Actually, there wasn't really a winner between these two. It was a tie. And what a talking point. This was one of several matchups served over lunch at the 40 year …
Q: You have $50 to spend on sparkling wine. Do you: a) Buy a bottle of discounted, ‘big house’ NV Champagne? b) Spend the dollars on a premium, likely vintage Australian sparkling? It’s …
Biennially, Australian wine importer and distributor Negociants Australia put on what is arguably the greatest wine education/seminar series in the country, the Working With Wine Program. Today is the first day, …
I'm finally getting back into some sort of normal programming this week, or whatever that means when you're a new parent. The little one is sleeping, but the days now …
It’s been fascinating to watch the revival of the big Burgundian negociants. Historically, names like Faiveley, Chanson and Louis Jadot have been treated with a certain disdain here in Australia, tagged as …
For this week's entertainment, I thought I'd pull out all the Shiraz dominant blends that aren't your usual suspects and ended up with these six wines. Some are just slightly unconventional …
d’Arenberg The Athazagoraphobic Cat 2011 Quirky name and an odd blend of Sagrantino and Cinsault. Montefalco meets the south of France. The price doesn't fit either, but that's by the by. …
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 …
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. …
After just over two weeks in the Hawaiian warmth I'm back at the desk and into the grind today, labouring through Sydney's chilly mid-winter with sunshine but a dream. Despite trying …
Castello Di Brolio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2011 Most Gran Selezione leaves me a bit cold. This, again, has too much oak. But it's sexy oak. Does that help? Luxurious oak. Cadbury …
I first tasted the Virago wines back in 2015, describing it as a 'label to watch'. After retasting the range now in 2018, I'm noting that down as a great call …
'Good things come to those who wait.' That's the motto at Seresin, the Marlborough-based winery that prouds itself as an uncommon, 'new world winery with an old world approach'. Actually, they're not …
Did you get a long weekend last week? I joined in the throng of people making their way northwards in search of sunshine, landing in Noosa (along with half of …
Aged Clare Riesling and aged Hunter Semillon - two superb Australian wine styles that deserve more love. Here's a pair of fine examples, both released as mature wines. Thomas Wines Cellar …
Grenache is back. Not that it every really went anywhere, but there's a palpable sense of enthusiasm for Grenache (and notably Australian Grenache) that wasn't there a few years back. Of course …
While I struggle through the man flu and can't smell anything, here are a few Shiraz/Syrah to pass the desk recently. Leeuwin Estate Art Series Margaret River Shiraz 2014 This is the …
Bannockburn Extended Lees Contact Geelong Chardonnay 2011 Here's a wine that fits somewhere in between experiment and frankenwine (depending on your perspective). It's a Chardonnay from Bannockburn in Geelong that spent an …
It's amazing to think that, within a few hundred kilometres on Italian motorways, Nebbiolo has 3 different names. Three! Yet despite all that divergence, our Australian context for 'the king …
Orlando Abrigo Barbaresco Montersino 2011 Had this at Armando Al Pantheon in Rome, which was easily the biggest food disappointment of the trip (overcooked food and surly service). Even had the somm …
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