Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad… Here’s a selection of wines that almost made it in July 2019. I like plenty …
Matt East from Rouleur popped by the other day with this new Rouleur Shiraz 2018 in his bag. Strangely, he was reticent to show it thinking it might be a …
Tim Smith Barossa Mataro Grenache Shiraz 2018 Old vines, old barrels, unfined and unfiltered. Tim Smith delivers another lively, generous and affordable Barossan red and I like it. Dark purple red, it's …
Lou Miranda Estate Old Vine Grenache 2018 One of the better wines from the Lou Miranda stable for mine. Nails the old vine Grenache mode with generous fruit and no oak. From …
Bugalugs Shiraz 2018 This is good, inexpensive, bright and juicy modern Barossa Shiraz. Plum juice aplenty in an affable style. Minimal oak, minimal tannins, just genuine, simple Barossa Shiraz. A bit …
Soumah Al Fiori Rosato 2018 Soumah can make decent Italian rosé too. This Rosato is a blend of Yarra Valley Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon wild fermented in barrel with a little …
Tim Smith Eden Valley Viognier 2018 Easily one of the best Viognier in the country, although it's a shallow pool as so many producers get the V-weed so wrong. What I …
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 …
Sometimes, it's the wonky wines that you really want to see. In a world sodden with characterless, 'safe' premium drinks, it's things like this Topper’s Mountain Touriga & Tintas 2018 that …
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 …
Yangarra Estate Noir 2018 At the end of 2018 I made a wishlist of 3 things I'd like to see more of in 2019. And number 1 on the list was …
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 …
Schwarz Wine Co. Meta Grenache 2018 Mark this down as another example of the rebounding fortune of Australian Grenache. The Schwarz wines are always charismatic, and the somewhat experimental Meta wines are …
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 …
Airlie Bank Pinot Noir 2018 Be amazed at the value. Or at least just appreciate how much effort went into a $22 wine. A huge 40% whole bunches in the mix …
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 …
Punt Road Pinot Gris 2018 With a newborn now eating up most of my waking hours, for the next couple of weeks the reviews will be a little shorter than normal. …
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 …
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.