BEER: Modus Operandi Dream Weaver Unfiltered IPA 'I have the IPA' That was the message I sent to my long-suffering partner Jacqui at 10am Saturday morning, just on 24hrs after this beer had been released. Oh yes, …
Goodman Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2015 There's a great freshness to this new range of wines from Kate Goodman. Understatement, low alcohol, purity. They're Yarra wines of old, but not fusty. Just elegant. This Pinot is the …
Goodman Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Classic Yarra Valley Cabernet. There's a timelessness to this mode of red, even if it's slightly uncool in the modern riper Cab world. Cassis, pencils shavings, a vegetal hint and backed by …
Warramate Shiraz 2015 Gently spicy, understated Yarra Shiraz with delicacy and lovely juicy fruit. It's richer than the 13% alcohol suggests, fractionally lifted up by oak sweetness, but with a palate that beautifully balances out freshness …
Steels Gate Pinot Noir 2016 From the 30yo Steels Gate Vineyard. No irrigation, hand bottling, no fining or filtering. Love the handling. Interesting wine this too - there's the touch of the warm vintage that gives …
Soumah Equilibrio Syrah 2015 If you've got a vineyard in the lower parts of the Yarra Valley (ie Valley foor) and you aren't grafting over to Shiraz (and Gamay for that matter) then you're missing a …
Tim Smith Wines Mataro 2016 Texture. That's what I like about Tim's wines. He's a genuine guy, and his wines look authentic too, with generous Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz the standouts (in that order). This red, sourced …
Main Ridge Half Acre Pinot Noir 2015 What will happen at Main Ridge? That's the question looming large when you pour this Pinot. Actually, there's many questions. Will the Sexton family, who bought the estate in 2015 do 'the …
Chateau Petit Village 1998 I want to love Pomerol more. I like Merlot, and there's something noble about the singular focus of the region on Merlot dominant styles. Yet the inconsistency of this appellation is frustrating …
Margan Shiraz 2016 Classically proportioned Hunter Valley Shiraz. Easy to overlook wines like this, but they'll always satisfy. Sweet plum earth, some background oak sweetness, plenty of acidity and a plummy savouriness. The appeal here is …
Montalto Pennon Hill Shiraz 2016 I was sceptical. Broadly generalising, I can't think of a single Mornington Shiraz that I've really wanted to buy. Sure, some of the Paringa 'The Paringa' releases can be impressively concentrated wines. …
Redman The Last Row Coonawarra Shiraz 2015 There's an unquestionable timelessness to these Redman reds. Come back in a decade and they'll still be kicking on nicely. Here's a new release under the Last Row label, …
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, 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.
Almost 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.