I've been digging in the notebook this week and discovered a choice tasting from last year that didn't get a run here on site - the 2018 Voyager Estate Masterclass. For some context, Voyager hold these …
This is Part 2 of the Coleraine vertical described here. Actually, while Coleraine had top billing at the tasting, the vertical of Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah was probably even more intriguing. Le Sol first surged …
Usually, verticals have a purpose. An excuse for the winery to show off a wine, launch a new one, or just to remind everyone how good something used to be. But sometimes, a vertical has …
Chateau d'Yquem 1990-2011: Working With Wine Flight 4 This was the final flight in the 2016 Negociants Working With Wine seminar series and easily the most anticipated. Check out the other flights here, here and here …
Taste Champagne Prestige Masterclass Tyson Stelzer's Taste Champagne tastings kicked off in Sydney today, with a large contingent of Champagne producers opening their wares at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel (Melbourne and Brisbane are still to come. Go to …
Carrying on in my series of posts covering my recent visit to Orange (these ones here, here and here), today I'm looking at the wines of Brangayne, the wine business of the Hoskins family. Brangayne, the property, first came into …
The late postcard: Etna Ever arrive home after a holiday and find that you beat your postcards home? Well that's me, except this postcard I never quite got around to sending. Now that I'm back - and under …
Yellowglen Exceptional Vintage XV Piccadilly Valley 2002 (Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, SA) 12%, Cork, $49.99 Source: Sample www.yellowglen.com A rather more evolved beast than its younger brother, I applaud the winemaking merit here, though think this might have been …
Jim Barry: Verticals of Florita, Armagh + McRae Wood 'We made our first (Armagh) when Sam was in my underpants' That's Peter Barry, current Jim Barry Wines GM and Barry family patriarch, in typically blunt form. Think …
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 (Champagne, France) 12.5%, Cork, $135 Source: A glass from someone else's bottlewww.salondelamotte.com The Champagne you're having when you're not having Salon, Delamotte is usually a wine of some intensity, carrying plenty of its …
Leconfield Cabernet - the last 10 years Did you know that the Hamilton family - who founded Leconfield - have been vignerons for 175 years? I didn't. It's an impressive figure too, especially given that the …
Obligatory hand picture. Label still looks good too St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2002 (Barossa, SA)14.5%, Cork Source: Kindly dinner companion www.sthallett.com.au There is no doubting the joy of a wine like this. Drawn from a record cool season, …
Dom Oenothèque – the best from ‘the library’ Superb packaing on this special Dom. Have your platinum Amex at the ready sir (I wrote this article a little over a year ago now for Lattè Life Magazine. …
Champagne: 30 tasted I was struggling for inspiration tonight and so, instead of just writing something half-heartedly, decided to attack the pile of papers here on my 'work desk'. Whilst the tidying, rearranging and such didn't …
Old Maurice would be proud... A mini Hunter Shiraz vertical I'm a little tardy in writing up these notes, but the following Hunter Shiraz vertical was held in Sydney a few months back. As you can see …
Bollinger - a quick snapshot of the range 100 years of Bollinger Special Cuvée I like Bollinger. I like their uncompromised winemaking approach and I like their understated marketing. No flashy Moët-esque packaging either, just class. In fact, the …
The joy of Clape It doesn't happen all that often - although I wish it did - but when it does, it serves as a reminder of exactly how mindblowing the finest wines can be. I'm …
New Years Drinks: Moët 2002, Charles Melton Rose of Virgina 2010 One lonely rosé I feels almost dirty choosing to drink Moët on NYE, as I really should be picking something slightly more charismatic really. A stack …
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Vintage 2002 $120 Whilst non vintage Champagne from the bigger houses can be something of a quality gamble, the vintage versions are typically much more predictable. And predictable this is, in the very …
I've been a bit slack in transcribing my notes from the messy scribbles of my wine wankerish notepad into electronic form, so this is the first of a few compilations to come.Enjoyed over a degustation …
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.