It's that time again. These wines haven't quite made a full write up this month. Odds and ends... Sunshine Creek Yarra Valley Cabernets 2013 No back label. Feel the mystery! Not quite in …
I googled Tignanello this afternoon while on the hunt for some information about alcohol percentage (didn't learn much), and discovered that the name is better known as a handbag brand …
It always surprises me how much interesting Italian wine come to Australia. Loads of it. The only problem is that much of the best doesn't leave the 'on-premise' (restaurants and bars) …
I liked Verona. There's something beautifully romantic about this northern Italian city, the sentiment extending well beyond the tourists and tacky selfies in front of Juliet's Balcony. Romance, great food, and vines …
Curiously, I had just one glass of fizz on NYE, even though 3 bottles of Krug were in the fridge. New Years Eve does that sometimes... Anyway, for this fizz roundup I …
It's always fun benchmarking wines against the classics. Always. Even when the comparison 'contender' wine is shit, the tasting at least can be a good quality calibration exercise. Thankfully, the …
Muga Seleccion Especial Reserva 2010 I've been a little slow in updates over the last week or so, spending too much time at Spanish beaches. Can't help myself really. But back to …
Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz 2010 I'm always impressed by the Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz. Classy and deep, the concentration a fair reflection of the mature, dry-grown Hanging Rock vineyard. I wouldn't …
Poole's Rock Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2010 Poole's Rock is now part of the Agnew family holdings (along with Audrey Wilkinson) and good to see the label back in family hands after …
Chateau Tanunda - rare verticals of some well priced Barossans 'I needed a chateau' John Geber Who doesn't need a chateau really? I do love that John Geber bought Chateau Tanunda on something …
8 fine Aussie and Italian Nebbiolo I'll be the first to admit that Australia is yet to 'crack' the Nebbiolo formula. Sure, as some of the wines in this tasting show, we're …
Willunga 100 The Tithing McLaren Vale Grenache 2010 It's so great to see Grenache on the up lately. Maybe that's just my own perception, but still, things are looking more Grenache-y …
Bordeaux 2010: An IMW mega tasting of 20+ top Bordeaux Tasting young Cabernet is hard. Actually, it's not technically hard at all, just unfun. Sure, you can recognise potential, and the great …
G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2010 (Piedmont, Italy) The approachable face of Piedmont Nebbiolo, from a producer with a knack for getting it right lately. Plenty to like. Can't see the value …
The Old Faithful Northern Exposure Grenache 2010 Why is Grenache so hard to sell? It's a variety that can provide so much drinking joy, is ideally suited to the sandy soils …
Bleasdale Iron Duke Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 From what I can gather, this was either named after a) a Sydney pub, b) a class of locomotive c) the first Duke of Wellington …
d'Arenberg Derelict Vineyard McLaren Vale Grenache 2010 I reckon some of d'Arenberg's best wines are Grenache based, with the earthen, 'I've been to the southern Rhone and bought all the t-shirts' …
Chateau Pierre-Bise 'Sur Spilite' Anjou Villages 2010 Stupidly, I'm not tired at all tonight, as I managed to nod off on the plane back from New Zealand tonight and slept for …
Blue Pyrenees Pyrenees Botrytis Riesling 2010 This won 2013 International Sweet Wine of the Year at the International Sweet Wine Challenge, a lofty title indeed for a wine that can be …
Kellermeister Eden Valley Eiswein 2010 An Eden Valley Gewurztraminer ice wine? Tricky. Hand-picked grapes are slowly frozen over 2 weeks and whole bunch pressed when frozen. But this doesn't tasty tricky. Just …
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, 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.
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.