is an assemblage …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here then is a selection of wines that almost made it over the past few …
It slipped out with a low-key press release. The University of Tasmania's Climate Futures Group has recently released a seminal document (funded by Wine Australia) that maps out the future climate …
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 …
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