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 completely unbiased opinion), so things …
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 a request for more well-priced …
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 in the same way every …
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 even more individual. This Grenache …
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 the Veneto. Yet at the same …
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 here, and it shows, with …
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 recently. No shortage of interest in …
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. Oh and I'm only really …
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 some wines are just poor. Here …
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 seem to go even faster …
Benchmarks matter. Especially for wine. And on Saturday night, despite a few too many IPA warm up beers, I managed a peek at the latest vintage of a Marlborough icon - the 2018 Cloudy Bay …
Christmas is my favourite time of year. The smell of gardenias. The sun. The green grass. The promise of holidays. It's so good. This time of year is also perfect for opening lots of wines. I …
I'm loving the new age of Australian light reds. Meunier, Gamay, Pinot Meunier, Trousseau. Nouveau styles. Joven styles. It's like suddenly our collective industry woke up one day and realised that not everything needs to …
It's been a long month here at Graham HQ, and the next few weeks promise to be just as intense. I can't wait for that glorious period in between Christmas and New Year where life …
I love great Viognier. Textural, viscous, rich, barrel matured Viognier is absolutely delicious. But so much V weed is underwhelming, ordinary, and either under or overripe. Too much. Too often. But this Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2018 …
Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2018 It's easy to bash Australian Sauv, but here's what it should taste like - especially in 2018. Super fresh and vibrant nose with grapefruit, melon and cut grass. The juicy palate …
From near misses to faulty junk. Here is a collection of the wines that almost won me over in October 2018. A special, frustrating mention to the two Leasingham wines. I grew up worshipping the mid …
This edition of the Almost Club is a few days late as I was busily not doing much in Noosa (photo attached. We love Noosa). Here than are 20 wines that almost hit the mark in …
(This is a version of an article I wrote for a recent edition of National Liquor News magazine. There's a different tone here to the usual Australian Wine Review style, but there's some worthy thoughts …
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.