Daosa Natural Reserve NV Enter the new sparkling wine from Xavier Bizot and Lucy Croser. While I'm not sure about the 'Natural Reserve' tagline - it feels more like a stab at the natural wine movement than …
As you might have noticed, I'm on the Adelaide Hills train this week, covering off a small collection of regional new releases. I really love Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, and there was two delights in this …
Mylkappa Wines Pinot Noir Rosè 2017 A new name to me but with plenty of interest. Mylkappa is a small Adelaide Hills vineyard at Birdwood that has largely grown fruit for other producers, only recently turning …
Tapanappa Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay 2017 Another great Tapanappa Chardonnay. Sourced from a block of close-planted vines planted in 2003 on the Tiers property, this is quite a contrast to the more linear Tiers (which still has …
Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay 2016 Richer vintage for the classic Shaw + Smith M3 style but it doesn’t lose shape. Lemon butter and apple juice meets toasty oak, the finish still shaped by grapefruit but …
Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir 2017 I'm happy to be proven wrong (and Ashton Hills does it regularly), but I still don't see Adelaide Hills as a prime Pinot Noir region. Good wines, yes, but not …
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 …
Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2017 This is the effectively the 3rd wine in the Tapanappa Chardonnay range but it's hardly a 3rd wine in quality. Actually, it’s a surprisingly ripe style with a whisper of honeycomb and …
Terre à Terre Summertown Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 I'm torn. This is so polished and ripe and has a real Pinosity - but is it just a bit too much of a serious dry red rather …
Petaluma B & V Vineyard Shiraz 2015 Petaluma's premium single vineyard Shiraz and it's almost a star. From the B + V Vineyard on the eastern side of the Adelaide Hills, this sees 72% new oak …
Terre à Terre Rosè 2017 Sparkling wine without the bubbles. That's the mode here, with this Piccadilly Valley pink from Xavier Bizot & Lucy Croser. A blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay fruit handpicked …
Wirra Wirra The 12th Man Chardonnay 2017 Wirra Wirra's Adelaide Hills Chardonnay always packs in some class, with layers of flavour. This '17 vintage feels like a work in progress, but the elements are there. At …
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.