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 October 2019. I like plenty …
Longview Nebbiolo Saturnus 2017So much of our contemporary Nebbiolo benchmarks are based on Barolo and Barbaresco. Much like Pinot Noir to Burgundy or Assyrtiko to Santorini, this is what we …
Sure, Shiraz gets all the attention, but for my money, Australia's most consistently drinkable premium variety is Chardonnay. That's simply a result of style. So much top tier Australian Shiraz - …
In what has become something of a tradition (posts here, here, here, here and here for starters), I went to this year's 2019 Sydney Royal Wine Show exhibitor event tasting …
Today is Seminar 2 of the 2019 Negociants Working With Wine Program; a biennial wine masterclass series brought to Australia by premier importer and distributor Negociants Australia. This seminar is focused …
For once, you can judge this Longview The Piece Shiraz 2016 by its label. Here's a wine that cohesively matches up concept, packaging and product. I love it. View this post on …
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 …
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 …
Petaluma B & V Vineyard Shiraz 2015 Remember when Petaluma was one of the industry benchmarks? Sadly, the brand has had at least 5 ownership changes since then, and the wines …
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 …
The premise with this collection is very very simple - I've been hitting the sample pile hard over the past week or two, and these 30 wines were not only …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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, 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.
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.