There are few more blue chip names in Australian wine than Steve Pannell (aka S.C. Pannell). Son of Moss Wood founders Bill and Sandra Pannell, Steve is the only winemaker in …
Not all wines can be great. In fact plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad... Here's a selection of wines that didn't quite excite me in May. Several …
On Saturday, the (newly expanded) Team Graham made it to Brokenwood's annual Graveyard lunch. There was 3 outfit changes (after multiple poonamis), and we were the only ones there with …
It's new release season in the wine industry, which means that I came home to a small mountain of samples to pickup from the post office. But this is new …
I'm on a bit of a McLaren Vale run at the moment, even if it was unintentional. Actually, maybe it's not - if I was forced to pick a specialisation, …
I'm steadily making a dent in the sample pile at the moment, after getting massively behind after my little one was born. She's 8 weeks old now (and beautiful, in my …
Livewire Pinot Noir 2017Livewire is the label of Anthony Brain, who must get dumb jokes about his last name all the time. Meanwhile, I end up with 'Hi Graham' (got …
Let's check in with some recent Shiraz and Semillon releases from the Hunter Valley (and beyond). A pleasure to see more experimentation with traditional Hunter styles too. Making the same wine …
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, you do my head in. Here's a variety capable of textural magnificence. Of mouthfilling richness in Alsace or Central Otago, then pure, saline delicacy and effortless freshness in …
Bellvale Pinot Noir 2017 As the old saying goes, you can either have good Pinot or cheap Pinot. But never both. Except for this Bellvale wine. John Ellis' dry-grown Gippsland vineyard can …
If you haven't already gone long on 2017 Yarra Valley reds, consider this another reminder. I feel like I say this all the time, but why spend $150 a bottle on …
Soumah Hexham Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 I'm a card-carrying fan of the 2017 Soumah Pinots. Every egg is a (tasty, varietal) bird. Great colour for this Hexham Vineyard Pinot too. It's …
Castle Rock Pinot Noir 2017 I'm not a massive fan of Great Southern Pinot, purely due to a lack of delicacy. That's a broad generalisation, I know, but convince me otherwise. …
Following on from Monday's article on blends, I thought it only fair to back it up with a selection of the better white and red blends to pass the desk …
Let's not bullshit, the vast majority of wines made aren't compelling. They're not. There's a tiny quantity that are compelling, but most are are pleasant, well made, if unexciting. And …
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 …
It's my birthday this week, and rather than just confine it to a single day I like to stretch out celebrations for a good 3 weeks - the #monthofAndrew. That sounds …
With the official Graham HQ Chief Chardonnay Drinker 34 weeks pregnant, I'm not opening up as much Chardonnay as normal (outside of tasting lineups). The flip side is that I'm probably …
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.